UCS Chapter 58

After Jia Qi was taken into custody, things gradually quieted down.

At first, people still came to see him—some greedy for the value of his paintings, some with lingering feelings—but soon, fewer and fewer people visited.

Back when he was tangled up with all those men, it was mostly about lust. Once Jia Qi couldn’t satisfy their desires, they parted ways.

The painting that had once sold for eighty million did so because the fox spirit had cast an illusion on it. Now that the fox spirit had been caught and the illusion dissipated, the painting’s true nature was revealed: from a masterpiece worth eighty million, it became a pile of scrap paper. The collector who had sold everything for it nearly fainted.

Fortunately, the Spirit Management Bureau stepped in and liquidated Jia Qi’s assets. Since he’d spent money lavishly, much of the eighty million was already gone. His remaining assets were converted to cash—over sixty million was returned. It wasn’t all, but enough to give the collector hope to start over.

As for the painting that didn’t sell, it couldn’t be auctioned, and no one cared about it. In the end, the cleaning lady tore it in half and sent it to recycling.

After Sun Langgan was released, he visited Jia Qi once. At that time, Jia Qi still held a bit of hope. He hadn’t lost his spoiled temper. Prison life wasn’t harsh, but for him, it was a torment he couldn’t describe. He couldn’t accept that the hands that once held a brush now had to handle rough fabric, or that the legs that once wrapped around so many men now had to work a sewing machine.

When he saw Sun Langgan, he cried and begged him to get him out. When Sun Langgan didn’t waver, Jia Qi finally tore off his mask and cursed, losing all dignity.

Sun Langgan simply put down the things he’d brought and left.

That was the last time Sun Langgan saw him.

And it was the last time anyone visited him.

The men who once surrounded Jia Qi were gone. Zhou Da and Lin Kun, who had once been obsessed with him—one lost his sports career and now drifted aimlessly through university, the other went from top student to average. Sometimes they thought of Jia Qi with hatred, but couldn’t help reminiscing about those wild days.

Eventually, time wore down all of Jia Qi’s sharp edges. Listening to his cellmates talk about the past, he found himself thinking more and more about the carefree days at the Sun family, and more and more about Sun Langgan.

Later, he realized that the other men were either addicted to the beauty and pleasure the fox spirit gave him, or to the value he brought. Their near-mad obsession was, more or less, influenced by the fox spirit.

Only Sun Langgan had loved him deeply without the fox spirit’s interference—the only man.

Jia Qi had once despised Sun Langgan’s silent love, but later that love became his regret and sorrow in every midnight dream.

Sometimes, he dreamed of his time at the Sun family, before he knew he was the wrong child.

Back then, he truly admired his seemingly all-powerful big brother.

…

After Sun Langgan was released, he had never been so clear-headed.

He hadn’t intentionally broken with his parents. It was just that seeing Jia Qi, alone and pitiful, with tears in his eyes, made his heart ache.

He only had him.

Sun Langgan, after more than ten years in business, was always clear-headed. How could he have broken with his parents just on a whim?

He was just gambling—gambling that Sun Jun, having grown up struggling in the countryside, wouldn’t be able to support the family business; gambling that his parents’ love for him would outweigh their feelings for a brother they hadn’t seen in years; gambling that his parents would eventually soften and let him come back.

He stubbornly placed his bet, and in the end, used up all his chips and lost everything.

When he returned to the Sun residence, he suddenly noticed that his once well-maintained mother now had white hairs, and his father’s eyes had wrinkles. They had spent many sleepless nights worrying about their ungrateful son.

Now, because he was still their son, after he knelt at the door for a whole day and night, and with Sun Jun’s efforts to reconcile, the Sun parents finally accepted him back. But they all knew things could never return to how they were.

The little brother from the countryside whom Sun Langgan had once dismissed turned out to be resilient and brilliant, like a seed growing beneath a rock, finally pushing aside the stone and blooming into a beautiful flower.

Later, Sun Langgan sought out Sun Jun to apologize and thank him. Sun Jun looked at him calmly, without hatred or affection, just like a stranger, and said, “I didn’t plead for you because of you—I did it for Mom and Dad.”

“They love you. If they really let you fall ill outside, it would break their hearts.”

Sun Langgan choked up and, after a long pause, asked, “I once hit you. Mom and Dad forgave me—don’t you resent them?”

Sun Jun, on the contrary, smiled—a smile that reminded Sun Langgan of a quietly blooming yellow tulip, understated and gentle. “How could I resent them? I love them.”

“They’re gentle and principled parents, willing to give all their love to their children. That was what I longed for most as a child.”

“I’m so lucky—such wonderful parents are actually mine.”

“I’m not like you. They love me, and I will love them back with all my heart.”

“To make Mom and Dad happy, I also hope you can learn to love the people in this world who treat you best.”

Sun Jun turned and left, leaving Sun Langgan standing there.

Whenever the Sun parents were with Sun Jun, they were always smiling, as if wrapped in endless happiness. There was an invisible barrier between them that kept him out, making him feel like an outsider.

Sun Langgan slowly realized what he had given up for a fake brother who never loved him.

＊＊＊

After parting ways with Sun Jun and the others, Gao Shi led Gao Gusheng toward the car. Gao Gusheng chirped beside him like a little bird, “Dad, you really do look young—just a bit over thirty!”

Gao Shi was both annoyed and amused, giving his silly son a smack on the head. “Be quiet.”

Gao Gusheng made a face, pretending to be hurt, then scampered after Gao Shi like a puppy. “Dad, did you have dinner? Are you hungry?”

Gao Shi replied, “What, you’re not full yet?”

Gao Gusheng patted his stomach. “I’m full, but there’s a new snack street over there!”

Gao Shi patted his head. “All you think about is eating. Let’s go.”

“Yay!”

Gao Gusheng held a bowl of sizzling shrimp in one hand and a skewer of grilled squid in the other, eating with great gusto. “Dad, I want to try that grilled noodle cake too.”

Gao Shi swallowed his squid. “They also sell split eggplant—want some?”

“Yes! A small portion!”

Following behind Gao Shi, Gusheng’s youthful face was lit up with a dazzling smile, like a glass of mint lemon iced wine. The gazes around him, whether amazed or greedy, lingered on him.

But Gao Gusheng didn’t care. As long as he was with his dad, he didn’t have to put on an act or stay on guard.

He leaned over Gao Shi’s shoulder. “Dad, I want a salad and tomato combo too.”

Gao Shi nodded and looked at the vendor, who glanced back and forth between them in surprise. Gao Gusheng grinned and leaned close to Gao Shi’s face. “What’s wrong, boss? Don’t we look like father and son?”

Even though their temperaments were very different and you wouldn’t associate them if you saw them separately, when they stood side by side, you could see a five-point resemblance. But because of Gao Shi’s youthful appearance, people instinctively thought they were brothers.

The boss looked back and forth, then gave Gao Shi a thumbs-up. “Bro, I won’t charge you for the eggplant—let’s add each other on WeChat and talk health tips sometime?”

…In the end, Gao Shi still paid and coldly refused the WeChat request, dragging his silly son away.

The night market snack street was bustling, with all sorts of common and unusual snacks. By the end, Gao Shi was about eighty percent full, while Gao Gusheng was stuffed, staring at his half-finished bowl of iced tangyuan, sighing in defeat.

“Dad, I can’t eat anymore. Can we buy a Northeast rice wrap to take home for breakfast?”

“If you can’t finish, we’ll come back next time. If you reheat the leaves, they’ll turn black.”

Gao Shi glanced over the crowd and relaxed only after they got back in the car.

It wasn’t his imagination—someone was following them. There was no malice, but it made him uncomfortable.

Who could it be this time?

Li Mochen? Or Master Zhang?

Gao Shi glanced at the rearview mirror. “Lele, buckle your seatbelt. Someone’s following us—let’s see who they belong to.”

Gao Gusheng’s eyes lit up. “Got it!”

Gao Shi pressed the accelerator, slowly picking up speed. The signal was sent, and the black Santana suddenly accelerated, racing toward the outskirts.

“Lele, if anyone from Wanxing Entertainment wants to contact you, don’t meet them privately.”

“Especially if they want you to sign a contract—don’t sign.”

“That fox spirit that possessed She Tingxie revealed a lot. It’s common for Wanxing Entertainment agents to act as pimps, especially for lower-tier artists. Unless you’re exceptionally outstanding and catch the higher-ups’ attention, the only way to get ahead is usually through money or sex.”

The speedometer was already pointing at 150, but Gao Shi was still accelerating. The trees on both sides blurred into streaks, and in the rearview mirror, a pair of headlights flickered like candle flames in a gale.

“Only 200 and you can’t keep up? Guess you’re not a professional tail,” Gao Shi remarked, withdrawing his gaze.

“Right now, we’ve found that quite a few artists have been scammed into signing unfair contracts.”

“When people hear it’s Wanxing Entertainment signing new talent, most instinctively think a big company wouldn’t cheat them, so there are a lot of victims. But these contracts are legal, with no major loopholes. Even if you hire a lawyer and win, the cost afterward won’t be small.”

The surroundings were desolate, the streetlights barely glowing, giving the whole scene a ghost-movie vibe.

Gao Shi started to slow down. In the rearview mirror, those two headlights, as if afraid he’d speed away again, closed in rapidly.

“Li Mochen’s hands are definitely not clean—he might have even seen blood.”

“Anyone can see it. Your commercial value is very high right now. Li Mochen is obsessive and ruthless. Last time, your dad snatched the land he wanted. This time, a few employees and artists from that party ended up in jail. Yesterday, the criminal police found two artists involved in group drug use under his name. Now his company’s stock price has tanked—he might target you.”

The car came to a complete stop, and the car behind them braked hard.

Gao Shi pushed open the car door.

“…For example, offering a sky-high contract to lure you into Wanxing Entertainment.”

The car that had been following them all the way opened its door. Someone hurried out, looking a bit pale but still managing a professional smile, and handed Gao Shi a business card.

“Hello, I’m a talent scout from Wanxing Entertainment. You’re Gao Gusheng’s father, right? May I ask if you’re interested in letting your son enter the entertainment industry?”

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