Chapter 726: Jiaojiao 6

"So, why not resort to some unorthodox methods?" As long as Chen Jiao didn’t proactively harm anyone, Tan You didn’t feel such methods were necessarily a bad thing.

That night, in her room, Chen Jiao had sealed the door and windows shut. Wearing a thick face mask and protective goggles, she squatted in front of an alcohol lamp, her hands endlessly stirring the paste in a crucible.

"Teacher, can this really knock someone out?" Chen Jiao’s voice came out muffled from behind her mask.

"Of course. If you don’t believe me, you can try it yourself." Tan You sat beside Chen Jiao, a teasing glint in her eyes. "I’ve tested it before. I used it to take out bandits. I just stood upwind, and in less than ten breaths, a whole fortress of over a thousand men was knocked out flat."

Chen Jiao shook her head. "I think I’ll pass on trying it myself. I’ll save it for Zhang Ping. That bastard, making me live in fear."

Tan You said, "A powder has its limitations, which is why I’m having you make it into a fragrant balm. When the time comes, all you have to do is twist open the lid and let the subtle scent diffuse..."

Tan You didn’t need to finish. Chen Jiao could already imagine the result. She couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. "Teacher, I need to make several more of these. They could save my life in a pinch."

"Just saving your life isn’t enough. We also need to know how to go on the offensive." Tan You wanted Chen Jiao to have more of an edge. "Zhang Ping won’t make his move just yet. He’s only seen the first two or three pages of the script. He’ll definitely wait until he’s seen more before he does anything."

"That gives us time. Next, I’ll teach you how to make a few little toys."

A chill ran down Chen Jiao’s spine. "What kind of little toys? Teacher, we can’t do anything illegal."

"Don’t worry, it’s definitely not illegal. I guarantee they could go to every doctor and expert out there and still find nothing wrong." Tan You’s smile was bone-chilling. "And it absolutely won’t be fatal."

Seeing Chen Jiao’s unease, Tan You chuckled. "Relax, I won’t have you use these things on innocent people. If we’re going to use them, it’ll be on those who are wicked to the core."

"I don’t normally approve of fighting fire with fire, but sometimes, it takes a villain to punish a villain. Besides, it’s better for me to deal with them personally than to let them do a quick stint in prison and get right back out."

Chen Jiao thought about it and couldn’t help but nod. "That’s true. Those triad bosses... they’re truly despicable! If we can teach them a lesson and make them never dare to cause trouble again, wouldn’t that be a meritorious deed?"

"Jiaojiao, that’s not a bad way of thinking. Quite to my liking, in fact." Tan You raised an eyebrow. "I was worried you might be a bleeding-heart type."

"Of course not," Chen Jiao pouted. "Kindness is for human beings. And those bosses... do they even count as human? Who knows how many people they’ve hurt behind the scenes. It would be an insult to humanity to even consider them human."

"Teacher, I like it when you call me Jiaojiao." Chen Jiao couldn’t stay serious for more than three seconds before her eyes curved into crescents and she started acting cute with Tan You.

Tan You tapped the spot between Chen Jiao’s eyebrows. In an instant, the instructions for making several ’little toys’ were engraved in her mind. The more she processed, the brighter her eyes became.

Seeing her reaction, a smile surfaced in Tan You’s eyes.

"These are just ’little toys,’ after all. It takes time for them to become fully effective. I’ve also had someone order you a taser, a dagger, and some pepper spray. They’ll be delivered tomorrow."

"Okay. With those, I’ll feel much safer." Chen Jiao was finally able to relax. "Even if Zhang Ping and the big boss behind him really are planning something nasty, I won’t be afraid anymore."

"Teacher, my scenes tomorrow aren’t until the afternoon. I plan to make all these pills then."

Tan You approved of her plan. "Good idea. Arm yourself to the teeth first. Oh, and copy a few more pages of the script. When you go to the set tomorrow afternoon, Zhang Ping will definitely try to sneak a look at it."

"In that case, if we’re going to fish, let’s go for a big one. Make some extra balm, and prepare a few scented sachets to go with it."

Tan You had considered every angle. Without a physical body, she had to rely on Chen Jiao to do many things. ’If only Chen Qing weren’t lying in that hospital bed, there would be so much more I could do,’ she thought.

Chen Jiao ended up pulling an all-nighter. It wasn’t until the sky began to lighten that she finally finished rolling all the pills under Tan You’s guidance. Besides the hydrosol she had made, two small vials now sat in front of her.

"Intestine-breaking Pills... Heart-devouring Pills... Did I really make these? Teacher, are you sure they won’t kill anyone?"

"Of course not," Tan You said with a smile. "Just as their names suggest, whoever takes them will experience excruciating pain in their heart or intestines every night at midnight. The pain will last for two hours."

"I guarantee that even if they go to the most advanced hospital, doctors won’t be able to find a thing. Meanwhile, the pain will grow more and more intense until they eventually die from it."

"Of course, if they want to be free of the pain, the solution is simple: they just have to come to you. And I, naturally, will teach you how to provide the cure."

Chen Jiao pressed her lips together. A part of her found it ruthless, but when she thought about all the starlets who had been coerced in the past, her heart hardened. "If they dare to harm me, I’ll use these."

"Teacher, I can’t let anything happen to me. My dad is still in the hospital. If something happens to me, there’ll be no one to look after him..."

Tan You understood. "That’s why we have to fight back. We have to let those bastards know you’re not to be trifled with. Besides, why do you feel a psychological burden about punishing bad people?"

"As long as no one comes after you first, we won’t have any need for these underhanded tactics."

Chen Jiao rubbed her eyes. "I know you mean well, Teacher. And what’s wrong with unorthodox methods? As long as it’s to protect myself, I’ll use any method, no matter how underhanded. But of course, I’d never be the one to attack first."

Tan You liked this astuteness in Chen Jiao—she was kind but also had a firm grasp on reality. Tan You had gone to great lengths to plan all this for her; if Chen Jiao had ended up sympathizing with those villains, Tan You’s mood would not be nearly as pleasant.

"Put these in your bag, get some sleep, and then head to the set this afternoon. Zhang Ping is waiting for you." Tan You glanced at the time. "You can still get seven hours of sleep."

But Chen Jiao wasn’t in a hurry to sleep. Instead, she pulled out her notebook and began to write furiously. "I’ll copy a few more pages of the script first, then I’ll sleep."

"Suit yourself," Tan You said. "The better the script, the faster Zhang Ping’s people will make their move."

The tip of Chen Jiao’s pen paused. "Then I’m not afraid. You’re right, Teacher. We have to beat them until they’re scared. Once they’re scared of me, they won’t dare to cause me trouble again."

After copying a few more pages of the script, Chen Jiao couldn’t fight it any longer. She pushed the notebook aside and fell asleep right there, slumped over on her bed.

Tan You looked at her sleeping face and sighed silently. If it were possible, she too would have wished for Chen Jiao to live a happy, innocent, and simple life forever. But the world wasn’t like that. There would always be people who used their power and influence to bully others wantonly.

This was especially true when someone possessed both beauty and talent; endless malice would be drawn to them. ’Since that’s the case,’ she thought, ’I must make Chen Jiao grow strong enough to protect herself.’