Retired for A Hundred Years: Re-Employment for the Apocalypse Bigshot!-Chapter 468 - 463: Investigation (Part 2)

Ji Ning followed the address provided by Ye Tong and arrived at a private courtyard some distance from the film and television base.

Familiar faces were few here, which wouldn’t cause Li Tao unnecessary trouble.

Feeling uneasy, Li Tao asked Ye Tong once more, "Xiao Tong, level with your brother, is your sister really just asking about my sister?"

Ye Tong was about to answer kindly when Lin Qing stopped her, glaring at Li Tao and saying angrily, "Have you got amnesia or senile dementia? How many times has Xiao Tong already answered you? Our Boss Ji is an A-level detective in the Security Department, and she’s very busy. She’s just asking you about something, so be cooperative. Why all the doubts? Besides, Xiao Tong is usually on set; how much does she know about Boss Ji’s affairs? Even if you ask her, what can she explain to you?"

Li Tao sat back down, embarrassed, and offered a quiet justification, "I’m just a bit nervous, you know? Besides, this is about my sister. I’m worried too..."

As he spoke, the door to the room was pushed open from the outside.

"What are you nervous about? We’re not here to arrest you."

Ji Ning entered the room with two others, and her natural aura made the occupants stand up immediately, faces full of tension, unsure of what to say.

Compared to her previous casual demeanor, after Ji Ning’s identity was exposed, it was as if she carried an aura of command without anger.

Ye Tong, sitting between the two, suddenly felt it inappropriate to remain seated. Just as she was about to stand, she noticed her Sister Ning had already pulled out a chair and sat down.

Her face was expressionless, completely businesslike, "Sit down. Time is short, so I won’t ask you to come to the office."

Li Tao’s scalp instantly went tense, and he didn’t dare sit fully down, with half of his rear hanging in the air.

His upper body was upright and tense, his face full of apprehension, looking like he was about to be interrogated.

Lin Qing was a bit stronger compared to him, but his attitude was also cautious.

Ji Ning showed her credentials as a matter of routine, and the two only felt their brains turning sluggish.

Special Department of the Security Division, A-level Agent.

Special Department?

Is it the department they’re thinking about?

Then wouldn’t Ji Ning be...?

Superpower user?

Li Tao only felt his head about to explode, his mind filled with all his past criticisms and disdain for Ji Ning.

Suddenly, he slapped himself hard.

The sharp sound startled everyone.

Ji Ning looked at the man in front of her, who seemed absorbed in his own world, pinched the bridge of her nose, and looked at Ye Tong, silently asking: [What’s wrong with him?]

Ye Tong whispered back, "Probably shocked by your identity."

Ji Ning: ...

It was twenty minutes later when Li Tao returned to normal emotions.

He looked quite despondent, as if he’d experienced the alternating emotions of great joy, sorrow, and excitement, his body seriously exhausted.

Xiao Kong saw he finally calmed down and started asking about Li Xiang on behalf of Ji Ning.

"Before your sister Li Xiang disappeared, did she exhibit any unusual behavior?"

Li Tao’s gaze wandered a bit, seemingly trying hard to find the answer from his memory.

Finally, he shook his head, "Before she disappeared, she was happily telling me about landing an audition with a film crew and meeting a senior who really liked her..."

"Which crew?" Xiao Kong interrupted his recollection.

Li Tao’s face became very unpleasant, "It’s 『Disappeared Lover』, the TV drama series that was all the rage a few years ago."

Lin Qing expressed amazement and turned to him, "Is that the series where you and Big Head first competed for resources?"

Li Tao nodded, "Back then Xiao Xiang always wanted to join a big production crew, but I’d just become a group head and had few resources, so I couldn’t help much. Many roles that Xiao Xiang was supposed to audition for were snatched away by well-connected people. She was disappointed for a long time and even considered quitting acting..."

He glanced at Ye Tong then explained to Lin Qing, "I cared for Xiao Tong also because she was like my sister. She had a talent for acting but lacked resources and connections, so I wanted to help where I could. At least now, I won’t let her follow my sister’s old path."

Ye Tong was touched but also felt a bit guilty.

Since joining two consecutive film crews, she had been too busy to pay attention to Li Tao and hadn’t introduced him to any reliable resources.

"Brother Tao, I..."

Li Tao interrupted her words, "Xiao Tong, besides that reason, I also helped you with a bit of self-interest. I think you’ll surely do well in the future, so it was also a way to build a network for myself."

Xiao Kong noticed the conversation was straying and coughed twice.

Li Tao quickly apologized to Xiao Kong and promptly returned to the matter, "Seeing how depressed my sister was, I was really anxious, so I went around asking for help, presenting thick gifts, begging people to give Xiao Xiang some opportunities. Eventually, I sought out Big Head..."

Ji Ning observed that Li Tao would gnash his teeth whenever he mentioned Big Head, as if he wished to stab him.

She asked aloud, "Who is Big Head?"

"He’s also a group head who’s been at Anhe Film and Television Base for a long time and is well-connected with many big directors, producers, and actors, so he has quite a lot of resources," Li Tao explained begrudgingly.

Lin Qing added on the side, "Big Head used to be the biggest group head at Anhe Film and Television Base. Later, when Brother Tao arrived, he took away quite a bit of his resources, making them rivals."

Ji Ning nodded slightly, then looked at Li Tao, "Go on."

Li Tao said, "At first, I didn’t want to compete with him for resources; I just thought he could have the lion’s share, and my brothers and I could settle for scraps. But who knew he’d shamelessly imply my sister should sleep with him... A disgusting toad lusting after a swan’s flesh."

Xiao Kong’s fingers paused briefly; he recorded and asked, "Did you start grabbing resources from him afterward?"

"Yes. Because of that, we became arch-enemies. Conflicts kept breaking out; after all, there were only so many film crews to compete for," Li Tao was slightly smug when mentioning the snatch, but thinking of his sister, his mood sank again.

He said bitterly, "I didn’t expect Big Head would sabotage me. He collaborated with an assistant director from the 『Disappeared Lover』 crew, tricking my sister into an audition under the pretense of appreciating her acting. They made her sign a contract. My sister was young and inexperienced back then, and thought she’d landed a good role. She was excited to prepare for filming, but they actually had her sign a service contract to work under Big Head without pay for ten years..."

"Excuse me, before your sister disappeared, was she aware of being tricked?"

Li Tao shook his head, "No, I only found out after her disappearance when Big Head came to me with the contract asking for her."

"How can you be sure she was unaware of the contract issues?"

Li Tao hesitated slightly, "She was indeed in the crew filming at that time, always delighted, and would tell me about the senior who liked her and helped her with acting."

"Was it the assistant director?"

"Doesn’t seem like it." Li Tao shook his head again, "That assistant director isn’t classically trained and couldn’t instruct actors."

Xiao Kong’s brow furrowed, glanced at Ji Ning, and continued to ask, "Did she mention the identity of that senior?"