Chapter 39: The Unexpected
Jiujiu went to the Guyu Studio.
He was sent by Shen Cheng to discuss the contract issues concerning Su Jinli.
Shen Cheng insisted adamantly, no matter what, the contract must be settled as soon as possible. It was absolutely crucial not to let An Zhiyan succeed.
In doing so, Shen Cheng's search for his younger brother was indeed very successful.
After sending a few WeChat messages to inquire about An Zhiyan’s recent primary business, Jiujiu found out that An Zhiyan was acquiring the Guyu Studio, as Su Jinli was an artist of the studio.
With Su Jinli's growing popularity, finding the information was not difficult.
Next, he recommended Shen Cheng to watch National Idol, a talent show.
Shen Cheng, who rarely watched such shows, indeed did watch it. From the first sight of Su Jinli, Shen Cheng's expression became particularly serious.
Skipping through, he viewed all segments of Su Jinli, looking for the slightest clues to confirm whether Su Jinli was his brother.
Coincidentally, the third episode was updated that day. The conversation between Han Kai and Su Jinli confirmed it for him - Su Jinli is indeed his younger brother.
This could be confirmed by a phrase used, "just becoming a person," and the description of his older brother.
Upon seeing Su Jinli saying, "I can cry," Shen Cheng, filled with worry, immediately stood up and paced anxiously around the room.
Shen Cheng was always a calm person, handling everything with tranquillity.
However, when it came to his younger brother, he couldn't keep his cool.
After becoming aware, he and Su Jinli didn't know who their parents were, and whether those "two fish" were still alive.
They both felt they shared a blood tie and supported each other throughout the years.
Shen Cheng's biggest fear was seeing his younger brother caught and almost eaten.
Back then, Shen Cheng was an unrefined koi that couldn't do anything. He could only frantically swim around in panic.
Fortunately, his younger brother was let go.
Since then, Shen Cheng's care for his younger brother could be described as extremely meticulous. He did not want to lose his family… or rather, "kin-fish."
When Shen Cheng emerged, he was also quite dazed.
Fortunately, unlike Su Jinli, he was able to stay calm. His cleverness and good looks quickly led him to become a child star.
While he was sent to school, he also had to work.
After becoming an artist, Shen Cheng's worries grew, and his every action garnered attention.
He wanted to visit Su Jinli, but the company planned his schedule so tightly that he didn't even have a day off. Initially, he thought about bringing Su Jinli over.
But he gave up on that idea.
Shen Cheng wanted his brother to lead a carefree life, without being discovered and scrutinized by the media.
He had tried his best. Although he occasionally faced some negative critics, he pretended not to see them. He didn't want his brother to experience that.
Recently, he made an effort and became one of the company's shareholders.
Moreover, due to his popularity, he started focusing on quality projects, only participating in exceptional works.
He had planned to take a break and visit the mountains soon, but suddenly, he saw An Zhiyan's blessing.
Shen Cheng couldn't remain calm anymore.
He impulsively registered a new account and sent a barrage message.
After sending the message, he started thinking about how to meet Su Jinli. He wanted to figure out how to handle their relationship while minimizing controversy, preventing Su Jinli from being pushed into the spotlight.
Upon receiving the news about An Zhiyan, Shen Cheng immediately asked Jiujjiu to draft a contract. Early in the morning, Jiujjiu arrived to meet with Hou Yong.
Walking into the studio, Jiujjiu felt sorry for the environment.
Su Jinli was Shen Cheng's brother. Any place Shen Cheng could easily prepare would be ten times more luxurious and comfortable than this place.
"We are already negotiating the contract details with the Sejia Legend, so this might..." Hou Yong spoke politely, surprised to see two delegations sent by Boruo Pineapple.
"Whatever conditions Sejia Legend offered you, we could double it," Jiujjiu said, waving his hand dismissively.
"The contract offered by the Sejia Legend is already very reasonable."
Jiujjiu asked in detail about the terms offered by the Sejia Legend. After the discussion, he fell silent.
The conditions given were indeed very reasonable. Any more than that would break the industry rules.
Jiujjiu had no choice but to find a quiet place and message Shen Cheng about the situation.
"Boss, we really can't add any more terms. If the superiors find out, they will probably initiate an investigation. They're already trying to catch you in the act," Jiujjiu sent a voice message, then waited by the window.
"Then let go of the studio. I will meet my brother, try to get him to break the contract, and hand the studio over to An Zhiyan," Shen Cheng replied in a voice message.
After receiving the hint, Jiujjiu exchanged a few polite words with Hou Yong. Before leaving, he suddenly asked, "Could I take a look at Su Jinli's bedroom?"
"Well… yes, you can," Hou Yong replied reluctantly.
In the end, the two of them went. As they opened the door, Jiujjiu felt a pang of pain. He dared not send any pictures to Shen Cheng and turned away.
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The TV show often received gifts from fans, which were delivered to the respective participants.
The top ten participants gathered together for intensive training in recent days, so they came to pick up their gifts together.
Su Jinli found a box with his name on it. He looked inside and felt extremely satisfied.
Various little dolls or handmade crafts were all things he loved.
Probably knowing that he loved to eat, many fans sent him snacks.
Holding his gifts, he walked back happily. Zhou Wenyuan just came in, and they happened to meet.
"Wow, all of your gifts are so adorable." Zhou Wenyuan came over, looked into Su Jinli's gift box, picked up two items to inspect, and then placed them back.
"I quite like them."
"That's nice. I'm going to get mine too," Zhou Wenyuan said and left. Su Jinli left the hall quickly.
After Su Jinli left, Zhou Wenyuan paused, watching Su Jinli's departing figure, and then continued towards his own box.
As he squatted down, he suddenly smiled. It was faint, too subtle for the camera to capture.
Su Jinli carried his gifts back to his room and squatted in front of the box, rifling through it.
For the handmade dolls, he hung each of them by a string on the side of his bed and set a few others on his bedside.
He pulled out several articles of clothing from the box and examined each of them, then held up one shirt to show An Zhihan, "Look, this image was hand-drawn! So amazing!"
"I've noticed that you particularly like people who can do crafts."
"Yup, that's right. And those who can make delicious food," Su Jinli answered frankly.
After packing up, Su Jinli sat down on a chair, pulled out several bags of snacks, and ate while watching Wuyu and the others show off their gifts, occasionally chiming in with comments.
Suddenly, his body froze abruptly.
He had just eaten a piece of chocolate, chewing it directly before swallowing. As the chocolate melted in his esophagus, something was released that sent a severe pain coursing through him.
He tried to stand up, but ended up vomiting blood.
His body trembled from the intense pain, and he was not successful in standing. He collapsed onto the ground.
Struggling to support his body with his arms, he vomited blood again, a considerable amount.
It felt as if his body was on fire. Wherever the chocolate reached, everything was being eroded. He could even feel his internal organs rotting away.
"Holy shit, what happened to you?" An Zhihan was taken aback and quickly moved to help Su Jinli up.
"Is it because of something you just ate? It's not some lethal herbicide or something, is it?" Wu Yu stood up in a panic, not knowing what to do.
An Zhihan, agitated and unable to control his emotions, yelled at Wu Yu, "Go out and have them call an ambulance!"
It was rare for Wu Yu not to refute An Zhihan, and he immediately ran out.
An Zhihan held Su Jinli, trying to soothe him by rubbing his back.
However, Su Jinli suddenly shook An Zhihan off, quickly entered the bathroom, and locked the door behind him.
Leaning against the door, he saw himself in the bathroom mirror – his mouth, his neck, his collar, all smeared with blood.
He rolled up his sleeve and saw fish scales starting to appear on his arm.
His breathing was already difficult; with his human respiratory organs eroded, his fairy instincts were awakened, and his gills were about to emerge.
He was about to reveal his true form...
His consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, his body unable to support him, he could only barely hold the sink to stay upright.
Then, he dipped his finger in his own blood and drew a rune on the back of his hand.
After the rune was completed, the fish scales finally disappeared.
He couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed on the floor.
"Su Jinli! What the hell are you doing? Open the door!" An Zhihan was desperately pounding on the door outside, but there was no response.
In her panic, An Zhihan could only forcefully kick the door. One kick after another, he finally broke through and saw Su Jinli passed out in the bathroom.
An Zhihan didn't have time to care about anything else. He picked up Su Jinli and sprinted out.
Others came over to see what was going on, and the rest of the contestants who noticed this started following and asking, "What happened?"
An Zhihan, in a state of high anxiety and sweating profusely, didn't know. He was running hurriedly, "I don't know. We need to rescue him urgently."
Wu Yu, who had already notified the staff, happened to run into the sprinting An Zhihan. He followed him out and said, "I asked for the route of the ambulance. We can drive to meet it."
"Okay."
Only a few people went to the hospital with Su Jinli. All other participants and staff stayed where they were.
Zhou Wenyuan watched them leave, then returned to the training camp with the other contestants.
"What happened?"
"Apparently, he ate something a fan sent."
"Was it poisoned?"
"It seems so. This is terrifying."
Zhou Wenyuan frowned subtly, seemingly very worried. He advised everyone, "Don't eat anything carelessly in the future. It could have been sent by an anti-fan."
"Okay."
"My god, this is a crime, right? They should be arrested!"
"I just had something to eat too, it's really terrifying."
They all returned to their dorms. Zhou Wenyuan was the only one from the top ten in his dorm, so it was just him.
He slipped into the bathroom where there were no cameras. Clasping his finger in deep thought, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
"I thought he would reveal his true form, but he is stronger than expected. However... with his small amount of immortal power left, singing is pretty much impossible for him."
________________________
Only An Zhihan accompanied Su Jinli in the ambulance.
Worried about disrupting the work of the medical staff, he stayed faithfully off to the side. Su Jinli, he noticed, though unconscious, was still vomiting blood, chest shuddering.
The medical staff placed an oxygen mask on him, but Su Jinli's vomiting had filled the inside of the mask with blood, forcing the medical staff to find other solutions.
An Zhihan watched this, his heart wrenching. Huddled in a corner and shedding tears, he asked the medical staff, sobbing, "He is not going to die, is he?"
"The situation is not good, but we will do our best," one of the staff members replied.
Monitors were attached to Su Jinli's body. An Zhihan had only seen heart monitor machines on TV before, so he watched it closely, fearing it would suddenly become a flat line.
It was a terrible feeling.
Everything had happened right in front of him, and his mind was still blank.
Su Jinli was rushed into the hospital, into the emergency room, and everyone else was stopped at the door.
An Zhihan wanted to wait outside, but Wu Yu suddenly handed him a coat. Only then did he realize that, because he had carried Su Jinli, his clothes were soaked with blood.
Wu Yu was afraid his blood-stained clothes would scare people.
"Is this an attempt to murder?" An Zhihan took the clothes, tears welling up in his eyes, and asked Wuyu angrily.
"I've heard of things like this before, like blades being put into pastries, but this is the first time I have seen something this serious," Wu Yu replied, his voice shaky. Although his demeanor seemed calm, his fingertips were trembling.
"Call the police! We must find the culprit, check the surveillance footage!" An Zhihan almost exploded with rage.
"Yes, we definitely should," Wu Yu answered.
However, they didn't stay there for long before the crew members forcibly took them away.
An Zhihan was reluctant, and in the end, was ushered into the car by Wu Yu.
"I need to wait for news in the hospital!" An Zhihan yelled.
"The production team probably wants to control the information first. We are public figures, being in the hospital would draw attention and escalate the situation."
"Why can't we escalate it? We want to blow it up, get people's attention on this issue."
"So the offender can prepare mentally and plan an escape? Moreover, the competition must go on... We must go back."
An Zhihan went silent this time, remained silent for a while before finally speaking, "I heard it's something corrosive. After he recovers... will it hamper his singing?"
Wu Yu didn't respond, his expression grim.
Su Jinli had an incredibly nice voice, it was a divine gift that could simply intoxicate people.
However, precisely his throat was injured, which would probably affect his singing once he recovers.
What a pity.
Su Jinli's journey had just started.
An Zhihan began crying again, after which he proceeded to curse all the way in the car.
Wu Yu remained silent the entire journey, listening to An Zhihan vent, his mood equally terrible.
Upon returning to the training camp, An Zhihan requested his phone from the program crew and called his brother An Zhiyan. As soon as he started speaking, he said, "Brother, find a way to go to the hospital and make sure Su Jinli doesn't die..."
An Zhiyan jumped in shock. Wanting to ask what happened, however, An Zhihan was crying so hard that his words were unintelligible. An Zhiyan could only hang up the phone and call the person in charge of the program.
After learning the details of the incident, An Zhiyan began cursing, "How could you let all kinds of stuff get sent to the contestants without screening them?!"
Currently out of town, An Zhiyan checked the nearest flights and high-speed trains, all of which were not due until a few hours later.
Having no other choice, An Zhiyan had to drive back himself.
An Zhiyan was also very anxious. He had never thought that he could care this much. His heart was about to jump out of his chest, crying out in protest.
________________________
A man leading a toddler of about five years old by the hand suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain.
As if appearing out of thin air.
The man set up a protective barrier around the mountain.
The young child looked around curiously and couldn't help but ask the man, "Grandpa, why did you change into a younger appearance? Your white hair is gone."
"I've told you before, after we leave the mountain, call me brother," the man replied.
"Are we going to find brother?" the young child asked again.
"Well, your silly brother ran away after going down the mountain. I'm afraid that he'd be deceived, so I have to look for him."
"I miss my big brother!"
Having completed the setup of the boundary, the man stood at the foot of the mountain. With a flourish of his hand, he articulated his fingers into a symbolic pattern and closed his eyes.
Then, pointing a finger between his eyebrows, he recited a word: "Open."
Upon opening his eyes, he could see another side of the mortal world.
The man spotted a familiar energy field, located at the edge of the city.
"Look at your no-good brother, it's been almost a year since he came down from the mountains and he's still loitering around in the city..."
As soon as his words fell, he noticed the energy field weakens. It was clear it has been injured in some way.
The man's facial expression changed instantly.
"What happened?"
He wanted to teleport instantly, but he was held back by a child who caught his hand: "Grandpa, teleportation is not allowed in the mortal world."
The man was desperate. He was taken aback upon spotting a bicycle from the mountain by the roadside. The bicycle chain was broken, seemingly discarded by someone.
The man used a spell to repair the bicycle. Taking the child with him, he followed the lingering energy trace on the bicycle to go find Su Jinli.
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