Su Zhisheng searched online for various animals, finalized his plan, and finally put down his phone.
As for the overwhelming online abuse directed at him, he ignored it.
After all, although the Su family had no conscience, they were quite good at protecting privacy. Netizens only knew such a person existed—they didn’t know that the “adopted son” was named Su Zhisheng. For now, it didn’t affect his daily life, so there was no need to pay it any mind.
Moreover, Su Zhisheng was letting the fake young master dig his own grave.
Once Su Zhisheng exposed the truth, those netizens who felt fooled would eventually become the knives that turned against the fake young master.
After a long wait, his adoptive mother’s surgery finally ended. It had gone very smoothly. From now on, normal post-operative recovery would suffice.
Having reserved two days to stay at the hospital and accompany her just to be safe, Su Zhisheng confirmed her recovery was on track before finally getting into a car and heading to the police station.
The moment he walked in, he heard wailing and outcries.
“My poor Jiale! You were going to be a big star! It’s that bastard who killed you!”
“Compensation? How can you possibly compensate? Once our Jiale got into the entertainment industry for a few years, a car and a house would have been nothing—how could you afford to pay enough?”
Zhang Weilong’s lawyer was rendered speechless by the victim’s family’s words.
Betting on Zhou Jiale becoming famous and wealthy was no different from someone demanding compensation for every future chick a broken egg could have hatched.
That said, his client truly was a beast!
What a shame about the late Zhou Jiale—working all kinds of part-time jobs just to send money to his parents, only to end up on such a path of no return.
The lawyer’s gaze landed on Zhou Jiale’s younger brother.
His features were quite similar to Zhou Jiale’s, but he was plump and clearly well-cared-for. Despite his brother’s death, the kid’s eyes weren’t even red. His expression was as indifferent as if a chicken had died in their coop.
“We worked so hard to raise Jiale…” Zhou’s mother’s eyes were red, but the wooden hairpin holding her bun was very pretty—she’d clearly taken the time to fix her hair after getting out of the car.
“Give me a break. I’ve looked into it. Zhou Jiale grew up as a left-behind child. Your younger son, on the other hand, you kept by your side like a precious jewel. You used Jiale as an ATM when he was alive, and now that he’s dead, you still won’t let it go.”
The lawyer said impatiently, his tone turning forceful. “Keep making a scene and annoy them enough, and they might give nothing at all. Wealthy families have no shortage of sons.”
The couple’s voices suddenly stopped, as if they hadn’t expected this reaction.
Even though this was likely just a lawyer’s tactic, they didn’t dare gamble. After all, they had chosen to negotiate precisely to get more money than a court would award.
“Sigh, three million it is, then. It’s just a shame Jiale isn’t still here…”
The fat son beside them puffed out his chest with pride. “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. Once I lose weight, I can become a big star too. When it comes to being likable, my brother was never as good as me…”
The lawyer’s fists clenched in rage.
What kind of karma did he have to get stuck with this case? Both the killer’s family and the victim’s family were absolute monsters!
Waiting nearby, Su Zhisheng watched the drama unfold with complicated feelings.
There had never been a shortage of parents who didn’t truly love their children in this world…
Xing Tianwei had just finished up what he was working on. When he walked out and saw Su Zhisheng looking somber, he said, “Come with me.”
In the room, Su Zhisheng signed the reward claim documents, had a photo taken for the records, and the money was his.
His internship at the pet hospital was enough to cover his living expenses. With this ten thousand yuan, his next semester’s tuition and accommodation fees were also covered.
Not only that—he could treat himself to a nice dinner tonight.
At that thought, Su Zhisheng’s lips finally curled into a small smile.
Ding~
Su Zhisheng looked down at his phone and saw that Xing Tianwei had privately sent him ten thousand yuan.
“Your adoptive mother is still in the hospital. She’ll need money for follow-up recovery care.”
Su Zhisheng looked up at the man. His features had a natural coolness, and his uniform was immaculate, radiating an aloofness that kept people at a distance.
Yet he kept providing warmth Su Zhisheng hadn’t expected.
“I can’t accept this. I’ve already set aside money for her recovery. The police encounter plenty of struggling families—keep this for them.”
Xing Tianwei, having anticipated this, said, “This is an advance payment for your adoptive mother to serve as an informant. I want to investigate an old cold case. Your adoptive mother shares a hometown with the Su family’s nanny—she might be able to dig up some information.”
Su Zhisheng paused. “Okay.”
Actually, even without the money, his adoptive mother would have cooperated. But this was Officer Xing’s compensation for her, not for him, so he wouldn’t keep refusing.
The conversation ended. Su Zhisheng stood up and headed for the door.
“Rabbit leg… rabbit leg… want a rabbit leg…”
A police dog trotted past the door, its tail wagging.
Su Zhisheng stopped, crouched down, and petted the handsome German Shepherd.
“So cute.”
He pretended not to hear the dog’s inner thoughts, though. He did have plenty of animal snacks in his bag, but rabbit legs? Definitely not.
Even though those awful people outside were still locked in negotiations and arguments, petting something furry felt incredibly healing. Su Zhisheng no longer felt as troubled as before.
Over the following week, Su Zhisheng was extremely busy.
He spent his days either accompanying his adoptive mother at the hospital or continuing his internship at his professor’s pet hospital. Life was hectic, but fulfilling.
At the pet hospital, there were several other interns besides him. One of them, a burly man named Gao Lijian, was his classmate and also his roommate at school.
This guy was incredibly strong and a real ace at restraining dogs at the pet hospital.
However, Gao Lijian was actually quite introverted. Despite having a ruggedly handsome face and a tall, reliable build, he was, in reality…
It was almost time to clock out. Gao Lijian came over to Su Zhisheng, palms pressed together in a pleading gesture.
“There’s this short-term gig hiring good-looking waitstaff. The pay is pretty good. I want to check it out, but I’m afraid of getting scammed if I go alone. Zhisheng, come with me—I’ll buy you milk tea.”
Su Zhisheng’s lips twitched.
“Send me the details. Let me verify whether it’s a scam.”
In most people’s eyes, a high-paying waiter job like this would be a hundred percent fraud. But for attractive people like Su Zhisheng, genuinely high-paying waiter jobs did exist.
After all, some high-end restaurants, in order to justify their exorbitant menu prices, offered enhanced services and even picked and chose their waitstaff based on looks. That said, short-term waiter gigs were indeed rare.
And even if a high-end restaurant really was hiring good-looking waitstaff, there was no guarantee the owner wasn’t also dabbling in some illegal side business. So Su Zhisheng always examined the situation carefully before making a decision.
Gao Lijian, however, was confident. “It’s real this time. If you don’t believe me, check out the employer.”
Su Zhisheng was sure this was probably a scam—until he saw the details and froze.
“Wealthy Su family’s youngest son, Su Mingjie’s engagement banquet is about to be held at a hotel. Hiring attractive waitstaff. Compensation: 15,000 yuan for 7 days, including etiquette training…”
That was over 2,000 yuan a day—very tempting.
G Province had a film academy and a film studio, so there was no shortage of good-looking men and women. The competition for this gig would definitely be fierce.
However… Su Zhisheng frowned. “The engagement banquet is at the end of the month. It’s early August now. It’s not impossible, but isn’t this a bit rushed?”
That was just a reasonable excuse on Su Zhisheng’s part. In reality, as far as he knew, the Su family had started recruiting people much earlier. Last time that deadbeat dad mentioned it, his stepmother had said training was already being arranged.
Had the elimination rate from the first round been so high that they needed extra people?
Su Zhisheng felt something was off.
But he didn’t want to expose his identity as the Su family’s “adopted son,” so he kept his suspicions to himself.
Su Zhisheng put his phone away. “I’ll go with you to check it out.”
The two took a taxi to the recruitment location, which turned out to be next to a beauty salon called Ronghua.
Since they had already recruited once before, there weren’t as many good-looking people coming for interviews this time.
The first-floor lobby was a waiting area. Gao Lijian, however, had to walk alone into the glass-enclosed interview room for a one-on-one.
The open, transparent design, with a direct view of the street outside, put interviewees at ease.
But the storefront wasn’t very large. Sitting in the lobby with his ears perked, Su Zhisheng could still hear everything in the room.
The interviewer eyed Gao Lijian’s face and body with a critical gaze.
“Among ordinary people, you’re definitely handsome. But the client’s standards are high—they’re picking the best of the best among good-looking people. Your nose falls a bit short.”
After this bout of negging, the interviewer switched to offering a sweetener.
His voice suddenly dropped very low. Su Zhisheng could only hear it because his senses had sharpened after awakening his ability.
“If it weren’t for this one flaw, not only could you be a hotel waiter, you could even make it in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry. You know our boss, the Su family, runs a film and TV company. I have some connections inside—I could give you a recommendation…”
Su Zhisheng immediately caught the pattern.
This was the classic plastic surgery scam, wasn’t it?
No wonder the beauty salon was right next door.
“Will you really give me resources?”
“I only offered to help because I took a liking to you. I didn’t expect you to—whatever. I can sign a resource contract with you first, to put your mind at ease. Just don’t forget me when you get famous.”
The big lug Gao Lijian had gone quiet—probably hesitating over whether to spend money on plastic surgery.
Good thing he came…
Su Zhisheng sighed inwardly and stood up.
If he didn’t stop this fool, the guy would end up selling himself. There were far too many loopholes that could be exploited in a contract!
But just as Su Zhisheng got up, he saw a rat scurrying past outside.
“Hurry—there’s fried chicken in this trash can!”
“Squeak, so much meat! We’ve hit the jackpot! What happened? The humans barely ate any of it.”
Another rat explained: “The assistant was suddenly called away to buy painkillers, so they just tossed the half-eaten fried chicken. Lucky us!”
“Speaking of which, that person’s body is already starting to rot. Why won’t the doctor come? Buying painkillers to tough it out—are they preparing a human flesh feast for us?”
“Pfft, this rat doesn’t eat pus-filled rotten meat!”