After My Cross-dressing Cover Was Blown, the Movie Star Became My Accomplice - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

◎Heh, so it’s all connected◎

While Cheng Zeyi was still agonizing over whether to use the towel, Mu Yao had already raised a hand to wipe away the water droplets splashed on his face.

“Your injury is on your shoulder; it’s not easy to apply medicine with one hand. Do you really not need my help?” Mu Yao looked at Cheng Zeyi’s stiff back, suspicion gleaming in his eyes. In his memory, the location of Cheng Zeyi’s injury only allowed for one-handed application; he didn’t believe Cheng Zeyi could finish the task alone.

“Uh, alright. I really can’t do it by myself.” Sensing the doubt in Mu Yao’s voice, Cheng Zeyi could no longer persist. He turned around dejectedly and let Mu Yao in. Though he agreed to the help, he didn’t close the door, leaving it wide open and exposed.

Mu Yao watched the open door and saw Cheng Zeyi pull out a chair to sit facing the hallway, and he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

It seems the great Movie King hasn’t noticed my anomaly yet. Is he being mindful of my reputation? Or is he afraid of rumors about a man and a woman being alone in a room together?

Cheng Zeyi took off his shirt to reveal his injured shoulder, obediently leaning over the back of the chair waiting for the medicine. Mu Yao looked at the red and swollen shoulder, squeezed the ointment onto the skin, and pressed his palm against it to gently spread the medicine evenly. The slightly cool palm touched the warm shoulder, and before long, it grew warm itself.

“Does it hurt?” Mu Yao looked directly at the shoulder, watching the ointment be pushed aside bit by bit and slowly merge into the skin. He asked softly.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.” Cheng Zeyi shook his head. His voice was a bit hoarse, and his gaze was fixed on the corridor outside the door. All his senses were concentrated on his shoulder. The heat brought by the ointment and the touch of the fingers caused a layer of subtle yet unignorable ripples to rise in his heart.

At this moment, Cheng Zeyi’s thoughts were contradictory. He wanted time to move faster so Mu Yao could finish quickly and he wouldn’t be disturbed by these ripples. Simultaneously, he wanted time to slow down so he could continue to feel the temperature of Mu Yao’s fingers and their contact.

While he was struggling internally, Mu Yao had already sped up his movements. Having quickly finished applying the medicine, he withdrew his hand and took a step back. Seeing that Cheng Zeyi hadn’t moved, he spoke to remind him.

“Alright, the medicine is on. You need to keep applying this for a few days. If it’s inconvenient later, you can find me again. We live close by anyway.”

“Okay, I’ll consider it.” Cheng Zeyi snapped back to reality and breathed a silent sigh of relief, not daring to look at Mu Yao.

As Mu Yao left the room, Bi Tu happened to pass by, his gaze immediately turning suggestive.

“Oh my, Mu Yao, why are you coming out of Movie King Cheng’s room?” Bi Tu chuckled, his voice thick with teasing.

“I came to thank Movie King Cheng and deliver some medicine. Teacher Bi, you know my dance this morning wasn’t perfect.” Mu Yao answered generously.

“Yes, and applying medicine in passing. To avoid causing trouble for Mu Yao, I specifically left the door open!” Cheng Zeyi also came over to greet Bi Tu, his words implying that everything between him and Mu Yao was above board.

“I see. Then you must not have seen the crew’s notice. Lunch is ready, let’s go eat.” Since Cheng Zeyi had stated his stance, Bi Tu couldn’t continue teasing Mu Yao. He finished speaking and continued downstairs.

“Let’s go, let’s eat together.”

“Okay.” Cheng Zeyi raised his hand slightly in a “get-after-you” gesture. Mu Yao paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, and the two went downstairs to eat together.

According to the crew’s arrangement, the group would spend the afternoon visiting Xiantao Village’s most famous peach orchard. It was currently the peak of the peach blossom season, and since Xiantao Village was famous for them, everyone was looking forward to it. There were already a few scattered peach trees in the village with flowers in full bloom—pinkish-red, vivid yet shy, emitting a charming fragrance. As they passed these trees, they began to envision the wonderful scenery of the orchard in their minds.

The actual scenery was exactly as they imagined. Rows of peach trees were blooming passionately, the pink-red flowers clustering together like rosy clouds or sweet cotton candy.

“Wow, so beautiful!!”

“It smells so good!”

The girls among the guests were the first to be drawn in, offering simple and heartfelt praise. Mu Yao looked around, observing the sea of flowers while also checking the surroundings. This place felt inexplicably familiar to him; he seemed to have been nearby. Following a house in the distance with his gaze, Mu Yao had a realization.

So the peach orchard is this close to that house.

That house was the private residence he had found at night by following the silk thread left by the female ghost—the one in the southeast corner of the village. It had been deep in the night, and he hadn’t noticed the orchard nearby; plus, with Rakshasa’s appearance, he’d had no time for anything else.

“Ms. Mu Yao, why do you keep looking at the house?” The guide leading them was the Village Chief. He was enthusiastically introducing the orchard when he noticed Mu Yao’s attention was elsewhere.

“I’m just envious of the people living there, lucky enough to live near the orchard and watch this sea of flowers bloom during the season.” Mu Yao’s voice and eyes were tinged with envy.

The Chief looked toward the house and scratched his head, his expression becoming unnaturally awkward. He looked toward the cameras, thought for a moment, and said: “There… lives a mother who has already gone mad. I thought a beautiful environment would help her recovery, but unfortunately, she hasn’t improved over the years; instead, she’s getting worse.”

The Chief sighed and shook his head. His words immediately made everyone think of one person—the one who definitely shouldn’t appear before the public again.

So that’s where Auntie Zhou lives. Heh, so it’s all connected.

Mu Yao understood. Auntie Zhou had rushed into the filming site and left behind a rabbit hair clip, which was wrapped in the ghost’s unique red silk. It was obvious the ghost and Auntie Zhou were related. The madness the ghost showed last night, along with the scratched messages, suggested she wasn’t the cause of everything; she wanted to be saved.

I remember the crew’s plan is for free exploration in the orchard. Maybe I can use the excuse of returning lost property to find Auntie Zhou and check her reaction. Mu Yao thought for a moment and decided Auntie Zhou was a vital clue; he had to see her alone.

Seeing that Mu Yao didn’t ask further, the Chief didn’t continue speaking about Auntie Zhou and resumed his introduction. By now, Mu Yao had no interest in the scenery, but he continued to act as a listener, providing appropriate reactions when necessary. When Mu Yao asked about the house, Cheng Zeyi also turned to look at the distant residence, his eyes narrowing slightly with suspicion.

“Everyone, look. We are currently in a sea of peach blossoms. When the spring breeze blows, the petals fall like rain. This beauty woven from falling petals, carrying the sweet scent of blossoms, is the origin of our village’s name and the precious treasure left by our ancestors. This orchard has a long history; according to the genealogy, the first tree was planted during the Jingde era of the Song Dynasty, and it has reached this scale through generations of protection.”

The Chief raised his hand, smiling as he guided everyone toward an ancient tree with thick, dense branches and vivid flowers. “Look, this is the Mother Tree. It takes five to six people to hug it. The deep patterns on the bark are proof of the hundreds of years of wind, frost, rain, and snow it has endured. It is the most precious ‘Immortal Peach Mother Tree’ in our village!”

The moment they saw the Mother Tree, everyone stopped in unison, staring wide-eyed at the massive tree that looked like a burning pink flame. They were awestruck by the ancient life force, silently feeling its presence. A gentle breeze blew, and petals from the Mother Tree rustled down, slowly drifting around them.

“My god! The flower rain is so beautiful!” Qu Fu raised her hands to catch the falling petals. At this moment, her eyes were full of reverence for life, and her usual air of arrogance vanished.

“I want to film this, to preserve the beauty.” Kong Yanfei felt her pocket and realized she didn’t have her phone. She turned to the cameraman, who tapped the lens to indicate he would capture it. Bi Tu clapped his hands softly and silently caught a few petals to keep.

Mu Yao watched the falling petals, but his thoughts drifted far away. He remembered playing in the park with his parents when he was young; there had been flowers falling everywhere then too, and his father and mother were both smiling. That was the happiest moment in his memory. A trace of nostalgia and sadness unconsciously touched his features, which Cheng Zeyi noticed. This time, however, Cheng Zeyi didn’t step forward; he simply stood silently by Mu Yao’s side.

After visiting the Mother Tree, the crew announced free time for the guests. Mu Yao shook off his thoughts and went to find the director.

“You want to go to Auntie Zhou’s house? You should know that person is dangerous, right?” Hearing that Mu Yao wanted to temporarily leave the team, the director frowned. In his view, the Chief bringing them near the madwoman’s house today was already a slight breach of their agreement. If the orchard weren’t such a magnificent sight, he would have definitely had a word with the Chief.

“I know she’s dangerous, but she’s also pitiful. Her daughter is missing, and this might be her last memento. I want to return it to her.” Mu Yao showed the rabbit hair clip to the director, reminding him that she was a tragic figure.

“Hmm… alright then. But go and come back quickly; we need enough footage of the orchard.” The director thought for a moment and sighed. He didn’t send a cameraman with Mu Yao, instead instructing him to be quick, treating it as a temporary break.

“Thank you, Director!” Mu Yao thanked him quickly and turned toward the residence.

The other guests were confused to see Mu Yao leave, but with the cameras filming, they didn’t ask much. Cheng Zeyi looked toward the house, a slight frown between his brows. He originally wanted to ask the director but hesitated and ultimately didn’t.

After some time had passed and Mu Yao hadn’t returned, the guests instinctively gathered and began to chat.

“Sister Qu Fu, did you notice anything strange when you brushed your hair this morning? I feel like a section of mine is inexplicably shorter.”

“You too? A small lock at the end of mine is missing. How strange—can this place make people lose hair?” Kong Yanfei and Qu Fu spoke in low voices, their eyes unconsciously falling on Bi Tu and Cheng Zeyi.

“Uh, don’t look at me! My hair is already so thin; if any were missing, you’d see it immediately.” Bi Tu raised a hand to touch his graying hair. He couldn’t afford to lose any.

“What about Movie King Cheng?” Cheng Zeyi listened, his expression growing more solemn. He didn’t snap out of it until Qu Fu prompted him.

“Ah, sorry. I need to step away for a moment.” Cheng Zeyi didn’t answer Qu Fu’s question. Instead, he strode to the director, spoke a few quick words, and then turned and ran toward the house, leaving the others bewildered in front of the cameras.

On the other side, Mu Yao arrived at the house. He was about to knock when he noticed the courtyard gate was ajar. He pushed it open gently, feeling that something was very wrong. It was clearly afternoon, and the sunlight spilling into the yard should have felt warm and comfortable, yet he felt a chilling coldness in this yard. Stepping inside and feeling this inexplicable chill, Mu Yao immediately grew alert.

“Is anyone there?” he called out softly, hoping for a response. He remembered the director had asked the Chief to keep an eye on Auntie Zhou; she should definitely be home. There was no answer. In a house that should have been occupied, there was silence.

Mu Yao realized something was amiss. He strode to the main house and kicked the door open. A mass of pitch-black mist was inside, intertwined with strands of red thread. Within the layers of black aura and silk, a person was wrapped and hanging from the roof beam, struggling violently.

Mu Yao rushed in without hesitation to save them, but a pair of youthful hands with sharp nails lunged at him from within the black mist. A chilling wind blew, slamming the door shut, cutting off the sunlight and everything else inside the room.