Chapter 35: The Cause Has Been Found

After stumbling and struggling all the way, Chang Yu finally arrived at the guard post, and the journey had been nothing short of arduous.

"Yu, you made it?" Fat Wang greeted him warmly.

"Ah, good morning, Wang," Chang Yu replied, his voice weak and listless.

At the moment, his face was ashen, and his walk was unsteady, swaying left and right like a reed caught in the wind. His body, already weakened from a botched practice session, had suffered further from the biochemical assault of the muscle-bound man earlier. Now his throat was tight with suppressed anger and nausea, making him feel sick to his stomach.

"What happened? Why do you look so pale?" Fat Wang examined him with concern.

Chang Yu's eyes were full of melancholy. "You have no idea, so much happened this morning."

"In short, I never want to see that person again—never, ever," he declared emphatically.

The man he'd encountered on the bus, the one with the pungent feet—Chang Yu was certain he'd never smelled anything worse in his life. Even now, he felt a touch of hypoxia from the lingering stench.

Fat Wang leaned in closer. "Listen, sometimes you just have to accept your bad luck."

"You know Zhao Dazheng, the chairman of Zhao Group? He was a perfectly healthy man, but for some reason, he got beaten up badly. Now he's bandaged up and lying in the hospital; even going to the bathroom requires a crutch. Can you imagine how angry he must be?"

Chang Yu's expression grew uncomfortable at the mention of Zhao Dazheng. "Of course he'd be angry. Who wouldn't be if they'd been beaten?"

Fat Wang, with a hint of schadenfreude, said, "Exactly. I heard he's furious—Zhao Dazheng is a major player in H City, he's never suffered like this before."

"He calls the police three times a day, trying to find out if they've caught the culprit, but the police keep saying there aren't enough clues, so they can't find the guy."

"If you ask me, at this rate, the whole thing will probably be left unresolved. Zhao Dazheng took that beating for nothing."

Chang Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Fat Wang might not know the truth, but Chang Yu certainly did.

The police not only had clues; they even had evidence. When Chang Yu laid into Zhao Dazheng, the security cameras caught everything. Yet the police claimed they had no leads. The only possible explanation was that Katerina had honored her promise to Chang Yu, ordering the police to keep the matter silent.

As a result, the police concealed the truth from Zhao Dazheng, making excuses about insufficient clues. This revealed to Chang Yu the true extent of Katerina's authority and influence—or rather, the power wielded by the Disaster Investigation Bureau behind her.

Who was Zhao Dazheng? The foremost entrepreneur in H City, the largest real estate tycoon, one of the most powerful men in the city with connections everywhere. Chang Yu could hardly believe he had no pull with the police.

Normally, if Zhao Dazheng wanted to investigate someone, he could do so with a single phone call. Yet even when public opinion favored him, he couldn't uncover Chang Yu's identity or whereabouts.

Details about Chang Yu and his actions vanished as if frozen in time, out of sight and out of reach. Everyone who knew anything kept their mouths shut, unanimously keeping Zhao Dazheng in the dark.

Unbeknownst even to Chang Yu, the moment he signed the employment contract with the Disaster Investigation Bureau, they had used all their authority and resources to encrypt his personal records. Now, not even the police had access to his information.

And so, Zhao Dazheng gained a regret, H City's police acquired a cold case, and the Disaster Investigation Bureau gained a like-minded comrade.

......

Over the next few days, Chang Yu went to work at the company guard post as usual, arriving early and leaving late. Since his interview, Katerina hadn't contacted him, and his life returned to its former routine.

Although he was about to change jobs, as long as he remained at the company, he was determined to work diligently, earning his pay with integrity.

Speaking of pay, Chang Yu finally completed a full month of work and received his hoped-for salary of fifteen hundred yuan. He should have gotten two thousand, but was docked five hundred for being late one morning.

With Vice President Yao's help, Chang Yu's resignation letter landed smoothly on the HR manager's desk. Out of respect for Vice President Yao, the manager processed his resignation that same day, not making things difficult for him at all.

Thus, Chang Yu received his salary and formally resigned from the company without delay. Now, he found himself idle at home, awaiting Katerina's call, enjoying a rare period of leisure.

While his career was advancing, progress in his dreams was frustratingly stagnant. Lately, he hadn't been dreaming at all.

Even though he watched horror films every night, the fact remained—he simply didn't dream.

Most people would consider dreamless sleep a blessing, a sign of improved sleep quality. Rest well, and you'll be refreshed the next day; it's a good thing in most eyes.

But for Chang Yu, it was a disaster. He'd rather be plagued by vivid dreams and restless nights than sleep soundly only to find he'd dreamed not a single dream.

He had too many questions for Master Hao Er, questions that concerned not only himself but also his close friend Fat Wang.

Unable to dream, Chang Yu grew anxious, his heart increasingly uneasy. He believed something must have gone wrong, and the problem was likely something he'd overlooked.

"Where exactly did things go wrong?" Chang Yu lay in bed, frowning, idly flicking his phone screen.

Movie news scrolled rapidly past, all the latest horror films from recent years.

As always, his rules were strict: no female lead, or if the lead was unattractive, those films weren't even considered. Next, he sifted through the multitude of beautiful actresses to find the prettiest for tonight's viewing.

Too dark-skinned, too thin, too short, too indiscreet in their private lives—all were grounds for elimination.

With such harsh criteria, many horror films were dismissed at first glance. Chang Yu had effectively turned terrifying horror movies into a beauty pageant.

He most enjoyed horror films featuring exceptionally beautiful actresses. Not only did he no longer feel the initial trepidation, he even looked forward to watching the ones he selected.

"Hmm... The protagonist in this film is a man. What's the point of watching a horror movie like that?"

"Hmm, this one's a female lead, but she's way too fat—must be over two hundred pounds! That's really off-putting!"

After much picky searching, a stunning movie poster finally caught Chang Yu's eye. When he saw the leading lady, his eyes shone with admiration, and even the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"This is really nice. I've heard the girls in the Three Kingdoms are beautiful, and now I see it's true!"

"Look at those big eyes, those willow brows, that figure, and that nose ring—wow, that's really something!"

"Great! That's settled, I'll watch her tonight!"

A girl that lovely—Chang Yu would never meet her in real life. In the past, he could only drool over her through his phone.

But now, if luck was on his side, perhaps he could meet her in his dreams.

He pressed play, eager to watch the horror film.

Time flew by. As the exotic closing music played, Chang Yu reluctantly set his phone aside, ending more than an hour of viewing.

Reflecting on the film, he realized he'd barely paid attention to the plot at all. All his focus had been on the alluring Three Kingdoms girl.

His mind was full of, "Wow, how is she so beautiful!"

"Wow, how is she so cute!"

"Wow, how is she so stunning!"

He'd turned a horror film into a Victoria's Secret show, forgetting why he started watching horror movies in the first place.

At this moment, he felt not a shred of fear—not even a hint of nervousness.

Others watched horror films for excitement; Chang Yu just wanted to admire the beautiful Three Kingdoms girl.

With such intentions, how could a horror film possibly be scary?

He recognized this, muttering to himself:

"The reason I watch horror films is to get scared, so my mind becomes tense and my emotions anxious."

"But honestly, aside from the first couple times, none of the later films gave me the expected effect."

"The reason is that my attention wasn't on the movie itself, but on the beautiful leading actress."

"I was so busy watching her face, I barely followed the plot, and felt no fear at all. That defeats the purpose of watching horror films."

"No wonder I haven't been dreaming lately—it's because none of these horror films have frightened me!"

"My mind isn't tense, my emotions aren't anxious, I'm not in a bad mood at all."

"If I could still dream under these circumstances, that would be odd! At least now I know the reason..."