Chapter 34: The Film Crew

Dai San Shu described the whole saga from his perspective.

Dai Enhao and Jiang Qiujun were the classic case of a farmer and a snake, or inviting a wolf into the house.

Jiang Qiujun was no heiress from a prestigious family—not even a rich girl. She was just an orphan funded by the Dai Family.

Normally, someone like her would never cross paths with Dai Enhao in her lifetime, but Jiang Qiujun studied diligently and got into Dan University, becoming one of its most famous figures at the time.

Jiang Qiujun was a stunning beauty with exceptional bone structure and features—a trait perfectly inherited by Dai Linxuan.

Even though Dai San Shu had bedded countless women in his youth, the first time he saw Jiang Qiujun, he was utterly stunned.

Having received favors from the Dai Family, and with Dai Enhao as her senior at the same school, it was a case of proximity leading to romance. The talented man and beautiful woman fell passionately in love, like thunder meeting earth fire.

Dai San Shu sneered, “Looking back now, she was scheming from the start, deliberately getting close and seducing Big Brother.”

Stories of rich heirs and poor girls usually ended in tragedy, and this pair was no exception—though their tragedy wasn’t a breakup.

Jiang Qiujun excelled academically but lacked the means to pursue further studies. Dai Corporation recruited from Dan University every year, and she used that to enter one of its subsidiaries. With her outstanding abilities and connection to Dai Enhao, she climbed higher and higher.

Normally, Dai Songxue wouldn’t have approved of such a marriage.

But as a daughter-in-law, Jiang Qiujun was too impressive. She was dignified, drop-dead gorgeous, and adept at reading situations and acting accordingly, both in private matters and at work.

Even for an arranged marriage, it would be hard to find a better bride.

Moreover, with the Dai Family’s status back then, they didn’t need to sacrifice their children’s marriages for benefits—they just wanted a match that seemed proper.

Jiang Qiujun smoothly married into the Dai Family and soon gave birth to Dai Linxuan. Unwilling to give up her career, she sent the newborn Dai Linxuan to the Old Residence to be raised personally by Dai Songxue, also to win the old man’s favor for greater gains.

What true love existed between elite couples?

Dai Enhao had someone on the side, and Jiang Qiujun coveted Dai Corporation. After eighteen years of marriage, when she discovered Dai Enhao’s illegitimate child outside, she orchestrated his car accident—both to seize power and for revenge.

Dai San Shu said indignantly, “Tell me, wasn’t she vicious?”

Lai Li tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Too kind.

A car accident was nothing—he was still lying comfortably in the nursing home for twelve years, sheltered from wind and rain.

How boring for a vegetable. No pain, no screams. It should have been “alive in name only,” locked in a sunless basement, shackled and chained like a dog, begging for scraps on his knees, unable even to control his bladder, soiling himself repeatedly on the floor, utterly stripped of human dignity.

On idle days, torment him a bit, listen to his tearful confessions and shrieks. Once satisfied, reward him with a vat of leeches, then chop up the remaining flesh to feed the dogs.

That would barely qualify as vicious.

Lai Li thought to himself, but on his lips, he drawled casually, “If Dad hadn’t cheated, none of this mess would have happened, right?”

“That woman wasn’t upset about the cheating. She had disloyal ambitions from the beginning—we were all fooled by her. Too late for regrets now.” Dai San Shu snorted and continued, “Not long after Big Brother’s accident, I received a key.”

Dai Enhao seemed to know something was coming and had left a letter in a bank safe deposit box ahead of time, entrusting a lawyer to give the key to Dai San Shu if he died or became incapacitated.

The letter roughly said he had another child outside and hoped whoever read it would help that child claim their ancestry.

Dai Enyu had already set the precedent for an illegitimate child returning to the fold—there was no reason his couldn’t.

“Unfortunately, by the time I tracked you down, you were gone.” Dai San Shu sighed. “It wasn’t until months later that I heard Dai Linxuan had brought back a kid. I suspected it was you right away and always wanted a chance to do a paternity test, but as you know, that bitch hid your dad!”

Jiang Qiujun had hidden Dai Enhao for a full twelve years—outsiders couldn’t get a sample for testing.

Dai San Shu slammed the stall door. “Dai Linxuan is insidious too. On the surface, he treated you well, but really, he wanted to turn you into a useless slob… an ordinary person who only knows how to eat, drink, and play, grateful to him to boot. Even if your background came out later, you’d have no ability to fight him for the family assets.”

Lai Li lowered his gaze. “He’s raised me all these years. I have no need to—”

“You think he’ll keep raising you forever?” Dai San Shu said in exasperation. “If I’d brought you back back then, you’d be the legitimate young master of the Dai Family now, with inheritance rights like all your friends. Why settle for Dai Linxuan’s scraps of charity?”

Lai Li was nonchalant. “So what? You had to sneak around just to give me a paternity test. Can you even help me claim my ancestry?”

Dai San Shu choked. “I’ll help you.”

Lai Li adopted a demanding tone. “Let’s hear it.”

Dai San Shu ground his teeth, held back for a few seconds, then sighed. “Actually, a vegetable surviving over ten years is already impressive.”

Lai Li picked up the report and rubbed the final line of results. “Dad’s dying?”

“…Maybe soon.” Dai San Shu said, “Your father was the eldest son, with assets beyond count under his name. He guarded against that woman and set up trusts early, including some Dai Corporation shares. Only upon his confirmed death will those assets distribute per the will.”

Though no one knew the will’s contents, Jiang Qiujun and Dai Enhao had been at odds for years—she could guess he wouldn’t leave everything to her and her son, so keeping him as a vegetable was best for her.

Jiang Qiujun naturally became his guardian, able to indefinitely manage all his assets.

Dai San Shu sneered. “You think he lasted this long because that woman went soft? Without the trust, she would’ve killed him ages ago!”

Lai Li: “Not leaving assets to President Jiang is one thing, but not even to his own son?”

“You mean Dai Linxuan?” Dai San Shu shook his head, then realized Lai Li couldn’t see. “Big Brother raised him at the Old Residence and never bonded deeply. Later, realizing that woman’s schemes, he grew even more distant from her and naturally looked down on that son. Why leave him the inheritance?”

“What about Dai Yi?”

Dai San Shu said, “Dai Yi might get a bit—she was personally raised, after all. But as a girl, she definitely won’t get shares.”

Lai Li chuckled. “Sounds like Third Uncle knows the will’s contents.”

“I know a little. Big Brother and I were close since childhood—otherwise, he wouldn’t have entrusted you to me.” Dai San Shu’s voice choked up; he paused before continuing. “This is your chance to claim your ancestry.”

Lai Li played along. “How so?”

“Most of your dad’s assets, including shares, will go to his child wandering outside—you.” Dai San Shu paused, hearing no reaction from Lai Li, so he pressed on. “But right now, no one knows you exist. Once Big Brother dies, the lawyers and trust will seek you out. You just need to show up with the paternity test, and you’ll claim your place smoothly.”

“Oh.” Lai Li said bluntly, “So I just bide my time quietly and wait for Dad to die?”

Dai San Shu’s mouth twitched. This Lai Li was as much of a scoundrel as ever. But good—that made him easy to control.

“That’s right, or wait for that woman to pull the plug early—but to control Big Brother’s shares, she definitely won’t.” Dai San Shu comforted meaningfully. “Don’t worry, vegetables don’t last many more years. Just be patient.”

“Then I’ll wait patiently for Dad to die.” Lai Li said cheerfully, then tried to soften it belatedly, but it was too late. He could only force a strained tone. “Thanks, Third Uncle, for telling me about my background.”

“What thanks? We’re family—how could I bear to watch you get bullied by outsiders?” Dai San Shu shifted gears. “But Dai Linxuan’s about to join the board. With those two mother and son teaming up, it’ll be tough to deal with…”

Lai Li directed, “Just don’t let him on the board.”

“It’s not about what we want.” Dai San Shu sighed. “Anyway, that’s enough for today. We’ve been in here too long—don’t arouse suspicion. Contact me directly if you need anything later.”

“Then I’m off.” Lai Li stood, then glanced back at the partition. “Third Uncle, I pissed off Big Brother at the last auction. Things are tight lately…”

Dai San Shu’s face twitched. “Send me the account number.”

“Thanks, Third Uncle.” A hint of mockery crept into Lai Li’s expression. He tucked the Paternity Test Report into his jacket and left the bathroom without looking back. Surprisingly, Dai San Shu didn’t stop him.

He didn’t ask for anything in return… Planning to build rapport first?

Lai Li left Cloud Summit and sent a message: Location.

[Unknown Number]: Saibo City F District, new film crew.

Though Dai Corporation was vast, it couldn’t overhaul the entire slum at once. The Saibo City project was too ambitious—outcomes uncertain, early construction money pits. Better not put all eggs in one basket.

F District was the only area still under construction. Early residents had been relocated, but some buildings retained their old look—perfect for filming.

Lai Li called Jing Deyu. “Where are you?”

Jing Deyu sighed dramatically. “Dropping my baby off at the set.”

Baby? That burly Bao Song?

Lai Li didn’t bother questioning Jing Deyu’s tastes. “Just starting today?”

“Yeah, your bro’s crew. Been in for ten days, perfectly overlapping my side.” Jing Deyu complained. “What genre did your bro invest in this time? Actors can’t leave midway, no visitors—super secretive…”

“Just ask Bao Song.”

“Signed an NDA, dude.” Jing Deyu said. “And Bao Song has no script.”

Lai Li knew nothing about this and cared less. He’d sought Jing Deyu for his own purposes, which aligned nicely anyway.

“Send your location.”

“You’re coming?” Jing Deyu was surprised. “I’m driving. Huo Fei’s here too. We’re heading to Seaboard tonight—you sure?”

“Pull over. Wait for me.”

Lai Li hung up decisively and floored it toward Jing Deyu’s position.

Half an hour later, the four arrived at Saibo City.

“You possessed or something? Who was it that swore never to come here?” Jing Deyu was dressed like a flashy playboy, his deep blue sequined jacket dazzling.

Bao Song voiced his blunt displeasure. “You could debut as a boy band idol.”

Jing Deyu arched a brow. “Compliment or…?”

“Saying you’re flashy.” Lai Li snapped impatiently. “Move or not?”

“…” Jing Deyu spat, and Huo Fei burst out laughing.

Outsiders couldn’t enter the filming area, so Jing Deyu could only drop Bao Song at the accommodations.

The conditions were unimaginably rundown.

It was a five-story building not yet demolished. The outer walls were cracked, the peeling paint battered by years of weather into a mottled mess, faint graffiti shapes still visible.

Jing Deyu hissed. “Is that a naked person? That on the leg—is it a dick?”

Lai Li glanced. “Bigger than yours.”

“Shut your dog mouth!” Jing Deyu told himself inwardly: Calm down, can’t win… Damn, his current bedmate was right there! Talking like that! If it weren’t so crude, he’d whip it out and compare strokes.

Bao Song pulled him aside. “How’d he know your…”

Jing Deyu was exasperated. “Jealous over that? Haven’t you soaked in hot springs with friends?”

He felt a bit smug—among friends, only he and Zi Xiao had seen Lai Li in just underwear. Not even Huo Fei. Lai Li’s scars were like those of a mercenary who’d been through knives and bullets—insanely hot.

“Huh…” Huo Fei suddenly went to the wall and touched it. “Bullet holes?”

Bullets weren’t novel to them—shooting was practically a trendy rite for second-gen heirs, a pastime from childhood.

Lai Li absentmindedly grunted and sent Dai Linxuan a location pin.

No reply.

Lai Li’s mood had originally been pretty good, but it gradually soured as he still didn’t see that line of “typing…”

“Not just one bullet hole.” Jing Deyu looked around left and right as he followed along, spotting a few more. “What was this building used for before?”

Lai Li glanced at him expressionlessly. “Live body trading.”

Huo Fei asked doubtfully, “Trading what? Cats and dogs? Wasn’t this the Slum District before? Were there even customers?”

Lai Li looked at him.

Huo Fei was still clueless, but Jing Deyu seemed to understand something, his eyes gradually filling with horror. “—Live people??”

Lai Li said it lightly. “Organs from live people.”

“Fuck! The film crew let you guys live in this haunted hellhole?” Jing Deyu rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and couldn’t help asking Lai Li, “How do you know?”

Before Lai Li could answer, he muttered to himself and found the reason. “This is land your family bought. Of course you know.”

Lai Li ignored him. Because Dai Linxuan still hadn’t replied, the chaotic noises he’d been hearing since entering Saibo City gradually grew clearer. Torrid cheers and applause, desperate screams like in a torrential downpour, the slapping sounds of flesh colliding, men’s and women’s startled gasps and curses… They all intertwined, gradually forming a garish, colorful reel of film that made everything in front of Lai Li fade to dull black and white.

He shouldn’t have come.

A few barks came from not far away, and Lai Li froze almost instantly, his face growing worse and worse, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably.

But it didn’t seem like it was from fear.

He forced himself not to look that way, stiffly lifting his legs to walk outward—

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.

Lai Li instinctively twisted the other’s wrist hard in retaliation. The next second, he heard a familiar grunt of pain. He froze abruptly, the ferocity still on his face before it could fade, caught red-handed by the newcomer.

They both paused in shock.

Dai Linxuan looked hurried and ignored the stinging pain in his wrist as he straightened Lai Li’s shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

The gray, filthy, rundown Slum District was dead and lifeless. Dai Linxuan in his green trench coat was the only splash of color in sight.

The wind lifted his slightly curly black-chestnut hair, and the thin trench coat billowed dramatically, like colorful ink dropped on a painting, gradually dyeing the surrounding black-and-white scene with vibrant rings of color.

Everything became bright and cheerful.

“Bro… I missed you.” Lai Li took two steps forward and gently hugged Dai Linxuan, pressing his forehead into the crook of his neck before he could be pushed away. “You touched me first.”

Nearby, Jing Deyu and Huo Fei both dug in their ears at the same time, thinking they’d misheard.

What kind of good little brother talked to his big bro like that!?

Bao Song was more direct, speaking without thinking, muttering softly, “Didn’t they say there was no incest…”

“…” Everyone turned their gazes toward him in unison.

Jing Deyu’s face twisted in horror, afraid that Lai Li would go crazy and dump Bao Song into the sea, forcing him to figure out a way to fish the guy out on schedule.

Lai Li thought of that report, his dark eyes flickering darkly, looking at Bao Song like he was a dead man.