Su Xingtong’s words were brief, yet they spoke volumes of the hardships within an entertainment career. His personality dictated that not only would he refuse to flatter others, but he was also “too rigid and easily broken,” causing him to suffer plenty of setbacks.
From the age of seventeen until now, Su Xingtong felt he hadn’t made much progress in the ways of the world; at most, he had learned to keep his mouth shut, but otherwise remained the same. His company had played some tricks with his contract back then, and for years, almost everyone around him told him to just endure it.
Mo Junyi, however, didn’t think that way. He looked at Su Xingtong and spoke very seriously: “With your strength, if you’re unhappy, why not change companies? You don’t necessarily have to hang from a single tree.”
His words sounded a bit like “standing while talking doesn’t hurt the back” (easy for him to say), and anyone else might have argued with him. But Su Xingtong felt a warmth in his heart. He nodded. “Mhm, I’ve been considering it too. At the start of the year, I thought about finding a way to terminate the contract once this drama finished filming. Looking at the situation now… I’ll have to make other plans.”
Mo Junyi couldn’t help him much in that regard. He took a sip of soup and thought for a moment. “If you need anything, you can go to Lu Hengyu. He might have relevant resources.”
Su Xingtong had just mentioned it casually and hadn’t expected help. He waved his hands quickly. “No need, no need. I’ll just talk to my manager about small things like this; no need to trouble your brother.”
“It’s fine,” Mo Junyi said, showing zero concern for his cousin’s dignity. “He’s idle every day anyway; might as well find him something to do.”
Seeing him so solemnly dismantling Lu Hengyu’s “busy” image, Su Xingtong couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “You really are his biological brother.”
Whether it was his image in the entertainment industry or the first impression he left on Mo Junyi, people often thought he was someone who didn’t like to laugh. His indifferent expression often gave him a hint of cold glamour, but when he truly laughed, Mo Junyi discovered a shallow dimple on his cheek—looking sweet in a way that completely contrasted with his usual aura.
Mo Junyi was momentary dazed by the sight. Perhaps because his reaction was too obvious, Su Xingtong quickly retracted his smile and turned his head away in embarrassment. Mo Junyi also snapped back, looking down at the chopsticks in his hand. After a long while, he spoke: “…If you need to, you can contact him directly. I’ll send you his contact info later.”
Su Xingtong covered his burning cheeks with the back of his hand, too embarrassed to continue refusing. He could only nod with his head lowered. “…Okay, thank you.”
The criminal investigation team had just finished lunch when a few officers returning from the field brought back a new clue—an empty wine bottle with no label, found in the deceased’s room. This explained why the forensic team found residual alcohol in the victim’s body.
Mo Junyi took the evidence bag and observed the bottle through the plastic. A team member nearby said, “Team Mo, this doesn’t feel like a common wine found on the market.”
Mo Junyi nodded in agreement. “This bottle… looks like the ‘Qiaojiao Tower’ from the nineties.” He turned the bottle over to look at the bottom. Sure enough, he found a unique pattern—a special design set by the factory when the final batch of Qiaojiao Tower was discontinued as a souvenir for the few who loved it. Each bottle was different, but patterns from the same crate followed a certain logic.
This was something Mo Junyi’s grandfather had told him; few people today still knew of this brand. Mo Junyi withdrew his thoughts and didn’t mention it to anyone else, simply instructing the officer: “Ignore this for now. Send it to the lab to analyze the components of the residue inside.”
At 2:00 PM, Lu Hengyu arrived at the police station with Li Jinghan. Su Xingtong received Li Jinghan’s call and went down to meet him. Before the two friends could speak, Lu Hengyu waved his hand: “Afternoon, Sister-in-law!”
It was lucky that only a few passing officers were at the station entrance; otherwise, Su Xingtong’s name would likely have topped the trending list again tonight. However, the impact was still significant. One of the passing officers was from Mo Junyi’s department and knew Lu Hengyu. It was immediately obvious who the “Sister-in-law” was. That person took a sharp breath, thinking this was major gossip, but pretended not to hear and walked away quickly.
Su Xingtong instinctively looked around. Seeing no one paying attention, he breathed a sigh of relief. Li Jinghan offered a gentle yet firm rebuke: “Don’t shout nonsense in public.”
Lu Hengyu was dismissive. “This is my actual sister-in-law. They have a marriage certificate; what do you mean ‘nonsense’?”
This time, the one shocked was Li Jinghan. He looked at Su Xingtong with surprise. “What… Xingtong, didn’t you say you two were in a fake marriage…”
Su Xingtong felt awkward. “It is a fake marriage… but the certificate is real.”
Li Jinghan’s gaze became increasingly surprised. Su Xingtong, who was originally upright about it, suddenly felt a surge of shame under that look. However, given Li Jinghan’s current situation, he really had no standing to criticize Su Xingtong. He stood at the door in silence for a moment. “…Let’s go in first. Doesn’t that officer want to see me?”
Su Xingtong noticed the subtle shift in Li’s attitude toward Mo Junyi and couldn’t help but say, “He’s just doing his job; don’t be prejudiced against him.”
Li Jinghan, who was only slightly dissatisfied with Mo Junyi, found this incredible. “Su Xingtong, isn’t your ‘elbow turning outward’ (siding with an outsider) a bit too fast?”
Su Xingtong’s cheeks heated up at the remark, and he lowered his head, wishing he could bury his face in his scarf. Lu Hengyu stood by and laughed. “We’re all one family; what’s this about ‘turning outward’?”
Li Jinghan’s face darkened further at the comment, and he virtually hissed through his teeth: “Who is ‘one family’ with him!”
Thus, when Mo Junyi finished his current tasks and met the legendary protagonist of the original story for the first time, he was greeted by a face shrouded in dark clouds. Mo Junyi was somewhat baffled but offered a polite greeting: “Good afternoon, Mr. Li.”
Li Jinghan gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Good afternoon, Officer Mo.”
Mo Junyi felt increasingly that something was off. He glanced at Lu Hengyu, but the kid—whether genuinely or acting—just gave him a happy, beaming greeting: “Afternoon, Brother!”
Mo Junyi acknowledged him casually and looked at Su Xingtong again, only to see him staring at the floor, refusing to meet his eyes. The earlobes hidden beneath the scarf seemed to be flushed red. After so many days of contact, Mo Junyi would have to be an idiot not to see the man was shy again.
Given Su Xingtong’s behavior and Li Jinghan’s attitude toward him, Mo Junyi had a general guess. He pretended not to notice, speaking professionally to Li and Su: “Lu Hengyu is waiting outside. Please follow me.”
Hearing this, Lu Hengyu pulled Li Jinghan close and whispered in his ear, “My brother and his colleagues are all good people. Just say what you need to say; don’t be afraid.”
Li Jinghan, who was originally unhappy about Su Xingtong being “tricked away” so quickly, felt his mood improve at Lu Hengyu’s gentle coaxing. “Mhm, I know. Don’t worry.” Li Jinghan patted his “sugar daddy’s” cheek, then turned to Su Xingtong. “Xingtong, let’s go.”
Su Xingtong stood to the side watching them speechlessly. Li Jinghan was practically stuck to the other person, yet he was grumpy toward Su Xingtong—it was truly a case of “the magistrate being allowed to set fires while the commoners aren’t allowed to light lamps.”
Mo Junyi caught the scene and swept a glance over Lu Hengyu, thinking the kid actually had some skills.
On the way to the interrogation room, the National Security team sent over all the files on “Qi Ying,” with a duplicate copy not knowing where to go. “Give it to Liu Minghua and tell her to take the team directly there,” Mo Junyi replied.
After taking the stack of files, Mo Junyi read while walking toward the room. Li Jinghan, who had been chatting idly with Su Xingtong, went silent for a moment before asking, “Officer Mo, is it convenient to tell me… this person’s real name?”
Mo Junyi paused, thought it over, and replied, “His surname is indeed Qi. His real name is Qi Yuan. He directly controls three groups: Tianle, Longrui, and Qixiang.”
Li Jinghan’s expression grew increasingly unsightly. He had been with Qi Ying for nearly three years, yet he didn’t even know the other’s real identity. Su Xingtong’s face didn’t look any better either. “…Tianle?!”
Tianle was currently the most influential entertainment company in the industry; Su Xingtong’s current company even held Tianle shares.
“Mhm.” Mo Junyi acknowledged. He seemed to know what Su Xingtong was worried about and comforted him: “He doesn’t hold many shares in Tianle; don’t be afraid.”
Though the words didn’t make him completely calm, Su Xingtong’s mood softened. Li Jinghan, who was still reeling from shock, was surprised to hear a man like Mo Junyi speak so gently. He looked at Mo Junyi and blurted out an enigmatic sentence: “Now I see you and Hengyu really are biological brothers.”
You both have such a knack for coaxing people, he added silently in his heart.
Su Xingtong looked over in confusion, but Li Jinghan didn’t explain, only giving him a meaningful look.