High-Altitude Worker, Unfortunately a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role - Chapter 21

Director Qu reported the incident to the police.

The accompanying forensic pathologist quickly determined the method of the crime by examining the severed ends of the climbing rope.

The perpetrator had cut through the rope’s inner core while preserving the integrity of the outer fibers. The incision was so small that Zhao Ke failed to notice anything amiss during her pre-climb inspection.

By the time Zhao Ke bounced back to the mountain in the pickup truck, the scene had already progressed to the stage where Qiao Qinglu was sprawled on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

“I told you it wasn’t me! I told you it wasn’t me! Why are you accusing me?!”

The forensic pathologist, his expression impassive behind frameless glasses, held up an evidence bag containing a folding pocket knife. “This was found in your bag. It bears your fingerprints, and the cutting marks match those on the victim’s climbing rope.”

The silver-white knife glinted in the sunlight, its red and blue painted handle strikingly eye-catching.

It was a finely crafted standard military pocket knife.

Qiao Qinglu shrieked and recoiled as if confronted by demons and monsters.

“Not me, not me,” she repeated, clutching her head with trembling hands.

“Enough. Let’s not argue here. Take her back to the station,” the lead officer ordered.

A young officer stepped forward, attempting to grab Qiao Qinglu’s arm and pull her to her feet.

But the moment his fingers touched her arm, Qiao Qinglu violently slapped his hand away.

She lifted her head, and as if by magic, her previous cowering fear vanished, replaced by burning hatred and resentment that blazed from her fiery red eyes.

She abruptly stood up and spun around twice in place.

The young officer rubbed his reddened hand, frowning as he stepped forward to restrain her. “Stop moving around! Come with me!”

Zhao Ke watched Qiao Qinglu’s gaze fall on her briefly before quickly shifting away.

Zhao Ke raised an eyebrow, surprised that Qiao Qinglu hadn’t charged at her.

Qiao Qinglu’s gaze pierced Qiao Shuxue like a sharp arrow. Pointing a finger at her sister, she declared in a firm voice, “It was my sister, Qiao Shuxue, who ordered me to do it.”

Qiao Qinglu seemed to have transformed entirely, her rationality returning, her words clear and precise.

“Three days ago, my sister mistakenly picked poisonous mushrooms, and Zhao Ke pointed out her mistake. Unable to swallow her pride, knowing about my previous conflict with Zhao Ke, she used her connections in the industry to coerce me into tampering with Zhao Ke’s climbing rope.”

The police frowned at her. Qiao Qinglu’s words were airtight, leaving no logical loopholes. She was a completely different person from the woman who had been sobbing hysterically on the ground just moments before.

“Do you have any evidence?” a policeman asked involuntarily.

“I have a recording,” Qiao Qinglu declared, her voice ringing with conviction as she began searching her person.

She detached the production team’s audio mic from her lower back and handed it to the police. “This is the recording.”

Not only were the police bewildered, but the entire production team frowned in confusion.

Director Qu’s voice was dry, tinged with disbelief. “This is our production team’s audio mic, not a recording device. We’ve already reviewed all the footage from the past few days, and there’s no such conversation.”

“No, this is the recording,” Qiao Qinglu insisted.

The crowd’s gazes turned to Qiao Qinglu as if she were a madwoman.

Calling a deer a horse? How novel.

Only then did Qiao Shuxue stroll over from a distance, completely unfazed by Qiao Qinglu’s outburst. “I apologize, everyone. Here’s what really happened…”

“My sister suffers from familial schizophrenia. Recently, our family noticed her abnormal behavior on the show, possibly experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations. They specifically asked me to come on the show to observe her. I never imagined that my momentary carelessness would lead to Zhao Ke being innocently harmed. I am truly sorry.”

“I have here the medical diagnosis confirming Qiao Qinglu’s mother’s schizophrenia. If possible, I’d like to have my sister admitted to a hospital first, then cooperate with the police investigation. Would that be acceptable?”

Qiao Shuxue acted swiftly. While the police were still considering their testimonies, she had already produced contact information for her lawyer, psychiatrist, and other professionals to corroborate the credibility of her statements.

Zhao Ke watched from the sidelines, her brow furrowing deeply.

Different paths, same destination. Zhao Ke never imagined that Qiao Qinglu would ultimately meet the same fate as in the original novel.

In the original story, Qiao Qinglu hadn’t participated in the variety show. Instead, she had once again secured a leading role in the same film as the female lead by offering herself to the director, hoping to overshadow the protagonist on screen. But before filming could even be completed, the overwhelming pressure from all sides had driven her to a complete mental breakdown. She had even attempted to sabotage the wire rigging during a stunt, aiming to permanently force Qiao Shuxue out of the industry.

Of course, the truth eventually came to light. Qiao Shuxue, citing her biological mother’s schizophrenia, had Qiao Qinglu committed to a mental asylum, condemning her to a life without sunlight.

When Zhao Ke saw Qiao Qinglu at the talent agency, she couldn’t help but wonder if she could truly alter the Fake Heiress’s tragic fate from the novel.

But after observing Qiao Qinglu’s behavior for days, Zhao Ke gradually lost hope. It seemed Qiao Qinglu’s destined path to the grave was already etched in her genes.

What about me? Zhao Ke couldn’t help but ask herself.

She had tried her best to avoid conflict with Qiao Shuxue, doing everything Shu Xue asked. Yet, apart from Zhao Ke’s refusal to stand by while others were poisoned, the two women seemed forever locked in opposition.

Wang Ran and Li Minjing whispered behind Zhao Ke.

“How did Qiao Shuxue diagnose Qiao Qinglu’s mental illness? The internet is full of conflicting theories.”

“The Qiao Family is wealthy and powerful. They probably have a full-time psychiatrist.”

“But Qiao Qinglu’s biological mother was just the Qiao Family’s nanny. She was adopted, right?”

“…Maybe the nanny had good benefits. Who knows?”

I’ll just take things one step at a time, Zhao Ke thought absently, watching Qiao Shuxue and Qiao Qinglu’s retreating figures.

I can’t let myself be afraid of Qiao Shuxue.

With Qiao Qinglu and Qiao Shuxue gone with the police, the entire production team took a day to regroup. Director Qu finally rallied his spirits and decided to film a concluding segment, marking the end of the first part of Four Frames of Life.

Zhao Ke, having taken anti-inflammatory medication and still nursing her injuries, slept almost the entire day.

The next morning, she casually listened to Wang Ran’s report about how “you’ve been trending non-stop” before heading to the live broadcast studio.

Thank goodness, Zhao Ke’s still alive!

I was so worried, I almost cried!

Keke looks like she’s in good spirits. Mom’s relieved!

Director Qu appeared on camera, apologizing to the audience again and promising that the remaining three parts of the show would be free of safety hazards.

As for why Four Frames of Life continued airing despite repeated accidents, the answer was simple: the show’s popularity had exploded. Zhao Ke’s name had been trending ever since the first episode aired.

Zhao Ke stepped forward and greeted the audience. “Thank you all for your concern. I’m perfectly fine—I could even climb a few more cliffs right now!”

“Oh, right, Director Qu, I just remembered we left the tent in the cave. I’ll climb back up later and bring it down.”

Director Qu nearly fainted from Zhao Ke’s shocking statement, shouting, “You’re not allowed to go! Stay put! Someone else will take care of the tent!”

Zhao Ke: Too honest.jpg

Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter! I feel like Director Qu is about to pass out any second now.

Off-topic, but Zhao Ke looks even sexier with that bandage around her arm.

I agree! Is there a photographer or magazine here? Someone needs to feature our Keke!

It wasn’t just the “battle-worn” look. Zhao Ke had finally shed her plain dark green short-sleeved shirt and long pants wilderness survival outfit, opting instead for a sleeveless, form-fitting top paired with stylish jeans prepared by Wang Ran. Combined with the bandage on her forearm, she exuded a Western cowgirl vibe.

As they boarded the green-skinned train for the return journey, Wang Ran was still muttering about trending topics and social media buzz.

Seeing this, Zhao Ke reclaimed her long-neglected phone and opened Weibo.

 #ZhaoKeQiaoQingluInterview  topped the trending list, followed by a black-and-red “爆” (Exploding) tag.

 #ZhaoKeClimbingAccident ,  #QiaoQingluSplitPersonality , and  #ZhaoKeBattleWornPhotoshoot  trailed behind.

Zhao Ke had almost completely forgotten about the interview.

The only thing she remembered was how disastrous the filming process had been. The host had looked utterly drained afterward, leading the production team to unanimously decide to scrap the footage.

But now they were actually releasing it.

Zhao Ke clicked on the video.

Host: “Ladies, during the filming of the show, did you ever consider collaborating with each other?”

Qiao Qinglu: “I definitely wouldn’t collaborate with Zhao Ke. If I needed to work with someone, I’d choose Yin Wenyuan or Qi Xinshu. After all, I’m much closer to them.”

How does she even have the nerve?

Yin-ge and her have never even interacted!

This is delusional thinking. Looking back, she’s been showing symptoms for a while now.

No wonder her attitude toward Yin Wenyuan in the live broadcast was so strange. Could Qiao Qinglu have unilaterally imagined some kind of romantic connection between them?

The host asked many other questions, but Qiao Qinglu always managed to steer the answers back to her relationships with male celebrities.

By the end, the host looked utterly defeated, already dreading the backlash she’d face once the video went viral and she was dragged down with Qiao Qinglu.

Zhao Ke, meanwhile, remained completely silent throughout the entire interview.

Apart from the occasional disdainful remark from Qiao Qinglu, she sat like a statue, utterly impassive.

The video went viral, largely thanks to the fans of the male celebrities Qiao Qinglu had mentioned. They lined up in the comments section to clarify that their idols had absolutely no connection to her.

Zhao Ke scrolled down and quickly found a photo of Qiao Qinglu wearing a restraint jacket. Her arms were tightly bound to her body by white linen, and she was being escorted to her hospital room by several medical staff wearing masks and caps.

Receiving a character’s fate in a novel felt different from actually seeing Qiao Qinglu’s photo.

Zhao Ke couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight in her heart and immediately closed Weibo.

Sun Yue sent Zhao Ke a message.

Yueyueyue Happy: Are you coming back? Did you get your phone back?

AAA High-Altitude Installer Master Zhao: Why did you change your WeChat name?

Yueyueyue Happy: I changed it because I wanted to. Mind your own business.

Yueyueyue Happy: When will you be in City A?

AAA High-Altitude Installer Master Zhao: The day after tomorrow, I think. Why?

Yueyueyue Happy: Can we meet up?

Yueyueyue Happy: Not that I particularly want to see you or anything. It’s just that you probably don’t have anything else going on, and neither do I.

Yueyueyue Happy: Ah, wait, I do have something I wanted to ask you about. As fellow patients, shouldn’t we check on each other’s recovery progress? Don’t you think?