Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
It was getting late.
The weather was turning wintry, but it was still quite bright in the courtyard.
Zhang Ye stood in the yard and looked at the moon in silence. Footfalls approached from behind as a woman's coat was placed over him.
It was Wu Zeqing. "Don't catch a cold."
Zhang Ye glanced back. "Thanks."
Old Wu said, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhang Ye said, "I'm thinking about how screwed up a place the entertainment industry is."
The door opened and Li Qinqin walked out. "Little Ye, it's quite late, so why don't you stay over for the night? You can have the guest room. Although the bed is a little small, it'll be fine if you just squeeze in a little and make do with it. Your uncle is away on business and won't be home tonight. This way, Zeqing can stay over with me and you can also save the trouble of having to go back so late at night."
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Sure, Auntie."
Li Qinqin reminded him, "It's getting late. Hurry up and get some sleep."
Zhang Ye shrugged. "Alright, I'll do that as soon as I'm done with some work."
"Work?" Li Qinqin said, "Aren't you on leave?"
Zhang Ye said, "Yes, but there's something else that I need to take care of."
A moment later, Zhang Ye entered the office and powered on the computer.
Li Qinqin was still a little worried. "Zeqing, what's he busy with now?"
Wu Zeqing smiled and said, "Don't worry about him. He's just off being a busybody again."
…
On Weibo.
The drama was still going on. In fact, it was getting more and more exciting!
Zhao Chipeng started denouncing Han Di again, appealing to the industry to boycott a despicable celebrity like Han Di. Zhao Chipeng's wife also came forward at around 10 PM to show her support for her husband. She expressed that she and Han Di's wife were good friends and had heard of her complaining many times about the violence at home. She did not bring out any evidence of that happening but kept claiming that she had seen it with her own eyes. At the same time, she raged about how Han Di was trying to frame her husband. Afterwards, Han Di's wife also started interacting with Zhao Chipeng and his wife on Weibo. Family violence, beating their child, all kinds of terrible deeds were pinned onto Han Di!
"Despicable!"
"That illicit couple!"
"None of them are good people!"
"Aren't they afraid of going to hell?"
"Bastards!"
"This is pissing me off! I'm so furious at them!"
"I've never seen people as sinister as them!"
On the streets.
In the alleys.
Throughout every household.
The people were cursing like mad. It was so infuriating that a lot of them could not fall asleep!
All the common folk knew full well what was going on, yet everyone in the entertainment industry was choosing to play dumb! The public rarely hated someone so badly. But this time, it crossed the line to the point of being abhorrent. Han Di was keeping silent for the sake of his child. But Zhao Chipeng and the others kept fanning the flames. They were openly twisting lies into truth. This was as good as putting a noose around Han Di's neck and tightening the knot!
Some of those who felt that they were really left with no choice went onto Weibo to ask their favorite celebrities by mentioning them!
"@JiangHanwei Please say something!"
"Teacher Jiang, please speak up for Han Di, will you?"
"@FanWenli!"
"Sister Fan!"
"Please help Han Di!"
"@LiYu Didn't you act in a movie with Han Di?"
"Teacher Li Yu, please help him out!"
"@ChenGuang!"
"@Xiaodong!"
"@NingLan!"
"@ZhangYuanqi!"
"@SunGuang!"
"Please help Teacher Han Di. We will remember your kindness forever!"
"Why is this happening?"
"Why aren't any of you saying anything!"
Countless Han Di fans even went over to the Weibo of his two friends!
"Teacher Wang Zhe!"
"Teacher Li Duohai!"
"I beg of you two! I really beg of you two!"
"Can you two please say something?"
"Han Di is going through the most painful time right now, can't you two offer him some comfort!"
"Please go and help Little Di!"
Silence!
The silence was deafening!
No one said a word!
No one made a sound!
This silence left a chill in many of the common folk's hearts. It was so cold that it sent a shiver down their spines. If even Han Di's two good friends were keeping quiet at this time, who else could they rely on? Who else could they turn to?
Was this what show business was like?
Just what kind of a place was it!
Right at this moment, an unexpected person gave voice to the people!
It was Zhang Ye!
He suddenly updated his blog!
Someone found out about it.
"Zhang Ye posted something on his blog!"
"Who cares to hear about his wedding at this time!"
"It's not about the wedding! It's a story!"
"What?"
"Why do you care about a story!"
"Dammit, just go and read it!"
"This, this isn't just any story!"
"Everyone, get in here! Something big has happened!"
"Fuck, Zhang Ye has made his move!"
The news spread like it had sprouted wings, with many people coming over the moment they heard about it. What story? What had happened?
Chen Guang opened the blog!
Zhang Xia turned on her computer!
Ning Lan turned her attention to it!
Huo Dongfang, Amy, Jiang Hanwei, Li Yu, and countless other people all came over to Zhang Ye's blog to take a look!
…
" A Madman's Diary 1 "
1
Moon's real bright tonight. Haven't seen it in over thirty years. Seeing it now, I feel like a new man. I suppose I've been out of my mind for the past thirty years. But I've still got to be very careful. Why else would the Zhao family's dog give me a double take?
I have reason to be afraid.
…
This first passage had very few words!
But every word left the readers in shock!
The Zhao family's dog?
Chen Guang was dumbfounded!
Ning Lan wore a shocked expression!
Huo Dongfang gasped!
Jiang Hanwei was stunned!
Countless people and industry insiders were so shocked that their hair stood on end. And that last sentence also made them feel rather ashamed!
I have reason to be afraid?
When the people of the entertainment industry read this, they were silenced!
…
2
No moonlight at all tonight, I know that something's not right. When I crept outside this morning, Old Mr. Zhao had a funny look in his eyes: maybe fearful, maybe dangerous. There were also seven, eight people who had their heads together whispering about me. One spread his mouth wide and grinned at me. I was chilled from head to toe, realizing that their plan was already set in motion.
But I wasn't gonna let that scare me and kept walking. Ahead was a group of kids, and they too were talking about me. The looks in their eyes were the same as Old Mr. Zhao's, and their faces were ashen. I wondered what grudge they had with me that they would also behave this way. Unable to bear it, I shouted, "Tell me!" But they just ran away.
I've got it! Their parents taught them to be this way!
3
Now that I think about it, I get a shiver that runs from the top of my head clear down to the tips of my toes.
If they would eat people, then who knows if they'll eat me.
You have to really study something before you understand it. I remembered hearing that since the olden days, people have often eaten people, though I was a bit foggy on the details. So I leafed through a history book, which was undated, and scrawled everywhere, across every page were the words benevolence, justice, virtue. Since I was tossing and turning in my sleep, I decided to study it for most of the night, when I realized that packed between the lines of the entire volume were two words: eat people!
Well, I'm a person too, and they want to eat ME!
…
Eat people!
Eat people!
Eat people!
This short story framed as a diary and written in vernacular kept revolving around those two words!
A lot of people trembled with fear!
A lot of people felt a chill crawl up their spines!
Eating people in the entertainment industry!
This was a place where people ate people!
Every word in the short story was dripping with blood!
…
12
Can't think of it anymore.
Just realized that, for a long time, I've drifted along in a place that has been eating people for the past 4,000 years. Little Sister happened to die right as Older Brother took over the house. There's no telling if he gave some of her to us to eat.
Who knows if I didn't accidentally eat some of my little sister's flesh? And now it's my turn….
Even though I didn't know it then, now that I know I have 4,000 years of cannibalism behind me, it's so hard to look real people in the eye!
13
Maybe there's still children who haven't eaten people yet?
Save the children…
…
The short story ended here!
A lot of people just froze after reading it!
Lu Xun's "A Madman's Diary" from Zhang Ye's previous world had been presumptuously used over here in this way. Not for conscience, nor was it for Han Di.
But for the children!
Or maybe it was for the future?
1. https://imgur.com/a/XFL604Z