Chapter 36

And, so, we finally find out who Ke Qian is, and why no one in Yue Ying Animation Studio will talk about him. This is just the tip of the iceberg, though . . . what does Ke Qian have to do with the murders? Meanwhile, not a peep on Fu Ziyu and Han Yumeng – Ding Mo is leaving us to stew in suspense . . .

NOTE: If you were reading WASFIL on Meraki, there is an important announcement you should read about it here. The PD team is about to check on the ‘status’ of PD as well, and will get back to you as soon as we have anything definite. 

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Wen Xiaohua’s memory started from the time two years ago.

The first time he reported for work at Yue Ying Animation Society, he saw a very handsome boy sitting at a table, cutting out stage decorations from coloured paper.

At that time, Wen Xiaohua was still a little nervous, so he said, “Hi, how are you? I’m Wen Xiaohua, I signed up a few days ago.”

Ke Qian looked up, immediately put down the things in his hands, and said, “Hi, Xiaohua! Welcome! It’s great that you can join our animation society.”

He was exceedingly courteous, and his smile was especially warm and gentle. Wen Xiaohua had never met anyone who was so courteous to others.

Later, he realised that Ke Qian was always this courteous to everyone.

Even though he was senior in the animation society, he was not at all like Rong Xiaofeng and Jiang Xueran, who tended to put on airs. He was always considerate of other people’s needs, and very caring to everyone. Whenever there was work to be done, he was always the first to get down to work, without complaint.

He was consistently trying to please everyone, hoping that they would like him in return.

Perhaps he was born that way. However, for whatever reason, after time, even the honest and sincere Wen Xiaohua felt a little annoyed. He started to pass whatever he could not finish doing to Ke Qian. Even though he benefited from this, he didn’t really give much thought to thanking Ke Qian. Sometimes, he couldn’t even be bothered to apologise.

It wasn’t as if Ke Qian was not affected by this attitude that everyone had towards him. Many times, Wen Xiaohua could see his loneliness. He was always so cautious and guarded, yet he seemed unable to win anyone’s bosom friendship.

Maybe human nature was inherently despicable. He was despicable, and thus, they were also despicable. Wen Xiaohua heard, vaguely, that Ke Qian was an orphan. He was very young when his parents died, and was brought up by his paternal grandfather. Perhaps, then, this was how this handsome yet solitary boy had gradually developed such a character?

From the time of Ke Qian’s university graduation the previous year, everyone noticed that his especially frail and humble character was becoming increasingly more pronounced.

This was because he did not go to work. It wasn’t that he was unable to find a job, he didn’t even look for one. He ensconced himself in the studio the entire day, wholly engrossed in anime, and in cosplay.

Everyone admitted that he was the best cosplayer they had ever seen. But, this kind of ‘playtime’ won’t put food on the table. Seeing him degenerate to such an extent, everyone held him in even greater contempt, even though they were in the same society.

Once, Wen Xiaohua advised him out of concern. “Ah Qian, I think it’s better for you to look for a job. This is not the right way to do things.” He did not have much money, yet he would use whatever award money he had received and his living expense allowance to buy expensive and exquisite items to support his ‘playtime’, while eating instant noodles every day.

What did Ke Qian say then?

He was fiddling with the plants at the door, and looked up smilingly at Wen Xiaohua. His smiling face was as peaceful as the moon on a cool, clear night as he said, “It will be all right, Wenhua. Nowadays, the prize money for cosplay competitions and events is increasing. If we work hard, we will be able to make a decent living. This is my dream and my passion, and I want to make a living by it. If people follow convention* blindly and go to work, becoming slaves to their mortgages or their cars, does it mean that I can’t pursue my dreams? If it’s something one likes, does it really matter if one has to be poor for a little while?”

*T/N 循规蹈矩 (xun gui dao ju) – lit. to follow the compass and go with the set square; fig. to follow the rules inflexibly, to act according to convention.

At that time, Wen Xiaohua had been rather moved when he heard those words. However, on repeating them to Jiang Xueran later, Jiang Xueran only laughed contemptuously and said, “Madness. Don’t you think that Ke Qian is a bit crazy? Totally unrealistic. He already borrowed money from Lu Ji last month. Watch out, it might be you this month.”

Wen Xiaohua felt that Jiang Xueran’s comment was reasonable, so he came to disdain Ke Qian even more.

However, what Ke Qian had said kept resurfacing in his mind time and again –

If people follow convention blindly, does that mean that I can’t pursue my dreams?

Does it really matter if one has to be poor for a little while?

True, did it really matter?

But even Ke Qian would never have imagined that it would be an unexpected windfall that would start him on the road to death.

——

The sun shone brightly, seemingly able to illuminate and banish all the darkness and confusion in the world. Several police cars were parked in a patch of uncultivated land not far from the animation park. It was overgrown with weeds, and waterlogged with black water. The air reeked.

Xu Sheng and Wen Xiaohua had cried until their eyes were red and puffy. In the end, they were just kids who had barely graduated from university.

They identified the spot.

It was a big tree. Underneath the tree, there were definitely signs of freshly turned earth. The workers had already started digging. Bo Jinyan and the others stood on the periphery.

However, the most agitated people were Xu Sheng and Wen Xiaohua. They desperately wanted to know whether the person buried there had really disappeared.

“Why did it happen?” An Yan asked. “Since Ke Qian treated them so well, how is it that they all looked down on him?”

“He was too much of a yes-man,” Fang Qing replied. “He was too concerned about what other people thought, but, contrarily, they thought very little of him.”

This seemed to make sense. Jian Yao and An Yan both nodded.

Bo Jinyan snorted and said, “They lacked kindness, and disregarded the good intentions of others. It wasn’t his fault, but theirs.” ‘They’ naturally referred to the other members of the animation society.

“But isn’t this the case with most people?” Jian Yao countered.

“Even though most people are like this, it’s still wrong,” Bo Jinyan said flatly.

Everyone was silent.

After a while, Fang Qing exclaimed, “There is no big evil, only the little evils and occasional kindness in the ebb and flow* of everyday life. I guess that’s just human nature.”

*T/N 随波逐流 (sui bo zhu liu) – lit. to drift with the waves and go with the flow

Bo Jinyan glanced at him and commented, “Occasionally, you’re profound.”

Fang Qing laughed. “Thank you for the compliment.”

As the excavation tool inched its way deeper, the surface soil was dug up, and the clues which had been concealed were gradually revealed.

A corner of clothing, dark brown where fresh blood had dried; a shoe, its original colour impossible to make out; a portion of earth flipped over to expose fingernails . . .

The faces of Bo Jinyan and the others became grave.

Wen Xiaohua and Xu Sheng were ashen-faced. Wen Xiaohua’s tears fell in huge drops, and Xu Sheng covered her face with her hand.

Yes, it’s still ghastly to return to that night.

A few days prior, they had suddenly received a call from Ke Qian, who sounded incredibly excited. “Our studio doesn’t need to disband! I’ve got a sum of money! A huge sum of money! It’s our venture capital fund!”

On hearing the word ‘money’, everyone’s hearts jumped.

For the first time, at Ke Qian’s call to convene, everyone gathered.

“2 million! We got 2 million!” Ke Qian perched on a bench, smiling broadly, yet also cautiously.

“Where is the money coming from?” Jiang Xueran asked with a smile.

Ke Qian looked at the expression on his face and replied, “I . . . earlier, I sent our studio’s information and performance videos to a lot of investors. I also wrote a very detailed investment feasibility report. Finally, I got a reply. An angel investor is giving us 2 million. This money will be our start-up capital, and we can use it as we deem fit. As long as we formally establish the studio and win more awards, who knows, he may even invest more money and help make Yue Ying Animation Studio into the most influential animation company in China!”