After Transmigrating as Cannon Fodder, I Became the Darling of the Variety Show - Chapter 15

Inside the police station, wails and laments filled the air, yet the area around An Rao was as serene as a pleasant afternoon tea time. He sat quietly on a soft sofa specially prepared for him by the police, taking a sip of hot tea.

“Thank you for providing us with these clues. We had heard rumors about Jin Zhehui operating an underground casino for a long time, but we could never find evidence despite several attempts. We did not expect their location to be so hidden. This finally settles a major concern for me.”

“I think you can continue investigating,” An Rao said with a smile.

“Rest assured. We are currently following the trail to investigate the big fish behind Jin Zhehui. I believe the truth will come to light very soon.”

An Rao nodded. “If there is nothing else, I will head back first.”

“Of course, of course. Please, let me see you out.” The police officer stood up and enthusiastically escorted him to the door.

“However, I would still like to remind you of something. Although your sting operation facilitated our work, you must never get involved in gambling. These casino operators have their own cheating systems. Take the mahjong game you played tonight as an example: the shuffling method is very specific. Those playing with you were all shills from the house. They can have whatever tiles they want. Playing against them, even a God of Gamblers could not win.”

An Rao nodded, remembering the irrational five Nine of Tubes tiles on the table—a standard mahjong set only has four of each kind. He smiled. “Thank you for the reminder.”

Leaving the statement room, An Rao heard the roars of the police coming from the interrogation room next door. Thinking of those unscrupulous lenders who used dirty tactics to force people into signing predatory high-interest loans, and imagining their faces full of regret, his mood was very pleasant.

However, a strange word caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks and looked through the small window on the interrogation room door. The man in the suit sat on a small stool wearing handcuffs, tearfully confessing their crimes.

“Yes, it is An Rao, that celebrity.”

The police yelled, “Speak up!”

The man in the suit sniffed and fell into a memory.

The entertainment industry today is different from the past. Without money, power, or luck, it is essentially impossible to get ahead. The original An Rao was no different. He harbored dreams of becoming a star, spending all the family savings to become a trainee, fantasizing about a grand future. He had no mother since childhood, and his father worked in a factory, earning barely enough to cover expenses. Seeing other trainees in his group signed by big companies while he was the only one left, he remained a trainee for three years.

He was the most hardworking one and was often praised by teachers for his extraordinary talent, yet no company was willing to sign him. Later, he understood it was because he had not provided enough financial facilitation.

When his father heard about this, he did everything possible to get money for his son. For the sake of the ridiculous and difficult-to-realize dream of his son, he sewed hair on Barbie dolls in a factory by day and cleaned nightclubs by night. One day, a nightclub supervisor approached him, saying there was a way to get money. He said gambling was the fastest way to make money and even pretended to be helpful by teaching him how to play poker and mahjong.

The father, desperate for money, did not realize this was a massive trap and dove right in. Eventually, he was forced to sign for high-interest loans that snowballed from three million to over ten million. Finally, unable to hide it anymore, he had to confess to his son. But he did not say he gambled for the sake of his son; he did not want his son to carry that burden.

The original An Rao paid off over a million in gambling debts for him, but it was far from enough.

An Rao listened silently, suddenly remembering the words he had said to that man: “Your life is not worth anything. What use would others have for it?”

Even after being insulted like that, the man still had not told the truth. He truly loved the original An Rao and did everything in his power for the dream of his son, even if he used the wrong methods.

The night wind lifted his hair, blowing away the heat of the day.

An Rao walked alone on a deserted street. The streetlights stretched his shadow long and thin, while simultaneously casting another figure nearby. He looked up to see a man in ragged clothes standing before him, holding a red plastic bag.

Having heard the news, the man had run to the police station immediately. He smiled sheepishly, his fingers rubbing the plastic bag. “I just received a call from the police. They said the loan sharks have been brought to justice and confessed. As for that money, I only need to pay back the principal.”

An Rao watched him and did not move.

“You have already helped me pay back a lot. There are only a few tens of thousands left. I will work hard and strive for us to have a good New Year together this year.”

After a long while, the man handed over the bag. “Dad bought the roast duck you like most. It is a bit cold. Heat it up at home before you eat it.”

An Rao gazed at the plastic bag. In the dark night, a gentle smile rippled across his lips. “Will you not eat together?”

The eyes of the man suddenly widened. The streetlights reflected his reddened eyes and the water pooling in them. He nodded frantically. “Yes, let us eat together, eat together.”

This was the first time An Rao had come to the residence of the father of the original body. It was one room in a row of low, old shacks. Time had polished mottled traces onto the building, which was dilapidated beyond recognition. The entire room contained only a bed and a stove.

The father smiled sheepishly and rubbed his nose. “I did not expect you to come. I did not have time to tidy up.”

An Rao found a random place to sit and watched the man busy himself with cutting the roast duck and preparing dipping sauce. An Rao could not help but think of his own father—the man who strategized and dominated the business world. He was good at everything and incredibly powerful, yet he never knew what An Rao liked to eat.

An Rao bit into the roast duck. It was a bit greasy and not very tasty. He took a deep breath and forced himself to swallow.

The father looked at the face of An Rao, joy overflowing from the depths of his eyes. “Since you married that Chu Guannan, Dad has not seen you. How are you doing? Does he treat you well?”

“He is quite good,” An Rao said casually.

“That is good.” That single sentence revealed the genuine concern of a father for his son. “Dad also watched the variety show you participated in. My son is truly amazing.”

An old man who did not even have a smartphone had spent several days in an internet cafe learning how to send bullet comments. Then, he borrowed the phone of another person to post: “An Rao is the best.”

“Can Dad give you a hug?” the man suddenly asked.

An Rao put down the roast duck and opened his arms. In an instant, the old tears of the man flowed freely. He threw himself into the arms of his son and wept uncontrollably. “I know you have worked very hard these years, and I could not do anything for you. I am useless. I often think you deserve better, rather than a failure of a father like me.”

An Rao looked up at the blackened ceiling light. It turned out the original An Rao had also been given the worst script, yet he was trying his best to perform this bad drama well.

The man choked out, “Truly, I did not dare to tell you. You are actually not my biological son. I picked you up.”

A certain string in his mind suddenly broke. The original An Rao was not the biological son of this man?

“I could not have children due to physical reasons, and I had no money. My wife left me and married someone else. I originally felt that life had no meaning, but at that time, I saw you shivering in a small alleyway. I originally wanted to raise you while helping you find your family, but I did not expect that this raising would last over ten years.”

“Then, did you find my biological parents?” An Rao asked.

Hearing this, the man was clearly disappointed. He shook his head. “You were too small back then and did not remember anything. There were no clues left behind. But if you want to go back to your biological parents, I will help you look again.”

An Rao checked the time. It was already past three in the morning. He stood up. “Just do your best. I will go back now.”

The man hurried to see him out. The phrase “Come home often when you have time” could not be spoken. After all, he was not his biological son, and moreover, the boy had lost too much over the years because of the gambling debts of the man.

The low door frame required An Rao to bow his head slightly. He stood at the door, looking back at the man who was reluctantly clutching the door frame to see him off. He suddenly smiled. “Do you know? It is not only those with a blood relationship who are called family.”

The man blinked, his fingers digging into the wooden door frame.

“I am leaving now. I will come to see you again when I have time, Dad.”

The man suddenly straightened up, his clouded pupils glistening. The word Dad was truly the most beautiful language in the world.

The next day, the Weibo servers crashed. Two hot search topics with the Explosive tag firmly occupied the top spots: #Jin Zhehui Underground Casino, Shuangmu Group# and #Father of An Rao Scammed into Gambling#.

The police investigated all the accounts and borrower information of Jin Zhehui overnight. Tracing the source, they found that all investments originated from the Shuangmu Group. The Shuangmu Group was linked to many entertainment companies, large and small. The group chairman, Lin Changming, was urgently summoned for questioning.

Sharp-eyed netizens discovered the clue:

【Holy crap, Shuangmu Group is the company owned by the family of Lin Jingxi!】

【An Rao and Lin Jingxi used to be in the same group and their relationship was always bad. The family company of Lin Jingxi is suspected of illegal lending, and one of the borrowers was the father of An Rao. Think about it. Think about it carefully.】

【Xi Bao is very innocent. He truly does not understand anything, okay? Why involve him just because his family broke the law?】

【Exactly. The investigation results are not out yet. Maybe it is just a misunderstanding. Everyone, do not be in a hurry to argue. Wait for the results.】

【Wow. When the father of An Rao owed money, you said the son must pay for the father. When the father of Lin Jingxi breaks the law, you say the misfortune should not reach others. Double standards, much?】

【Regardless, the fact that the father of An Rao gambled is set in stone. What is there to whitewash?】

【An Rao: I am taking off the Criminal label! Oh wait, not yet.】

An Rao forgot to silence his phone before sleeping, which resulted in him being woken up at seven in the morning by endless Weibo notifications after only falling asleep past three. He checked his phone to see countless private messages flying everywhere:

【You were the piece of trash who reported the family company of Xi Xi, right? You think you are some kind of great saint saving the world?】

【Disgusting. Get out of the entertainment industry!】

An Rao thought to himself that these fans were rarely this smart for once. Disturbed and unable to sleep, he got up to wash and go downstairs, just in time to meet Chu Guannan returning from his morning run.

“Hubby, I will go prepare breakfast for you,” An Rao said coquettishly. In reality, he was thinking that he had pushed Lin Jingxi into the eye of the storm. Chu Guannan must be very annoyed with him now.

Sure enough, Chu Guannan ignored him, changed his clothes, walked into the kitchen, and started preparing breakfast. After they finished breakfast in silence, Chu Guannan showered, changed, and prepared to go out.

An Rao called out to him, “Hubby, where are you going? Take me with you!”

“To find Lin Jingxi.” Chu Guannan had no intention of taking him along. After saying this, he walked out of the house.

As expected. Now that Lin Jingxi was being pointed at by a thousand fingers, he must be very upset. As the number one fan of Lin Jingxi, Chu Guannan naturally felt duty-bound to rush over and offer comfort.

The Mansion of Lin Jingxi

“Alright, Jingxi, do not be sad. A straight person does not fear a crooked shadow. Your father was only summoned for investigation. It was not said that he definitely did it. Do not worry. Everything will be fine,” Shen Yi comforted while holding the person and speaking softly.

Lin Jingxi was huddled in the arms of Shen Yi, his eyes red and his tone aggrieved. “Now many people are saying I am intentionally targeting An Rao. I truly have never done such a thing.”

Shen Yi hurried to pat his back and comfort him. “Of course I know. Our Jingxi is the most innocent and kind person in the world.”

Just as he spoke, the doorbell rang. Shen Yi wiped the teardrops from the eyes of Lin Jingxi and said softly, “Stay here. I will go open the door.”

Opening the door, the man standing outside was the person he least wanted to see in his life: Chu Guannan.

“What are you doing here?” Shen Yi lowered his voice, his tone laced with hidden anger.

Chu Guannan did not take him seriously at all. He bypassed him, entered the house, and saw Lin Jingxi on the sofa. Seeing the newcomer, Lin Jingxi immediately stood up and called out aggrievedly, “Brother Guannan. I…”

According to the plot, Chu Guannan should offer comfort by saying, “No need to say more. I believe you.”

Instead, he stared at Lin Jingxi for a long time before speaking coldly, “I am not clear on the details of the situation. Everyone online is saying An Rao exposed the company of your father. Perhaps you are very dissatisfied with him now, but I hope you do not cause him trouble. That is all.”

Lin Jingxi was like a duck being squeezed by the neck. The grievances that were about to roll out of his mouth suddenly could not find a single word. He knew very well that although the tone of Chu Guannan was calm, he was absolutely not negotiating. He was threatening.

Chu Guannan seemed to be a man of action. After saying what he wanted to say, he turned and left the mansion, regardless of how the other party reacted.