Volume One, Chapter 29: You Stole His Life

"You stole Zheng Zimo's life."

Chi Xingwan looked at Li Luoqi, her gaze calm, as though she was not accusing him but simply stating a fact.

Li Luoqi felt a surge of panic, his eyes evasive, but he quickly regained his composure. "You're slandering me. If you apologize to me now, I'll be willing to forgive you. Otherwise, you should find yourself a good lawyer—I won't let you off."

Chi Qianyu secretly rejoiced, but on the surface she said, "Cousin, hurry and apologize to Brother Qi. He's even-tempered, and even if you slander him, as long as you admit your mistake in time, he won't hold it against you."

Chi Xingwan continued to look past Li Luoqi, where the tormented spirit of Zheng Zimo drifted, unable to act under Chi Xingwan's oppressive presence, forced instead to recount his grievances piece by piece.

"The one who clung to wealthy women and snatched resources was you, Li Luoqi. Even during the selection program, you already had powerful backing. Your sponsors rigged the votes to ensure you debuted in first place—when in truth, if the competition had been fair, that honor would have gone to Zheng Zimo."

"After your debut, you were wary of Zheng Zimo and stole many of his opportunities, using your connections to suppress him. Even if he managed to appear on shows, he was only there to make others shine brighter."

"Yet he still seized a chance and took a minor role in a web drama. Though his appearance lasted only a handful of minutes, he became a sensation. In contrast, the company tailored an idol drama for you to star in, but it flopped silently. This infuriated you, and you noticed the company was starting to support Zheng Zimo."

"So you made your move."

With every sentence, Li Luoqi grew more unsettled, for everything Chi Xingwan said was true.

But he could never admit it—otherwise, his entire life would be ruined.

"Shut up! It's not true! If you keep slandering me, I will sue you!" Li Luoqi screamed, his voice hoarse.

Chi Xingwan frowned, finding him unbearably noisy. She signaled to Jin Feng, who understood at once and slapped a silencing talisman onto Li Luoqi.

The world fell quiet.

Chi Xingwan continued, "You threatened him, demanded he leave the entertainment industry. He resisted, so you twisted the truth, pinned false scandals on him, and even incited cyberbullying against him and his family."

"Li Luoqi, you drove Zheng Zimo to his death."

Li Luoqi's face was stricken with terror. He opened his mouth, but no matter how hard he tried, not a sound came out.

Behind him, a dense black miasma slowly took shape. Zheng Zimo's vengeful spirit glared with crimson eyes, contorted in hatred, desperate to leap forward and strangle Li Luoqi—yet paralyzed by Chi Xingwan's overpowering presence.

"Don't dirty your hands. I will see justice done for you," Chi Xingwan said quietly.

Chu Fangfei nodded in earnest, turning to Zheng Zimo. "You did much good in your life. In the next, you will be reborn in a better place. Don't entangle yourself with this wretch—he's not worth it."

The others were aghast. Xiao Shangwen, trembling, asked, "Who are you talking to? Zheng Zimo? How is that possible? There's no way in this world..."

He dared not utter the final word.

Liu Jian desperately signaled for him to stop. Was this young man insane, talking like this at such a time? What if Zheng Zimo thought they were allies of Li Luoqi?

Zheng Zimo began to regain his composure, gradually calming down, continuing to pour out his grievances, which Chi Xingwan repeated in full without missing a word.

"Even after he died, you wouldn't let him rest. Those stories you told during the selection process—about learning your family was ill, crying under the covers, encouraging fans through hard times—those things never happened to you. They all happened to Zheng Zimo. You stole his experiences and made them your own."

Li Luoqi himself had recounted these tales during the show’s taping the previous night.

Now, Chi Xingwan finally understood why the black miasma had grown so dense and murderous so quickly in so short a time. After being hounded to death by injustice, the perpetrator continued to feast on his suffering, determined to squeeze out every last bit of value.

Chi Xingwan removed the silencing talisman from Li Luoqi and pressed a truth-compelling talisman onto him.

"Now, what do you have to say?"

Realizing he could speak again, Li Luoqi opened his mouth, intent on denial.

"I framed him—so what? Did you expect me to treat him as a brother? Don’t be naive. He and I are the same type; he’s my competition. The more popular he got, the more I faded. People die for wealth, birds for food. Suppressing a rival is just business as usual. I did nothing out of the ordinary."

Li Luoqi clapped a hand over his mouth, shocked to hear himself reveal his darkest truths.

Chu Fangfei, furious at his shamelessness, lashed out, "You’re disgusting! You call this fair competition? You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing, feeding on others yet still pretending innocence. You destroyed a life—do you even realize that?"

Li Luoqi retorted uncontrollably, "He died because he was weak. What does that have to do with me?"

"You beast!" Even the always-calm Jin Feng could not contain his fury.

"What’s the point of your abuse? He took his own life. Even if you call the police, there’s nothing you can do to me." Li Luoqi sneered, his face the picture of petty triumph. Since he couldn’t control his mouth, he simply resigned himself to saying whatever came out.

"He overestimated himself. I gave him a chance—if he'd just left quietly, none of this would have happened. The slander, the abuse he and his family suffered, it was all his own doing."

The other four guests and the crew stared at him in horror, unable to reconcile the affable public persona of Li Luoqi with the darkness he revealed in private.

Xiao Shangwen, especially, was gripped by terror.

He and Li Luoqi were about the same age—Li Luoqi an idol, he an actor—both riding the wave of fleeting popularity, now appearing on the same show. Conflict was inevitable.

He realized with a chill: he could be the next Zheng Zimo.

No! Xiao Shangwen resolved to have his company pressure the production team—if Li Luoqi remained on the show, he would withdraw.

Chi Qianyu was also deeply unsettled. Earlier, she had firmly sided with Li Luoqi. If this got out, she would undoubtedly be dragged down with him.

She glanced at Director Guan, relieved that since this was not a live broadcast, he would not let the footage see the light of day.

Chi Xingwan paid the others no heed. Li Luoqi had said all that needed saying, and as the truth talisman’s effect faded, she turned to Zheng Zimo. "Come with me."

Zheng Zimo stood rooted, his blood-red eyes locked on Li Luoqi.

"I told you I would see justice done for you," Chi Xingwan said once more.

Whether out of faith in her or fear of her authority, Zheng Zimo finally drifted toward her.

With Zheng Zimo in tow, Chi Xingwan beckoned to Chu Fangfei and Jin Feng. The three, with the spirit in their midst, prepared to leave, but Director Guan hurried after them.

"Masters, is the... problem resolved?" he asked anxiously.

Chi Xingwan glanced at him without answering and walked away.

Overwhelmed by dread, Director Guan immediately called a halt to filming, desperate to put as much distance as possible between himself and Li Luoqi.