Chapter 102: Beating a Dog Depends on the Owner

Chapter 102: Beating a Dog Depends on the Owner

Ever since Yun Zi'an made Uzaki and Gu Ren leave the group after performing the theme song for 'Honey Snow Ice City', their team was effectively disbanded.

Initially, the production team planned to focus on filming their trio as the ace team, intending to use it as the main editing material for broadcast, but unexpectedly... the three of them were completely incompatible and couldn't coexist peacefully.

Plus, with pressure from Uzaki and Gu Ren's sides, the production team had no choice but to split their team, adding Uzaki and Gu Ren as external coaches to other strong teams.

As for Yun Zi'an, they adopted a laissez-faire approach, asking him which team he wished to join.

The production team internally was pleading for mercy, hoping he wouldn't cause trouble – they'd agree to anything as long as he behaved!

But unexpectedly, after receiving detailed information about each team, Yun Zi'an neither chose the one with the highest appearance value to be a 'vase', nor the strongest one to fight for the center position. Instead, he picked the least impressive, most inconspicuous, and utterly mediocre team...

If one had to describe this team...

The only fitting description would be "hopeless".

Unknown to them, Yun Zi'an was completely uninterested in any career progression at the moment; not withdrawing from the industry was already a courtesy to the director.

His mind was stuck on the night he parted on bad terms with Rong Xiao.

The phrase "Let's think long-term" spoken by Rong Xiao felt like a red-hot blade thrust into his heart, constantly tempered by flowing blood, emitting sizzling steam, spreading a thick, rusty iron taste from the depths of his throat, enough to make one feel like vomiting out their liver and gallbladder.

Over a thousand restless nights and days led to such a simple phrase... "Think long-term."

Wasn't he already thinking long-term?

If not for such caution, Yun Zi'an, upon learning of his mother's unjust death, would have taken a cleaver to his own father, Yun Xiangyu, rather than enduring and biding his time in the entertainment industry, carefully concealing his true self.

What sustained him through years of insult and slander was the belief in a dawn-like truth after endless dark nights.

To reinforce his belief, Yun Zi'an visited a nursing home on the outskirts of the capital before returning to the filming location of "Leaping Brothers."

The nursing home was simple and clean, with fresh air and abundant flowers and plants, but after being up for over a day and night, Yun Zi'an was too exhausted to appreciate the scenery, his nerves stretched thin like fraying thread.

The nurse, seeing his bloodshot eyes, was sympathetic but had to follow protocol, "Mr. Yun, I understand how you feel, but the old man’s health is deteriorating, often lapsing into prolonged comas. Even the doctors can't predict when he will wake up."

Yun Zi'an cast a longing glance at the intensive care ward’s window, where an elderly man with wrinkled skin and thinning hair lay.

This man, surnamed Zhang, had worked as a cleaner for the Yun family his entire life, starting from Yun Zi'an's grandfather's time. In Yun Zi'an's childhood, Zhang was his favorite playmate, tirelessly joining him in all sorts of games, willingly risking his old limbs.

However, when Yun Zi'an was eight, Zhang was expelled from the Yun family for allegedly hiding Pang Qin's earrings.

For a long time, Zhang was erased from Yun Zi'an's life, until three years ago, when his marriage to Rong Xiao was used as a bargaining chip. It was only when Yun Weibin, who always thought he was superior, realized something was amiss that he hastily revealed Zhang’s whereabouts and a truth that shattered Yun Zi'an's worldview.

Old and weakened by cancer, Zhang didn't have much time left. Yun Zi'an had expended considerable resources to extend his life by a few years, but Zhang was barely clinging to life in bed, needing constant care and unable to perform even basic tasks like eating.

When Zhang finally regained consciousness, a bigger blow followed – he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, irreversibly impairing his cognitive functions.

With the joint efforts of doctors at home and abroad, Mr. Zhang, now unable to speak, barely recognized Yun Zi'an and shakily wrote two characters in his palm: "dance" and "knife."

Yun Zi'an clenched his fist tightly, his eyes red as he asked Mr. Zhang, "Was my mother killed by someone who dances?"

Mr. Zhang nodded, then shook his head.

"The murderer... is a dancer?" Yun Zi'an asked again, "You inferred this from some characteristic you observed on him?"

Mr. Zhang nodded slightly in response.

"A letter opener was missing among my mother's belongings..." Yun Zi'an clutched at a clue, "So, my mother might have wounded the murderer with this knife? You saw it, didn’t you— You saw it—!"

But no matter how much he pressed, Mr. Zhang couldn’t recall anything more.

Yun Zi'an, recalling the faint cry of "He" he heard as he was dragged out of a fire as a child, pieced together a fragile truth: his mother was killed by a man, a dancer, with external traits of a dancer.

The crucial clue was the missing letter opener; his mother likely wounded the murderer with it, who then took the knife away from the scene. Finding this knife could provide the murderer's blood sample and DNA!

After returning from the nursing home, Yun Zi'an often fell into deep contemplation. He remembered seeing discarded theater tickets in his father Yun Xiangyu's study as a child, but after being caught in the study once, the door was no longer open to him.

Theater plays, a dancing man, a letter opener... these clues intertwined into a complex web, their mysterious connections almost inscrutable, forming a monstrous truth.

Having no other option, Yun Zi'an disguised himself and lingered around dance academies, casually approaching male dance students to gather information.

After aimlessly wandering for half a month, he realized the futility; anyone mingling with Yun Xiangyu was a significant figure in society. What could he learn by inquiring among students?

Later, a bar dancer hinted him: "Nowadays, the real money-making dance gigs are in rich people's beds. If you're looking for such people, enter the circle. With your looks, you won’t lack suitors."

So, Yun Zi'an plunged into the entertainment industry, particularly gravitating towards the wealthy, and ended up tarnishing his reputation.

These days, Yun Zi'an hadn't had a proper meal or a peaceful sleep. The fiery nightmare of the burning house relentlessly haunted him.

He relied solely on his looks in the industry, but now, his once handsome face visibly wore down with exhaustion. Even the makeup artist was startled during a photo shoot for a performance, exclaiming, "Yun... Mr. Yun! What happened to you!"

"'I'm sorry.' Yun Zi'an didn’t even have the strength to speak, just apologetically nodded to the makeup artist, 'Put on more foundation to cover it up for me.'"

"'This... this...' The makeup artist was heartbroken, 'What did you do to your face... Don’t you sleep? Look at these dark circles, these red eyes... How can you treat yourself so badly...'"

"'It’s nothing.' Yun Zi'an smiled indifferently, 'It'll be fine once I’m eliminated after the first round, I don’t really like this stage anyway.'"

"He had given up on himself completely now. It didn’t matter if he was condemned by thousands or despised by everyone. After all these years, hadn’t he been criticized enough?"

"But in truth... he just wanted to find the truth behind his mother's death..."

"But why is it... why is it so hard..."

"As the makeup artist was carefully applying his makeup, a commotion erupted from the studio, 'What do you use your brain for—!'"

"This shout startled everyone present. The makeup artist’s wrist was suddenly seized by Yun Zi'an’s icy fingers, causing her to shiver, as Yun Zi'an told her, 'Wait a moment.'"

"The studio was encircled by a crowd, but no one dared to approach the two in the center."

"Yuzaki’s upper body was drenched in coffee, angrily grabbing someone by the collar, 'With less than two hours until the show, you’ve dirtied my clothes, was this intentional or accidental—!'"

"Yun Zi'an squeezed through the crowd and immediately saw that the person Yuzaki was holding by the collar was his naive roommate Yan Shihao, who struggled with Chinese. At that moment, Yan Shihao’s face was flushed as he stuttered, 'I... I...'"

"Just as he was about to step forward, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist, 'Teacher Yun, don’t go...'"

"Holding the contract that symbolized his freedom, Yun Zi'an left the hotel room, quietly proceeding along the corridor. He entered the restroom, placed a 'Cleaning in progress' sign outside, and frantically scrubbed the bloodstains on his hands at the sink until they turned white and numb from the cold. Only then did he look up at his reflection in the mirror, his gaze sharply focusing on the crimson stain on his cheek."

"This marks the end of my involvement with Feitian..."

"For three years, in the eyes of others, I have been seen as a playboy, infamous and disreputable..."

"Under everyone's gaze, Yun Zi'an took a cup of hot coffee, pushed everyone aside, and headed straight for Yuzaki. He poured the entire cup over Yuzaki's head and sneered condescendingly, 'Thirsty, weren’t you? Had enough to drink now?'"