“Stop it, Xia Mian. Don’t spout nonsense.” The man’s tone was indifferent, and his gaze even more so. He stared straight ahead without sparing Xia Mian so much as a glance.
The next second, Gu Cishen pulled his hand free from her grasp and turned his handsome face toward the window, his tone unchanged. “But by now, it’s time for you to leave my protection.”
The look Xia Mian gave him suddenly turned bewildered. Somewhat at a loss, she asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“I did promise to take care of you on her behalf, but you can’t live under my protection forever. Besides, reaching this position has already put you beyond the reach of most performers. I hope you’ll walk the rest of the road yourself.”
Xia Mian smiled, sorrow filling the depths of her eyes. “That’s right. From beginning to end, you’ve always been doing it for her.” She emphasized the last two words heavily. “Even the first time you looked at me was only because my features resemble hers.”
“I’ll never be able to compare with her.”
A mocking curve touched Xia Mian’s lips. In front of outsiders, she was noble and elegant, yet before him, she often lowered herself into the dust. After all these years, he had never given her even the slightest place in his heart.
“I’ve never compared you with her.”
The man’s voice was cold and austere. She understood perfectly: she had caught Gu Cishen’s attention because of Xia Yan, and therefore did not even have the qualifications to be placed beside her for comparison.
She squeezed her palm, and a trace of cold severity flashed through her eyes.
In the days since signing with the Yu Corporation, Chi Xue had been staying at home reading the screenplay. Today, however, things were livelier: the Yu Corporation had officially announced this morning the female lead of 《Cicada》.
Chi Xue stood on the balcony outside the floor-to-ceiling window. The white curtains were gently lifted by a breeze from an unknown direction. The early winter air was dry, and the courtyard trees stood bare, casting ghostly shadows beneath the landscape lights.
Lan Bei walked over and handed her the phone. The cuffs of his white shirt were rolled up slightly, revealing a small section of his slender, fair arm.
“Your phone.”
Chi Xue lowered her eyes. After seeing the name on the screen, she answered the call, exchanged a few perfunctory words, and hung up. Then she suddenly turned back to the bedroom to pack her things.
Lan Bei leaned against the doorframe with his tall, handsome figure, languid but not careless.
As he watched her, the deep affection in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
“Want me to take you?”
“Sure.” Chi Xue answered with unusual briskness. As she packed the cosmetics in her bag, she muttered to herself, “I was just worrying about how to get there. Your identity really is troublesome. You have to live somewhere so secluded…”
Watching her cheeks puff slightly with vexation, Lan Bei unexpectedly found her full of homely warmth and extraordinarily adorable.
He smiled, his peach blossom eyes overly gentle. “You should be satisfied that I’m personally driving you there and back.”
Before leaving, Chi Xue changed into a black formal dress. It was a classic design, yet on her, it seemed elevated by several tiers. Her skin was naturally fair, and her ink-dark hair fell loosely around her shoulders, making her look even more radiant.
Lan Bei drove attentively the entire way while she idly browsed Weibo. Ever since Yu Jinnan announced this morning that she was the female lead of 《Cicada》, the topic had remained high on the trending searches, earning them a substantial wave of publicity.
Unfortunately… the comments were filled with nothing but abuse and opposition.
Especially since the male lead was Fu Yeran, a popular young male actor. His fans had launched an especially vicious wave of personal attacks against her.
Chi Xue rubbed her temples and closed her eyes with a headache. Before long, the car stopped outside the “Crimson Hue” bar. Lan Bei looked toward the person in the front passenger seat and naturally reached over to unfasten her seat belt.
“I’ll wait in the car. Call me if anything happens.”
“Why don’t you come in and wait for me? I’ll finish as quickly as I can.” Chi Xue did not want to leave him alone in the car, so she said this.
The Private room was on the ninth floor. This level was generally reserved for the comings and goings of powerful figures and celebrities. Ordinary people could not enter even if they spent a fortune. Chi Xue took the elevator and found the room they had agreed on. When she entered, Yu Jinnan, several other directors and producers, and the leading actors had already arrived.
Her beautiful eyes swept around the room, and she discovered that only Fu Yeran had yet to arrive.
Yu Jinnan stood up first and introduced her. “This is Chi Xue.” He then looked toward her. “This is Director Feng, Assistant Director Lü…”
After greeting everyone one by one, Chi Xue took a seat in an empty spot nearby. At one point, Yu Jinnan received a phone call and said that Fu Yeran could not come because something had suddenly come up. The atmosphere at the table was lively, and several men drank together enthusiastically. Assistant Director Lü, however, made veiled remarks from time to time, seemingly displeased with Chi Xue.
Chi Xue mostly responded with a few smiles and indifferent words.
However, when Chi Xue declined a drink, Assistant Director Lü became angry. He instantly slammed down his wineglass with a clatter, and his expression darkened at once, becoming extremely ugly.
“Miss Chi, what is the meaning of this? Have you started throwing your weight around just because you became the lead? You won’t even drink a glass of wine? That’s far too disrespectful!”
“I’ll punish myself with three drinks. Would that be acceptable?” As she spoke, Chi Xue lifted her glass and drained it.
After downing three glasses in succession, Assistant Director Lü could not say anything more. He merely teased, “Miss Chi, you certainly can hold your liquor. Since you can drink, then don’t be so reserved…”
“Sorry, I’m going to the restroom.” Chi Xue had drunk too quickly and felt uncomfortable, so she immediately rose and left.
After walking a few steps down the corridor, she kept feeling as though footsteps followed behind her. Yet every time she turned around, no one was there. Chi Xue thus assumed it was a lingering aftereffect of having only recently been released from prison.
The Restroom was at the end of the corridor, with only two individual stalls. However, the furnishings and decor were luxurious and splendid, and even the soundproofing and privacy were exceptionally good.
Chi Xue entered the women’s stall, but encountered resistance when closing the door. Before she could see who it was, the door was slammed shut and locked from the outside.
She froze, then instinctively retreated two steps. A tall man blocked her path. He curled his lips and, without saying a word, began undoing his shirt buttons. Chi Xue’s body pressed against the cold wall, and the pupils she raised toward him held warning, fear, and helplessness.
“Who are you? What… what are you trying to do?”
“Nothing much. I was asked to do this by someone. I hope you’ll cooperate, Miss.”
As he spoke, the man placed a camera on the washstand in front of them, barely managing to aim it at the two of them. Then, as if he had suddenly lost patience, he tore off his shirt in one motion.
The movement made Chi Xue let out a scream. She desperately rushed toward the door and tried to open it, but this enraged the man. He yanked her back and impatiently began tearing at her dress.
Chi Xue screamed hysterically, struggling with all her strength and shouting for help.
Yet no matter how frantically she cried out, no one ever came. With all the strength drained from her body, Chi Xue stared despairingly with hollow eyes as the fabric over her shoulder was ripped apart.
Crash!
The door was struck hard by an outside force. The man’s body jolted, and he froze for two seconds. His hands stopped moving as well, and he warily raised his arms in a defensive stance toward the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The door shook more and more violently. Under normal circumstances, it should have been impossible to break through, but the force outside was tremendous. The man seemed to panic and, almost as if guided by some unseen force, twisted open the lock.