Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Why is Fu Chongye calling now?

Could it be that he knows some insider information?!

Yi Tiantian didn’t rush to answer, first checking the rumor system to ensure no new developments had surfaced before picking up the call.

On the other end, Fu Chongye’s voice was nonchalant, with a relaxed and casual tone.

"Tiantian, it’s been a while. Do you miss me?"

Yi Tiantian brushed off Fu Chongye’s flirtatious remark and instead went straight to the point. "Did I mess up?"

His tone was calm, but it carried an implicit sense of accusation, making Fu Chongye’s laid-back attitude falter slightly.

"Did I mess up?"

Fu Chongye’s voice was low, as if puzzled.

"You haven’t done anything wrong. Why are you asking?"

"So why did the Dusk Society try to bury me alive?"

Yi Tiantian asked.

"Well..."

Fu Chongye’s surprise faded, and he burst out laughing on the other end.

"Actually, that was a mistake. The relevant individuals have already been handled."

"What do you mean by 'handled'?!"

"Are you saying that the kidnappers and Director Liu didn’t kill themselves, but were silenced by the Dusk Society?"

Fu Chongye listened to Yi Tiantian’s words with great interest, nodding appreciatively.

Talking to someone as sharp as you is always this easy. You get it right away.

"How did you handle it?"

Yi Tiantian asked, already knowing the answer.

"That’s not something you need to know. Just know that they’re all dead now and won’t be speaking anymore."

Fu Chongye chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"So that’s how it is!"

"It’s not that everyone is loyal to the Dusk Society, but that the Dusk Society silences anyone who might leak information!"

"So that’s the truth!"

Yi Tiantian had a sudden realization, finally understanding why the members of the Dusk Society had been so tight-lipped, as if their lives depended on it!

Because anyone who leaks information really does die. The Dusk Society ensures it.

Yi Tiantian couldn't help but swallow, feeling that his undercover mission had become even more perilous.

If the Dusk Society were to discover that he had infiltrated them to dismantle them root and branch, they would definitely erase him from the world without a second thought!

"What? Are you scared?"

When Fu Chongye heard no response from Yi Tiantian, he chuckled and asked.

"No, I'm just a little heartbroken. After all, the organization I've been loyal to has turned out to be like this..."

Yi Tiantian tried to tug at the heartstrings, feigning sadness, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Don't forget, you still need to take me to the Dusk Society's high-level meeting!"

"Since the organization made a mistake, shouldn't they compensate me?"

Yi Tiantian's little calculations were clicking away in his mind. If this emotional play worked, he might just successfully infiltrate the Dusk Society's inner circle!

But Fu Chongye on the other side had completely heard through Yi Tiantian's thoughts, and listening to his inner feelings, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He didn’t expect Yi Tiantian to be so bold as to try pulling the heartstrings in front of the Dusk Society.

But...

A smile curled up on Fu Chongye's lips, and he softly said, "Yes, I'm also very sorry about what happened. Regarding your entry into the inner circle, I'll continue to push for it. There's an insider gathering in a couple of days. If the others agree, I can take you to attend."

At the prospect of infiltrating the inner circle and attending an insider gathering, Yi Tiantian’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Alright, I'll wait for your good news."

After this, the two hung up the phone. Yi Tiantian paced around the room, thinking about his next move.

If he could really attend the insider gathering, he would need to prepare to document everything. It would be best to bring a few cameras inside, but he wasn't sure how strict the Dusk Society's security checks would be...

Although attending the gathering was far from certain, Yi Tiantian had already started actively planning in his mind.

After spending some time on the couch, Yi Tiantian’s racing heart finally settled.

He opened the rumor system again, hoping to find any new information that might be helpful for his future infiltration of the insider gathering.

Sure enough, the system had a new piece of gossip, but it wasn't about the insider gathering. Instead, it was the follow-up to the previous school bus burial incident.

"It turns out that the female killer and Director Liu both lost their children not long ago! They met at their children's funeral!"

"Director Liu's daughter was injured by a drunk driver and unfortunately died during rescue."

"The female killer's son, on the other hand, died due to the Dusk Society's gene control experiment, which failed."

"Both of their children were buried in the same cemetery, and that's how they got to know each other."

"These two grief-stricken adults then decided to take revenge on society, planning to sacrifice more children! That's why they planned the school bus incident!"

Yi Tiantian was shocked upon learning the truth, unable to express his astonishment.

As the saying goes, 'Those who evoke pity often have their own dark motives.' Although Yi Tiantian felt deeply sorry for these two who had lost their beloved children, that doesn’t excuse them for destroying other families and killing other kids!

Yi Tiantian took a deep breath to steady himself.

Another key point in this rumor caught his attention—the Dusk Society's "gene experiment."

"Why is the Dusk Society still researching this kind of stuff?!"

"Gene experiments... Could it be that their goal is not just to rule the world, but also to establish a highly controlled state?"

"The most important thing is, they were even experimenting on children. It's completely inhumane!"

After learning this information, Yi Tiantian became even more determined to expose the evil actions of the Dusk Society.

He couldn't let any more people get hurt.

Yi Tiantian clenched his fists and looked resolutely ahead.

Fei Cheng and Yueyue, Yang Yang, and others also received news from the police that the group of kidnappers had committed suicide in prison, and that Director Liu had also taken his own life.

Although Fei Cheng remained impassive, he knew Yi Tiantian's thoughts well enough to guess that the suicides were likely tied to the Dusk Society.

It seemed that this organization would stop at nothing to prevent their information from being exposed.

Yueyue and Yang Yang also vaguely understood the underlying reason behind this incident. Yueyue, feeling nervous, swallowed hard and asked the police on the phone, "Are you saying they are all really dead? Not a single person was left alive?"

The police officer on the other end of the line nodded solemnly and replied seriously, "Yes, none of them could be saved."

Yueyue took a deep breath and felt a shiver run down her spine.

Dozens of kidnappers dying all at once was a terrifying thought!

And most importantly, Yueyue knew something that no one else did. After all the kidnappers had been captured, Yang Yang had gone to the police station once.

At the time, after finishing her cooperation with the police, Yueyue had been so exhausted that she just wanted to go home and sleep. She had intended to take Yang Yang home with her, but to her surprise, he had refused.

As they walked out of the police station, Yang Yang slapped his forehead as if he'd just remembered something and said to Yueyue with some urgency, "You go ahead first, Yueyue. I think I forgot something at the police station. I'll go back and get it."

Yueyue hadn't thought much of it at the time because she had been extremely tired. She nodded wearily and waved him off.

"Okay, I'll head home first. You should head back soon too."

"Alright, drive safe."

Yang Yang also smiled at Yueyue.

As Yueyue prepared to start her car and go home, she stretched, too tired to think straight. As she glanced in the rearview mirror, she witnessed a chilling sight.

Yang Yang, who had just been smiling at her, had completely changed the moment he turned away. His expression turned cold and ruthless, and his footsteps were unusually heavy and determined, as if he had a dark purpose in mind.

Yueyue watched Yang Yang's figure until he re-entered the police station, but she didn't know what happened after that.

But her gut told her that Yang Yang might be involved in the kidnappers' and Director Liu's deaths.

Lately, his behavior had been increasingly strange.

...

Although Fu Chongye had mentioned that he would take Yi Tiantian to an insider gathering, he had not contacted him again after that. Yi Tiantian had proactively called Fu Chongye once, but after the call connected, Fu Chongye told him that he had been busy lately and asked Yi Tiantian to wait a little longer.

So, Yi Tiantian decided to focus on the next episode of *Special Forces Action!* — a family travel special.

It had been a while since Yi Tiantian joined this travel variety show, so he couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. After Brother Cheng filled him in, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

However, this time he wasn't participating as a guest, because Yi Tiantian was still single and didn’t have any children.

So, in this episode, Yi Tiantian’s role was more of a host.

When he received the program guest list, he glanced over it and saw a familiar name—or rather, two familiar names.

In the guest list, the names Xie Yi and Xie Niao stood out!

"Aren't they siblings? Why are they participating in a parent-child show?!"

Yi Tiantian’s eyes widened in shock as he glanced at the guest list and then at Brother Cheng, who sat across from him.

Brother Cheng leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands, and explained, "Oh, this? How would we little people know what the big boss is thinking? Maybe he just wants to use this as an excuse to travel?"

"Ah?"

Yi Tiantian’s eyes widened again, and his mind raced.

"If Xie Yi wants to travel, wouldn’t it be better to go freely without any restrictions?"

"If he goes with the program group, he'll just be tied down and won’t have as much fun!"

"But..."

Yi Tiantian reconsidered.

"But what if Mr. Xie actually enjoys the buzz of this kind of event?"

"Sigh, rich people’s minds are tough to figure out!"

Yi Tiantian shook his head.

"Don't try to guess the boss's thoughts, because even if you do, you won’t guess correctly!"

At that moment, Xie Yi paused in his steps, turning his gaze toward Yi Tiantian inside the room.

Knowing Yi Tiantian would be at the company today, Xie Yi had been pacing outside Brother Cheng’s office, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

But after dozens of passes, Yi Tiantian was still inside, deep in conversation with Brother Cheng, not once glancing toward the door.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Xie Yi stepped forward and stood at the office door for a while. But instead of achieving his goal, he ended up hearing Yi Tiantian’s complaints about him!

So, in Yi Tiantian's eyes, he was still just seen as the boss...

Although Yi Tiantian, who had his back to the door, didn’t see the stunned Mr. Xie, Brother Cheng did. He quickly stood up from his chair to greet him.

"Mr. Xie, what brings you here?"

Hearing this, Yi Tiantian immediately turned around and, sure enough, saw Xie Yi standing behind him, looking slightly embarrassed.

Yi Tiantian also turned around, smiling brightly and cheerfully, "Mr. Xie, you're here."

"Hmm..."

Xie Yi cleared his throat and pretended as if he hadn’t heard anything.

"I heard we’re going to be on the same program together. You’re also a guest this time, right?"

Mr. Xie had actually been looking forward to this day for a long time, and now this question was more of a rhetorical one.

"Yes, Mr. Xie, I'm currently confirming the guest list. I didn't expect that you would be participating too!"

Yi Tiantian spoke confidently, without any hesitation or concealment.

But who could have known that his inner thoughts were on a completely different wavelength.

"After finally getting another opportunity to travel on the company's dime, I have to share a room with my boss again! This is every employee's nightmare!"

"But to be fair, Mr. Xie is usually pretty nice. If we weren’t in a boss-employee dynamic, we might become good friends!"

"And this time, Xie Niao is also coming. With the people on the guest list, the show is going to be a hit!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yi felt like he was getting stabbed repeatedly. He even considered firing Yi Tiantian!

There’s always a divide between bosses and employees, and as long as this gap existed, Yi Tiantian would never be able to get along well with Xie Yi!

As Xie Yi frowned and considered the feasibility of firing Yi Tiantian, Brother Cheng, who was sitting opposite, had been secretly enjoying the drama unfolding.

Seeing Mr. Xie's demeanor, Brother Cheng was certain that he had feelings for Yi Tiantian!

He hadn't expected his employee to be so capable that he could even catch the attention of the company's boss!

And this wasn't just any boss, this was Mr. Xie!

If Yi Tiantian and Xie Yi really ended up together, he would have endless resources and be raking in piles of cash beyond his wildest dreams!

By then, as Yi Tiantian's agent and the person who had first led him into the Entertainment Industry, Brother Cheng couldn't even imagine how high his status in the industry would be!

In his imagination, Brother Cheng already saw himself sitting on a gold-trimmed sofa, being massaged on the shoulders and legs, raking in piles of cash.

With these thoughts in mind, Brother Cheng decided in his heart to ship Yi Tiantian and Xie Yi as a couple and to try his best to bring the two together!

Previously, the two assistants, Yueyue and Yang Yang, had also gossiped about Yi Tiantian's potential pairings near him, but these youngsters supported either Fei Cheng or Gang Fengxing, lacking any foresight.

If they backed Xie Yi, their careers in the industry would soar!

"Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng?"

While Brother Cheng was lost in his daydream, Yi Tiantian tried to snap him back to reality.

"Huh? What's up?"

When Brother Cheng snapped back to reality, he saw Yi Tiantian waving his hand in front of him.

"Brother Cheng, just now when Mr. Xie asked you a question, why didn't you respond?"

Yi Tiantian blinked curiously.

Uh-oh!!!

He had been so caught up in shipping them that he forgot the boss was still there!

"Just now, what question did Mr. Xie ask?"

Brother Cheng asked anxiously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his Adam’s apple bobbing as if he might faint at any moment.

"Hehe, actually, Mr. Xie didn't ask you any question."

Yi Tiantian smiled slightly.

"I saw that you were lost in thought, so I decided to scare you a little. Actually, Mr. Xie had to leave earlier because he had a meeting to attend."

"You really scared me to death, Tiantian! I thought I was going to be fired for entering the company with my left foot first!"

Brother Cheng slouched in the chair behind him, stretching out his hand to pat his chest and catch his breath, almost flipping his eyes back as if he were about to faint.

The pressure of being under the boss's authority was too much for an employee to bear, especially a boss with such a strong presence like Mr. Xie, which made the stress even greater.

Brother Cheng also felt the challenges of their relationship firsthand.

Because for Yi Tiantian, Xie Yi was also his boss, and it was a bit strange to date your boss...

Brother Cheng could only pray silently with his hands together, hoping that his CP would successfully break through the barriers between boss and employee.

Seeing that Brother Cheng had fallen into his own world again, Yi Tiantian didn’t go forward to tease him this time but instead reviewed the program materials in his hand.

The area they were going to visit for this parent-child special episode was a poverty-stricken mountainous region. Although the economy there was poor, it had the largest and most magnificent rose fields in the world. Many tourists who went there were attracted by the rose fields.

And now was the season for the roses to bloom, so it would be the perfect time to enjoy their unparalleled beauty in the fields.

Before the recording of this episode began, Yi Tiantian went with the two assistants to purchase some supplies for the impoverished kids in the area.

Yueyue and Yangyang, along with Yi Tiantian, bought more than twenty snack gift packs. Each pack included a variety of kid-favorite snacks and a children's book.

Moreover, these gift packs were divided into two parts, one for boys and one for girls. The boys' packs were wrapped in blue plastic bags and included an extra pack of tissues, while the girls' packs were wrapped in pink plastic bags and contained some sanitary napkins for girls.

"Girls in poverty-stricken areas may not be able to afford sanitary napkins, so this should help them a little."

Yueyue suggested this idea, and Yi Tiantian agreed.

As a male, Yi Tiantian had not actively learned about this kind of knowledge before, but after hearing Yueyue’s explanation, he realized that this was one of the difficulties faced by girls in poverty-stricken areas, and he had to do something about it.

After everything was prepared, Yueyue and Yangyang saw Yi Tiantian off to the airport.

This time, Yi Tiantian brought three extra suitcases. Only a small part of them contained his everyday clothes, and most of the space was occupied by the gift packs for the kids.

Yi Tiantian also planned to leave the other two suitcases behind. He would give them all to the local kids.

This time, the *Special Forces Action!* team did not follow their usual practice of providing a session for the guests to get to know each other before the show started but instead chose a new and exciting gameplay.

In this episode, all the guests had to travel to the destination alone and blend in with the locals on a bustling commercial street. The guests' goal was to find the other guests participating in this episode within that commercial street!

It was like a game of hide-and-seek in a crowded street!

Yi Tiantian thought this part of the game was really cool, so he insisted on joining in.

This meant that every guest who arrived at the scene had to find each other, and the last person to be found would receive an additional reward!

"What kind of reward is it?"

Yi Tiantian asked the photographer beside him before boarding the plane.

The photographer shook the camera lens, indicating that he was only responsible for shooting and didn’t know these things.

"Okay."

Yi Tiantian was already getting excited about it.

"Maybe it's about who gets the best room? The winner takes the top spot!"

This is a classic move in variety shows, and Yi Tiantian thought it was very likely.

After a long flight, Yi Tiantian finally touched down at the location.

On the way there, he noticed that while the area wasn’t exactly booming economically, people on the street smiled and stared curiously at him. The air was crisp and fresh. Several kids were walking around with roses, and a few brave ones even offered them to Yi Tiantian.

Guided by the show’s staff, he entered the hotel where they would be staying for this trip.

Even though the show had warned the guests that the economic development of this travel location wasn’t great, Yi Tiantian was taken aback when he saw the rather dilapidated hotel in front of him.

This wasn’t just underdeveloped; it was practically untouched by modern development!

Even the best hotel here looked like it had seen better days, with walls riddled with cracks. Constructed from stone, with wooden doors scarred by years of wear, it looked like a wartime refuge, barely standing.

As it turned out, the place had indeed been a shelter before being converted into a hotel.

But Yi Tiantian didn’t flinch, carrying his three suitcases into the hotel.

"For this trip, all the hotel rooms provided to our guests are of the same standard, so you can just pick any room," said the staff member with a smile, showing Yi Tiantian the hotel room keys prepared in their palm.

"Huh? All the rooms are the same?"

"Then the reward for this game definitely isn’t choosing your own room!"

Yi Tiantian became even more curious. What could the reward for this game of hide-and-seek be, that even the program group, who usually never hid their rewards, had decided to be mysterious about it!