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He became more and more confused and waited patiently for her to calm down: "What happened? I couldn't see you all night, do you know how worried I was?"

Wen Tingli burst into tears: "A friend of mine was attacked last night. I was busy with this matter all night. Forgive me... I can't say more."

She rested her head on the crook of his neck and sobbed softly.

Lu Shicheng stared at her worriedly, and suddenly asked in a low voice: "What if I say I want to know?"

He held her shoulders and pushed her away from him. He looked into her eyes and said, "Do you remember what you said to me that night? You said that was the only and last time you lied to me. From now on, you have to be 100% honest with me. I don't ask for 100%. I just want to know what happened last night. Why do you look so sad? Did someone bully you? Don't make me sad, okay?"

Wen Tingli felt so guilty that she turned her back and said, "No one bullied me. My good friend has always taken care of me like an elder. Last night she went..."

She suddenly remembered Liu Xiangzhi's warning to her and Li Chengying's miserable death. She felt as if thousands of arrows were piercing her heart. She turned her head sharply and looked at him with tearful eyes: "You also said that you are willing to respect some of my secrets. Why do you have to ask so clearly?!"

Lu Shicheng looked at her in silence for half a minute. Without asking another question, he walked past her and went out.

Wen Tingli was startled, and chased after him and said, "I'm sorry, I'm so sad that my mind is a little confused, I'm talking nonsense, but please believe me, I didn't lie to you this time, I've told you everything I can."

Lu Shicheng said slowly, "I used to think that as long as I liked this person, I would not care about anything. Now I know that I have been deceiving myself. As long as there is a secret, countless lies will be derived... Wen Tingli, my personality is not as great as you think. I can't not ask anything and think nothing when you break your promises again and again!"

As he said that, he pulled her hand away from him: "Ask your heart, is it me who doesn't trust you, or you who never trusted me from the beginning to the end?!"

"No!" Wen Tingli burst into tears. "Please give me some time. I just experienced a very painful separation last night. I am in a state of confusion now. Please let me calm down and think carefully."

"You can calm down as long as you want." Lu Shicheng felt bitter in his heart and said in a hoarse voice, "Maybe in your heart, I am not as important as you think. We both need to think carefully about whether you and I are suitable to be together."

After saying this, Lu Shicheng avoided her and walked straight out. Wen Tingli hurriedly chased him but failed to catch up. It was conceivable that if he didn't want to, it would be impossible to stop him or even get close to him.

***
For two whole days, Wen Tingli did not go to see Lu Shicheng.

She was still suffering from Li Chengying's sacrifice, and Lu Shicheng was probably still angry. In this case, even if the two met, they would end up in a bad mood.

She often held the blue velvet box in her hands and stared at it in a daze. As she stared at it, she would feel an indescribable pain in her heart. She kept telling herself: After the storm passed, she would find a chance to explain to him what happened that night. She firmly believed that as long as two people loved each other, there was no knot in their hearts that could not be untied.

Fortunately, she caught up with the start of filming for the second season of "Sophie D'Amore", so she could devote most of her energy to her new job and not live in extreme torment every moment.

Huang Yuanshan told Wen Tingli that there was some gossip about her in the newspapers recently, but she didn't care and just asked the company to help deal with it.

Just after finishing work on the third day, someone sent a secret letter to Wen Tingli.

It was sent by Head Nurse Liu. They sorted out a batch of Li Chengying's belongings and planned to give some of them to Wen Tingli.

The next evening, Wen Tingli disguised herself carefully and drove to Ci Xin Hospital.

Head Nurse Liu was waiting for her in the same warehouse as last time. In just a few days, Head Nurse Liu had lost a lot of weight, and it was obvious that everyone had a hard time these days.

The two looked at each other in silence, both feeling bitter in their throats. Head Nurse Liu forced herself to hand a heavy bag to Wen Tingli, "Sister Li didn't have many belongings. We discussed it and unanimously decided to give this to you. Keep it well, it will be useful in the future."

It turned out to be a pack of bullets, with more than twenty of them. Wen Tingli held it tightly against her chest.

"Does Dean Deng know about this?"

"I see. Dean Deng is very sad, but..." Nurse Liu lowered her eyes, "After all, this is the path that Sister Li chose herself. The day she set foot on this path, she was ready to sacrifice herself. You have to believe that we will not let Sister Li's sacrifice be in vain."

Wen Tingli's chest heaved, and she quickly turned her head and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Head Nurse Liu gave her a new contact method, and then didn't say anything else, just urged her to leave.

Wen Tingli flashed out, walked to the stairwell, and saw Huang Yuanshan and Gao Xiaowen.

If it were someone else, they might not recognize Wen Tingli at first sight, but the two of them had seen Wen Tingli in disguise many times. They were stunned and rushed over to pull her aside, whispering: "You are too brave, can't you wait two days before visiting Meng Qiguang? Do you know that there are many reporters in the hospital right now!"

"Reporter? Meng Qiguang? What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me you're not here to see him, then why are you dressed like this?"

Wen Tingli's heart skipped a beat: "I came to visit an old classmate of Xiu De. What happened to Meng Qiguang?"

"He was in a car accident and was seriously injured. He has been in a coma ever since. I don't believe you don't know about this. There was a news report about him in the newspaper a few days ago."

"I really don't know. When did it happen?"

"The car accident happened on Monday evening at the intersection near the Grandview Cinema."

Monday? Wen Tingli was heartbroken. That was the night when Sister Li was murdered. She had no time to pay attention to other things at that time.

Wait, her mind suddenly became clear! So many things happened that night, and she hadn't figured out some of them until this moment.

Can't wait any longer! She wants to see Lu Shicheng now!

"So you are going to Meng Qiguang's ward now? I won't go in. I'll go out through the back door."

"Well, better be careful to avoid being caught again."

The three of them parted at the stairs, but unexpectedly someone called them from behind.

"Yuanshan, Miss Gao."

When I turned around, it was Mrs. Qiao and Qiao Xingchu.

"Are you here to visit Qi Guang as well?" Mrs. Qiao looked at Wen Tingli curiously. "Who is this?"

Gao Xiaowen calmly put Wen Tingli behind him and said, "Oh, she is Miss Liao, a friend from our factory. She has a skin disease and cannot be exposed to the wind. This time she came to the hospital to get medicine."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Huang Yuanshan quietly nudged Wen Tingli with his elbow, and Wen Tingli raised her leg and left.

Mrs. Qiao stared at Wen Tingli's back thoughtfully. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and raised her hand to point forward. Qiao Xingchu interrupted her in time: "Mom, let's go in."

Mrs. Qiao glanced at her son meaningfully and swallowed her words.

As the group arrived at Meng Qiguang's ward, they saw several strange men coming up the stairwell.

Gao Xiaowen and Huang Yuanshan exchanged glances. Huang Yuanshan waited until Mrs. Luo and her son entered the ward before whispering, "It's probably a reporter hired by Chen Maoqing. As soon as "The Fair Detective" was released, it overshadowed their company's new film. He was so angry that he has been planning to find fault with Wen Tingli recently. But he forgot that Wen Tingli is no longer the same as before. This little fight won't bring her down."

***
As soon as Wen Tingli came out of Ci Xin Hospital, she went straight to Lu Mansion to find Lu Shicheng, but Lu Shicheng was not there.

She quickly rushed to Huiqun Hospital, but she forgot how tight-lipped the Lu family was in this regard. She spent a lot of time asking around at the nursing station, but couldn't even find out which floor Old Master Lu lived on. Finally, she had an idea and said to the Lu family's followers, "I have an urgent matter to report to Mr. Kuang. Please help pass it on."

After a while, Kuang Zhilin came downstairs. At first, he didn't recognize Wen Tingli in disguise, and just stood on the steps and looked around in confusion.

"Mr. Kuang." Wen Tingli called him softly from the shadows.

Kuang Zhilin smiled in astonishment and said, "Miss Wen? Do you usually go out like this? Master Cheng may not be able to spare the time right now."

"I only have a few words to say to him. It won't take long."

While the two of them were talking, there was movement upstairs. Someone ran quickly to Mr. Lu's wheelchair, leaned down and whispered something in his ear.

"A middle-aged lady who is unfamiliar to me? Coming to see Kuang Zhilin?" Mr. Lu narrowed his eyes and thought for a while, then sneered, "I think it's that female star who came to see Lu Shicheng. This group of people like to do this the most in private. This is a rare opportunity. You should immediately go to the newspaper office opposite to find a few reporters, and do the rest as I say--"

He explained everything in this way.

"Do it secretly. That kid is very clever. Don't let him see through it."

Wen Tingli waited downstairs for a while, but Kuang Zhilin did not show up. Instead, she saw a follower of the Lu family walking towards her from afar.

"Miss Wen, right?" The man was very enthusiastic. "Our old master Lu is not in good condition, and Master Cheng can't leave for the time being. He asked me to take you to the lounge in the back to wait for him for a while."

Wen Tingli was delighted that he was still soft-hearted, but the next second, she looked suspiciously behind this man: "Where is Mr. Kuang?"

"Several professors upstairs are discussing with Master Cheng about going to Peking to hire someone overnight. Mr. Kuang is busy on the phone right now. I'm afraid you'll be worried, so he urged me to come down quickly and pass on the message. Miss Wen, please follow me."

Wen Tingli followed him with doubts. As she walked, she carefully looked at the man's back in her mind. Why had she never seen this person around Lu Shicheng and Kuang Zhilin?

***
As soon as Kuang Zhilin got upstairs, he lowered his voice and said to Lu Shicheng, "Miss Wen is here."

Lu Shicheng said without thinking: "Let her go."

Kuang Zhilin clenched his fist and coughed to his lips: "Miss Wen said she would only say two words and then leave."

Lu Shicheng said nothing.

Kuang Zhilin sighed in his heart and said in a long tone: "Then I will ask Miss Wen not to wait?"

After waiting for a while, Lu Shicheng showed no intention of taking over the conversation, which was exactly what Kuang Zhilin wanted. He turned around and walked away. As he was walking, he suddenly heard a noise behind him.

When he turned around, Lu Shicheng walked towards him, frowned, walked past him, and hurried downstairs.

Kuang Zhilin had no choice but to stop where he was, sighing with a heavy heart.

***
"The lounge is in the front. It's a quiet place. Master Cheng specially arranged it there. Miss Wen, don't worry."

Wen Tingli hummed.

The man added, "Master Cheng hasn't eaten anything all day. When Miss Wen sees him later, she'll have to persuade him to take care of himself."

This time, the man didn't take it seriously as he didn't hear Wen Tingli's response. He continued walking for a while. When he turned around suddenly, he saw Wen Tingli running to the other side. In the blink of an eye, she had run a long distance away.

The attendant was shocked and ran after her: "Miss Wen, why are you running? This is the lounge."

Wen Tingli snorted coldly. People around Lu Shicheng would not take the initiative to say so many words.

The key point is that Lu Shicheng never delegates matters related to her to others. Even if he really cannot leave, he will arrange for his confidants like Kuang Zhilin to negotiate with her. How could he just send an attendant whom she has never seen to find her?

She was sure there was something fishy going on, and although she didn't understand what it was for the time being, she decided to run away first.

As she expected, she had not run far when she saw several men in baseball caps sneaking in from the side door of the hospital. Without thinking, she changed direction and ran to the back alley and got into the car. Just as she started the car, she heard someone behind her shouting and chasing after her.

Wen Tingli drove for more than ten miles before stopping to catch her breath. Thinking back on what had just happened, she quickly figured out who was behind it. She couldn't wait to fight back, so she drove quickly to Huang Mansion to find Huang Yuanshan.

***
Lu Shicheng stood on the steps and looked around, then went to look for Wen Tingli in the bushes and the back building, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

He frowned and whispered her name.

"Wen Tingli?"

No one responded.

Lu Shicheng immediately asked someone to go upstairs and fetch Kuang Zhilin: "Where did you see Wen Tingli just now?"

"Right on the steps." Kuang Zhilin looked puzzled. "Why, is Miss Wen leaving so soon?"

Lu Shicheng suddenly raised his head and glanced upstairs: "Where's Lu Kejian?"

Someone immediately replied, "The Third Master is out."

Lu Shicheng said expressionlessly: "Call him here and tell him I have something to ask him."

Then he said to Zhou Wei, "Go to the Wen family. If Wen Tingli has returned home, don't tell me. If not, call me back as soon as possible."

***
Wen Tingli discussed the matter with Huang Yuanshan, then went home and called a familiar reporter from the newspaper to inquire about the inside story.

Ever since she was slandered for having a child out of wedlock last time, she began to intentionally cultivate her own network in the newspaper industry.

People are not afraid of being plotted against, but they are afraid of standing still after being plotted against.

After several rounds of phone calls, several reporters who were on good terms with Wen Tingli told her the whole story. Wen Tingli listened and took notes, and the inside story really coincided with her previous guess.

The first thing she did when she woke up the next day was to call Kuang Zhilin, but Mrs. Zhou said to her, "Mr. Kuang came to our house last night."

Wen Tingli was shocked: "When did this happen? How come I don't know anything about it?"

"You were lying on the bed and fell asleep. I saw that you hadn't been sleeping well in the past few days, so I didn't have the heart to wake you up. Besides, Mr. Kuang didn't have anything to do. He just came to ask you why you left without waiting for Mr. Lu to come out."

Wen Tingli's heart trembled, and she couldn't wait to finish breakfast to find Kuang Zhilin. As soon as she sat down, she saw the headline in the morning newspaper.

【Mr. Lu Hongjun, a famous Shanghai businessman, was hospitalized due to an acute illness the day before yesterday.】

"…The old man is still in a coma. His condition is so serious because he had no family members by his side when he fell ill. According to insiders, the old man's only grandchild was hanging out with a female celebrity named Wen all night… The word 'unfilial' was perfectly portrayed by this child."

Another tabloid simply wrote doggerel.

【Grandfather suddenly fell ill and felt "heartache", grandson took the beautiful picture and felt "overjoyed". 】

In the photo, Lu Shicheng and a young woman stood side by side at the door of a cinema.

Wen Tingli's forehead jumped. This was clearly an old photo taken secretly when she and Lu Shicheng went to watch a movie at Carlton last year!
Posting it at this time is of course to confuse the public.

Another photo showed her blue Austin car parked outside Huiqun Hospital.

Fortunately, she ran fast last night!

Otherwise, today's news would surely include a few more photos of her "secretly meeting" with Lu Shicheng at Huiqun Hospital last night. In that case, Lu Shicheng would have more "ironclad evidence" of being unfilial.

When she arrived at the company, Huang Yuanshan and Liu Menglin were also discussing the news.

"Before going to bed last night, Wen Tingli had already had two articles removed. I didn't expect another one to appear in the middle of the night. It must be Chen Maoqing's doing."

"How can he have such power?" Liu Menglin waved his hands. "Look carefully, this news is clearly aimed at Lu Shicheng. Only this person dares to target Lu Shicheng so openly."

He held up three fingers.

Huang Yuanshan spat, "He did this just to seize power, but Wen Tingli didn't provoke him! Now, Wen Tingli has been accused of being a troublemaker and a vixen... I don't believe Chen Maoqing wasn't involved in this. He has wanted to spread rumors about Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng for a long time, but he didn't dare to offend Lu Shicheng. This time, he got the support of Mr. Lu San, so he can't wait to make a big deal out of it."

Wen Tingli noticed that Liu Menglin was holding another newspaper in his hand, so she quickly snatched it away to take a closer look.

[A popular female star secretly went to Cixin Hospital to visit her lover last night. ]

"…Last night in the surgical ward of Tzu-Hsin Hospital, a certain wealthy lady saw a female star coming out of a man's ward. She was afraid that she would be recognized by fans, so she disguised herself, wearing a wig and a loose duck egg blue cheongsam. From a distance, she looked like a middle-aged woman. Unfortunately, the lady had dealt with this female star many times before, so she recognized her at first sight. When the female star came out, her face was covered with tears, which showed that she was very worried about the man's condition."

Huang Yuanshan just felt a headache: "No need to guess, it must be Aunt Jiang's doing. I guess it was after we left that those reporters came forward to inquire. Aunt Jiang has always disliked Wen Tingli, so how could she not exaggerate them? But it's not her fault that she misunderstood. At that time, even Xiaowen and I thought Tingli went to visit Meng Qiguang."

"Did you really go to Ci Xin Hospital last night?" Liu Menglin was stunned.

Wen Tingli was extremely confused. The circulation of Hujiang Daily was so large that it was impossible for Lu Shicheng not to have seen the news.

It just so happened that Kuang Zhilin had also seen her last night. Lu Shicheng only needed to ask Kuang Zhilin to find out whether her outfit last night was exactly the same as described in the article.

In this case, anyone would conclude that she had visited Meng Qiguang at Ci Xin Hospital last night.

She covered her forehead and thought for a while, then she pulled herself together: "I'll go to Cixin Hospital right away."

"What are you doing there?" Liu Menglin jumped up to stop her. "Looking for Lu Shicheng? From these two pieces of news, even a fool can see one thing: last night you went to Cixin Hospital to cry for Meng Qiguang, and then ran to Huiqun Hospital to look for Lu Shicheng. This is clearly playing both sides! If it weren't for an acquaintance who happened to run into you at Cixin Hospital last night, these two men would have been kept in the dark for who knows how long. Which man can stand this? Do you think Lu Shicheng is willing to see you now?!"

Wen Tingli turned around and asked him, "Why doesn't he want to see me? Do you think everyone is as gullible as you?!"

"You——" Liu Menglin was so angry that he fell backwards. "Okay, okay, do you think you have grown wings and you always contradict me in person!"

Huang Yuanshan hurriedly pulled the two apart: "Tingli, don't be angry first. Boss Liu is right. This kind of thing is indeed easy to cause misunderstanding. You'd better think about how to explain it to Lu Shicheng first. Didn't you go to visit an old classmate of Xiu De last night? Just ask her to help you explain a few words."

How to explain? There is no such thing as a classmate of Xiude.

Cixin Hospital was an obstacle between her and Lu Shicheng that she couldn't get around. All she could do was to disregard the safety of Head Nurse Liu and the others and tell Lu Shicheng the whole story.

Otherwise, she would just swallow her anger.

Liu Menglin was still complaining: "If we can't come up with a good solution, Wen Tingli will definitely be known as a 'fickle woman', which will affect the box office of 'The Fairy Detective'. Anyway, the box office performance of our other film 'Legend of the Pearl' is catching up now, so I'm afraid it will ruin the performance of the second part of 'The Fairy Detective'."

Wen Tingli called Zhou Sao despite Liu Menglin's obstruction. Xiao Taozi went to kindergarten during the day and Zhou Sao was alone at home. Wen Tingli told Zhou Sao to go to Huiqun Hospital immediately away from others.

Mrs. Zhou called back quickly, "I didn't get to see Mr. Lu, nor did I get to see Mr. Kuang. They said they invited an expert from Peking overnight, and he's consulting with the local doctor on Old Master Lu right now. The hospital is full of people waiting to greet Old Master Lu, and I couldn't even get in with your business card."

Mrs. Zhou went there again in the afternoon and it was the same thing again.

Liu Menglin sneered at the side: "I guess I'm right, right? Lu Shicheng is very angry right now, and he would rather die than see you."

Wen Tingli sat quietly for a moment, picked up her bag and stood up.

"Where are you going again?"

"I'll go find someone who can help me solve this problem!"

***
Wen Tingli acted decisively. That evening, a seemingly unrelated piece of news was published on the front pages of both "Movie Star" and "Chayu Evening News" at the same time - it was an interview with Luo Shuhong of Golden Pictures Company.

Not long ago, Luo Shuhong announced her retirement from the film industry. This news sparked quite a bit of discussion. After three and a half years in the industry, Luo Shuhong has never become a big star, but her greatest advantage is that she never relies on her status as the "daughter of the opium king" to act domineeringly on the crew. Instead, she is extremely dedicated and always works diligently no matter the size of the role. Over the years, she has also gained a group of loyal fans.

People in the literary and art circles felt sorry for her departure, and two newspapers had already arranged to do exclusive interviews with her.

In this interview, when the reporter asked her why she left the film industry, Luo Shuhong sighed.

"Society often has a distorted view of female stars. Their every word and action is easily misunderstood. As for filming, I am not afraid of any hardship or fatigue, but the rumors and slander are the most unbearable. Perhaps my character is not strong enough. In order to have peace of mind, I have to stay away from this place of trouble..."

She laughed again and said, "For example, the two-timing incident of Miss Wen Tingli that has been making a lot of noise these days. It was clear that she and Sister Huang came to my house to see me off that night, and then they spent the whole day at my house chatting about interesting things in their business. But someone spread rumors like that - isn't this a living example of 'making a fuss about something based on hearsay'?"
As soon as these two news items came out, the direction of public opinion reversed overnight. The insults against Wen Tingli in the newspapers disappeared collectively, and those reporters who had tried their best to morally criticize Wen Tingli began to wield their pens to attack each other.

Liu Menglin smiled as he flipped through two newspapers. "Today they spread rumors about us, and tomorrow they accuse Xiao Diejun and Zhou Manru of crimes. They keep making trouble every day, and most citizens love to read this kind of gossip. Fortunately, the rumors were stopped in time this time, otherwise it would have been bad for your own screen image. By the way, you haven't told us why Luo Shuhong was willing to help you so much this time."

Wen Tingli said nothing, Huang Yuanshan clapped his hands beside her: "This method is brilliant, the outside world knows that Luo Shuhong and you have a bad relationship, and if you get into trouble, it will only benefit her. At this time, having her come forward is more useful than you finding ten thousand good friends to testify. Wait, how did you convince her, she doesn't owe you a favor, right?"

Wen Tingli still didn't respond, so Liu Menglin smiled and sighed, "Okay, okay, no matter what Luo Shuhong helped you for, your method was ingenious. The only regret is that I couldn't take revenge on Chen Maoqing. This guy is very mean. I really want to find an opportunity to put a sack around him and throw him into the Huangpu River."

Wen Tingli then spoke coldly: "Don't worry, it will be his turn next!"

However, as soon as she came out of Liu Menglin's office, Wen Tingli's face became lonely. Although she had handed the evidence in her hand to Kuang Zhilin, whether she could take revenge on Chen Maoqing ultimately depended on whether Lu Shicheng was willing to cooperate with her plan.

Although the whole world believed Luo Shuhong's testimony, there was only one person who could not hide it - Lu Shicheng. She was not with Luo Shuhong that night, and he knew it very well.

She lied to him again.

Ever since she entered this bizarre circle of fame and fortune, she had unknowingly fallen deeper and deeper into it. Sometimes she even had to fight back against lies with lies and break hypocrisy with hypocrisy. She felt a little tired and sat woodenly on the stairs with her head down. This made her look like she was praying silently from a distance. In fact, she was indeed praying for her own personality.

She waited all day, and in the evening, an unexpected news was published in the newspaper: someone blocked Lu Shicheng at the entrance of Huiqun Hospital.

Lu Shicheng has always been serious and taciturn, but this time, when facing the reporter's questioning, he actually spoke for the first time.

He did not deny the report in the newspaper that "the family couldn't find his grandfather on the night of the accident."

He also accepted all the accusations from the public that he was "unfilial".

But when he mentioned that a certain female star was the popular Miss Wen Tingli, he was a little surprised: "What Miss Wen?"

The reporters hurriedly showed him the newspaper from the day before. Lu Shicheng glanced at it for a few seconds and said disapprovingly, "It is true that a female star has come to see me many times, but it was not Miss Wen, but another popular female star."

Everyone asked for the female star's name.

Lu Shicheng said calmly, "No comment."

Just a few words caused an uproar.

The newspaper was sold out in just one hour. On the one hand, it was because Lu Shicheng rarely appeared in public, and it was rare for an interview with him to appear in the newspaper, so the public was naturally very curious.

More people buy newspapers because they want to find out who the female star is.

In today's society, the word "filial piety" is still deeply rooted in people's hearts. At this moment, Lu Shicheng stood up and admitted that he had a secret meeting with a woman when his grandfather was in trouble. He was bound to be criticized by thousands of people. He was willing to admit such a crime. It made no sense for him to protect a female star.

Since it wasn't Wen Tingli, some people began to speculate whether the person with Lu Shicheng that night was Yupeiling or Xiaodiejun.

Thanks to the efforts of a group of journalists, someone finally dug up a few precious photos and immediately made them public.

The first photo was taken in front of the Lu Mansion. In the photo, a thin man with greasy hair and powdered face was negotiating diligently with Manager Xu of the Lu Mansion. There was a woman sitting in the car behind him.

It was impossible to tell who the woman in the car was, but everyone could recognize at a glance that the man was Chen Maoqing, the owner of Huamei Film Company.

The backgrounds of other photos were either downstairs of Lixin Bank or at a banquet.

Without exception, all the photos show Chen Maoqing trying to bring people to talk to Lu Shicheng.

The most surprising thing is that Chen Maoqing's car was actually seen in front of the home of Principal Zou of Shishi Girls' Middle School. As everyone knows, Principal Zou has a close relationship with Lu Shicheng. It can be seen that Chen Maoqing has put a lot of effort in order to establish a relationship with Lu Shicheng.

As the boss of a film company, it is understandable that he wants to win over a young and enterprising businessman to invest in his films. What is strange is that from the photos, Chen Maoqing obviously wants to introduce his female stars to Lu Shicheng.

In the words of one contributor, "How is this behavior any different from pimping?!"

The photos were provided by an anonymous person who claimed to be "a loyal fan of a big star." He accidentally took this series of photos while stalking the female star. While feeling shocked and disappointed, he was also deeply worried about the personal freedom of the female star. He wanted to expose the matter a long time ago, but considering that his stalking behavior was not glorious, he dared not send the photos to the newspaper.

As soon as this oral statement appeared in the newspaper, everyone could almost conclude that the "female star" mentioned by Lu Shicheng was either Yu Peiling or Chen Maoqing's other favorite, Yao Lingzhu.

Chen Maoqing panicked and tried desperately to suppress the news. But the more he suppressed the news, the more attention it attracted. Then, an insider in the newspaper industry came out and revealed that this was not the first time Chen Maoqing used the method of "transplanting flowers and trees" to slander other female stars.

For example, the last news about "Xiao Diejun lost her temper on the set" and the scandals of "Le Zhiwen secretly met with Xu Weian late at night, and the two child stars were together" were all planned by Chen Maoqing, with the aim of destroying the image of these female stars in the hearts of movie fans.

The whole city was in uproar.

The front door of Huamei Film Studio was smashed to pieces by angry fans. The studio's studio was not spared either and the scene was in a mess. Three Bell-House cameras and film printers were broken.

Chen Maoqing was so angry that he fainted on the spot. The first words he said when he woke up were: Chen will investigate who the "anonymous photographer" is at all costs.

But after checking, he found no clue at all. He quickly went to ask Mr. Lu for help, but Mr. Lu avoided him.

Even Mr. Lu Sanye acted like this, so Chen Maoqing dared not say anything. He didn't dare say a word when his car was smashed into a pile of scrap metal, and he didn't dare to answer the phone when it was broken. He hid at home like a ghost all day long, not daring to go out.

Loud laughter could be heard in Liu Menglin's office.

"Hahahaha, this time Chen finally got the taste of 'shooting himself in the foot'."

"I heard that several major shareholders of Huamei Company are making a fuss, saying that there are problems with the company's accounts, and they are forcing Chen Maoqing to hand over the top position." Several veterans of the company were all smiling. "This is called when the wall falls, everyone pushes it! This guy has too many dirty tricks, and he should have expected this day. But then again, Chen Maoqing seems to be too unlucky recently. Is there someone deliberately punishing him behind the scenes?"

"I don't know. He has offended so many people in the past, there must be a few powerful people he can't afford to offend. Miss Wen, you have been wronged these days - hey, where is she, she was clearly here just now."

Wen Tingli is on her way to the dock.

There is no such thing as an anonymous person. The photos were provided by her. In order to guard against Chen Maoqing, she had secretly deployed this plan since last month.

She remembered that day when she went to Principal Zou's house to repay the money. In order to get close to her, the maid named "Ah Xi" took the initiative to mention a "short movie manager", saying that this man kept asking her about Lu Shicheng's whereabouts, and said that as long as Lu Shicheng came to Principal Zou's house, she would let Ah Xi notify him as soon as possible.

Wen Tingli replied at the time that she didn't know this person, but after returning, she suddenly realized that the person described by Ah Xi had exactly the same facial features as Chen Maoqing.

In addition, that night at the Gao family party, she saw with her own eyes Chen Maoqing instigating Yu Peiling to go to the bridge room to find Lu Shicheng.

From then on, she became more careful.

She was a person who could distinguish right from wrong and had a strong desire for revenge against her enemies. This Chen had repeatedly harmed her, and if she didn't make him a mess, she wouldn't be Wen Tingli.

After so many days of preparation, Chen Maoqing finally tasted the feeling of being a rat crossing the street and being chased by everyone.

She felt extremely pleased. Before taking action today, she specifically asked Kuang Zhilin to give a heads-up in advance, because once she took action, it would inevitably expose the fact that Chen Maoqing and Yu Peiling had repeatedly approached Lu Shicheng. If Lu Shicheng didn't want to be involved, she could think of another way.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shicheng cooperated with her actions without hesitation.

He could have chosen not to do this, and could have chosen not to accept the stigma of being "unfilial", but he still stood up.

This not only touched her heart, but also made her feel an indescribable sadness, and she couldn't wait to see him.

Unfortunately, Lu Shicheng has been in the ward taking care of Old Master Lu for the past two days. There are many people in that place, so it is not convenient to look for him openly.

Just now, when she contacted Kuang Zhilin again, she unexpectedly heard the news that Lu Shicheng would escort Old Master Lu back to Nanyang for recuperation today.

Kuang Zhilin also said that this time Lu Shicheng would probably not be able to return to Shanghai for a month or two. On the one hand, Lu Shicheng had to resolve the dissatisfaction of the Nanyang Lu family members over this "unfilial" incident, and on the other hand, he had to deal with matters such as the Nanyang Bank and the rubber plantation.

Wen Tingli rushed to Zhoujiadu Wharf. In order to avoid being seen, she borrowed Huang Yuanshan's car. Her face was no longer made up to look like a middle-aged lady as before. Instead, she changed into men's suit and trousers, and put her hair into a baseball cap. From a distance, she looked like a skinny male student.

As soon as I got off the car, I heard the cruise ship's whistle sounding.

Wen Tingli ran along the pier to the stairs to board the ship, and someone stopped her: "What are you doing?"

Wen Tingli stood on tiptoe and looked toward the deck. She took out a blank notebook from her bag and handed it to them. "I have something urgent to do and need to find Mr. Lu Shicheng. Please show this to him. He will know who I am at a glance."

The man walked away with the notebook. Wen Tingli waited there for about ten minutes, but the man did not come back.

At this time, boatmen were carrying the luggage onto the boat one after another, and Wen Tingli happened to be standing in front of the stairs, so she was bumped on the shoulder or arm from time to time.

She had to step aside and look back. There was a "mountain" of sandbags not far from the dock. She walked over and hid behind the sandbags, her eyes still staring straight at the deck. She waited and waited, but Lu Shicheng never showed up. She felt like her heart was boiling in a frying pan. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and saw someone looking at her from behind.

Wen Tingli showed an ecstatic expression: "I thought you were on the boat.

He quickly took off the baseball cap on his head.

"it's me!"

Of course Lu Shicheng knew it was her. As soon as his car arrived at the dock, he recognized her in the car.

He quickly pulled her aside and looked around cautiously.

Wen Tingli looked at him and smiled: "Don't worry, I was very careful on the way here, and no reporters followed me."

He asked her in a calm tone, "What are you doing here?"

Wen Tingli threw herself into his arms, but he pulled her away from his chest and took a step back.

Wen Tingli stamped her feet in annoyance. He was a man with a mental obsession with cleanliness. Every time they had a quarrel, he would refuse her to get close to him. She asked him: "You are going to send your grandfather back to Southeast Asia to recuperate, right? I heard that he will be away for a month or two?" "Yes." The answer was so straightforward.

"But - you told me that day that we just needed to calm down for a while. We haven't even made it clear yet. How can you just leave like that?"

Lu Shicheng said nothing.

"I know you are angry with me. I have to tell you that I did go to Cixin Hospital that night, but I didn't go to visit Meng Qiguang. In fact, I don't even know where Meng Qiguang's ward is. Mrs. Qiao is just talking nonsense. I didn't have one foot in two boats. From beginning to end, I only had you in my heart -

"Okay, you must think I'm lying to you again, and I hate that I can't prove what I said now. But whether you believe it or not, I have to tell you: not only did I not see Meng Qiguang the night before last, but I also didn't see him at all on Monday night. I didn't know he had a car accident until after the accident, and I didn't go to see him once after the accident. If you are jealous of me and him, then you are the number one fool in the world!"

The fool suddenly spoke up: "So who did you go to Cixin Hospital to see that night?"

Wen Tingli's heart was beating faster than ever before. He was too smart and he had keenly realized that all these things about her were related to Ci Xin Hospital.

When she was silent, Lu Shicheng just observed her quietly.

Whenever she mentioned her secret, she would have this nervous expression, as if she would fall off a cliff if she took another step forward.

At this time, he would feel very uncomfortable in his heart, not knowing whether it was jealousy or something else.

While waiting for her to come up with a new excuse to fool him, he would feel that there was an unknown rival standing opposite him.

He loves, he hates, and more often than not he feels disappointed.

Even if she was willing to compromise for him just once - he could continue to deceive himself, but unfortunately she couldn't do it even once.

He recalled her heartbroken look when she came to see him that morning. No, she was not only heartbroken, but her entire soul was broken. Who on earth was that person? ! He made her so miserable and haggard overnight. He looked at her and spoke again with a glimmer of hope: "If I tell you that I really care, will you be willing to compromise for me once?"

She lowered her head in shame.

He nodded, and when he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse.

"There has never been any misunderstanding. Whether it's Meng Qiguang or some other secret, I only want to believe what you tell me in person. Unfortunately, you never want to explain. In your heart, my feelings are not that important at all."

Wen Tingli's eyesight was blurred by tears: "If I didn't care about your feelings, I would have walked away long ago. You should not doubt my sincerity towards you even if you doubt anything. This time you would rather be scolded than do less, you can imagine how much you care about me. Do you know how touched I am? My heart is not made of stone! I like you and care about you more than you can imagine! We are obviously sincere to each other, why do we have to gamble on this? Aren't you afraid of regretting it in the future?"

Lu Shicheng turned around and looked at her sharply: "So you also know that actions are more important than sweet words. Every time you coaxed me with these words, but lied to me, or even disappeared for a whole night, I wondered in my heart, who are you with? Why does this person mean so much to you? To you, what am I?! I don't want to get deeper and deeper into this relationship that makes people worry about gains and losses! If you must ask something, is this reason enough?"

Wen Tingli stood there with tears in her eyes, watching him get on the boat, and then watching the boat set sail.

He was probably so angry that he didn't even look back once.

It seemed that he was determined to forget her this time. She was extremely angry and sad, and drove away from the dock in a huff, vowing not to look back, but as soon as she got home she threw herself on the bed and burst into tears.

***
While crying, Wen Tingli fell asleep on the bed.

Perhaps because she had just experienced an intense emotional ups and downs, she had many dreams. In the dream, she vaguely saw herself and Lu Shicheng playing in the Great World Amusement Park. He held her hand and walked around, he bought her ice cream, he smiled so beautifully, and there was a heartbreaking tenderness in his voice.

She was almost crazy with joy and tried to snatch the ice cream from his hand as if jokingly, but as soon as she stretched out her hand, there was nothing in front of her.

She panicked and looked for him everywhere in her dream, but she tripped over someone under her feet - it was Li Chengying, and she was lying there covered in blood.

"Sister Li--" Wen Tingli woke up from her dream crying. The room was pitch black and she didn't know what time it was. Her face was full of tears and the scene in her dream was vivid in her mind.

Wen Tingli looked at the shadows of the trees outside the window in panic. She felt as if a piece of her heart had been dug out and she was aching.

I really hope that it was just a dream. Now her mind felt numb, she didn't want to think about anything, couldn't do anything, she just wanted to lie in the dark forever.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly felt hungry and had a heartburn. She got out of bed listlessly, intending to go downstairs to find something to eat.

Mrs. Zhou was still awake. Seeing her coming downstairs, she hurriedly handed her a letter. "This is the check that Miss Dong just sent. Remember to keep it. A lot of people called you, including Miss Huang, a director named Hong, the owner of the water plant named Li... and Mr. Gao. Remember to call them back... Are you hungry? I'll make you a bowl of noodles."

Wen Tingli slumped on the sofa.

Those people came to her either for work issues or social matters.

With the success of "The Fair Detective", her life became extremely busy. There were many things waiting for her to confirm in person every day, and new friends were willing to meet her every day.

This feeling was not obvious during the filming of "Beauty of the South", but now, she vaguely felt that she had become a magnetic point, with more and more people moving towards her, and gradually, a small circle of influence was formed with her as the center.

Money and profits came to her one after another.

Originally she was immersed in it, but tonight, perhaps because she was in a very bad mood, facing these things, she only felt empty and tired.

The high advertising fee on the check did not excite her.

Mrs. Zhou was still on the other end saying, "Mrs. Pan called and asked you to play cards at her house. Instead of staying bored at home, why not go over and sit down with her? Have you seen the letter on the coffee table? It was sent by the landlord over at Rong'an Lane. I guess one of your friends didn't know we had moved to a new house, so he sent the letter to the old address."

Wen Tingli responded slowly.

When she finished a bowl of noodles, she suddenly realized that Mrs. Zhou was no longer in the living room.

This time, there was not even a whisper in her ears. She was suddenly struck by loneliness. For the first time in her life, she felt that this villa was so big that no matter where she went, she could only hear her own footsteps and breathing.

She huddled down on the sofa and covered herself with a blanket.

But loneliness would not let her go, it burrowed into her blanket and into her heart.

She, who has always been strong, tasted vulnerability for the first time on this lonely night.

No, she couldn't let herself be immersed in this feeling, she had to escape to a lively occasion.

How about going to Mrs. Pan's house? At least she wouldn't feel so lost. Suddenly she saw the letter on the coffee table. She picked it up and read it. Strangely, there was no address on the cover. There was only one line of words written on it: "Ms. Wen Tingli".

【Xiao Wen: Seeing your letter is like meeting you in person.】

Wen Tingli jumped up from the sofa. It was Dean Deng's handwriting! She had sent her a letter.

She read on eagerly.

[The day before yesterday, I received a package from Ping. It contained the nutritional supplements and cotton clothes you asked her to send me. I tried the clothes and they are light and warm... You are always so thoughtful and considerate. I will remember to take the nutritional supplements every day and try not to let you down...]

Wen Tingli's tears rolled down her cheeks without warning as she saw the densely packed "Ping" character on the letter. "Ping" was Li Chengying's code name, and when Dean Deng wrote this letter, Li Chengying had not yet been killed.

[Ping also mentioned in the letter that your new film was released. Fortunately, I happened to be in the city on business, and a cinema in the city showed your film. I went to see it, and it was very good! I almost immediately fell in love with your role as Fu Zhenzhen. Your performance was so natural, so lively and interesting, and so real that it was like someone we would meet in our daily lives.]

[The newspapers seem to classify you as a talented actor, what do you think? ]

[I have a different opinion. You are a clear-headed child. Once you set your mind on a goal, you will overcome all difficulties to achieve it. Compared with so-called talent, your personality strength is the key to your success. I can imagine how much effort you have put in behind the scenes to fight for these two films and to play these two roles well...]

These words were like warm spring water, flowing into Wen Tingli's heart. As she read on, her heart slowly calmed down a little, but tears were still welling up in her eyes.

[…Now, you have achieved success and fame, and you will achieve even more remarkable personal success in the future. While I am happy for you, I am also a little worried. In the past few years, I have seen friends in the literary and artistic circles who are as talented as you, who quickly lost themselves in the world of fame and fortune after achieving outstanding results. Don't underestimate the corrosive power of the world of pleasure on human nature, my young friend - I hope you don't think my words are too presumptuous.]

Wen Tingli murmured to the letter paper: "No, I need your advice... Sister Li died, Lu Shicheng is gone, my heart hurts like a knife, please show me a way... Otherwise I'm afraid I will lose my way."

Her tone was so sincere, as if Dean Deng was sitting right across from her.

The amazing thing is that these words written in the letter seem to contain some real power.

[After a person achieves great success, his life is bound to change dramatically. Even if he is satisfied with his current achievements, people around him will encourage him to continue to climb. However, after the mountain, there is a higher mountain, after the fame, there is a more prominent fame. No matter how people chase, there is no so-called end on this road. If a person's vision is always limited to personal success, he will become a blind man with open eyes, chasing after personal fame and fortune tirelessly all day long until... he runs out of energy on this road. ]

[So promise me, no matter how far you go in the future, don’t be led by fame and fortune, don’t waste your young life in the midst of decadence and extravagance… cherish your talents and try to do something meaningful.]

Wen Tingli clutched the letter tightly, but her body slowly fell onto the carpet.

In the past, she would have thought that Dean Deng's words were groundless worries, but now she felt that every word was heart-piercing. Dean Deng was obviously well versed in human nature and had anticipated the difficulties she would face.

The life of luxury and decadence was indeed beckoning to her.

She had her own car and her own connections. She could now do things that were impossible before. She was invited to dinner every night, and her ears were filled with all kinds of flattering voices.

This kind of life often makes people addicted without knowing it.

At least she had Sister Li before, and what Sister Li did always inspired her. But when Sister Li left, she was like a ship without a navigation light, stuck in the same place.

Pain can especially shake a person's will. Her breakup with Lu Shicheng tonight made her extremely depressed. At this moment, hiding away in the midst of feasting and drinking out of spite was a good way to numb herself.

It was because she felt her willpower weakening that she was particularly panicked and frustrated tonight.

“Behind every mountain is a higher mountain, and behind every fame is a more glorious fame. If a person’s vision is always limited to personal success, he will become a blind man with open eyes.”

Wen Tingli chewed on these words carefully, and the fog in her heart was dispelled bit by bit.

She recalled that she had once asked Dean Deng a question: "I have never met you before, why did you take the risk to help me?"

Dean Deng half-jokingly said, "I just don't want to see a smart girl like you being kicked out of school for no reason."

Now, she has acquired certain social skills like Dean Deng did back then. Perhaps, it is time to raise her vision higher and help the desperate "Wen Tingli" back then?

Wait a minute! She finally figured out what Li Chengying hadn't finished saying before he died.

Sister Li said: "Save people, save more people."

Wen Tingli buried her head in her knees, hot tears falling down.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, even she wouldn't have believed that there were such warriors in the world. How stupid! They were really stupid. In the eyes of the world, they were probably hopeless fools!

She read the letter again and again until its words were deeply engraved in her heart, then she struck a match and lit the letter.

She was not sure whether she had completed her self-redemption, because her chest still ached vaguely when she thought of Lu Shicheng. However, as the letter paper turned into black butterflies, she felt that something new was quietly taking root in her heart.

***
Kuang Zhilin looked inside at the cabin door. Lu Shicheng was flipping through documents behind his desk. He had been like this since he got on board last night. He had been busy all the time, so busy that he didn't sleep or eat. He was busy dealing with all kinds of matters and busy receiving several doctors who were taking care of Old Master Lu. It seemed that as long as he was busy, he had no time to think about anything else.

Kuang Zhilin sighed silently in his heart. When a person is tortured by inner demons, outsiders can't help. No matter how painful it is, only he can get through this hurdle by himself.

But if you continue to torture yourself like this without sleep, even an iron man will fall seriously ill.

He cleared his throat with apprehension, and walked up to Lu Shicheng and said, "Master Cheng, Manager Liu said someone wants to discuss cooperation with the Nanyang Sugar Factory."

Lu Shicheng looked at the documents in his hand and said, "Please ask him to come in."

After a while, Manager Liu came over and enthusiastically handed a business card to Lu Shicheng: "This person is in Singapore now. As long as you agree, he can come to see you at any time."

The business card reads: Lichuan Corporation.

Lu Shicheng glanced sharply at Manager Liu and threw the business card back: "Remember, the Lu family does not cooperate with the Japanese."

Manager Liu blushed and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was confused. Master Cheng, please don't be offended. I will have someone call him back right away."

After Manager Liu left, Lu Shicheng said without even looking up, "After we get off the ship, settle Manager Liu's salary and tell him not to come again. Also, make sure to check all the people who were close to him in the factory and kick them out if necessary."

Kuang Zhilin nodded, turned his head and looked at the coffee table by the window. The lunch on the plate was still untouched. If this continued——

He couldn't help but ask, "You and Miss Wen yesterday?"

Lu Shicheng interrupted Kuang Zhilin: "Do you have anything else to say?"

Kuang Zhilin said earnestly: "If it really doesn't work, I'll have someone check where Miss Wen went that night. Although it's too late to check now, at least we can find out what she did that night-"

Lu Shicheng threw the pen on the table, stood up, and left the cabin without looking back.

Kuang Zhilin sighed helplessly.

Lu Shicheng stood by the guardrail, staring at the surging river in a trance. He stood there in silence for a while, feeling very upset. Suddenly he turned around and said to the people, "Ask the waiter to send all the old newspapers from Shanghai from Monday to Wednesday last week to my room."

The attendant was a little surprised: "Old newspaper?"

"Yes."

The waiter quickly brought all the old newspapers from last week that could be found on the ship. Lu Shicheng casually flipped open the top one and saw the first piece of news: "Yarn tycoon Meng Qiguang was in a car accident and was sent to Ci Xin Hospital." The time stamp was Monday night.

Lu Shicheng felt a stab in his heart and without hesitation, he crumpled up the newspaper and threw it far away.

Just as the boat was shaking, the piece of paper was thrown far away and rolled back to his feet.

Lu Shicheng closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair.

It had been more than ten hours since he met Wen Tingli last night. However, whenever he calmed down, he could still hear her voice in his ears: "If I didn't care about your feelings, I would have left long ago. You should never doubt my sincerity towards you!"

He was extremely upset. He opened his eyes and looked down at his feet. Then he squatted down with a stern face, picked up the crumpled newspaper, unfolded it bit by bit, and began to read it against the light.

He patiently read the news about Meng Qiguang's accident, and then quickly browsed the next piece of news. After finishing this newspaper, he read the next one.

In this way, he flipped through a dozen old newspapers in one breath. He did not miss any news, studied every word carefully, and even did not miss the advertisements in the side columns.

After looking for a whole afternoon, he still couldn't find any clues. In the evening, he ate something casually and continued to search at the table.

He didn't know what he was looking for.

I am always unwilling, or I just can't let go!

It's ridiculous.

He only knew that he was obsessed with finding out the "truth".

In fact, looking through old news is the least efficient way of investigation, but it is the only way to protect her "true identity" to the greatest extent. He wants to investigate it himself. No matter what he finds, at least he will never betray her.

He searched without sleep until midnight, and Lu Shicheng had read almost all the old newspapers on the ship, but still found nothing.

At this time, Kuang Zhilin suddenly brought over two wrinkled copies, "These were found in the first mate's room. He said that he likes to buy some tabloids on weekdays. These are the ones he read last week. Before, he thought that Master Cheng was looking for news from big newspapers like the Hujiang Daily, so he didn't send them over."

Lu Shicheng quickly took the newspaper and said to Kuang Zhilin, "I can find it myself."

Kuang Zhilin left the room with a lot of questions.

Lu Shicheng returned to the lamp and opened the newspaper. Just as Kuang Zhilin said, it was almost entirely filled with trivial and boring news.

One of the tabloids was called "Absurd Forest", and the news in it was just as its title suggested: extremely "absurd", half true and half false.

However, when he turned the page, his attention was suddenly attracted by an insignificant piece of news.

【Last night, an unknown person met with an unexpected accident on Baisaizhong Road in the French Concession. The blood on the road was shocking.】

The date was the night Wen Tingli disappeared.

The article said: "When the accident happened, many residents gathered at the scene to watch the excitement. The owner of a cigarette shop recognized the man at a glance. He came to his shop in the afternoon to buy cigarettes. The cigarettes he bought were Yamato cigarettes, which are the most popular brand among Japanese people."

The article also mentioned that the French Concession police rushed to the scene and quickly sent the man to the hospital, but everyone could see that he had been dead for a long time. Others said that there was a large bloodstain on the road from another person, but that person had disappeared without a trace.

"How strange! How many people were there at the scene when the accident happened? What was the identity of the man? Why were the French police so secretive about it? According to our observation, we don't know which hero assassinated him!"

Lu Shicheng looked at it carefully, then looked away again to confirm the date of the incident.

Yes, it was last Monday.

【Assassination of Japanese】

[I don’t know which hero did this]

[The blood on the road is shocking]

Lu Shicheng read the news over and over again with full concentration,
After reading to the end, he fell on the sofa in confusion.

Outside the window, the river water hit the deck, making a roaring sound, just like the raging waves in his heart at this moment.

(End of this chapter)