MOGHA Chapter 100

After Gong Yue and Ye Shanshan left, Gong Ji stayed by the pool, reading for a while. Not even half an hour later, his father, Gong Ze, entered the glass conservatory with hurried steps.

As expected.

Gong Ji had realized not long ago that he was always being watched. The revelation came about a year ago when his mother excitedly told him that she and his father had found a doctor deeply experienced in genetic research. They took him to see the doctor.

Over the years, they had consulted countless doctors, and Gong Ji no longer held much hope for his condition. However, seeing the hope in his parents’ eyes, he didn’t want to disappoint them.

But it turned out that some things were merely his own illusions.

During the second treatment, his mother didn’t accompany him. His father was the one who brought him there. The medication caused a severe reaction in him—he developed a high fever and became semi-conscious.

Yet, despite the pain and discomfort, he fought to stay awake. Losing consciousness was his greatest fear—it filled him with panic and the dread that he might never wake up again. So, he clung to a sliver of awareness.

And that’s when he overheard his father talking to the doctor.

The doctor, who called himself “Du Meng,” was addressed by his father as “Durant.” Initially, Gong Ze’s tone was calm, almost ingratiating, but it gradually turned irritable.

“Why has your medication turned him into this? A monster! A walking skeleton of a monster! This experiment is a complete failure!”

“What can I do if his body can’t handle it? Isn’t that the point of research?” Durant’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“Take a look at your brother’s son. Although Gong Yue may soon face memory collapse, he’s still alive and doing well so far. That proves the medication itself isn’t the problem. The real issue might be your genetic inheritance. Besides, he’s already an extremely rare and suitable test subject.”

As if struck on a sore spot, Gong Ze’s tone turned venomous. “Don’t mention my brother.” After a pause, he softened his voice. “I’ve already arranged for the girl to be admitted to the hospital. Once the time you predicted arrives, we’ll proceed. Are you sure about your calculations?”

Durant responded leisurely, “Of course. That little girl is merely my student anyway…”

Listening to their conversation, Gong Ji couldn’t make sense of his emotions. It took every ounce of his self-control to resist opening his eyes and demanding why.

Why was he being used as a test subject? Why had they turned him into this monster?

For the first time, he felt that all his efforts over the years to avoid disappointing or saddening his parents were nothing but a cruel joke.

Yet, as Gong Ze said, he truly was just a monster, a useless creature who couldn’t even stand on his own. What else could he do?

But even so, he had to live—because only by surviving could there be a chance for revenge.

He pushed all his emotions deep into his heart. Setting down the book, Gong Ji looked at the gentle, kind-looking middle-aged man standing in front of him and smiled brightly.

“Why is Dad back so early today?”

Pinching Gong Ji’s nose lightly, Gong Ze softened his voice. “Why are you sitting out here today?”

“Lying in bed all day is too boring, so I had someone push me here to sit for a while and enjoy the flowers.” His gaze at Gong Ze carried a trace of admiration, which made the latter quite pleased.

“I heard there are guests here today?” Gong Ze asked casually, carefully adjusting the blanket over Gong Ji’s legs. His fingers inadvertently brushed against the stiff legs, and a fleeting look of disgust flashed through his eyes.

Pretending not to notice, Gong Ji happily replied, “It’s my big brother! He brought his friend to visit me and gave me a record I’ve been wanting for so long but couldn’t find anywhere.” He shook the beautifully packaged record, looking a little shy. “I haven’t seen my brother in a long time. I’m really happy today.”

He then added with some confusion, “But I noticed that Big Brother doesn’t seem as sick as the media reported. He looks quite healthy and in good spirits.”

“No problems at all?”

“None. So when he collapsed at the meeting before, it must have just been from overwork. After all, there’s also talk in the media that Big Brother might be using this chance to retreat behind the scenes, fix all the deep-rooted issues in the Gong Corporation, eliminate enemies, and wait until the situation is in his favor before making a comeback. By then, everything will be moving in the direction he wants.”

Watching Gong Ze’s expression, Gong Ji smiled again. “Big Brother looks completely fine now, so I’m more inclined to believe this theory.”

After a brief silence, Gong Ze patted Gong Ji’s shoulder. “I have work to do. Once you’ve had enough rest here, ask the butler to take you back.” With that, he left hurriedly with his people.

Gong Ji watched his father’s figure disappear through the doorway. Stretching out his thin hand, he gently picked a lotus flower from the small round pond nearby. His tone was complicated as he murmured, “This is my father.”

His father.

Outside, Gong Ze got into the car, raised the soundproof partition, and made a call.

“Gong Yue unexpectedly visited Gong Ji today. The people monitoring him said the three were talking about music and folklore stories.”

His tone was slightly excited and agitated.

“I asked around carefully. Everyone who saw Gong Yue said he looks healthy—perfectly fine. Are your predictions accurate? Last summer, you said his memory would start collapsing, but he’s still doing well. At the last family gathering, I even followed your advice and subtly asked him about minor events from the past couple of years. He remembered everything clearly. Is this what you call memory collapse?”

After listening to the response on the other end, Gong Ze’s tone eased slightly.

“Anyway, I haven’t seen any signs of this so-called second memory collapse. I think he’s just looking for an excuse to grab more power. If you have a plan, act quickly. Wait another year or two, and once the lion grows, we won’t be able to move him…”

Meanwhile, Gong Ji held a small music player in his hand, earphones plugged in. He seemed to be listening to music, but what actually played was Gong Ze’s voice.

Earlier, with his mother’s help, he had given Gong Ze a tie clip embedded with a tiny listening device. His “good father,” wanting to display affection for his wife and maintain ties with her family, wore it frequently. This habit allowed Gong Ji to hear many things—like now.

“Butler, take me back to my room. I want to edit some music.”

Since this was a collaboration, it was only polite to prepare a proper gift for his brother.

—–

Ye Shanshan had just finished a video meeting and felt utterly drained, as if his health bar had dropped to zero. He stuffed a lollipop into his mouth to “replenish” himself.

While brushing the glossy fur of his pet to ease his mood, his phone notification suddenly startled him.

Seeing the name on the screen, Ye Shanshan jumped up, grabbed his cat, and bolted. “Ge! Let’s watch a movie!”

After searching everywhere, he finally found Gong Yue in the home theater.

Looking at the image on the screen, Ye Shanshan was stunned. “You can do this kind of thing?”

“Yes, it’s your movie.” Gong Yue took Ye Shanshan’s hand and sat down on the sofa with him. “I’ve been looking forward to it. Sorry I couldn’t accompany you to the theater. I had the source file for The Observer sent over so we can watch it simultaneously with its domestic release.”

At this moment, there were still two minutes until midnight in China.

Feeling instantly uplifted, Ye Shanshan removed the candy from his mouth, leaned over, and gave Gong Yue a quick kiss. Only after breaking free from the spell of Gong Yue’s good looks did Ye Shanshan remember that Zheng Dong had told him to share the movie premiere post on social media.

As a dedicated actor, Ye Shanshan quickly grabbed his phone, shared the official blog post, took a selfie with his back to the screen, and posted it on Weibo.

After completing his task, the clock struck midnight, and the opening music of the movie began.

Due to its high investment and immense fan anticipation, the midnight premiere was almost entirely sold out. In the quiet theater, the movie neared its end. At one hour and fifty minutes, The Observer concluded with its final minutes devoid of music or sound, creating a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

On the big screen, after killing Wu Yong, Hu Yan stood in place, looking dazed, as though lost in this world. Suddenly, he took a deep breath, his chest heaving so much that it made the audience feel suffocated.

He hunched over, his body trembling slightly. The sight of fresh blood in front of him made him close his eyes instinctively. His face remained expressionless, but the next close-up revealed the veins bulging on his neck, reflecting the uncontrollable turmoil in his heart.

Hu Yan picked up his violin, his dark eyes revealing a depth of despair. Without a sound, he mouthed two words—“Mother.”

When he gently drew the bow across the violin strings, a mournful melody began, becoming the only sound in this final scene.

Alone in a silent, ancient castle, he played a requiem.

In the audience, many who had rushed to watch the premiere were already softly sobbing.

When the music ended, Hu Yan carefully placed the violin down, aimed a gun at his heart, and pulled the trigger. The gunshot was the second sound after the violin, and he collapsed to the ground with the violin in his hand, a faint smile of release on his lips.

The camera pulled back, showing Hu Yan curled up on the floor, holding the bloodstained violin. This became the final image.

The screen turned black, followed by the credits. There were a few seconds of silence in the theater before everyone spontaneously stood up and began to applaud. Director Zhang, along with lead actors Yan Ke and Cheng Shaoran, took the stage to express their gratitude to the audience.

After the nationwide synchronized first screenings, Weibo was flooded with reviews under the hashtag #TheObserver. The most common comments included “intense pacing with no dull moments,” “made me cry,” and “a rare high-quality domestic film.”

Within an hour or two of the screening, professional film critics began posting their reviews. Renowned critic Lu Li, known for his sharp and merciless opinions, and another popular account called “The Moviegoer,” both shared their thoughts late into the night.

“I was left stunned after watching. Even though I’ve read the original novel, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the movie’s rhythm. The story, in essence, is simple: one man takes revenge on everyone who directly or indirectly caused his mother’s death, then ends his own life.

While the plot sounds mundane, the director handled it brilliantly, and the actors performed exceptionally well. The film captured both the beauty and ugliness of human nature, showing both compassion and betrayal. Every character was multi-dimensional, neither a pure hero nor a pure villain. The actor playing Wu Yong, who I was most worried about, delivered an astonishing performance…”

“Initially, I thought this would be another critically acclaimed domestic film that wins awards abroad but fails to resonate with audiences. However, this film shattered my expectations.

The market is saturated with absurd commercial films that hire popular idols with high paychecks and spend huge sums on marketing, only to produce trash. This film, at least, shows that our film industry hasn’t fallen into irredeemable darkness. I’m now eagerly awaiting Mountains and Rivers Endure and hope it won’t disappoint!”

Fans who wanted to contribute to Ye Shanshan’s “1.1 billion box office prophecy” flocked to his Weibo after watching the movie.

“—My poor Hu Yan died! Someone compensate me for my Hu Yan! I cried through three packs of tissues during the last scene!”

“—All the girls around me were crying during the final scene, and I felt oddly proud. I wanted to shout to everyone that the insanely talented and gorgeous supporting actor with amazing violin skills is our Ye Louzhu! Okay, I cried too and soaked my sleeves.”

“—You can be the ethereal Star Tower Master in The Swordsman’s Tale, the lonely deer roaming the dawn fields, the captivating poppy of midnight, or the butcher who ends his life resolutely… My Shanshan inspires my long-lost literary flair. I even managed to rhyme! Let me bask in pride for a moment and cheer wildly for him!”

“—Let me ask, does anyone remember that Shanshan is now a CEO? A domineering CEO whose acting career is holding him back!”

“—You’re all so shallow, focusing only on his godlike acting and stunning looks, but don’t you see that behind his beautiful face, he’s incredibly rich!”

“—I was ready to do my part for the 1.1 billion box office, but after watching such a great movie, if it doesn’t break 1.1 billion, I’ll write Shanshan’s name backward!”

“—I’m just waiting for Shanshan to surpass expectations. It’s definitely going to be more than 1.1 billion! I’m actually excited thinking about it!”

Meanwhile, even before the movie ended, Ye Shanshan and Gong Yue received an audio file from Gong Ji.

After spending nearly 40 minutes listening to all the conversations, the two exchanged glances. Gong Yue called Qin Xuan, instructing him, “Help me check if Sixth Uncle is available to meet in the next few days.”

[mfn]If you enjoy my translations, feel free to support me by leaving a comment below or sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you, and happy reading! -TL: Ysiad ❤️[/mfn]