章 5: Chapter 5: The Agent Takes Tao Ti Away
"Old man, don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person, I'm an agent, our company specializes in creating child stars!"
"Here's the thing, I saw her in the live broadcast room and thought she had potential, so I want to sign her up to become one of our company's Little Stars."
The old man shook his head. "We have other matters to attend to, please make way."
But Chen Bin blocked the way, smiling warmly, "It won't take much of your time!"
Zhang Cuilian came out upon hearing the noise.
Seeing the woman who had hit the child in the live broadcast room, Chen Bin squinted his eyes, barred the way, and raised his voice, "As long as she signs the contract, becoming a child star means she can shoot many dramas and earn a good amount of remuneration."
Upon hearing "a good amount of remuneration," Zhang Cuilian shouted loudly, "Sign, sign, sign!"
The old man scolded sharply, "Sign what? She's still just a child! Are you expecting a child to make money for you? Have you no shame!"
"Shut up, you old coot!" Zhang Cuilian rolled her eyes, took the contract, and signed it.
The old man knew he could not persuade his money-driven daughter-in-law and did not want to say more as he was going to send the child away today anyway, making the signature pointless.
He gripped Tao Ti's hand tightly, anxiously saying, "Tao Tao, come with grandpa!"
Zhang Cuilian aggressively snatched the child, pushing the old man to the ground.
"Grandpa!"
Tao Ti was picked up by Zhang Cuilian with one hand; her little hands reached out toward the old man, unable to catch him as he fell.
The old man lay rigid on the ground, his legs twitched once, and then he lay still.
"Blood!" Tao Ti cried out, tears streaming as she screamed, "Put me down, grandpa is bleeding!"
Zhang Cuilian's grasp on the child did not loosen, panic flickering in her eyes.
She saw blood streaming from the back of the old man's head, growing more profuse...
Chen Bin commented nonchalantly, "The old man is quite elderly, must have been unsteady on his feet when he fell." As he spoke, his gaze lingered meaningfully on Zhang Cuilian.
Zhang Cuilian felt a chill all over her body, as if stared at by a poisonous snake.
Struggling to speak, Zhang Cuilian's voice trembled, "I didn't use much force..."
Chen Bin's lips curled slightly as he spoke gravely, "I saw him fall on his own, what does it have to do with you?"
Zhang Cuilian gritted her teeth and nodded hard, "Right, this has nothing to do with me!"
Tao Ti cried out, "Save my grandpa, please save him..."
Zhang Cuilian covered Tao Ti's mouth with a hand, snarling, "Shut up, or I'll strangle you!"
Tao Ti kicked and flailed helplessly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Zhang Cuilian's eyes turned malevolent, and as she contemplated silencing the child permanently, Chen Bin's unhurried voice came, "Now that the contract is signed, can I take the child with me?"
Indeed, as long as the child was taken away, once the death certificate for the old fellow was issued and the funeral affairs concluded, even if the child came back later, how seriously would people take her words?
This child was a cash cow; it would be wasteful to eliminate her now!
Zhang Cuilian's ruthless look gradually faded; she bound the child with a bedsheet and threw her into the back seat of the car, asking, "How long till we get the money?"
Chen Bin was pleased with someone who asked about nothing but money; with such a person, no one would meddle in whatever roles he arranged for the child.
With the leverage of this woman's murder, in the future, even if he arranged jobs for the child that couldn't be made public, he imagined this woman wouldn't dare to object.
Once the car drove away, Zhang Cuilian squatted down beside the old man, pressing two fingers to his nose.
He was still breathing.
Zhang Cuilian paced back and forth, considering that if she saved him, the stubborn old man would interfere with Tao Ti's affairs again. She eventually toughened her heart and left him be.
Just as Zhang Cuilian reached to strangle the old man, fearing she might leave fingerprints and pondering whether to go back to get a pair of gloves, she saw someone approaching.
It was her husband, returning home, and in her panic, Zhang Cuilian wailed, "Dad, what's happened to you!"
Hearing the cry, the man ran over quickly, "What's going on?"
"Dad has fallen!" Zhang Cuilian cried out.
Without another word, the man picked up the old man and said urgently, "I'm taking dad to the hospital!"
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