Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore-Chapter 464: Watching "No Bait"

The plot of "No Bait" continued, but the foreshadowing laid earlier had already begun to detonate, with reversal after reversal appearing. When Tiger Brother saw Shu Yuxiu, who had killed several people, standing expressionless before Qi Xinyue's grave, only to turn around with tears streaming down his face, he was utterly stunned by this scene, his scalp tingling.

He had originally held the arrogant belief that Shu Yuxiu was just a fraud—merely a con artist specializing in emotional scams.

But upon seeing Shu Yuxiu effortlessly eliminate the stepping stones beneath his feet, climbing ever higher by treading over the deaths of those from his past, he suddenly realized this man, Shu Yuxiu, was far more cold-blooded and terrifying than he had ever imagined.

When Shu Yuxiu first discovered that the professional threshold he had struggled so long to cross could be easily breached with just a simple lie...

When he saw the waiter and even the manager who had looked down on him suddenly fawn over him again upon seeing the luxury car key and expensive watch in his hand...

When he finally understood that the resources of this world were never open to people at the bottom like them, that the circles of capital only ever circulated internally, and that the young masters lighting sky lanterns for ordinary people like them were merely flaunting their class and wealth...

Shu Yuxiu finally understood how laughable the first half of his life had been.

He could not achieve class mobility on his own.

No matter how hard he tried, he could never match the inherent advantages of those born into nobility.

At this moment, Shu Yuxiu finally decided to embark on a path of no return.

Seeing this, Tiger Brother actually felt a twinge of empathy. When he snapped back to reality, he couldn't help but take out his movie ticket, and by the dim light of the theater, he examined the screening times for other showings, silently calculating in his mind to go out later and buy another ticket for "No Bait" for a second viewing.

Tiger Brother kept feeling that many details earlier seemed to have been overlooked by him. It was only when the later reversals appeared that he could belatedly sense the existence of that foreshadowing.

This film was not simply about a romance scam or a crime thriller.

It was filled with dark humor and biting satire.

When a con artist repeatedly uses lies to achieve class ascension, when only lies can fabricate one's own value and ability, when the blind worship of wealth becomes the mainstream of society, how many people would still care about the truth of this world?

Tiger Brother felt he no longer needed to pay attention to other movies during this May Day season.

Because "No Bait" was destined to be this year's champion...

...

Finally, the movie approached its conclusion.

Although the police had received the tip from Qi Baishan, their investigation yielded no results. Trying to trace back "accidents" from several years ago was simply an extremely difficult task.

And Qi Baishan finally realized that the police could not help him capture Shu Yuxiu.

Once the investigation concluded, Shu Yuxiu would leave this place safely.

Thus, that elusive secretary appeared again, ready with prepared proof of innocence and other relevant procedures, intending to take Shu Yuxiu away directly.

The investigation team naturally disagreed, but the secretary merely looked at them coldly: "Mr. Qi cannot wait much longer."

"Your investigation results have deeply disappointed him."

"So rather than letting your incompetence release a criminal, it's better for us to carry out the final judgment—this is the final request from a father to you."

Officer Zhang clearly also realized something.

He wanted to refute, but in the end, he could only watch helplessly as the secretary took the man away.

As Shu Yuxiu stepped out of the investigation team's door, facing the dazzling sunlight streaming down outside, for some reason, he suddenly turned his head and looked mockingly at the officer before him.

Due to the overly harsh light outside, Officer Zhang couldn't look directly into his eyes, only hearing the man before him sneer and say: "You know perfectly well that if I'm taken away by Qi Baishan's people, I will definitely face Qi Baishan's retaliation. Yet you ultimately chose to let me go. So indeed, people are all self-interested."

"Officer Zhang, you and I are no different."

Officer Zhang narrowed his eyes, trying to see the expression on the other's face as he said this.

Would it be the powerless rage of someone about to face retaliation or even death? Or the despairing fear of someone about to escape legal punishment, only to have it all fall short at the last moment?

Before he could see clearly, the man was already restrained by Qi Baishan's people, turned around, and boarded the car meticulously prepared for him.

The last thing that flashed before Officer Zhang's eyes was the man's calm profile.

The car slowly drove away.

Officer Zhang stood dazed in place.

"Team leader—"

Someone beside him lowered their voice, "Are we just giving up like this?"

They couldn't possibly return from this trip empty-handed, could they?

Officer Zhang gave a bitter laugh, yet he felt unbearably stifled inside, a fire with nowhere to vent.

But in the end, he could only sit quietly in the office, smoking cigarette after cigarette, as if awaiting the final verdict.

Until a hoarse voice came from the communicator: "Te-team leader, Shu Yuxiu is dead!"

"Their car flew off a cliff. Everyone is dead!"

Officer Zhang instantly clenched his fingers.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze drifting past something for a moment before finally settling outside the window. His tone was frighteningly calm, leaving the person on the other end unable to argue: "Send people to salvage it."

"This case ends here."

He stood up, walked to stand before the window, his back slightly hunched, appearing to have aged several years.

And far below the cliff were the wrecked vehicles and floating bodies.

Police cars, lights flashing, came along the beach road against the sea breeze.

The weather that day was exceptionally bright and beautiful. Even the beach that was a crime scene remained picturesque.

In the depths of the ocean, a body gradually sank.

Together with the lies of the past, everyone's secrets, it all fell into the depths of the ocean—

From then on, Shu Yuxiu died, the Qi family fell, and Officer Zhang's career soared.

The coastal wind remained the same for many years...

-

When the big screen darkened, Tiger Brother thought it was all over.

But he still had many questions in his heart.

And a faint sense of disappointment.

Logically speaking, someone like Shu Yuxiu shouldn't die so easily.

His character was built up too grandly. No one believed in his innocence, and no one believed he would lose.

Tiger Brother dared say that after "No Bait," a villainous protagonist character like Shu Yuxiu would absolutely be one of the most outstanding character designs in recent years and would become one of Xiao He's classic works.

But if the ending still forcefully followed the cliché of the villain's death common in domestic films, then Tiger Brother would feel extremely regretful.

Such an ending would become a stain on Shu Yuxiu's character design.

After all, a botched ending is a botched ending; no excuses needed.

He let out a long sigh, only to find that the lights around him hadn't come on directly, and the sound of the wind on the coast still lingered in his ears.

Surprised, Tiger Brother looked up again and discovered that while he was immersed in his own world, the big screen before him had lit up once more.

The image on the big screen was precisely the dusk seascape shot at the very beginning of "No Bait."

The person by the sea lit a cigarette.

The smoke rose hazily and, following the direction of the sea breeze, slowly drifted away.

Only now was Tiger Brother certain that the sound he heard at the movie's opening was indeed the sound of someone lighting a cigarette.

And that person was actually Officer Zhang!

This timeline was clearly several years later. Officer Zhang had much more white hair at his temples, yet the sky's scenery remained splendid.

However, Officer Zhang, returning here, had no intention of appreciating the view. He simply tossed away the cigarette butt calmly and drove to a certain prison by the sea.

Here, he finally met Qi Baishan.

Qi Baishan, convicted of crimes including embezzlement, bribery, and hiring assassins for murder, had been sentenced to death last summer. After passing this final winter, he would be formally executed.

This was the first time Officer Zhang had seen Qi Baishan since coming here to investigate the case for so long.

Qi Baishan, however, did not recognize Officer Zhang, nor did he have any desire to speak with him. Only as Officer Zhang was leaving did he say calmly: "Give my regards to your Team Leader Zhang for me."

Officer Zhang's steps paused slightly. Then he gave a self-mocking smile, turned to look at Qi Baishan, and spoke with a bitter voice: "My apologies, let me introduce myself. I am the Team Leader Zhang you mentioned."

Qi Baishan stood frozen in place.

Then who was that person he met before...

In an instant, his hair stood on end—