TRYMBPIETM 92: Revival of All Things (13)

Chi Qingning was startled, almost jumping out of his seat.

He turned his head back, both frightened and excited. Sure enough, Chi Qingzhou was standing at the door of the ward, his handsome face wearing a consistent smile.

The smile was so pure and clean, like a young person who hadn’t experienced much of the world, holding immense enthusiasm for the world with innocence.

Chi Qingning swallowed hard.

It seemed like there was an illusion in front of him.

The shadow under Chi Qingzhou’s feet seemed to expand, sending out numerous slender tendrils, swaying and stretching on the ground, like a monster emerging from the deep sea. Just a glimpse of it made one’s heart race with fear.

His spine suddenly bent, and he carefully looked around. Except for him, everyone else appeared normal, seemingly unaware of anything strange about Chi Qingzhou.

His scalp tingled, and he dared not think further. He quickly forced a smile for the curious Chi Qingzhou.

“Second Brother, you’ve come? I was just talking about you with Brother Fan.” Chi Qingning’s expression was even more obedient than Chi Qingzhou’s. “Brother Fan seems to have encountered something unusual. He might need you to take a look.”

Chi Qingzhou: “Really?”

He tilted his head, glancing at He Fan, and curiously asked, “When Mr. He had the car accident yesterday, did he see any special hallucinations?”

He Fan was taken aback, blurted out, “How do you know?!”

Then he realized, the timing of Chi Qingzhou’s appearance was too coincidental. He must have heard something beforehand.

His face darkened, and he coldly said, “Chi Qingzhou, were you investigating me?”

Chi Qingzhou curled his lips, responding to the question with one of his own, “Mr. He didn’t see a hallucination of your assistant sitting on a large truck, directing it to crash into you, did he?”

He Fan’s eyes widened in shock as he suddenly sat up straight, not caring about the pain from his wound. He stared at Chi Qingzhou. “How do you know?!”

Chi Qingzhou didn’t answer, his gaze moving behind He Fan. He continued, “After the car accident, maybe you didn’t immediately lose consciousness. So, when you saw that assistant disappear, it felt like he had never been there. You might have thought it was just a hallucination, but you also felt something was off, so you wanted to find someone to check.”

He Fan’s lips moved, but he couldn’t say a word.

At this moment, he finally realized that what his loved one said might be true.

Chi Qingzhou was not an ordinary person. Those eyes seemed to see through everything, and everything he had done was exposed before the other’s gaze.

Cold sweat ran down He Fan’s back, soaking his pajamas.

He thought back to the time when, to support his loved one, he had let others spread rumors behind the scenes. His throat suddenly felt dry.

Fortunately, Chi Qingzhou didn’t seem to hold it against him.

In the confused gazes of Guan Xihua and Assistant Li, Chi Qingzhou’s gaze turned to Chi Qingning, his eyes becoming deeper.

“Little brother.”

Chi Qingning startled. “Oh, I’m here! Second Brother, what is it?”

Chi Qingzhou: “Call the police.”

His voice had a strange tone, as if carrying an ominous premonition.

“Little brother, haven’t you noticed you haven’t seen your assistant for a few days?”

Chi Qingning was stunned. “Second Brother, what do you mean?”

Chi Qingning’s manager also looked uncertain. “What do you mean by that? Xiao Ma took a few days off because something happened at home. He went back to his hometown! How could he have anything to do with Mr. He’s car accident?”

The manager’s face darkened, giving Guan Xihua a look that said, “Handle your artist.”

How could such things be said carelessly?

They weren’t going to take the blame for Mr. He’s injury!

Guan Xihua was also confused, looking at Chi Qingzhou with doubt.

Chi Qingzhou calmly suggested, “Why don’t you try calling him or his family?”

Chi Qingning clenched his fist, his heart pounding.

He subconsciously pulled away his manager, lowering his voice. “And if the call doesn’t go through…?”

Chi Qingzhou smiled, “Then call the police. Report him missing.”

Chi Qingning couldn’t stop shaking.

His manager, still unsure, glanced at He Fan’s expression. Afraid that the boss might harbor doubts, he muttered “Just call,” and dialed the assistant’s number.

He put the phone on speaker, and a mechanical female voice came through the speaker.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently off. Please try again later. Sorry…”

The manager froze, staring at Chi Qingzhou with wide eyes, unable to swallow.

He tremblingly hung up the phone and called the assistant’s uncle instead.

This time, the phone was picked up quickly.

The assistant’s uncle’s rough voice came through the line. “You ask if Ma Xiaoyang is home? No, he’s not home! This little bastard’s just like his scumbag father. Ever since he tried to trick my daughter into the casino last time and failed, he hasn’t come back!”

“Is something wrong at my house? Did he say something happened at home and needed time off? Please! This bastard won’t come back to my house!”

“I’ll tell you straight, I was nice to him for my sister’s sake, but now I’ve realized he’s just as shameless as his father. My family doesn’t want him!”

“If he dies outside, he won’t be coming to our house. His issues have nothing to do with us!”

The assistant’s uncle spat twice more, filled with rage, and hung up.

Chi Qingning’s manager lowered the phone numbly and met He Fan’s strange gaze, his face full of awkwardness.

“Mr. He, I… I didn’t know Xiao Ma had these thoughts…”

Chi Qingning, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly interrupted, “It’s not like that.”

When both the manager and He Fan turned to look at him, he took a deep breath and met Chi Qingzhou’s seemingly smiling but serious eyes.

“Second Brother, you want me to report Xiao Ma missing because—”

Chi Qingning paused, his tone heavy.

“Because he’s already in grave danger, isn’t he?”

Chi Qingzhou still smiled. “Call the police.”

Chi Qingning’s breath became sharp.

He silently stared at Chi Qingzhou for a while, his eyes slowly reddening.

His voice quivered, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. “I… I understand.”

He suddenly turned, grabbed his manager’s phone, and strode out of the ward.

The manager jumped in shock. “Hey, Qingning, wait for me!”

Chi Qingning wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and when he passed by Chi Qingzhou, he softly said, “Second Brother, thank you.”

Chi Qingzhou glanced at him, his eyes a deep and ambiguous black and white.

“No need to thank me.”

…

Chi Qingning cried as he left the ward, and Chi Qingzhou withdrew his gaze and walked in with Guan Xihua.

He Fan, feeling awkward, quickly told his assistant, “Assistant Li, please bring over a chair. Teacher Chi, Manager Guan, please sit.”

Chi Qingzhou seemed oblivious to He Fan’s awkwardness and sat down on the chair, giving He Fan a clean smile.

He Fan felt a chill run down his spine, forcing out a strained smile, unsure what to say.

Fortunately, Chi Qingzhou quickly brought up a topic.

Chi Qingzhou asked, “May I ask, Mr. He, were you on a business trip to another city yesterday?”

He Fan replied, “Yes, I went to Hengming City yesterday.”

Chi Qingzhou: “Apart from business activities, did you go anywhere special, like a folk museum or a temple?”

He Fan looked at him in surprise but didn’t ask the silly question of “How do you know, Teacher Chi?” He simply nodded.

“I went to a Taoist temple when I was there. The temple was very quiet, almost no incense burning, and the only person there was the other party’s boss.”

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head. “I see. Was there anything else you noticed apart from the quiet?”

“Anything else?” He Fan was puzzled, thinking hard. “The statue was pretty special. You know, we in the entertainment business know a bit about this sort of thing.”

“Usually, the statues in Taoist temples are golden, or even if they aren’t, there’s a special meaning. This statue was special.”

“The main body was golden, but the eyes were carved from jade. I looked at it for a while, and it seemed like there were patterns on the eyes.”

Chi Qingzhou nodded, his expression warm, “Anything else?”

He Fan thought for a long time, suddenly snapping his fingers. “Right! The donation box in front of the statue was unusual! It didn’t say ‘donation box,’ it said [Any Request Will Be Fulfilled]!”

“Any Request Will Be Fulfilled?” Chi Qingzhou’s eyes curved into a smile. “Mr. He, since you know a bit about this, do you know where these words usually appear?”

He Fan sensed something was wrong.

Cold sweat began to form on his forehead. After a pause, he cautiously asked, “Where do these words usually appear?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “On a special kind of temple on the island called the ‘Wan Ying Temple.’”

Temples are divided into Yin and Yang.

Yang temples are dedicated to righteous gods with official positions, while Yin temples are dedicated to various spirits.

Wan Ying Temples, also called You Ying Temples, usually have red banners hanging in front, with the words “Any Request Will Be Fulfilled” written on them.

Such temples are most common on the island, but they are rarely found in inland cities like Hexing City or Hengming City.

It’s said that these Yin temples are highly effective, but ordinary people should not worship them. While they can fulfill any request, they demand an equal price, which most people cannot afford.

Chi Qingzhou’s lips curved up, his peach blossom eyes sparkling with interest. His demeanor was relaxed and calm, which only sent a shiver down He Fan’s spine.

He slowly said, “I don’t have any friends of this sort. What’s the principle behind their ‘Any Request Will Be Fulfilled’?”

If he wanted friends of all kinds, could this Wan Ying Temple fulfill his wish?

He Fan: “…”

He forced out a dry laugh, and his fear seemed to dissipate somewhat.

For some reason, he had a strange feeling.

If this Wan Ying Temple could grant Chi Qingzhou’s wish, that would be one thing. But if it couldn’t, he was afraid the entire temple would be turned upside down by Chi Qingzhou.