??Chapter 33: 033. My house does not have a water ter_1
Chapter 33: 033. My house does not have a water ter_1
“Hello?”
Lu Ban moved to the balcony of the room, sliding the glass door between the balcony and the room shut while watching Qin Tiantian, who, despite the sumr heat, was asleep hugging a pillow and wrapped in a blanket. He answered the phone at the sa ti.
There was a mont of silence on the other end.
Just as Lu Ban began to wonder if he might hear so eerie sound from the phone and find himself receiving a videotape with a well and a woman the next day, a voice ca through.
Luckily, it was a human voice.
“I’m sorry for calling so late, may I ask if this is Mr. Lu Ban? Your userna on the old day video website is Motionless, right?”
“I don’t have a water ter.”
Lu Ban replied imdiately.
“?”
The person on the other end seed taken aback, unsure of what Lu Ban was talking about. But he was clearly experienced and quickly adjusted his deanor.
“It’s like this, Mr. Lu Ban. I am the secretary of the chairman of Jiangcheng Industries, Li Zijian. We saw your video exploring the Jiangcheng Grand Theater online and would like to discuss it with you. Do you have ti tomorrow? I’m truly sorry for disturbing you so late at night.”
From the voice of the man claiming to be Li Zijian, Lu Ban could detect a hint of reluctance, like an employee who is called by his boss on New Year’s Eve during dinner to chase a client for paynt, compelled by the annoyance of life to put on a professional smile and pursue the client despite his unwillingness to disrupt their festive spirit.
“Are you going to sue ?”
Lu Ban blurted out as his first reaction.
The Jiangcheng Grand Theater was now a derelict property under Jiangcheng Industries, a part of their assets. Was his venture considered illegal trespassing?
But no, that couldn’t be right. There were no warning signs or no-entry signs around it. Simply looking around inside shouldn’t be illegal, right?
He decided to watch so legal videos later to learn more.
“…No, that’s not it, you’ve misunderstood. Our chairman saw the video and wants to ask you so questions,”
Li Zijian on the phone hesitated, caught off guard by Lu Ban’s response, and took a mont to reply.
“Your chairman?”
Lu Ban slled sothing fishy.
“Yes, I don’t know if you’ve heard of her, but our chairman’s na is Song Yunyan.”
Thump—
Lu Ban’s heart skipped a beat.
Song Yunyan?
Wasn’t she… the one who died at Jiangcheng Grand Theater?
“Mr. Lu?”
Li Zijian was puzzled by Lu Ban’s sudden silence.
“…Yeah, where should I be and at what ti tomorrow?”
Lu Ban gathered his thoughts and asked in return.
“You don’t have to travel; we will send a car for you at 10 a.m. Your current address is Building 4, Room 1304 in XX Complex, correct?”
Li Zijian smoothly recited Lu Ban’s current address.
“…Right.”
Lu Ban acknowledged.
“Okay, I’ve got it. I won’t disturb Mr. Lu’s rest any longer.”
The person on the other end hung up the call.
Lu Ban stood on the balcony, listening to the lody of a classic New Year’s Gala song from the room, feeling sowhat bewildered.
Setting aside how the other party got a hold of his account, identity, and address information—for in the internet age, privacy is powerless before capital, and a bit of money spent on investigating the video site’s real-na system and property agent’s rental records associated with one’s ID card would reveal all these—Lu Ban’s concern lay elsewhere.
He picked up his phone, searching for news on Song Yunyan while also comparing it to the old newspaper images he had downloaded.
Then, Lu Ban realized he had indeed been negligent.
The news at the ti focused on Du Danping’s death, ntioning that there were five people in total, but it didn’t state that Song Yunyan had also perished at the sa ti.
So was Song Yunyan at the scene but not killed by the fire?
Was she the daughter of the forr chairman of Jiangcheng Industries, who had now taken over the reins to beco the president?
“Did Song Yunyan co to
after seeing my exploration of Jiangcheng Grand Theater and the performing Du Danping?”
Lu Ban felt he had figured out what was going on.
“It’s good that I didn’t release the footage where I smashed the head of Du Danping’s ghost. Otherwise, would Song Yunyan turn
to ashes?”
He realized belatedly.
“Or is it that Song Yunyan is indeed dead, and the current ‘Song Yunyan’… is actually sothing masquerading as her?”
Another possibility surfaced in his mind.
“Forget it, I’ll leave these worries for tomorrow’s . Ti to sleep!”
Lu Ban decided not to dwell on his troubles.
He lay on the chair, falling asleep to the sound of “Congrats on Getting Rich.”
…
The next day, eight o’clock.
Lu Ban awoke on ti, the song still playing in his ears.
“Running forward, facing cold stares and mockery, how can one feel the vastness of life without facing hardships…”
He glanced at the bed. Qin Tiantian was sleeping like a dead pig, unmoving.
Lu Ban sat up to wash and dress before heading out to buy breakfast.
Two stears of soup dumplings, two bowls of soy milk, four fried dough sticks, all packed to take ho.
By the ti he got back ho, Qin Tiantian had just gotten out of bed, looking half-asleep with her eyes barely open.
Lu Ban placed the breakfast on the living room table and, thinking about the thods he saw for increasing followers, decided to establish his own image.
To build an image, it shouldn’t be too deliberate; it needed to be a casual act.
So, he took his phone, snapped a photo of the breakfast, and posted an update on the old video networking site.
“How did everyone sleep last night? Ti for breakfast!”
This positive update was sure to inspire people!
No sooner had Lu Ban put down his phone and opened the take-out containers than his update notifications began to vibrate.
He dipped a dough stick into the soy milk with one hand while scrolling through the comnts with the other.
“It’s TM all because of your video that I didn’t sleep a wink all night!”
“Isn’t this breakfast from so Netherworld takeaway?”
“Wait a minute, look closely, isn’t there a human head in this soy milk?”
“Jeez, are you trying to take revenge on society this early in the morning?”
“Soy milk must be salty!”
“Scram, who can drink salty soy milk?”
All sorts of comnts popped up in just a few minutes.
Lu Ban’s followers had nearly reached fifteen thousand; on the old video networking site, he was considered a small UP with his own circle.
“Is there sothing wrong with the photo?”
Seeing the comnts, Lu Ban clicked on the photo to enlarge it and examine it closely.
He saw that there indeed was a reflection of a face in the soy milk—a face that was not his own.
“Don’t just stand there, start eating.”
Lu Ban saw Qin Tiantian’s reflection on his phone and looked up to urge her.
“I slept so well, your bed is really sothing special. I’ve never slept this comfortably at ho.”
Qin Tiantian stretched lazily like a cat, then took a seat opposite Lu Ban at an angle where she could ‘see nothing.’
“I need to go out soon; you should head ho.”
Lu Ban asked.
This woman couldn’t possibly be wanting to freeload on his bed, could she?
His bed was at most for his ragdoll cat with the ocean blue eyes to enjoy, as for won—the further away, the better!
“Of course, I’ll leave as soon as you’re out.”
Qin Tiantian yawned, picked up her chopsticks and started on her breakfast.
Both of them browsed their own phones while silently finishing their breakfast.
After tidying up a bit, at exactly ten o’clock, Lu Ban’s phone rang.
It was yesterday’s number.
“Hello, Mr. Lu, I’ve arrived downstairs, and the car is ready.”
Lu Ban responded and glanced out the window to the street below.
Well, look at that, is that so kind of a stretched luxury car?
Qin Tiantian, peeking alongside him, also noticed the black luxury car that stood out against the neighborhood’s surroundings.
“Wow, is your family a hidden rich second generation?”
She even began to hum a little tune.
“Shut up.”
The soon-to-be passenger of the black luxury car, Lu Ban, had no interest in listening to a woman sing.
*
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