Chapter 18
After finishing the Qixi vlog during the day, filming continued on schedule.
Today’s scene was set in the rain.
Several large water hoses had been prepared in advance, sending white streams of water spraying down from a distance.
“Alley, Scene Thirty-Nine, Shot Five, Take One.”
“Action!”
A light drizzle fell from the gray sky.
The entire city resembled an elderly man in his twilight years, shrouded in mist and looking utterly exhausted.
The cold rain soaked the narrow, gloomy alley.
Droplets slid down the cracked, filthy walls before dripping onto patches of mottled moss, producing sticky splashing sounds.
Tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed through the alley.
Xu Sheng slowly emerged from the darkness, wearing a pair of cheap plastic slippers whose uppers had split open and whose soles were barely hanging on.
She carried a bucket filled with dirty water left over from doing laundry.
Walking toward the river behind the alley, she suddenly paused.
A familiar disheveled figure stood there.
The man wore ragged clothes.
Sweat and alcohol reeked from his body.
His shoulder-length hair had become matted into knots, hanging messily over perpetually hunched shoulders.
Several rain-soaked strands clung to the corners of his narrowed eyes.
His gaze was greasy and repulsive.
Hearing footsteps, the drunk homeless man lurched.
The beer bottle slipped from his hand, rolling across the ground until it stopped beside Xu Sheng’s feet.
“H-Hey…”
He hiccupped loudly.
“Pretty… pretty girl…”
“You here to… k-keep your big brother company?”
Lust gleamed in his eyes as he crawled clumsily toward her.
His rough, damp hand grabbed tightly onto Xu Sheng’s calf.
Yellow liquor stained her pale skin.
“You…”
“You got away last time…”
“So what?”
“Changed your mind?”
“Wanna…”
“…have some fun with your big brother?”
Xu Sheng looked down at him coldly.
With obvious disgust, she kicked his hand away.
She was about to walk around him and dump the dirty water elsewhere—
When the homeless man suddenly lunged forward.
He grabbed her collar.
His foul breath blew directly into her face.
“Where…”
“…you going?”
“Your…”
“…your mom died because…”
“…your dad drove her to death…”
“And you’re still…”
“…running home to serve your old man?”
“You’d…”
“…be better off serving me!”
At first, Xu Sheng struggled to pry his hand away.
Then—
After hearing those words…
She quietly stared into the man’s muddy eyes.
Suddenly…
She smiled.
The homeless man froze.
The strange smile caught him off guard.
His grip loosened.
Her collar had already been torn open, exposing large stretches of sharp, bony collarbone.
Xu Sheng paid no attention.
She simply pushed him aside and asked,
“Do you want a drink?”
“…Huh?”
The drunk man’s mind was already clouded by alcohol.
The abrupt change of topic completely confused him.
Xu Sheng walked toward a corner.
Ignoring the mud and dirty water beneath her feet, she picked up an old beer can that had clearly been lying there for who knew how long.
She held it up before him.
“Want it?”
“You’re…”
“…lying.”
“There’s…”
“…no beer inside.”
Although he said he didn’t believe her…
The moment his eyes met Xu Sheng’s dark, enticing gaze…
Greed slowly surfaced on his face.
“I’m not lying.”
She spoke softly.
“Try drinking it yourself.”
Smiling gently…
She casually tossed the can into the river.
The river looked calm.
In reality…
Its waters were deceptively deep.
Several drowning accidents had already happened there over the years.
Without anyone noticing…
The rain grew heavier.
The current became increasingly violent.
“My…”
“…beer!”
The homeless man staggered toward it.
His foot slipped on the wet stone.
With a terrified scream—
He fell headfirst into the river.
Apparently unable to swim…
He flailed desperately in the water.
After choking on several mouthfuls, he screamed for help.
No one came.
Xu Sheng stood expressionlessly on the riverbank.
Not a trace of emotion showed on her face.
“Xu Sheng!”
Chen Yan’s anxious voice rang out.
The instant she heard Chen Yan—
Fear and helplessness instantly flooded Xu Sheng’s eyes.
She rushed into Chen Yan’s arms, trembling uncontrollably.
Following the cries for help, Chen Yan had hurried over.
Yet the moment she saw Xu Sheng…
Her attention shifted completely.
Her gaze landed on Xu Sheng’s torn collar.
She instantly understood what had happened.
An uncontrollable wave of murderous rage surged through her.
“H-He…”
“He fell into the river.”
“Please…”
“Please save him!”
Xu Sheng’s eyes were red.
She bit her lower lip until it turned white.
“Help!”
“Please save me!”
The homeless man continued struggling.
His movements grew weaker.
The splashes became smaller and smaller.
Chen Yan moved.
Her professional instincts immediately urged her to jump into the river.
Then…
Xu Sheng’s torn collar flashed through her mind.
Along with those tear-filled eyes.
Darkness and cruelty slowly surfaced in Chen Yan’s gaze.
Instead…
She quietly said,
“I…”
“…can’t swim.”
The moment the words left her mouth…
A strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.
She herself failed to realize just how horrifying such pleasure was under these circumstances.
The sounds of struggling gradually faded.
Until…
The hateful…
Pitiful…
Sinful man…
Was completely swallowed by the river.
Still trembling inside Chen Yan’s embrace…
Xu Sheng’s frail body continued to shake.
Yet hidden upon her face…
Was unmistakable satisfaction.
Even enjoyment.
“Cut!”
“We’ve got it!”
The moment Director Wang spoke—
Crew members hiding nearby immediately jumped into the river.
Supporting the actor playing the homeless man, they swam him back to shore.
The water valves were shut off.
The artificial rain finally came to an end.
“Teacher Li, thank you for your hard work!”
Director Wang hurried over to shake hands with the actor.
“The water’s pretty deep.”
“Good thing you’re such a strong swimmer.”
“I’m fine.”
The veteran actor smiled.
“The real hard workers are those two Omega girls.”
“They’ve been standing under those water hoses forever.”
“Make sure they don’t catch a cold.”
The assistants had already rushed over.
Heavy, warm blankets were draped over both Qi Yu and Gu Qian.
“Sister Gu!”
“Hurry and change into dry clothes.”
“Look how pale you are.”
Xiaofan handed over a thermos with concern.
Gu Qian slowly took a sip of hot water before shaking her head.
“I’m okay.”
Almost immediately afterward…
She covered her mouth and nose with one ice-cold hand and let out a quiet sneeze.
“And you still say you’re fine.”
Xiaofan clicked her tongue.
“Your voice is already hoarse.”
Protectively, she hurried Gu Qian toward the changing room.
Then she suddenly looked at Qi Yu.
The unexpected glance startled Qi Yu, who had secretly been watching Gu Qian.
“Miss Qi.”
“You’ve been soaked just as long.”
“Why don’t you come change too?”
Coco immediately chimed in.
“Exactly!”
“Sister Qi.”
“You and Sister Gu are both Omegas anyway.”
“You can go change together.”
“You must be freezing.”
Qi Yu didn’t dare admit it.
Getting drenched with cold water in the middle of summer had actually felt rather refreshing.
Especially since she’d been carrying around so much pent-up frustration lately.
Now she felt wonderfully comfortable.
“I’m all right.”
“I’ll wait until Senior Gu finishes changing first—”
“Sister Qi!”
Coco interrupted.
“What are you talking about?”
“Look at you!”
“You’re so delicate.”
“If you catch a cold, Sister Wu will kill me!”
Unable to tolerate Qi Yu’s stubborn act of “toughing it out,” Coco practically shoved her toward the changing room.
Click.
The door locked.
Qi Yu: “…”
Gu Qian smiled.
“You seem very afraid of being alone with me.”
As she spoke…
She casually removed her soaking wet clothes.
She paid absolutely no attention to the stiff Qi Yu standing nearby.
Qi Yu stared fixedly at her own toes.
“You’ve got it wrong.”
“I just…”
“Then why aren’t you changing?”
“Aren’t you cold?”
Gu Qian stopped directly in front of her.
She smoothly changed into dry clothes.
Her fair, flawless body disappeared beneath fresh fabric.
Only a brief glimpse of her perfectly toned waist flashed before Qi Yu’s eyes.
“I…”
“I’m just not used to changing clothes in front of other people.”
Qi Yu explained guiltily.
“…Other people?”
Gu Qian smiled meaningfully.
After being soaked by the rain, her voice sounded even lower and huskier than usual.
There was also the faintest trace of grievance.
“You did…”
“…that sort of thing…”
“…to your big sister.”
“And now you’re calling me an outsider?”
As slender fingers climbed slowly up her cheek…
Qi Yu couldn’t help recalling that night.
Gu Qian’s suggestive words whispered beside her ear only made her heart pound harder.
Her entire face burned scarlet.
“N-No!”
“I only did that to help you!”
Her tongue tied itself into knots.
“Only to help me?”
Gu Qian smiled faintly.
“You really think…”
“…I needed your help like that?”
Qi Yu fell silent.
She was right.
Even without Qi Yu…
Someone like Xu Man would’ve stepped in.
Perhaps Best Actress Gu had even looked down on her because she was “just another Omega.”
Qi Yu felt both angry…
…and strangely hurt.
Seeing Qi Yu remain silent…
Gu Qian placed one hand against the damp front of her shirt.
Her tone turned subtle.
“Do you really not like me?”
“I’m sorry.”
Qi Yu gently held down Gu Qian’s hand.
“But if Senior Gu insists on teasing me…”
“…I’d rather keep filming in wet clothes.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Gu Qian’s face turned completely cold.
“No.”
“I already told you.”
“I’m simply not used to changing clothes while someone is watching.”
Gu Qian let out a cold laugh.
“Ever since you presented…”
“You’ve hated me touching you.”
She examined Qi Yu carefully.
Her voice carried obvious sarcasm.
“Just because you don’t like me?”
“Do I disgust you that much?”
Qi Yu was rendered speechless.
She truly couldn’t understand why something as trivial as changing clothes had turned into such an enormous issue.
Or why Gu Qian insisted on reading so much into it.
Finally…
Gu Qian left with obvious displeasure.
As she brushed past Qi Yu, she quietly said beside her ear,
“I don’t believe you don’t like me…”
“…Xiaoyu.”
Later that same day, Qi Yu, Gu Qian, and several other actors still had individual shots to film by the river.
Whenever it wasn’t her turn, Qi Yu sat nearby, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone.
The more she thought about Gu Qian’s words—
“Do you really think I needed your help like that?”
—the more convinced she became that she’d completely lost her mind.
Otherwise…
How could she possibly have done something so ridiculous?
To distract herself, she opened the Weibo post containing the production’s Qixi video.
Curious…
She wanted to see what the fans were saying.
StillCan’tGetConcertTickets:
Director Wang really put his heart into this. The Qixi event was amazing.
TenYearsOfLovingFengQi:
When Teacher Feng got carried in a princess carry, I laughed so hard my whole bed was shaking. My roommate thought it was an earthquake. Hahahaha!
GuQianGirlfriendFan:
I seriously suspect Teacher Gu has been possessed recently. I’ve never seen her treat anyone else from Fenghua this gently.
YubaoIsMommy’sPreciousBaby:
Yubao, please take good care of yourself! Mouth ulcers hurt so much~
QiYuTenYearFan:
Yubao looked so pitiful that I couldn’t stop laughing. Am I a fake fan? Hahaha.
ShippingCPMeansStayingSingleForever:
Trust me—invest in Mature Gentle Omega × Shy Delicate Omega. You won’t regret it!
GuQian’sLittleFollower:
Can’t CP fans just stay in their own space? Why are they lowering the standards under the official account?
FourSeasonsYuQianQian:
How many paid commenters did Qi Yu buy? Has she still not hugged Best Actress Gu’s thigh enough?
Qi Yu sighed helplessly.
She felt pretty wronged herself about constantly being shipped with Gu Qian.
Just as she switched to her alternate account, intending to clarify things on behalf of both herself and Gu Qian—
Suddenly—
Panicked cries erupted not far away.
Chaos exploded across the set.
Everything descended into confusion.
“Teacher Gu fell into the water!”
“Teacher Gu can’t swim!”
“Someone save her!”
Qi Yu’s phone slipped from her hand onto the ground.
Her mind went completely blank.
Without a second thought…
She sprinted toward the place where Gu Qian had fallen into the river.
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