Chapter 41: Can’t Keep Up the Act Anymore

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Can’t Keep Up the Act Anymore

The island had comprehensive medical facilities, so an ambulance arrived quickly and immediately began emergency treatment.

Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the medical staff, Fu Zimo started breathing again. He was then loaded onto the ambulance and rushed to the hospital.

When Director Qian woke up and heard the news, he let out a huge sigh of relief. ’As long as he’s not dead, we’re okay.’ At the end of the day, this wasn’t the show’s fault, but if they mishandled it, they might not be able to continue filming!

Director Qian sighed wearily. "To the hospital." He stood up with someone’s support and asked, "Have you found Feng Xia?"

"We’ve sent people to look, but there’s no news yet."

Director Qian was mentally exhausted. He said decisively, "Stop looking. Just call the police!"

’Running off after hurting someone... that’s clearly fleeing to escape justice. Fu Zimo nearly died. At a minimum, Feng Xia is looking at a charge of intentional injury; at worst, it’s attempted murder. If we let our own crew look for him, who’s going to take responsibility if something goes wrong?’

The person beside him acknowledged the order and quickly pulled out their phone to send the notice.

Meanwhile, the other guests received a notification from the production team. It briefly explained what had happened, warned them to be wary of Feng Xia, and announced that the live broadcast was suspended. As for when it would resume, the message only said it would depend on the situation.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow after reading the message. ’Feng Xia lost control this quickly?’

She opened Weibo and glanced at the trending topics. Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but sigh. ’Fu Zimo really knows how to court death.’

After closing Weibo, Gu Qingyin opened her chat with Huo Xingye. The latest message was a document detailing the island’s ownership and information about the owner of the futuristic villa.

’She had guessed the island was a Hengtai property, but she was surprised to learn that the Huo Family was behind Hengtai! The person who had injected the capital to save Hengtai from the brink of bankruptcy was actually Huo Xingye!’

And the owner of the villa was Hengtai’s current CEO, Qi Zhou.

The document included Qi Zhou’s phone number, with a special note that he had already been contacted, so Gu Qingyin could call him directly. At the very end, there was one more line: Qi Zhou is very rich.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but laugh after reading it. ’My son is so thoughtful.’

She dialed the number, and it was answered after only two rings.

"Hello, is this Master Gu?"

A magnetic, pleasant voice, tinged with a hint of caution, came through the phone.

"I am." Gu Qingyin got straight to the point. "You should already be aware of the situation. Let’s discuss the Fate Fee."

Qi Zhou had intended to exchange a few pleasantries, but he hadn’t expected her to be so focused on money. He chuckled and proactively offered a price. "Fifty million. What do you think?" Considering the nature of the matter and her identity, he felt the price was quite reasonable.

Gu Qingyin hadn’t expected such a high offer. It was so high that she felt embarrassed to ask for more.

"That will be fine." Gu Qingyin did her best to sound nonchalant. "I’ll send you my account details in a moment."

Qi Zhou agreed, saying with a smile, "Then I’ll be counting on you, Master Gu."

After hanging up, Gu Qingyin changed into sportswear, packed her shoulder bag, and headed out. She paused before going downstairs and went to Huo Xinghai’s room instead.

She had only intended to say a quick hello, since she might be back very late that night.

The door was ajar. Gu Qingyin walked over and knocked, looking up just in time to see Huo Xinghai quickly stuff something under his blankets.

Gu Qingyin’s eyes narrowed. It was only then she noticed a faint, almost imperceptible trace of evil energy lingering in the room.

"What are you up to? You look awfully sneaky."

"Nothing." Huo Xinghai put on his best act, forcing an awkward, slightly sheepish smile.

Gu Qingyin was speechless. ’If I hadn’t sensed the evil energy, I might have actually been fooled.’

’Huo Xinghai must have gotten his hands on something strange. I don’t have time to question him in detail right now, so I’ll just have to pretend I didn’t see anything. In any case, he has the Jade Pendant, so he should be fine for a while.’

"I have to go out for a while," Gu Qingyin said. "Try not to leave the house tonight, and keep the Jade Pendant on you, close to your skin."

Huo Xinghai’s expression relaxed slightly. He asked with concern, "Where are you going?"

Gu Qingyin smiled. "To make some money."

A flicker of light crossed Huo Xinghai’s eyes. He was about to speak, but Gu Qingyin cut him off. "I can’t take you with me this time. If you’re curious, you’ll just have to wait for another opportunity."

"Why?"

Gu Qingyin didn’t elaborate, only saying, "The situation is a bit complicated, and I might not be able to look out for you." ’This is my first time dealing with a Ghost Cultivator,’ she thought. ’If something went wrong, I’d regret it forever.’

Huo Xinghai was displeased, but he was also afraid he’d just be a burden and cause trouble for her, so he could only nod. "Then you be careful."

After Gu Qingyin left, Huo Xinghai sat on the edge of his bed, his heart pounding with anxiety. ’She... she probably didn’t see it, right?’

The sky outside had already grown dark, but the streetlights were not on.

Gu Qingyin was driving a tourist cart alone toward the Lin Family Siblings’ villa. She hadn’t gotten far when a beam of light flashed across her face.

Gu Qingyin narrowed her eyes and tsked in annoyance. Instead of stopping, she accelerated slightly.

"Stop!"

A vehicle sped toward her from the opposite direction, forcing her to a halt.

Gu Qingyin sat in her cart, her expression blank. She didn’t move until the people from the other vehicle got out, and she saw they were wearing police uniforms.

The officer holding the flashlight questioned her, his expression grim. "Why did you try to run when you saw us?"

Gu Qingyin laughed. "I was driving along just fine when someone suddenly shone a flashlight in my eyes. What was I supposed to do, not run? For all I knew, it could have been an attacker and I would’ve been in danger."

The two officers exchanged a glance without speaking, apparently trying to gauge whether she was telling the truth.

Gu Qingyin tsked, the smile vanishing from her face. "Could you please stop shining that in my face?"

The officer finally reacted, quickly moving the beam away. "Sorry. It’s a habit."

Gu Qingyin sized them up. "You’re rookies, aren’t you."

"How did you know?"

Gu Qingyin scoffed. "Reckless and rude."

The officer with the flashlight immediately flushed, a mix of shame and annoyance.

The other officer spoke up. "You’re one of the show’s guests? What are you doing out so late?"

"I was bored, so I was going to find Lin Tian and see if she’s feeling better." Gu Qingyin paused, then asked quizzically, "The production team never said we couldn’t go out. Is the island on lockdown now?"

"No, but Feng Xia still hasn’t been found, so it’s still potentially dangerous."

Gu Qingyin feigned a look of understanding and started the cart. "Well, I’d better get going then. You two should hurry up and find your man."

The cart quickly disappeared into the darkness, leaving the two rookie officers staring at each other.

"She won’t run into danger, will she?"

"Probably not. She seems pretty alert."

Gu Qingyin parked the tourist cart and strolled leisurely to the villa’s front gate. The smart butler’s voice didn’t chime, and the gate showed no sign of opening.

A normal person might have suspected a malfunction with the smart butler. But Gu Qingyin simply looked at the brightly lit villa in the courtyard, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "What’s the matter? Can’t keep up the smart butler act anymore?"