In the evening, Ruan Shenglin wrapped up work and picked Xu Tong up from Master Chi’s place. Xu Tong was especially happy hanging out with Master Chi that afternoon. As if she had found a soulmate, she chattered on and on. When Ruan Shenglin arrived, Xu Tong couldn’t stop talking. She said that the children in this village were too cute, and gossiped softly about Chi Shuyan’s good temperament.
The two of them were about the same age. After spending the afternoon together, Xu Tong wasn’t as deferential and cautious toward Chi Shuyan as before. Instead, she treated her as a good friend, and they got along especially well.
She really wanted to stay in the village now, especially given Master Chi’s previous encouragement. When she saw her man, she immediately said cutely, “Shenglin, I think this village is especially peaceful and good for the baby. I still want to stay in the village. What do you think?”
Afraid that Ruan Shenglin would refuse, Xu Tong immediately added, “Master Chi also said that she wants me to stay in the village.”
As Xu Tong spoke, she blinked at Master Chi, who was sitting motionless in the living room.
Chi Shuyan promptly spoke up for her. “Rather than make a pregnant woman take a long trip back, it’s better for her to stay in this village!”
When Ruan Shenglin first heard his wife’s words, not just him, but Yang Kun also choked with all the reasons to make Xu Tong leave the village immediately.
In fact, when he and Brother Kun heard in the afternoon that Master Chi had specially asked Xu Tong to stay back, they had been baffled, especially Ruan Shenglin. If he recalled correctly, Master Chi had told him to get his wife to leave the village as soon as possible.
He wanted to say something, but hesitated. He had questions in his heart, but when he saw his wife’s expression, he hurriedly shut up. After thinking about it, he found an excuse for Brother Kun to help take his wife away first. He still had something to say to Master Chi.
Yang Kun knew what Shenglin was thinking. He, too, didn’t want Xu Tong to know about what was happening in the village. Not only was Xu Tong pregnant, she was also timid. There was no point in her knowing these things – conversely, if she found out, she might be easily frightened. So, as soon as Shenglin finished speaking, Yang Kun immediately nodded. “Okay, I’ll take Tong Tong to rest first. She’s been out all afternoon, so she should be tired!”
Xu Tong had been walking around in the afternoon. Although she still looked a little excited, she was indeed a little tired. Afraid that something would happen to the child, she didn’t refute Brother Kun’s suggestion to rest. Instead, she said happily to Chi Shuyan, “Master Chi, I’ll come and find you tomorrow. By the way, why don’t we go see that child tomorrow?”
Thinking of that child, Chi Shuyan’s heart sank, but her face was very calm. She nodded in agreement.
Hearing the word “child,” Yang Kun and Ruan Shenglin were a little bewildered. The two didn’t ask any more questions. Yang Kun also took Xu Tong away first, and planned to ask her in passing what that was about.
After the two left, Ruan Shenglin’s calm expression immediately turned anxious. He couldn’t help but ask, “Master Chi, didn’t you say that Tong Tong should leave the village as soon as possible? Or do you have any other ideas?”
The thing that worried Ruan Shenglin the most now was his wife and the child in her stomach. After finding out how strange the village was, he regretted letting her come. It could be said that his intestines turned green with regret at this mistake.
Now, he couldn’t wait for his wife to leave the village and be safe. It hadn’t been easy for him to arrange for her to leave immediately. Who would have thought that Master Chi would suddenly stop her? If it were anyone else, he would have suspected that they had ulterior motives.
Chi Shuyan understood his anxiety. Seeing that he was unusually worried, she waited for him to calm down a little before she said, “I do think it isn’t good for your pregnant wife to leave the village on her own right now.”
Ruan Shenglin didn’t quite understand Master Chi’s excuse, and added, “Master Chi, Tong Tong won’t be alone. I also arranged for a driver and assistant! Didn’t you say before that it’s better to leave the village as soon as possible? Why did you stop them after I arranged for them to leave?”
Ruan Shenglin said the last few words cautiously; it was clear that he wanted Master Chi to clarify this matter.
In fact, he and Brother Kun had been debating over the past few days whether or not to break the contract and leave the village together. They had already given up on persuading Director Wang. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but Director Wang and the others didn’t believe them at all. In that case, there was no need for him and Brother Kun to be buried along with them.
He was on good terms with Director Wang and couldn’t afford to offend him, but not to the point of him and Brother Kun being buried along with the director.
He had previously decided to stay partly because he had underestimated how serious the matter was, and partly because he thought he could persuade Director Wang and the others.
Besides, he was about to become a father. He really couldn’t bear to lose his life over a favor or some money.
After what happened to Master Chi today, he and Brother Kun had been discussing whether or not to leave the village together. They hadn’t been able to decide before, but now, he had more or less resolved to do so.
So, without waiting for Master Chi to speak, Ruan Shenglin probed, “Master Chi, do you think it’s okay if I leave the village with my wife now?”
Ruan Shenglin probed her carefully. Seeing Master Chi look at him without saying anything, he couldn’t help but panic. Afraid that she would think he was some ungrateful person, he hurriedly added with a bitter smile, “Master Chi, when something happened to you today, Brother Kun told me later that he saw a pair of hands deliberately pushing a large rock in your direction. Brother Kun and I specially asked the villagers about the mountaintop. According to them, it’s especially high up and there’s no way for anyone to climb up there.” At that point, Ruan Shenglin’s eyes revealed a trace of fear. “After filming today, Brother Kun and I wanted to take a few people to the mountaintop for a look, but there is indeed no path up from the foot of that mountain. The only way to get up there is to climb the mountain wall, and it’s steep and straight – it’s impossible for anyone to climb it at all.”
What Ruan Shenglin didn’t say was that Director Wang and the others had taken the rock which had almost crushed Master Chi at noon as an accident. However, he and Yang Kun knew that things weren’t as simple as Director Wang and the others thought. They even wondered if it was possible for extreme sports enthusiasts to climb the mountain, and had even asked a few sporty friends who were especially fond of mountaineering.
Their friends all said that the mountain wall was too steep, straight, and slippery, and it couldn’t be climbed at all even with the help of tools. When they heard that, Ruan Shenglin and Brother Kun’s hearts and bodies turned cold.
Staying in this village terrified the both of them. Fortunately, they were staying close to Master Chi, so they were just barely comforted.
After listening to Ruan Shenglin, Chi Shuyan was a bit surprised. She didn’t expect Ruan Shenglin and Yang Kun to investigate the matter to that extent. She hadn’t planned to tell them about Brother Feng and her guess.
After all, no matter how well-known Ruan Shenglin and Yang Kun were, they were just ordinary people. Knowing too much wouldn’t do them any good. From Ruan Shenglin’s expression, however, Chi Shuyan knew that if she didn’t give him a satisfactory reason tonight, he might really plan to take his wife and manager away from the village tomorrow or the day after.
Chi Shuyan thought for a moment. It wasn’t good for her to hide too much, so she said, “Do you remember when a friend came to find me at noon?”
Although Ruan Shenglin didn’t understand where Master Chi was going with her words, he hadn’t forgotten. For one thing, Master Chi’s friend left a very deep impression. The other party didn’t just have a strong presence, but also seemed ambiguously close with Master Chi. How could Ruan Shenglin not remember that person?
Ruan Shenglin immediately nodded. “I remember!”
Chi Shuyan didn’t deliberately keep him in suspense, and continued, “Actually, something happened on our side at noon. A friend of mine left the village a few days ago, but today, we discovered that he had almost been buried alive.” After a pause, Chi Shuyan added, “By the way, he’s the director of the capital’s XX police department. He was once a soldier, and he’s very capable!”
Although she didn’t say it directly, her meaning was very clear. If something could happen to Brother Feng when he left the village, did these people from the entertainment industry think that they could compare with Brother Feng in terms of skills?
Of course, if they really wanted to leave, Chi Shuyan didn’t plan to persuade them anymore. Looking at how Ruan Shenglin’s face suddenly turned pale, however, Chi Shuyan didn’t think they would insist on leaving the village!
Sure enough!
Ruan Shenglin never expected such a thing to happen. Almost as soon as Master Chi finished speaking, his calm face immediately turned deathly white and his whole body trembled. His eyes overflowed with fear and gradually turned red. There was remorse in his eyes, but more than that, there was fear, disbelief and shock. His trembling voice suddenly rose in pitch. He hurriedly stood up, and didn’t notice when he knocked his wooden chair to the floor. “How… how did that happen?”
