Chapter 494
474 The Past of Chi Piao
Chapter 494, Section 474: The Past of a Late Journey (8)
The incident actually occurred not far from the headquarters of Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals. Xu Huan came here not only to pick up Chi Piao, but also on the orders of the Crown Prince to check on the progress of Tantai Hui's mission.
The blind master's work never goes wrong, and this time was no exception.
Xu Huan glanced at it a few times, then left with Chi Piao.
On the way back, Chi Piao followed quietly behind. It was obvious that after a month of training, she had learned how to become a qualified henchman for Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals.
Xu Huan didn't say anything more, he simply asked:
How many words have you learned recently?
Chi Piao was clearly somewhat dazed.
During her time under the blind master, her most direct feeling was that Black Pupil Pharmaceutical prioritized light, and all other factions were treated like watchdogs at the gate.
Having been subjected to repeated forced mental interference, she had developed a fear of the Light faction. Xu Huan spoke calmly and gently, but she still swallowed hard, somewhat apprehensive, and said:
"...I didn't learn it, and I've forgotten everything I learned before."
Xu Huan choked for a moment. He could hear the fear in Chi Piao's tone. Although he knew the blind master's strong control, he did not expect that with the innate advantage of being illiterate, one's emotions could be tamed so quickly.
He didn't criticize her for not studying, nor did he lecture her; instead, he changed the subject:
"When I arrived, I saw you were holding medicine... Are you having mental problems?"
Remembering Xu Huan's earlier words, Chi Piao pointed to her head and said with difficulty:
My mind is a mess.
Xu Huan stopped, turned around and looked at her, asking like a patient therapist:
"Have you seen any hallucinations or heard any auditory hallucinations? Is there anyone around you talking to you from a distance?"
Chi Piao looked at her gentle and refined boss and replied:
"I heard people say you are an evil spirit, vicious, cruel to human life, selfish, and a man who uses others to do his dirty work..."
"Oh?"
Xu Huan paused for a moment, thinking for a second.
"Then this isn't a hallucination; your mind is perfectly normal."
Seeing that Chi Piao was becoming increasingly fearful and anxious, Xu Huan felt it necessary to help her understand her own image. He asked gently:
"Your colleague told you these things, didn't he? That guy named Feng Shiman, I remember him, the blind master's new puppet... subordinate."
Chi Piao nodded, and Xu Huan nodded slightly before continuing:
“He’s right. My nickname is ‘The Schemer.’ I’m one of the three top strategists right now, and I belong to the left. You may not be aware of the left’s infamy, but your deceased sister would know.”
"Because she is a rising star on the right wing, upright and kind, and is my adversary."
Chi Piao suddenly opened her eyes wide, speechless. She didn't know whether to criticize, be angry, or be sad, because she hadn't read many books and didn't really understand the difference between the left and the right.
She was more confused than anything else, unsure how to respond when her boss said that.
"...Yes, I understand, sir."
There was nothing wrong with her answer, but Xu Huan looked intently into her eyes.
The left wing of the strategist branch is selfish, cunning, and extreme. They only care about themselves and what they care about. They can use threats of life to plot all sorts of insidious things for their superiors.
It can be said that in order to protect themselves, they would harm everyone in the world without any moral bottom line, which is well-known throughout the entire talent world.
Chi Piao remained unmoved upon hearing the title of a leading figure in the left wing, which puzzled Xu Huan.
He didn't say anything more, just turned his head and continued walking forward.
The moon in the sky was incomplete. He squinted at the moonlight, but then he remembered something from long ago.
Xu Huan actually had a friend when he was at Radiant Academy, but later he was exceptionally talented, skipped grades to graduate, and entered Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals, so he rarely contacted that person anymore.
When I heard from him again later, he had already started working at the television station.
The job as a low-level strategist at the TV station was relatively easy. Having just entered society, he had gained some insight into the environment of the "bright camp," and even reconnected with old friends, jokingly telling Xu Huan that it was a place where a bunch of mentally ill people gathered. At that time, he still considered Xu Huan an old friend and didn't think that geographical distance and work environment could be a barrier between them.
As he rose through the ranks, his work at the television station became increasingly important.
Until one day, he discovered Black Eye Pharmaceuticals' deception and control over the Fraudster Sequence.
All of this was orchestrated by Xu Huan, and it was even his ticket to becoming a top strategist.
This man was an upright and kind-hearted right-wing strategist, and at that moment he broke down.
His old friend's true colors plunged him into a state of constant internal strife, until he developed a serious mental illness and had to be hospitalized for treatment.
The most authoritative hospital for treating mental illnesses is the mental hospital—the front arm of Black Eye Pharmaceuticals.
When Xu Huan saw him again, he was already at her bedside.
His friends, who were once full of vigor and joked around with him, now have dazed eyes and are mentally confused.
"Did you do all those things?"
That's what the man asked.
“I have a fellow patient who told me a lot about your conspiracies. You have harmed so many people... Don’t you feel guilty?”
Xu Huan didn't answer the question, but instead asked:
"Is your fellow patient Mr. Parallel Scholar?"
The man kept his mouth tightly shut.
Seeing this reaction, Xu Huan, who knew the right-wing temperament well, became certain that it must be a parallel artist.
Even if he guessed it, there was nothing he could do about it. After all, the Parallelists were skilled at confusing people and couldn't find their true location. He asked the question simply out of curiosity and to change the subject.
Xu Huan took out a medicine bottle from her pocket, poured out two pills, and said gently to him:
"Your mental health issues are serious; you need medication."
He placed the two pills on the bedside table and poured him a glass of hot water.
"Remember to eat, I'll have the nurses supervise you."
The man looked sadly at the two pills, as if he had realized something:
"These two pills are..."
“Old friend, you work at a TV station and know too much.”
Xu Huan interrupted him and said gently.
That day, he calmly put the medicine bottle back into his pocket and walked out of the ward again.
There will be a special gossip post this afternoon, and the gossip is about a TV station strategist who died in bed due to mental illness.
Stepping outside and seeing the bright sunshine, he was momentarily dazed.
It's like seeing that person again when we were still in school, smiling as they put their arm around my shoulder and said we'd be best friends for life.
If he hadn't seen all of that, perhaps it was indeed possible.
But there are no "what ifs" in this world; things have changed and people have changed.
For the sake of his own rights and status, he was willing to betray the entire world.
This is the reason for Xu Huan's fame, and it is also the principle he has always believed in.
This person's story has been mentioned before, but only briefly, because the main plot revolves around Jiang Jianxin's life. In Jiang Jianxin's life, he is merely a stranger in a forum post. However, he is currently part of the side story of Chi Piao and Xu Huan, and he is very important in Xu Huan's life. He is not just a life condensed in a single sentence on the forum, but a person who has truly lived and breathed.
(End of this chapter)