Song Wenwan was busy looking for someone who knew the ins and outs, so the test for Van Golo naturally came to an end. An assistant director took him to a closed compartment and told him to wait for a while, but didn't provide any specific details.
Van Golo naturally could feel the coldness and even aversion of these people, but he didn't ask anything, just found a quiet corner and sat alone. After a moment, a slight, imperceptible energy fluctuation appeared in the room, and Van Golo quickly raised his eyes and looked in that direction.
He gestured with his fingertips, and the energy fluctuation slowly approached, eventually condensing into a faint, almost imperceptible human-shaped mist, with two black teardrops falling from the head of the mist, around the eyes.
Van Golo caught these misty tears, his eyes revealing a knowing light.
"Have you gone home?" he murmured barely audibly.
The human-shaped mist nodded, more tears welled up in its eyes, but disappeared without a trace when they fell to the ground.
"Let me see." Van Golo casually propped his right hand on his knee, his fingertips naturally drooping, as he observed from the monitor, and no one could notice his abnormality. So the mist obediently squatted in front of him and carefully pressed its forehead against his fingertips.
The shaking image gradually became clear from the blur, a small black mist was sitting in front of the staircase just like when it was alive, its short arms hugging its thin legs, its small head buried in its arms, full of anxiety and anticipation. Today was the day when his mother was released from detention. He was afraid of her scolding, yet he couldn't control the longing in his heart, just like a little dog that had been hurt countless times, as long as the owner called 'baby' lightly, it would happily run over again.
A child's love for their parents is always natural and pure. When they are still young, no matter how many scars you leave in their hearts, they can always see your light. It's only when they grow up, understanding love and hate, joy and sorrow, that the light gradually fades away.
At this moment, the small figure was sitting in the dim doorway, watching his mother step out of the elevator with the support of his father, like a sudden beam of light in the world. He quickly stood up, timidly, whispering, joyous and fearful all at once.
The two exhausted figures walked into the living room and locked the door. The father led the mother into the kitchen and pointed at a stiff body stored in the refrigerator, saying, "I killed him." his tone was like saying "it will rain tomorrow."
The small figure stood still at the kitchen door, with dark eyes staring at them, and at its own body, unable to simulate an exact expression.
The mother opened her mouth wide, seemingly wanting to scream, but was firmly stifled by the father. His face contorted as he said, "It's not my fault! You beat him so hard usually, but he was unscathed. I just had a kick when drunk, and he died. How could I have known?"
The mother desperately grabbed him, scratched him, kicked and stomped on him, tears the size of beans streaming from her eyes, as if she had gone mad with grief. The man silently endured all her outpourings, taking her punishment without a word. After this ordeal, both of them were already exhausted and collapsed, while the small body was still curled up in the freezer, covered in layer upon layer of frost.
"I hit him because I had no choice! I was pregnant, and you were never at home; I gave birth, and you didn't come to the hospital until the next day. I looked after the child, while you were out socializing; I took the child to cram school, while you played games at home; I got depression, and you said I was being dramatic. Whenever I needed you, you were never there! Now, you've killed the child, and we're both free!" The woman neurotically laughed, muttering to herself, "If I had known this would happen, I should never have given birth to him in the first place. His fate was terrible, having us as parents! Haha, haha..."
The woman laughed intermittently, her voice getting louder.
The man had to again cover her mouth, apologizing repeatedly, "I'm sorry, my dear, I'm really sorry. Let's have another child, I promise to love him well, and love you well. I'll stay with you every day while you're pregnant; I'll stay in the hospital all night when you give birth; I'll help you with the child, take him to cram school. You can rest at home every day, do whatever you want, play games, go shopping, and I'll work hard to provide the best life for you and the child. Let's have another child, okay?"
The man caressed the woman's cheek, repeatedly asking, "Okay?" This long-lost and insincere warmth unexpectedly moved the woman's heart in this cold and absurd night, and she nodded in agreement with tears in her eyes, "Okay, let's have another one."
Neither of them noticed how the small mist shed two lines of blood-stained tears and struggled before almost dissolving as soon as the woman said these words.
He took a few steps back, as if he wanted to leave, but stood at the doorway for a long time. He tried to take a small step, then another... slowly moving towards the woman, before extending his thin arms to offer a hug.
At the moment he was about to embrace the woman, she suddenly stood up and decisively said, "We need to deal with the body, or you'll be caught by the police!"
The small mist looked up at her as her arm inadvertently pushed it aside, and its blood-stained teardrops had turned into a dense black. It slowly retreated, looking at the two of them numbly.
The man, who had spoken so many sweet words, had a purpose for all that. He was satisfied, swiftly bringing a travel bag and told the woman to put the body into it. The doorbell persistently rang, continuously for five or six minutes. They couldn't act dumb anymore, so they put the body back into the refrigerator, and nervously went to answer the door.
Seeing the woman in police uniform, the woman paled in fear, but the man smoothly handled the situation. He said he had sent the child to his grandparents' place, and as a busy man, the child would suffer if he followed him, so it was better to send him away. He even called his mother on the spot, asking if the child was okay.
His mother seemed prepared, and showered praise on the child.
As she didn't have the authority to barge into someone's home, Officer Liao found the messy living room unsuitable for a child to live and left.
The two took turns watching through the peephole, making sure there were no police outside. Then, they disposed of the child's body, tied a large rock to it, and took it to the artificial lake in the community. They put it on a small boat and sailed far from the shore to sink it. The community had few people, and the security cameras were broken, so they silently completed this action, but the small mist had observed all their actions.
These cruel fragments of memories gradually faded away in Van Golo's mind, and the only clear image was the defiant hands of the child, who willingly reached out despite being hurt. His longing to embrace was like a wedge, firmly embedded in Van Golo's mind. He remained silent for a long, long time, until the human-shaped mist trembled and dispersed several times before sighing almost inaudibly, "Even so, do you still want to go back?"
The small mist stood straight, shedding black tears as it nodded earnestly. It must return because it still had one last wish to fulfill.
"Alright, I'll take you home," Van Golo promised with each word.
---
At the same time, a heated argument broke out in the observation room. Song Rui sneered when he received the note, "Do you really think Van Golo needs to cheat using such lowly means? How do you explain his performance in the first round?"
"I seriously thought about it just now. In fact, it's easy to cheat in the first round test, just implant a Trojan program in our computer to control the probability of selecting the five pictures. Now thinking about it, his ability to draw four pictures in one breath and accurately predict all the pictures you'd choose, is this ability too otherworldly? Even in my dreams, I wouldn't dare think like this, but he did! Cousin, since you have so much confidence in Van Golo, why don't you let us rearrange the test questions? What are you afraid of?" Song Wenwan pressed.
Song Rui took off his gold-rimmed glasses, smiling helplessly and composedly, "Alright, do whatever you want, but you can't move those four boxes."
Song Wenwan looked at him, unable to fathom why he was so concerned about those boxes. But before she could dwell on it, a handsome man had entered the observation room and waved to her with a smile.
"Ah, Yun Tian! When did you return to the country? Is your art exhibition over?" When she saw this person, Song Wenwan's inner anger was completely extinguished, replaced by countless surprises. This person was her boyfriend, Yu Yuntian, a renowned oil painting master at home and abroad, as well as the Vice President of the Huaguo Art Association. His paintings could sell for millions, and at the age of thirty, he had already reached the pinnacle of his career as a legendary figure in the art world.
The two couldn't wait to hug each other, exchanging several enthusiastic kisses, the man handsome, the woman radiant, the scene as beautiful as an oil painting. Everyone present looked at them with envy, except for Song Rui who smiled with a hint of mockery.
Not knowing what Song Wenwan said to Yu Yuntian, he first showed an embarrassed expression, and then reluctantly nodded under her entanglement, leaving with a makeup artist.
Seeing Song Wenwan walking back alone, Song Rui understood, "Did you let him participate in the character test for Van Golo?" he asked knowingly.
Song Wenwan, complacent, tousled her long hair, "Yes, everyone in the world knows Yun Tian's life story. I blindfolded Van Golo and asked him to test Yun Tian's character. I want to see what he has to say." What she didn't say was that if Van Golo said anything wrong, she, the girlfriend who had already been publicly acknowledged by Yu Yuntian, could immediately step forward and expose him in front of the cameras and millions of viewers, tearing him to shreds on her show. He would have to bear every second of her revenge if he played tricks in her program!
Song Rui questioned, "Song Wenwan, I thought you and Yu Yuntian had broken up already?"
"Whether we break up or not is none of your business!" Song Wenwan showed a disinterested expression. In the Song family, only her cousin had persistently opposed her relationship, yet couldn't give her a valid reason, which made her very frustrated.
Song Rui wasn't one to meddle in other's affairs, and kept reminding his cousin that breaking up was his limit. He turned and looked at the young man waiting in the lounge, reminding one last time, "You will regret your decision."
"Cousin, I know you favor Van Golo, but can't you threaten me just for him? What have I done that's so abhorrent that I'll regret it in the end?" Song Wenwan knew her cousin wouldn't answer the question, so she picked up the walkie-talkie, urging, "Director, have the others been found? Hurry, we don't have much time."
The director replied, "Song, except for Teacher Yu, we've also found two other people, Yaya and Jeffrey, is that okay?"
Song Wenwan's eyes lit up, nodding immediately, "That's fine. Have them get ready soon, we're about to start recording."
Yaya had been with Song Wenwan since she was eighteen, and could be said to be in her direct line. She started working as a general worker at the TV station, then became Song Wenwan's assistant. Due to her few words and quick thinking, reliable and composed personality, she slowly rose to become a personal assistant, and was now in the process of studying screenwriting and writing under Song Wenwan's support.
Jeffrey was Song Wenwan's exclusive makeup artist, as well as a internet celebrity with five million fans, often producing makeup videos online. He was very capable in his business, having once been the stylist for a super A-list celebrity, but due to his forthright nature, he had offended some people and was fired, dropping out of the first-tier echelon in the fashion industry. However, those with keen eyes knew that although Song Wenwan wasn't a major celebrity, she still had real power. By following her, Jeffrey wasn't in dire straits, but had moved onto a better branch, and the people he had offended in the past would now avoid him.
Despite that, his intolerance for any slight had garnered him the nickname Sister Shredder (Jeffrey), making him more famous online than before.
Yun Tian, not to mention, comes from a family of scholars, graduated from a top international art academy at a very young age, and has won numerous awards both domestically and abroad. He has a large number of fans and is as well-known as A-list celebrities in terms of personality, appearance, family background, wealth, and status, making him a perfect match for Song Wenwan.
Ya Ya is someone that Song Wenwan knows inside out, while Yun Tian and Jeffrey are well-known to the public. Let's see how they fare in this test of Annolog. If he makes a mistake, he will face overwhelming doubts and ridicule.
As Song Wenwan contemplated, she took out a small mirror and touched up her makeup while muttering to herself, "Ah, why am I so clever? This must be what they mean by the greater the insight, the greater the realization."
Song Rui sighed again, "Wenwan, you will regret this."
Song Wenwan has never been one to listen to the opinions of others, unless forced to. She quickly ushered the three test subjects into the enclosed testing area, brought in four very soft and comfortable sofas, three of which were placed on a two-meter-high circular platform, and the other under a three-meter platform. Four boxes along with a long table were moved to an inconspicuous corner.
Yun Tian, Ya Ya, and Jeffrey were placed on the high platform, all with relaxed expressions. Being judged on one's character on the spot is akin to being stripped naked in public for some people, igniting a feeling of privacy being violated. But they felt no sense of crisis at this moment, as they never believed in the rumors on the Internet. Is there really someone who can see right through you inside and out, even to your bones? Of course not. Ultimately, it's just a low-quality publicity stunt!
The thoughts of the three seemed strangely in sync. When Van Gogh, whose eyes were heavily covered by a black cloth, was guided by the staff and walked closer, they raised their eyebrows, curled their lips, and revealed the same mocking expression.