Chapter 995: The Very Last End

Waking from sleep, she opened her eyes; through the window, she could see the morning mist spreading.

The world before her eyes appeared colder than her heart.

When had she so naively believed she would grow old with a man?

When she loved someone, she could abandon all principles for him.

In the end, she could only sit up alone in bed, waiting in a room so silent it seemed all sound had been extinguished, for an inevitable ending.

He Yuan had been unreachable for two days.

His disappearance was an omen.

Then came a message from Chen Pinhe: "I will take good care of Yinglu; you take good care of yourself."

So she had gone nowhere, had not fled.

When the doorbell rang, the only thought in her heart was, "It has finally come," a sense of finality settling like dust.

She wore exquisite makeup and a top-tier designer suit, meticulous from the hair on her head to the soles of her feet.

Police appeared at her doorstep.

Outside, media reporters, having received advance news, stood in the perimeter holding long lenses and short mics, their camera flashes merging into a sea of light.

Zhang Yuezhen offered no resistance, following the police into the car with an expressionless face.

Before entering the vehicle, she spotted Chen Ziyan in the crowd.

She wore sunglasses and a face mask.

No one recognized her.

Yet, she spotted her at a single glance.

It was as if she had known all along that she would definitely be there.

Chen Ziyan was equally expressionless.

This was despite her barely revealing her face.

Events unfolded with the devastating force of an avalanche, sweeping away everything in their path.

News exploded; all the uproar surged back.

Far away in Situer, Lu Yanhe immediately canceled all his schedules and stopped going out.

Before the cameras, Chen Pinhe broke down in despair and helplessness, apologizing again and again on behalf of his ex-wife.

Everyone cursed him as a hypocrite.

Not long after, He Yuan's confession at the police station was leaked.

It did not leak from the police station itself.

Yet the information that emerged differed little from what He Yuan had said inside the station.

"Chen Pinhe once had a romantic relationship with Lu Yanhe's mother; when they broke up, he did not know she was already pregnant. Later, he got together with Zhang Yuezhen. Zhang Yuezhen asked me to investigate Chen Pinhe's past, and I discovered this story."

"Shortly after Lu Yanhe was born, Chen Pinhe learned of Lu Yanhe's existence. By then, he was already married to Zhang Yuezhen. To prevent Zhang Yuezhen from finding out, he did not acknowledge Lu Yanhe. However, he did not know that Zhang Yuezhen had always been aware of Lu Yanhe's existence."

"To prevent others from discovering that Lu Yanhe was his son, Chen Pinhe continuously tried to use his connections to force Lu Yanhe out of the entertainment industry. I do not know exactly whom he approached, but Ma Zhongquan was likely found under these circumstances."

"When Lu Yanhe was nearing adulthood, Zhang Yuezhen greatly feared that Chen Pinhe would abandon her and their daughter for this son. Therefore, she instructed me to lure Lu Yanhe out, attempting to drown him in the river by making it look like an accidental fall into the water. The entire process of Zhang Yuezhen directing me to do this was recorded."

"Later, Lu Yanhe discovered the truth that Chen Pinhe was his biological father and began to confront Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen head-on. However, he did not know that Chen Pinhe believed Zhang Yuezhen was unaware of Lu Yanhe's existence, while Zhang Yuezhen exploited this very point to worsen the relationship between Chen Pinhe and Lu Yanhe."

"Back then, I chose to help her do these things because she saved my son."

"Why am I stepping forward to reveal all this now?"

"Because Zhang Yuezhen caused my son's death. I did too many things for her; she wanted to silence me, so she took my son abroad, intending to control him and use him to threaten me. To control him, Zhang Yuezhen fed him drugs, but failed to control the dosage, directly causing his death, and then attempted to cover it up."

"About half a year ago, Lu Yanhe's maternal uncle died. Chen Pinhe arranged for Lu Yanhe's maternal aunt and younger cousin to go to the United States, fearing they would expose the fact that Lu Yanhe was his son. Zhang Yuezhen also sent me over to keep watch. On the night of Ma Zhiyuan's livestream, many things happened. Lu Yanhe's maternal aunt felt this was an opportunity to curry favor with Lu Yanhe and wanted to start a livestream. After Zhang Yuezhen learned of this, fearing the matter would escalate, she ordered us to kidnap them. Later, to prevent complications arising from delay, she instructed me to eliminate them."

"I did not want to kill anyone, but at that time, my son was in her hands. I could only find a basement to lock them up, then lied to Zhang Yuezhen that I had already killed them. Before I turned myself in, I notified the police in the United States; presumably, they have already rescued the people."

He Yuan's self-account was too long.

The volume of information was too vast.

Not only in China, but due to its connection to Lu Yanhe, media worldwide were following this incident.

The level of explosion rivaled that of certain world-class news events.

The hotel in Situer where Lu Yanhe was staying was surrounded by media until not even water could leak through.

Media outlets from all over the world hoped to see Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe remained behind closed doors, with all three meals delivered to his room.

Domestically, someone photographed Chen Pinhe driving out, his eyes red, his spirit exhausted, his entire face so gaunt it seemed unrecognizable. Furthermore, individuals claiming to be Chen Pinhe's friends revealed that, upon learning of these events, Chen Pinhe had collapsed, utterly devastated and in great pain.

Clamor.

Turmoil.

The premiere date of "The Original Father" arrived.

On the premiere red carpet, various media outlets fought fiercely over a single media seat.

Everyone was waiting.

However, after the guests and main creative staff had walked the red carpet one by one, Lu Yanhe still had not appeared.

When interviewed, Huang Tianlin said, "I apologize; due to physical discomfort, Yanhe cannot attend today and must rest in the hotel."

Having failed to wait for Lu Yanhe, everyone was immensely disappointed.

However, very quickly, their attention was seized by the film.

On the big screen, Lu Yanhe looked at the father in the movie with profound hatred, saying, "In the past, many times, I climbed out of bed in the middle of the night, took a knife, walked to your bedside, and wanted to chop down at your neck. You never knew, did you? You slept so soundly, like a dead pig, your snoring louder than the squealing of a pig being slaughtered. My rage, my hatred drove me like a storm to pick up the knife and want to chop down. You never knew, right?"

Inside the Film Palace, everyone's heart was seized by Lu Yanhe's eyes; as they surged with towering hatred beneath his calm exterior, breathing became nearly impossible.

In Huang Tianlin's film, Lu Yanhe was once again reborn, transformed into another person, yet still remaining himself.

Conflict, violence, roars.

Lu Yanhe was an absolute star, and also an ultimate actor.

His every move drew the attention of everyone, allowing not a shred of distraction.

Until the very end.

Everything moved toward its conclusion.

Under the moonlight, a sea breeze brushed against his face.

He gazed into the depths of the night with an air of profound mystery.

His voice rose as a narration: "I have forgotten when it began that I felt I was no longer a child; perhaps the concept of me ever being a child never existed in my past."

Deep within the flashbacks of memory, Huang Feng, playing him as a child, squatted at the doorstep, listening to the sound of his parents arguing inside the house.

His bewildered, fragile gaze overlapped with his gaze in the present moment.

He lightly lifted his head.

Moonlight brushed once against the depths of his eyes.

Just that once.

By the time he lowered his head again, his eyes had already returned to their sternness.

... The screening ended, and the Film Palace erupted in applause and cheers like a mountain shouting and the sea surging.

Even though he was not there.

Five days later, at the closing ceremony of the Xitu'er International Film Festival.

All award-winning films had already received notifications to return.

But what everyone cared about most was whether Lu Yanhe would appear.

Huang Tianlin led the cast and crew of "The Original Father" onto the red carpet of the closing ceremony.

Everyone looked forward in eager anticipation.

At this moment, the viewership of the live broadcast even broke ten million.

However, within the crowd, there was no sign of Lu Yanhe.

"Director Huang, Lu Yanhe is predicted by major media outlets as the top contender for Best Actor this year; is he not attending?"

The media asked Huang Tianlin impatiently.

No one was willing to accept it.

Was it truly impossible to see Lu Yanhe?

Huang: "Yan He is going through a very difficult time; as everyone knows, so whether he attends or not, please respect him, be tolerant of him, and understand him, okay?"

The aggressive, anxious expressions on the faces of the media personnel also faded.

Putting oneself in another's shoes, for anyone standing in Lu Yanhe's position, this would be an extremely difficult moment.

The "unbearable pain" Lu Yanhe mentioned in an interview not long ago was only now understood by everyone in its full depth.

Chen Bige served as the guest presenter for the Best Actor award in the Main Competition Unit of this year's Xitu'er International Film Festival.

Dressed in a gown, she gracefully appeared on stage.

Her appearance had also not been announced in advance.

Therefore, the moment she appeared, Huang Tianlin sat up straight.

This was a signal.

The bullet comments in the domestic live stream went into a frenzy.

The Xitu'er Film Festival specifically invited Chen Bige to present this award; does that mean what we think it means?

"Someone once told me that being an actor is a very fortunate thing," Chen Bige smiled. "Because an actor can experience different roles, different lives, and different emotions."

"Indeed, acting is entering from oneself into another person's body to feel that person's soul and heartbeat," Chen Bige said, looking out at the audience below. "But then, are not great actors also those who crush their own heartbreak, pain, and soul, and like Nuwa creating humans, use them to sculpt a role?"

"A role is not necessarily the actor themselves, but within the role, there must be the soul of the actor."

Speaking to this point, a faint glimmer of tears suddenly shimmered in the corners of Chen Bige's eyes.

She opened the envelope.

"The winner of the Best Actor award in the Main Competition Unit of this year's Xitu'er International Film Festival is—"

Chen Bige pulled out the award result.

"Are you there, Yan He?"

The entire venue boiled over; Huang Tianlin was the first to stand up, leading the applause.

Clapping with all his might.

Everyone around stood up as well.

Everyone was applauding.

Everyone was turning their heads to look around, trying to find that person.

This was a scene that had never occurred before at the Xitu'er International Film Festival awards ceremony.

No one knew whether that person was there or not.

Everyone hoped he would appear at this moment.

A teardrop fell from the corner of Chen Bige's eye.

"Whether you are here or not, I hope to say one more thing to you," Chen Bige suddenly spoke.

The entire venue fell silent in surprise.

Chen Bige took a deep breath.

"When the Situer Film Festival contacted me, they specifically said this is a special moment, and they hoped that at this time, someone's appearance could give you a little strength and courage."

"They even temporarily arranged a private jet to fly me from China to here; I only disembarked thirty minutes ago."

"All along the way, I was thinking about what I should say to you."

"At this very moment, surely many people want to say something to you, but as for me, what can I say to you?"

The entire venue fell silent, holding their breath in rapt attention.

"In fact, every one of us is an actor; throughout our lives, we are all playing a role we wish to become."

"In your own life, you are the director, you are the screenwriter, and you are also the lead actor."

"Who you are—besides yourself, no one else's word counts."

"You are Lu Yanhe."

Chen Bige put the envelope away, glanced at the audience below, then looked toward the backstage area.

She offered a helpless smile.

"Well, it seems he really cannot make it."

The entire audience sighed in unison.

But just at that moment, suddenly from some corner came the sound of someone sharply inhaling.

That sound was too clear.

So clear that everyone followed the sound with their eyes.

The spotlight swept over.

Behind the light box, a person walked out from the side stage, facing the light.

Perhaps the light was too intense; after taking two steps, he suddenly raised his hand to shield his eyes.

But for now, it did not matter that he could not see what lay ahead.

He had already heard them.

Those cheers, those applause.

Those sounds, surging like ocean waves, boiling, steaming with heat.

Chen Ziyan exited the live-stream interface, pulled out two tissues, and wiped away her tears.

She took the documents resting on the passenger seat, got out of the car, and walked toward the building ahead, carved with the police emblem.

Qiu Ling stood at the entrance, smiling at her.

Chen Ziyan also smiled slightly.

"Shall we go in now?"

"Let's go in." Chen Ziyan nodded. "He has handled what he needed to handle; now I must handle what I need to handle."

Qiu Ling nodded.

"Alright."

She led Chen Ziyan inside.

"Officer, hello. I wish to report Chen Pinhe."

—

【The End】