Judge of Souls - Chapter 61

Kong Su didn’t deign to spare them a glance, and spoke with a cold smile. “I had originally planned to rest for a longer period. The reason I’ve come out early is because the manager who has been taking care of me was unfairly beaten and slandered by certain people, which makes it impossible for me to remain silent.”

She raised her trembling hand and pointed. “These so-called relatives of mine emptied my bank account, yet refused to pay for my treatment at the sanatorium. In the end, all these expenses were covered by my manager. This can be proven with hospital receipts. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to my manager, Mr. Gao Yuqing. Thank you.”

“How can you say such things, Kong Su!” First Aunt rushed forward, incredulous. “Your parents passed away early, and it wasn’t easy for us to raise you. When you were little, you were affectionate toward us, following me around calling me auntie. How could you change so much?”

The others also started crying and complaining, “Now that you’re successful, we’re not asking for gratitude. Did we come looking for you in the past few years? This time you fell ill, and we were concerned about you, so we put aside everything to take care of you, rushing around and exhausting ourselves, watching over you without rest. We even humiliated ourselves everywhere. We may not deserve credit for achievements, but surely we deserve recognition for our hardships! How did everything become twisted in your eyes? Are you really going to falsely accuse us like this? Hearts are made of flesh! Kong Su, you need to speak with a clear conscience!”

“My brother only had you as his daughter, so I won’t argue with you. But this kind of distortion of facts cannot be tolerated.”

Jiang Feng peered through the door crack to observe.

These people had faint black energy surrounding them, their auras weren’t bright, and there was a light darkness on their foreheads. But these weren’t signs of raising a ghost; they probably came from doing bad deeds and being tainted by filthy things.

He continued to shift his gaze, observing others present, trying to find if the culprit was among them.

Outside was chaotic, and Kong Su’s words were drowned out, impossible to hear.

Gao Yuqing took the microphone, had the backstage increase the volume, and placed it in front of Kong Su.

A sharp noise came through the speakers, piercing everyone’s eardrums, causing them to cover their ears. The scene quieted momentarily.

“My parents did pass away early, but you never raised me,” Kong Su said calmly. “I had a three-bedroom apartment, over 130 square meters, in Garden District. That was the inheritance my parents left me. After they died, you helped arrange the sale of the house for eleven hundred thousand yuan. Even though there was no promissory note, you claimed my parents owed you money and took six hundred thousand, leaving me only five hundred thousand. Wasn’t everything settled then?”

The reporters asked excitedly. “When was this?”

Kong Su: “It was sold when I was in my first year of high school.”

“By that time, property prices had already started rising. Nobody would sell at that price,” one reporter said. “And Garden District was in a good location. A house there should have been worth at least seven million yuan. Even at a discounted price through connections, it should have been worth over five million. And it was sold for just 1.1 million?”

The reporters turned their cameras toward the group, and the one who had just spoken nervously stepped back, hiding behind the crowd.

“You agreed to it at the time.”

“Yes, I agreed,” Kong Su responded. “So after paying you back, I don’t owe you anything.” She took out her wallet. “During high school, I lived at school and stayed there during holidays. I paid my own tuition and living expenses. In three years of high school, I ate at your home twice—once rice stir-fry, once leftover rice with stir-fried pork. If you want to calculate your kindness, I can repay you tenfold now. Is two hundred yuan enough?”

She pulled out two red banknotes and handed them to Gao Yuqing, who placed them on the table.

Kong Su: “Now, please return the money you took from me. My account is missing over three hundred thousand yuan. Who took it?”

The group suddenly fell silent.

Kong Su looked directly at them for the first time, but they avoided her gaze guiltily.

Kong Su smiled mockingly.

[Is this for real? Are they really that poor?]

[Is this poor, hardworking image still popular these days?]

[As long as the persona doesn’t collapse, someone will always buy it.]

[I support doxing them. I want to see these people’s personal information on my desk in three minutes!]

[I can understand loving money, but this I cannot understand. How dark must their hearts be to do something like this? Does this count as profiting from the dead?]

[Feeding on human blood buns!]

Those few people left angrily through the back door, and Kong Su didn’t pursue them.

Seeing the cameras turning to follow them, she lowered her head and touched her wrist, changing the subject. “Regarding this coma, I don’t know the specific cause, but I’m very grateful to the Taoist priest from Qianyuan Temple. Perhaps it was fate—the day he happened to visit me at the sanatorium, I woke up.”

This statement caused an uproar online. The topic was quickly diverted in another direction.

Comments of “Holy crap” and “Prosperity, democracy…” flooded the screens.

Kong Su smiled and said, “I don’t mean to promote feudal superstition, but I truly felt a connection. I believe everyone knows that before my coma, I did many inexplicable things and expressed some extreme views that I still can’t understand. Netizens joked that I was under a curse. Who knows? People can be very confusing. After waking up, I felt lost about life, but thankfully the Taoist priest guided me, explaining scriptures and Taoist classics to me. Taoism is China’s indigenous religion, containing profound philosophy about how to conduct oneself and maintain mental clarity. After talking with him, I benefited greatly and feel much more clear-headed now.”

Kong Su showed the small red sachet tied around her wrist, which was made to look like an ornament, delicate and tiny.

“The Taoist priest also said I have an affinity with Taoist methods. Everyone experiences various setbacks in life, but if you persevere, there will always be a day when everything becomes clear. I wonder if my good luck is coming soon?”

A reporter asked. “What are your plans going forward?”

“I have some,” Kong Su smiled lightly. “I want to focus on acting and work hard.”

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Shouldn’t she be announcing her retirement at a time like this? Wasn’t Taoism supposed to advocate non-action? Her level of enlightenment was truly different from ordinary people!

Kong Su said, “I love acting very much. Because of the death rumors, I’m not receiving scripts now.”

One reporter nervously asked, “May I ask what you think of Chairman Zhou?”

Kong Su’s mouth twitched.

Chairman Zhou was a wealthy businessman she had tried to get close to when she wasn’t mentally sound. He was over sixty, married, somewhat plump, and was afraid of his wife and devoted to his family. At the time, Kong Su had forced herself into his proximity, was photographed by reporters, and refused to explain or apologize, which led to her ruined reputation.

Kong Su: “If you’re simply asking this question, I want to say that Chairman Zhou is an investor I’m not very familiar with, and he’s a good person. If you have deeper implications, I want to clarify that I’m actually someone who values looks and muscles.”

People clamored:

[She’s normal again!]

[So she really was under a curse before?]

[Conan—this isn’t a truth I could deduce.]

[Are the people above all idiots? You believe this stuff? Was your mother in the wrong position when she gave birth to you?]

[Where did these idiots come from with their broad attacks?]

[Here we go again—whenever Kong Su is mentioned, whether good or bad, these idiots start personal attacks. I’m beginning to suspect she really offended someone.]

Kong Su chatted with the media for half an hour, then stopped to give them time to digest.

When leaving, to demonstrate that her body could handle low-intensity work, she stood up and walked back by herself.

Gao Yuqing escorted her and Jiang Feng to the car, carefully driving away from the entrance.

The tires rolled over a speed bump, causing the car to shake slightly.

Kong Su was seriously reading online comments.

Jiang Feng answered his phone, and Zhang Yangyang asked formally, “Brother Jiang, did you find a new job?”

Jiang Feng: “?”

“I saw you on TV. Although it was just a glimpse of your profile, I knew it was you!” Zhang Yangyang said excitedly. “With our brotherhood, how could I mistake you? There’s no other man in the world as handsome and distinguished as you!”

Jiang Feng felt uncomfortable with this flattery. “It’s me.”

Zhang Yangyang chuckled. “Brother Jiang, since you’ve found a job, are you financially comfortable lately? I’d like to borrow some money.”

Jiang Feng: “What happened to you?”

Zhang Yangyang’s biggest regular expense was food, and his living allowance was more than sufficient, even allowing him to save quite a bit. He had never been in financial straits before.

“It’s a long story…” Zhang Yangyang sighed. “A few days ago, I was browsing a physical store with my roommate, and accidentally bumped into someone, damaging a 65-inch latest model smart TV. That thing costs nearly twenty thousand yuan. I don’t even dare tell my mom.”

Jiang Feng asked. “You have to pay full compensation for bumping into a TV? Can’t it be repaired?”

“You weren’t scammed, were you?” Kong Su overheard and said loudly, “Some stores operate that way now. They sell items they can’t move through alternative means.”

“No, no, it was a large shopping mall. I really wasn’t watching where I was going,” Zhang Yangyang said frantically. “I’ve been so unlucky lately. Didn’t Taoist Chu warn me? I keep having to spend money to ward off disasters, and carrying safety amulets doesn’t help. When will this end?”

Jiang Feng sympathized. “Just be careful.”

When fortune scatters, it takes time to gather again.

Gao Yuqing interjected. “Is he a friend of yours, Taoist Jiang? Kong Su doesn’t have an assistant. Let him come! We offer a monthly salary over ten thousand, meals and accommodation included, easy work, and no breach of contract penalties!”

Jiang Feng put the call on speakerphone and handed the phone to the front passenger seat.

“Is this for real?” Zhang Yangyang excitedly hiccupped, half wary and half confused. “You’re not pimps, are you? I don’t drink, entertain clients, stay up late, or sell my body.”

Gao Yuqing laughed. “We’re a legitimate entertainment company. Didn’t you just watch the news? How about signing a contract? I’ll sign a personal contract with you. But you’ll need to stay by Kong Su’s side twenty-four hours a day, even sleeping in an adjacent suite. Our requirements are strict—you must be reliable, discreet, and physically strong. Oh, and are you afraid of ghosts?”

“…” Zhang Yangyang: “I quit!”

“Beep…”

Gao Yuqing: “…”

Jiang Feng refused to take money from Kong Su or accept their payment, yet he continued to follow them around, making Gao Yuqing feel uncomfortable.

What a good Taoist priest! But what if he suddenly decided to leave?

With Kong Su’s situation—having been cursed and still not knowing who the culprit was—how could anyone feel at ease?

He wrote down Zhang Yangyang’s number, added it to his phone, and chatted with him privately.

Kong Su put away her phone, touched up her makeup in front of a small mirror, and said, “Gaogao, since you care so much about me, I’ll definitely help you become a top agent. Someday you’ll be able to criticize any celebrity you want and earn a hundred thousand a day just by making phone calls from your bed. Just wait.”

“You said the same thing years ago,” Gao Yuqing was very calm. “Behave yourself. Every time you start to make a name for yourself, you self-destruct and blame everything on me. Without you, I would at least be a silver-level agent by now.”

Kong Su: “Boo-hoo-hoo!”