Chapter 15

June, the rainy season.

The ceaseless rain frayed everyone’s nerves, and by the latter half of the evening, the drizzle would often abruptly swell into a downpour, drawing endless complaints from people heading home after work.

I remembered that today I was supposed to go out and check the rough cut of the sample footage.

When I got off and headed to the garage, I discovered, inexplicably, that I had a flat tire.

Left with no other choice, I grabbed my umbrella and walked out of the garage.

But just as I set off, the shadow in the corner moved as well. A tall figure staggered out and blocked my path.

It was Zheng Nan Zhou, soaked to the skin by the rain, looking utterly wretched.

“Juexia, Juexia, I have something I want to say to you…”

Since the last audition, I hadn’t seen him at all; he’d even stopped attending most business events.

“Help me one more time, please. Get back together with me, won’t you? I really can’t stand Wen Yi anymore…” As he spoke, he reached out, trying to grab my wrist.

A voice came through the earpiece hidden beneath my black hair: “Shake him off. Stick to the plan and head out. The rain is heavy tonight.”

I quickly shook him off and hurried toward the security booth.

Zheng Nan Zhou chased after me for a few steps, but when I looked back, he had already disappeared.

Uneasy, I asked the security guard to call a car and rushed to the TV station.

Because it was the weekend, the editing room was empty. I just kept watching the footage, analyzing my own performance.

Five hours slipped by in a flash. It was already 11 p.m.

Outside the window, the rain was still pattering down.

When I stepped out of the building, as expected, I couldn’t get a car.

“Juexia? Is that you?” At the entrance, Wen Yi was clutching her stomach, her face deathly pale. The System couldn’t determine whether she was a suspect or not-after all, her Malice Value toward me had always been maxed out.

“Um…” I hesitated. “What’s wrong?”

“My period started, and I forgot to bring pads again. My stomach hurts so much…” Sweat beaded and rolled down Wen Yi’s forehead.

Even in the darkness, I felt a bit anxious. “What should we do? It’s so late, and the building is locked. I do have some spares in my bag.”

“That’s great, thank you so much…”

Leaning on me for support, Wen Yi managed to stand up.

There was a bloodstain on the back of her white dress.

“There’s a public restroom nearby. I’ll just go there. Sorry to trouble you…”

I smiled gently. “It’s nothing, really. These things happen. I’ll walk you there-it’s not far anyway.”

I held up the umbrella and walked with Wen Yi for about seven or eight minutes.

Gu Weifeng’s voice came through the earpiece, even lower: “It’s late, so we can’t arrange too many plainclothes officers. There are three disguised cars circling the roads around you. If anything seems off, notify us immediately!”

“Haven’t found the restroom yet?”

“Almost there, just ahead…” She raised her hand, and a Red Rope showed on her wrist.

Ahead was a public restroom.

“I’ll go in first. Can you hold the umbrella for me? I’ll be out soon,” Wen Yi said.

As soon as she left, I quickly spoke into the earpiece: “Something’s wrong. Come to the public restroom-quick! It’s not right by the main road; you have to go into the alley. Hurry-”

When I turned around, I saw Director Liu in a black raincoat, his face expressionless.

Or rather, it was Director Liu stripped of all “social identity.”

Director Liu was known for slacking off on set, loving flattery, and there were some unsavory rumors about him in the industry, but no one had ever seen him like this.

His hair was sparse, and his wrinkled eyes gleamed with a mad light.

“Juexia, I introduced you to work, didn’t I? Why did you have to harm me? Now I’m being hunted so closely. You, you…”

He glanced disdainfully at my low heels, soaked and ruined by the rain. “You’ve made such a mess of yourself. I already knew you were like this…”

I steeled myself and asked, “Director Liu, why… why are you here?”

“Your acting is still terrible. Bai Dao isn’t much better either.”

I decided to speak frankly. “So Wen Yi is the Hook, right? She helps you lure victims to the designated spot… How old was she then, seven? Eight?”

“About that. Heh, she’s been clever since she was little… Smart, right? She was the first one I picked to try it out…”

[Ding!]

I know that many serial Murderers don’t start with killing right away. Usually, they begin by torturing and killing small animals, or by targeting those who seem weak and harmless, gradually escalating their crimes step by step.

The Red Rope Wen Yi wore was also found on other victims’ bodies.

And the reason she survived was that, in order to escape, she chose to become the Murderer’s accomplice.

Maybe that’s how it started.

When she lured me into hell, that barely concealed smile-wasn’t it because:

-She, too, found extraordinary pleasure in it?

That’s why, during the audition, she insisted on performing it that way: the victim suffered because of her own “inappropriate” clothing and behavior.

She so easily shifted the blame away from herself.

“Don’t move!” I pulled a Gun from my coat and aimed it at Director Liu. “Gu Weifeng, move in!”