Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Lu Yao clearly had little appetite. Zhu Yin did not urge her to eat and simply handed her a drink.
It was the same pale green liquid as before, giving off a faint fragrance.
After drinking it, Lu Yao felt warmth slowly spread from her stomach. Her taut nerves relaxed without her realizing it, and she could not help letting out a soft yawn.
“Sleepy?”
She nodded. It was a strange sensation. Her body felt comfortable and drowsy, yet her mind was not tired. She simply wanted to nap as a natural result of being utterly relaxed.
She told Zhu Yin some of her worries about the next day.
It was not that she could not endure hardship. But every time she shared a scene with the male lead, Sun Lie, he unleashed the full force of his presence. He came at her so aggressively that she could not respond at all.
Whenever she failed to keep up with Sun Lie in a scene, the director immediately tore into her. He did not care that they were on a busy set and showed her no consideration whatsoever.
After this happened time and again, how could she possibly remain unafraid?
Zhu Yin patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Fight scenes, right? Your character is supposed to be a cold and merciless female assassin?”
Lu Yao nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Yin immediately had an idea.
She pulled something from her pocket: a black card.
The moment Barbara saw it, all its fur stood on end, and it instinctively clutched its host’s arm.
What powerful malevolent energy.
The card was pure black, with arcane patterns painted across its face in scarlet pigment. No one could tell what material had been used. The patterns looked like congealed blood, making the card even more uncanny.
Lu Yao stared curiously at the card floating above Zhu Yin’s palm and exclaimed, “That card is so intricate! It looks amazing!”
“You like it?” Zhu Yin asked with a beaming smile.
Lu Yao nodded.
Zhu Yin gestured for her to hold out her hand, then placed the card in her palm.
Caught unprepared, Lu Yao shuddered violently at its ice-cold touch.
“I’ll give you a choice,” Zhu Yin said. “I can help you. If you hold this card, you’ll be taken somewhere else. What you learn there will be enough to deal with your current crisis. The price is that it will be very hard on you.”
Lu Yao’s eyes shone. “Is it a card with magical powers? What’s inside? A little fairy? A sealed monster? Or is it the entrance to some strange world?”
Her attention had veered completely off course, yet her hand clutched the card tightly. Amused, Zhu Yin said, “Aren’t you afraid I might sell you?”
Lu Yao was full of enthusiasm. “You’ll sell me? To the stars? That’s perfect! I’ve never visited a planet beyond Earth. I’ll cooperate willingly.”
As she spoke, pain suddenly pierced her palm.
Lu Yao looked down. At some point, the edge of the black card had become sharp as a blade. It had just cut her palm, and a thread of crimson blood seeped out and stained the card.
The blood-red patterns abruptly came alive.
Lu Yao stared blankly. “I–”
She managed only one word before her vision went black. Her body toppled backward, and she sank into a deep sleep.
Barbara swallowed and asked softly, “Host, what happened to the protagonist?”
Zhu Yin bent down, picked Lu Yao up, and laid her properly on the bed. “Nothing. She’s gone to broaden her horizons and receive some intensive training,” she said lightly.
It was a rare scenario card Zhu Yin had earned by perfectly clearing a zombie scenario in the past. Possessing the card allowed someone to enter the corresponding scenario, City Under Zombie Siege, at any time. The scenario lasted six months, while in reality, no more than a single night’s sleep would pass.
When the night ended and dawn broke through the darkness, the cast and crew of The Swordsman would meet a brand-new Lu Yao. Zhu Yin wondered if they would be pleasantly surprised.
Night fell.
Zhu Yin sat quietly on the hotel rooftop, letting the evening breeze wash over her.
The Swordsman had substantial investment and an ample budget. The hotel booked at great expense had excellent soundproofing.
Even so, it was still a little noisy to Zhu Yin.
She filtered out all the useless information and heard a familiar voice.
“There’s a very important fight scene tomorrow. I’ve put a lot of work into it. Just wait and see. Tomorrow, I’ll grind that girl Landi got in through connections into the dust.”
The woman on the other end of his call had a gentle voice.
Sun Lie soon continued, “Hah. She stole your role, didn’t she? If Landi hadn’t interfered, you would’ve had a very good chance of playing Chi Lian.”
He sneered. “I’ll make her understand what happens when she insists on taking something that doesn’t belong to her. If she doesn’t have the ability to hold on to it, it’ll only cut her to ribbons.”
Propping her chin on one hand, Zhu Yin heard the woman ask, “You’re her senior. Won’t the director intervene if you go too far in suppressing a newcomer?”
Sun Lie laughed. “I think the director hates her even more than I do. Anyway, it’s a male-led drama. The heroine is little more than decoration. Even if she performs badly, it won’t affect the entire show. In fact, it’ll make it easier for us to use the contrast in our marketing later.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll have my assistant secretly record that part of the shoot. The timing is about right. We can start releasing tidbits and building momentum.”
“…”
They discussed their plans back and forth, casually deciding the future of a rookie actress.
Zhu Yin gave an inscrutable little laugh, then suddenly heard something else.
Her figure flickered, leaving behind only a faint wisp of black smoke.
Knock, knock, knock.
Zhu Yin opened the door. A tall young man stood outside. She remembered his face: he was Director Ji Lingze’s personal assistant.
“Hello. You must be Lu Yao’s new assistant. I’m An Sen, Director Ji’s assistant.”
Zhu Yin said coolly, “May I ask what you need?”
Without waiting for his answer, she continued, “My artist is already asleep. If there’s nothing important, please don’t disturb her. If there is, it would still be best to wait until tomorrow morning.”
An Sen was speechless.
His carefully maintained smile almost collapsed. He pointed to the documents in his hand. “The director asked me to deliver these. They contain notes on Chi Lian and other information relevant to the character.”
He emphasized, “Director Ji annotated his interpretation of the character personally. This isn’t something just anyone can get.”
Zhu Yin looked astonished. “Huh? If it’s so important, why did you bring it here? What if it gets lost?”
Looking at her young, innocent face, An Sen thought that the artist was stupid, and every assistant she hired was stupider than the last. This new assistant was exceptionally attractive, though…
Night had deepened, and the lights were dim. As he gazed at Zhu Yin’s face, his thoughts inevitably began to wander.
His tone took on a teasing note. “Your artist may be asleep, but you’re still awake. Why don’t we find somewhere quiet and discuss it properly? Tomorrow, you can tell her directly what you learned.”
Zhu Yin widened her eyes as though she did not understand. “Somewhere quiet? Just the two of us?”
An Sen lowered his voice and leaned closer. “That’s right. Just the two of us…”