Volume One: Days in the Shantytown - Assassination (Part One)

The curtains were heavy, the lighting dim. This was the most luxurious hotel in the city, but its actual conditions fell far short of "luxurious." There was one reason for that: this was Africa, in one of its poor, underdeveloped countries.

Limbs sprawled across the soft bed: a white man with thick chest hair and two Black women with four strong thighs between them. Half a joint of marijuana lay unfinished in the ashtray. Suddenly, an urgent alarm shattered the quiet. The man shot upright, remembering his appointment with his lawyer today. His lawyer had come all the way from Europe.

Wolslo hurriedly pulled on a shirt, shouting in the local language as he drove the two high-end call girls out. The moment he received the company's notice withdrawing its investment and the lawyer's letter, he knew his career was over. Last night's indulgence had been born of misery. He had summoned his lawyer from Europe overnight to work out how to secure more for himself under the circumstances. After all, Luo Qian's three hundred million dollars was still sitting in the account.

Once the call girls were gone, Wolslo threw on the rest of his clothes, went out, and hailed a taxi to meet his lawyer.

In a café, the lawyer read through the documents carefully. His brow furrowed. "Wolslo, there's nothing we can do. The contract you signed with that company contains a clause covering this. They have every right to act as they have. They also have the right to seek compensation from you for the cost of filming the advertisement."

Bang! Wolslo slammed both fists onto the table, though the answer was exactly what he had expected. "Damn it! Then what about the three hundred million dollars? When can I use it?" he asked hopefully. With that money, at least he would never have to worry about food or clothing again. The lawyer took out the contract Wolslo had signed with Luo Qian and shook his head helplessly. "The funds are in an account under your name, but it's a third-party escrow account opened specifically for this collaboration. If you don't shoot... shoot a film as the contract requires, you can't touch a cent of it. If you haven't made your first film within three years, the money goes back to the Chinese man. The contract also states explicitly that you must write, direct, and star in that first film yourself."

Wolslo froze. Though he stood in the heat of Africa, he felt as if he were atop the Alps, on a peak capped with snow and ice that never melted. A basin of cold water seemed to pour over his head...

"Sir, I truly don't understand how you could have signed a contract like this..." The lawyer shook his head, set down the documents, picked up his case, and left. Wolslo remained alone in the café, turned to stone.

From noon until dusk, Wolslo sat there in a daze. At dusk, he stumbled out of the café. A police car suddenly pulled up in front of him with a shrill wail, and two Black officers got out and showed their badges. "Are you Mr. Wolslo?"

What could be worse? What could possibly be worse now? Wolslo laughed at himself and nodded to the officers. They exchanged a glance, then took out a photograph. "Were you with this woman last night?"

Wolslo glanced at it. She was one of the two call girls from last night. He nodded numbly. The officer's expression turned grave. "Sir, we've just been informed that this woman is HIV-positive. We hope you'll cooperate and go to the hospital for a test..."

A roar filled Wolslo's head. Now he knew what could be worse. He cursed himself: this was Africa, the continent with the highest rates of HIV infection and AIDS on the planet. One joint last night, and he had forgotten to take any precautions at all! His vision went black, and he pitched headfirst onto the steps.

"How is this possible?" The agent stared at the newspaper in his hands. Just then, the fax machine beside him began to beep. He pressed a button, and a document came through from distant Europe. One look had him beaming. Fax in hand, he rushed into the next room. "Sefei, the European company wants to reshoot the ad! They say Wolslo's conduct has seriously damaged their product's image, so they've decided to film a new one immediately. They're willing to cover every loss this causes, recover the two-hundred-million-euro investment they put into Wolslo, and compensate us two million euros!"

Pei Sefei was slowly recovering from the blow, though her beautiful eyes still held little light. "What did he do to make the Europeans so angry they'd abandon an ad that's already been filmed?"

The agent blinked. "Do you really not know, or are you playing dumb? Wolslo signed a three-hundred-million-dollar contract with Luo Company Film and Arts to appear in pornographic films himself. His reputation is completely ruined. The Europeans pulling their investment means his career is ruined too."

The agent spread out the newspaper. On the front page, Luo Qian held both hands high in greeting to the reporters. "And as it happens, the spokesperson for Luo Company Film and Arts is that Mr. Luo Qian you know."

Pei Sefei went still. She seemed to understand now. Numbly, she took the newspaper from her agent and scanned it. At last, an intoxicating smile appeared on her face. So you really are a little different!

Pei Sefei dropped the newspaper and ran for the door. "Get a car ready. I'm going out." The agent caught her arm and gave her a searching look. "Sefei, haven't I treated you well?" Sunshine filled Pei Sefei's heart; she looked kindly on everyone. "Of course! You've been nothing but good to me!" "At least you have a conscience, you little brat. You can't jump ship now. You've got a contract worth tens of millions of euros with a multinational company. If you leave, I won't be the only one in trouble—the whole company will be ruined paying damages! Tens of millions of euros is several hundred million yuan!"

Pei Sefei paused, then giggled and pointed at the newspaper. "You mean Luo Company Film and Arts? Hee hee... Don't worry. I definitely won't go there." The agent breathed a sigh of relief and started dialing. "I'll arrange a car for you." Pei Sefei felt a little sweetness and a little stubbornness. Hmph. Working for him once turned my world upside down. It was like riding a roller coaster. If I did it again, I'd have a heart attack!

The wheels spun fast, but not as fast as Pei Sefei's heart. She kept looking out the window. That familiar neighborhood still hadn't appeared. Why was it taking so long?

At last, the car stopped at the neighborhood entrance. Pei Sefei flew out like a nimble swallow, hurried to Luo Qian's door, and knocked hard, pounded hard, then kicked hard. She poured every grievance of the past few days onto that poor security door. That damned Luo Qian! That infuriating Luo Qian! Why hadn't he told me sooner? He'd let me be sad for days and cry so many tears for nothing! I'll pound it! I'll kick it! I'll kick it harder!

Thud, thud, thud... Pei Sefei's racket finally brought over an older woman from the neighborhood. "Young lady, Luo Qian isn't home. He left this afternoon."

"Left?" Pei Sefei froze. She knew that whenever Luo Qian disappeared, he could be gone for months. The disappointment left her speechless.

She went downstairs in a daze, looking as though she had lost her soul. Her lips twisted, and she felt close to tears again. Petty miser. No manners. So I misunderstood you—did you have to run off without even giving me a chance to apologize? Arrogant man. Small-minded jerk...

Her phone suddenly rang. Pei Sefei took it out, and Uncle Xiao Liu's cheerful voice came through. "Not bad, Sefei! The man you picked has a sharp mind. Who'd have thought he'd come up with a move like that to deal with that foreign devil? Hahaha! You really are the old master's granddaughter..." No one actually believed Luo Qian had spent two billion yuan setting up that Director. They all assumed he had used some other trick.

Pei Sefei was in a foul mood and answered halfheartedly a few times. Yet Uncle Xiao Liu, usually so good at reading the room, kept talking today. At last he asked abruptly, "Sefei, are you looking for that kid?" Her heart tightened, and she hurried to deny it. "No! Absolutely not! I'm just out shopping, taking my time!"

Uncle Xiao Liu chuckled. "Oh, so you're in no hurry to find him. Never mind, then. I happened to spot the kid on a traffic camera and thought I'd let you know. But since you're not in a hurry, forget it. I'll hang up." "Uncle Xiao Liu!" Pei Sefei roared. "Hahaha..."

Luo Qian had planned to return to the Immortal Realm. He had spent several days in the Mortal Realm this time, which had never happened before. But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered why he had come down to the Lower Realm in the first place: Rice cookers.

While grumbling that Pei Sefei, his only employee in the Lower Realm, had no dedication to her job, Luo Qian filled out his address and told them to deliver the rice cookers to his base.

He stepped outside into the bustling street. Amid a sea of green, one bright red flower stood out: a girl with her hands behind her back, standing prettily beyond the door. The crowds streaming past were like a veil too sheer to hide a diamond's brilliance. Pei Sefei's sparkling smile bloomed on the nighttime street, stealing even the neon lights' radiance.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Pei Sefei came up to him, looked down at her toes, and asked shyly. Luo Qian snorted. "Because I didn't want people calling me a fool who'd thrown away two billion yuan."

Two billion yuan was an astronomical sum, but wealth in the Mortal Realm no longer stirred Luo Qian's heart. The pang he felt whenever he spent money was only an old habit of mind. Even spending one yuan pained him. But the money truly meant little to him, so two billion yuan was no different from one yuan.

(A new week is here. Wishing everyone smooth work and a good start to everything!)

(Heh heh, it's a new week. Don't forget that vote you have...)

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