Hearing Director Jiang's praise, Han Fei felt a bit embarrassed, he couldn't tell Director Jiang that he had really experienced it himself.
"I've found a treasure, with you anchoring the film, the first few scenes are secure," Director Jiang said, looking at Han Fei with a relieved smile, "I always said you had great acting skills, how could you not be popular? Now it seems you've just been looking in the wrong direction. You should try more thrillers in the future."
"My dream is still to become a comedic actor, I like to see everyone smiling, I really enjoy that feeling."
"People need to eat, after all. You could make a name for yourself with horror films and then move on to comedy," Director Jiang was very pleased with Han Fei, "You've passed the audition. Go home and get some rest today, and join the crew officially tomorrow."
"I..." Han Fei still didn't know if he could survive the night, as per the game's regulations, he had to log in every day.
"I will try to fight for a higher fee for you, don't worry." Director Jiang was straightforward, all his emotions showing on his face - which might also be why he hadn't become a top director yet.
From the start of the audition to receiving the pass, it all took just over ten minutes. After scraping together a meal from the crew's boxed lunches and just before leaving, Han Fei's phone vibrated again, this time it was Li Xue calling.
"Did you find something?"
"21 North Street of Old City District, I'm waiting for you here. I've found Meng Shi."
"Great! I'll be right there!"
The Flower of Evil Crew was at 15 North Street, which wasn't too far from 21 North Street. Han Fei ran straight there, following the navigation on his phone.
Passing through several old buildings, Han Fei finally stopped at the entrance of an aged residential compound.
"This way!" Li Xue's voice called out from inside the compound. She was still dressed as she had been that morning, except now there was a Phantom series motorcycle by her side.
"Meng Shi lives in the residential compound on North Street?"
"There are twelve people named Meng Shi in the city. I checked all of them and didn't find anyone that matches your description. You don't seem to be lying, so I expanded my search and finally found Meng Shi," Li Xue said, staring intently at Han Fei's face for a long time.
"Keep talking, why are you staring at me?"
"Come with me." Li Xue led Han Fei into Building Four. They went up together to the third floor.
At the doorway of the far-right apartment on the third floor, there was a fire basin with half-burnt paper money inside. Looking inside the room, a black and white photo was placed on the dark altar.
"In the interrogation room, you told me that you met Meng Shi last night. But the Meng Shi fitting your description actually died ten years ago."
"Died?" Han Fei stood frozen, not daring to enter.
The shop manager died just a few days ago, and Meng Shi had died ten years ago; Han Fei realized that everyone related to that game was dead, except for himself.
"No, there's one more person." Clinging to the last sliver of hope, Han Fei looked at Li Xue. He hadn't even spoken, but it seemed Li Xue already knew what he wanted to ask.
"Chenchen was Meng Shi's grandson, originally named Meng Chen, who also died ten years ago."
"Are they all dead?" A chill ran down Han Fei's back; he had never imagined that the NPCs in the game were actually people who had passed away in reality a decade earlier.
The thought that just the night before he had been sitting with them eating dumplings, even feeling a sense of warmth, made his scalp tingle with numbness.
What kind of Underworld game was this?
"If you two don't have anything else, please leave. I don't want to be disturbed any further." A middle-aged man with white hair emerged from the cramped room. He appeared to be only in his forties or fifties, but his hair was already completely white, and he didn't seem to be in good health.
"Uncle, we didn't mean to bother you. This case has many doubtful points, and with today's advanced technology, many cold cases are making breakthroughs. Surely, you, too, want to bring the murderer to justice sooner rather than later?" Li Xue, who usually seemed fearless, was uncharacteristically gentle in front of the victim's family member; her tone was soothing and patient.
"It's been ten years, and the murderer still hasn't been found. My health is getting worse; I can't hold on much longer." The middle-aged man went into the kitchen, placed a bowl of freshly made dumplings on the offering table, then lit an incense stick and bowed three times to a black-and-white photograph.
"Did Granny always make dumplings every New Year's Day and New Year's Eve?" Han Fei, looking at the photo of the elderly woman on the offering table, walked unconsciously into the room. "I remember her saying that dumplings symbolized the exchange and reunion of blessings and fortune, and that eating dumplings could ward off the bad luck of a whole year."
Han Fei's words seemed to stir up memories deep inside the man; he looked at Han Fei with disbelief, as if the old woman had indeed said something similar before her death.
"Granny was a great cook; her fish soup was very fresh, milky white—you could smell its fragrance from far away..."
"How do you know all this?" The middle-aged man took the initiative to approach Han Fei. "Have you met my mother? You would have only been a teenager ten years ago, right?"
"I have indeed met her; she even once treated me to a meal of dumplings." Han Fei didn't know how to explain; he didn't want to be considered insane, so he tactfully changed the subject: "Uncle, could you tell me about Granny's story?"
Some memories are very painful; the middle-aged man hesitated for a long time before allowing Li Xue and Han Fei to enter the house.
"My mother was a good person, a very good person. She never married in her life, adopted three orphans, and used all the money she saved to support these three children." The middle-aged man sat on the opposite side of the sofa. "I'm the eldest. I've been weak since I was a child. My mother named me Meng Changshou; I'm the least successful of the three brothers."
"The second one is named Meng Changxi; he was an abandoned baby, with a slightly deformed face, but very smart and excellent in both character and scholarship. Perhaps because of his face, he was somewhat introverted and gloomy."
"The youngest is Meng Chang'an; he's the most impressive among us three brothers, with the best academic performance, the most friends, and he has won so many awards they couldn't all fit on one wall. He's now at a big company, Eternal Life Pharmaceutical, and it is said he's already a departmental executive."
Mentioning the youngest, Meng Chang'an, a hint of color returned to the middle-aged man's eyes, but it soon faded again. "The youngest sends me money every month, but since mother's accident, he has never returned."
"What exactly happened to Granny ten years ago?" What Han Fei wanted to know more was this.
"I didn't know anything at the start, not until the second brother disappeared and the police came knocking at the door." The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with self-reproach and pain. "After my mother retired, she ran a cold drink shop on her own. The police found many animal corpses and a human corpse in her shop's freezer."
"A hidden corpse in the freezer?"
"The forensic doctor estimated the time of death to be a week prior, and within that week, my mother definitely knew about the body hidden in the freezer, but she didn't report it to the police." The man's hands clenched together.
"Could it be that the person was killed by Granny?" It was vital for Han Fei to determine whether the old lady was a good or bad person; this was an important breakthrough for him to survive in the game.