Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Sooner or Later, You Will Reunite With People and Things From the Past
The beauty expo by Tilans invited many big names from the industry, both domestic and international, and as the brand ambassador, Shi Su would naturally make an appearance at the expo.
During the daytime expo, Tilans had specific attire requirements for her, requiring her to wear the outfit from the advertisement promo for her appearance.
The expo ended around three in the afternoon, and the dinner arranged by Tilans was to be held at 7:30 PM at the Shuiyue Qingtian Hotel in Jiang City.
Shi Su changed into that off-shoulder starry sky gown, and the stylist thought it suited her very well. The gown was designed in a unique way that accentuated Shi Su’s perfectly delicate curves with a tightly cinched waist. The skirt naturally flowed downwards, with its thin, airy material looking both ethereal and lively, adorned with stars on the hem, its misty blue base color resembling the night sky under the stars.
This formal gown was the type that needed to be put on from above, requiring a change of clothes before doing hair and makeup.
The stylist was found by Jun, coming from a very professional styling studio. These people who work with celebrities have often seen all kinds of stars and are known for their flattering words, being particularly adept at observing and understanding people’s expressions.
Just during the small time it took to do the hair and makeup, Shi Su unintentionally overheard them chatting about various industry tidbits, often mentioning Shi Su as well, saying how beautiful she was; how as the Greater China region ambassador for Tilans, she was surprisingly incredible, but upon meeting her, one couldn’t help but fall to their knees to her beauty. Though all this was flattery, it was spoken with such naturalness and sincerity.
In just a moment, the stylist started talking about a recent incident where they were working on a popular actress who acted like a diva and splashed a cup of hot water onto the makeup artist’s face.
Shi Su would occasionally respond perfunctorily with phrases like "Never heard of it," "Uh-huh," "Ah, okay," while gossip went in one ear and out the other, as she texted Wen Ke on WeChat.
The long-held murder case over on Nanzhao Road had new leads, and Wen Ke, who had only joined after just arriving back in the country, personally solved the case; recently he’s been busy with other things. Today, while on duty at the police station, he wasn’t as busy, and so he chatted with Shi Su for a bit.
Wen Ke: [Regarding your last car accident and river plunge case, besides the clues provided by you and the other two people in the car, we have also received other leads. The person offering these clues left no name and identity, and somehow managed to send these clues and materials to the internal email of the city headquarters, making them take your case very seriously.]
Shi Su: [What other leads are there?]
Wen Ke: [The driver responsible for the accident hasn’t woken up yet, but there have been quite a few changes with his wife and child. First, their son got into a prestigious school, and then his wife’s name suddenly had an additional property. The property isn’t in Jiang City; it’s in an obscure countryside place in their hometown. Because it’s in the countryside, the transfer wasn’t registered immediately, which makes it easy to overlook, but it’s one of the key points in the case.]
Shi Su: [Any other leads?]
Wen Ke: [Yes, the mysterious informant provided very comprehensive information. As you and I suspected, they are indeed connected to Shi Yunyin in various ways. Even though she seems flawless in her actions, the mysterious informant must be quite a formidable figure, having discovered even the slightest traces. Though they haven’t personally appeared, turning over all of these to the city bureau creates a sufficient degree of indirect pressure.]
Shi Su was perplexed, a mysterious person?
Where did such a mysterious person come from who would help her in this way?
"Dear, is the eye makeup okay like this?" The stylist, noticing Shi Su glued to her phone, squinting at it because of the anti-peep film stuck on it, couldn’t see what she was chatting about, though curiosity glinted in her eyes as she adjusted Shi Su’s hand and asked softly.
Shi Su raised her eyes to look at herself in the mirror. Given that her dress and jewelry were already dazzling enough, the makeup didn’t need excessive embellishment, just a light look that matched her aura would do.
Despite the stylist being quite gossipy, their skill in makeup was genuinely good, and the hairstyle also matched the expectation Shi Su had in her heart.
"Not bad, it looks great," Shi Su evaluated.
After saying this, she continued to lower her eyes to the phone while saying, "If you could move the hair a bit to the left, it would keep it from all falling to the right when I walk."
The stylist quickly checked her hair and took Shi Su’s suggestion to adjust some finer details in her hair.
Shi Su tapped on her phone’s screen, typing: [Can the recording I sent you last time be of significant value?]
Wen Ke: [Of course it can.]
Wen Ke knew what Shi Su had never given up on beneath her calm surface all these years.
Being an extra on American film sets wasn’t a coincidence, nor was signing into the entertainment industry.
The entertainment circle here isn’t that big; if you genuinely wanted to avoid it, you wouldn’t step into it, eventually meeting familiar people and events from the past. There aren’t that many coincidences.
The overwhelming fire five years ago, from which Shi Su crawled out alive, she never planned to let Shi Yunyin and the family that gave her a half-life of nightmares go.
Though she has been drifting for five years and her influence is weak, it’s not something that could be accomplished swiftly overnight. During the first year in the United States, Shi Su also experienced depression and was once seriously ill.
The birth of Shi Mianmian seemed to pull her completely into the light from the darkness. From then on, every step Shi Su took was to grasp firmly onto the light she desired.
Wen Ke: [Chu Shangdong indeed had a sentence reduction, but the exact release date hasn’t been determined yet. The people at the prison said he’s behaved very well these years, speaks little, but is very proactive in everything he does.]
Holding her phone, Shi Su looked at the line of text from Wen Ke, feeling a chill in her fingertips.
Wen Ke: [You’ve seen with your own eyes how someone this hypocritical could tear open the mask and transform into a beast. The more silent and restrained a person is, the more they have long-suppressed things inside them. The more honest they are inside, the stronger their aims become when they get out.]
Wen Ke: [If he truly repents and disappears after coming out, then fine, but if he seeks out Shi Yunyin, he will certainly also find you. As a public figure now, it’s hard for you to hide your whereabouts, so you must be very careful.]
Shi Su pinched her slightly cool fingers and typed on the phone screen: [Isn’t there an unspoken rule inside that those who commit sexual assault or molestation crimes are usually bullied, ostracized, or even beaten to disability? How could he still come out?]
Wen Ke: [Chu Shangdong is used to being a teacher, and he carries an aura of a cultured person. With some wit, he can easily manage the reckless criminals inside who engage in illegal activities. Even though he’s not a high-IQ criminal, he’s certainly not a fool. In this day and age, it’s rare to get a reduced sentence. It shows his strong intention.]
Wen Ke has always been accurate in criminal psychology judgment, and this formal reminder indicates that it’s highly likely everything could indeed happen.
The makeup artist used the pointed handle of the comb to gently adjust Shi Su’s hair to one side and then asked, "Is that okay?"
Shi Su raised her eyes to look at herself in the mirror.
"Thank you, it’s perfect, looks great."