Trembling in the Skies

Chapter 15: What Goes Around Comes Around—Who Can Escape Heaven’s Judgment?

“You’re a pervert!” The woman in sunglasses standing next to the man in sunglasses expressed her displeasure at his behavior. “When we were extras back in the day, didn’t those old hands treat us exactly the same way? Don’t you know the saying, ‘A wife of ten years becomes the mistress of the house’?” The man in sunglasses brushed off the woman’s scolding. The woman in sunglasses turned her head away and fell silent. Through his oversized sunglasses, the man in sunglasses observed the six extras in front of him—Li Teng, Gao Fei, and the others—just as a hunter might admire his prey. In the real world, some people will exploit even the tiniest bit of power they hold to the fullest. It’s no different in this world. And when it comes to the power to decide over others’ lives and deaths, it fully exposes a person’s most despicable and dark side. When they noticed the man in sunglasses looking at them, the eyes of several extras shifted nervously; clearly, no one wanted to become his target. “Glasses guy, you’re a college student, right? I think you’re a decent-looking guy. Here’s the deal: give me one reason not to pick you.” The man in sunglasses patted the guy with glasses standing next to him. “Big Brother, we’re all in this together, right? From now on, I’ll be following your lead on this set. Just give me any orders! I promise to be at your beck and call!” The guy with glasses spoke with a fawning expression, trying to curry favor with the man in sunglasses. “Hahahaha, I just love straightforward guys like you, Glasses Brother! Not like certain malicious little people who like to stab others in the back! Since you’ve spoken up, everything’s settled! Settled!” The man in sunglasses patted the man in glasses on the shoulder again, then turned his gaze to the woman standing next to him. The woman looked to be around thirty-one or thirty-two; her choice of clothing, as well as her demeanor and poise, suggested she was a white-collar worker at a major corporation. “I… I…” The woman seemed a little frightened after the man in sunglasses fixed his gaze on her, and her voice began to tremble. “Come on, beautiful, don’t be like that. Do I look like such a scary person? You’re not going to wet yourself just because I’m asking you a few questions, are you?” The man in sunglasses burst out laughing at the office worker’s reaction. “I… I… I have two elderly parents and a seven-year-old child at home. I don’t want to stay here! I want to go home! They can’t live without me, and I can’t turn into a wax figure! Please don’t pick me, okay? I’m begging you!” The office worker suddenly burst into tears as she pleaded with the man in sunglasses. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk… Do you think I should let you off just because you’re begging me? One of you six has to die. If I let you off, wouldn’t the others be the ones to suffer? Wouldn’t that make you an indirect murderer too? Since you’re a murderer yourself, why are you playing the victim? Do you think I’ll feel sorry for you just because you’re playing the victim? Actually, the more you act pitiful, the more I want to see the look of despair on your face when you’re sealed in wax, hahahahaha…” Seeing the office worker reduced to tears by fear, the man in sunglasses burst into an even more triumphant laugh. The office worker kept her head down, too afraid to cry or make a sound. Dealing with such a hardened, unyielding veteran was no easy task. If playing the victim was useless, she had no idea what else she could do to increase her chances of survival. The woman in sunglasses standing next to the man clearly looked down on his behavior; she seemed about to say something scathing but ultimately kept her mouth shut. “Your turn, tall guy,” the man in sunglasses said, turning his attention to Gao Fei, who stood beside the office worker. It was clear that back when he’d been an extra, he’d been bullied more than a few times. Now that he’d finally turned the tables, he intended to make full use of his status as the lead in this scene and savor the thrill of controlling others’ fates. “Bro, I’m not trying to play the victim here, I’m just explaining my situation… My girlfriend came here first to film. During her first scene—a tsunami scene—she somehow ended up turned into a wax figure. Then I came too. I don’t have any other agenda; I just want to take her home.” “But I think that’s practically impossible. With my IQ, I probably won’t last more than a few scenes—it’s only a matter of time before I turn into a wax figure too. Anyway, if this scene absolutely requires hitting someone to wrap up the shoot, then hit me. Hit me, and I’ll get to reunite with my girlfriend.” Gao Fei finished with a chuckle. Li Teng could detect the bitterness and resignation in Gao Fei’s laughter. In Li Teng’s view, Gao Fei was the type who preferred to hide his true feelings. He was always smiling on the surface, but the real him wasn’t necessarily as optimistic and open-minded as he appeared. “Don’t fucking act all high and mighty! Save your girlfriend? I bet you’d be glad if she died so you could find a new fling right away! I can’t stand people like you! Hypocrite! Hmph! You think just because you told me to hit you, I won’t? I’m going to hit you on purpose!” The man in sunglasses wore an expression as if he’d seen right through Gao Fei. “That’s not what I meant. Anyway, ah… never mind, I won’t say anything.” Gao Fei looked a bit embarrassed. The guy in sunglasses stopped teasing Gao Fei, and his attention wasn’t really on Gao Fei and the others anyway. After mocking Gao Fei a few times, he shifted his gaze to Li Teng, who was still buried in his coffee beside Gao Fei. “Huh? This young guy’s pretty handsome! Look up so I can get a good look! Don’t keep your head down all the time! Do you think I won’t recognize you just because you’re looking down?” The man in sunglasses looked at Li Teng with an amused expression. Li Teng knew he was bound to be recognized. Faced with this situation, he had no better way to handle it, so he could only keep his head down and let out a soft sigh. What a tragedy! What a small world! Li Teng never would have imagined that just as he’d escaped one crisis, he’d plunged right into another. In his very first scene at the film studio, he ran into an acquaintance. The man in sunglasses was named Guo Zhipeng, and he and Li Teng were very close. The first job Li Teng landed after graduating from college was at Guo Zhipeng’s company. Guo Zhipeng had personally interviewed and hired him, and once he joined, Li Teng was assigned to work directly under Guo Zhipeng. Guo Zhipeng was extremely possessive and controlling, and he had a fierce temper. He understood these college students’ vulnerabilities all too well, exploiting and underpaying them at work. He even took advantage of his position to force a timid female college student to work night shifts with him, and in the process, took advantage of her. When the female college student tearfully confided in Li Teng about her pregnancy and abortion, she also revealed to him that Guo Zhipeng had been falsifying accounting records and secretly reselling company assets to make illegal profits amounting to several hundred thousand yuan. Li Teng had long been fed up with Guo Zhipeng’s abuse. Having just graduated from college, he was inexperienced in the ways of the world, young, and full of a sense of justice. After obtaining sufficient evidence from the female college student, he went straight to the company headquarters and reported Guo Zhipeng. Guo Zhipeng used his money and connections to ultimately smooth things over. He didn’t go to prison, but he had to pay the company several hundred thousand yuan in compensation and was fired, losing that lucrative job. When it was discovered that Li Teng had reported him, Guo Zhipeng was furious, believing that Li Teng had betrayed him and stabbed him in the back. He harbored a deep grudge against Li Teng and repeatedly threatened to take revenge on him. Afterward, Li Teng was ambushed and beaten by strangers on several occasions. He was forced to quit his job and flee the city to escape further retaliation from Guo Zhipeng. Unexpectedly, the two ran into each other here. What’s more, Li Teng had fallen right into Guo Zhipeng’s hands. “What does it mean to repay kindness with hatred? What does it mean to be ungrateful? I personally recruited you as a key department member to nurture—and you stabbed me in the back. That stab hurt so much! So much!” “I treated you like a brother, yet you see me as an enemy. I just don’t get it! “There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘What goes around comes around; who can escape the heavens’ judgment?’ Hahahaha, young man, do you understand the meaning of that?” Guo Zhipeng took off his sunglasses, leaned forward, and looked at Li Teng, who was still sipping his coffee.