CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 144: WU SHI, HELP ME LOOK INTO QIN JINHAI

"If you compare yourself with Fu Bing, you are indeed a loser. Compared with yourself, you are successful. At least you’re attempting to change, in your own self-righteous way."

"Self-righteous?" Han Hu let out a bitter laugh.

"Do you think you’re the most miserable?"

Han Hu’s lips moved, but she couldn’t answer.

"Instead of wasting your time on self-pity, you should think about how to make yourself more valuable. Xiaobing can save your body, but she can’t save your soul; only you can make your soul resilient. Among the wrongful dead, there’s no shortage of tragic backgrounds and unjust experiences; your plight is insignificant compared to theirs."

"So I don’t even qualify to be among the wrongful dead?"

"Since when has joining the wrongful dead become someone’s second choice?" Wu Shi said coldly.

To become one of those who crawled out of hell, forever teetering on the brink of life and death—is that so easily achieved?

Han Hu, realizing her mistake, blanked for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

Wu Shi was right; she herself was the main reason her life had reached this point.

She clearly could have taken a better path, but an inexplicable sense of superiority had ruined her time and again.

In the end, after ruining her body and changing her appearance, she still hadn’t understood what the real problem with her life was.

Nor had she figured out what she should be doing right now.

Instead, she wasted so much time on internal conflict and self-denial.

Watching Fu Bing break free from adversity step by step, returning to her unshakeable position as the nation’s beloved goddess, Fu Bing still commanded everyone’s love and respect.

The initial gap between her and Fu Bing hadn’t been that large; in fact, she had held quite a few advantages over Fu Bing.

While Fu Bing could make a comeback against the odds, Han Hu could only hide in her shadow, paralyzed.

The more powerful Fu Bing became, the more it highlighted her own cowardice.

"What should I do?" Han Hu cried, her composure shattering.

With no dignity left to speak of, she simply let herself completely unravel.

Wu Shi looked down on her breakdown from a lofty position, without a trace of compassion.

He said indifferently, "What do you want to do? Where do you need help? Of course, you’d prefer to take revenge without anyone’s assistance, but clearly, you lack the ability. You’re also unwilling to accept that you’re not very smart. If you’re not the one caught in this internal conflict, who is?"

No one had ever outmatched him in venomous words.

Han Hu’s face turned as pale as paper.

There wasn’t a hint of emotion in Wu Shi’s eyes. "Everyone knows Fu Bing has gotten back on her feet, but no one knows how she managed it. In the past six months, she didn’t miss a single opportunity to make a comeback. What awaited her was certainly not just good luck. She had enough courage and wisdom to face the problems she encountered, and she never hesitated to show kindness when she could. You received her warmth, as did others."

"She was willing to give you time to get back on your feet, gave you a villa, money, and arranged for someone to take care of you. That’s because when she fell, she wished others would have treated her that way, so she treated you as she had hoped to be treated. You can hide in your little shell, but if you try to parade your petty schemes before me, I won’t indulge you!"

Han Hu bit her lip.

His harsh words, like knives, sliced at her flesh, somehow more painful and causing more despair than that night.

Back then, she had foreseen the outcome.

Death!

It was an end she could accept!

Dying pitifully in some dark corner.

Never able to take revenge on Li Hua, Su He, and the Han Family.

She had fought so hard to survive, endured the agony of plastic surgery, and withstood the despair of recovery.

She was unwilling to choose death so easily!

She was not yet of any value to Fu Bing, and still helpless against her enemies.

Han Hu’s back was soaked with cold sweat.

"What can I do for Fu Bing?"

Wu Shi gave her a glance, not lingering for even a second before he averted his eyes.

"You talk to her yourself."

Han Hu slowly nodded, her gaze much more focused than before, no longer timid.

"I want to join the wrongful dead!"

Wu Shi ignored her and walked straight to the car. Han Hu followed closely. "You’re a man; there are places you can’t accompany her. I am the best choice."

"I want to avenge myself with my own hands! I want to get stronger!"

"I also want to repay Fu Bing for her kindness!"

It was only then that Wu Shi glanced at her and said coldly, "Training starts tonight!"

Han Hu nodded vigorously.

She didn’t know that her nod signified inhuman training, a constant journey between the despair of hell and the hope of rebirth...

* * *

Fu Bing hadn’t gone out in the last few days.

She went over the events in Jiangcheng and those after her return to Jiangnan again and again in her mind.

She always felt she had overlooked some vital piece of information.

The quasi-blacklisting by the Jiangcheng Drama Academy seemed more like child’s play upon careful consideration.

Their so-called ban had no impact on her acting career.

Since she had already announced she wouldn’t be filming in the short term before their ban, this move seemed rather petty.

The ban from half the entertainment industry sounded like a big deal at first, supposedly preventing her works from appearing on video platforms.

But she wasn’t without countermeasures.

As long as she consecutively produced several high-quality works, she could still attract talented individuals.

Viewed calmly, this series of actions seemed like child’s play.

Was this really something a group of influential figures would orchestrate?

She even suspected these events were a smokescreen to conceal their true purpose.

Was that purpose related to Qin Jinhai’s sudden "critical illness"?

Since Li Yuan came to see her, she had been paying close attention to every move of the Qin Family.

Qin Jinmo had taken over Qin Jinhai’s former company and employees, and many executives had resigned.

Mu Lin, Qin Jinhai’s long-time special assistant, was now working for Qin Jinmo, helping him win over key personnel and stabilize the company.

Qin Sheng and Li Yuan, on the other hand, had not made any notable moves.

When Wu Shi came in, he caught a glimpse of her unconsciously writing Qin Jinhai’s name over half a sheet of paper.

His pupils contracted sharply.

Was she thinking about him?

Fu Bing heard his footsteps and snapped out of her reverie.

When she saw she had written "Qin Jinhai" over a hundred times, her own expression was a mixture of emotions.

Acting nonchalantly, she turned the page and said, "Wu Shi, could you do me a favor?"

"Tell me."

"Help me look into Qin Jinhai."

Wu Shi didn’t express surprise but stated flatly, "Isn’t he dead?"

"Do you really think he’s dead?"

"I don’t know much about him. The man made too many enemies and often did the Qin Family’s dirty work in the past. It’s frankly a miracle he lived to this age."

"It seems you know quite a lot about him," Fu Bing said thoughtfully.

"I know a little. Tell me what you want to find out about Qin Jinhai. If I know it, I’ll share it with you."

"Just tell me what you know. I was once too close to him, which ironically means I understood him the least and couldn’t view him objectively."

Wu Shi sat on the sofa behind her, his hands lightly clasped, elbows resting on his knees, seemingly pondering something.

Fu Bing was not in a hurry, waiting for him to organize his thoughts.

After a long moment, Wu Shi’s assured voice filled the study.

"I’ll have to start with the Qin Family and explain things slowly for you to potentially understand."