Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 658 You don’t want these photos to be seen by others, right? (Monthly vote requested!)
"This is..."

Mao Lilan opened her mouth slightly and was about to continue speaking, trying to politely reject Nachi Shingo's seemingly enthusiastic proposal. At this moment, a sudden and rapid phone ring rang out of the blue, instantly breaking the atmosphere at the moment and interrupting her words that had not yet been spoken.

"This is?"

Nachi Shingo's face changed slightly, and he quickly took out his mobile phone to take a look. After seeing the name displayed on the screen, his originally calm expression was instantly replaced by nervousness, as if he had seen some information that made him extremely fearful.

He didn't even have time to make eye contact with Mao Lilan, and hurriedly said: "I'm sorry, Miss Xiaolan, I have something urgent to do, I have to leave first."

After saying that, he left the set in a hurry like a gust of wind, not even giving Mao Lilan time to respond. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from her sight...

Mao Lilan stood there blankly, her eyes full of surprise and confusion, as if she had not yet recovered from this sudden change.

"Why is he in such a hurry?"

Standing aside and taking in the whole scene, Conan couldn't help but frown, then walked briskly to the side of Mouri Ran.

As Conan spoke, he looked closely at the direction where Zhi Zhenwu left, frowning, his eyes full of suspicion, "Look at how flustered he is. What did the person on the other end of the phone say to make him so anxious?"

In Conan's deep impression, Nachi Shingo has always been very concerned about his demeanor, and he simply regards it as his second life. He is always like a peacock spreading its tail, wanting to show his handsome, charming and elegant side to the fullest in front of everyone, especially in front of girls.

But now, the other party was so out of control that he didn't even bother to show off in front of Mao Li Ran, and even threw the most basic courtesy out of his mind.

Obviously, what was conveyed on the other end of the phone was not ordinary.

However, Conan really couldn't understand what kind of thing could make this man who usually paid so much attention to his image, so panicked.

Mao Lilan was also confused. She felt that things were not as simple as they seemed. But she could not grasp any clues at the moment. She could only shake her head helplessly and said, "I don't know, but it's good to sign the name. It can be regarded as completing the task entrusted by my friend."

However, even though she said this, the vague sense of weirdness in her heart became stronger and stronger. She always felt that Zhi Zhenwu's behavior was a little strange, but she couldn't tell what was wrong.

Bai Ye looked at Mao Lilan's slightly confused expression, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a comforting smile. Then he gently patted Mao Lilan's shoulder and said, "Since you are so curious, why don't we go over and take a look, just like walking around the field to relax! Maybe we can find something interesting."

Mao Lilan bit her lip slightly, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, and she said softly: "Is this appropriate? It feels like I'm prying into other people's privacy..."

She was very conflicted. On the one hand, she was curious about Nachi Shingo's unusual behavior, but on the other hand, she felt that it was not appropriate to approach him rashly, after all, it might involve other people's privacy.

Bai Ye raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at Mao Lilan and said seriously: "Xiao Lan, I understand your concerns, but we are not deliberately trying to pry into his privacy. It's just that Nachi Shingo's reaction is too strange. Maybe it is related to the unusual things that happened in the crew before. If there is any potential trouble, knowing the situation in advance may prevent some bad things from happening."

Conan also echoed, "Yes, Sister Xiaolan. And we will just follow from a distance. If there is nothing unusual, we can just take it as a walk. If we really find something, maybe we can help and avoid some unexpected situations."

Based on past experience, Conan's keen intuition tells him that there may be a big secret hidden behind this, and this secret is likely to be inextricably linked to a series of recent chaos in the crew.

After listening to the two, Mao Lilan's hesitation was slightly alleviated. She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, thinking of the various chaotic scenes that had happened in the crew before, and Nachi Shingo's strange behavior just now, and finally nodded slightly and said, "Okay, then we will follow from a distance, and be careful not to be discovered. If there is really nothing wrong, we will come back immediately."

So the three of them carefully followed the direction that Nachi Shingo had left. They bypassed the prop storage area on the set, passed through a narrow corridor, and came to the backyard of the shrine.

Nachi Shingo's figure was moving hurriedly not far ahead, his steps were quick and panicked, as if something terrible was chasing him from behind.

He seemed to be deliberately avoiding the crowd, choosing to walk along some remote and seldom-traveled paths, and every step he took revealed a sneaky meaning.

As they walked, they found that Nachi Shingo had walked deep into the woods at the edge of the set.

The forest seemed particularly deep, with tall and dense trees, and the sunlight could hardly penetrate completely, making the forest filled with a mysterious and gloomy atmosphere. The occasional bird calls seemed particularly abrupt in the silent forest, making people feel cold.

Conan lowered his voice, with a hint of nervousness and vigilance in his tone, and said: "What is he doing in here? This place feels dark and eerie."

Mao Lilan couldn't help but shudder. The chill ran up her spine, causing her to shrink her neck. She said in a trembling voice, "I don't know. We must be careful and don't let him find out."

Although she didn't know what Zhi Zhenwu was going to do, the fact that he was sneaking around behind people's backs obviously showed that he had a secret that he couldn't tell anyone, which made her wary.

Bai Ye nodded slightly, signaling the two to follow closely.

They approached cautiously, trying to make their steps as light as possible to avoid making any noise, and even their breathing became lighter unconsciously.

Through the gaps in the woods, they vaguely saw Zhi Zhenwu talking to a dark shadow.

Due to the dim light, the black shadow seemed to blend into the darkness and they could not see the shadow's face clearly, but from his figure, he seemed to be a tall and thin man. His figure was looming in the mottled shadows of the trees, which looked particularly strange.

Nazhi Zhenwu's voice trembled slightly, as if he was trying his best to suppress the fear and anger that were surging like a tide in his heart: "What do you want to do?"

Then, he added, with a hint of humble pleading in his voice, as if he was showing weakness to the other party and trying to calm the other party's unknown anger: "Didn't I give you all the things? Don't bother me anymore!"

The black shadow snorted coldly, his voice was low and hoarse: "You know best what I want to do!"

Conan couldn't help but whispered: "It seems that there is a big conflict between them. Who is this black shadow?"

Mao Lilan frowned, staring at the two people deep in the woods, and said solemnly: "I don't know, but it feels like things are becoming more and more complicated..."

Bai Ye touched his chin, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, and said, "Let's get closer and see if we can hear more useful information." "Hmm..."

Mao Lilan and Conan responded softly, their voices as low as the rustling of leaves in the breeze, for fear of being noticed by the two men.

The three of them crouched down and moved carefully, each step being full of caution.

As they got closer, they finally heard the conversation between the two.

"Damn it, don't go too far!" Na Zhi Zhenwu gritted his teeth, with a hint of luck in his tone: "Do you dare to say that you have evidence?"

"Of course I have them. If you want the photos and negatives, you know what to do!"

The dark shadow proudly shook the photo in his hand.

With the help of the faint light, the few people finally saw the true face of the black shadow.

His facial features seemed to be put together at random, without any aesthetic appeal. His nose was tilted to one side, as if it had been hit hard and had not yet recovered. His eyes were one big and one small, the big one was cunning, and the small one seemed to hide endless sinisterness. His lips were always twitching unconsciously, as if an invisible hand was fiddling with them. He had a wretched temperament and exuded a disgusting aura. He was the man in the red hat they had seen before.

Seeing the photo in the red hat man's hand, Na Zhi Zhenwu's face instantly became extremely ugly, "You want money?"

The man in the red hat sneered, his voice full of greed: "Humph, you are smart. As long as you pay enough money, these photos and negatives will be yours, otherwise..."

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable of the word, and the threatening meaning was self-evident, as if he was announcing to Zhi Zhenwu that if his demands were not met, the consequences would be disastrous.

Conan's heart moved, and he whispered: "Could these photos be the handle of Zhi Zhenwu?"

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, "If that's the case, then it's no wonder that when the red-hatted man was looking for trouble, Na Zhizhenwu didn't say a word."

Logically speaking, Zhi Zhenwu would never miss the opportunity to show his grace in front of a beautiful woman.

After all, he is always keen to show off his charm and elegance in various occasions, especially when there are women present.

But when Douyuan Taeko was ridiculed by the man in the red hat, he was uncharacteristically silent.

This is totally inconsistent with his usual style.

Now it seems that the man in the red hat may have something on Nachi Zhenwu, so he has to swallow his anger.

Mao Lilan frowned and said, "It's very likely. If so, the relationship between Zhi Zhenwu and the man in the red hat is complicated, and their transaction may bring more trouble to the crew."

Conan pondered for a moment and said, "We have to find a way to figure out what these photos are about and what the man in the red hat wants to do. But we can't alert the enemy now, so we have to continue observing."

Nachi Shingo was obviously unwilling to give in. He was threatened by the man in the red hat and was still trying to bargain with him. His tone was full of helplessness and embarrassment: "The amount of money you are asking for is too large. I can't afford so much in such a short time."

The man in the red hat waved his hands impatiently, his tone firm and leaving no room for negotiation: "Stop talking nonsense, prepare the money within three days, otherwise these photos will appear in places where they shouldn't be."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of sinisterness flashed in his eyes, and a malicious smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He continued: "I think you don't want to end up in disgrace after working so hard to gain a position, right?"

Nachi Shingo looked embarrassed, with reluctance and struggle written all over his face, but he seemed to have no choice but to nod helplessly.

When the man in the red hat saw Nachi Shingo nod in agreement, a smug smile appeared on his face. He carefully put away the photos and negatives. Then, he turned around and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he did not forget to glare at Nachi Shingo fiercely, his eyes full of threats, and warned him in a cold tone: "You'd better not play any tricks on me, otherwise, you will be in trouble."

Then he swaggered towards the other side of the woods, his arrogant back seeming to show off his victory.

Nachi Shingo looked at the back of the man in the red hat walking away, clenched his fists tightly, and his nails dug deeply into his palms, almost pinching them to bleed, leaving clear crescent-shaped marks.

There was a raging flame of anger in his eyes, as if he wanted to burn everything in front of him to ashes, but under the pressure of reality, he had to endure it.

Seeing this, Conan, Mao Lilan and Bai Ye hurriedly hid behind the trees, not daring to make a sound, for fear that they would be discovered by the man in the red hat.

When his figure completely disappeared at the end of the woods, Mao Lilan turned to look at Bai Ye and Conan with a worried look on her face, her eyes full of anxiety: "What should we do about this? Should we tell the crew about this, or call the police directly?"

She knew that if those photos were leaked, it would have a big impact on Nachi Shingo, and even worse, it might even affect the entire crew. In fact, Mao Lilan didn't really care about Nachi Shingo's reputation, but she really liked the two gentle and kind girls in the crew, such as Okino Yoko and Mamegaki Taeko, and she really didn't want them to be implicated or affected in any way.

After hearing this, Conan shook his head decisively and said seriously, "It's far from the right time now. The evidence we have now is not sufficient, and we don't know if there are other people secretly supporting the man in the red hat. If we rashly call the police or inform the crew, it will not only fail to solve the problem, but will most likely make things worse."

Bai Ye also nodded, indicating that he fully agreed with Conan's opinion: "Conan is right. The man in the red hat is so fearless, there is a high probability that there are other people behind him supporting him. We must first find out who is the mastermind behind the man in the red hat and what secrets are hidden behind these photos, and then find the right opportunity to stop them from making things worse and prevent the crew from suffering greater losses."

Conan stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with thought: "Yes, we have to find out what these photos are about and why the man in the red hat is so sure that these photos can threaten Nachi Shingo."

Mao Lilan listened and nodded thoughtfully, "Okay, then I'll do as you say."

Therefore, the three decided to stay put for the time being, secretly paying attention to the actions of Nachi Shingo and the man in the red hat, waiting for the right time to uncover the mystery and avoid causing more trouble to the crew...

(End of this chapter)