Liu Zhao’s skin had been peeled off by Fan Jialuo, but no matter what others said or how they looked, Gao Qianqian still stood firmly in front of him and protected him. If the scene in front of her were replaced with any other situation, her actions would be worthy of the phrase “a virtuous wife.”
The truth was already obvious. Even outsiders like Song Wennuan and Sister Shishi could see Liu Zhao’s abnormality. How could she, his wife of seven years, not notice it? So the question was, what was she protecting, her husband or her own wealth and status?
Thinking of this, everyone’s eyes couldn’t help but become very subtle when looking at her.
However, Gao Qianqian’s psychological quality was very good. She just packed up her things and held the wretched man who was trembling with fear. As she walked, she sneered, “Director Song, your ability to make up stories is really strong. I’ve seen it all now. We won’t be filming this show anymore. We’ll do whatever you want to make it up. My Liu Zhao has been in the entertainment industry for so long, and we’re not vegetarians.”
The real Liu Zhao looked at his wife’s back in disbelief and wanted to ask her: Why don’t you believe me now that we have reached this point? Can you really not see the difference between him and I?
However, he didn’t dare to ask because he already vaguely knew the answer and couldn’t bear it, so his subconscious chose to escape.
Dong Qin shouted at Gao Qianqian’s back, “I knew Liu Zhao was a fake when I first saw him. You’ve lived with him for seven years, how could you not tell that? Gao Qianqian, what do you love? Is it Liu Zhao himself or the added value brought by his identity? Without that skin, can you abandon him without hesitation? In your heart, is his soul worth nothing to you? Is it worth the money?”
“Gao Qianqian, turn around. Since he arrived, you haven’t dared to look at him!” Dong Qin pulled the strange man to her side and asked loudly, “Gao Qianqian, are you guilty? In fact, you knew who this person was all along! When he asked you for help, you already knew it! However, you didn’t dare to admit it. You didn’t want to admit it, so you drove him away! Do you know what you’re doing? You are committing murder! Your aversion and denial are killing the former Liu Zhao! Gao Qianqian, did you ever love him? Gao Qianqian, turn around!”
Gao Qianqian never looked back. She stepped out steadily and firmly on her thin stilettos. Liu Zhao, who was held in her hand, was as weak as an unweaned child and was dominated by her will.
On the contrary, the strange man suddenly threw away Dong Qin’s hand and shouted hoarsely, “That’s enough, stop talking!”
Dong Qin was pushed away by him, and her knees hit the ground hard, scraping her skin. If Song Wennuan hadn’t helped her in time, she almost couldn’t stand up. With tears in her eyes, she looked at the man in disbelief and murmured, “Are you still defending her? Liu Zhao, at this point, are you still defending her?”
“I’m not defending her.” The man stretched out his hands as if to support or hug her, but he didn’t know how to approach the woman who had resistance written across her whole body. He lowered his head in embarrassment and muttered, “Dong Qin, I’m sorry.”
These two words had become the most common thing this man said to Dong Qin: he was sorry when he rejected her confession, he was sorry when he announced his marriage to Gao Qianqian, he was sorry when he no longer wanted to take on jobs. He left his best years and deepest feelings to Gao Qianqian, but tossed all his bitterness, disappointment, and indifference to Dong Qin.
Since they met, they had been together for sixteen years, weathering storms, both seeing the most beautiful scenery struggling together in the troughs, and joining together to cheer together on the mountain tops. However, these sixteen years of precious memories were no match for Gao Qianqian’s twisted words—I don’t like you and Dong Qin getting too close.
So he began to alienate her and cut her out of his life, so much so that when he reached a desperate situation, he preferred to wait for Gao Qianqian’s trust that she would never give, rather than ask for help from his once closest partner.
Dong Qin cried while laughing softly, “I understand, you are not defending her, you are running away. Gao Qianqian doesn’t want to believe that you are not you, and you don’t want to believe that she doesn’t love you. Hahaha, you are really a perfect match, Liu Zhao, you were right to marry her, you are really a perfect match!”
Dong Qin also started to pack her things, and then left in a sorry state with her bag. When she stepped out of the recording room, her heel broke, but she just took off her high heels and continued walking forward without looking back.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The man subconsciously chased after her for a few steps, but he did not dare to step forward. His face was full of regret, sadness, and bewilderment. He really didn’t want to hurt Dong Qin, but no matter what he did or said, it seemed that it would hurt her. He happened to be standing under a pillar of light. The top of his head was pale, but his surroundings were terribly dim. He seemed to have fallen into the same lonely, helpless, and desperate situation as before.
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Fan Jialuo looked at Song Wennuan, who nodded quickly. “You guys chat. I’ll go to review the process with the next group of guests. If you guys chat for a long time, then I will let Yuan Zhongzhou and the others start filming first. Anyway, you’re always the grand finale, so it doesn’t matter if you’re the last one to appear.”
Fan Jialuo then stretched out his hand to invite the man, “Mr. Liu, please come this way.”
“Do you mind including me?” Song Rui asked quietly.
“You come too.” Fan Jialuo naturally held Dr. Song’s wrist.
After the three of them entered the lounge, they took their seats. Fan Jialuo and Song Rui were right next to each other. Their arms would touch with even the slightest movement.. The man sat opposite them and asked blankly, “Teacher Fan, can’t return to my body, can I?”
“That’s not necessarily the case. Stretch out your hand,” Fan Jialuo instructed.
The man did as he was told, and Fan Jialuo placed a fish-shaped miniature sculpture in his palm and continued, “Hold it tightly, and make a wish in your heart to change back.”
“What?” The man was stunned.
“This is the culprit that caused your life to be stolen. It can sense the desires in people’s hearts and then turn their desires into reality.” Fan Jialuo closed the man’s five fingers one by one and patiently explained, ” I took this thing out from the thief. If you make a wish, and your wish is strong enough, it will help you to change back, just like that person turned into you.”
“Really?” The man was still dubious at first, but when he saw that the jade sculpture was actually glowing, he immediately held it tightly and murmured with his eyes closed, “I want to change back. I am Liu Zhao, and I want to take back my life. Can you hear me?” Every cell in his brain was emitting a strong prayer, but the glimmer of light from the jade pendant slowly dissipated, and in the end nothing happened.
Fan Jialuo revealed a surprised expression, but Song Rui shook his head at him, indicating that he had expected it.
The man prayed for five or six minutes before letting go of the jade pendant. Then he looked at the makeup mirror opposite him, only to find that his face was still unfamiliar. The feeling of having one’s hopes dashed was like plummeting from a great height, more agonizing to bear than complete despair. The man’s expression was distorted for a moment, and he asked in shock, “I didn’t change back, why? Is it fake?”
Due to using too much force while holding the jade carving tightly, he carved out four bloody marks on his palm, which showed how urgent his wish was. However, even so, he still failed to wake up the jade sculpture, which was simply beyond his expectation.
“Try again.” Fan Jialuo picked up the jade carving and looked at it. A ball of gray light flickered and jumped on his fingertips, as agile as a living thing.
The man realized that there was nothing wrong with the jade carving, and that he was the one with the problem. He immediately nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll try again.”
Song Rui, who was sitting quietly to the side, took off his glasses and began to slowly rub between his eyebrows. It was clear he didn’t think the man could succeed.
More than ten minutes later, the man finished his prayer. The face in the mirror was still unfamiliar, but his appearance was much grayer than before.
“Will you still try?” Fan Jialuo asked calmly.
“I’ll try.” The man seemed to be at odds with the jade carving, holding it tightly with both hands, closing his eyes and repeating his wish silently. Even if Fan Jialuo hadn’t let go of his spiritual thoughts, he could still hear the shouts coming from his mind. His whole body was shaking due to his wish, and his efforts, urgency, and desire were clearly written on his slightly distorted face.
As a lost man who had his entire life stolen from him and fell into the abyss of despair, his voice for salvation should have been strong enough for the whole world to hear. But in fact, he failed to do it, and he couldn’t even stir up a little bit of gray light.
After three attempts, a thin layer of sweat broke out on the man’s forehead and his cheeks turned red, but he still held the jade sculpture tightly and refused to let go, just like a man hanging on a cliff holding onto his life by a thread.
Fan Jialuo did not stop the man, nor did he show any impatience, as if he could sit here and wait until the man succeeded in his wish as long as the other man was willing, because he understood the feeling of despair better than anyone else.
“That’s enough,” Song Rui interrupted the man coldly, and forcefully opened the man’s fingers to take out the jade sculpture.
All the man’s energy was consumed in praying, so much so that he was too weak to resist. He moved his fingertips a few times, as if struggling, but did not say anything begging for mercy. He just lowered his head in embarrassment and spoke in a hoarse and desperate voice, “Why? Why can’t it hear my wish?”
Song Rui returned the shimmering jade carving to Fan Jialuo and said slowly, “Don’t you understand yet? Your wish is just to restore everything to its original state, while his wish is to make the impossible possible. Regardless of quantity or quality, your desires cannot compare with his. You lost from the beginning. I know your willpower is stronger than his, but willpower and desire are two completely different concepts.”
Song Rui put on his glasses and revealed the cruel truth, “You can control and restrain your desires, so your willpower is stronger than your desires. However, he has been indulging his desires all his life. His torrent of desire is unstoppable. On the battlefield of desire, you cannot compete with him because he is despicable enough. You should understand the principle of exhaustion. If you fail to succeed the first time, you will feel disappointed. If it accumulates in your heart and weakens your belief, you will naturally not succeed the second or third time. No matter how many times you try, the result will only be failure, and you can’t change it.”
Fan Jialuo took the jade sculpture into his body with a slight movement of his fingertips, and looked at Dr. Song with eyes full of admiration. This man’s ability to foresee was no less than that of a psychic. From the beginning, he knew what the result of the prayer would be, so he had been watching with cold eyes.
The man was still shaking his head frequently at first, but then he grew silent. He gradually realized that what Song Rui said was right: comparing perseverance, he might be much better than that person, but comparing desire, how could he rival a dirty guy who has been dreaming of getting rich all his life? He really couldn’t go back.
“What should I do, Teacher Fan?” the man murmured helplessly. The hole in his heart was filled with wind that whistled with a despair-filled shrill.
“Live a good life with this identity.” Fan Jialuo gave an irrevocable answer.
“How can I live?” The man clenched his fists to hold back his tears.
How can he live? Naturally, go out and live slowly. Fan Jialuo frowned and was considering more euphemistic words when Song Rui asked, “Do you still remember how you got through your most difficult time?”
The man’s mind was led astray, and he replied hoarsely without the need to recall, “Of course I remember. At that time, I just came to Beijing and rented a five-square-meter basement. There were no windows, no toilet, and no kitchen. The whole room could only fit a wire bed, and the air was so stuffy that it blocked my nostrils. The feeling of depression and suffocation almost made me claustrophobic. I slept on that wire bed for more than a year, and all I owned was one backpack. At that time, my daily food expenses were fifteen yuan. Once I got off at the wrong station and spent an extra yuan on the fare. When I got off the bus, I dug into my empty pockets and squatted on the roadside and cried.”
Speaking of such a tragic experience, the despair in the man’s eyes actually diminished a lot.
Song Rui asked again, “What happened next? How did you survive?”
“I was good-looking, so others introduced me to work as an extra in the film and television city. Although I didn’t have a job every day, I could earn hundreds of dollars on good days. Finally, I didn’t have to starve myself of one or two meals just to save money. I met Dong Qin, moved to a spacious and bright place, and had everything…” At this point, the man suddenly froze, and countless memories rushed into his heart like a torrent, washing away the confusion and helplessness. It turned out that Dong Qin was always by his side during the most painful and difficult times, taking him from audition to audition and each round of rehearsals. She handed him water when he was thirsty and gave him a layer of clothes when he was cold. She argued loudly with directors and investors for his interests, and never backed down.
At that time, she often said to him, “You just need to act your part well. Don’t worry about anything else, I will take care of it. You were born to do this, and this is the path you should take.”
So he really only focused on acting and didn’t care about anything else. As time went by, he even forgot how many tedious and annoying things she had to do while he was addicted to performing. As he climbed to the top step by step, how many steps had she paved for him? How much of her hard work had gone into each of his achievements and trophies?
The man started to cry as he thought about it, and many sad sounds were stuck in his tight and narrow throat, unable to vent them out. It turned out that when he was enjoying the quiet of the years, it was Dong Qin who had carried the burden for him. How could he forget that she existed? How could he forget?
Seeing that he seemed to be touched, Song Rui continued, “Were you able to act at that time? Did you understand foreign languages? Did you have a diploma? Were you knowledgeable? Could you deal with complex interpersonal relationships?”
“At that time, I had just dropped out of school and was only nineteen years old. I knew almost nothing. Dong Qin took care of everything for me…” The man was completely lost in memories.
Song Rui nodded and said, “At that time, you didn’t know anything, but you were still able to climb to where you are today step by step. Now you have superb acting skills, profound knowledge, extensive insights, outstanding ability, and all kinds of survival skills. Why can’t you survive? No matter how difficult it is now, can it be more difficult than when you first came to Beijing? What do you think is most valuable? Is it really just your status as an actor?”
The man was stunned by the question and didn’t speak for a long time.
Song Rui pointed to his head and answered for him, “This is the most valuable. You think that person has stolen your life, but in fact your life has always been stored here, and no one can steal it. You were able to reach the peak of the mountain with nothing at the age of nineteen, and you have such amazing wealth at the age of thirty-five.” Song Rui pointed to his head again and asked, “Why can’t you survive?”
The man’s expression gradually changed from stupefaction to enlightenment, and then he stood up suddenly and ran away with great strides. In fact, the lack of self-identity was the main factor leading him to wither away. Song Rui repeatedly told him that his memories and life experiences followed his soul, and their function was to enhance his self-identity, because only by accepting this completely unfamiliar self could he have the courage to take the next step, which was the basis for reshaping his life.
Fan Jialuo looked at the man’s powerful back and couldn’t help but praise, “Dr. Song, it always takes a long time for people who ask me for help to find their direction in life. I can’t say anything except for telling them to learn to save themselves. However, you made him understand how to pull himself together with just a few words. When it comes to reasoning, I am still not as good as you. I always thought that I knew human nature very well, because it was something I could see through at a glance, but now I realize that it is not the case. What I see is only the surface. There are more profound principles that I need to think about in order to have a better understanding of human nature. Because I can see the whole thing at a glance, I give up on thinking deeper. This is a kind of inertia, and I have always been dominated by this laziness. Dr. Song, you are really amazing, can I learn psychology from you?”
Song Rui shook his index finger. “No, I won’t teach you.”
“Why?” Fan Jialuo was surprised when he was rejected by Dr. Song for the first time.
“Teaching the apprentice will starve the master to death. After teaching you, you will leave me and run away,” Song Rui said seriously.
Fan Jialuo’s eyes widened in surprise. Even when he said he wouldn’t, Song Rui held his cold fingertips and refused to teach him. The two stared at each other, then pursed their lips in unison and laughed, seemingly with inexhaustible joy and tacit understanding.
You don’t need to learn that, because I will take care of it for you, and I will always be by your side. — That is Song Rui’s promise to Fan Jialuo.
Thank you for the chapter!
I love their moments together!! Thank you for the update!
When will this be updated? I want to continue Jialuo’s great psychic abilities. Anyway, thanks for updating this novel