Chapter 21

Ma Chunhua lived in Shangsi Village, about five or six kilometers away from the film city. Like the nearby villages, Shangsi Village also housed many extras. In fact, quite a few of the villagers themselves worked as extras.

The nanny van drove steadily along the road to Shangsi Village.

Jiang Shuwan glanced at Ji Hanzhang, who was sitting beside her with his eyes closed, resting, and then at Xiao Zhang in the front seat, who was engrossed in his phone. Her eyes revealed a trace of clear confusion.

She wasn’t exactly close with Movie King Ji, was she?

So why didn’t he even ask what she was going there for and just directly told the driver to start driving?

Ji Hanzhang slowly opened his eyes, turned his head to look at Jiang Shuwan, and asked, “By the way, Miss Jiang, what are you going to Shangsi Village for?”

Jiang Shuwan looked at Ji Hanzhang in surprise, thinking, This man acts like he can read minds.

She had already mentally prepared herself and used the same rhetoric she had used on Jiang Zhan:
“Well, one of the extras in the crew, Sister Ma, lives next door to Sun Yunyun — you know, the girl who went missing. I heard from others that she should be quite familiar with the people in Sun Yunyun’s courtyard. But when we brought it up today, her reaction was a bit odd. She flatly denied knowing Sun Yunyun.”

Ji Hanzhang lifted his eyes slightly and asked in a very cooperative tone, “So, you suspect this Sister Ma?”

Jiang Shuwan stared at him blankly. That was what she meant to imply, but she hadn’t expected Ji Hanzhang to immediately draw that conclusion.

She thought for a moment and responded tactfully, “I’m not saying I suspect her for sure. It’s just that I have a feeling she might know something. Coincidentally, she invited me over to her place to have some flatbread, so I agreed.”

Ji Hanzhang nodded and followed up, “She only invited you for flatbread? Didn’t ask anyone else? The shoot just started not long ago, and extras only occasionally have one or two scenes. By right, you two aren’t that close.”

Jiang Shuwan hadn’t expected him to zero in on the key issue with every question.
“Right, I’m not very close to her. It’s quite strange that she suddenly invited me.”

Ji Hanzhang let out a noncommittal hum and said calmly, “There’s a possibility she means to do you harm.”

Jiang Shuwan: “???”

Yes, that was what she was getting at…

But—Not close, invited to eat flatbread, so might want to harm her?

Wasn’t that a bit… illogical?

She had thought Movie King Ji was pretty smart, but who knew his reasoning would be so crude?

While part of her felt like his image had crumbled a little, another part was happy she didn’t have to rack her brains for excuses. She said directly,
“So I wanted to bring someone with me. In case anything goes wrong, at least there’ll be someone to respond.”

Ji Hanzhang glanced at her and thought, If my logic wasn’t this blunt, wouldn’t you still be making up a bunch of nonsense right now?

But on the surface, he didn’t show anything. He simply nodded in agreement and even asked,
“Want to call a few more people?”

“No need.” Jiang Shuwan held up her phone and shook it. “I sent my location to the police. My cop uncle will come help us.”

Jiang Zhan still hadn’t replied to her WeChat message, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t in the habit of checking WeChat often, but his phone was always on standby.

She’d just call him in a bit.

Ji Hanzhang acted like he hadn’t noticed her say cop uncle instead of cop officer, and simply nodded calmly.
“That’s good.”

He leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes to rest again.

In the front, Xiao Zhang couldn’t help but exchange a shocked and confused glance with the driver.

Movie King Ji personally accompanying Miss Jiang to Shangsi Village was already weird enough.

Now their entire conversation made things even weirder.

Movie King Ji seemed like he was under a spell or something — the things he was saying made no sense at all.

Wasn’t it just an extra who lived next door to Sun Yunyun inviting Jiang Shuwan to eat some flatbread? Maybe they weren’t super close, but it wasn’t that unusual, right?

Some social butterflies are just like that!

How did he jump to the conclusion that the woman might want to harm Miss Jiang?

This was too absurd.

Xiao Zhang’s head was full of question marks.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at Shangsi Village.

In the villages around the film city, nanny vans were common sights. The car drove in without drawing much attention.

As they neared Ma Chunhua’s courtyard, Jiang Shuwan got out of the car.

Only now did she start to feel a bit nervous. After all, the woman was a human trafficker — part of a whole gang. It was broad daylight, but there was no guarantee nothing would happen.

She hesitated for a moment, then turned to Ji Hanzhang and instructed,
“If I’m not out in thirty minutes, you have to find a way to come save me.”

Ji Hanzhang looked at her and paused before suggesting,
“How about… don’t go?”

Jiang Shuwan shook her head. “I still have to go.”

If she didn’t lure the snake out of its hole, the police wouldn’t be able to find Ma Chunhua so quickly. If they dragged this out any longer, Sun Yunyun might be in danger.

Ji Hanzhang looked deeply at her, and his voice subconsciously softened,
“Don’t worry. Old Lin is pretty capable.”

Old Lin was the driver.

Jiang Shuwan glanced at the tall and strong driver and felt a bit more confident.

She waved her hand and turned to walk toward the courtyard.

As she walked off into the distance, Xiao Zhang couldn’t help muttering,
“She’s just inviting her to eat, that’s all.”
Why did it feel like she was walking off to her heroic death?

Ji Hanzhang didn’t respond. He kept watching Jiang Shuwan’s retreating figure until he heard in his head:

[Sister Trafficker, I’ve come to catch you!]

Only then did he curl his lips into a smile and turn to get back in the car.

Xiao Zhang: “…”

He followed her all the way out here just to sit outside while she ate?
And he even smiled?

He’s not falling for Miss Jiang, is he?!

---

Jiang Shuwan walked while dialing Jiang Zhan. The moment the call connected and she heard Jiang Zhan’s “Hello,” she immediately lowered her voice and said,
“Uncle, come save me!”

Then click, she hung up.

Afterward, she called out to the system in her mind:
“If anything happens in a moment, give me an early warning!”

The system’s mechanical voice responded:

[Understood.]
[Friendly reminder: there are two criminals in the courtyard. Please pay attention to your personal safety while spectating.]

Jiang Shuwan: “…Next time, give me that kind of important information earlier, will you?”

With her little uncle far away, and Ji Hanzhang nearby, plus the system as her cheat, Jiang Shuwan felt bold and confident enough to go face the human trafficker.

The courtyard was a bit old. Moss had grown along the base of the gray brick walls, making it clear the place had been around for quite some time. The courtyard gate was open. Jiang Shuwan knocked lightly and stepped inside.

The entrance led to a courtyard full of clutter. A bamboo pole stood in the corner, draped with brightly colored clothes. The surrounding rooms were mostly shut, except for a small, low room on the right side that had its door open.

Perhaps having heard the sound, Ma Chunhua came out from that small room. Upon seeing Jiang Shuwan, she smiled warmly and greeted her, “You came at just the right time! The flatbreads are ready—come on in and eat.”

This small room seemed like an addition built later and looked out of place with the rest of the courtyard. It was shorter than the other rooms, making it feel especially dark and cramped inside.

The room had been divided into two sections using two door panels. The outer section, besides being cluttered with various items, also had a small folding table. On the table was a large stainless-steel plate holding several freshly cooked flatbreads.

They smelled pretty good.

Ma Chunhua beamed. “Hurry and sit down while they’re hot. I’m not just bragging—my flatbread-making skills are famous back in my hometown.”

System: [Friendly reminder: Ma Chunhua isn’t lying. Back in her village, she had the image of a virtuous wife and loving mother. Her flatbreads really were the best in the village.]

[After testing: the ingredients used to make the flatbreads are safe and hygienic, and the cooking process meets proper standards. The flatbreads are non-toxic and harmless, with excellent color, aroma, and taste. Host can safely eat them.]

Jiang Shuwan: “…”

You’re downright gloating when misfortune hits, and genuinely caring when you decide to be helpful.

Since the system had cleared them, she sat down without hesitation, picked up a pair of chopsticks, grabbed a piece of flatbread, and began eating with great relish.

Seeing how defenseless she looked, Ma Chunhua’s eyes gleamed with a bit of smugness. She sat down across from her.

“Is it good? Eat more if you like it,” Ma Chunhua said enthusiastically. “My place might be a bit rundown, but hey, we’re just extras in the film crew—it’s always like this. Don’t be fooled by how low this room is, though. The rent is way cheaper, so I didn’t bother sharing with others and rented the whole thing myself. By the way, Xiao Jiang, where are you staying?”

Mouth still full of bread, Jiang Shuwan quickly replied, “I’m not renting. I’m staying temporarily at a relative’s place.”

Yep, “staying temporarily” in a hotel owned by her biological brother.

Ma Chunhua’s hand paused. “Oh, you’ve got relatives around here?”

Jiang Shuwan replied, “He’s not in the area right now. The place is vacant, so he lent it to me for a while.”

Upon hearing that the relative wasn’t around, Ma Chunhua silently breathed a sigh of relief.

If she were staying with her relative, it’d be hard to make a move. Once the relative noticed she was missing, they’d call the police immediately. But if they weren’t living together, it was much easier to deal with. By the time anyone tried to contact her, they’d already moved her far away.

With this thought, Ma Chunhua’s smile grew even warmer. “The flatbread’s a bit dry, right? Here, have a drink. My daughter loves this iced red tea. I didn’t buy anything else. This should be fine, right?”

System: [Friendly reminder: the beverage contains a toxic liquid whose main ingredient is gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Consumption may result in nausea, vomiting, coma, or even memory loss.]

[Reiterating: while enjoying your melon-eating spectator moments, please also prioritize personal safety.]

Jiang Shuwan: “…”

Why couldn’t you have warned me a second earlier—before I reached for it?

She had never seen a system so precise about timing.

While mentally complaining, her expression remained calm. She took the bottle and hesitated, saying, “Red tea keeps me up at night.”

Ma Chunhua’s expression shifted slightly, but Jiang Shuwan added, “But yeah, it’s a bit dry, so I’ll just take a few sips.”

Ma Chunhua relaxed a little. This girl really knows how to talk in circles.

She kept a close eye on Jiang Shuwan’s hand, but the latter just kept waving the bottle around without opening it. Just as Ma Chunhua was about to encourage her again, Jiang Shuwan suddenly stood up and said, “Sister Ma, I need to use the bathroom.”

Ma Chunhua blurted out, “You haven’t even had the drink yet and you already need the bathroom?”

Jiang Shuwan replied apologetically, “After the shoot, I had to deal with some stuff and forgot to go. Now I can’t drink anything unless I go first.”

Ma Chunhua scrutinized her for a moment but didn’t see anything suspicious. After thinking for a second, she said, “It’s outside in the courtyard. I’ll take you.”

Once she uses the bathroom, she’ll have to drink the tea, right?

When Jiang Shuwan arrived earlier, she had seen a public restroom not far from the courtyard.

She casually slipped the bottle of iced red tea into her coat pocket and said, “It’s okay, I saw it just now. I’ll go myself.”

But of course Ma Chunhua wouldn’t let her go alone. With a friendly smile, she said, “Let’s go together. I need to go too.”

When they reached the courtyard gate, Jiang Shuwan noticed the gate had been closed at some point.

Ma Chunhua, who had years of experience as an extra, showed no change in expression. She muttered to herself naturally, “Who came back so early?”

Perfectly logical explanation for the closed gate.

But just as she was opening the door, a scar-faced man suddenly stepped out from one of the side rooms and said in a low voice, “Sister Ma, you didn’t go to film this afternoon? I saw a van parked out front and thought someone came looking for you.”

His words were completely disjointed and incoherent, but the other two people present quickly caught on.

Ma Chunhua instinctively tried to close the door, but in that split second, Jiang Shuwan shoved her forcefully aside, yanked the door open, and bolted:

“Ji—Old Ji! Help me!”