Chapter 427: The Yellow Beast That Devoured Fairy Tales |
On the massive screen,
the scene abruptly shifted from the dim, cramped interrogation room
to a blindingly bright patch of sunlight.
A misty valley sprawled out, filled with bold, extravagant red flowers blooming unchecked.
And at the edge of the sea of flowers stood a three-story building painted pure white.
Red glazed tiles, a brand-new playground, a fluttering flag.
【Red River Hope Primary School】.
Those gilded letters gleamed brilliantly under the sun,
forming a grotesque, jarring contrast with the crumbling stilted houses surrounding it.
"Uncle Cha is here!"
Dozens of children in matching blue-and-white uniforms surged out of the classrooms, crowding around Lei Zhong.
They tilted up their faces, tinged with high-altitude rosiness, their eyes sparkling with admiration and affection.
In their eyes, this drug lord, whose hands were stained with blood, was a great benefactor—the one who built them roads, a school, and gave them new backpacks.
In the theater, the audience, still trembling from the bloody scene before,
now felt an even deeper chill crawling from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns.
"This is too..." the girl in the front row, whose makeup had run from crying, her voice shaking, "too ironic."
The screen cut to a close-up.
Lei Zhong crouched down, smiling warmly, and ruffled a child's head. He pulled a handful of White Rabbit creamy candies from his pocket.
"Be good. Study hard."
Lei Zhong's voice was gentle and mellow, just like a kindly grandfather next door.
If it weren't for the menacing figure standing behind him—Jiang He, exuding brutality, hand resting on the dagger at his waist—this would have been a perfect "rural charity portrait."
Then, the camera followed the two into a room with a sign reading "Charity Supplies Room."
The room was piled high with brand-new books and instrument cases.
Lei Zhong casually pulled a hardcover edition of *Andersen's Fairy Tales* from a shelf.
The cover was colorful, depicting the little match girl.
"Ah He, look," Lei Zhong said, handing the book to Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci, playing Jiang He, took the book expressionlessly.
It was heavy in his hand.
Lei Zhong extended his finger, his nails neatly trimmed.
He hooked the cover and tore it open with a sudden yank.
"Riiiiip—"
A harsh sound of fabric ripping.
The thick cardboard cover was ripped open, revealing a hidden layer inside.
A layer of pure white powder flakes, compressed to the thinness of paper under high pressure, but extremely dense.
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the theater.
"Through the charity donation channel, the school bus reaches the mainland directly."
Lei Zhong patted Jiang Ci's shoulder, his tone smug:
"Who would check a fairy tale book for impoverished mountain kids? It's hiding in plain sight."
"This is a good deed—accumulating virtue."
On the screen, Jiang He stared at the torn fairy tale book in his hand.
His Adam's apple bobbed violently.
In that moment, the light in his eyes was completely swallowed.
But he had to smile.
Jiang Ci's mouth twisted, the muscles in his face stiff, forcing a contorted grin.
"Uncle Cha... you're a genius."
As these lines were spoken, the air in Hall Four grew even more deathly still.
In the back row.
The man with burn scars on his face clenched his fist until it ached.
"Animal."
He spat the words through gritted teeth.
The plot pushed forward.
In the morning mist, a bright yellow, brand-new school bus slowly rolled into the frame.
Director Jiang Wen used an incredibly oppressive wide-angle low-angle shot here.
That bus, which originally symbolized safety and hope, under the lens distortion,
looked like a yellow beast with its jaws wide open, crouching at the village entrance, waiting to devour the children's future.
Dozens of cello cases and guitar cases were being loaded onto the bus by a group of grinning low-level dealers.
"Ah He, don't just stand there. Lend a hand." Lei Zhong stood by the bus door, a cigarette between his fingers.
Jiang Ci stepped forward silently.
He bent down and hoisted the heaviest cello case onto his shoulder.
In that moment, his shoulder dropped sharply.
A close-up captured the bulging veins on his neck and the cold sweat seeping from his temples.
It wasn't just the physical weight of dozens of kilograms of drugs.
It was the sound of countless families shattering, the weight of countless lives pressing down on his spine.
The dealers around him told dirty jokes and chatted about their evening plans for drinking and eating meat.
Only Jiang He remained.
He carried the sin, step by step, toward that abyssal school bus.
"Bang!"
The last case was slammed heavily onto the bus floor.
Jiang He stood at the bus door, panting heavily.
Just then, a tiny figure ran out from the group.
It was a little girl in old school uniform.
She was so thin, like a little bean sprout, clutching something tightly in her hand.
She timidly approached Jiang He and looked up.
Her eyes were big and dark.
"Uncle..."
The little girl's voice was thin and soft.
She opened her palm.
In it lay a fruit candy, wrapped in a wrinkled, crumpled piece of candy paper.
It was the most precious thing she owned.
"Thank you, Uncle, for helping us move things."
The little girl held the candy out to Jiang He.
This scene wasn't in the script.
It was a genuine, spontaneous reaction from that little background actor.
On the screen, Jiang Ci's body trembled for a moment.
The camera zoomed in on his face.
In that split second, the audience could clearly see—
The hardened facade in Jiang He's eyes, once filled with violence and numbness, was cracking inch by inch.
His pupils were shaking.
It was the final struggle of humanity in the abyss.
He wanted to take it.
The fingers on the hand hanging at his side twitched slightly.
But he couldn't.
Not far behind him, Lei Zhong was watching the scene with narrowed eyes.
Jiang Ci closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his gaze was vicious.
"GET LOST!!!"
A roar exploded through the theater.
Jiang Ci swung his arm, shoving the little girl hard.
"Plop."
The sound of the candy falling into the muddy ground.
The little girl stumbled from the push, fell, and scraped her knee.
She was terrified.
Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she looked at the uncle who had been helping them move things, unable to believe it.
"Whose little brat is this! Get on!"
Jiang He's face twisted in rage as he pointed at the bus door and roared, "Don't you dare dirty the boss's car! Get on!"
The entire hall fell into dead silence.
The sound of hearts breaking was almost tangible.
The little girl scrambled up, crying, and ran, stumbling onto the bus.
Jiang He turned around.
Facing Lei Zhong, his vicious face instantly switched to a sycophantic smile.
"Boss, these little brats don't know manners. I was afraid their hands would be dirty."
Lei Zhong laughed.
He walked over and patted Jiang Ci's face, the suspicion in his eyes fading.
"Good job." Lei Zhong praised. "A dog has to act like a dog. Don't let just anyone pet you."
The school bus door closed.
The engine roared, carrying the bus full of children and full of "fairy tales" off into the distance.
Dust flew up in clouds.
Jiang He stood in place, maintaining that fawning posture, watching the bus disappear into the distance.
Until Lei Zhong turned and walked away.
The camera moved around to behind Jiang He.
Only then did the audience see—
His right hand, hidden behind his back.
That hand, which had wanted to take the candy but had ended up pushing the child away,
was now digging fiercely into the seam of his pants.
His nails had torn through the fabric on the outside of his thigh, and it was still trembling violently.
Trembling more and more.
"Ugh..."
In the front row, the female fan who had been holding back her tears finally broke down.
She covered her mouth, her tears soaking through the tissue.
It hurt too much.
Jiang Ci sat in the darkness.
He felt the figure beside him, which had been sitting straight and rigid, slowly hunch over.
Chu Hong lowered her head deeply.
She understood.
She understood the meaning of this "pushing away" better than anyone else in the room.
Back then.
Jiang Yanjun came home occasionally but never let the young Jiang Ci come to the police station to find him.
Once, Jiang Ci missed his dad so much after school that he secretly ran to the station entrance.
Jiang Yanjun was with several informants at the time.
When he saw his son running over calling "Dad," his face changed drastically.
In front of everyone, he slapped Jiang Ci hard across the face,
scolding him as a "little beggar who'd mistaken the person," and then kicked him away.
That kick sent Jiang Ci running home in tears. He didn't speak to his dad for a whole month.
That night, Chu Hong was applying medicinal wine to Jiang Ci's bruises, crying and cursing Jiang Yanjun for his cruelty.
But later, late at night.
When she got up to use the bathroom, she saw Jiang Yanjun sitting alone on the balcony,
holding that bottle of medicinal wine, staring blankly at the moon.
That man, a full six feet tall, his shoulders shaking.
So that was it...
Chu Hong snapped her head up, staring at the lonely silhouette on the screen.
That was her son.
And also the shadow of her husband.
[Ding! Detected soul resonance from a loved one. Heartbreak Value +1288!]
[Current lifespan increased by: 6 months.]
In the last row.
That young plainclothes police officer,
who, in the line of duty, had also been forced to turn a cold face to innocent people,
suddenly let out a curse.
"Damn it."
He punched the armrest hard.
His voice was muffled, tinged with a sob.
The veteran criminal investigator next to him didn't stop him.
He just pulled out a crumpled pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket,
took one out, and held it under his nose, breathing in deeply.
"This kid..."
The old investigator's voice was hoarse. "He's dug up all that unspeakable bitterness we carry in our hearts."
"This isn't acting anymore."
"This is him, for people like us... erecting a monument."
On the screen.
The yellow school bus had shrunk to a small black dot, disappearing at the end of the winding mountain road.
Jiang He was still standing there.
The wind blew, stirring up dust that covered his face.
Just then.
A voiceover came through.
Lei Zhong's sinister, laughter-laced voice sounded:
"Ah He, don't watch anymore."
"Tonight, I'll take you for a spin at the factory in back."
"Since your hands are already dirty, go and... taste the new goods for your uncle."