Forty minutes later, Jing Shun arrived at the entrance of the building where Jushi Pictures was located.
Using his mobility aid, he got out of the car steadily. “Old Qin, find somewhere to park first. I’ll contact you when I’m done.”
The driver agreed. “All right, Mr. Xiao Jing.”
With a clear destination in mind, Jing Shun entered the office building’s high-rise elevator and pressed the button for the nineteenth floor. As the elevator slowly ascended, his gloomy expression was reflected in the blurred mirrored walls.
“Jing Guanhai collected the money in the name of your biological father!”
“…”
The words he had heard over the phone kept echoing in Jing Shun’s mind, making his breathing heavy.
He had never imagined that Jing Guanhai, his biological father, would do something so absurd and outrageous behind his back!
When the elevator reached the nineteenth floor and the doors opened, the gold-lettered Jushi Pictures logo immediately caught his eye.
The film company was the primary investor and distributor of Counterattack, and Jing Shun’s post-accident compensation had to be handled through them as well.
“Xiao Jing.”
Footsteps sounded nearby.
Jing Shun came back to himself and moved closer. “Brother Yu.”
“I was going to come downstairs to pick you up when I heard the news. I didn’t expect you to have already come up.”
Yu Xiuzhu had arrived at the company ahead of him after learning what had happened. “I’ll take you to see Mr. Lai. We can meet face-to-face and get everything cleared up.”
Jing Shun suppressed his complicated emotions. “Okay.”
The VIP reception room was separate from the office area, so the two spaces did not disturb each other.
Several meters away, Jing Shun could already hear the fury coming from inside the reception room.
“I’m asking you how you handled this! You couldn’t even properly verify such a large sum of money. Was it something you could just hand over carelessly? I’m telling you, this is a serious dereliction of duty! Once this matter is dealt with, you can get out!”
“…”
Yu Xiuzhu and Jing Shun exchanged a glance before approaching and pushing open the half-closed door.
A middle-aged man with an angry expression was sitting in the main seat of the reception room. A young male employee stood in front of him, listening to the reprimand.
The latter’s face was ashen as he lowered his head, looking as though he barely dared to breathe.
Yu Xiuzhu spoke up to interrupt. “Mr. Lai.”
Lai Yu, who was over fifty, turned his gaze toward them.
As though he had only just noticed the figures at the door, he hurriedly stood up to greet them. “You’re here? Come in, come in! What would you like to drink? I’ll have my assistant prepare it.”
Yu Xiuzhu politely declined. “Mr. Lai, there’s no need to trouble yourself. Let’s deal with the matter at hand first.”
“Very well. Please, take a seat.”
Lai Yu invited them to sit, then greeted Jing Shun. “The last time I met Teacher Xiao Jing was on the day the production started.”
He reined in the anger he had shown while reprimanding his employee, and his tone carried obvious remorse. “For an accident like that to happen so close to the end of filming was a mistake on the production’s part. As the chief producer, I truly feel sorry.”
“…”
Faced with this belated verbal apology, Jing Shun felt little emotional reaction.
Because in his eyes, the man was nothing more than a cold-hearted old fox.
After the accident in his previous life, Lai Yu and Jushi Pictures had never shown any intention of proactively resolving the matter.
Whenever Jing Shun asked about the compensation, they would have their assistants make excuses and put him off.
Until he could no longer tolerate it and chose to sue. At that point, Lai Yu didn’t even bother pretending anymore, and the two sides had an extremely unpleasant legal battle.
In this life, if it hadn’t been for Zhulin Management and Director Yu Chuan getting involved, the other party would probably still have tried to “play dead” and “disappear.”
“Mr. Lai, I think that rather than dwelling on guilt, we should first resolve the matter in front of us.”
Jing Shun had no intention of maintaining superficial courtesy. He went straight to the point. “I heard from Brother Yu that my father collected the production’s compensation on my behalf? What exactly happened?”
“…”
The smile on Lai Yu’s face faded slightly.
He struck the tabletop twice with his right hand, shifting the blame to the employee beside him. “You. Explain to Teacher Xiao Jing properly. What kind of mess have you made?”
The young employee, who had been standing stiffly, flinched. He immediately bowed deeply to Jing Shun. “Mr. Jing, I’m Xiao Song, one of Mr. Lai’s assistants. I’m mainly responsible for coordinating this compensation payment.”
“For the huge mess I’ve caused, I sincerely apologize to you first. I’m sorry!”
Xiao Song glanced at Lai Yu uneasily before nervously explaining to Jing Shun.
“Starting last December, your father, Mr. Jing Guanhai, contacted the company more than once to request compensation in your name.”
“…”
Jing Shun frowned at that.
Yu Xiuzhu pressed him. “Starting last December?”
“Yes, starting the month after the accident!”
Xiao Song hurriedly took out his phone and pulled up all the chat records. “These are my chat records with him. You can take a look.”
Yu Xiuzhu took the phone and handed it to Jing Shun so they could look together.
The moment Jing Shun saw the familiar WeChat profile picture, he was already three parts inclined to believe him.
The chat history had been preserved in full.
After adding each other on WeChat in December last year, Jing Guanhai would ask about the progress every ten days or half a month. Twice, he had even sent long messages trying to play the emotional card. On the surface, he seemed to be expressing concern for Jing Shun, but the focus between the lines was still that compensation payment that had never been settled.
Because the company had never issued a clear resolution regarding the accident, Xiao Song, as an assistant, could only keep making excuses to delay him.
The more Jing Shun read, the more ridiculous he found it.
He had been hospitalized for so long, and Jing Guanhai hadn’t even shown up during his surgery. Yet now, the man had been eagerly playing the role of a loving father in front of outsiders?
“Last Friday, Mr. Lai instructed me that the investors had finalized the amount of compensation for Mr. Jing and told me to find a time to coordinate with you.”
“If neither side had any objections, we could immediately go to the finance department to process the payment.”
As he said this, Xiao Song couldn’t help glancing at Lai Yu again.
The latter picked up his coffee and lowered his head in silence, concealing his expression.
Jing Shun noticed the subtle exchange between the two, but remained silent and listened as Xiao Song continued explaining.
“Coincidentally, Mr. Jing Guanhai sent another WeChat message asking about the progress, so I told him the situation honestly.”
Unexpectedly, Jing Guanhai arrived at Jushi Pictures within an hour—so quickly that Xiao Song hadn’t even had time to contact Jing Shun or Zhulin Management.
“Mr. Jing, I thought you were still living with your father, and he had brought plenty of identification documents. He also had no objection to signing the compensation agreement.”
Jing Guanhai had even said that his son, Jing Shun, was currently recovering from his injuries and was not in a good mental state, so it was inconvenient for him to come in person. In short, he had given a whole string of reasons.
Xiao Song had believed him and thought there would be no problem with handing the money over to a family member. Thus, through a series of unfortunate coincidences, he had contacted the finance department and arranged the transfer. By now, the money was already in the other party’s account.
As he spoke, another employee entered the room. “Mr. Lai.”
Lai Yu raised his chin. “Hand them the documents so they can confirm everything.”
The employee immediately did as instructed. “Mr. Jing, these are the surveillance footage of Mr. Jing Guanhai collecting the compensation, along with the compensation agreement he signed.”
“…”
The moment Jing Shun saw that long-unseen face in the footage, along with the handwriting he knew all too well, he felt his chest tighten and his breathing grow shallow. The discomfort was so intense that his eyes began to redden faintly.
Lai Yu took in his reaction, having deliberately waited until now to speak. “Xiuzhu, it’s true that our employee made a mistake. The company will certainly punish him accordingly, but let me be frank—”
“We agreed to pay the compensation, and we transferred the money according to the contract. Not a single cent was missing.”
“As for whatever conflicts or problems exist between the father and son, or how this compensation should be divided between them, that’s beyond what I or anyone else can manage.”
Lai Yu sighed. “The accident happened just before the film wrapped, and I’ve been under tremendous pressure ever since. Please try to understand our position. Surely you can’t expect us to pay out another sum of money?”
The implication was clear: Jushi Pictures and the other investors had already fulfilled their compensation obligations to Jing Shun.
The attempt to shirk responsibility was far too obvious. Yu Xiuzhu frowned in disapproval. “Mr. Lai, you…”
Lai Yu raised a hand to interrupt him, his words carrying a hidden meaning. “Xiuzhu, I’m only doing this out of consideration for Director Yu.”
“I suggest you find some time to meet with Jing Guanhai yourselves and get to the bottom of what happened. What is there between father and son that can’t be talked through?”
“If—just if—this really does turn into a financial dispute or a lawsuit later on, our company will certainly come forward and testify on your behalf. How does that sound?”
His words sounded gentle and friendly, but in reality, he was subtly trying to drive them away.
He had deliberately brought up Yu Chuan to appeal to Yu Xiuzhu’s sense of obligation between their families, hoping he would persuade Jing Shun to accept the situation and stop pushing.
“…”
Jing Shun understood Lai Yu’s true nature. He knew there was no point in continuing to argue, so he composed himself and rolled his wheelchair back slightly before Yu Xiuzhu could speak.
“Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Lai. But I’m afraid we’ll still need your company to come forward and testify later.”
Yu Xiuzhu frowned. “Xiao Jing?”
Jing Shun continued, “Brother Yu, let’s talk outside. We won’t disturb Mr. Lai any longer.”
Seeing that they were being sensible, Lai Yu was quite satisfied. “Of course. If you need anything, our company will certainly cooperate.”
…
The elevator doors closed heavily.
Only after watching the floor numbers begin to descend did Jing Shun say to Yu Xiuzhu, “Brother Yu, Mr. Lai did it on purpose. He and that assistant were putting on an act for us.”
Yu Xiuzhu let out a deep breath. “I know.”
He had only just consulted a lawyer last week—
Jing Shun was the lead actor and had signed an acting contract, yet he had suffered serious injuries during filming because of improper handling by the production team. This was clearly the production’s fault.
Whether they negotiated compensation or pursued legal action, with a sufficiently firm approach, the amount they could obtain would be far more than 300,000 yuan!
“Three hundred thousand was the compensation amount the investors agreed upon, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be what we accept.” Jing Shun gripped the handles of his wheelchair, seeing the situation clearly. “They just want to use this money to buy off the trouble caused by my legs.”
Yu Xiuzhu was a smart man. “Exactly. How could this amount possibly make up for the physical and emotional damage you’ve suffered?”
“Lai Yu knew that your father had been secretly demanding compensation in your name. Did he deliberately tell his assistant to let the mistake happen so he could shift the conflict onto you and Uncle Jing?”
Jing Shun saw through it. “Mm. Otherwise, how could such a large company, knowing that I have an agency, make such a basic mistake without even confirming anything with us?”
Ding.
The elevator doors opened on the first floor.
Yu Xiuzhu pushed Jing Shun out of the elevator and asked uncertainly, “Xiao Jing, should I accompany you to find Uncle Jing?”
Jing Shun remembered Jing Guanhai in the surveillance footage and felt his breathing grow faintly difficult.
He showed none of it in front of Yu Xiuzhu. He only said, “Brother Yu, I want to handle this myself. It’s getting late, and the driver is waiting for me. Let me go home and rest first. I’ll contact you afterward?”
“All right. Go home first.”
For once, Yu Xiuzhu didn’t insist on seeing him to the car. Instead, he turned around and pressed the elevator button. “I need to go back upstairs.”
Jing Shun was startled. “Brother Yu?”
“Xiao Jing, now that you’ve signed with our Zhulin Management, it’s my responsibility to fight for the rights and benefits you deserve.”
Yu Xiuzhu looked gentle and easygoing, but in truth, he had very clear principles when it came to dealing with people and handling matters.
He would never give up anything that shouldn’t be surrendered! Now that he had seen through Lai Yu’s scheme, there was no way he would allow his own artist to suffer a silent loss!
The reason Yu Xiuzhu had accompanied Jing Shun downstairs first was entirely because he had taken the other man’s emotional state into consideration. He didn’t want Jing Shun to waste his energy over this kind of matter.
The elevator doors opened again.
Yu Xiuzhu quickly stepped inside, not forgetting to remind him, “Xiao Jing, let me know when you get home so I know you’re safe. Don’t worry about what’s happening on my side. Lai Yu wouldn’t dare do anything to me.”
Jing Shun knew that the other man was trying to fight for his rights. For some reason, the tip of his nose suddenly felt a little sore.
“Okay.”
…
It was still early.
When Jing Shun found the parking space, the driver, Old Qin, was sitting there watching videos on his phone.
Jing Shun approached and knocked on the car window.
When Old Qin recognized him, he hurriedly got out of the car to greet him. “Mr. Xiao Jing, you’re done already? I thought it would take at least two or three hours! Shall I help you into the car?”
Jing Shun saw that the lift equipment had been lowered, but he remained in his wheelchair. “No need. You can go back first.”
He paused, searching for a suitable excuse. “My manager and I still have a few things to take care of. I’ll probably be home a little late tonight.”
Hearing this, the driver didn’t dare agree immediately. “Mr. Xiao Jing, you can take care of your business. I’ll wait here. It’s no trouble.”
Jing Shun insisted, “Go back first. Don’t waste your time waiting here. I’ll have my manager take me home later.”
The driver hesitated for two seconds. “Then could you tell Mr. Chi? Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare leave on my own.”
“…”
Chi Gui’s figure surfaced in Jing Shun’s mind. In the next instant, he thought of the place he was about to visit.
After struggling with it for two seconds, he decided to handle it himself.
Forget it.
It was better not to let Chi Gui know.
Jing Shun lowered his eyes and told a small lie. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell him later. You can go back.”
The driver believed him. “All right.”
Three minutes later, the car disappeared from sight.
Jing Shun moved his wheelchair to the intersection in the opposite direction. He took out his phone and entered the address of a residential complex he hadn’t visited in a long time into the ride-hailing app—
Kyoto Garden.
…
Haishi was a very large city.
So large that it took Jing Shun more than an hour by car to reach the destination from his memories.
It happened to be dinnertime. The aroma of food drifted from every household. Relying on his memories, Jing Shun found the correct door number and gathered his courage before pressing the doorbell.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
A woman’s voice soon came from inside. “Yangyang, help Mommy open the door.”
A little boy answered.
A few seconds later, the tightly closed door opened.
A chubby-cheeked boy poked his head out. Looking at Jing Shun’s unfamiliar face, he asked, “Who are you looking for?”
He immediately turned toward the kitchen and shouted, “Dad, Mom, there’s a cripple in a wheelchair! I don’t know him!”
“…”
Hearing the impolite shout, Jing Shun lowered his eyes and lightly adjusted his wristwatch.
A woman came out of the kitchen, which was filled with the smell of cooking oil, and replied irritably, “What cripple? Where did a cripple come from?”
But after only two or three seconds, she recognized Jing Shun’s face.
“Oh, what a rare guest. Why has the big star come here?”
Jing Shun entered the house in the face of her sarcastic tone. “Auntie Yuan, where is he?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jing Guanhai came out of the bedroom.
Father and son suddenly met each other’s eyes, and the atmosphere in the room instantly fell into an awkward silence.
Strictly speaking, Jing Shun and Jing Guanhai did not look much alike. He resembled his biological mother more.
Yuan Jiali untied her apron and leaned against the dining table. “You certainly know how to pick your timing, coming right at dinnertime. Why don’t you sit down and have something to eat?”
She called her son, Jing Yang, over to her side and affectionately pinched his chubby cheek. Then, in a roundabout way, she muttered, “Yangyang, the beggar has come. You’ll have to eat one less mouthful of rice tonight, okay~”
Jing Shun didn’t tolerate her. “A beggar? Auntie Yuan, that’s an interesting choice of words. Looks like you’ve gained quite a lot of experience in that area over the years.”
Yuan Jiali’s expression changed drastically. “You!”
“That’s enough!” Jing Guanhai stopped her in time and turned a guarded gaze toward Jing Shun. “What are you doing here if you have nothing to do?”
Jing Shun was too tired to keep up the act. He went straight to the point.
“What about the three hundred thousand?”
Jing Guanhai had already guessed that Jing Shun had come because of this matter, but he refused to admit it.
“What three hundred thousand?”
“The three hundred thousand that Jushi Pictures paid me after I was injured in a high-altitude fall on set and broke my leg.” Jing Shun didn’t mind making himself even clearer. “The three hundred thousand I need for my surgery! Give it back!”
Jing Guanhai looked at his eldest son sitting in the wheelchair, a son who had become almost a stranger to him. The last remnants of his paternal affection were faintly stirred by those words.
“Xiao Jing, I…”
“Cough, cough!”
Yuan Jiali suddenly coughed twice, the implication unmistakable.
Jing Guanhai came back to his senses and began making excuses. “Xiao Jing, listen to your dad. I was wrong about this. I really shouldn’t have gone to collect the money without telling you.”
“It’s just that I lost a huge amount of money investing in stocks last year. Now our family is drowning in debt, and your younger brother will be starting junior high in the second half of the year. We finally managed to spend money and pull some strings to get him into an international preparatory class. Everything costs money.”
Jing Guanhai crouched in front of Jing Shun and played the family card. “Just think of it as your dad borrowing the money. Once I get back on my feet, I’ll slowly pay you back. All right?”
“Short of money?”
Jing Shun glanced at the overly lavish dishes on the table and didn’t believe a word of it.
“Then sell this house and replace it with a smaller one. The extra money can be used to fill the hole. I’ll find an agent for you right now. How about that?”
Jing Guanhai hadn’t expected him to say that and was instantly left speechless.
Jing Shun challenged him, “You can’t bear to sell your house, yet you’re willing to act like a thief and steal your own son’s surgical funds. Aren’t you afraid of being humiliated if word gets out?”
The word “thief” immediately struck Jing Guanhai’s ears, hitting the pride of a middle-aged man.
“What kind of thing is that to say? Jing Shun, I’m your father, at least!”
As though he had finally found a reason to lash out, Jing Guanhai stood up and bombarded Jing Shun with questions.
“What do I have to be ashamed of?”
“I raised you for so many years. Now that I’m having financial difficulties, what’s wrong with me using some of my own son’s money? Is it against the law?”
He drew a sharp breath and pointed at Jing Shun’s legs. “Look at the state you’re in now! How are you any different from a cripple?”
“Even if you use this money for surgery and recover, can I still count on you when I’m old? Just consider these three hundred thousand as the retirement support you’re giving your father in advance!”
“…”
After hearing this string of heartfelt words spoken without the slightest hesitation, the last trace of warmth vanished from Jing Shun’s eyes.
The small remaining hope he had held deep in his heart for the bond between father and son completely disintegrated at that moment.
Yuan Jiali covered the smugness at the corners of her lips and stepped forward to play the peacemaker.
“Old Jing, calm down. The child is still young. It’s normal for him to say something thoughtless once in a while.”
“Jing Shun, try to understand your father. Our family has been struggling these past two years. We really are short of money.”
Her eyes shifted slightly, revealing the shrewd calculation she had clearly made long ago.
“How about this? If you urgently need the money for surgery, we can return half of it to you first?”
“When your parents divorced back then, didn’t they also give you a house? As it happens, a friend of your father’s wants to buy the school-district eligibility attached to that property. It doesn’t matter if the place is old or small.”
The moment Jing Shun heard this opening, he immediately guessed what Yuan Jiali was planning.
“Is that so?”
Yuan Jiali spoke as though she were genuinely thinking of his welfare.
“With your current condition, living in an old residential complex isn’t convenient. Let your father run around and handle the arrangements for you. Sell that place and replace it with a unit on the first floor. If there’s any money left over, you can keep it as savings.”
Jing Shun raised his head and stared at her, no longer bothering to hide his sarcasm.
“Auntie Yuan, your sense of shame has really gotten thicker and thicker over the years!”
“What are you supposed to be? A woman who climbed her way up by becoming a mistress, and you still have the nerve to covet my house!”
Yuan Jiali had never heard such a blunt insult before. Her face immediately stiffened and flushed.
“Jing Guanhai! Listen to what he’s saying!”
“What? Am I wrong?”
Jing Shun turned his head and glared at Jing Guanhai, taking the initiative to tear away every last layer of pretense.
“You and my mother hadn’t even divorced back then! The fact that you cheated on her during the marriage is undeniable! The fact that you used the money I earned to keep a mistress and an illegitimate son outside is also undeniable! Even the house you’re living in now was bought with the money I earned from acting!”
Even if Jing Guanhai and Xu Jia had been unhappy in their marriage back then, what had Jing Shun done wrong?
Why should he have to bear all of this? Why should he have been kept in the dark all this time?
“In all these years since you divorced my mother, have you ever fulfilled even the slightest bit of your responsibility as a father? And you still have the nerve to take my compensation money in the name of being my father? To scheme for my house?”
“What kind of father are you? What kind of man are you?”
Jing Shun’s questions rang out with such force that no one could find anything to refute.
Jing Guanhai had never expected his sensible and polite eldest son, as he remembered him, to say such ruthless words without giving him any face. For a moment, he was both furious and stunned.
Yuan Jiali was equally enraged and hurriedly shot her son a meaningful look.
Although Jing Yang was young, he was quick to learn malicious behavior.
He grabbed the glass of juice from the table and both threw and splashed it.
“You’re the bastard! Don’t think you can bully my mother!”
—Thud!
The glass slammed heavily into Jing Shun’s chest before falling onto his thighs, which had little sensation left in them.
Jing Yang continued shouting at the top of his lungs.
“You cripple! Get out of my house! You’re not welcome here!”
The white knitted shirt was soaked and stained in one area. The cool juice seeped through the fabric, making Jing Shun’s entire body feel cold.
Bastard? Cripple?
Jing Shun coldly picked up the glass from his knees and hurled it back at Yuan Jiali and Jing Yang, landing at the mother and son’s feet.
—Crash!
The fragile glass tumbler instantly shattered into pieces, with several shards splashing into the air.
When had Jing Yang ever seen such a scene? Meeting Jing Shun’s almost murderous, vicious gaze, all his earlier arrogance vanished at once. His mouth trembled, and he burst into tears.
“Jing Shun, this is no place for you to act recklessly!”
Jing Guanhai felt that he had completely lost face. He raised his hand, intending to slap him.
Jing Shun neither dodged nor retreated. Using all his strength, he shouted, “Jing Guanhai! If you dare hit me even once today, I’ll immediately grab a knife and drag your entire family to hell with me!”
“…”
The madness in Jing Shun’s eyes startled Jing Guanhai, and he forcibly stopped his movement.
Yuan Jiali hurriedly shielded her son. “Jing Shun! You—you’re not afraid that we’ll call the police?”
Jing Shun coldly glanced back at her, as though he had just heard the biggest joke in the world.
“Go ahead. You haven’t forgotten that I’m still a public figure, have you?”
“A father who does nothing but suck his son dry, and a stepmother who rose to her position by being a mistress—netizens love gossip like this. When the time comes, I’ll use every bit of my acting skills to play the victim and make sure you become famous along with me.”
Yuan Jiali was rendered speechless with anger. “You…”
Jing Shun’s gaze shifted downward as he seized her weak spot.
“Yuan Jiali, your skin is thick enough to withstand everyone’s criticism. But can your son, Jing Yang, withstand it?”
Jing Guanhai spoke again. “Jing Shun! What does this have to do with your younger brother? He’s still young and doesn’t understand anything! But you’re an actor. What good will it do you if this matter gets blown out of proportion?”
How interesting.
So now his paternal love had suddenly awakened?
Jing Shun found it utterly ridiculous. He lightly threw Jing Guanhai’s own words back at him.
“Didn’t you say it yourself? Looking at me like this, I probably won’t recover anyway. Since that’s the case, none of us needs to spare the other any face.”
“I’d really like to see who would be more humiliated—the father, or the son.”
Jing Guanhai’s chest heaved violently, his expression ugly. “What exactly do you want?”
Jing Shun maneuvered his wheelchair slightly backward. His next words were both a warning and a threat.
“Within three days, you must transfer the money back into my bank account!”
The madness in his eyes had completely faded, leaving behind only the deathly silence and coldness of something that had burned itself out.
“You’d better not mistake my restraint for weakness.”