Chapter 15
Upon hearing the words "precious kid," Song Qing’s ears twitched slightly. With a push of his foot, the wheels of his chair traced an arc on the floor as he rolled closer to his phone.
Looking down, the screen first showed a shaky image, then the light gradually focused on the clean, fair face of a young man.
It was indeed Rong Jing.
Song Qing had only heard a faint remark from the burly man—"One punch and the suspect was knocked senseless, lost and confused"—but hadn’t seen any footage at the scene.
Now that he had the chance, he certainly wasn’t going to miss it.
Soon, the man wielding a dagger kept lunging toward Rong Jing’s lower back, but Rong Jing frowned in displeasure, his clean and agile moves more professional than a seasoned fighter’s, as if a martial arts movie had suddenly unfolded before Song Qing’s eyes.
When Rong Jing, from a considerable distance, struck the man’s back of the head with the long leg of a wooden chair with unerring accuracy, Song Qing instinctively rubbed his own head, suddenly understanding why President Xie was more concerned about whether the suspect was dead rather than if Rong Jing had come to harm.
Song Qing was speechless.
A sigh escaped his heart as his gaze casually flicked to the edge of the screen, where he was surprised to see an astonishing number of likes and comments:
980,000 likes, 120,000 comments, and a million shares.
Lu Yunji turned around, resting his lower back against the edge of the table, arms folded lazily.
“Yeah, it’s already trending.”
He tapped the search bar, and sure enough, the hashtag #HostageFightsBackAgainstSuspect# was trending high, proving its immense popularity.
“These comments are quite interesting too—‘brother,’ ‘husband,’ ‘dad,’ ‘son’—you name it.”
Minutes earlier, when Lu Yunji saw the video, he had quickly taken a screenshot to send to Xie Changshi.
But Xie hadn’t replied.
Looking at Song Qing’s social feed, it dawned on him that President Xie was currently busy putting up a commendation banner for the precious kid.
Previously, Song Qing had tried to coax Rong Jing into calling him “brother” with a candy-coated hawthorn, but Xie Changshi’s gaze toward him had been as cold as ice.
—This time, he must have frozen his eyes shut.
Song Qing noticed Lu Yunji’s mouth curl into a faint smile, his eye twitching uncontrollably. Within the Xie corporation, Lu Yunji was known as a cunning old fox—always smiling lazily, with an impressive resume and striking looks. He had once ranked first in popularity among the leadership, the dream mentor for many young subordinates.
It wasn’t until this old fox revealed his sinister and sly side that people realized how dark his heart truly was.
Especially when he smiled—the darkness was most apparent then.
Thus, the most popular became the one no one dared to provoke.
Song Qing quickly changed the subject: “You just said Rong Jing disappeared for twelve years?”
“Yeah. When Xie Changshi and I were in the first year of high school, during the first semester, that kid was always trailing behind Xie Changshi like a little shadow. But by the second semester, he vanished without a trace. I asked Xie Changshi where his kid had gone, but he didn’t even acknowledge me.”
Lu Yunji and Xie Changshi had actually known each other for a long time.
Xie Changshi transferred to Suixian in the second year of middle school. Lu Yunji still remembered his cold, emotionless self-introduction by the podium, his tone and demeanor icy.
The classmates, impressed by his looks, all wanted to befriend him, but no one succeeded.
Yet Lu Yunji was stubborn. If Xie Changshi stepped back, he would shamelessly step closer. Eventually, he managed to strike up casual conversations.
One day, Xie Changshi left school with a small figure trailing behind, eyes red, looking deeply wronged.
Lu Yunji pointed at Xie Changshi in mock scolding: “Xie Changshi, how could you bully a kid like that?”
Especially since the kid was so adorable.
Xie Changshi merely glanced at him, silent, but the little tail tugged at Xie’s clothes and whispered, “He’s not bullying me. He’s taking me to get my teeth fixed.”
He bared his teeth, revealing a gap where a canine was missing, a dark hollow that was both cute and comical.
Lu Yunji couldn’t help but laugh.
“And then? And then?” Song Qing listened eagerly, eyes pleading silently for more.
“Well,” Lu Yunji chuckled, “then the little tail realized I was laughing at him and howled so loudly the whole street heard. No matter how Xie Changshi tried to comfort him, it didn’t work, so he just kicked me a couple of times to vent.”
The key thing was, back then, Lu Yunji was still a decent kid. Seeing the little one so upset, he felt uneasy and ended up giving him a week’s allowance to buy a mountain of snacks.
He wondered if the little tail would still remember him after twelve years.
“I remember…” Lu Yunji suddenly said, “a few days ago, Xie Changshi suddenly woke up and went to Suixian. That was to pick up Rong Jing, right?”
Song Qing, still immersed in the story, nodded absentmindedly.
Then his mind flashed back to the call from the manager of the Nan City Cemetery.
...The suddenly appearing coffin, the sudden reappearance of Rong Jing.
Could it be that Rong Jing had actually been lying in that coffin for those twelve years?
If it were before, Song Qing would have thought it impossible. But after what happened with Pu Yu, having even encountered ghosts, what was truly impossible?
He took a deep breath.
...
When Rong Jing arrived at Changhua Street around noon, he immediately noticed many people lingering in front of his stall.
He was just settling down with his backpack when, before he could even greet Mo Jingtong, a microphone was thrust toward his lips.
Rong Jing looked up to see a man in a short-sleeved shirt, a badge reading [Yancheng Television] pinned to his chest, smiling warmly and asking, “Hello, I’m a reporter from Yancheng Television. My name is Gao Yongyuan. Would it be possible to interview you?”
Before leaving, Xie Changshi had told him that many people might come by his stall today to stir up some excitement. Rong Jing didn’t mind.
Besides, he had done a divination that morning, which showed he would make a lot of money today!
Hearing the question, his eyes curved in a smile.
If he accepted the interview and appeared on television, wouldn’t that be free promotion for him?
Rong Jing straightened his back. “Of course.”
Gao Yongyuan laughed at his reaction, his tone even gentler. “I’ll just ask some simple questions. I promise you won’t feel uncomfortable.”
The interview centered on Rong Jing’s feelings and thoughts while being held hostage, followed by a discussion about his work.
Half an hour later, after taking a photo together, the reporter’s job was done.
But as the crew left in their vehicle, Gao Yongyuan unexpectedly leaned forward and sat on the small chair reserved for guests opposite Rong Jing.
Noticing Rong Jing’s eyes light up curiously, Gao Yongyuan couldn’t help but smile. “I want to have a divination done by you, Mr. Rong.”
“I was interviewing Ms. Liu this morning, and she told me that your divinations are extremely accurate. So I want you to tell me about my friend’s current situation. He’s facing some difficult decisions.”
Gao Yongyuan didn’t specify the nature of the “difficult decisions,” and Rong Jing didn’t mind. After all, working in this field meant dealing with many cryptic clients.
Most people didn’t really trust divination much anyway.
“Li below Kun above. Light is obstructed. The hexagram is Ming Yi. The first line says: Tell your friend that self-preservation is key, more than action.”
Rong Jing rested his chin on his hand, meeting Gao Yongyuan’s slightly stunned gaze, silently hoping, “I hope your friend listens to advice.”
Hearing this, Gao Yongyuan frowned as if recalling something. Without wasting time, he paid 500 yuan and politely took his leave.
Once he left, many onlookers eagerly stepped forward.
One asked, “Master, can you give a discount? 500 is a bit steep.”
Rong Jing smiled warmly. “I can only offer a broken bone discount.”
The man was speechless.
Having witnessed Rong Jing’s takedown of the suspect yesterday, he didn’t doubt the meaning behind “broken bone.”
Just as he hesitated, a figure pushed through the crowd, holding up a phone and shouting, “Make way! I’m here to get a reading from the master.”
The crowd parted, and a blond youth, seemingly about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, squeezed to the front and plopped down. His phone’s camera was aimed at Rong Jing’s face.
Noticing Rong Jing’s puzzled look, he quickly explained, “I’m a streamer. I just saw that food streamer Liuliu praising you like no one before. So I want to test if your divination is really that accurate. Otherwise, she’d be guilty of false advertising and get banned.”
He glanced at the sign showing “500 per reading” and smiled, “But just a reading is boring. How about a bet? If your reading is accurate, I’ll pay you 100,000. But if you’re wrong, you pay me 50,000. How about it? Pretty good deal, right? Want to bet?”
Though the blond smiled broadly, Rong Jing keenly sensed the malice hidden in his words.
His gaze casually flicked to the young man’s right rear.
Despite the crowd, there was a strangely empty space behind him that no one seemed to notice.
Rong Jing withdrew his gaze and asked, “What do you want me to read?”
“Anything. You just pick what you’re best at.”
Seeing his confidence, Rong Jing said casually, “Then I’ll read your career.”
A minute or two later, the coins were cast and spread. The boy pointed with his hand.
“Li above, Li below. The line at nine-four.”
The blond asked, “What does that mean?”
Rong Jing held a grudge and, recalling his ill intent, spoke bluntly: “It means you don’t have real talent. If you’re arrogant, be careful—it’s easy to fall from the sky and shatter into pieces.”
The blond chuckled, almost laughing out loud.
He realized Rong Jing truly didn’t know him, hadn’t watched his videos, nor knew his fanbase or online popularity.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said such a thing.
Just as he was about to retort, a lazy voice sounded beside them.
“Friend, if you want to test whether this little Taoist’s readings are accurate, it’s simple: do the opposite of what he says. Be arrogant and flashy, and see if you fall. That’ll tell you all you need to know.”