Han Fei felt a bit embarrassed after hearing the compliments from director Jiang. He had no means of letting director Jiang know that he had truly witnessed it.
"I discovered a hidden gem! The audience will be on the edge of their seats because of your acting. Your first scene was excellent." Director Jiang smiled as he turned to face Han Fei.
"I told you this boy's acting abilities were exceptional. How is it possible that you haven't reached popularity yet? It now appears that you were focusing in the wrong direction. You might try more thrillers in the future."
"My ultimate goal is to become a comedy start. People's smiles make me happy. I feel happy when they laugh."
"People must always find a way to make a livelihood. You may establish your reputation with horror movies before starring in comedy movies." Han Fei met Director Jiang's approval.
"You were successful in your audition. Get some rest today and come back tomorrow. You'll formally join the crew tomorrow."
"I ..." Han Fei is still unsure if he will make it through the night. He must regularly play the game to survive according to the game's rules.
"Don't worry, I'll try to get you extra money for the movie." Director Jiang has a really genuine expression on his face. All of his emotions are visible on his face. Of again, this might also be the primary reason he hasn't yet achieved success as a filmmaker.
It took 10 minutes total from the start of the audition to the approval. After eating a boxed lunch with the team, Han Fei was getting ready to leave. When his phone rang again, it was Li Xue calling.
"Did you find out anything?"
"I'll be waiting for you in the Old Town North Street 21 courtyard. I have found Meng Shi."
"Good! I'll arrive immediately!"
The Flower of Evil crew was in the 15th courtyard of North Street, not too far from the 21st courtyard, Han Fei ran there directly according to his phone navigation.
"This way!" Li Xue's voice echoed in the courtyard of the family house. She was wearing the same outfit she had on earlier in the day, with the exception, that a phantom series motorbike was parked next to her.
"Meng Shi lives in the family courtyard on North Street?"
"There are twelve people named Meng Shi in the city, and I sifted through all of them and didn't find anyone consistent with your description. You don't give me the impression that you're lying, so I expanded my screening and finally found Meng Shi." Li Xue fixed her attention on Han Fei's face as she spoke.
" Why are you looking at me as you talk down?"
"Follow me." Li Xue led Han Fei inside the fourth unit and they went to the third floor together.
On the far right side, as soon as the door opened, you could see an altar. Half-burned paper money was on it. There was also a black-and-white photograph with incense burning nearby.
"You told me in the interrogation room that you met Meng Shi last night. The Meng Shi that fits your description actually died ten years ago."
"... died?" Han Fei remained still, not daring to enter the door.
The store owner passed away three years ago. Likewise, Meng Shi also passed away 10 years ago. Except for himself, all the characters related to that game, according to Han Fei, appeared to have died.
"No, there's still one more" Han Fei glanced at Li Xue with one last shred of hope, but before he could speak a single word, Li Xue already seemed to understand the question he intended to ask.
"Chenchen is the grandson of Meng Shi, formerly known as Meng Chen, who also passed away 10 years ago.
"Are all of them dead?" A sharp chill suddenly hit Han Fei's back. He just didn't anticipate that the NPCs in the game would be real people who had passed away ten years earlier. He recalled sitting with them yesterday night, eating soup, and feeling the love of family. Han Fei felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
What sort of mysterious game is this?
"If neither of you has anything to do, please leave! I don't want to be bothered any Jianger." A middle-aged man with white hair stepped from the slightly spooky house. He looked to be in his 40s or 50s. His health was not very good. His hair was entirely white.
"We apologize if we've bothered you, Uncle. We have some questions concerning this case for you. There have been advancements in many unresolved cases as a result of the technology's investment and development. I assume that you would likewise desire to swiftly bring the parent's killer to justice."
Li Xue, who always radiates fearlessness toward the sky, has never been this softer than she was in front of the victim's family. She spoke in a soft voice and with much patience.
"It has been ten years, and the killer is still not caught. My health is declining. I am not physically well to fight for justice any Jianger. The middle-aged man entered the kitchen. On the altar, he placed a bowl of freshly prepared soup. He then lighted another incense stick. He knelt three times in front of the black-and-white photograph.
"Was grandma used to prepare dumplings on every New Year's Day and New Year's Eve throughout her life?" Han Fei wanted to enter the house as soon as he saw the old woman's picture on the altar, "She once told me that Dumplings have the same symbolic meaning as the new year, reunion, and good fortune, and eating dumplings can get rid of the bad luck of the year."
The man appeared to have been moved by Han Fei's comments since they brought back a memory. He gave Han Fei a startled expression as if he had actually heard the elderly couple say something similar in his lifetime.
"Grandma was an excellent chef. Her fish soup is incredibly creamy and flavorful. You can smell it from a great distance away..."
"How do you know all this?" The middle-aged man started to move in Han Fei's direction.
"Have you seen my mother?" You must have only been a teenager ten years ago, right?"
"I met her, and she even asked me for a bowl of soup." Han Fei was unsure of how to handle the situation. He shifted the subject intelligently because he didn't want to be viewed as a maniac. "Uncle, can you tell me about Granny Meng Shi?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a time before allowing Li Xue and Han Fei inside the house because some memories are terribly painful.
"My mother was a good person, a very good person. She never married in her life and adopted three orphans, and she used all her hard-earned money to provide for these three children." The middle-aged man sat on the other side of the sofa: "I am the oldest, I grew up with poor health, my mother named me Meng Changshou, I am the most unproductive of the three brothers."
"The second goes by the name of Meng Changxi. He has hideous scars on his face. He had a somewhat disfigured face. He has always been extremely intelligent. Both his character and academic achievements are great. He may, however, have a slightly poor sense of self-esteem due to that face. His personality is gloomy and introverted."
"Meng Changan is the name of the third. Of the three brothers, he is the most talented. His academic standing is the highest. He has the most friends and more awards than a cabinet could ever store. He is currently employed at Immortal Pharmaceutical, an international organization. He is apparently already a senior manager in one of the departments."
Speaking of the youngest among them, Meng Changan, the middle-aged man finally had some color in his eyes. but that color soon dimmed again, "He sends me money every month, but since the accident with our parents, he has never returned."
"What exactly happened to Grandma ten years ago?" What Han Fei wanted to know more than anything else in the world was this.
"Actually, I had no idea about this at first. Until Meng Changxi disappeared. The cops knocked on my door, and that's when I knew something wasn't right." The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with grief and self-blame. "My mother started her own ice cream business after she retired. Numerous animal corpses were discovered by the police in the freezer, along with a dead body in the freezer."
"The dead body was hidden in the freezer?"
"The police estimated that the person died a week ago. My mother must have been aware of the body's presence in the freezer throughout that week. However, she did not contact the police." The middle-aged man's fists were clenched.
"Could the granny be responsible for the man's death?" Han Fei placed much importance on determining whether the old couple was kind or evil. It was a critical breakthrough for him to stay in the game.