Chapter 1509: Chapter 912: Ghost Script 3
"Zhou Hai, what did you and Zhang Jianjun do last night?" Jiang Qingluan asked.
"Brother Zhang took me to stake out the convenience store owner nearby. We gathered some intel, and then... then we went home separately. Brother Zhang is a very good man. He warned me that it’s dangerous to go out at night and advised me not to open the door for anyone!"
"As it turns out, he was right. Last night, a ghost really did come knocking at my door!"
Zhou Hai looked terrified, still trembling occasionally as he recalled the encounter last night. "That ghost... it disguised itself as Brother Zhang. When I didn’t open the door, it got angry and started pounding on it hard, it scared me terribly."
Zhou Hai’s account was disjointed, leaving the three puzzled. Yang Xiao didn’t know the exact events of last night, but he had a feeling that the ghost impersonating Zhang Jianjun might not have been fake but the real Zhang Jianjun.
He likely ran into trouble, so he came to find Zhou Hai, hoping to use him as a Substitute Death.
Since Zhou Hai didn’t open the door, Zhang Jianjun could not avoid his fate. How his body ended up here was something Yang Xiao couldn’t understand.
Chen Nang, Jiang Qingluan, and Yang Xiao all thought of this possibility, but none of them voiced it out loud. Zhou Hai was already as nervous as a startled bird, and there was no need to shatter his trust in Zhang Jianjun.
Besides, the three were now facing a new problem; things had gotten worse than expected. With Zhang Jianjun’s death, they were now down to four people.
The most challenging part was that, according to company policy, they needed at least three people to handle business during the day, meaning only one person could go out to seek clues.
Seeing Yang Xiao frown, Jiang Qingluan knew what he was thinking, so she spoke up: "Maybe there’s a silver lining. I couldn’t sleep this morning, so I checked the company’s tasks for today. It turns out today’s client is quite difficult, and the information says if we have trouble handling it, the headquarters can send assistance."
"Is there really such a thing?" Yang Xiao’s face lit up, relieved. "Then let’s hurry back and ask for help!"
"I’ve already responded, saying we need the headquarters to send assistance." Jiang Qingluan nodded.
At this moment, Yang Xiao saw Jiang Qingluan in a new light, appreciating the reliability of having a competent teammate.
"I’m ashamed; I spent so much time keeping watch and didn’t think to check the company’s tasks. That was my oversight." Chen Nang, like Yang Xiao, was entirely focused on dealing with the Source Ghost.
Without further ado, the four of them bought some breakfast nearby and hurried back to the office building, taking the stairs up to the 17th floor.
When they opened the computer and checked their email, they found a reply stating that someone from headquarters had already set off and would arrive in about an hour.
Jiang Qingluan’s plan was simple: she’d keep the people from headquarters here, since the policy said at least three employees had to stay, and those sent from headquarters were also company employees.
She would use them to replace Yang Xiao and the others, aiming to free up enough manpower to find clues.
As the time approached past eight o’clock, Jiang Qingluan called Xu Yan, indirectly asking if she knew of an actor named Zhuang Xiaowu in Chen’s Strange Film Industry.
Originally, Xu Yan seemed ready to delve into her connections to find out, but she immediately provided the answer, "Yes, I know him. He’s responsible for props in the crew, and when they lack extras, he sometimes takes on acting roles."
At this point, Jiang Qingluan’s breathing quickened, but Xu Yan’s next words extinguished her newfound hope, "Zhuang Xiaowu is quite unfortunate. He died in the fire at Rongjin Building; he was one of those who jumped."
"He died in that fire? Can you be sure?" Jiang Qingluan asked incredulously.
"Of course, no mistake about it. It was all over the news at the time. Assistant Jiang, why... why did you suddenly ask about him? Is President Zhou interested in this person?" Xu Yan was puzzled by Jiang Qingluan’s questions.
Things weren’t unfolding as Jiang Qingluan had expected. Zhuang Xiaowu had died in the fire, unrelated to the crew’s accident. It seemed they had hit another dead end until Yang Xiao brought out the script, pointing at a name on it.
That’s when Jiang Qingluan returned to her senses, "Ms. Xu, do you know Wu Guowei?"
"Yes, he’s quite famous. A well-known screenwriter in the industry, though his temperament and character are somewhat questionable, but he is highly skilled and collaborates with many big companies, helping review and revise scripts."
Realizing she might have misspoken, Xu Yan laughed awkwardly and apologized, "Assistant Jiang, I don’t know Screenwriter Wu personally, and everything about his temperament and character is hearsay. I’m sure it’s all gossip, please... don’t speak of this outside."
"Of course. But is Screenwriter Wu okay?" From Xu Yan’s nervousness after her slip, Jiang Qingluan reckoned that Screenwriter Wu was still alive and had some standing in the industry, but she needed confirmation due to the severity of the matter.
Indeed, Xu Yan said this person was alive; she had seen him at an industry conference recently, and he currently lived in the city.
After chatting for a while and confirming Xu Yan had no further leads, Jiang Qingluan found an excuse to end the call, not forgetting to promise that President Zhou would take care of their business, leaving Xu Yan overjoyed.
At present, the so-called renowned screenwriter Wu Guowei appeared to be their breakthrough. He had been involved in creating the movie script, and after the entire Chen’s Strange Film Company was wiped out, he might be the last person in the know.
This might not be entirely accurate; he contributed to the script but might not have been privy to the set incidents. Nevertheless, given the situation, Yang Xiao and his team couldn’t afford to miss any opportunity.
Silently chanting a few prayers to the Bodhisattva, Yang Xiao picked up the phone, dialed the number for Screenwriter Wu, while Chen Nang and Jiang Qingluan held their breath beside him, silently praying.
