Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 708: The Last Temporary Job Before Returning Home

"Thank you all for your hard work."

James's secretary bowed deeply to Xiao He, full of gratitude.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's what we should do."

Xiao He smiled shyly and waved at James.

This was their final promotional roadshow before the release.

Xiao He had already stayed here for five days; he couldn't stay any longer.

Besides, the domestic promotion was in place and the overseas work was mostly finished. Linghui Entertainment had handed in a satisfactory report, and the production team had successfully used Xiao He's fame and heat for publicity. There was little point in him staying any longer; it was indeed time to go back.

If he dragged it out further, Director Chou on Imperial Enterprise would probably lose his temper and barge over in person.

At the thought of that arrogant, sharp-tongued old man, Xiao He’s mouth twitched.

These few days of leave had been snatched out with grit between his teeth. Xiao He didn't dare imagine what would happen to his filming schedule if he delayed a few more days—this director with a vicious streak for revenge would surely squeeze his shooting time once he returned.

That old man's temper was like a stone in a public toilet: foul and unyielding!

No wonder: even though the final day of leave was technically tomorrow, that old man had already called today, urging them to pack up immediately and return home.

Receiving that call in person left Xiao He wanting to curse but holding back.

It felt just like suddenly getting a call from your boss on the last day of your vacation, reminding you to hurry up and pack to go back to work.

…What else could he say? Not worth provoking.

Better to pack up and go home quickly!

So even though the film was about to premiere, Xiao He could only regretfully miss the local event.

Fortunately, Director Tannis had personally reviewed the trending discussions across China’s major platforms about Fast Speed Shadow 7 and was very satisfied, so he immediately expressed understanding about Xiao He's imminent return.

"It's just a pity the police haven't reached a conclusion yet," James said regretfully, glancing at Liu Rulan and Xiao Chen beside Xiao He. "I'm truly sorry for what happened to your team here. We'll be more vigilant about such incidents in the future and improve our security measures."

Liu Rulan nodded. "This time we were troubled by you, Mr. James."

James forced a smile. Given that Xiao He's team had encountered two incidents here and had even been taken to the police station each time, he felt a little shaky—he couldn't understand why public security here had suddenly degraded to this level. All he could promise was, "Rest assured, I will keep following up on this matter after you return."

Xiao He, having successfully retrieved the camera, smiled. "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

Right, he almost forgot in the past few busy days—he wondered what those two guys were doing now.

Tsk, could it be that the two of them were dragged by that businessman Moses down to some sea trench to be dumped?

No, that would be a bit of a loss. Judging by the situation, they might have been sold off…

Xiao He “kindly” offered his “blessings” for the fate of those two thieves, then exchanged a few more words with James and formally said his goodbyes.

Once they were in the car, they headed straight for another destination.

-

Before taking the flight back to China, Xiao He had one last job.

—Specifically, it was a temporary job.

About twenty-odd minutes later, Xiao He and his group arrived at a neighborhood.

But when they stopped according to the GPS route, both Xiao He and Lao Qi fell silent.

Uh… familiar street, familiar graffiti on the walls, familiar corner "pissing basin," familiar homeless man on the ground…

"Oh my god, where did you drag me to?"

Xiao He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, craned his head to look around, and finally confirmed that this block was the same neighborhood he and Lao Qi had stormed into that night.

That night he and Lao Qi had come down this alley, and after using some "special" means, they had found the fence-job buyer Moses at the innermost spot and had given him a brutal thrashing—a love-hardened iron-fist special.

They had been in such a rush back then that it had been pitch black; many places were shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to really see the surroundings. So when Xiao He first saw the area now, he had been unsure if it was the same place.

Of course, this neighborhood was practically two different worlds by night and by day. At night, vagabonds and street thugs prowled every alley, the air thick with the stench of urine, and the ground littered with all sorts of trash — it felt like an utterly filthy red-light district…

By day, though, this block looked more like a hip art district. The nearby buildings sported decorative red tiles and white walls, and many walls were splashed with graffiti—some were even brilliantly colorful and highly artistic, looking like a beautiful painting.

Xiao He's knowledge of those murals and graffiti had only come from films. He'd heard that many of those tags were actually gang members marking territory, so this was another way gangs fought for control?

In any case, Xiao He wasn't an expert.

It was his first time seeing them in person.

Last time it had been too dark to notice the murals; this time he had come specifically, and only then realized he had missed some beautiful scenery…

However, as soon as he got out of the car, Xiao He couldn't help retching.

"Ugh—"

What kind of scenery is this?!

Whose septic tank exploded?!

"Ugh—"

A wave of foul stench hit them: a mix of reek and excrement, fermented into a damp mustiness and sour rot…

Xiao He's face twitched; he was about to lose control of his expression management.

Mainly, how could it possibly smell this bad here!

Liu Rulan, following behind, quickly put on a mask, and Xiao Chen covered his nose, eyes wide in shock.

Xiao He fumbled and took the mask Liu Rulan handed him.

"This—how could it—"

He couldn't bring himself to speak. Only after donning the mask did he feel somewhat better.

He had been touching his chest just a moment ago, still feeling lingering fear.

"Was it this exaggerated when we were here a few days ago?"

He scanned the surroundings, matching them up again, eyes dazed as he issued the soul-searching question.

Beside him, Lao Qi, who had heard Xiao He muttering, nodded and said tactfully, "We were wearing several layers of masks that night, even face shields, so much of the smell in the air was blocked."

It had been damp and gloomy at night; the smells in the air had been comparatively subdued.

In contrast, once the sun came out during the day and temperatures rose, stains that had dried in the dark were exposed to sunlight and began to rot, releasing horrific odors…

Ugh, so what's the difference from being boiled at high heat?

Xiao He wiped sweat from his brow and began to psych himself up, while their arrival attracted the attention of others—