Chapter 149
Shen Baizhou’s dyed black hair had almost completely faded since he stopped needing to go to school. His hair, now mostly silver-white, was pulled back into a low ponytail by Xing Nuo because it was getting too long. He stood there, hands in his pockets, his monolid drooping, looking as nonchalant as ever.
Hearing the actor’s greeting, he just hummed, not bothering to be polite.
The actor’s smile faltered, but he quickly recovered and said gently:
“Hurry along then. It’s getting late.”
Shen Baizhou, sensing the fake pleasantries, frowned slightly.
The assistant director, having been turned away from Xing Nuo’s apartment before, didn’t even bother filming them this time, just watching them coldly as they walked away.
Shen Baizhou, passing the actor, glanced at him and smirked, a look of disdain in his eyes, as if seeing through his fake persona.
The actor’s smile almost slipped, and he clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, telling himself to stay calm.
Xing Nuo, tugging on his brother’s hand, whispered:
“These people strange. Big Brother, let’s go.”
Shen Baizhou, his gaze returning to his little brother, hummed and led him to the ice cream shop.
A sweet treat always improved one’s mood, and Xing Nuo, happily eating the pointy tip of his ice cream cone, his mouth covered in melted ice cream,
sat on the edge of the flowerbed, watching his brother devour his own ice cream, and said:
“Big Brother, don’t eat all…save the cone…it’s dry…not yummy.”
Shen Baizhou hummed and, after finishing his ice cream, gave Xing Nuo the cone, with a small amount of ice cream still inside.
“It’s fair. You small…small mouth…so eat less. I tall…eat fast…so eat more.”
Xing Nuo, always exasperated by his brother’s logic when it came to sharing food, huffed and licked his ice cream, not wanting to argue.
“When I gwow up…I eat whole ice cweam myself!”
Shen Baizhou, his face expressionless, raised an eyebrow.
“We always share. One yuan each. When you have youw own money…then you buy youw own.”
Xing Nuo, still grumpy, stuffed the cone into his brother’s mouth.
“This time…I paid for whole ice cweam!”
He felt like, among his friends, he was quite wealthy!
Yiyi, who loved buying unnecessary stationery, hadn’t received any allowance from her mom in weeks!
He still got one yuan a day!
Shen Baizhou ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair, chuckling.
“Okay, okay, thank you for the ice cream, Xing Nuo. I’ll be good…make Shen Yan unfreeze my account…then I buy you…deluxe ice cream!”
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened with anticipation.
“Wow!”
The brothers, walking home, passed the small garden and saw the film crew still there.
They ignored them and continued walking.
But just as they passed, the wail of sirens echoed through the complex.
The actor and the film crew also turned towards the sound, puzzled.
“What’s happening?”
The assistant director, always eager for drama and excitement, seeing something happening in the complex, told the cameraman to follow.
The actor, whose entire career was built on attracting attention, also followed, and they hurried towards the complex gate.
Xing Nuo, his curiosity piqued, his steps faltering, turned back, his eyes sparkling.
“Big Brother, let’s go!”
He ran towards the commotion, his voice filled with excitement.
“Police uncles catching bad guys!”
Shen Baizhou, not interested, but still pulled along by his little brother, followed him to the gate.
A crowd had gathered, and with the film crew also there, the entrance was packed.
Xing Nuo, peeking through the crowd, his eyes wide with curiosity,
heard an auntie, who clearly didn’t know what was going on, but still eager to gossip, say:
“It must be that family again, the ones in the next building. They’re always causing trouble. Last time, they called the police in the middle of the night, and nothing even happened!”
Xing Nuo looked at the police officers emerging from their car. One of them, showing his badge, walked towards the film crew.
The assistant director, thinking they were being told to stop filming, quickly explained:
“Don’t worry, officer, we won’t interfere! We’re just filming a reality show in this complex. We won’t film you!”
The police officer walked past him and stopped in front of the actor, his face serious.
“Mr. Xia Nan, please come with us.”
The actor’s eyes widened, his smile faltering as he looked at the camera, still pointed at him.
“What do you mean, officer? I’m a law-abiding citizen! I haven’t done anything wrong!”
The police officer shook his head, his tone firm.
“We’ll explain later. Please come with us.”
The actor, sure he had covered his tracks, was about to protest when his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
And then, in front of the camera, he started confessing:
“I drugged my rival’s drink at that awards dinner. And I tripped that actress on the red carpet because her dress was too long…for attention…”
One by one, his misdeeds, his ruthless climb to the top, were revealed.
Xing Nuo, standing nearby, blinked and saw a paper cutout of a mouth stuck to the actor’s back.
He looked up, sensing his monster daddy’s presence, and tilted his head.
Wen Xingxue, his voice low, whispered in Xing Nuo’s ear:
“Don’t worry, Xing Nuo. Bad people will be punished.”
Xing Nuo, not understanding, but reassured by his daddy’s voice, said:
“I not ‘fraid.”
He listened to the actor’s confession, which continued until the paper mouth flickered and disappeared.
The actor, his confession over, collapsed to the ground, his mind reeling, thinking, It’s over.
His son, seeing this, started crying, his face covered in tears and snot, not understanding what was happening.
The live stream’s comments section exploded.
[Is the actor possessed?!]
[He drugged his rival?! And sabotaged that actress, making her a target of online bullying?! She’s still in therapy!]
[That’s so strange! He’s usually so calm and collected. Why is he so scared of the police? He confessed everything!]
[Someone must have set him up! He’s getting what he deserves!]
The live stream’s viewership skyrocketed.
Within minutes, the actor’s name was trending on every social media platform.
The actor, finally getting the attention he craved, was taken away by the police. The assistant director, his face pale, quickly ended the live stream and retreated with his crew.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only the actor’s son, crying and alone, no one comforting him.
Just a few days ago, he had been treated like a little prince, surrounded by people, his every whim catered to.
And now, he was alone and abandoned, not knowing where to go.
Xing Nuo, holding his brother’s hand, was about to go home
when he saw the crying child, about his age, and, feeling a pang of sympathy, handed him a tissue.
“Don’t cwy.”
The child, wiping his tears with the tissue, continued to sob.
His nanny arrived and took him away, and Xing Nuo, watching them go, shook his head.
“That actor so bad.”
Being arrested like that, his son must be traumatized.
The actor’s scandal dominated the news for the next few days.
He sat in an interrogation room, his face haggard, being questioned by the SIA.
Qi Yao, the team leader, his face cold, slammed his hand on the table.
“When did you start contacting your brother? What do you know about his situation in the other world?”
The actor just chuckled, leaning back in his chair, his expression nonchalant.
“So, you finally figured it out. I won’t lie anymore. I’m not telling you anything! This world is about to end anyway. What do my little misdeeds matter?”
His acting career ruined, his reputation tarnished, he had nothing to lose.
But he wasn’t worried. He had a powerful brother, and he just had to wait for the chaos to begin.
“When my brother arrives, you’ll be begging me to save you!”
He sneered. “You powerless, ordinary humans, just wait for your deaths.”
Qi Yao slammed the table again, his anger rising.
“Shut up! What’s that attitude?!”
The rules of modern society were barely holding back these monsters in human skin!
He couldn’t imagine the chaos if the horror world truly invaded their world.
How would ordinary people survive?
