Vol 2 Sn Book 2 Chapter 9 (2/2)
“Are you sure?” Zeng Qian asked with a grave countenance.
“Fairly. That bracelet is a storage bracelet, and it’s not a low-grade item either. Is there another group of people in this domain?” said Fang Shui’er as she reached habitually for the pendant which hung from her neck.
“I wouldn’t think so, and even if there was, we would know about it. This is an intermediate-level domain after all, perhaps Heaven’s Laws have another purpose.”
“Heaven’s Laws… Let’s keep our guard up.” Fang Shui’er shut her eyes again.
“Yes, I’ve told Zhi Wen to follow that Guo Xiang.” Zeng Qian pulled out lipgloss from the kit and carefully traced on Fang Shui’er’s lips. As she studied the latter’s dainty beauty, her own lips curled up into a bizarre smile which worked a sinister air into her expression.
* * *
“The clue is Guo Xiang.” Li Yiming stared at Bai Ze with a deep frown. ‘I only have her with me now. I wish Qing Linglong and Eyegla.s.ses were here. They would come up with an interpretation right away, now I need to do all the thinking myself.’
“Guo Xiang and the vacation resort are both very important clues.” Bai Ze, for once, paused her game on the cell phone. “Also, I’ve ascertained my guess about Fang Shui’er.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was the one who wanted to come here.” Bai Ze glanced at Fang Shui’er’s room. “I was playing my game, when she suddenly proposed a walk and brought me here.”
“She’s coming for me? No, she’s here for Guo Xiang. They’re already on the trail,” Li Yiming came to a sudden realization.
“Right. Haven’t you noticed her over-eagerness for Guo Xiang?” asked Bai Ze.
“Yes. Someone as famous as her should be used to dealing with rich princelings like Guo Xiang. She’s had no scandals ever since her rise to fame, I wouldn’t think that she’d be interested in someone like Guo Xiang.”
“Then we’re sure. You need to be careful, she’s noticed you.” Bai Ze warned him in a low voice.
“Noticed me?”
“Yes, your bracelet.”
* * *
Guo Xiang enjoyed a cigarette on the pa.s.senger seat of his car while Lei San’er waited for him dutifully outside. ‘Seems like that girl is interested in the resort. Great. I was just getting worried that she wouldn’t like it. Pfft, she’s nothing more than an actress after all. But I need to get my hands on the land first. How am I to talk to her without it?’
He flicked the cigarette b.u.t.t out of the window and pulled a briefcase out from under the seat. He beckoned to Lei San’er, who approached with a obsequious smile. Thack- Lei San’er was struck dumb by the content of the case, and he held his breath as he looked at the piles of bills within it: probably over a million, more than he could ever dream about.
“Tomorrow. Show me your results tomorrow at the latest, and this will be yours.” Guo Xiang threw two stacks out of the window. The notes were cleanly lined up and still bound by the paper strip from the bank: twenty thousand yuan.
“This is for me?” Lei San’er quickly picked up the money from the ground and asked in an euphoric voice.
“Everything I have shown to you, if you succeed, it’ll all be yours.” Guo Xiang said slowly as he stared at Lei San’er. He enjoyed this feeling of power very much.
‘All… All mine… This much…’ Lei San’er held a gasp. “Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely. Tomorrow, no, tonight, I’ll give you an answer, young Master Guo.”
A confident smile hung on Guo Xiang’s lips as the car departed with a hand signal. ‘There are no problems in this world that can’t be solved with money. If it doesn’t work the first time, then try again with more money.’
Lei San’er did not care about the filming anymore. He returned to his home and circled around in his room just like a wolf at the zoo waiting to be fed. He clasped the two stacks of bills with reddened eyes: the only thing on his mind was the suitcase of bank notes. ‘If this works out, the money will all be mine. All mine. That whole suitcase! That much money!’ His breathing quickened and the flush on his face spread to his neck.
‘One day, how can I do it in one day? To convince those old fossils to sell their land? It’s going to be the fall harvest soon, and of course these peasants wouldn’t agree to sell their land once they reap the reward of their labor for the year. The harvest…’ Lei San’er suddenly conceived a daring plan.
* * *
Xiao Hei kept his eyes on the monitor. He rejoiced even more in his decision of letting Bai Ze join the filming. Bai Ze was simply too photogenic. If Fang Shui’er’s performance could be rated as an eighty, then Bai Ze’s would receive a ninety from Xiao Hei. It was as if she was born for the camera. ‘And she’s only eight, on top of that… After this, we only need to wait for the dance ch.o.r.eography during the night. The dancers are also very competent, so there shouldn’t be any problems. My task is complete, A few more scenes tomorrow for a perfect conclusion, and then…’ Xiao Hei let out a sigh of relief.
He raised his head and exchanged a glance with Zeng Qian, who looked at him from far away. He then went back to stare at Li Yiming, who stood on the stage, with an impa.s.sive expression.
“Fire—!” A piercing scream that resounded throughout the village was suddenly heard.
My friend pointed out to me that unless the place is in California, (which it isn’t, and rather it’s a wet Southern province), forest fires shouldn’t spread this quickly and burn that many crops. I think that he has a point, especially since the location for Ning Village is set in Jiangsu, a place with 19/30 days of rainfall in September (155 mm of rainfall compared to Sacramento, CA with nearly 0 rainfall during the same period), 76% relative humidity and less than desirable winds of about 10 km/h that do not favor the spread of the fire at all.
Oh well, mythical beasts and guardians. Perhaps I should just shut up and go to sleep.