TRYMBPIETM 78: Hilarious Filial Piety (4)

Chi Qingzhou had an innocent expression.

“I haven’t hidden anything from you, Brother Guan.”

Guan Xihua chuckled, “Then how do you explain this matter with Yi Shangxiao?”

Chi Qingzhou patiently reasoned, “I just know him, he’s not a relative of mine. I can’t just go around saying I know someone, right?”

“Besides, I’ve only met him once. Who knows if he even remembers me?”

Guan Xihua replied, “That may be the case, but somehow I don’t quite believe it.”

Chi Qingzhou shrugged, “Then there’s nothing I can do.”

Guan Xihua sat on the side, pondering for a moment, still feeling something was off.

“You’ve only met once, yet he’s so respectful towards you? What happened that time?”

Chi Qingzhou answered, “Nothing much, we just sat together at a tea house.”

Guan Xihua’s radar went off: “Who else was there?”

Chi Qingzhou honestly said, “It was just Yi Shangxiao and my good friend A-Shang. Oh, by the way, A-Shang is Yi Shangxiao’s brother.”

Guan Xihua smacked his thigh: “I knew it! Why didn’t you tell me this earlier!”

Chi Qingzhou said, “I did say it last time, but Yi Shangxiao introduced himself as Cheng Xiao. I didn’t know they were the same person.”

“Really? But I still don’t believe it.”

Guan Xihua looked at his artist with suspicion.

Why are we back to this circular conversation again?

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head, saying nothing more.

Guan Xihua grumbled for a bit and suddenly remembered the report about the remake of “Wanxiang.” He stood up excitedly to prepare some suitable clothes for Chi Qingzhou.

“They might recast for the remake. I heard the script for ‘Wanxiang‘ is quite good. If you can land a role, it’ll be great for your future development!”

Guan Xihua was very clear in his thinking.

“You are an actor. If your first opportunity is a role in Director Fang’s film, your future path will be much smoother!”

He paused, recalling the issue with the fake young master, and spoke with a bit of aggression.

“Besides, if Chi Qingning can have it, why can’t you? When you meet Yi Shangxiao the day after tomorrow, I’ll make sure to help you fight for it!”

He gave Chi Qingzhou a couple of instructions to stay at the company and attend acting classes, then hurriedly left the company.

After he left, the other two artists under his management quickly gathered around Chi Qingzhou.

“Brother Chi, that…”

Chi Qingzhou looked up at them. “What’s up?”

The two rubbed their hands together, eyes gleaming.

“Well, we wanted to ask if your assistant Du Huan is at the company today?”

Chi Qingzhou responded with a slight “hmm?” “He’s at the company today, probably helping out at logistics now. Why are you looking for him?”

One artist grinned. “We heard he used to be a Muay Thai champion and wanted to learn from him!”

The other nodded vigorously. “Having more skills is never a bad thing! Plus, these past couple of years haven’t been too peaceful. Just the other night, an artist from a neighboring company was stabbed seven times by a madman while returning home…”

As he spoke, he drew a sharp breath, his jaw involuntarily twitching.

“I heard the stab wounds were deep, and the person bled a lot. They even went into shock before reaching the hospital and hasn’t woken up yet.”

The other artist nodded in agreement. “We’re not trying to become experts, but practicing a little could be better than doing nothing. What if we encounter danger too? Maybe it’ll give us a chance to escape.”

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze shifted from their dark and gloomy expressions, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

“Is that so? No problem, when Xiao Du comes back, I’ll tell him to find you.”

The two artists were overjoyed, repeatedly thanking him.

“Thanks, Brother Chi!”

Chi Qingzhou blinked, his tone slightly meaningful. “It’s no trouble. Saving a life is more valuable than building a seven-story pagoda.”

…

Yi Shangxiao arrived in Hexing City the next afternoon.

The next morning, before the tea house even opened, Yi Shangxiao was already at the door.

He paid for a private room in advance, carefully arranging the tea and snacks. Only then did Chi Qingzhou, accompanied by Guan Xihua, enter the tea house.

It was just past nine o’clock, and the tea house had just opened for business.

Guan Xihua, a bit dazed, was led to the private room door by a waiter. Upon seeing Yi Shangxiao, who seemed to have arrived early, he couldn’t help but glance at Chi Qingzhou with an accusing look.

You still say you’re not familiar with Yi Shangxiao, look at how respectful he is to you!

Chi Qingzhou smiled and walked into the room slowly, seemingly oblivious to Guan Xihua’s disapproving look.

Yi Shangxiao immediately stood up from his seat, walked over to Chi Qingzhou, and respectfully greeted him.

“Mr. Chi, please have a seat.”

He pulled out a chair, gesturing for him to sit.

Chi Qingzhou nodded in thanks and sat down comfortably.

Guan Xihua followed behind, his eyes wide with shock.

Yi Shangxiao turned back and, seeing Guan Xihua frozen in place, furrowed his brows, then grabbed another chair beside Chi Qingzhou and pulled it out.

Guan Xihua was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to grab the chair back. “Mr. Yi, no need, I’ll do it myself.”

Yi Shangxiao didn’t let go, holding the chair for a moment before seeing that Guan Xihua was truly uncomfortable, so he stepped back.

He returned to the table, poured tea for Chi Qingzhou, then sat down across from him.

He got straight to the point: “I didn’t expect Mr. Chi to contact me. What can I do for you this time?”

Chi Qingzhou picked up the steaming tea, tilting his head slightly as his shadow shifted quietly on the ground, all while Guan Xihua watched in confusion.

“I heard ‘Wanxiang‘ is getting remade… Mr. Yi, congratulations on achieving your goal.”

Yi Shangxiao paused for a moment, his eyes glinting with excitement as he grinned, clearly pleased.

“Congratulations to you as well. If it weren’t for your advice three years ago, I wouldn’t have discovered the old man still had such a mess on his hands.”

“The dirty things the old man has done are plenty. I hope one day he can truly repent.”

Guan Xihua, who didn’t understand half of it, was left utterly confused. “…??”

Chi Qingzhou, with a clear understanding, said, “Mr. Yi has already infiltrated the inner circle and possesses key evidence, right? I believe that day is not far off.”

Yi Shangxiao instantly clenched his fists, so excited that he could hardly sit still.

“Well, since Teacher Chi has said so, it must be true that it’s not far off… In that case, he should come out soon.”

He muttered to himself, and before Guan Xihua could react, he suddenly turned his head.

“Teacher Chi, Mr. Guan, you must have heard that ‘Wanxiang’ is preparing for a remake? Teacher Chi, would you be interested in making a cameo in it?”

Guan Xihua was momentarily stunned by this sudden opportunity.

He didn’t know how things had developed so quickly, but his instincts as a manager kicked in, and he immediately reacted.

“Of course, ‘Wanxiang’ is a great film, and Director Fang is a very talented director. Our Qingzhou would definitely be a great actor, choosing him will definitely not be a mistake!”

Although Chi Qingzhou didn’t have formal acting experience, Guan Xihua pounded his chest, promising to hire the best acting coach and ensuring that Chi Qingzhou wouldn’t hold back the production.

Yi Shangxiao disagreed, “Mr. Guan, you seem to lack confidence in Teacher Chi. Not to mention Teacher Chi’s outstanding acting skills, even if Teacher Chi has limited experience, he will absolutely not make a mistake in this role.”

Chi Qingzhou was intrigued and looked at Yi Shangxiao.

“The role you mentioned, which one is it?”

Yi Shangxiao immediately replied, “It’s the role that Teacher Chi—oh, I mean, the one that Chi Qingning played in a cameo before, the Taoist who was half-human, half-ghost, and solved the problem in Linxi Village.”

Guan Xihua was taken aback and instinctively looked at Chi Qingzhou, but saw his artist, who usually wore a gentle smile, showing an expression that seemed half-smile, half-blank.

Chi Qingzhou softly said, “So the character my younger brother did a cameo for was this one. No wonder he was chosen.”

Yi Shangxiao agreed wholeheartedly, “He did take advantage of his identity. If he wasn’t your younger brother… his temperament wouldn’t have fit Director Fang’s requirements.”

Chi Qingzhou leaned back in his chair.

The mist rising from the tea cup blurred his refined eyes and eyebrows.

“I understand. I’ll take the role. Once you’ve arranged everything, just notify me.”

….

After finishing a day’s work, Chi Xiaoyuan stood up, stretched his neck, and turned to gaze out the window.

His secretary entered, placing down a coffee, and asked, “Mr. Chi, Mr. Chi’s assistant came by just now and said Mr. Chi has finished his work. He asked if you wanted to go home with him?”

Chi Xiaoyuan’s relaxed expression suddenly stiffened. He stood by the window for half a minute before slowly turning around.

“No, I still have some work left. I’ll stay at the company to work overtime today.”

Secretary: “Okay, should I order food for you now?”

Chi Xiaoyuan answered without hesitation, “Order it now, just like the last couple of days. Alright, you can go now, I’ll continue working.”

The secretary glanced casually at the desk, then agreed and left.

The secretary walked out and closed the door behind him, leaving Chi Xiaoyuan alone in the office again.

He returned to his desk and stared at the computer screen for a while before slowly opening a game of 4×99 Connect, playing it quietly.

He didn’t dare go home.

He believed his father didn’t dare either, or else he wouldn’t have sent the assistant to ask him.

Chi Xiaoyuan thought about the villa he had lived in for over twenty years, his face turning a little pale.

Since the day he called Chi Qingzhou, many inexplicable changes had occurred in the villa.

For example, in the evenings and nights when the lights were on, mold spots resembling eyes grew on the bedroom walls.

He and his father had returned home late that day and were startled by the mold spots when they turned on the lights.

The sensation of being watched by many eyes made them feel nauseous and lose their tempers. They called the two housekeepers in for a severe scolding.

The two housekeepers were both aggrieved and frightened, as they hadn’t seen any mold on the walls.

Chi Xiaoyuan and Chi Jianming didn’t believe them and insisted that they clean the walls the next day.

However, when the sun rose the next morning, the mold on the walls gradually faded before their eyes and disappeared completely.

Chi Xiaoyuan stared at the scene, almost scared out of his wits.

That day, he couldn’t even focus on his work and rushed straight to the largest, most effective temple in Hexing City to find a monk to drive away the evil spirits.

But the monks told him he was perfectly fine and gently suggested that if he was hallucinating, he should go to the hospital.

Chi Xiaoyuan, after much contemplation, reluctantly went to the hospital.

The result was that the doctor also said he was fine.

This answer not only didn’t make Chi Xiaoyuan happy but made him even more terrified.

No problem was the biggest problem.

It meant something was targeting him!

Chi Xiaoyuan couldn’t go home. Chi Jianming spent the whole day outside and also didn’t dare to return.

But today was different.

Today, the master they had been worshiping was coming to the house, possibly to predict something.

So at least one of them had to return home.

Chi Xiaoyuan didn’t want to go home, didn’t want to face those mold spots.

He absentmindedly continued playing the game, muttering to himself in a low voice.

“Dad, I’m sorry, not coming home is my fault. But I’m the current head of the company, I can’t collapse, or what will happen to the employees?”

“For the company, for the employees to not lose their jobs, the two of us have to sacrifice a bit more.”

After saying that, he pulled out his phone, blacklisted his father’s phone number, WeChat, and other instant messaging accounts, even his email.

After putting down his phone, Chi Xiaoyuan paused for a moment before continuing to play Connect, muttering casually.

“Just this once. After this, I’ll never do this again. You know, I’m the most filial child in the family.”

“I will be filial to you in the future.”