Up ahead, a stylish, slightly plump middle-aged woman raised her voice to call out to him.
Mother Li, stepping gracefully in her high heels, walked towards Qi Zhi with a smile. As if she was afraid that others wouldn't hear, she pretended to be familiar and said in a loud voice
"Why didn't you give us a heads-up in advance?"
"Auntie Li." Qi Zhi looked at the middle-aged woman before him with a polite smile, but his eyes held no warmth.
If it weren't for these parents who treated their daughter as a cash cow, how could Li Mengfu end up jumping off a building?
"You've just finished your college entrance exams, and you're already visiting our Mengmeng?" Li's mother chuckled on the side, then eagerly brought over a chair for Qi Zhi to sit.
Li Mengfu's face showed a moment of embarrassment, her right hand tightly gripping the long sleeve of the red wedding dress costume.
Her parents had strict control over her, fearing she might fall in love earlier.
But ever since her mom found out that she and Qi Zhi were friends, she had been hinting, both subtly and not so subtly, that Li Mengfu should build a good relationship with him.
Li Mengfu might be young, but she wasn't naive. She knew exactly what her parents were planning.
Being close to Qi Zhi was one thing, but she didn't want him to think she was only friends with him because of his good family background.
Qi Zhi nodded slightly, his gaze roving over the set. "Thank you, Auntie."
Li's mother giggled, covering her mouth, her voice high-pitched and smugly condescending as she attempted to get closer:
"You're such a polite child. You've known our Mengmeng for so many years, you're practically like a son to me."
Li Mengfu stood on the side, feeling awkward, her toes curling in her shoes. Luckily, at that moment, the director called her to get ready. Li Mengfu hurriedly ran to the camera, trying her best to ignore her mother's fawning demeanor towards Qi Zhi.
Li Mengfu closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes bore the crazy, bewitched look of the "Miss Vengeful Ghost."
With no privileged background to rely on, Li Mengfu, a former child star, naturally possessed two brushes in acting.
Qi Zhi settled in to watch, his eyes reflecting a gentle, subtle radiance, as if he was looking at someone else through her.
Jingyue...
Qi Zhi's pupils gradually darkened, and he casually shifted his sitting posture, leaning back. His expression seemed careless, but his gaze remained fixed on Li Mengfu, draped in the red wedding dress costume.
The drama was set in the Republican era and the plot of this drama revolved around a pair of childhood sweethearts who got married, but the bride was murdered and thrown into a well on their wedding day. She turned into a vengeful ghost and met her husband's reincarnation.
Because the story was told in flashbacks, this web drama had an overall suspenseful and supernatural tone. The role of the "Miss Vengeful Ghost" was in stark contrast to Li Mengfu's previous image as a good girl.
It was a pivotal role in her transition from a child star to a serious actress.
Li Mengfu wanted everyone to know that she was a competent actress, not just the child star they remembered. That's why she performed with extraordinary dedication, even Qi Wei couldn't help but marvel at it.
*
"Brother Yan, Qi Zhi is here."
Qi Zhi's ears perked up as he heard people discussing him from a distance.
The person whispered, thinking she was speaking quietly, but Qi Zhi had once been a cat demon during a mission in the past and had a sharper sense of hearing than most people.
So even if it was over ten meters away, he could hear it.
"What if he's here? If we miss today, we won't get another chance," the man called Brother Yan said with a hint of ruthlessness in his tone.
The person was the agent of Ye Manting, the male lead of this web series. A few days ago, he approached Li's mother, asking for a 'CP' (couple pairing) between their young stars, but Li's mother firmly rejected it by saying, "My daughter is still a minor; we won't promote a CP."
While Li's parents saw their daughter as a cash cow, they were also clear about how to handle some things.
Li Mengfu was only seventeen and not yet legally an adult, so there were certain things she couldn't do, no matter how enticing the benefits were.
However, Ye Manting clearly didn't want to let this opportunity slip by. Li Mengfu's national fame and popularity were undeniable. If they could successfully promote a CP, next year, when Li Mengfu turns eighteen, Ye Manting could rise to even greater heights by relying on the title of 'National Sweetheart's First Love.'
"It seems that the relationship between Qi Zhi and Li Mengfu is not simple, and he is the heir of the Qi's household chemicals..."
Earlier, everyone saw how eager Mother Li was towards Qi Zhi just now. Li Mengfu had known Qi Zhi since she was thirteen or fourteen years old, and it was possible that the Li family had climbed up and made connections with the Qi family.
Before the woman could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Brother Yan, who spoke in a low, disdainful tone, "A yellow-haired boy whose family sells shampoo, what kind of noble is he?"
In this industry, there was no shortage of dignitaries.
Ye Manting dared to make a move on Li Mengfu simply because he had the backing of Jiaxin Films.
He was a male star highly promoted by Jiaxin Films in recent years. How could a powerless child star like Li Mengfu possibly compete with Jiaxin Films?
Qi Zhi's family was in the household chemical business, specializing in daily-use products. Their corporate image was down-to-earth and low-key, and they had little interaction with people in the entertainment industry. Even when Qi Zhi was chosen by a famous director, it was because he had auditioned on his own, unrelated to the Qi family's business.
Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, the Qi family, which had risen from a daily use chemical business, was now a towering giant.
However, in the eyes of people in this industry, the Qi family was nothing more than a nouveau riche family that had just become successful.
Hearing this conversation, Qi Zhi rested his index finger on his temple. A sneer appeared on his lips, and his gaze turned even colder.
In front of the camera, Li Mengfu was still immersed in her scene with the male lead of the series.
"Ms. Li..." Suddenly, someone called Li's mother.
"Xiao Qi, take your time and enjoy yourself," Li's mother exchanged a few pleasantries with Qi Zhi before walking away with the crew member.
"Hm," Qi Zhi straightened up in his seat, extending his divine sense to cover the entire set, not missing a single detail.
It wasn't until half an hour later that the woman who had been talking to Brother Yan in the corner suddenly made a move.
She put on a black cap that obscured other people's sight, and hung a work id around her neck, which she seemed to have grabbed from somewhere. She glanced around discreetly and then carefully turned the front of the id inward so that no one could see anything unusual.
If Qi Zhi hadn't been an unusual person and having preemptive caution, would he have noticed this woman who appeared to be just another crew member?
Qi Zhi rose to his feet, not making a sound. His face remained impassive as he silently followed her.
The crew members all knew that Qi Zhi was here for a set visit. Most of them glanced at him at most before going about their business as usual.
The small woman in the cap walked through the crowd with ease, swiftly slipping into the actresses' dressing room. She deftly used a key to unlock Li Mengfu's dressing room door.
Qi Zhi raised an eyebrow, casting a glance at the darkened surveillance cameras above the corridor.
Ye Manting's group had been plotting this for a while, not only having a key but also managing to sabotage the whole surveillance system on the set. No wonder they succeeded in the original plot.
Inside the tightly closed room, the woman opened the lid of Li Mengfu's half-empty milk tea.
She took out a packet of powder and pinched it between her fingers. A flurry of powder particles floated into the milk tea, and with a gentle shake, the powder instantly blended seamlessly, disappearing without a trace.
The cameras on the crew's set are all outside. In order to protect the privacy of the actors, there are no monitors in the lounge.
Qi Zhi sensed that this woman was very familiar with her surroundings and couldn't help but think that she had likely often assisted Ye Manting in these kinds of dirty tricks.
【System, record everything and investigate all the information on this woman.】 Qi Zhi instructed the system in his mind.
【Yes, Host.】
Within a moment, Qi Zhi's brain received the data from the system.
The milk tea had been bought by Qi Zhi, providing them with an unexpected opportunity.
Ye Manting believed he had orchestrated everything seamlessly, but he didn't anticipate the unexpected presence of Qi Zhi and the system.
In the original plot, they handed Li Mengfu a bottle of mineral water.
Li's mother didn't tell Li Mengfu about Ye Manting's intention to promote a CP. Being a young girl, she had no reason to suspect that the male lead of the production would try to force her by drugging her. It was only after she drank the mineral water that she became drowsy and fell victim to the subsequent naked photos.
Qi Zhi leaned against the door with a cold face. He made a slight movement of his neck, producing a faint, crisp sound of bones rubbing together.
After the woman finished her business, her right hand pressed down the hat and tried to leave in a hurry.
But when she opened the door, she met with Qi Zhi's expressionless gaze, which sent her taking half a step back in horror. She instinctively rubbed her fingers, which had handled the powder earlier while her eyes darted anxiously, and her lips trembled.
"Wang Chunhua, female, 32 years old, a distant cousin of Yan Ling, born in X Province, X City, X County, residential address..." Qi Zhi blocked the door, exposing her identity and accurately reciting her personal information.
Yan Ling had concealed Wang Chunhua's identity tightly, using her female identity to go in and out of the dressing rooms of female celebrities to do dirty and sordid things.
However, she didn't expect that one day, her identity would be revealed by the relatively young Qi Zhi.
The woman was visibly shocked, her gaze filled with fear as she looked at Qi Zhi.
Her face gradually paled as she thought about the Qi family behind Qi Zhi, realizing that she had run into a tough opponent this time.
Under Qi Zhi's sharp gaze, Wang Chunhua's complexion turned gray, and she croaked, "It's all because Brother Yan told me to do it."
Not knowing how long this young man had been standing at the door, Wang Chunhua was too afraid to push her luck, especially when she considered the Qi family behind Qi Zhi, which served as a powerful backing.
Qi Zhi's gaze turned colder and with a sinister smile on his face, he calmly stated:
"Don't worry, no one can escape."
*
After stopping Wang Chunhua, Qi Zhi made a call to his agent, Brother Wang, asking him to come and take control of the situation. Then, he and the system began to collect evidence of the crimes committed by Ye Manting and others over the years.
Qi Zhi had a background in computer science and had deliberately learned how to use online investigation techniques and gather evidence in two worlds. His efficiency in cooperating with the system was quite high, and within an hour, they had collected a substantial amount of information.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, and when you uncover the truth, it could be quite shocking.
No wonder these few individuals had the audacity to recklessly sabotage the set by tampering with the surveillance and drugging someone directly. They were indeed repeat offenders!
Qi Zhi tapped his fingertips, packing the evidence he sent it to the police station before heading back to the set.
"Cut!"
The director called for a break at just the right moment.
It was a scorching June summer day, and Li Mengfu was dressed in a thick red wedding gown. She was sweating profusely, and the makeup artist hurried over to blot her sweat and touch up her makeup.
Li Mengfu glanced around and realized that her mother and Qi Zhi were both not there.
Li Mengfu's sole responsibility was acting; her parents took care of everything else. Today, only her mother was present, so she couldn't be by Li Mengfu's side all the time.
Li Mengfu had long grown accustomed to this, so she casually asked, "Where's Qi Zhi?"
As her words fell, Qi Zhi appeared, carrying two unopened bottles of mineral water.
"Working hard, big star," Qi Zhi teased her with a smile, naturally handing her one of the bottles.
When Li Mengfu saw him, her eyes smiled, turning into two lovely crescent moons.
"Thank you," She took the water and promptly took a sip.
Several meters away, Ye Manting watched the interaction between the two of them. His eyes glinted with calculation, and he wore a friendly expression as he called out to Li Mengfu.
"Mengfu."