Conspiracy: I'm directing my own life

Chapter 22 Moral Suspension 4k

When you possess power that is unimaginable to ordinary people, how should you use it?

The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.

Before going upstairs, Chu Kong saw several people showing movies outdoors with projectors downstairs in the apartment building.

It was a superhero movie with superpowers.

If I'm not mistaken, that character should be the same one as the figure wrapped in black slime in Ryu-sensei's car.

After a silent laugh, Chu Kong simply thought it was a coincidence.

After hastily stuffing the two pies into his stomach, Chu Kong went into the bathroom.

-----------------

After the call was connected, Zhou Huaijin's reassuring voice came through the receiver.

Chu Kong had not seen Zhou Huaijin in person for a long time.

Although not much time had actually passed, for Chu Kong, every day felt like walking on thin ice.

This made him feel a sense of closeness to Zhou Huaijin.

Like someone who walks along the shore year after year, constantly worried about drowning, clinging tightly to the branches of a tree.

Good evening, Teacher Zhou.

"Good evening, is this just the usual 'routine'?" Zhou Huaijin's tone was somewhat tired.

"Teacher Zhou, are you alright?" Chu Kong asked with some concern, glancing at the time.

Time was of the essence, and if given a choice, he would have preferred to say a few more words of concern.

"It's alright. After all, you're going out to work this time, so the workload of the 'routine' tasks will be a bit heavier."

The so-called routine was Chu Kong's state of mind a few days ago when he was on edge.

During that period, Chu Kong would even write down the names of people he overheard in conversations and then have Zhou Huaijin check whether they were deeply involved.

Faced with such a neurotic request, Zhou Huaijin not only did not refuse, but also took the initiative to watch the live broadcast all day long, and looked up every name he heard.

Hearing that Zhou Huaijin was exhausted from helping him, Chu Kong's tone was tinged with guilt: "I'm sorry, Teacher Zhou, you've gone to so much trouble. You don't need to bother with that anymore. I'll just ask you when I need to look into someone."

Zhou Huaijin did not refuse. After exchanging a few polite words, the two finally got down to business.

"Based on the information I've obtained from the production company, neither Aunt Chen nor Grandma Rong, these two key figures, were deeply involved."

Upon hearing this, Chu Kong's heart skipped a beat.

If he could, he would rather that Grandma Rong and Aunt Chen's story was all a lie.

He would rather it be a scene arranged by the production company.

But this hope was ultimately dashed by Zhou Huaijin's investigation.

"However, according to my investigation, Zhao Ping should be considered a semi-deep participant."

Zhao Ping is the boy from another class who almost got into a fight with Li Lingchuang today because of Grandma Rong's matter.

Did he realize that Grandma Rong had a problem and deliberately try to snatch her cane?

Was this arranged by the production company?

This speculation startled Chu Kong.

A surge of anger rose within me.

"What do you mean by half?" he asked again, still trying to calm himself down.

"Zhao Ping was only a minor participant, but a collaboration was reached when the production company approached him."

"So, the production team is willing to do such shameless things for the sake of the show's effect?"

Chu Kong couldn't help but angrily question him.

In fact, Chu Kong is a very rational person, and he understands that he should not let his emotions control his reason.

His performance recently has proven this point.

But this time, he was truly angry.

Grandma Rong's tearful account was something she had witnessed firsthand; like everyone tormented by illness, she had completely lost her dignity.

They lived like zombies.

Let others laugh at you.

To be manipulated by others.

They were bullied by everyone.

"Don't be angry. I think what happened to Zhao Ping today was just a coincidence."

Zhou Huaijin timely dissuaded Chu Kong.

Chu Kong remained silent, so Zhou Huaijin continued, "As far as I know, when production companies issue instructions to actors, they are required to use official email addresses as a formal form. This is a crucial measure to avoid legal issues for the program."

However, I checked the production company's email, and they did not issue any official letters after reaching a cooperation agreement with Zhao Ping.

"Could it be a private notification?" Chu Kong frowned.

"The probability is very small. Neither the production company nor Zhao Ping himself can ignore the potential risks of doing so."

Chu Kong breathed a sigh of relief.

But the seed of doubt was still planted in my heart.

Normally, this call should end here.

But today, Chu Kong began to hesitate.

He had been thinking about it for a long time on the way back, but he was still hesitant.

Zhou Huaijin roughly knew what Chu Kong was thinking, so he remained silent and waited quietly.

"Teacher Zhou, did you watch the live stream today when I went back to the supermarket?"

"Mmm," Zhou Huaijin said softly.

"Did you hear what Aunt Chen said?"

"Yes, everyone in the live stream heard it."

"What should I do?" Chu Kong asked, voicing a question that was destined to remain unanswered.

Zhou Huaijin remained silent.

Using the script is the only possibility for Chu Kong to intervene in this matter.

But how do we use the script?

Could you simply write a script that would allow Aunt Chen to receive help from kind-hearted people in society?

Whether the script itself makes sense or not, let's put that aside for now.

This matter itself does not conform to the logic of the production company's executors.

Although Chu Kong's sponsor is also the largest shareholder of "Chu Kong Show".

But ultimately, a program is a program, and people are people.

The production company is responsible for the program, so all script changes were made in order to accommodate Chu Kong.

Issuing an order that has nothing to do with Chu Kong rashly would only arouse suspicion from the production team.

Aren't those high-ranking, powerful figures the ones giving the orders?

Their desire for funding isn't something that can be resolved with just a few words.

Why insist on this program format?

But if we don't use this method, what other methods are there?

Are we just going to stand by and watch Aunt Chen be at her wit's end?

But in the end, there was still no way.

The phone hangs up.

Chu Kong closed his eyes in pain.

-----------------

Chu Kong couldn't sleep that night.

He was still awake when the alarm clock rang.

But he still got up with dark circles under his eyes.

The work-study program only lasts three days, and today is already the second day.

Fortunately, he will be working at the cashier this morning.

It's not a holiday, and it's morning, so there aren't many people shopping at the supermarket.

Chu Kong was the first to arrive at the supermarket entrance.

Ning Wantang followed closely behind him once again, running over with a wobbly gait.

"Chu Kong, are you alright? Your dark circles are really bad," Ning Wantang asked with a worried expression.

As she spoke, she handed her another steamed bun.

"It's nothing serious, I just didn't sleep well, since a lot happened yesterday."

Chu Kong wanted to decline the steamed bun, since it wasn't good to keep owing favors, but Ning Wantang just wouldn't take her hand back.

Unwavering determination.

He had no choice but to accept it.

"I see."

Ning Wantang's voice also lowered: "There's nothing we can do about Grandma Rong's situation."

Chu Kong frowned upon hearing Ning Wantang's words.

As a deep participant, it's impossible for Ning Wantang not to have watched the replay of the live stream, so she must know that Chu Kong's current worries are more about Aunt Chen's situation.

But no one saw that part except Chu Kong, so she could only act as if she had misunderstood.

"His acting is pretty good," Chu Kong thought to himself.

Although this was a reality he had already accepted, a nameless fire was now rising within him again.

Chu Kong quickly stood up, took a few deep breaths, and suppressed his restless emotions.

Hopefully it's just from not sleeping well.

Chu Kong dared not question reason.

He was afraid of his true inner thoughts.

Then, Teacher Long arrived.

It seems like everything is a repeat of yesterday.

But Teacher Long didn't seem to be in a good mood today.

Her dark circles under her eyes became even more pronounced.

Yesterday, Li Lingchuang almost got into a fight with Zhao Ping, and Long Mengmeng didn't even have time to rush over from her other part-time job.

It seems that a real fight broke out on the other side.

It's hard to say whether this work-study program has actually trained the students, but it certainly put the teachers through a lot of trouble.

She simply greeted Chu Kong and the other person, and then began to check the work information that Ning Wantang had collected yesterday.

The fact that Chu Kong received a pancake because of Grandma Rong was also clearly written in Teacher Long's notebook.

After doing all this, Teacher Long left in a hurry.

She still has to go to her next workplace.

Before leaving, Long Mengmeng gave Chu Kong a deep look, her face showing a hint of unspoken words.

But in the end, he said nothing.

-----------------

After waiting for a long time once again, the other students arrived one after another.

Unlike yesterday, the number of people today is less than half of yesterday's.

Song Chen and Miao Qiang from my class didn't come either.

To Chu Kong's surprise, Li Lingchuang also came today.

Chu Kong wasn't too surprised that Shu Wenxue didn't come.

Shu Wenxue was slender, and from her delicate skin, it was easy to tell that she was the type who never lifted a finger.

She worked diligently all day yesterday, which was already beyond Chu Kong's expectations.

As soon as the supermarket opened, Chu Kong went straight to his post at the cashier.

Then I started spacing out.

Otherwise, there's nothing else to do, since very few people would come to buy things early in the morning when the supermarket has just opened.

However, the peaceful period did not last long. Before long, the supermarket began to be bustling with people.

If Chu Kong were to describe it, the job of a cashier is like a ukiyo-e painting.

You can easily imagine a lot from the items guests bring to pay their bills.

Since thinking about it wasn't illegal, it became the only source of enjoyment in Chu Kong's mechanical work.

A housewife bought a small cake, red wine, baby diapers, and decorative ribbons.

Needless to say, it's for celebrating birthdays or anniversaries.

Charcoal fire, tongs, raw meat, vegetables, iron skewers, and look at the outdoor clothing this man is wearing.

This must be preparations for camping or picnicking.

A little kid pushed a cart full of snacks to the checkout, but soon came back dejectedly to ask for a refund.

There's no way around it, the parents' beatings are still too intimidating. Is the next step the "Don't underestimate a poor young man" segment?

Besides that, there are many other interesting things.

A girl wearing glasses read out the total price even faster than Chu Kong pressed enter after the product information was entered.

It was even accurate to the minute.

Then, to Chu Kong's astonishment, he paid the money with a smug look on his face.

Uh, and then I realized I'd miscalculated; I was short two pieces.

With a flushed face, he hurriedly left the supermarket.

A child came to the cashier to pay, accompanied by his mother. The mother seemed to be training him, as she stood behind him the whole time without offering any help.

He awkwardly took out a notebook and wrote on it: "Thank you, how much money?"

Chu Kong glanced at his mother, and the woman nodded, her expression neither humble nor arrogant.

One hundred and seventeen.

The child carefully counted out the correct amount of banknotes, counted them again, and then handed them to Chu Kong.

During this process, the other customers who were originally standing behind the children and looked impatient all waited quietly without urging them on.

As the child was leaving, he turned around and waved to Chu Kong, who responded in kind.

His mother also thanked Chu Kong in a gentle voice.

Most of the morning had passed, and although the mechanical repetition made Chu Kong feel like he could barely lift his arms, he was still in a good mood.

After all, most things are heartwarming.

However, there were also some less heartwarming things.

When an old man was paying the bill, he took off his shoes and pulled out a handful of change from inside.

Under the light, the loose change visibly steamed.

Chu Kong accepted the change with indescribable feelings, and then carefully washed his hands.

Another issue was a return. A hot-tempered customer came in and started swearing because one of his newly bought Bluetooth earphones stopped working after only two days of use.

He took it for repair, but the staff told him that the headphones had quality problems when they left the factory.

He was furious and came to demand an explanation.

Chu Kong had no idea what was going on before he was subjected to a barrage of insults, including being called heartless, immoral, and that evil will be punished.

Ultimately, the supervisor intervened and quelled the customer's anger by offering a replacement and a refund.

Overall, the work wasn't too complicated, and we got through it safely without any major incidents.

Once the shift handover time was over, Chu Kong hung up the "Temporarily Suspended" sign and stretched his sore arms.

As soon as he stepped out of his workstation, he saw a familiar figure.

Aunt Chen was carrying a bag and walking towards the supermarket exit.

Chu Kong recognized the bag; it was the same one Aunt Chen had carried last night.

Chu Kong didn't go up to speak, but watched Aunt Chen leave.

In Aunt Chen's somewhat short and plump figure, he thought of his aunt once again.

He then thought of his aunt's outstanding medical bills.

The feeling of helplessness, of being unable to do anything, is ever-present.

-----------------

"Chu Kong, do you have time?"

A voice came from behind, pulling Chu Kong back to reality from his reverie.

For a moment, Chu Kong couldn't recognize the voice.

He turned around and found an unexpected person standing in front of him.

Li Lingchuang.

Backlit, he stood in the shadows, his face no longer displaying its previous arrogance, but rather a mixture of calm and stiffness.