A Visit to Hei Lao (Part 1)

Zhao Dongchuan was no "saint" either. When Shi Jian crashed into him, he naturally wouldn't go easy. This damn sidekick system wanted him to be Zhang Jian's "nanny," so he could only comply.

In the following days, those with well-informed sources said that Shi Jian was originally going to jail for "improper relations between men and women," but his wife's family used their connections and pulled some strings. After much effort, he was bailed out. After all, their daughter was pregnant, and her father's family couldn't let the child be born without a father by its side.

However, it's likely Shi Jian's life wouldn't be easy from now on. Not only did he lose his job, but he also suffered a social death. He would have to walk on eggshells from now on.

With Shi Jian's matter settled, only Han Xiaoyan remained.

This young girl, despite her tendency to gossip and sow discord, wasn't as malicious as Shi Jian. Zhao Dongchuan only intended to scare her.

In the following days, after Zhao Dongchuan found out Han Xiaoyan's home address, he planned to visit her at night.

He found a theatrical troupe and bought a colorful mask from a master.

Late at night, Zhao Dongchuan snuck into Han Xiaoyan's room.

He deliberately made some noise to wake Han Xiaoyan. When she groggily opened her eyes, she saw a terrifying mask appear before her, scaring her into a scream.

"Ah!!!"

"Heh! Heh! Heh!" Zhao Dongchuan let out an eerie laugh.

"I am the Tongue-Plucking Emissary! My subordinates reported that you enjoy sowing discord, stirring up trouble, and slandering others. I have come specifically to take you!!!"

"No, no, no!!! I'll never dare again!!! Please let me go!!!" Han Xiaoyan was scared out of her wits, pleading for mercy in a hurry.

Wearing the mask, Zhao Dongchuan couldn't help but laugh inwardly at Han Xiaoyan's terrified state.

"Little girl, if you can't control your mouth, if I don't deal with you today, someone else will deal with you in the future, and that won't just be a scare."

Zhao Dongchuan mused to himself!

He waved his hands, steadily approaching, while saying, "Heh! Heh! Heh! If you can truly repent, this Emissary can let you go, but you must do good deeds and accumulate virtue every day. Only then can you resolve the karmic debt on your body!!!"

"Ah! I will... I will... Please let me go..." Han Xiaoyan immediately knelt on the bed, kowtowing repeatedly.

Zhao Dongchuan nodded. After this incident, Han Xiaoyan would likely rein herself in. He then used his Lightness Skill to float away!

Han Xiaoyan kept kowtowing and begging for mercy. After a long silence, she cautiously and slowly looked up, only to find that there was no one else in the room besides her.

She immediately felt a wave of relief and burst into tears.

At this time, her family, awakened by the commotion, quickly dressed and got up to enter the room, to see what had happened.

Her parents looked at their daughter, who was crying uncontrollably, with confused expressions, thinking she had been "bullied."

As Han Xiaoyan described what happened in a tearful, broken voice, her parents finally relaxed and comforted her, "Xiaoyan, you had a nightmare! Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"

But by then, Han Xiaoyan was utterly terrified, continuously murmuring, "No, no!"

As time passed, after a night of comfort, she slowly recovered her senses.

Afterward, her parents asked for a few days off for her to recuperate at home. At the same time, they secretly took Han Xiaoyan to a temple to burn incense and worship Buddha, which slowly put their minds at ease.

After this incident, Han Xiaoyan finally changed her bad habit. In the days that followed, she began to constantly help others, doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, and gradually became a kind-hearted girl. She eventually married into a good family... but that is a story for later.

While Zhao Dongchuan was rectifying the workplace, he also constantly organized team-building activities with the people in Zhang Jian's office. Finally, with his unremitting efforts, the situation underwent a significant change, and their relationships became harmonious.

On one hand, Zhang Jian's status in the industry unknowingly improved because he was Zhao Dongchuan's editor, responsible for the publication of his new works.

On the other hand, due to the positive influence of Zhao Dongchuan's "team building," they communicated more, interacted more, and many previous misunderstandings and rumors naturally dispelled themselves.

"It seems this matter is settled!" Zhao Dongchuan murmured to himself, lying on the bed in the guesthouse.

He had spent so much time and energy, and it was finally time to reap the rewards. Counting the days, more than twenty days had passed, and the task deadline was less than a week away. He figured that after a few more days of fermentation, his task would be complete.

Originally, he had planned to thoroughly explore the provincial capital after dealing with the publication of "yellow earth," to visit the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, and then to observe the Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River.

He didn't expect the system to "resurrect" and disrupt his plans.

Now he finally had some free time! He couldn't help but feel a little lighter, stretching lazily!

Most of the matters were taken care of. He planned to visit Old Hei, Director Wang's good friend, tomorrow.

When he came, Director Wang had even written him a "letter of introduction," hoping Old Hei would look after him. Clearly, Zhao Dongchuan had no such intention, nor did he need it.

However, getting to know an elder in the literary world and broadening his horizons was also a worthwhile experience.

That day, after eating breakfast, Zhao Dongchuan rode his bicycle towards the address Director Wang had mentioned.

After riding for a while, he arrived at a small Western-style house on North Street, near Lianhu Garden.

It was a two-story villa with a yard full of flowers and plants, and a tall plane tree. It was truly a place with good feng shui.

Seeing that the courtyard gate was open, Zhao Dongchuan slowly entered the yard, calling out, "Hello, is anyone home!"

Hearing someone call out, the front door of the villa on the first floor slowly opened, and an old woman with black and white hair walked out.

Zhao Dongchuan surmised that this person was Old Hei's wife, and he spoke, "Hello, I am Zhao Dongchuan from the Huangyuan Cultural Center. I was entrusted by Director Wang to visit Old Hei!"

The old woman, hearing this, said with a laugh, "Little fellow, you've come at an inconvenient time. My old man was just invited to a seminar yesterday, and he won't be back for a while!"

Zhao Dongchuan was surprised!

Well, it really was inconvenient.

Just as he was wondering whether to leave directly and come back in a few days, or to wait a bit longer, the old woman said, "Come in and sit down!"

"Old Wang called us earlier and told us about you, but we waited and waited for days and didn't see you, so we thought something had happened!" Old Hei's wife said with a laugh.

"Alright, little fellow, don't just stand there. Come in, sit down, have some tea, and chat with an old woman like me!"