CSGM - Chapter 84
Chapter 84: Private Investigator
Chu Xi tilted her head back and laughed, a hint of pride in her voice.
"It's their big boss, Dong Zhenggang."
She had spent the entire night thinking about it. How could Chu Xi not have something to show for it?
Ren Zhi asked, "You're targeting the person? What do you mean?"
Chu Xi picked up her phone, tapped it a few times, and then placed a photo from her album in front of Ren Zhi.
The photo was from a school sports meet, set on a lush green field. The shot included several dozen children, with some small figures visible on the blurry running track in the background. Their small, youthful frames made it clear this was an elementary school sports meet.
The one unifying feature was that all the elementary students were wearing uniforms with the "Chengfeng" school crest. This was a local private academy for the elite; the children who attended came from wealthy or powerful families. The school was extremely protective of their privacy, so in all the photos posted online, everyone's face from the neck up was pixelated.
Chu Xi calmly explained to Ren Zhi, "Dong Zhenggang dotes on his daughter. Last night, when he walked past me, I happened to glance at his keychain and saw a small, handmade clay pony hanging from it. Well… it was probably a pony. For a powerful boss to carry around such an ugly little mishmash of a thing, it could only mean a young child in his family made it for him, and he cherishes it because he cherishes the giver."
"Then I looked up some information. Although Baidu doesn't say he has a daughter, at this event gala-" Chu Xi swiped left on her photo album and pointed to a spot. "Look, his seat is empty, so he probably left temporarily. We won't delve into the reason for that. But this little kid in the seat next to him… look at her profile. Don't her nose and ears look very similar?"
Ren Zhi looked at the child Chu Xi was pointing to, her face filled with the surprise of a new discovery.
If one looked closely, there was indeed a slight resemblance to Dong Zhenggang.
"And then…?" she asked, looking up.
Chu Xi smiled smugly and moved her finger down.
"Then look at her hand."
"Her hand?" Ren Zhi was confused.
Chu Xi didn't keep her in suspense and gave her the answer directly.
"Her right hand is clenched into a fist with the thumb tucked inside, the fingertips hidden. It's an unnatural, anti-ergonomic way to make a fist. Based on my experience, there's a very high probability for clenching a fist like this- that her thumb is deformed. It could be from an accident or congenital. In any case, people who don't want others to see their flaws will subconsciously hide the disabled part."
Ren Zhi took a moment to process this, but she couldn't really see the details of the girl's hand in the already low-resolution online photo.
Chu Xi continued, "So I looked up a few of the more famous schools in the Capital to try my luck. I didn't expect my luck to be so good."
She swiped right, returning to the previous photo of the elementary school sports meet. Chu Xi pointed to one of the pixelated students and smiled.
"Look at her hand."
It was the same fist-clenching posture Chu Xi had described, with the thumb tucked in!
So this was…
"Her body shape also matches. It's Dong Zhenggang's daughter," Chu Xi said, tilting her head. "And this was from the autumn sports meet this September, so Dong Zhenggang most likely doesn't know yet… that his precious daughter is being isolated at school and is unhappy."
In the photo, which was bustling with groups of students huddled together, the figure Chu Xi pointed to indeed looked a bit lonely.
There were no classmates around her. She was even facing away from the other groups, giving off a solitary air.
After staring intently for a few seconds, Ren Zhi came back to her senses and said softly, "It's a real shame you're not a detective."
Being so good at piecing things together, searching for clues, and skilled in deduction- weren't these skills that only a detective would possess?
Chu Xi nodded in agreement and said, "I'm your private investigator right now."
Ren Zhi chuckled.
"How long did it take you to find this photo?"
"Over five hours," Chu Xi said with a yawn. "I must have looked at ten thousand photos before I found this one. Without skill, how can there be luck?"
It all clicked for Ren Zhi. She sighed softly. "No wonder you couldn't get up this morning. You've worked hard."
She owed Chu Xi another favor.
Chu Xi didn't mind. She smiled and decided their itinerary for them. "Get ready. We'll go check out Chengfeng Elementary this afternoon."
The school would be crowded and full of prying eyes, so Ren Zhi had originally planned to put on heavy freckle makeup and a wig to disguise herself before going.
But Chu Xi wiped off her "freckles" with a wet wipe, confiscated her colored contacts, and forbade her from wearing the wig. Instead, she heard Chu Xi say, "Don't make it so complicated. A mask and sunglasses will do."
Ren Zhi wanted to say, "What if someone recognizes me…"
But Chu Xi cut her off. "It'll be more trouble if no one recognizes you."
?
When they arrived at Chengfeng Elementary and were stopped at the gate by a group of professionally trained security guards who were clearly a cut above the rest, Ren Zhi finally understood what Chu Xi meant.
Chu Xi calmly took off her own sunglasses, then helped pull down Ren Zhi's mask, pointed at her face, and said, "Teacher Ren is here to help pick up her niece. Sir, can we go in?"
The moment they saw her face, the security team, which had been unapproachably stern just a second ago, immediately became friendly and let them pass, even offering a warm reminder.
"So it's Teacher Ren. Come in, come in. Be careful not to be seen by people outside."
This was, after all, a private school for the local elite and business magnates. How could any random person without some social standing get through the school gates?
Fortunately, Ren Zhi's top-tier celebrity face was an all-access pass.
Chu Xi said, "See? We still had to rely on you to get in."
Ren Zhi nodded, admitting that her face was very useful.
Their luck was also very good today.
They found Dong Zhenggang's daughter and, from a rest area, happened to witness the entire scene of her being pushed around by classmates, who grabbed her right hand with the deformed thumb and laughed. Chu Xi recorded it, then stood up and said, "Done. Let's go. Our luck is really good. My guess was completely right, and we came at just the right time."
Although Ren Zhi also stood up, her head was slightly lowered. Chu Xi glanced over and saw the pity in her eyes.
Chu Xi thought for a moment, then tilted her head and asked Ren Zhi as they walked, "Do you feel sorry for her?"
Ren Zhi answered as they walked.
"A little. What they're doing is wrong."
She was talking about the children who were mocking their classmate. Their roughhousing was excessive, making fun of a classmate's disability.
"Let's go back and tell Dong Zhenggang. He definitely doesn't know yet. Send him the video, and he'll have to thank you for this."
"Okay."
That was true. They just needed to tell Dong Zhenggang, and he would handle it for his daughter.
Things turned out exactly as Chu Xi had predicted. Dong Zhenggang had no idea his daughter was being bullied and wronged at school. After confirming that the information Ren Zhi sent was true, he became extremely emotional, practically enraged.
After personally resolving the issue, he agreed to sign a cooperation agreement with her for the new variety show as a way of thanking her for the favor.
Chu Xi moved into the apartment below Ren Zhi's and began busily setting up her new home.
This time, she was much more invested than she had been with her last rental. She had a feeling she would be living here for a much longer time.
-After all, Ren Zhi wasn't charging her rent. It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a benefit.
During this period, Chu Xi's life was peaceful, but someone else was starting to panic.
Jiang Zixi, the little newcomer who had charmed some of the higher-ups at Qingyou Agency from the moment she signed, could no longer sit still.
When she heard that Chu Xi had recently been building a relationship with the big boss of Hong Gang Productions, Jiang Zixi's heart was instantly flooded with a sense of crisis.
She was twenty-two this year. In terms of age, she was younger than Chu Xi and had more room for development. In terms of looks, she was beautiful and pure, and she believed she fit the mainstream public's aesthetic better than Chu Xi. In terms of emotional intelligence, Chu Xi was simply no match for her. It was undeniable that the company's executives privately preferred her!
But-
As a fellow newcomer to Qingyou, Jiang Zixi had heard that in next year's star-making plan, she and Chu Xi were tied for the female artist spots. It seemed the company was preparing to promote both of them at the same time.
Two people meant they would have to split resources and compete internally. Take the Peach Video Scream Night in December, for example. There was a spot to promote a newcomer. She had heard that an investor had originally recommended Chu Xi, but thanks to Chu Xi's recently faltering popularity, an executive had proposed letting her attend instead.
The newcomer spot for that gala still hadn't been decided. Jiang Zixi guessed that the leadership was probably hesitating between her and Chu Xi.
Jiang Zixi looked at her fair-skinned, beautiful self in the mirror at home, then flipped through some photos of Chu Xi. She had to admit that Chu Xi's looks and aura weren't bad either. It looked like among the company's younger wave of female artists next year, she and Chu Xi had the best chance of being promoted into the ranks of the "little flowers."
After thinking it over, she concluded that Chu Xi was probably also secretly competing with her. That's why she had first gotten close to Boss Xiang of Golden Culture and was now cozying up to Boss Dong of Hong Gang. Her ability to latch onto powerful figures was impressive!
Jiang Zixi made a bold guess: Chu Xi must be rallying support for next month's Scream Night. She definitely wanted to go. It was such a good opportunity, a springboard for networking!
But she needed that opportunity just as much!
After three days and a sum of money, Jiang Zixi finally managed to bribe an assistant on the Three Kingdoms crew, making him responsible for keeping a close eye on Chu Xi. If he found any dirt on her, he was to immediately take a picture and send it to her!
The field logistics assistant was a thin-faced man with beady eyes whose own eyes lit up at the sight of money. In the private room of a coffee shop, he nodded repeatedly at Jiang Zixi.
"Yes, yes, I get paid per piece of dirt, right? I'm on set the whole time, so I'll definitely keep a close watch for you! I'll send you anything I find right away!"
The short holiday always seemed to fly by. Before Chu Xi felt like she had done anything, it was time to join the film crew.
They had to gather at Langhe Mountain at seven. It was killing her. At six, before leaving, Chu Xi closed her refrigerator door and sent a message to Ren Zhi.
【I made strawberry yogurt parfaits this morning. I left half in the fridge. When you get up, come downstairs and get it yourself. A low-fat, sugar-free, healthy breakfast! /[Smug]】
The crew's opening ceremony was held on the mountaintop, complete with offerings of a pig's head, setting off firecrackers, handing out red envelopes, and a celebratory atmosphere for the whole crew.
Throughout the entire event, a pair of shifty eyes kept glancing toward Chu Xi.
Chu Xi cheerfully opened her red envelope with the other actors and looked inside, saying with satisfaction, "Director Yang is so generous, stuffing so much money in here. It's just that this envelope is so tiny, like one you'd give to a kid. It would be even better if he used a bigger one."
The field logistics assistant silently took out his phone and typed:
【November 3rd, at the crew's opening ceremony, Chu Xi complained that the director's red envelope was too small.】
A male actor standing next to Chu Xi suddenly got a stomachache in this place that was in the middle of nowhere. Clenching his butt, he squirmed uncomfortably and nudged Chu Xi with his elbow, his face flushed. "Sister Xi, did you see a bathroom anywhere on your way up? Ahhh, you can hold your pee for a thousand miles, but you can't hold your poop for a single step!" He groaned, his face contorted.
Chu Xi pinched the bridge of her nose, finding it both funny and embarrassing for him. "Keep your voice down. There are a lot of people here. Aren't you ashamed? There's a public toilet back there. Hurry up and go."
The field logistics assistant's fingers flew across his screen again as he typed:
【Same day, Chu Xi wouldn't let an extra from the cast speak, saying he was embarrassing.】
In just one morning, he had sent two pieces of on-set gossip to Jiang Zixi. When she saw them, her frown quickly turned into a look of pleasant surprise.
So Chu Xi's character was actually that bad! In that case, exposing her and ruining her reputation would be a piece of cake!
Jiang Zixi: 【Do you have any recordings or photos?】
Field Logistics Asst.: 【Uh, I forgot to take any. I won't charge you for these two then. Next time, I'll take a picture and send it along.】
Jiang Zixi: 【/[ok]】
On her very first day on set, Chu Xi was already complaining about the director and the extras. Could an artist with such a minor status who loved to throw her weight around last long in the entertainment industry? As her competitor, Jiang Zixi was now starting to wonder if she had overestimated her.
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