Chapter 78: Divination Card
Finally sending Zhou Junyi off, Luo Yingbai sent the general situation to Xia Xianning via WeChat, then quickly took a shower, set the air conditioning to the lowest, and dove into bed to enter dreamland.
At this time, his unfortunate junior brother was still working overtime.
Xia Xianning sat across from Gai Xiao. This female screenwriter, although already in her thirties, remained unmarried and dressed with a very girlish style.
She wore a sleeveless pink floral dress and crystal sandals in the summer, her hair loose, emitting a faint shampoo fragrance.
From a distance, one might almost mistake her for a high school student, but up close, the crow’s feet and freckles beneath her makeup were unmistakable.
Since he could not interrogate a woman alone, Xia Xianning had Yue Ling sitting next to him to take notes. They had been tormenting each other for nearly half an hour, and Gai Xiao, whether genuinely or feigning stupidity, answered every question but couldn’t say anything useful. Initially, the interrogator Gou Songze had gone mad and was replaced by Director Xia himself.
Xia Xianning flipped through the previous notes and chose an entry point: “What does Screenwriter Gai think about the frequent accidents among actors in the ‘Yan Chi Little Red Bridge’ production?”
Gai Xiao furrowed her brow and sighed deeply: “I’m very sad. Those who had accidents were truly pitiful. Moreover, none of my novels adapted into scripts have been satisfactory – either the actors were unsuitable or the joint investors demanded script changes. This time, I personally reviewed the cast list before approving. I didn’t want another idiot like Ou Ziheng to ruin my drama. Look at this mess! Maybe I’m just unlucky, maybe I shouldn’t have sold the publishing rights…”
Xia Xianning: “…”
He immediately understood why Gou Songze had looked so desperate, saying “I’d rather interrogate a Xianglin’s wife”!
Xia Xianning’s expression cold, he interrupted her: “Excuse me, I’ve read some interviews about you. You once said you felt deeply connected to the characters Qi Changfeng and Yue Huan…”
Before he could finish, Gai Xiao’s eyes lit up: “Yes. You know, for a creator, every character is…”
Yue Ling facepalmed. Xia Xianning coldly interrupted her again: “Did these two characters have real-life prototypes?”
Gai Xiao looked at him resentfully, then she answered: “The male protagonist had a prototype. The second male character did not.”
Xia Xianning remained silent, knowing she would continue speaking even without prompting.
Indeed, Gai Xiao continued: “The male protagonist was an ex-boyfriend. When we first broke up, I felt so much pain that I wanted to shape this person…”
Just then, Xia Xianning’s phone vibrated. He apologized, unlocked the screen, and his cold expression suddenly softened as he quickly replied to a message.
Gai Xiao, watching him, said: “There was an article saying that a sign of loneliness is finding anyone to chat endlessly with. Director Xia won’t find me verbose, right?”
Xia Xianning put down his phone: “Well, a bit.”
Xia Xianning, unchanged, continued the interrogation: “Since Yue Huan has no character prototype, why did you create such a character?”
Gai Xiao replied, “Perhaps because the person I loved couldn’t treat me as I imagined, so I fabricated a character with a personality completely opposite to Qi Changfeng, but I’m fascinated by his devotion, persistence, and madness.”
Xia Xianning listened to her accusations. After Gai Xiao finished speaking, he asked, “My colleagues should have mentioned that some evidence was found near the garage behind Yunsheng Grand Hotel. That garage is under the name of Ms. Wang, the assistant of Screenwriter Gai. Does Screenwriter Gai have anything to explain about this?”
Gai Xiao said coldly, “Since it’s under Wang Danting’s name, what do you want me to explain? Go ask her! I have no time to discuss these nonsensical things!”
Yue Ling wanted to speak several times, but seeing Xia Xianning leaning back in the chair and listening silently, she opened her mouth and then closed it again.
When Gai Xiao paused to drink water, Xia Xianning revealed a stack of cards. He gently tapped the cards on the table and then spread them out, revealing the black and red intricate patterns on the back.
As the cards were laid out, a strange atmosphere seemed to fill the room, with a mysterious oppressive feeling quietly approaching, making one’s chest feel stuffy and involuntarily breathing lightly.
Gai Xiao said with uncertainty, “What are you doing?”
Xia Xianning replied, “Screenwriter Gai is right. This sounds like nonsense, but if it’s not nonsense, it’s not something for the special investigation unit to handle. Since you’re unwilling to speak, I’ll help you divine the answer.”
Just moments ago, it was a serious police interrogation, but now it had taken an unexpected turn. Gai Xiao was dumbfounded and instinctively said “no” when Xia Xianning asked for her birth details.
But Xia Xianning wasn’t asking her. Yue Ling directly answered, “Born in the Year of Yi Chou, Month of Xin You, Day of Ji Wei, Hour of Xu Chen.”
Gai Xiao said, “…How domineering you are! Are you a police officer or a bandit!”
And how did they know her birth details!
Xia Xianning said without shame, “Interrogation requires it. We’ve investigated your personal information and birth records in advance. Sorry.”
His long fingers drew a series of symbols on the cards, then stopped, tapping his knuckles on the table. The cards seemed to receive a command and began to rearrange themselves automatically.
Gai Xiao stared wide-eyed, momentarily doubting if she was dreaming.
But as she watched, she felt the black and red floral patterns on the cards seemed to break through the paper, growing upward, and slowly and gently wrapping around her body…
As the vines continued to entwine, her heart and fate became entangled with the cards, drawing closer… closer… until she was pulled into the cards, merging with the strange and beautiful pattern.
“Revealing wisdom of all things, consulting the great celestial omen, emerge!”
A cold voice suddenly rang out. Gai Xiao was startled, as if breaking free from a nightmare, sitting up straight and looking forward. All the cards had formed a Tai Chi diagram, with four cards facing up.
In that instant, she felt a strong desire to see what was written on those four cards. When Xia Xianning picked them up and revealed them, Gai Xiao felt disappointed – they were portraits and incomplete poems painted in ink, which she couldn’t quite understand.
Xia Xianning placed the first card in the middle of the table. It seemed to depict a mountain peak with a line of text. Gai Xiao read, “Xue Pingguai meets Princess Dai Zhan. What does this mean?”
Xia Xianning explained, “I dwell on the mountain wall, in a leaky house, standing alone on the cliff. When Wang Baochuan married Xue Pingguai, she was a rich girl marrying down, but Xue Pingguai later took a princess as his wife while on a campaign.”
Gai Xiao let out a cold laugh.
Xia Xianning continued, as if he hadn’t heard her, “Those who draw this card have feelings in their heart but cannot become a couple. Initially, one side was strong while the other was weak, but when their statuses become similar, they face mutual conflict and separation.”
“The second card, ‘Fire Burning Gourd Valley’,” he slowly pushed out another card. “Desperate valley suddenly encountering flames across the sky, flames pass through the valley floor, and lotus still grows. After the burning of Red Cliff, Cao Cao was defeated and fled to Gourd Valley, where Zhang Fei launched a fire attack. He still managed to escape. In desperate circumstances, there is hope of survival, and a new support is born and grows around you.”
