High-Altitude Worker, Unfortunately a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role - Chapter 36

With her experience as an agent coming to an end, Zhao Ke found herself with another two-week break before the start of the new semester.

She used this time to frantically interview with new companies.

Fortunately, her hard work paid off, and she finally found one that met all her criteria.

Dawn Entertainment: a company with an imposing name but a remarkably low-profile operation.

How low-profile? Even their office was located in a residential building.

“So, you work in this building and live in the one next door?” Zhao Ke asked incredulously, pointing to the adjacent building through the window.

“Yes,” the HR representative replied with a smile.

Below them, a group of children were playing on outdoor fitness equipment.

“If Teacher Zhao signs with us, the company will provide free housing in the building next door,” the HR representative said, opening the contract and pointing to the terms in black and white.

Zhao Ke’s heart raced.

Free room and board? For a manual laborer, this was the ultimate perk.

Zhao Ke had been planning to move anyway. The emergency rental she’d secured earlier was too small to accommodate the clothes and cosmetics Wang Ran and the others had given her.

Dawn Entertainment offered Liu Tiande and the others excellent salaries and benefits. Zhao Ke could clearly see their satisfaction in their eyes.

“Alright, let’s sign,” Zhao Ke decided decisively, completely ignoring Liu Tiande’s frantic glances from the side.

As the four left the residential complex, Liu Tiande was still rehashing the situation.

“Why did you sign so quickly, Xiao Ke? This company doesn’t even help us find opportunities! We have to rely entirely on auditions ourselves!”

Zhao Ke thought: Isn’t that perfect? This way, I can gradually fade out of the entertainment industry.

Perfect.

But she couldn’t say that aloud. Zhao Ke pushed Liu Tiande into the pickup truck. “Alright, alright, trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

Zhao Ke was invited to Orange TV’s grand gala. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was supposed to do, but her task was simple: show her face, sit in her seat, and clap and smile.

On stage, the host was showering Qiao Shuxue with commercial praise.

“Ahahaha, we know Shu Xue just wrapped up filming her new drama and rushed straight to our gala! Could you give us a brief introduction to your new character?”

Qiao Shuxue smiled sweetly at the camera for a moment. “Oh, thank you for reminding me, Teacher Li! My new drama…”

Zhao Ke’s gaze wasn’t fixed on Qiao Shuxue. The grand ceremony had invited not only celebrities but also many business figures.

Zhao Ke spotted a familiar figure: Sun Xincheng.

Sun Xincheng was impeccably dressed in a suit, his personal scandals seemingly having no impact on his company’s operations. His demeanor still exuded the confidence of a successful businessman.

On stage, Qiao Shuxue was improvising a rambling speech. Whenever she mentioned her character, she would launch into endless, self-indulgent monologues.

The host could only force a strained smile, sweating profusely under the director’s urgent glares from backstage.

Zhao Ke made a hasty exit under the pretense of needing the restroom.

Whether by coincidence or design, she ran into Sun Xincheng at the restroom entrance.

Seeing Zhao Ke reminded Sun Xincheng of that infuriating night. Since then, he hadn’t seen Liang Xiaoxiao; she had blocked all his communication channels.

After several days, Sun Xincheng’s initial passion had gradually cooled.

He stopped Zhao Ke. “Wait, could I ask you something? How has Xiaoxiao been lately?”

Zhao Ke sized up Sun Xincheng, a man she had no patience for. Keeping her reply curt, she said, “She’s doing fine.”

“Ah, ah, that’s good,” Sun Xincheng replied, his face tinged with melancholy.

Zhao Ke turned to leave, but Sun Xincheng called out from behind, “Be careful. Pang Chao has someone backing him—someone protecting him.”

Pang Chao was the chairman of Star Yue Entertainment. Zhao Ke’s mind raced as she turned back to Sun Xincheng. “Who?”

Sun Xincheng shook his head, his expression dark. “I can’t say more. Just know the person’s surname is Gu.”

Zhao Ke: Okay, that’s obvious enough.

In the entire novel, there was only one Gu Family. The head of the Gu Family, naturally, was President Gu—the man whose speech was like a fill-in-the-blanks exercise—Gu Jason.

Maintaining her composure, Zhao Ke nodded. “Understood.”

Zhao Ke’s unwavering demeanor irritated Sun Xincheng. Hey, wasn’t the Zhao Family a wealthy clan before their bankruptcy? How can she show no respect or fear toward the mighty Gu Family?

Sun Xincheng bit his tongue, his voice dripping with malice. “Zhao Sheng hasn’t been doing so well lately.”

He hung up on me, did he? Well, I’ll tarnish his image in front of his daughter.

Zhao Sheng? Who? Zhao Ke’s mind went blank.

She stared at Sun Xincheng until his smug grin began to falter. Then, realization struck her like a thunderbolt.

Ah, it must be that unreliable father of the original owner.

The novel glossed over this part, roughly stating that the male lead, Gu Jason, used business tactics to bankrupt the Zhao Family’s coal mining industry. Seeing the tide had turned, Zhao Sheng abandoned his legitimate daughter, Zhao Ke, and fled abroad with the family’s remaining wealth and his beloved illegitimate son.

Zhao Ke frowned. To her, Zhao Sheng was just a stranger.

“What does this have to do with me?” she asked coldly.

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Ke turned and left.

Liu Tiande had instructed her not to leave her seat for too long.

Sun Xincheng, stung by her sharp retort, stood frozen in place.

After a long moment, he suddenly realized that Zhao Sheng’s “precious daughter” seemed to harbor a deep resentment toward him.

Heh heh, Sun Xincheng thought gleefully, finally turning the tables.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Zhao Sheng’s number with practiced ease.

“Hello, Zhao Sheng! Life’s full of ups and downs, isn’t it? Sometimes you end up with nothing—neither money nor family. It can’t be helped, I suppose.”

On the other end, Zhao Sheng stood on a dusty slope under the scorching sun, wearing a yellow hard hat. The blinding sunlight and swirling dust made it impossible to see his phone screen; he answered the call purely out of muscle memory.

With the phone pressed to his ear, Zhao Sheng continued directing the workers with his other hand. “Hey! Youyou, you two, move aside!”

Sun Xincheng, his voice strained against the deafening construction noise, shouted, “Are you even listening to me?!”

“Huh? What was that?” Zhao Sheng’s booming voice cut through the din.

Sun Xincheng roared back, “I said! Are you short on cash?!”

Zhao Sheng frowned. “What’s this nonsense? Scam call—hang up!”

He slammed the disconnect button with his gloved finger.

A scam call all the way from overseas to Africa?

Short on cash?

What a joke! I came to this godforsaken place to make a killing. How else am I supposed to get rich?

Sun Xincheng stared in disbelief at the disconnected screen.

Damn it!

This Zhao Sheng is driving me crazy! He’s completely impossible to reason with!

Zhao Ke had planned to slip away immediately after the ceremony, but her luck ran out when she bumped into Qiao Shuxue at the venue entrance.

“Keke,” Qiao Shuxue called out warmly, approaching her. “I’m so sorry about what happened last time. You weren’t too shaken up, were you?”

Zhao Ke’s lips twitched. “No, I’m fine. My condolences.”

Qiao Shuxue responded to every word, her fingertip gently pressing the corner of her eye. “I know. I’ve been thinking about Qinglu constantly lately, even dreaming about her.”

Gu Jason, who had come to pick up Qiao Shuxue, stepped out of the van and wrapped an arm around her waist. He lowered his gaze, his expression tender. “My little angel, don’t be so depressed. If you keep crying, your skin will get allergic.”

Zhao Ke: What is even happening right now?

Qiao Shuxue leaned lightly against Gu Jason’s chest, gazing at him with affection. “Thank you, darling. You’re my true blessing.”

Zhao Ke: ? Did you catch something?

After their exchange of meaningful glances, Qiao Shuxue turned to Zhao Ke. “I heard you’re joining Director He’s team. Good luck! My next project is with Director Jiang, so we might see each other at the film studio.”

So that’s why she was waiting here, Zhao Ke thought, speechless.

Film and television dramas were Qiao Shuxue’s primary focus. After her setback on the variety show, she was determined to redeem herself through her acting projects.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ke didn’t have a single noteworthy work to her name.

Zhao Ke looked at her and suddenly chuckled, her smile bright as if she were watching a stubborn kitten. “Alright. I wish you all the best, sincerely.”

A little cat? Just smooth its fur, and it’ll be fine.

Qiao Shuxue pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Zhao Ke’s calm reaction had exceeded her expectations.

Zhao Ke’s nanny van was briefly blocked, causing Liu Tiande to arrive late. As he stepped out of the vehicle and approached Zhao Ke, his gaze flickered to Qiao Shuxue standing nearby. As if burned, he quickly averted his eyes.

But Qiao Shuxue, abandoning her previous indifference, took the initiative to greet him. “Teacher Liu, long time no see.”

“Ah, ah, long time no see,” Liu Tiande replied stiffly, his palm unconsciously wiping against the hem of his shirt.

He didn’t even know how to address Qiao Shuxue.

“How have you been, Teacher Liu? I dreamed of Qinglu last night. She kept crying and telling me you weren’t treating her well.” Qiao Shuxue’s eyes gleamed.

Liu Tiande froze. His feelings for Qiao Qinglu were complex. Resentment was certainly present, but occasionally, during sleepless nights spent worrying about her career prospects, he had pitied this stubborn child.

Beauty, family, career, even love—everything Qiao Qinglu had cherished had been trampled and ruined by Qiao Shuxue, leaving her alone to rot and decay in endless darkness.

Was it because I didn’t stand up for her? Liu Tiande couldn’t help but sink into a whirlpool of self-blame.

Watching Liu Tiande’s dazed expression, the fervor in Qiao Shuxue’s eyes intensified.

She wanted to crush everyone who had wronged her, grind them into the mud, leaving them paralyzed, suffocating, and utterly incapable of ever rising again.

“Qiao Shuxue.”

Zhao Ke’s voice was steady, carrying an undeniable certainty.

She took a step forward, looking down at Qiao Shuxue from above, like a hawk locking its gaze on a trembling rabbit.

Qiao Shuxue’s chest tightened inexplicably, this sudden sense of danger feeling foreign to her.

“What… what are you doing?”

“I’ve been eyeing a knife lately. It’s called Alox, and it seems only Switzerland sells it. Delivery takes at least a week.”

Zhao Ke watched Qiao Shuxue’s expression stiffen further, a faint smile curving her lips.

“I was wondering, if you have experience with this sort of thing, could you help me buy it?”

With each word Zhao Ke spoke, Qiao Shuxue’s bl00d seemed to grow colder. The air around her suddenly felt heavy, pressing down on her lungs and making it difficult to breathe.

EVOKE ALOX, a beautiful, compact military knife perfect for cutting climbing ropes.

It wasn’t available domestically; it had to be imported from Switzerland.

After meeting Qiao Qinglu, Zhao Ke spent countless hours searching for clues, eventually focusing on the tool Qiao Qinglu had used to sever the rope.

The finely crafted, sleek folding military knife was foreign-made and virtually unavailable in mainland China.

From the moment Qiao Qinglu learned she would be participating in Four Frames of Life to her departure for the mountain village, only three or four days had passed. There simply wasn’t enough time for her to import such a knife and carry it with her.

Unless, she had a pre-existing hobby of collecting military knives.

Or, someone had slipped the knife into her hand.