The Late-Blooming Iceberg Top (Entertainment Industry) [GL] - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

1.

A cold rain fell over City A, drenching the entire metropolis into a deathly stillness. However, this lifelessness only lasted until the early hours of October 7th.

On the final day of the National Day holiday, the tranquil break was utterly obliterated by a single piece of news. The city, previously gloomy from the autumn rain, suddenly erupted into a clamor—it was like a pot of oil that had been simmering quietly until a fatal cup of water was splashed in.

Boom.

Beneath the silent, deep-night sky, Qian Luo sat cross-legged on her bed. A television played continuously in front of her; the lights in the room were off, leaving only the flickering images from the screen to cast themselves upon her face.

Qian Luo was a ghost-tamer—a very, very poor one. She lived in a small attic on the top floor of an apartment building and drove a “Xia Li” model from decades ago. In short, her life existed within the confines of basic necessities that were on the verge of being scrapped. Ghost-tamers are resilient, however. Like Qian Luo, she had managed to squeeze a bed into the cramped, uneven attic, even though she risked cracking her skull every time she stood up without looking.

As for the recurring consequences of such an environment—her senior sister, Qian Zhen, would often stroke her forehead with feigned affection and say, “I can actually feel a dent here.”

To which Qian Luo would reply, “Scram. You’re the one with a dent in your brain.”

But her sister wasn’t there at the moment. If she were, Qian Luo might have been able to “extort” some emergency living expenses from her during this destitute season.

Shaking off those stray thoughts, Qian Luo returned to aimlessly watching the news.

Just this morning, the entertainment industry’s popular seventeen-year-old child star, Zhou Xiaoming, was found dead after overdosing on sleeping pills. A photograph of the dead girl had spread rapidly across the internet. In the photo, a lingering, innocent smile remained on the girl’s face. Her thick, long eyelashes rested like fragile cicada wings over those once-spirited eyes, her lips curled in a sweet grin, and her raven-black hair fanned out across a snow-white pillow.

This image of the sleeping, beautiful, smiling girl instantly seized the headlines of every media outlet, causing a massive uproar. That peaceful and beautiful smile in death pierced people’s hearts deeply. For a time, every secret—related or unrelated to the entertainment industry—was dragged out and scrutinized. Panic and chaos reigned.

At that moment, a black cat silently leapt onto Qian Luo’s shoulder. It flicked its pink tongue against her neck before curling into a ball on her shoulder to sleep.

Qian Luo poked its soft belly and said, “Ye-Ye, look at this girl. Isn’t she beautiful?”

Ye lazily turned its neck, its stunning emerald-green eyes shifting toward the screen. After a soft meow, it spoke in a low, husky voice: “You’re a pedophile.”

“She’s seventeen! How does that make me a pedophile?”

“Not an adult yet. Therefore, pedophile.”

“…”

Qian Luo grabbed the cat, dangled it by its tail, and smirked. “Who are you talking about?”

Held upside down, Ye let out a furious howl, its paws flailing. “Let go!”

Qian Luo looked at the cat, raised an eyebrow, and let a strange grin tug at the corners of her mouth.

Ye suddenly had a bad feeling. He watched as Qian Luo lifted him higher and higher—and then, she abruptly let go.

Ye let out a yelp as he tumbled downward.

Right at that moment, there was a gentle knock on Qian Luo’s long-ignored door. From outside came a polite voice: “Hello, Miss Qian. My apologies for disturbing you so late, but are you awake?”

Then, a woman’s haughty voice followed: “If she’s asleep, wake her up. Worst case, kick the door down.”

The first gentle voice remained polite but carried a hint of detachment: “Miss, please mind your language. I do not recall teaching you such words.”

The woman scoffed. “My dear sister just died a foul death, and you want me to be calm?! Get out of the way!”

…

2.

The black cat leapt lightly from Qian Luo’s lap, carving an elegant black arc through the air. Its beautiful eyes fixed on the narrow, low door. “A lady with no manners is about to enter.”

With a graceful flick of its tail, the closed door slowly swung open.

Qian Luo gasped, instinctively clutching her chest. “Damn it, I haven’t even changed my clothes!”

As the door opened, the woman standing outside—who was wearing dark sunglasses despite it being the middle of the night—prepared to walk in, only to be stopped by the person beside her. “Miss, the owner has not invited us in.”

Qian Luo chewed on a potato chip, watching the scene with great interest.

The woman in sunglasses sneered. “You mean this person living in a third-rate apartment’s rooftop storage room?”

The woman beside her smiled slightly. “Respecting a ghost-tamer is the first rule.”

Qian Luo stuffed another chip into her mouth and waved a greasy hand. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Come in, find a place to sit.” She then looked at the arrogant woman in sunglasses and offered a kind warning: “You better take those off, otherwise—”

Before she could finish, the woman—who was ignoring everyone, including the walls—slammed her head right into the low ceiling.

Qian Luo shrugged while chewing. The slums are a place where everyone is forced to bow their heads once they enter, she thought.

The woman ripped off her sunglasses and shoved them into the arms of the person beside her. “Hold these!”

The visitors were Zhou Hailing and her family butler, Yin Tong.

Zhou Hailing crouched down to enter, her glamorous yet overbearing eyes landing on the old TV. She said imperiously, “I assume you’ve seen the news. My sister died early this morning. It’s suspicious—are you a ghost-tamer?”

Qian Luo fished out a chip to feed Ye, who was on the bed pretending to sleep while enjoying the show. Only after the “noble” cat accepted the chip did she slowly ask, “And who are you?”

Zhou Hailing froze. “You don’t recognize me?”

Qian Luo replied, “Hey, it’s late, the lights are off, and I don’t have your bust size memorized. How would I know who you are?”

Zhou Hailing had found fame earlier than Zhou Xiaoming. Everywhere she went, thousands of fans screamed her name. Being mocked by a woman in a synthetic nightgown living in a storage room sent a flash of rage through her. “You—!”

Yin Tong smiled. “Respecting the ghost-tamer is the first rule. Otherwise, if you find yourself in trouble one day, no one will come to save you.”

Zhou Hailing’s retort was stifled, leaving Yin Tong to speak with Qian Luo.

Qian Luo looked at this so-called “servant” with new eyes. Although she was a “servant,” she had held the initiative from the start. Her words and actions were gentle and polite, yet those seemingly calm eyes occasionally flickered with a sharp, transient light that was hard to catch.

Yin Tong stepped forward with a slight bow. “Miss Qian, I presume you’ve seen the news and know that our second young miss met a tragic end this morning. We are all very grieved and wish to find the cause of her death as soon as possible. Please forgive our intrusion in such haste. You understand, don’t you?”

Qian Luo, still cross-legged, tilted her head and glanced at Zhou Hailing. “I certainly can’t tell from looking at her.”

Yin Tong smiled, scanning the surroundings—her eyes lingering pointedly on a window with broken glass—before turning back to Qian Luo. “I wonder if 200,000 would be enough for Miss Qian to help us with this matter?”

Qian Luo’s hand froze halfway to her mouth. She instinctively squeezed the expired chip in her hand, feeling the soft, greasy texture of a chip that had gone stale from the dampness. “How much?”

“200,000,” Yin Tong said.

The voice was gentle yet distant, carrying a seductive magnetism that echoed in Qian Luo’s mind.

Holy mother of God, 200,000! Hahaha!

Qian Luo finally spoke, feigning a deep, serious tone. “Too little.”

Yin Tong’s smile remained cordial. “200,000 is just the retainer. Once the task is complete, another 200,000 will be transferred to your account immediately. I guarantee this with our eldest young miss’s reputation; we will not deceive you.”

Qian Luo looked at Zhou Hailing skeptically. “Does she really care about her sister?”

Yin Tong laughed. “In truth, we need Miss Qian to investigate the actual cause of death. If it was truly suicide, that is fine; if not, we hope Miss Qian can help clear our eldest miss of any suspicion of murder. Because if the second miss is dead, the eldest miss is the primary beneficiary—she inherits the entire Zhou family fortune.”

“However, given the eldest miss’s current fame, she has no need for that money. Therefore, we sincerely ask for your help to clarify the facts.”

Qian Luo blinked. “Wait, you’re saying… suicide?”

“Exactly,” Yin Tong replied.

Qian Luo instinctively repeated, “Not homicide?”

“That is merely a hypothesis. As for the truth, we need Miss Qian to find out.”

Qian Luo fell silent. Having been a ghost-tamer for years, she knew there were three ironclad rules of her sect that must never be broken:

1. Never drive out ghosts for a murderer.

2. Never take a case involving a child’s suicide.

3. Never take a case involving a lover seeking a ghost.

This matter directly violated the second commandment. If the elders of her sect found out, their scorn alone would be enough to drown her. However, as she sat there, Qian Luo wasn’t just thinking about the money or the taboos—she was thinking about that girl’s smile in death.

Could she really take this case?

After weighing it for a long time, Qian Luo finally spoke with difficulty. “You should know, the ghost-tamer sect has—”

Yin Tong finished the sentence with a smile. “Has taboos. Rule number two: Do not take cases of child suicide.”

Qian Luo was even more confused. “Since you know that, why did you come to me?”

The perfect, exquisite smile on Yin Tong’s face held a certain enchantment. Her magnetic voice unfurled slowly in the dark like a beautiful flower blooming with a deadly fragrance. “Because we know that Miss Qian is very, very short on money.”