Chapter Fifty-Six: Aiding the Wicked

Hu Wenyi’s account was indeed airtight: after he and Zhang Jun left the hotel, they had been working through the night at the film set, making preparations. There was absolutely no possibility that either of them had returned to the hotel.

He then explained his own position. “Xiaoli, you know I’m a bachelor. To say I haven’t had any thoughts about you would hardly make me a normal man, especially since we’re fellow students from the same school. I’m deeply saddened by what happened, but let me be clear about one thing: in today’s society, a sexual relationship between a man and a woman isn’t some earth-shattering disaster. Besides, you must have had boyfriends before, right?”

Xiaoli nodded blankly.

Hu Wenyi said decisively, “Then forget about this as soon as possible. Judging by your performance on the set, becoming famous is only a matter of course. Don’t throw away your bright future over a minor blemish. It wouldn’t be worth it.”

A minor blemish?

Xiaoli was instantly bewildered. Could what had happened really be called a blemish?

Hu Wenyi clearly noticed her confusion. “I don’t want to say much more. Whatever may have happened to you, I’m willing to take responsibility to the very end. I’ve always sneered at notions of chastity and virginity. Besides, I’m alone in this world. If you’re willing, come with me… Think it over carefully.”

The expression on Xiaoli’s face became so contorted that words failed her completely.

For a moment, she was even moved—though perhaps only a little.

She secretly took a proper look at this senior fellow student, who was nearly forty. At first glance, he seemed to be around that age, but he had taken excellent care of himself and scarcely had a single gray hair. Impeccably dressed, refined and handsome, tall and composed, he possessed all the allure of a mature man.

“Er… I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait for you,” Hu Wenyi said calmly. Then he rose, bade her farewell, and left without so much as looking back.

Xiaoli was left alone, drinking her coffee until it grew more and more bitter.

They had come to the same café, but everything had changed completely, as suddenly and violently as a storm.

* * *

Someone was lightly tapping on the tabletop.

At first, Xiaoli, lost in thought, did not notice. Only after the tapping continued several times and gradually grew louder did she look up.

“Huh?”

She let out a soft cry. From the corner of her eye, she saw that a man had somehow taken a seat beside her. It was the friend of Yaozi.

Wan Yongkun asked in a low voice, “Hello. Do you have time to talk?”

He had obviously noticed how distraught Xiaoli was.

A flash of insight crossed her mind. Her first thought was not about anything else, but whether this man had followed her. If he had, then perhaps he also knew about that hotel. And if so… could he be a suspect too?

Her body began to turn cold, and her hands trembled slightly. Wan Yongkun, however, was utterly confused. Why was this woman looking at him so strangely? There was even a hint of venom in her eyes. An ominous feeling rose within him.

He asked cautiously, “Are you feeling unwell?”

The moment he said this, Xiaoli sprang to her feet as though she had been bitten by a snake.

“So it was you! You…” She pointed at Wan Yongkun, unable to finish the sentence, as if she were staring at a demon.

Wan Yongkun was startled as well. What on earth was going on?

“I only wanted to ask whether your senior fellow student had…” He had intended to ask whether Hu Wenyi had harmed her, but the question seemed too abrupt, so he swallowed the rest.

Xiaoli swung up her coat, intending to slap him across the face, but instead cried out through trembling sobs, “One day, I’ll make you repay me a hundredfold, a thousandfold!”

“What?”

Wan Yongkun was truly stunned this time. Even he was frightened by the fury and desperation in her voice.

Xiaoli pointed at him with a trembling finger. “Just wait! You wait!”

She shoved the chair aside and staggered out of the café, leaving Wan Yongkun utterly bewildered.

He soon recovered, however. Xiaoli had evidently run into serious trouble, and there was no doubt it was connected with Hu Wenyi, the ruthless womanizer. He hurriedly relayed the news to the detective group and uploaded a photograph of Xiaoli. He had taken it secretly, and it was not particularly clear.

At first, he thought he had merely meddled in someone else’s business, and that the matter had little to do with anyone beyond Hu Wenyi.

Unexpectedly, Chen Tianyu’s avatar suddenly flashed, and a line of text appeared on the phone screen:

“This woman’s name is Xiaoli. She had contact with Xiao Su some time ago. Whatever happens, keep a close watch on this lead. Report any unusual movement on her part to me immediately.”

“I suspect she has a great deal to do with Xiao Su’s death.”

Chen Tianyu went offline.

Wan Yongkun was genuinely stunned. Could he really have stumbled upon something far bigger than expected?

He put away his phone and dashed outside, but Xiaoli had already vanished without a trace.

* * *

Xiaoli chose to throw herself into work. Her goal was to become famous as quickly as possible. Since what had happened could not be undone, she would do as her senior fellow student had said and obtain an equivalent reward.

Naturally, she no longer dared to memorize scripts in a hotel. Even if she had to hole up in the noisy, disorderly single dormitory, she would never make the same mistake again.

Then she suddenly discovered that *The Perfect Lamb* was merely an online series, with only ten episodes in total.

This disappointed her somewhat. Who could have imagined that Director Zhang was no ordinary man? He actually had the nerve to upload each episode as soon as it was finished, using a major website and a well-known video platform. Such a daring operation was something few directors would attempt unless they were already famous.

The result, however, was unexpectedly good. The platform’s view count soon surpassed ten million.

There was no denying that solid quality and precise subject selection were the secrets of his success. As for how he had obtained the broadcasting license, perhaps only Heaven knew.

In any case, in the space of just a few short days, Jiang Ruolin, who played the second female lead, had become an online celebrity.

Her income was difficult to say, but she had certainly achieved fame. Xiaoli could hardly believe it. Her favorable impression of Hu Wenyi rose sharply, and the unexpected appearance of Wan Yongkun allowed her to let go of all past grievances. She took the initiative to show Hu Wenyi goodwill several times, and he was only too pleased to accept it.

Before long, the two of them became an openly acknowledged couple.

Some people made a great deal of noise about it. Those who knew the truth indulged in it with malicious amusement, while others could do nothing but envy and resent Hu Wenyi for his good fortune with women.

Xiaoli obeyed Hu Wenyi in everything, and before long they began living together—a secret that everyone already knew.

During the filming of *The Perfect Lamb*, Hu Wenyi also gave her another, much larger script. Along with it came a task: find female actresses as quickly as possible.

The requirements were simple: they had to be around twenty years old, approximately thirty were to be selected, and they had to be outstanding in appearance, bearing, and figure. Everything else could be disregarded.

When Xiaoli received the assignment, she was genuinely baffled. There were barely any female roles in the script. Why did he need so many women? Was he planning to form a dance troupe, or use them as background extras?

Hu Wenyi could not be bothered to explain. He merely told her to follow the requirements, leaving Xiaoli no choice but to suppress her curiosity.

A woman caught in the whirlpool of love had completely lost her powers of judgment. She began working herself to the bone for Hu Wenyi, firmly convinced that he was the true benefactor of her life and that every word he spoke must contain some profound meaning.

Little did she know that she had already set foot on the road of crime, sliding step by step into the abyss.