Blame the Villain – Chapter 13
by Little PandaThe Villainous Film Empress (13)
A little rich girl dedicated to saving the world X A paranoid, dark, and vengeful film empress
Song Xuyi listened to the commotion next door. It seemed the village had already sent people out to look for Zhao Qingyu. She tried to call the police for help, but the extreme weather must have cut off communications; her phone couldn’t get a signal.
Outside, the rain continued to pour, patter-patter, slapping against the windowpane with sharp taps. Song Xuyi pulled the quilt over her head, but she couldn’t fall asleep.
The temperature had plummeted. With such heavy rain and hail, no matter how calculating Zhao Qingyu was, she couldn’t possibly contend with a natural disasterโฆ
“System, when you first saw Zhao Qingyu, how did you know she was the villain?”
After some thought, Song Xuyi finally couldn’t resist asking the System in her mind.
“I can detect the location of key plot characters within a fifty-meter radius,” the System said softly after a moment of silence. “Xuyi, are you thinking of going to find her?”
Song Xuyi didn’t answer.
The System sighed. “Honestly, it’s not like you two are that close. Even if something happened to her this time, it would have nothing to do with you. You don’t need to carry any guilt. Besides, if she ceases to exist, your mission will most likely be completeโฆ”
Song Xuyi knew the System wasn’t wrong.
But for some reason, the image of Zhao Qingyu taking her running that morning kept flashing before her eyes. In a daze, Song Xuyi remembered: this morningโฆ Zhao Qingyu seemed to have gone out wearing only a dress.
“System, if I go look for Zhao Qingyu, will you help me?”
In the end, Song Xuyi threw off the quilt, got up, and put on her clothes.
She did want to complete her mission and live a good life, but she had her own principles. With the System’s help, she could find the missing Zhao Qingyu much faster, especially when all contact with the outside world was lostโฆ
Song Xuyi couldn’t just stay in the house with a clear conscience.
Even if it were a complete stranger out there, Song Xuyi felt she would still go to help.
“โฆA System is an assistant to a Task-doer. The first rule is that it cannot go against the Task-doer’s wishes.” After a while, the System spoke again, reluctantly. “You be careful, too.”
“Thank you, System.”
Her mind at ease, Song Xuyi quickly packed a few things, left a note explaining where she was going, and slipped downstairs under the cover of night.
The two bodyguards had spent the day helping to move supplies and had gone to bed after seeing Song Xuyi go upstairs. Downstairs, a few families were still waiting for the old doctor to see them. No one noticed Song Xuyi quietly slip out the door.
The night was still frigid. The moment she stepped outside, Song Xuyi shivered.
She first went next door to Shuanzi’s house. The Village Head was still gathering people to search for Zhao Qingyu, while the director and the investor were repeating the day’s events. From what they were saying, Zhao Qingyu had originally gone with them to inspect a potential site for the Film Base and had returned to the village before the bad weather hit. But upon entering the village, she had wandered into a wild field to pick flowers and gotten separated from the group. The others had assumed she’d already gone back, only realizing that night that she had never returned home.
However, the first search party had already been to that wild field, and there was no one there.
“At this point, I’m not afraid to tell everyone,” the director said, looking more anxious than anyone. “Qingyu has also invested in the construction of the Film Base. She’s our biggest shareholder. For the sake of everyone’s future, I hope you will all do your utmost to find herโฆ”
Zhao Qingyu invested in this Film Base, too?
Having heard what she needed to, Song Xuyi didn’t linger. She found a corner sheltered from the rain, quickly changed into a raincoat and rain boots, and, switching on her flashlight, walked out into the night.
The night was deep and dark. The rain seemed to have lessened slightly, but the temperature hadn’t risen. The cold wind blew raindrops against her face, and the hand holding the flashlight quickly grew stiff with cold. Every so often, hailstones the size of marbles would hit her on the head. Since entering this body, this was the first time Song Xuyi had ever endured such hardship.
“She even gave me New Year’s moneyโฆ” Song Xuyi could only force herself to recall all the nice things Zhao Qingyu had done for her, persuading herself to keep moving forward. “She’s not actually that bad nowโฆ”
The wild field was right at the village entrance, and Song Xuyi reached it quickly.
The wildflowers in the field had been battered to pieces by the rain. The area had been searched many times over, and a few scattered flashlight beams were still sweeping across it. Zhao Qingyu wasn’t there. Where could she have gone?
Song Xuyi checked her phone. It was already past eleven at nightโฆ
She stared at the date on the lit screen, her mind reeling for a moment.
The date showed that it was July 15th, the traditional Ghost Festival.1 According to legend, on this day every year, the Ghost Gate opens, and spirits return to the human world to visit their relatives. People also prepare fresh flowers and offerings to visit cemeteries and pay their respects.
When Song Xuyi had gone out that morning, she had seen many people picking flowers in the wild field, intending to visit gravesโฆ
And the entire village’s cemetery was concentrated on a mountain outside the village, a fair distance away.
Could Zhao Qingyu have gone to the cemetery? Should she go look for her there?
Lightning split the sky. All around was pitch black, with only the small beam of her flashlight illuminating the path ahead. Farther on, the shadows of trees loomed, and the wind howledโฆ
Song Xuyi sneezed. Gritting her teeth, she finally stepped into the endless night.
Having studied anatomy, Song Xuyi wasn’t afraid of corpses. But to make matters worse, the rain seemed to get heavier as she walked. Visibility in the dark was extremely poor, and rainwater mixed with mud rushed down the mountain path, making it incredibly difficult to walk. One wrong step and she was knocked over by the mudslideโฆ
“Maybe we should go back!” the System couldn’t help but say, watching Song Xuyi struggle up from the mud. “The rain is getting heavier. You’ll be in danger yourself if you keep this up. Maybe Zhao Qingyu has alreadyโฆ”
“I’ve already come this far.”
Song Xuyi wiped the water from her face and gritted her teeth, pushing onward. “I just want some peace of mindโฆ”
But heaven was not on her side. The flash flood ahead grew larger, blocking the path up the mountain. It would definitely be dangerous to continue. Song Xuyi had to veer off the main path to find another way down. She had no idea where she was when the System in her mind finally cried out, “I sense her! There’s a cave to your left, and Zhao Qingyu is insideโ”
โฆ
Song Xuyi let out a breath of relief.
She struggled to the mouth of the cave. It wasn’t large, probably big enough for only four or five people, but it had the advantage of being on the leeward side, and the ground was dry, offering shelter from the rain.
Song Xuyi immediately spotted Zhao Qingyu by a fire.
Zhao Qingyu was not in good shape. She was soaked to the bone, her face blue with cold, and she was huddled by the fire with her arms wrapped around herself. She looked like a drowned ghost just fished out of a riverโฆ
It was the first time Song Xuyi had ever seen Zhao Qingyu in such a pathetic state. Perhaps it was out of sheer delight, but even knowing she wasn’t in much better shape herself, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Zhao Qingyu sensed the movement at the cave entrance and looked up.
Seeing that Zhao Qingyu was still conscious, Song Xuyi felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. She remembered the woman’s bad habit of teasing her, and then she remembered all the hardship she had just endured because of her. With a touch of mischief, she shone the flashlight in her faceโ
Zhao Qingyu turned her head to avoid the light, and then Song Xuyi heard her somewhat restrained voice. “Song Xuyi, don’t mess aroundโฆ”
Zhao Qingyu’s voice was a little hoarse, as if she had a cold.
Song Xuyi hadn’t expected Zhao Qingyu to recognize her so quickly. Remembering her unpredictable temperament, she didn’t dare to provoke her further and sat down on a rock beside her.
On the ground were candles, paper money,2 and a bouquet of half-wilted flowersโฆ
Zhao Qingyu really had come to visit a grave.
Song Xuyi looked away and set down her backpack. Her waterproof bag was of good quality; despite all her falls, the contents were completely dry. She handed the bag to Zhao Qingyu. “Drink some water and take some medicine first. It’s hailing hailstones the size of ping-pong balls out there. I don’t think we can leave right nowโฆ”
“There are clothes inside, and I brought some common medicines and food. See if there’s anything you can useโฆ”
As she finished speaking, Song Xuyi shivered. She hadn’t felt it while she was moving around outside, but now she realized just how cold it was. She unconsciously scooted closer to the fire.
Beside the fire, Zhao Qingyu sat with her head down, not moving.
The orange-yellow firelight cast a layer of shadow over her, and for the first time, the polite smile was gone from her face.
As if sensing Song Xuyi’s gaze, Zhao Qingyu looked up and met her eyes. Her own were dark and deep, filled with an emotion Song Xuyi couldn’t decipher. Her voice was dry and raspy. “Why did you come?”
This version of Zhao Qingyu was a little strange.
Song Xuyi pressed her lips together. Meeting Zhao Qingyu’s gaze, she was speechless for a moment.
She actually had a ready-made excuse in mindโafter all, a fan would naturally not stand by and do nothing if their idol went missing. But for some reason, Song Xuyi felt that wasn’t the answer Zhao Qingyu wanted.
Song Xuyi’s hands twisted together unconsciously, and she looked away. “I didn’t want to see you die.”
This was her true reason. “It wouldn’t matter if it was you or someone else who was missing. I would have come out to help.”
After a few seconds of silence, Zhao Qingyu seemed to let out a soft laugh and finally said no more.
There was a rustling sound from behind her, and the firelight cast a dancing shadow on the wall in front. Song Xuyi happened to see the silhouette of a fit and slender figure, and she was so stunned that she quickly shut her eyes. But the alluring image was seared into her mind, and her face turned red again without her realizing itโฆ
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 spread through her entire body. The places where she’d been scraped began to sting, and her head started to feel groggyโฆ
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her elbow. Song Xuyi forced her heavy eyelids open, only to find that Zhao Qingyu had already changed her clothes. The down jacket was enormous on her, the back dragging on the ground; it looked like it could fit two of her with room to spare.
Song Xuyi then remembered that in her haste, she had grabbed the largest men’s size.
โAnd right now, Zhao Qingyu, her lips pressed tightly together, was half-kneeling in front of her. Her beautiful brows were knitted in a deep frown as she carefully dabbed at the cuts on Song Xuyi’s fingers with iodine.
“It’s just a small cutโฆ” Song Xuyi’s drowsiness vanished instantly. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Zhao Qingyu tapped it, not too hard and not too soft. “Don’t mess around!”
Song Xuyi didn’t dare move again. She closed her eyes and let Zhao Qingyu apply the medicine. But with her eyes closed, her other senses became more acute. A soft, spreading warmth bloomed everywhere Zhao Qingyu touched.
Zhao Qingyu meticulously disinfected every cut on Song Xuyi’s hands. Finally, she wiped one particular spot on her wrist several times. Song Xuyi froze, then pulled her hand back again, glancing at Zhao Qingyu cautiously. “That’sโฆ my birthmark.”
Zhao Qingyu finally put down the iodine.
Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief. This serious version of Zhao Qingyu was just too strange, and she felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Just as she was about to suggest they take turns keeping watch tonight, she saw Zhao Qingyu’s gaze fall on her own rain-soaked down jacket, her lips tightening.
Song Xuyi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but a faint blush seemed to creep across Zhao Qingyu’s porcelain-white face. Before she could get a closer look, however, Zhao Qingyu spoke in a low voice:
“Song Xuyi, take off your wet clothes.”
?!
Song Xuyi’s eyes widenedโฆ
The author has something to say:
Don’t get the wrong idea. If you are, go stand in a corner~
Hmph~ โญ(โฏ^โฐ)โฎ
LP: Re-translated on January 10, 2024
Footnotes
- The Ghost Festival (Guวjiรฉ), also known as the Zhongyuan Festival, falls on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It is a traditional holiday where it is believed the gates of the underworld open, allowing ghosts and spirits to visit the living world.
- Paper money (zhวqiรกn), also known as joss paper or spirit money, is an offering burned in traditional Chinese ancestor veneration practices to ensure their ancestors have resources in the afterlife.
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