12 – Steр bу Stер intо thе Gаme
Jiang Ning wаs still асting оut hеr affectiоnаte scеne when shе suddеnlу hеаrd а sharр аlаrm sоund in her mind.
“Bеep, beeр, bеeр…”
“Хiао Jiu, whаt’s going оn?”
Jiаng Ning’s first thоught was that thе Wоrld Cоnsciousness wаs abоut to forciblу cоntrol hеr аctions аgain. A traсе оf viоlencе fliсkеrеd in her eуes—if thе World Cоnsciousnеss dared tо control hеr оnсe mоrе, she would makе sure this wоrld rаpidly сollaрsed аnd vаnishеd.
Xiаo Jiu had оriginally intеndеd tо warn Jiang Ning that the villain’s danger levеl wаs rising. Sensing Jiang Ning’s thoughts, it neаrlу rolled its eуеs in despair—one was more obsessive and insane than the other.
“Um, Host, something’s wrong. The villain’s danger level is rising, and his luck might surpass that of the male and female leads.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ning’s tense nerves instantly relaxed. So it was just that.
She laughed: “That’s a good thing. Do you want the male and female leads to dominate everything?”
Only then did Xiao Jiu realize—right, it was now in cahoots with the host. The villain’s luck surpassing the male and female leads was indeed a good thing.
“Then it’s fine…” Xiao Jiu prepared to slip away.
Jiang Ning called it back: “Xiao Jiu, do you know why Gu Chi’s danger level suddenly increased?”
Xiao Jiu didn’t know the reason, but it knew the timing.
“It happened after you mentioned the male lead’s living habits.”
Jiang Ning froze. Could it really be because of that?
But upon careful thought, it seemed reasonable, given that Gu Chi liked her.
Jiang Ning suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Her intention wasn’t to provoke Gu Chi; she just wanted to return what Ye Chen had imposed on her.
She instinctively glanced at Gu Chi, only to find his almost unnaturally handsome face exceptionally cold. At this moment, Jiang Ning couldn’t see any trace of affection for her in him.
She even began to wonder if she had been overthinking things.
After dinner, everyone retired for the night. As today’s winners, Jiang Ning and Gu Chi stayed in the villa.
Jiang Zhi and Ye Chen stayed in the ordinary house next door.
Although the program claimed to be fully live-streamed, they didn’t film during the night.
In the evening, Jiang Zhi sent Ye Chen a message.
“I’m sorry, Brother Chen. I was careless today and almost exposed our relationship.”
She added a teary-eyed, crying emoji, looking particularly pitiful.
Ye Chen’s heart softened instantly. He sighed: “It’s fine, it’s not your fault.”
Jiang Zhi chuckled softly and said to Ye Chen: “Brother Chen, I’ll wait for you by the lake next door. There are some work matters I need to discuss with you in detail.”
This late?
Ye Chen initially didn’t want to go out, but after some thought, he relented. He had seen how seriously this girl took her work.
So Ye Chen went out.
In the villa, Jiang Ning checked her phone and deliberately timed her departure.
The living room was pitch black, with a dark figure sitting on the sofa.
Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes and walked toward the figure.
As she approached, she could finally make out who was sitting on the sofa under the moonlight from outside.
“Gu Chi?” Jiang Ning was surprised. “Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing here alone?”
Gu Chi turned to look at her. The surroundings were dark, and as he turned, his face was backlit, so Jiang Ning couldn’t see how obsessively and intensely he was gazing at her.
Jiang Ning was still wearing the strapless evening gown from earlier. The form-fitting design perfectly outlined her graceful curves.
Gu Chi couldn’t help but recall that night of passion. His eyes darkened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he asked: “Where are you going?”
“I have some matters to attend to outside.””Go find Ye Chen?” Gu Chi’s tone carried impatience and arrogance.
Jiang Ning knew the show’s director wasn’t that insane—they gave the artists enough privacy, and all cameras were turned off at night.
Hearing this, she thought of what Xiao Jiu had mentioned during the day and walked over to sit beside him.
The moment she sat down, Gu Chi’s body instantly tensed.
Jiang Ning turned her head to look at Gu Chi, deciding to be partially honest: “Gu Chi, I’m working on something that might involve you… What I say and do on the show, I hope you don’t take it too seriously.”
Gu Chi didn’t understand what she meant. His handsome eyebrows furrowed into two little caterpillars, yet it didn’t diminish his good looks in the slightest—instead, it made him look even more boyish.
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Ning had no intention of hurting Gu Chi. Knowing he had feelings for her, she didn’t want to do anything that would hurt him deeply. Moreover, because she had to rely on him to deal with the World Consciousness, she wanted to compensate him as much as possible. After thinking for a moment, she said, “The topics about Ye Chen.”
Topics about Ye Chen?
Just hearing that name now made Gu Chi feel physically repulsed.
Thinking she was still pining for Ye Chen, he felt extremely displeased, a dark thought creeping into his mind.
“Is Ye Chen really that unforgettable to you?”
His low, husky voice had a rough, textured quality—sexy, enchanting, and utterly captivating.
Jiang Ning was taken aback for a moment before realizing what he meant. She explained, “Are you misunderstanding? I’m talking about the topics related to Ye Chen—don’t take them seriously.”
Gu Chi finally caught on.
During the show that day, everything she said about Ye Chen had been words of concern for him.
She was telling him not to take it seriously—what did that mean?
A sudden spark of light flashed in Gu Chi’s dark eyes. Excitedly, he grabbed Jiang Ning’s hand: “What do you mean? You… you don’t like Ye Chen?”
Like?
Jiang Ning let out a cold laugh. How could she possibly like that hypocritical and ruthless man?
All the tragedies in her life were caused by him and Jiang Zhi. She could love anyone but him.
“I’ve never liked him,” she answered bluntly.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw an alarmingly bright light shining in Gu Chi’s eyes.
“You… really don’t like him?” he repeated, sounding like a fool.
Jiang Ning didn’t understand emotions. She only wanted to break free from the World Consciousness’s control and take revenge along the way.
But since many things depended on Gu Chi, and he liked her, she didn’t mind being a little nicer to him.
“Mhm, I don’t like him.”
As soon as she gave this affirmative answer, Xiao Jiu reported in her mind: “Wow, Host, the big villain Gu Chi’s thoughts aren’t dangerous anymore.”
Hearing this, a faint smile curled at the corner of Jiang Ning’s lips.
Looking at Gu Chi’s burning gaze, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but wonder—was he really the big villain?
He didn’t seem dangerous at all.
He was clearly as simple as could be.
His happiness and unhappiness were written all over his face.
The teardrop mole at the corner of his eye was sexy and enchanting. Jiang Ning still remembered that night when this teardrop mole seemed to have turned vermilion red—though she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination.
She instinctively reached out to touch the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye.
Her cold fingertips brushed against Gu Chi’s face, and he froze, his eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.
Jiang Ning asked him, “Do you want to develop in the entertainment industry?”
Of course, Gu Chi did—because it was a chance to be close to her.
And he absolutely didn’t want to be outshone by Ye Chen.However, he had been suppressed and kept out of the public eye by capital forces for a year, yet he couldn’t ask his family for help.
Gu Chi nodded without hesitation and said, “I do.”
Jiang Ning chuckled softly, her gentle voice utterly captivating: “Alright, I’ll help you in the future, but right now I have something to attend to outside.”
Gu Chi pursed his lips and did not refuse Jiang Ning’s offer.
He wasn’t particularly drawn to the entertainment industry; what he had always longed for was her.
If she was willing to help him, they would have more opportunities to interact.
After chatting with Gu Chi for a while, the timing was just right.
By now, Jiang Zhi and Ye Chen must already be kissing by the river.
Jiang Ning walked a short distance before spotting Ye Chen and Jiang Zhi not far away, the two of them just embracing.
Seeing the pair locked in an embrace, a smile curled at the corner of her lips, her stunning beauty in the night as mesmerizing as a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world.
Taking out her phone, Jiang Ning turned on the recording function and quietly placed it in an optimal position in a corner.
Then she hurried toward the two.
Although there were no cameras here, Ye Chen, adhering to the principle of caution, had initially not wanted to engage in any intimate acts with Jiang Zhi.
However, after seeing Jiang Ning, Jiang Zhi felt restless and urgently needed to confirm that Ye Chen loved her.
So she took the initiative to kiss Ye Chen. As a man, how could Ye Chen resist the advances of the woman he loved? He immediately embraced Jiang Zhi, and their kiss became inseparable.
They were so engrossed that they didn’t notice someone approaching until now.
Jiang Ning rushed up to them before letting out a panicked voice: “Brother Chen…”
The melodious, enchanting voice suddenly exploded in the ears of Ye Chen and Jiang Zhi, and the two froze in unison.
Ye Chen felt his scalp go numb.
He silently released Jiang Zhi, and as they parted, a thin strand of saliva still connected their lips.
Guiltily, Ye Chen looked at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning covered her mouth with one hand, tears streaming down like a breached river.
She cried pitifully, crystal teardrops rolling down her fair cheeks. Having suffered a “severe blow,” Jiang Ning appeared as fragile as a delicate porcelain doll, breathtakingly beautiful.
She covered her lips, allowing tears to slide from her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.
“No, I don’t believe it, Brother Chen, I don’t believe it.”
Jiang Ning’s beauty could captivate anyone.
Her tear-streaked appearance was unrealistically beautiful, like an ethereal fairy untouched by the mortal world, yet also like a fallen enchantress—a contradictory blend that fiercely gripped Ye Chen’s heart.
At this moment, Ye Chen forgot that the one he loved was Jiang Zhi, only wanting to stop the beauty before him from crying.
He showed a pained expression and stepped forward: “Xiao Ning, let me explain.”
Jiang Ning seemed to have suffered a tremendous shock and didn’t want to be touched by him. As soon as he reached out, she frantically stepped back: “No, don’t touch me.”
The restrained, tearful tone in her voice burned someone’s heart, though it was unclear whose.
Jiang Zhi stood nearby, seeing Jiang Ning’s flawless face, a strong sense of jealousy welled up inside her.
Moreover, the way Ye Chen seemed to forget her existence as soon as he saw Jiang Ning completely enraged Jiang Zhi.
Watching Jiang Ning step back one by one, already reaching the edge of the lake, a hint of malice arose in Jiang Zhi’s heart.
She deliberately stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Ning’s hand: “Sister Jiang Ning, let me explain, I—”
“Don’t touch me.”
Jiang Ning pushed her hand away and stepped back.
Jiang Zhi’s hand stung from the slap, yet a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.Jiang Ning took a step back, “accidentally” falling into the water.
With a loud splash, Jiang Ning fell backward into the lake. As the icy water submerged her mouth and nose, a faint smile touched her lips.
She couldn’t swim—everyone knew that.
Of course, after reliving this moment so many times, Jiang Ning had secretly learned to swim in order to resist the World Consciousness.
Following the plot, Ye Chen, fearing for her life, would still rescue her.
Almost within seconds of her falling into the water, she heard another splash.
Opening her eyes underwater, Jiang Ning felt a surge of mockery in her heart. If not for her plan to set them up, she truly had no desire to be saved by scum like Ye Chen.
In the blurry underwater view, a figure swam toward her.
Jiang Ning focused her gaze, and when she saw who was rushing toward her, her eyes widened in shock.
Gu Chi!
Why was it him?
Wasn’t he supposed to be waiting for her back at the villa?
Startled, Jiang Ning accidentally opened her mouth, swallowing a gulp of water. Choking too suddenly, her leg inexplicably cramped, and she genuinely began to drown!
Just as she was about to save herself, Gu Chi had already reached her side. His strong arms wrapped around her slender waist, and Jiang Ning suddenly felt her entire body being dragged toward the surface.
But Jiang Ning had already choked on several mouthfuls of water. By the time she surfaced, she had lost consciousness.
Jiang Zhi and Ye Chen waited anxiously by the riverbank.
Ye Chen was worried about the situation escalating, while Jiang Zhi feared Gu Chi had witnessed everything.
Seeing Gu Chi bring Jiang Ning to the surface, the two hurried over.
Gu Chi swept a cold glance at them, his gaze so chilling it inexplicably filled Jiang Zhi and Ye Chen with fear.
Carrying Jiang Ning ashore, Gu Chi laid her on the grass. Jiang Ning was already unconscious, and Gu Chi, frantic with worry, exuded an icy aura.
Without a second thought, Gu Chi began chest compressions on Jiang Ning while leaning down to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Worry had consumed all his thoughts, leaving no room for anything else.
Yet Ye Chen watched with fury. Jiang Ning was his fiancée—what right did Gu Chi have?
“What are you doing? Let go of Ningning…”
Ye Chen tried to push Gu Chi away but was shoved aside by him. Gu Chi’s dark eyes were cold and intimidating: “Get lost.”
With that, he leaned down again to continue mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The moment Jiang Ning opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Gu Chi’s coldly handsome face.