Chapter 238

Voluntary, my foot.

From Chen Nuo's two lifetimes of experience, the country of the "sticks" (Korea) can be said to be one of the most prevalent and severe places for sexual exploitation among civilized nations.

Chen Nuo can only say that the chaebols control 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 won't be long before everything calms down and returns to business as usual.

"Voluntary" and such—that's a joke.

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

Chen Nuo didn't want to say more. His expression turned serious as he began to speak of the real business: "Mr. Han, there is indeed one thing I would like to ask of you."

Han Zheng-hao thought to himself: Here it comes.

So young, so successful, and yet so hesitant—who knows what kind of perverted request he might make.

I hope it doesn't involve any loss of life.

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

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

Chen Nuo nodded, "Then could you help me find a welfare institution? One with some patients who have mild intellectual disabilities. I'd like to go in and volunteer for a few days, is that possible?"

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

Shouldn't we be discussing women? Why the sudden talk of welfare institutions and volunteering?

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

Chen Nuo repeated it again.

Han Zheng-hao was very professional; after confirming that what Chen Nuo said was indeed what he meant,

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

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

Han Zheng-hao was truly stunned this time and said, "Chen Nuo-xi, are you sure? Um, if you aren't 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 Zheng-hao immediately shut his mouth, though he still made one last effort: "If... actually, we also provide another type of menu."

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

Chen Nuo felt that these people at CJ really valued this film this time. It seems 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 Zheng-hao said seriously, "Okay, I understand, Chen Nuo-xi. I will contact you as soon as possible, and 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.

As expected of the high-level talent of the chaebols. He agreed cleanly and efficiently, looking very reliable, making one feel that he would certainly handle things properly. Chen Nuo even felt a bit of appreciation for this pimp.

Likewise, as Han Zheng-hao walked out the door, he couldn't help but feel a sense of heartfelt admiration deep down.

Unexpectedly, this young superstar is a rare, upright gentleman.

No wonder the American Mattel company would find him to be their spokesperson and even customize a doll for him. Not to mention Asia, he is one of a kind among male stars worldwide.

Presumably, they also valued his flawless character.

Truly the pride of Asia, well-deserved.

Han Zheng-hao had just reached the doorway when the doorbell rang.

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

The guard was startled to see him, stood straight, bowed, and respectfully greeted, "Department Head Han."

Han Zheng-hao asked with a straight face, "What is it? Don't you know to wait until I go out to speak?"

The subordinate looked embarrassed and said, "Department Head Han, no... I'm not here for 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 Zheng-hao was stunned, with ten thousand exclamation points racing through his mind.

So that's what "flawless" meant.

Aish, his appetite isn't small—he actually ordered three at once!?

It seems I didn't explain clearly, which is why this man kept putting on an act in front of me.

Han Zheng-hao figured it out; a smile immediately piled up on his face 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 can also..."

Song Qian really didn't expect that the idea Zheng Xiujing came up with would be like this!

She felt her face and neck burning hot.

"Menu" and such!

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

Although she held her head high in front of the security manager at the entrance, pretending to be a woman of the world 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 glanced suspiciously at the faces and figures of the three of them, and afterwards, he seemed to truly believe 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 entrance of the Shilla Hotel.

But that person didn't believe them so easily; he asked a few questions afterwards, 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 that person think she was a Chinese "mammy" contacted by Chen Nuo, bringing two little girls to work, which finally 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 arrived here, the girls' good luck seemed to end; as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were stopped.

"What should we do?" Song Qian asked Zheng Xiujing in a low voice after the others had left.

Zheng Xiujing also said in a very low voice, "If they want to kick us out, you shout loudly."

Song Qian was startled, "Shout? Shout what?"

Zheng Xiujing tilted her head to look at her and said helplessly, "Unnie, you don't really think we can walk straight to Senior Chen Nuo without any help, do you? Whatever you want to say to Senior Chen Nuo, just shout it out, a little louder."

Han Zheng-hao walked out of the room and carefully closed the door.

Afterwards, he walked to the elevator door at the end of the hallway with an indifferent expression, 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. 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 the same as not sleeping at all; the chaos of the human biological clock will make you feel like you're dying.

So, when he heard that "something-something-Nuo-mi" sound from the hallway, he really 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 thing that kept Song Qian and the others in the hallway just before they were driven onto the elevator.

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

Song Qian recognized Qi Yuntian immediately.

Because now on the Chinese internet, he is affectionately called "Mother Qi" by all the "Nuo-mi" (Chen Nuo fans).

As for why he is called Mother Qi instead of Father Qi, no one knows.

Mother Qi has appeared, so can Nuo-nuo be far behind?

She felt very nervous and excited at the same time; she immediately 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 hearing this, Qi Yuntian's expression softened. He looked them over again and asked, "Then what is your business here?"

Song Qian hesitated, "I have something very, very important, 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? A fellow countryman calling a fellow countryman—it wouldn't be right not to see them. However... um, Linghu, remember to search them."

Then, when he finally saw the three girls standing in front of him, he felt that there was no need to search them.

Among the three, his Chinese compatriot who claimed to be a Nuo-mi was the one he didn't really recognize,

whereas he recognized both of those Korean girls.

Although they were very young at this time, their features hadn't changed much. The one surnamed Zheng—in 2019, he and his Korean girlfriend went on a road trip, starting from Los Angeles, driving along Route 66, preparing to cross the United States and drive all the way to Chicago.

As a result, they met this woman and her sister at a motel on the road while they were filming a road trip show.

Because his girlfriend was also Korean, they had a meal together at the time, drank some alcohol, and exchanged contact information.

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

There's no need to mention the other one.

The waves her incident caused on the Chinese internet back then were just too big.

By this time, even before Song Qian had opened her mouth, Chen Nuo had almost guessed the reason the three girls had come.

It was just that those speculations from the internet in his previous life had turned into reality and appeared before him in a way he had experienced personally.

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 star on the sofa was actually focused on her.

This made her whole body stiffen, and her head hung lower and lower.

Han Zheng-hao also followed the three girls into the suite; seeing that Chen Nuo didn't ask him to leave, he thickened his skin and listened from the side.

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

Having been in charge of this business at CJ Group for 13 years, he could allow himself to make a mistake once, but he absolutely would not allow himself to go home after interacting with a guest and not even know who the other party was.

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

However, Aish, why are 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 as she finished speaking.

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's really so pitiful. Nuo, please think of a way, will you?"

Chen Nuo glanced at Han Zheng-hao, who was silent on the side, and said, "Tell the two of them to go out and wait for a while. Then you repeat what you just said to this Korean man in Korean."

"Oh, okay."

Afterwards, Han Zheng-hao 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 in the Republic of Korea on this very same day.

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

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

are three or four layers removed from him.

Although he didn't care much about the source of the "new dishes" on his hands every 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 greedy for money selling one or two unimportant daughters; there was no coercion, no violent threats, and it could be said to be mutually beneficial.

After Han Zheng-hao finished listening, he 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 Zheng-hao 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's going on, so as to avoid any misunderstandings."

Chen Nuo showed an expression of deep agreement: "Then I'll 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 put on today was also very ugly.

Because she hadn't slept well these days, the skin on her face was in very 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 Song Qian's words from just a moment ago floating in her mind: "Don't be nervous, he's 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 with 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 Han Zheng-hao oppa said he would help you."

Han Zheng-hao was startled.

What does 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 sounded so familiar, Chen Nuo slowly fell into deep thought.

The title of this film by Bong Joon-ho is tentatively titled "Mother."

This script, which looks like a suspense drama on the surface, is indeed exploring the emotions between mother and son, just like the title.

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

If he were a normal person,

from his perspective,

seeing the mother who wanted to commit suicide with him when he was a child, fed him pesticide, and caused him to become mentally disabled for life, never able to live a normal life,

and who is now working hard outside to clear him of murder charges,

what kind of feeling would he have?

Is it love, or hate?

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

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

he must think through this question deeply and reasonably.

The answer he comes up with must be able to convince and move all professional filmmakers and the Cannes Film Festival jury.

Bong Joon-ho stubbornly believes that Lu Xiangyu must hate her, and this bit of hatred cannot be forgiven by any amount of love,

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

At least in his worldview, the relationship between him and Pan Chengrong cannot make him understand how the word "hate" could be mixed into a mother-son relationship.

He believes 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, the exploitation her mother inflicted on her seemed to carry a sense of being "natural and right," even though she had been sucking her blood since she was 9 years old, Cui Xueli still didn't feel anything was wrong.

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 chose to submit even this time.

But this makes 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 appropriate?

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

in that inevitable emotional outburst, should he really say the 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 again: "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 unzipped the side of her little white dress,

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

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

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

But in those places that wouldn't be easily seen, they 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,

making even Han Zheng-hao on the side feel moved.

Cui Xueli's eyes were filled with crystalline tears, and 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."

I wrote this chapter from last night until three o'clock this afternoon,

um...

If you don't like it, don't scold me.

(End of chapter)