After the Agreement, the Aloof Movie Queen is Chasing Me All Over the Internet - Chapter 64.1

The car jolted incessantly. An Dongling and Zhou Yue were like two unconscious fish, gasping for air on the brink of suffocation. Their limbs were chafed and numb from the coarse hemp ropes, and the heavy adhesive tape over their mouths stifled most of their breath.

Eventually, amidst the swaying motion, they drifted back to consciousness.

An Dongling desperately nudged Zhou Yue with her shoulder, trying to wake her. She let out muffled, frantic grunts, desperate to ensure Zhou Yue was alright. Her fingers trembled as she reached out to feel Zhou Yue’s pulse; only when she confirmed a heartbeat did she allow herself a momentary breath of relief.

The factory partition was thick with the stench of machine oil and mildew. Rusty components were piled in the corners, and the shadows seemed to harbour countless prying eyes.

Finding themselves momentarily alone, Zhou Yue slowly opened her eyes and met An Dongling’s anxious gaze. The very air felt sharp with hidden danger, as if some unknown threat might pounce at any second.

An Dongling remained remarkably composed. She shifted her ankle, and with a subtle click, a razor-sharp blade slid out from the heel of her right shoe. She looked at Zhou Yue, her eyes asking: “Can you reach it?”

Zhou Yue’s heart hammered against her ribs like a drum. She didn’t have time to wonder why An Dongling was carrying a hidden knife; she was consumed by the raw instinct to survive. Her hands were bound behind her back. No matter how she twisted or strained, she couldn’t quite reach it. She was always just an inch short.

Damn it.

An Dongling cursed inwardly, her knuckles white with tension. She kept a hawk-like watch on the silhouette of a greasy old man in the shadows. It was Li Rongjin. He was fiddling with a camera, his intentions clearly foul. His lecherous, unpleasant grin made An Dongling’s skin crawl like slimy insects.

An overwhelming sense of dread washed over her. It was desperation. She looked at Zhou Yue, preparing herself for a life-or-death struggle just to ensure her friend might live.

But then, Zhou Yue gave her a knowing look. In a textbook display of dexterity, she twisted her wrists and turned her body, beginning to saw the rope against a jagged piece of debris.

Muffled grunts came from behind the tape, Zhou Yue sounding inexplicably excited: “The couple taught me! The couple taught me!”

An Dongling didn’t understand what she meant, but she frowned and immediately followed suit.

Once the ropes had slackened significantly, Zhou Yue finally managed to grab the knife from An Dongling’s shoe. Bit by bit, she sliced through the rest of their restraints. Just as they were about to make a break for it, Li Rongjin’s voice echoed from outside.

The two women shared a tense look and decided to play along. They leaned back against the wall, clutching the severed ropes in their hands to maintain the illusion that they were still bound.

“Heh, a couple of beauties. You’re even more exquisite in person than in the photos.”

Li Rongjin approached, rubbing his hands together once his equipment was ready. “Don’t worry. As long as you cooperate and we film a few ‘goodies,’ I’ll make it worth your while. Otherwise… well, in a remote factory like this, nobody’s going to notice if two people go missing.”

He let out a sinister chuckle, his eyes raking over their bound limbs. Zhou Yue’s heart sank. The ‘small company’ Li Rongjin had mentioned was a total lie; he simply intended to lure people here to film illicit videos for profit.

Fortunately, Zhou Yue had scanned the factory the moment she woke up. Aside from the two of them, no one else seemed to have fallen into the trap.

“Let’s start with this,” Li Rongjin said, leaning in with a greasy smirk. He sneakily kicked off a slipper and began to brush it against their cheeks.

An Dongling had reached her limit.

Dropping the act, she let go of the ropes and ripped the tape from her mouth. “Go film yourself, you old pervert!”

She lunged forward with the dagger. With a sickening thud, the blade sank into Li Rongjin’s thigh, and blood immediately spurted out. Following through, An Dongling delivered a sharp kick to his knee. Li Rongjin collapsed to the floor with a harrowing scream. She bent down, grabbed his foul-smelling leather shoe from the floor, and shoved it hard into his mouth.

Li Rongjin writhed in agony, his eyes bulging. He tried to scramble up, but the wound in his thigh was excruciating.

Bastard! And he had that disgusting, stinking shoe wedged in his throat!

Zhou Yue followed up with a vicious kick to his groin. “Mmmph! Mmmph!”

She’d forgotten to peel off her own tape, so her insults came out as muffled shouts. She ripped it off in a huff and cursed him again. “You disgusting old man! I’ll make sure you never have children! Rot in hell!”

“Someone’s coming! Run!”

The sound of chaotic footsteps and shouting erupted from outside the partition. Li Rongjin’s accomplices had clearly been alerted. An Dongling grabbed Zhou Yue, her hands stained with blood that smeared onto Zhou Yue’s sleeve. She shielded Zhou Yue behind her, ushering her towards the back exit.

As they burst onto the factory’s main floor, several men armed with steel pipes blocked their path. Their faces were twisted with malice. “You think you’re getting away? Who gave you the nerve?”

Without a second thought, An Dongling tucked Zhou Yue behind her and brandished the knife. “Get back! Don’t come any closer!”

A steel pipe swung down. An Dongling ducked to the side, her blade catching one man’s arm. But they were outnumbered. Another man’s pipe connected heavily with her back. She let out a muffled groan but remained steadfast in front of Zhou Yue. In the scuffle, her clothes were torn.

“Dongling!” Zhou Yue cried out in panic. She grabbed a stray pipe and rushed over to help.

“Get back! I said don’t come closer!” An Dongling roared, shoving Zhou Yue away. Her eyes, half-hidden by her fringe, were full of murderous intent. “If you touch her, I’ll kill you all!”

Using her momentum, she kicked over a row of oil drums. They crashed to the floor, the liquid inside glugging out across the concrete. Seizing the moment, she lunged at the man she’d wounded, snatched a lighter from his pocket, and held it high.

“You crazy woman… Drop the lighter! Do you want to die?!”

An Dongling’s sheer desperation momentarily terrified the mob. They were only there for the money; they weren’t looking to lose their lives.

“Go!” An Dongling screamed at Zhou Yue, her eyes filled with a grim resolve.

“I’m not leaving you!”

An Dongling’s fringe was matted with sweat and tears, clinging to her face. Her jaw trembled. “Zhou Yue, there are too many of them. I have to stay and hold them off. If I die here, you live! I have insurance… if I’m gone, my mother… my mother will finally have the money for her treatment!”

“Bullshit!” Zhou Yue shrieked, her voice cracking. “I”

Zhou Yue suddenly shoved An Dongling’s hand away and snatched the dagger. She turned to the men, waving it frantically while shouting a desperate lie. “My friend Du Yaozhi has more money than God! She’s loaded! She can pay for your mother’s treatment! Just come back!”

“Don’t you dare move!” Zhou Yue’s voice was tearful but fierce. Even though her grip on the knife was shaky, she managed to force the men back a few steps. “If anyone comes closer, I’ll kill them!” She looked like a cornered fawn, red-eyed and dangerous.

An Dongling broke down, her throat tight with emotion. She clutched the lighter. “Zhou Yue, I’m begging you! Just go… I’m just… I’m just a ‘Character N’. I’m not worth it!”

“You are not a ‘Character N’! You are An Dongling!” Zhou Yue sobbed, grabbing An Dongling’s wrist to pull her back from the edge of no return. “You have a name! Your own name! You’ve never been a background character, and you never will be!”

Just as they reached a stalemate, a group of women dressed in black burst through the factory gates. They moved with clinical precision, swiftly incapacitating the men with steel pipes.

“Are you mad? This is our territory!” one man spat from the ground, pinned down.

“We work only for Miss Shen. We don’t listen to rubbish from the likes of you,” the leader replied coldly, her boot pressing into the man’s back.

With the backup arriving, Zhou Yue didn’t care about anything else. She gripped An Dongling’s hand and ran for the exit. But the factory floor was littered with debris and metal shavings. Zhou Yue tripped, falling heavily.

She felt a warm liquid spreading across her abdomen. Strangely, there was no pain—just a very odd sensation.

“Zhou Yue!”

An Dongling threw herself down, cradling Zhou Yue in her arms. She reached out to touch Zhou Yue’s stomach, her voice thick with sobs. “Are you… how are you? Don’t scare me! Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?”

Lying on the ground, Zhou Yue’s mind raced. Help had arrived, but Xu Wanxin hadn’t shown her face yet. If they left now, Du Yaozhi’s plan wouldn’t work. She had to buy time.

Zhou Yue made a snap decision. Sorry, Dongling!

Suddenly, despite the discomfort of the hard floor, she screwed up her face in a mask of agony. Her voice became a faint whisper. “An Dongling, if I don’t make it, don’t blame yourself.”

The ‘blood’ on her stomach continued to spread. Zhou Yue slumped, her limbs twitching slightly as her breathing became shallow and ragged.

An Dongling held her, tears streaming down her face. “You aren’t allowed to die! Do you hear me? I’ll get you to a doctor. You’re going to be fine!”

Using every ounce of her strength, An Dongling hoisted Zhou Yue up and staggered out of the warehouse into the open yard. Once there, Zhou Yue ‘slipped’ from her grasp and fell motionless to the ground.

“Xu Wanxin! You bitch! Come out!” An Dongling screamed into the empty air of the factory. “If you have a problem, take it out on me! Let her go! Call an ambulance!”

From the shadows, Xu Wanxin strolled out, followed by Qin Qian. She crossed her arms, a mocking smile on her face. “Don’t be in such a hurry, An Dongling. Didn’t you have enough fun with Mr. Li?”

“Don’t worry, the real show is just beginning.”

When Du Yaozhi arrived on the scene, this was the sight that met her. Her eyes fell on Zhou Yue, who gave her a very subtle wink that An Dongling missed. Du Yaozhi understood instantly.

Zhou Yue very convincingly ‘closed her eyes’ again.

“Yueyue!”

Du Yaozhi let out a harrowing cry. Tears welled up and spilled over, splashing onto Zhou Yue’s ‘blood-stained’ clothes. “I’m begging you…”

She shook Zhou Yue’s limp body frantically. “Wake up! Don’t do this to me! You’re joking, right?! Zhou Yue!”

Xu Wanxin drank in Du Yaozhi’s misery. “Go on then, Du Yaozhi. Cooperate with me. Beg me to save her.”

“Fine… I’ll do whatever you want,” Du Yaozhi said, her voice a hollow, suffocating whisper. “But you must save her.”

Xu Wanxin didn’t care at all; she had no intention of helping. “Stop wasting time. Can’t you see she’s nearly dead?”

Du Yaozhi feigned submission and walked towards the cameras. Xu Wanxin settled in to enjoy Du Yaozhi’s downfall. She assumed Li Rongjin had been efficient and left the girls half-dead to give her leverage. Once the deal was done, Li Rongjin would help clear her name on social media, Du Yaozhi’s reputation would be ruined, and Xu Wanxin would remain the shining star.

Scandal? What scandal? Du Yaozhi had built a career on being ‘notoriously’ famous; Xu Wanxin figured she was smart enough to follow that path even more successfully.

“Come on, get the focus right. I want every detail of her face!” Xu Wanxin snapped.

The spotlight shifted abruptly, piercing through the factory gloom to land squarely on Du Yaozhi. She bit her lip, looking the picture of grief.

But then, with a sudden flash of mockery and triumph, she smiled directly into the lens. “Xu Wanxin of Huasheng Entertainment… you are absolutely, undeniably stupid.”

Xu Wanxin was livid. “You… you bitch! What do you mean? Don’t you want to save your friend?”

Du Yaozhi smirked and stepped aside. “Why don’t you see for yourself if she needs saving?”

The supposedly dying Zhou Yue suddenly let out a loud shout. “Ah! Ouch! I’m dying! Someone save me!”

An Dongling, having cried herself dry, stared in shock. What was happening? Was it all an act?

Xu Wanxin looked as if she’d seen a ghost. “You… weren’t you… weren’t you at death’s door?!”

“Ah, quite the opposite,” Zhou Yue said, giving An Dongling a wink before bouncing to her feet. She brushed the dust off her legs and pulled a packet of tomato pasta sauce from her pocket, tossing it into the rubbish pile. She was perfectly fine.

“Well, Miss Xu,” Zhou Yue smiled, “I might enjoy slacking off and reading trashy novels, and I might get told off by directors a lot… but you’ve forgotten one thing.”

“My profession… is an actress.”

The revelation left Xu Wanxin trembling. She lashed out, slapping Qin Qian across the face. “What are you standing there for? Call for backup!”

Qin Qian sobbed, clutching her cheek. “Miss… I told you, there’s no one left in there! No one is answering!”

Xu Wanxin’s heart turned to ice. Where were Li Rongjin’s men?

Her breathing became frantic, but she tried to maintain a front. “…Du Yaozhi, don’t forget, I have this on film! I can still frame you as the villain.” She pointed at An Dongling, trying to use Li Rongjin as a shield. “Look at her! Dishevelled! Caught in that old man’s den! What do you think people will say? And you were with her! What does that make you?!”

Du Yaozhi’s expression hardened. She stepped to the left, using her body to shield An Dongling. Suddenly, she caught sight of a tall, familiar figure. Her heart skipped a beat, and her gaze softened.

She had actually come.

“What does it make her?”

A cold, clear voice rang out from behind, sending shivers down everyone’s spine. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue now that I’m here?”

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