Villainous Movie Star (13)
Song Xuyi listened to the commotion next door. It seemed that people in the village had already been sent out to search for Zhao Qingyu. Song Xuyi tried to call the police for help, but the extreme and harsh weather seemed to have disrupted the communication. Her phone couldn’t make any calls at all.
The rain outside continued to pour heavily, hitting the window frames with a “clattering” sound. Song Xuyi covered her head with a blanket, but she couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.
With the sudden drop in temperature and such heavy rain and hail, no matter how cunning Zhao Qingyu was, she might not be able to withstand a natural disaster…
“System, how did you recognize Zhao Qingyu as the villain the first time you saw her?”
Song Xuyi pondered for a moment before she couldn’t help but inquire with the system in her mind.
“Within a fifty-meter range, I can detect the location of key characters in the plot,” the system fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, “Xuyi, are you thinking of going to find her?”
Song Xuyi remained silent.
The system sighed, “To be honest, you don’t have a deep connection with her. Even if something happens to her this time, it has nothing to do with you, and you don’t need to carry any guilt. Moreover, once she ceases to exist, there’s a high probability that your mission will be completed…”
Song Xuyi knew that the system was not wrong in what it said.
However, somehow, the image of Zhao Qingyu running alongside her in the morning kept appearing in her mind. Song Xuyi vaguely remembered: Zhao Qingyu seemed to have left the house wearing only a dress this morning.
“System, if I decide to go find Zhao Qingyu, will you help me?”
In the end, Song Xuyi lifted the blanket and got up to put on clothes.
She did want to complete the mission and survive, but Song Xuyi had her own principles: with the system’s assistance, she could more quickly locate the missing Zhao Qingyu, even in a situation where she was cut off from the outside world…
Song Xuyi couldn’t stay at home with a clear conscience.
Even if Zhao Qingyu was just a stranger they had never met, Song Xuyi felt compelled to go and rescue her.
“…The system is meant to assist the tasker, and its first principle is not to contradict the tasker’s intentions.” After a while, the system reluctantly spoke, “Just be careful yourself.”
“Thank you, system.”
Song Xuyi felt relieved. She quickly packed a few things and left a note explaining her whereabouts, then quietly descended the stairs under the cover of darkness.
The two bodyguards had been busy all day assisting with the transportation of supplies, and after seeing Song Xuyi go upstairs, they had fallen asleep to rest. Downstairs, there were several families waiting for the old doctor to receive medical treatment, and no one noticed Song Xuyi quietly leaving the house.
It was still very cold at night, and Song Xuyi shivered as soon as she stepped outside.
She first arrived at the neighboring Shuanzi’s1 house. At this time, the village chief was still gathering people to search for Zhao Qingyu. The director and investors were reliving the events of the day, and from what Song Xuyi gathered, Zhao Qingyu had initially gone with the director and investors to inspect the location of the film and television city. However, she returned to the village before the extreme weather hit. It was only after she entered the village and went into the wilderness to pick flowers that she got separated from the crowd. The others assumed that Zhao Qingyu had already returned home, only discovering in the evening that she hadn’t.
However, the first group of searchers had already been to that wilderness area, and there was no one there anymore.
“Now that things have come to this point, I’m not afraid to tell everyone,” the director seemed more anxious than anyone else. “Qingyu also invested in the construction of the film and television city. She is our biggest shareholder. For the future of all of us, I hope everyone can do their best to find her…”
Zhao Qingyu had also invested in this film and television city?
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Upon hearing the news she wanted to hear, Song Xuyi didn’t linger any longer. She found a sheltered corner, quickly put on a raincoat and rain boots, turned on a flashlight, and ventured into the darkness.
The night was dark, and the rain seemed to have lessened a bit, but the temperature hadn’t risen. The cold wind blew raindrops incessantly onto Song Xuyi’s face. The fingers holding the flashlight became stiff and numb in an instant. Occasionally, hail the size of marbles would hit her head. Since entering this body, Song Xuyi had never experienced such hardship.
“She even gave me a New Year’s red envelope…” Song Xuyi could only desperately recall the good things Zhao Qingyu had done for her, trying to convince herself to keep moving forward. “Actually, she’s not that bad now…”
The wilderness was right at the entrance of the village, and Song Xuyi quickly arrived there.
The wildflowers in the field had been scattered by the rain, and the area had been searched by many people. There were still scattered flashlight beams searching for someone in the wilderness, but Zhao Qingyu wasn’t there. Where could she have gone?
Song Xuyi glanced at her phone. It was already past 11 o’clock at night…
She looked at the illuminated screen of her phone, lost in thought, and shook herself out of it.
The date displayed was the 15th of July, the traditional Ghost Festival. It was rumored that on this day, the gates of the underworld would open wide, and spirits would return to visit their loved ones in the mortal realm. People would prepare fresh flowers and offerings to sweep the tombs and remember the departed.
In the morning when Song Xuyi left, she saw many people picking flowers in the wilderness, likely intending to visit the graves…
The entire village’s cemetery was located on a hill outside the village, a distance away.
Could Zhao Qingyu have gone to the cemetery? Should she go and look for her there?
Lightning streaked across the sky, surrounded by pitch-black darkness. Only the faint beam of a flashlight illuminated the path ahead. In the distance, the shadows of trees swayed as the wild wind raged.
Song Xuyi sneezed, gritted her teeth, and ultimately stepped into the endless night.
Having studied anatomy, Song Xuyi was not afraid of corpses. However, to make matters worse, as she walked halfway, the rain seemed to intensify. The visibility in the dark night was extremely poor, and the rainwater mixed with mud cascaded down the mountain road. Song Xuyi struggled through the difficult journey, constantly at risk of being knocked down by the mud and rocks.
“Maybe we should go back first!” Seeing Song Xuyi rise up from the mud and rocks, the system couldn’t help but speak out. “The rain is getting heavier, and it’s dangerous for you to continue like this. Zhao Qingyu might have…”
“We’ve come this far.”
Song Xuyi wiped the water off her face and gritted her teeth, continuing forward. “I just need some peace of mind…”
However, things didn’t go as planned. The raging mountain torrent ahead blocked the path upward, indicating that it would be dangerous to proceed further. Song Xuyi had no choice but to deviate from the main road and search for an alternative route to retreat. She had no idea where she was going. Finally, the system in her mind exclaimed, “I sense it! There’s a cave on the left, and Zhao Qingyu is inside——”
……
Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief.
She struggled to reach the entrance of the cave. The cave was not large, only able to accommodate four or five people. The advantage was that it was sheltered from the wind and the ground was dry, providing a refuge from the rain.
At first glance, Song Xuyi saw Zhao Qingyu by the bonfire. Zhao Qingyu was in a bad condition, soaked all over, with a pale, blueish face. She huddled by the bonfire, clutching her arms, resembling a drenched female ghost just pulled out of the river…
Song Xuyi had never seen Zhao Qingyu in such a disheveled state before. Perhaps it was the joy in her heart, but even though she knew her own situation wouldn’t improve much at the moment, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Zhao Qingyu noticed the commotion at the entrance of the cave and looked up.
Seeing that Zhao Qingyu was still alert, Song Xuyi felt a weight lifted off her chest. She remembered this person’s mischievous habit of teasing her, and also recalled the hardships she had endured because of this person along the way. With mischievous intent, she shone her flashlight on Zhao Qingyu’s face.
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Zhao Qingyu turned her head to avoid the light, and then Song Xuyi heard Zhao Qingyu’s restrained voice saying, “Song Xuyi, don’t make trouble…”
Zhao Qingyu’s voice was hoarse, as if she had caught a cold.
Song Xuyi didn’t expect Zhao Qingyu to recognize her so quickly. Thinking about this person’s unpredictable personality, she didn’t dare to tease her any further and sat down on a nearby rock next to Zhao Qingyu.
On the ground, there were candles, paper money, and a bouquet of partially withered flowers…
Zhao Qingyu had indeed come to pay respects at a gravesite.
Song Xuyi averted her gaze and set down her backpack. The quality of her waterproof bag was excellent, as despite all the falls along the way, none of its contents had gotten wet. Song Xuyi handed the bag to Zhao Qingyu and said, “Have some water and take your medication first. It’s hailing outside, about the size of ping pong balls. We probably can’t leave now…”
“There are clothes inside and some commonly used medication and food. Take a look and see what you can use…”
After speaking, Song Xuyi shivered. She didn’t notice it while moving outside, but now she realized just how cold it was. Unconsciously, Song Xuyi leaned towards the bonfire for warmth.
Zhao Qingyu kept her head lowered next to the bonfire, motionless.
The orange-yellow fire cast a shadow over her entire being, and for the first time, the polite smile disappeared from Zhao Qingyu’s face.
As if sensing Song Xuyi’s gaze, Zhao Qingyu raised her head and met Song Xuyi’s eyes. Her eyes were deep, filled with an emotion that Song Xuyi couldn’t quite discern. Her voice was hoarse: “Why did you come?”
This version of Zhao Qingyu seemed somewhat strange.
Song Xuyi pursed her lips, locking eyes with Zhao Qingyu, but for a moment, she couldn’t find the words to say.
She actually had a ready-made excuse in her heart. After all, a fan wouldn’t naturally witness their idol’s disappearance. However, Song Xuyi inexplicably felt that Zhao Qingyu didn’t want that kind of answer.
Song Xuyi’s hands involuntarily clenched together, her voice trembling: “I don’t want to see you die.”
That was Song Xuyi’s original intention: “Regardless of whether the missing person is you or not, I will come out to help.”
After a few seconds of silence, Zhao Qingyu seemed to let out a soft laugh and finally remained silent.
There were faint rustling sounds from behind, and the flickering fire cast dancing shadows ahead. Song Xuyi unintentionally caught a glimpse of the shapely curves on the wall, her eyes widened, and she quickly closed them. However, that enticing image lingered in her mind, and unknowingly, Song Xuyi’s face reddened once again…
Song Xuyi tried her best to ignore the sounds behind her, listening to the wind and rain outside. She felt the heat on her face spreading gradually throughout her body. The previously injured areas stung with a fiery pain, and her mind started to feel hazy and heavy…
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her elbow. Song Xuyi opened her heavy eyelids and realized that Zhao Qingyu had already changed her clothes. The down jacket was incredibly oversized, dragging on the ground, as if it could accommodate two Zhao Qingyus with room to spare.
Song Xuyi then remembered that in her haste, she seemed to have grabbed the largest men’s size.
— Meanwhile, Zhao Qingyu was kneeling in front of her, tightly pursing her lips. Her beautiful brows were furrowed tightly as she carefully wiped the wound on her finger with iodine.
“It’s just a minor injury…” Song Xuyi’s drowsiness instantly disappeared, and she subconsciously tried to retract her hand, only to be lightly tapped by Zhao Qingyu. “Stop fussing!”
Song Xuyi dared not move any further. She closed her eyes and allowed Zhao Qingyu to apply the medicine. However, with her eyes closed, her senses became even more heightened. Every place Zhao Qingyu touched seemed to ignite a subtle heat.
Zhao Qingyu diligently disinfected every wound on Song Xuyi’s hand. Finally, she repeatedly rubbed a certain spot on her wrist. Song Xuyi was taken aback and pulled her hand back, cautiously looking at Zhao Qingyu. “That’s a birthmark on my wrist…”
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Finally, Zhao Qingyu put down the iodine.
Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief. This overly serious Zhao Qingyu was truly peculiar. She felt an inexplicable discomfort and was about to suggest taking turns to keep watch tonight when she noticed Zhao Qingyu’s gaze fixated on her drenched down jacket, her lips tightly pressed together.
Song Xuyi wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but a faint blush seemed to grace Zhao Qingyu’s porcelain-white face. However, before Song Xuyi could examine it closely, the Zhao Qingyu in front of her spoke in a deep voice:
“Song Xuyi, take off your wet clothes.”
?!
Song Xuyi widened her eyes…
The author has something to say:
Don’t think inappropriately, those with impure thoughts should face the wall~
Hmph~ ╭(╯^╰)╮
LP: Re-translated on January 10, 2024
Footnotes
- In Chinese, “Shuanzi” (栓子) is a colloquial term typically used to refer to a person whose real name is unknown or not specified in the context. It can be translated as “someone” or “a certain person” in English. It is similar to saying “John Doe” or “Jane Doe” in English when referring to an unknown person.