Su Ran clutched her cell phone tightly.
Even if she came back, everyone in the crew avoided her, and her agent, thinking she was a disgrace, abandoned her here, not caring at all. Her assistant, who should have been handling the public opinions about her "romantic scandal," was also too busy to keep her company here.
With such a huge incident, the company didn’t call for PR, instead letting the news spread.
"Niao Niao, eat a bit more, try the sweet and sour pork ribs I made."
"Mom... I really can’t eat anymore, please don’t feed me."
"Is it not tasty? Let me try."
From a distance, Jiang Leyi’s conversation with Lady Zhou drifted over.
Jiang Leyi’s expression was helpless, but not impatient.
Lady Zhou frowned as she tasted the food, finishing everything she brought before her frown relaxed and she replied:
"I think it’s fine, will you come home for dinner tonight, Niao Niao? Your dad and I will both be home."
Their warm and mundane conversation floated over.
Su Ran felt an emptiness in her heart.
She and her birth mother had gone through a period of destitution, and later, when her mother made a bit of money, they lived in a small town. The little money was just enough to get by, and her life had always been about hustling for money, never having a good day.
Her mother died without ever mentioning anything about her family; she didn’t even know the existence of her grandma and uncle.
And now, it turned out that her grandma’s family had sought out her biological father to extort money, which exposed her existence. As a result, the man who was legally her father was still looking for her.
Was it to engage in a marriage to plug that gap?
Or to marry an old man past his fifties to become a stepmother?
She didn’t want that...
She thought of Zhou Yanbai’s words.
What dignity could she, a person like her, have? They would only bully her even more fiercely.
She closed her eyes and in the end sent a message to Zhou Yanbai, agreeing to his proposal on the condition that he would retract the trending search and keep those paparazzi tight-lipped.
In less than half an hour, the discussions about this incident disappeared without a trace.
And the time Yuan Feng gave her was almost up.
After Lady Zhou left, Su Ran approached and struck up a conversation: "Le Yi, are you free tonight? Let’s go over the script."
Jiang Leyi eyed her skeptically and asked, "Are you sure you can handle it in your condition?"
"It’s fine... Being an actor means enduring hardship, what’s that to me?"
"Now you know about enduring hardship, I’ve never seen an actor who needs a stunt double even for falling scenes," Director Wen interjected sarcastically from the side.
Su Ran pursed her lips, remaining silent.
Director Wen felt jinxed.
Anyway, after he finished this film, he would definitely not work with unprofessional actors like Su Ran ever again!
He would also warn his friends in the industry to avoid her, persuading as many as possible to steer clear!
"We’re colleagues, helping out a bit won’t hurt. Everyone has their low points. Yiyi, just help her with the lines," Song Shizhao’s voice suddenly burst in from the side.
Jiang Leyi didn’t really like her older cousin.
Seeing his gentle and smiling demeanor, she pursed her lips and resignedly said, "Okay, but I also have my own things to do, so I can’t give you much time. Let’s aim to get it right in one go, okay?"
Su Ran looked at Jiang Leyi appreciatively: "Thank you, Le Yi."
Then she turned to Song Shizhao, who had inexplicably come to her aid, and gave him a light smile: "And thanks to Actor Song as well."
"No need to be polite," Song Shizhao smiled, "You should step it up, don’t fall too far behind schedule; Director Wen is getting a bit unhappy."
She was planning to find an opportunity to make a move against Jiang Leyi.
Thinking of Yuan Feng’s plan,
her palms sweated with nervousness.
Because this was... human trafficking.
She was to take Jiang Leyi to a place where no one could find her, turning her into a blood machine exclusively for Yuan Feng.
Just the thought made her feel jittery; Yuan Feng was truly insane.
Jiang Nanshu was gnawing on a large chicken drumstick not far away, her almond eyes blinking as she watched them.
Seeing Su Ran’s sideways glances at Yuan Feng, it was obvious the two were conspiring.
Su Ran, sharp as always, noticed someone watching her. She turned to see it was Jiang Nanshu and tensed up for a moment.
Then she forced herself to relax and looked at her coldly before walking away.
Time passed slowly over a week.
Su Ran came to rehearse lines with Jiang Leyi every day, disturbingly dedicated.
This allowed her to gradually let down her guard and teach Su Ran more seriously.
The clock struck ten at night.
Jiang Leyi rubbed her belly, "I’m going to the restroom, close the door when you leave later, will you?"
Su Ran nodded with a smile, "Sure."
Once Jiang Leyi had disappeared, Su Ran’s hands trembled as she poured a heavy dose of sleeping pills into her water glass.
It was Su Ran’s first time committing such a wrongdoing. Watching the fine powder dissolve into the water, she felt conflicted; Jiang Leyi wasn’t a bad person, but rather, quite kind.
Even though she didn’t like her, she still taught her wholeheartedly. To put it nicely, she was genuine. To put it unkindly, she was foolish for trusting someone so easily.
She hoped Jiang Leyi would notice something off about her water so that she wouldn’t have to harm her, yet she also hoped she would drink it quickly—only then might Yuan Feng spare her.
Such were her frantic thoughts until Jiang Leyi returned,
having removed her makeup in the bathroom. She came out barefaced and saw Su Ran still there, "Why are you still here?"
"I, I’m having trouble sleeping, just thought I’d read a bit more... I’ll leave in a bit."
Jiang Leyi wiped the water off her face, "Oh, alright then."
She picked up the warm water she’d poured earlier and took a sip, frowning and smacking her lips, "Why does this water taste a bit weird?"
Su Ran’s smile was strained, unsure how to respond.
After about half an hour,
Jiang Leyi leaned on the couch and fell asleep, and only then did Su Ran place the script on the couch.
Tears in her eyes, she looked at Jiang Leyi, "I’m sorry... I’m sorry, Jiang Leyi. Don’t blame me, I didn’t want to do this... I’m sorry..."
Having said that, she sent a message to Yuan Feng.
Worried that Jiang Leyi had drunk too little and might wake up halfway, Su Ran took the glass of water and forcibly poured a large gulp into her mouth,
pinching her lips to make her swallow.
After doing all this,
Su Ran’s hands trembled as she began to clean the surroundings, snapped a photo of Jiang Leyi sleeping after she left, and even thoughtfully covered her with a fuzzy blanket. She took a picture and posted it on Weibo.
Su Ran V: Sleeping Le Yi is so adorable, I give her a chu~ I’m leaving now, cutie~
She attached several photos as alibis showing that she wasn’t there when she left, making sure that when Jiang Leyi’s disappearance caused panic, no one would trace it back to her.
She deliberately didn’t lock the door properly.
After waiting in her own room for nearly half an hour, she heard noises from the neighboring room. Through the peephole of the hotel door, she saw several people dressed as delivery workers dragging a large suitcase away.
Su Ran stepped back in fear,
covering her mouth to stifle her screams, tears streaming down her face.
She had been coerced... she had been threatened...
She, too, was a victim.