“Why do you act like a saint in front of everyone but me? You’re always such a b.i.t.c.h when you’re with me.” Ah Sha smiled. “Hmm, let me think. There isn’t any bad blood between us, is there?”
Tang Yue had barely recovered from her shock over Ah Sha’s comment about not wanting the lead role in the movie. Now, in the face of Ah Sha’s question, Tang Yue’s mind was completely blank. She couldn’t come up with any response at all.
Tang Yue’s lack of reaction didn’t bother Ah Sha at all. “Actually, you’re beautiful, and you definitely know how to pretend to be a damsel in distress who’s kind, pure and innocent. You could’ve married into a wealthy family with ease.” Ah Sha kept on talking. “Say, doesn’t Second Young Master Wen fancy you a great deal?”
Tang Yue’s expression turned wary at Ah Sha’s mention of the Wen family. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just giving you a friendly advice, that’s all. You shouldn’t eat from your bowl while eyeing the contents of the pot. You’ll get indigestion if you’re not careful.” Ah Sha grinned at her. “I’d watch myself if I were you.”
Never in her life had Tang Yue been slighted like this before. The humiliation she felt soon turned into rage.
“I suggest you mind your own problems. I’d avoid showing my true colors in front of the senior if I were you.” Tang Yue gave Ah Sha a smug smile. “I don’t think you know this yet, but he only fancies you because you have the same nickname as the daughter of the Ying family.”
“Plus, this innocent facade of yours matches her behavior. Always walking around with that loli face, acting like a clueless, timid little girl. Do you think he would spare you another glance if he finds out that you’re a cruel and cold woman?”
Ah Sha gave Tang Yue a meaningful stare. Tang Yue was just about to open her mouth again when they heard a commotion nearby. Xiao Zhao, Tang Yue’s a.s.sistant, suddenly ran over excitedly. “Sister Yue!” said Xiao Zhao. “You’re not going to believe this! The lead actor is Depp! Depp Cage!”
Tang Yue sprang to her feet. “My make-up isn’t ruined, right?”
“Nope! Not at all!” Xiao Zhao exclaimed. Then, he took Tang Yue’s hand and they both broke out into a run. Not far away, a large crowd had formed around Depp. Stars Entertainment had deliberately granted several reporters access to the movie set. The international superstar’s involvement in “Apocalypse” would no doubt be all over the newspaper tomorrow.
Ah Sha didn’t have a lot of scenes to shoot today. Her first scene involved an argument between her character and the female protagonist. After the argument, she sneaked away from the base on her own. That was also when she got bitten by a zombie. The next scene involved the female protagonist leading a search party to track her down. During the search, the female protagonist ran into a mutated monster and was then saved by the male protagonist.
After that, Ah Sha had to shoot a scene where she was surrounded and outnumbered by a platoon of zombies. Somehow, the actor who played one of the zombies seemed familiar to Ah Sha; in fact, he kept staring at her. When the director gave the “action” cue, Ah Sha took off into a sprint and began fighting off the zombies.
According to the script, there would be a large pit at the center of the battlefield. The rescue teams would enter the scene after Ah Sha leaped across the pit. During the actual filming, however, when Ah Sha was about to make the jump, she saw a wayward zombie sprinting towards her. The zombie seemed ready to make the jump across the pit as well. But instead of jumping, the zombie kicked out with its leg; Ah Sha’s leg got tangled up with the zombie’s and she tripped.
Ah Sha’s body fell straight into the pit. Smack! Ah Sha’s palms. .h.i.t the ground as she executed a beautiful cartwheel which prevented her from crashing face first into the ground. The director was already prepared stop the filming. But he changed his mind when he saw that Ah Sha was still standing and was now climbing up the ledge of the pit. Bursting with excitement, the director signaled his crew to keep the camera rolling.
The scene ended when the rescue team led by Tang Yue arrived.
“Cut!” The director slapped his thigh and ran over happily. “Mei Jing, are you alright?”
Ah Sha was sitting on the ground with her back leaned against a tree trunk. Redness crept into her eyes and she let out a sob. “Why did you trip me?” Ah Sha bawled, pointing an accusatory finger at the actor who played the wayward zombie.
The director came to his senses and took charge immediately. “Hey! You! Temporary actor! Who hired you?” He asked with a frown. “Why did you run at her so suddenly just now?”
Xiao Hua squeezed herself through the crowd and came up to Ah Sha. “Are you alright?”
Ah Sha curled her lips. “My leg hurts. I don’t think I can stand up.”
A devious glint flashed in Tang Yue’s eyes. Tang Yue set off in a brisk pace and headed towards the tree which Ah Sha was leaning against. Together, Tang Yue and Xiao Hua helped Ah Sha to her feet. “Your leg has just healed,” Tang Yue remarked. “Did you fall down again?”
While being chastised by the director, the actor kept his head low and stared at the ground wordlessly. As Ah Sha was walking pa.s.s the actor, she suddenly reached out and peeled off his wig.
“Ah!” The head revealed under the wig took everyone by surprise.
“Fool,” Tang Yue mocked inwardly. Still, she feigned a look of surprise and shouted, “An Ru?”
An Ru removed the mask on her face. “I thought it was pretty fun to play the part of a zombie, so I figured I’d make a cameo or something,” An Ru said nonchalantly. Then, she turned to Ah Sha and smiled. “I’m inexperienced. I swear I didn’t trip you on purpose.”
There was provocative glint in An Ru’s eyes, which was hidden from everyone’s sight. Well, everyone except for Ah Sha, of course. Ah Sha saw it clearly, since it was meant for her. Unperturbed, Ah Sha met An Ru’s gaze fearlessly. All of a sudden, Ah Sha smirked and then allowed her body to collapse limply to the ground.
The director instantly went into a panic mode. “Sh*t! Hey, hey, hey! Quick! Bring her to the van!” Chaos broke out in the entire set.
Zhou Na had reported the incident to Wan Qingsi in secret. This was the order that Wan Qingsi had given her beforehand. She was now no longer in charge of other rookies; Ah Sha was her sole focus. Her salary had also been doubled.
n.o.body knew better than Zhou Na just how much Wan Qingsi cared about Mei Jing.
Ah Sha was carried into the crew van. Tang Yue was just about to ask Xiao Zhao to call an ambulance when she saw Wan Qingsi storming towards the van. The sight of Wan Qingsi acting so concerned and worried about Mei Jing got under Tang Yue’s skin a little. Still, she quickly pushed away from the side of the van and walked up to meet Wan Qingsi.
“Senior, shall we call an ambulance?”
Wan Qingsi ignored Tang Yue as he scanned Ah Sha’s body from head to toe. Then, he took a seat inside the van and slammed the door shut.
“Ah Sha!” He called. He received no response.
Wan Qingsi laughed and then bent down to kiss Ah Sha’s lips. After a long and intense kiss, Ah Sha finally shoved him away, panting and heaving. “Hey! I just pa.s.sed out! And yet kissing me is all you can think about?”
“Oh yeah? And you just so happen to have that much strength when you’ve just woken up from being unconscious?” Wan Qingsi poured a gla.s.s of water for her. “How did you get here so quickly?” Ah Sha asked after taking two sips of water.
“I never even got to the highway. I ran into a few guys shortly after I left the set. We were chatting and hanging out when I received Zhou Na’s call.” Coldness crept into Wan Qingsi’s eyes right then. “It wasn’t an accident, was it?”
Ah Sha’s eyes darted to his face before she quickly looked away. “Why don’t you ask the woman you’ve seduced?”
Wan Qingsi listened carefully as Ah Sha recounted the incident during the filming. A dark scowl had formed on his face by the end of it. “Looks like she has ignored my warning,” Wan Qingsi said. “I’ll ask Qi Xiu to terminate our contract with her immediately.” He paused for a moment. Then, he looked at Ah Sha. “You want to deal with her on your own, don’t you?”
“Hmm!” Ah Sha nodded before she threw her arms around his neck. “You’re so smart! You could read me like a book!”
Wan Qingsi smoothed out Ah Sha’s hair and looked at her smugly. “Of course. I know everything there is to know about you.”
The door of the van slid open in a bang. Depp poked his head in casually. “Aha! Looks like Ken is here as well.” Depp glanced at Ah Sha. “Hey, Ken’s chick, are you alright?” Depp hadn’t been on set when the accident occurred; he had been out checking out the area around the set. When he returned, he was told that Ah Sha had gotten hurt.
“What’s the matter, eh? An accident on the first day of filming?” Depp grumbled while fixing Wan Qingsi a glare. “Don’t tell me you didn’t even purchase insurance policies for us, you heartless boss!”
Wan Qingsi flicked a quick glance at Depp. “Don’t worry. I definitely bought one for you. And I’m the beneficiary,” Wan Qingsi said, “in case you’re wondering.”
Pfft! Ah Sha spat out a mouthful of water. Wan Qingsi frowned and wiped her mouth. “Hey, slow down, will you?”
Xiao Hua ran up to the van just then. “Young Miss, the director asked if you’re still up to any more filming today?”
Ah Sha nodded. “Of course,” she said while climbing out of the van, “I’m good to go. Ask them to get ready!”
“You still want to keep filming?” Wan Qingsi reached out a hand to steady her.
“I’m fine,” Ah Sha said, waving off his concerns. From afar, Ah Sha saw Qi Xiu and two other men literally dragging An Ru away. Even so, An Ru was fighting tooth and nail against her captors in order to make her way to Ah Sha’s crew van. Ah Sha laughed and raised her head to kiss Wan Qingsi. “I’m going now!”
Wan Qingsi glanced at his watch and decided not to leave the set. He waited until Ah Sha finally wrapped up today’s filming. Then, the two of them went home together. On the way home, Wan Qingsi received a call from Qi Xiu; apparently, An Ru was now standing on the rooftop of Stars Entertainment’s building, threatening to kill herself.
“Go check it out!” Ah Sha said, staring at a glowering Wan Qingsi. “I still haven’t settled the score with her for tripping me just now. She can’t die just yet.”
“I’ll send you home first,” Wan Qingsi said.
Ah Sha glanced out the car window. “I’ll just get down here,” Ah Sha said. “Maybe get some ice cream from the grocery store up front. Come home earlier, okay?”
Wan Qingsi watched reluctantly as Ah Sha got out of the car. Before running off, Ah Sha gave him another reminder. “Remember. Don’t let her die!”
“Understood,” Wan Qingsi said before making a U-turn and driving off. Ah Sha bought her ice cream and saw that it was still early, so she went back to the store and purchased a bag of cat food. She figured she could kill some time by feeding the stray cats at the park beside the grocery store. Then again, any imagery involving her and the kitties having a merry time at the park was soon shattered into pieces by the sound of a gruff voice.
“That’s the woman, Mei Jing!” Said the voice. Ah Sha raised her head and saw that she had been surrounded by a total of five thugs, all of whom had a cigarette between their teeth.
The leader of the thugs eyed her lecherously. “F*ck. What a beauty. This is worth it. So f*ck*ng worth it.”
One of the thugs pulled out a pocket knife. “There’s n.o.body here,” said the thug, “so you better obey us like a good girl. Don’t shout. Otherwise, I’ll ruin your face.” The thug brandished the knife in front of her face.
“Hurry up,” said the leader, “bring her to that shrub over there.”
Ah Sha stood up. “Don’t touch me,” she growled. “I can walk on my own.”
Her reaction stunned the thugs momentarily, though none of them gave it any further thought. One of the thugs shoved her forward. “Move! Now!”
For Ah Sha’s sake, Wan Qingsi swallowed the urge to push An Ru off the ledge of the roof with his own two hands. Instead, he gave An Ru his word that he would not terminate her contract with Stars Entertainment. Then, An Ru started weeping in front of him and told him that she would apologize to Mei Jing. Wan Qingsi wasn’t in the mood to deal with her lunacy, so he left the scene immediately.
Once he got home, he noticed that Ah Sha was inside the bathroom, taking a bath. He smiled. When he walked past the pile of clothes on the floor, however, his smile vanished. He burst into the bathroom.
“Ah Sha! You’re hurt?” Ah Sha was sitting inside the round bathtub when he got in. Once she had noticed his presence, Ah Sha stretched out her arms at him. “Oh, that isn’t my blood.”
Without ado, Wan Qingsi carried Ah Sha out of the water and then wrapped a towel around her body. He stormed out of the bathroom and switched on the main light of the bedroom. He lay Ah Sha down on the bed and gave her body a thorough examination. Blushing, Ah Sha shoved him lightly. “I told you that isn’t my blood.”
“Hey! Where are you touching? Ah! No, don’t. Don’t put it in…”
Her remaining words were stifled by the press of the man’s lips on hers. Outside the window, the moonlight glimmered beautifully amidst the night sky. Through the girl’s fingers, the man found release. Sated, he kissed and sucked on the girl’s shoulder. “What happened?”
“An Ru hired a few thugs to rape me. Even prepared a video camera to film the whole process!” Ah Sha stated coldly.
The man’s body grew taut instantly. Wan Qingsi stood up in rage. “I’m going to kill her!”
“Hey, come back.” Ah Sha wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll go on my own!”
Meanwhile, An Ru was enjoying a comfortable soak in her own bathtub. Her bathroom was located in her balcony and had a semi-covered design; the night sky could be viewed from inside. A series of moans bounced off the walls of the bathroom. Inside the tub, the body of the woman shuddered and writhed in pleasure.
The woman had one hand inside the water and the other one stroking the rosy peaks of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Moans and gasps escaped her lips in the most wanton of ways. “Qingsi… Qingsi, I love you. Harder, Qingsi. Harder. G.o.d, that feels so good!”
All of a sudden, the woman’s body grew taut. Her back arched high, causing her waist to rise above the water surface and hover in mid-air. A sharp cry followed, and the woman’s waist slowly slid back into the water. The woman lay in the tub, limp and utterly spent.
A round of applause sounded right then. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re into this kind of stuff. Too bad for you, because I really hate it when someone else has lewd thoughts about my man!”
An Ru sat bolt upright. “Who’s there?”
A woman dressed in black walked in from the balcony. “Hi!”
An Ru’s face changed instantly. “You… You’re supposed to be…”
Ah Sha finished An Ru’s sentence for her. “Be gang-raped, right?”
An Ru regained her composure quickly. She grabbed a bathrobe and put it on before stepping out of the tub. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”