Chapter 29 – Astray Actor (1)
“On February 1st, there was a chain collision on the highway from A City to B City, injuring 27 people, of which 16 were seriously injured and were being treated in the hospital…”
The television in the hospital lobby continuously replayed the recent news. People sitting in the waiting area occasionally glanced up at it. The passing crowd didn’t stop at all, and the noisy environment completely drowned out the sound of the television.
Outside the lobby, in the adjacent building, the top-floor corridor and rooms were quiet.
Inside the hospital room, the slightly open window stirred the hanging curtain, and sunlight streamed through the glass, falling on the floor and the white bed sheets.
On the hospital bed, the cold white fingers resting on the sheet twitched slightly, and the person lying there opened their eyes.
Having not seen light for a long time, their eyes were initially pained by the sunlight but gradually adjusted over time.
Chen Luosong quietly observed the room: the hospital bed, the equipment beside it, the sofa, a cup, and the smell of disinfectant.
He had arrived in the new mission world.
Unlike the last time, he was no longer an unnamed character in the book but a well-known villain.
In the book, the main storyline described the male protagonist’s growth from an unknown actor to a top-tier movie star. During this journey, the male lead defeated the villain who used despicable means to “support” him, as well as his ultimate rival, the book’s main villain who competed with him in various aspects.
However, there was now a slight deviation. The original villain, who was supposed to survive the accident, had died in the car crash, so he had to take over.
Footsteps echoed from outside, and then the door to the hospital room opened.
The nurse entered, paused when she saw him awake, and then quickly left the room. From the bed, he could faintly hear someone in the corridor saying, “The patient in room 601 is awake.”
When the nurse returned, she brought the doctor and other nurses with her. They performed routine checks and asked the usual questions.
Chen Luosong answered their questions while thinking about his situation. His voice was somewhat soft but clear and organized, surprisingly pleasant to listen to. The nurse glanced at him a couple of times.
After the routine check-up, the medical staff left the room.
Back in the corridor, someone peered into the room through the glass and remarked, “How did we not notice before that the patient in this room is quite good-looking?”
The person next to them agreed.
They tried to recall what the patient looked like before but found their minds blank, unable to remember his previous appearance.
It was strange, but they didn’t dwell on it and walked away.
For the next whole month, Chen Luosong stayed in the hospital to recuperate. According to the doctors, he was recovering well. Although he couldn’t walk for long periods, he was able to get out of bed and move around on his own.
During this time, many people visited him. He met them and remembered them, so the next time they came, he was no longer clueless about them.
The most frequent visitor was his special assistant, who came almost every few days, and for a period, visited every day, mostly for work-related matters.
The original villain had a high status and had the money to support several celebrities, not through his own abilities but through the wealth accumulated over generations by his ancestors. Chen Luosong discovered during his first interactions that it was actually this special assistant who managed the company’s affairs.
The special assistant’s last name was Bai, and his full name was Bai Mingwei. On the day Chen Luosong was discharged, it was Bai Mingwei who came to pick him up.
Due to the car accident and the physical condition of the body he was now inhabiting, he needed assistance when encountering stairs or getting into the car. Chen Luosong adapted well to this and politely thanked Bai Mingwei after being helped into the car.
The driver in the front seat asked where to go, and Special Assistant Bai replied, “Home.”
He seemed to have thoroughly understood the original villain. Between going to the company and going home, the original villain would undoubtedly choose to go home.
Chen Luosong did not offer any other opinions. He leaned his head to the side, looking at the person sitting in the front passenger seat, and said, “Assistant Bai, please find someone for me.”
The person in the front seat turned his head and asked, “Who are you looking for, Mr. Chen?”
The person in the back replied, “Zhou Xiao—, um, Zhou Ji.”
Assistant Bai immediately lowered his gaze.
He still remembered that name and knew who he was.
Zhou Ji was a small-time actor and still a student. He became famous for breaking the nose of an executive in the industry during an altercation, which offended many people. Since then, he had been essentially blacklisted, with no news about him. Objectively speaking, his physical appearance was quite good.
For the person in the back seat, the most important thing was probably that last point.
Over the past month, this person hadn’t mentioned any small-time celebrities. Assistant Bai had thought he had changed his ways after the car accident, but it turned out he was still the same, with no change at all.
However, a subordinate was still a subordinate. Assistant Bai eventually withdrew his gaze and said, “Okay.”
As the vehicle continued forward, Chen Luosong sat in the back seat, looking down quietly at his phone screen.
…
Assistant Bai seemed experienced in finding people. Within a few days, he had located Zhou Ji. Zhou Ji had signed with a notorious talent agency known for its shady dealings. After the incident where Zhou Ji broke the executive’s nose, the agency had adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards him, providing no resources and refusing to release him from his contract.
In simple terms, he was being shelved.
Offending someone, especially for a newcomer in the industry, meant losing any foothold in that world. Zhou Ji had been working part-time jobs, likely to pay for the medical expenses as compensation.
During the time he was investigating, he heard that the executive who had been hit was trying to contact Zhou Ji through the company, supposedly to meet again and clear up the previous misunderstanding.
It was clear to anyone with sense that this meeting was more about seeking revenge than resolving any misunderstandings.
While looking down at some documents on the sofa, Chen Luosong heard Assistant Bai speak again, “Mr. Zhang is asking if you are free on Friday evening.”
Chen Luosong lifted his eyes slightly.
Mr. Zhang was the one whose nose had been broken.
…
Friday evening.
The vehicle stopped in the bamboo grove in front of a private club. The driver got out and opened the door, and the person in the back seat exited the car.
Someone was already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing him, they paused in surprise, then quickly approached after confirming his identity.
This person was Mr. Zhang. Although his face was quite ordinary and hard to recognize, his carefully protected nose was distinctive. As he approached, he called out, “Mr. Chen.”
Chen Luosong responded and followed him through the door.
As Zhang spoke, he kept glancing sideways at Chen Luosong.
This person felt very different. It was as if the car accident had completely changed him, from his clothing to his behavior.
Mr. Zhang remembered that Mr. Chen used to like wearing custom-made clothes, always insisting on unique designs. Now, however, he was simply dressed in a shirt and jacket, which was almost plain compared to before.
Plain, but it looked very comfortable and gave off a peaceful vibe.
—Did he hit his head?
While Mr. Zhang was still pondering this, they arrived at the room.
——
In the quiet bamboo grove, another car slowly came to a stop.
First, two middle-aged men got out of the car, followed by a much younger man.
“It’s just a few drinks. Behave yourself this time,” said one of the men with a thick beard, preemptively speaking before any commotion could arise. “Don’t forget that you still have a contract here. You’ve already caused the company to lose an investor. If you cause any more trouble, you’ll never be able to repay the penalty fees in your lifetime.”
The other man looked at the restrained young man with pity in his eyes.
By experience, this young man should have had a promising future, but he had boarded the wrong ship. His last bit of value was to be used to secure Mr. Zhang’s investment.
Zhou Ji was dragged through the entrance, down a corridor, and finally stopped at the door of an unfamiliar room.
The bearded man freed a hand to check his phone, then turned to Zhou Ji with a cold, mocking smile.
The door opened, and Zhou Ji was forcefully shoved into the room by the two men. The door instantly closed behind him, sealing off all sound.
They hadn’t held back at all, causing Zhou Ji to stumble several steps before he managed to regain his balance.
The noise drew everyone’s attention in the room. When he steadied himself and looked up, he saw all eyes on him.
Cold, resentful, disdainful, pitying, and watching with detached interest.
He saw the man he had hit last time. That man was seated, slowly picking up a bottle of liquor and a glass, then stood up and walked over.
“Long time no see,” the man said as he approached. “These past weeks haven’t been easy, have they?”
After he finished speaking, he handed over the bottle and smiled. “As long as you finish this bottle of liquor, we’ll consider the matter settled.”
As the liquor was poured, the strong smell filled the room instantly.
It was a bottle of white wine, a full bottle, and it was much larger than a normal bottle. The wine glass was also filled to the brim.
Even drinking half of that bottle would send anyone to the hospital.
The wine glass was pushed forward, but it was swiftly knocked away. The wine glass rolled across the carpet, spilling its contents.
“You little punk!”
In an instant, the man holding the bottle threw it aside and grabbed Zhou Ji by the collar. The bottle rolled to the wall, making a faint ‘clink’ sound.
With his collar being tightly held, Zhou Ji struggled to breathe. He glanced sideways, grabbing the fallen wine glass with his free hand and twisting his wrist slightly.
The room had carpeting, and the walls were padded, so the wine glass wouldn’t break easily. But the door was solid, and the wine glass would shatter if it hit there.
As the man’s other hand came at him, Zhou Ji aimed the wine glass straight for the door.
—Then, just before impact, someone grabbed his hand holding the wine glass.
Someone stood in front of him.
“Mr. Zhang, I actually quite like this kid.”
A calm voice sounded, causing the man with the raised fist to halt abruptly. The hand gripping Zhou Ji’s collar loosened involuntarily. The others in the room watched, unable to react, and the room fell into silence.
Zhou Ji’s chest heaved as he looked at the person standing in front of him with their back to him.
He had seen this person when he entered. The man had been sitting in the main seat, looking at his phone. The cup in front of him contained something steaming, not alcohol, making him the only one in the room who hadn’t been drinking.
Mr. Zhang forced himself to withdraw his hand, smiled, and said through gritted teeth: “This kid has some good luck.”
Chen Luosong smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He turned around and casually adjusted the collar of Zhou Ji’s shirt that had been pulled down. With his other hand, he easily took the still dripping wine glass from Zhou Ji’s hand, lowering his eyes slightly and smiling, “You’re using it wrong. This is just for drinking.”
He then glanced at the people still sitting in the room and greeted them, “I’ll take him with me now. I know the way, no need to escort us.”
Zhou Ji stood there, watching as the door he thought he’d never escape from opened. The man who had walked a few steps ahead turned back to look at him and pulled him by the wrist, saying, “What are you standing there for?”
Zhou Ji finally snapped out of it and followed him.
From the room to the corridor, the smell of alcohol quickly dissipated, and he could faintly smell a scent that didn’t belong there.
Zhou Ji looked down at the hand holding his wrist.
**TN
Sorry for the delay. I decided to stop TLing this for a while due to the intense heatwave in our country. Staring at the screen made my eyes uncomfortable so I had to pause this after finishing the first arc, but it’s back now. Enjoy~ 🙂
