Chapter 237: I don

"Voluntary," my foot.

Based on Chen Nuo's experience from two lifetimes, the country of South Korea can be said to be the one where sexual exploitation is the most widespread and severe among all civilized nations.

Chen Nuo could only say that the chaebols controlled this country far too well.

No matter how big an incident erupts and is exposed, no matter how great a wave of public discussion it triggers, it doesn't take long before everything returns to calm and continues as usual.

As for "voluntary" or whatever, that's a joke.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be a charge of "seduction" in the law.

Chen Nuo didn't want to talk about it anymore. He straightened his expression and began to speak of serious business: "Mr. Han, there is indeed one thing I would like to ask of you."

Han Yonghao thought to himself: Here it comes.

Being so young and so successful, yet so hesitant—he wondered what kind of perverted request would be made.

He hoped it wouldn't involve any loss of life.

Otherwise, he might have to work overtime again this week.

He smiled and said, "Yes, Chen Nuo-xi. Chairman Li has given me instructions; I will do my best to satisfy your request."

Chen Nuo nodded, "Then could you help me find a welfare home? The kind that has some patients with mild intellectual disabilities. I'd like to go in and volunteer for a few days. Is that possible?"

Han Yonghao's smile froze on his face, doubting if he had heard correctly.

Weren't we supposed to be discussing women? Why the sudden talk of welfare homes and volunteering?

He widened his eyes and said in disbelief, "Chen Nuo-xi, I don't understand."

Chen Nuo repeated it once more.

Han Yonghao was very professional. After confirming that what Chen Nuo said was indeed what he meant,

he immediately resumed his smile, nodded, and said, "Understood. I can provide that for you by tomorrow. So... Chen Nuo-xi, is there anything else?"

Chen Nuo said, "No, that's it. Thank you."

Han Yonghao was truly stunned this time and said, "Chen Nuo-xi, are you sure? Um, if you are not satisfied with the people on this menu, I can provide some new ones. It's just that those ones might not be very obedient..."

Chen Nuo didn't want to listen any further and interrupted, "Really, no need. Thank you."

Han Yonghao immediately shut his mouth, though he made one last effort, "If... actually, we also provide a different kind of menu."

Fuck. Chen Nuo's face darkened. He stood up, kept his composure, and said, "Let's leave it at that. Mr. Han, once you've made the arrangements tomorrow, please let me know. I want to observe on-site; it's related to filming. Thank you."

Chen Nuo felt that these people from CJ were truly taking this film seriously this time. It seemed that, under some kind of pressure, they really wanted to win an award.

As soon as he mentioned filming, the pimp in front of him straightened his expression and stopped talking nonsense.

Han Zhenghao said seriously, "Very well, I understand, Chen Nuo-xi. I will contact you as soon as possible; there will be results by tomorrow morning."

After saying this, he bowed in a standard manner, nodded to Qi Yuntian who had been drinking by the window, and turned to leave.

He was worthy of being a high-level talent for the chaebols. His promise was clean and crisp, and he seemed very reliable, making one feel he would certainly handle things properly. Chen Nuo even felt a bit of appreciation for this pimp.

Likewise, as Han Zhenghao walked out the door, he couldn't help but feel a sincere sense of admiration in his heart.

Who would have thought that this young superstar was a rare gentleman.

No wonder the American company Mattel would seek him out as a spokesperson and even customize a doll for him. Not to mention Asia, he was one of a kind among male stars worldwide.

Presumably, they must have valued his flawless character.

He was truly the Light of Asia, worthy of the name.

Just as Han Zhenghao reached the door, the doorbell rang.

He opened it to find that it was actually a CJ security guard outside.

Seeing him, the guard was stunned for a moment, then stood straight, bowed, and respectfully greeted, "Department Head Han."

Han Zhenghao asked with a straight face, "What is it? Don't you know to wait until I'm out to speak?"

The subordinate looked embarrassed and said, "Department Head Han, no... I'm not here to see you."

"There are three girls who say they were called by the guest tonight. They were brought in by our people and are now in the hallway outside, where I have stopped them. I just wanted to come and confirm with the guest if this is indeed the case."

Han Zhenghao was stunned, with ten thousand exclamation marks racing through his mind.

So much for "flawless"—so that's how it was.

Damn it, his appetite wasn't small; he actually ordered three at once!?

It seemed he hadn't made himself clear, which was why this man had been putting on an act in front of him.

Han Zhenghao figured it out, his face immediately piling up with smiles as he turned and said, "Chen Nuo-xi, there's actually no need to go outside. Our CJ Group absolutely possesses the best in all of Korea; you could also..."

Song Qian truly hadn't expected that the idea Zheng Xiujing came up with would be like this!

She felt her face and neck burning hot.

"Menu" or whatever!

That was really too ugly to say, wasn't it? How could one describe oneself like that?

Although she held her head high in front of that security manager at the main entrance, pretending to be a woman of the night who didn't care at all,

in reality, she felt like her whole body was about to burn up, and her heart was pounding wildly.

However, this trick was really effective.

That security guard looked suspiciously at the faces and figures of the three of them, and afterwards, he seemed to have truly believed it.

When Zheng Xiujing reminded the other party that there were too many reporters here and they needed to go in quickly, he really led them into the heavily guarded main gate of the Shilla Hotel.

But that man didn't believe them so easily; he asked a few more questions afterward, and they almost gave themselves away.

In the end, she had a flash of inspiration and revealed her identity as a Chinese person in Chinese, making the man think she was a "Chinese Mommy" contacted by Chen Nuo, bringing two little girls over to work, which allowed them to get their wish. They followed that security manager into the hotel, got on the elevator, and went up to the top floor.

However, once they got there, the girls' good luck seemed to end, as they were stopped as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

"What should we do?" Song Qian and the others left, lowered their heads, and asked Zheng Xiujing in a low voice.

Zheng Xiujing also said very quietly, "If they try to kick us out, you just shout loudly."

Song Qian was taken aback, "Shout? Shout what?"

Zheng Xiujing tilted her head to look at her and said helplessly, "Unnie, you don't really think we can walk all the way to Senior Chen Nuo without any obstacles, do you? Whatever you want to say in front of Senior Chen Nuo, just shout it out, a bit louder."

Han Zhenghao walked out of the room and carefully pulled the door shut.

Afterwards, he walked with an indifferent expression to the elevator at the end of the hallway, his eyes glancing at the three girls.

They were indeed high-end goods, but... since he said it wasn't, then it wasn't.

He didn't say much, just waved his hand and said, "Take them away."

When Song Qian heard this sentence, she knew it was the critical moment, so she took a deep breath and truly shouted with all her might.

Chen Nuo was a bit tired.

Anyone who has taken a long-distance flight across time zones knows that the few hours of sleep on the plane are basically as good as no sleep at all; the chaos of the body's biological clock makes you feel like you're dying.

Therefore, when he heard that sound of "Nuo-mi" coming from the hallway, he almost didn't react.

It was Qi Yuntian who reacted quickly, rushed over, pulled the door open, and said in English, "Wait!"

That was the only reason Song Qian and the others were left in the hallway just before being driven onto the elevator.

Qi Yuntian's expression was complex as he asked in Chinese, "Who said that just now?"

Song Qian recognized Qi Yuntian immediately.

Because now, on the Chinese internet, he was affectionately called "Mother Qi" by all the Nuo-mi.

As for why it was called Mother Qi and not Father Qi, no one knew.

Mother Qi had appeared, so could Nuo-nuo be far behind?

She felt very nervous and excited at the same time, suddenly raised her hand, and shouted loudly in Chinese, "I said it!"

Qi Yuntian looked her over and said, "Chinese?"

"Yes."

"Where in China? Say a few words in dialect. Tell me why you came to Korea."

Song Qian immediately said, "I'm from Qingdao, Shandong, and I came to Korea to be a trainee."

After listening, Qi Yuntian's expression softened. He looked them over for a while and asked, "Then what is your business here?"

Song Qian hesitated, "There is a very, very important matter, but can I tell Nuo-nuo in person?"

Qi Yuntian nodded, "Wait a moment."

Afterwards, he closed the door and turned back to ask, "Well, will you see them?"

Chen Nuo had already come to his senses by this time and said indifferently, "What do you think? Fellow countrymen calling fellow countrymen, it wouldn't be right not to see them. However... um, Linghu, remember to frisk them."

Then, when he finally saw the three girls standing in front of him, he felt that frisking probably wasn't necessary. Among the three, he didn't really recognize his Chinese compatriot who called herself Nuo-mi,

whereas he recognized the two Korean girls.

Although they were still very young at this time, their features hadn't changed at all.

That one surnamed Zheng was someone he had gone on a self-driving tour with his Korean girlfriend in 2019, starting from Los Angeles, driving along Highway 1, planning to head north and then take other routes to cross the United States.

As it turned out, they met this woman and her sister at a motel on the road while they were filming a road trip show. Because of some special circumstances at the time, they even had a meal together, had some drinks, and exchanged contact information.

They hadn't called each other since, but he had received Christmas text messages from her.

There was no need to mention the other one.

Back then, the waves her incident caused on the Chinese internet were simply too huge.

By this time, Song Qian hadn't even opened her mouth yet, and Chen Nuo had almost guessed the reason the three girls had come.

It was just that the speculations from his previous life on the internet had turned into reality, and they had appeared in front of him in a way he had personally experienced.

Sure enough, the more he listened, the more Chen Nuo felt it was exactly as he had expected.

At this moment, Cui Xueli's heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of her chest.

Because she discovered that most of the attention of that world-famous star on the sofa was actually focused on her.

This made her whole body stiffen, and her neck drooped lower and lower.

Han Zhenghao also followed the three girls into the suite. Seeing that Chen Nuo didn't ask him to leave, he shamelessly listened from the side.

Because if this matter wasn't resolved today, he really wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Having been responsible for this aspect of business at CJ Group for 13 years, he could allow himself to misjudge once, but he absolutely would not allow himself to return home after contacting a guest without even knowing who the other party was.

So he had to figure out what was going on with these three girls.

However, damn it, why were they speaking Chinese!?

"... So, we really had no other way. That's why I decided to bring them to find you. I know you can definitely help Xueli, right?" Song Qian looked at Chen Nuo nervously at the end.

Chen Nuo had no expression on his face and said, "How do you want me to help?"

Song Qian lowered her head and said, "I think... if, if this matter will bring you trouble, then, then I'm sorry. But Xueli is only 14 years old, she is really so pitiful. Nuo, please think of a way, will you?"

Chen Nuo glanced at Han Zhenghao, who was silent on the side, and said, "Tell them both to go out and wait for a while. Then you tell this Korean person again in Korean."

"Oh, okay."

Afterwards, Han Zhenghao listened to Song Qian's account with a polite smile on his face, feeling more and more dismissive the more he heard.

This kind of thing that this trainee named Cui Xueli encountered might be happening to 100, or even 1,000 girls on this very same day in the Republic of Korea.

Among these thousand girls, some came from the countryside of Gangwon-do, some from the seaside of Jeju Island, and some came from a certain dance studio in Seoul.

Those people who would negotiate with families who had beautiful daughters and use money or other things to tempt their families,

were three or four layers removed from him.

Although he didn't pay much attention to the source of the new "dishes" on hand each month, he had heard of it occasionally.

To him, this kind of thing was completely commonplace, not worth mentioning, and not worth worrying about.

After all, in most cases, it was just families who owed money or were inherently greedy for money, selling one or two daughters who weren't valued; there was no coercion, nor was there any violent threat, which could be said to be mutually beneficial.

After listening, Han Zhenghao observed Chen Nuo's expression and asked, "Chen Nuo-xi, do you want to help them?"

Chen Nuo shook his head and said, "I want to hear your opinion."

Han Zhenghao thought for a moment and said, "Chen Nuo-xi, actually, so far we have only heard this young lady's side of the story. Why don't we let the person involved tell us what happened, so as to avoid any misunderstandings."

Chen Nuo showed an expression of deep agreement, "Then I will listen to you, Department Head Han."

When she walked into the room alone, Cui Xueli suddenly felt that the white dress she was wearing was very shabby.

And the makeup she had done today was also very ugly.

Because she hadn't slept well these past few days, the skin on her face was in poor condition, and there were two pimples on her chin.

Not to mention her eyes, which hadn't gone down at all.

She stood in the middle of the room, feeling uneasy, with the words Song Qian had just said to her appearing in her mind: "Don't be nervous, he is a very good person, all Chinese people know that."

Really?

But why did his eyes look so fierce?

Cui Xueli buried her head, her feet trembling slightly from nervousness.

However, his Korean was very standard, his voice was very pleasant, and his words were very gentle, which slightly soothed her uneasy heart.

"It's okay, tell me all about your experience. This Oppa Han Zhenghao said he would help you."

Han Zhenghao was stunned for a moment.

What did that mean? When did I say that? After she finishes speaking, I'm prepared to advise you not to meddle in other people's business.

Chen Nuo continued, "Speak."

Cui Xueli took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.

Listening to Cui Xueli's story about her and her mother, which felt so familiar, Chen Nuo slowly fell into deep thought.

The title of this film by Bong Joon-ho was tentatively named "Mother."

This script, which appeared to be a suspense drama on the surface, indeed had a core that was the same as its name, exploring the emotions between mother and son.

In the script, one point he had argued with Bong Joon-ho about for a long time was what kind of person his mother, Hye-ja, was in the eyes of the male lead, "Lu Xiangyu."

If he were a normal person,

from his perspective,

seeing the mother who, when he was a child, wanted to commit suicide with him, fed him pesticide, and caused him to become a mentally disabled person for life, forever unable to live a normal life,

and who was now running around outside to clear him of murder charges,

what kind of feeling would he have?

Is it love, or hate?

This was a question he would never think about while filming Twilight.

However, if he wanted to win something at the Cannes Film Festival with this obscure Korean film,

he had to think through this question deeply and reasonably.

The answer he came up with had to be able to convince and move all professional filmmakers and the Cannes Film Festival judges.

Bong Joon-ho stubbornly believed that Lu Xiangyu would definitely hate her, and this bit of hatred was something no amount of love could forgive,

but he had always felt that it shouldn't be like that.

At least in his worldview, his relationship with Pan Chengrong couldn't make him understand how the word "hate" could be mixed into a mother-son relationship.

He believed that even if Lu Taiyu's intelligence were restored, he would still choose to forgive.

Just like Cui Xueli at this very moment.

In her account, her mother's exploitation of her seemed to carry a sense of being only natural, even though she had been sucking her blood since she was 9 years old, Cui Xueli still didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.

If it weren't for this time, she wouldn't even have developed any consciousness of resistance. And in fact, in the original history, she should have chosen to submit even this time.

But this made Chen Nuo reflect: when an independent personality faces another person, even if the relationship is intimate and blood is thicker than water, is unlimited tolerance and accommodation really appropriate?

When Lu Taiyu in the prison in the script suddenly recalls being fed pesticide by Hye-ja in his childhood,

in that moment of inevitable emotional outburst, should he really say that line as Bong Joon-ho said:

"Mom, you wanted to kill me back then," without any resentment?

Or should he say it with a more relieved attitude?

After listening to Cui Xueli, Chen Nuo couldn't help but ask this question, "So, do you hate her? Your mother."

Cui Xueli was stunned for a moment, and finally, she shook her head violently, "No, I don't hate her."

Chen Nuo asked very seriously, "Even if, by doing this, she might eventually kill you?"

Cui Xueli was stunned for even longer this time.

Afterwards, she looked into Chen Nuo's eyes, not knowing where the courage came from,

she suddenly pulled the zipper on the side of her little white dress,

letting the dress slide down to her ankles in an instant.

It revealed her tender body, like a flower bud, wearing a young girl's underwear, as well as the numerous scars on her torso.

There were none on her limbs, because those were places that would be easily seen.

But in those places that wouldn't be easily seen, there were all old wounds. Burns, scratches, whip marks, and stick marks—just the ones Chen Nuo could identify were these.

Those patches of skin that should have been fair and tender were painted by these messy scars into a scene that looked like it came from hell.

Han Zhenghao watched with a blank expression.

Cui Xueli's eyes were filled with crystalline tears as she said in a hoarse voice, "My father likes to hit me. It's my mother, she has always protected me..."

"So I don't, I don't hate her."

(End of chapter)