Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Xie Wei blinked hard.

The hospital scene before his eyes vanished, along with the doctors, nurses, patients, crowds, and the blurry young man.

In their place was an empty room with just two people - him and the girl sitting across from him.

Xie Wei hadn't taken a good look at a young girl in a long time. He could barely remember when he last paid close attention to someone.

Five years ago? Or was it six?

It wasn't as if his career had been in shambles since The Great Song Dynasty Mystery. In fact, ten years ago, although he hadn't become hugely popular, his performances were still appreciated and some people were willing to give him a chance.

Xie Wei remembered acting in Director Huang's films, Director Ding's period dramas, and Director Chen's idol dramas. The directors were willing to gamble on him, believing his lack of success was just bad timing and that he would soon rocket to fame.

But they had all lost their bets.

Most people only get one shot, and he had gotten so many more than that - it was already the limit. Even as the opportunities grew smaller and the productions grew tackier, it was still a precious chance that was hard to come by.

It was as if he had already sensed that this would be the end. He cherished every hard-won opportunity, pouring everything into each role, no matter how small.

And so his world filled with ephemeral characters and fantastical backdrops.

Xie Wei was no longer Xie Wei, but the characters themselves.

Yet only one no-name assistant director had witnessed such dedicated acting.

And he had said: "Xie Wei, your acting is at the level of a movie star, but I can't use you."

"Why not?" Xie Wei asked.

"Because the male lead can't act at all."

That was three years ago.

His acting could match any movie star, his performance should be directed by the greats, but everyone knew he would never get those chances again.

Xie Wei had faded away into obscurity.

No one would look for him to act anymore.

Ever since then, his world had become like a Picasso painting.

With the help of medication and psychological treatment, he could distinguish between hallucinations and reality well enough to function. But the illusions would come flooding in as soon as he entered that performative state of being.

A hundred thoughts racing by in the blink of an eye.

Xie Wei gathered his scattered mind and smiled at Jian Jing. "I'm not totally clearheaded. Could we try again?"

Jian Jing was taken aback, her fine brows knitting together.

Director Huang simply said, "Then try again."

"Thank you," Xie Wei replied.

He treasured every audition opportunity, because he might never appear on camera again. To be able pretend, just for a moment, was already a rare gift.

Jian Jing sat back down, unconsciously biting her lip.

Xie Wei started his performance over.

Still the same scene as before, but this time, the lurking shadows around him had all vanished.

He himself became an indistinct shadow, neither good nor evil, like a black hole wearing the skin of a human with no discernible difference.

This was a demon.

Jian Jing thought back to Shao Meng's performance. He had acted well, but there was still a perceptible sense of acting. Not like Xie Wei, who had shed his entire self and become someone else entirely.

Director Huang's breathing suddenly grew hurried, his eyes lighting up with irrepressible excitement.

Jian Jing wanted to say something, but the words died on her lips. She could only look at Xie Wei again.

And he looked back, as if asking - this time, did I do well?

Yes, of course. But no matter how good...

*

At lunch, Jian Jing stopped Zhang Hongchun. "Miss Zhang, could we talk?"

Zhang Hongchun hesitated before agreeing.

The two women sat in the courtyard, drinking tea and eating matcha cakes as they chatted casually.

Jian Jing asked about Zhang Hongchun's experiences since her debut, laying the groundwork before finally asking, "Yesterday, you said if Tao Tao had known, why did she even start in the first place. What did you mean by that?"

"Brother Shao told me to buy more food, so I went to the supermarket." He answered swiftly.

Jian Jing smiled again, "No, you went to a brothel, a bathhouse."

The assistant had a mixed smell of cheap bath gel, cigarettes, street perfume and something like gardenia on him. The undershirt inside his sweater was not properly tucked in, revealing a corner at the hem, stained with a crimson lipstick.

It’s not hard to guess what he did in this kind of place with this kind of smell.

The assistant's face had already changed from unease to fright.

He stammered, "I...I...How did you know...I didn't mean to."

"Shao Meng was killed by the backlash, and you instigated it, right?" Jian Jing said coldly, deliberately deceiving him, "What good will it do you?"

"I didn't get any benefit from it. Brother Shao's death didn't benefit me at all. I don't even know Xie Wei." The assistant was almost crying, "Really, it wasn't me."

Jian Jing said lightly, "Don't change the subject. What does the backlash have to do with Xie Wei?"

The assistant blurted out, "He lent his life, of course..."

He stopped abruptly.

Jian Jing didn't ask what lending a life meant, but instead said, "Does Xie Wei know?"

When the assistant heard this, he thought she had already found out, so he said honestly, "I don't know."

"You know how Shao Meng died, don't you?" Jian Jing said slowly, "He was scared to death."

The assistant remained silent.

She deliberately said, "Even if Xie Wei knew, could a living person be scared to death by him? Do you think it's scientific?"

The assistant shook his head honestly.

"Is it possible you were deceived?" Jian Jing continued laying the trap.

What was deceived, and by whom, depended entirely on how he imagined it.

Not knowing her intentions, the assistant fell right into the trap: "Actually, Master didn't deceive us either. Brother Shao said that the eminent person who lent him a life back then told him he could only live for ten more years at most. Now that the ten years are almost up, although Master helped, and Brother Shao became popular this time, but..."

The superstitious young man looked fearful and mumbled, "But who knows if things will turn out as expected, right? I think something just went wrong with the backlash."

"So you mean Shao Meng's death was an 'accident'?" Jian Jing deliberately emphasized the last word.

The assistant hesitated and said in a low voice, "If Xie Wei knew about it, he might have done something. Just think, if you were him, would you do nothing?"

The topic finally entered the realm of materialism.

Jian Jing followed up, "Did Shao Meng and Xie Wei meet in person?"

"Yes," the assistant replied, "After Brother Shao became popular this time, there were always paparazzi around the place he lived. We came here a couple of days ago, but didn't see Xie Wei until the day before you guys arrived."

Jian Jing's spirit was aroused, "What happened then?"

"They talked for a while."

"Where?"

"In Brother Shao's room."

"What did they talk about? Was there a quarrel?"

"I don't know. Brother Shao kicked me out." The assistant was troubled, "But I guess there was no quarrel. Xie Wei didn't look well, and Brother Shao...Brother Shao must have felt a little guilty. He even offered to introduce Xie Wei to a doctor."

Jian Jing pondered, and asked again, "After they finished talking, did Shao Meng seem abnormal in any way?"

The assistant said, "Brother Shao was in low spirits and stayed in his room for a long time."

"Any physical abnormalities?" Jian Jing asked caringly.

The assistant didn't even have to think about it. "None."

Jian Jing asked very carefully, "Did Xie Wei bring anything with him when he came?"

"He came empty-handed."

"Did they drink any water or eat anything while talking?"

The assistant smiled awkwardly, quite honest, "Teacher Jian, since Brother Shao did something like this, he must have been afraid too. How could he dare... You know what I mean, right?"

The words were crude but the logic was sound.

Shao Meng felt guilty about what he did to Xie Wei, so he must have been too afraid to eat or drink anything from him.

Could it really have been a pure accident?