The Scummy Alpha Who Transmigrated Into a Book Was Tricked by the Actress Omega - Chapter 22

Seven meters!

That’s equivalent to two or three stories, and Du Zuilan was in a swinging motion, which would only make her fall harder. The staff on her side staggered abruptly, collapsing to the ground. By the time they tried to climb back onto the faulty stool, it was already too late.

Originally, the wire should have been pulled by several staff members together as a precaution against accidents. Yan Xunzhen had only learned this much but never imagined an accident would actually happen! Du Zuilan struggled to maintain her balance mid-air, and it seemed like it would be shattered the next second.

Yan Xunzhen’s mind went blank for a moment.

By the time she snapped back to reality, she had already rushed forward, her striking face smudged with dirt from the wire, her hands gripping the rope tightly.

“Someone, come quick!!”

The director, who hadn’t been stunned before, nearly lost his mind when he saw it was Yan Xunzhen, the young mistress, holding the wire: “Hurry!! Go help!!”

Yu Tutu said nothing, running behind Yan Xunzhen and silently adding her strength while murmuring reassurances not to panic. The spot where she held was lower, and just as dizziness set in, she felt something warm and wet slowly trickling onto her hand.

It was blood!

Yan Xunzhen hadn’t worn gloves. When she rushed over abruptly, two long gashes were torn into her hands, blood streaming down. The bright, glaring red flowed along her flawless arm, making the sight all the more horrifying.

The ringing in Yan Xunzhen’s head only stopped when the weight on her hands lightened. The martial arts director replaced her position, and soon, a crowd gathered around, most murmuring in shock.

Yu Tutu’s expression remained calm as she called out twice for everyone to disperse. Then, she gripped Yan Xunzhen’s shoulders firmly, snapping her back to focus, and whispered urgently:

“Don’t panic! Someone tampered with it, but Aying was prepared Du Zuilan will be fine!”

Yan Xunzhen took a deep breath, her mind shifting from blankness back to rational thought, her emotions quickly stabilizing. Coolly, she countered, “So there were safeguards? She’s alright?”

Yu Tutu affirmed, “She’s fine.”

“The fall Du Zuilan had this morning was a staged accident, we’ve already secured the evidence. The wire was the same. I expected she might sway, but I didn’t think…”

She hadn’t anticipated Du Zuilan would sway so violently it looked like she was about to fall and that Yan Xunzhen would rush forward.

“…Good.”

Yan Xunzhen’s fingers twitched, numb beyond her control. Only then did she belatedly realize just how tense she had been, so much so that she hadn’t even properly observed Du Zuilan’s reaction, presumptuously assuming she was about to fall.

She wanted to rub her throbbing temples, but the blood still flowing from her hands stopped her. Almost mockingly, she couldn’t help but scoff at herself, “I really thought she was going to fall. Turns out I was overthinking, how embarrassing.”

Yu Tutu shook her head, repeating, “If Aying hadn’t noticed in advance and had Du Zuilan take precautions, she’d be on the ground right now. So you weren’t wrong. You didn’t overthink it.”

Yan Xunzhen smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Du Zuilan and the others had assumed that after the staged accident this morning, Tianneng would back off once the evidence was in their hands. Instead, they escalated actually trying to make Du Zuilan fall.

It seemed they were planning to quickly destroy the evidence after Du Zuilan fell, leaving her with no way to prove what happened forced to swallow her bitterness in silence while also secretly buying media coverage to mock her for trying to frame someone else. Their scheme was well-calculated, but it only worked if they assumed Yan Xunzhen was a fool.

Fortunately, they had prepared in advance, so while the situation looked terrifying, no real harm was done.

Just moments ago, several martial arts instructors had carefully lowered Du Zuilan to the ground. Of course, that particular shot was ruined. Even the director usually the most easygoing person, had rushed to the back to demand answers from the crew about the safety checks. The set was in chaos.

Gu Yueli, seeing the commotion and the crowd gathered around, hurried over to check what was happening. As she approached, she overheard one of the martial arts instructors apologizing profusely to Yan Xunzhen: “I’m so sorry, President Yan! You got hurt because of us! We—”

Yan Xunzhen had already heard from Yu Tutu that if she hadn’t rushed forward, Du Zuilan probably wouldn’t have fallen in the first place. So, in a way, this was a mess of her own making or rather, the result of Tianneng’s underhanded tactics. There was no point blaming the ordinary martial arts instructors.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.”

Around them, murmurs spread:

“Oh my god! President Yan, what are you doing here? And you’re hurt?! Should we call an ambulance? Is there a first aid kit?! It looks really bad!”

“Even though the mechanical harness was still holding Du Laoshi, she might not have fallen, but still…”

“President Yan stepped in to help a minor actress with the harness? And her hand’s bleeding? Are you kidding me?”

“Wait, that’s really President Yan?”

“President Yan, are you okay?”

Yan Xunzhen shook her head. A sudden unease gripped her, making her reluctant to stay in the crowd. She stepped aside.

Gu Yueli stood frozen, her expression troubled, as if choking back unspoken words. Her gaze was conflicted and uncertain.

She had just pushed her way through the crowd and seen the alarming wound on Yan Xunzhen’s hand. Despite herself, she followed behind, her tone grudging but tinged with reluctant admiration:

“Yan Xunzhen!”

Yan Xunzhen raised an eyebrow and turned. Her stunning face was smudged with dirt, yet it only accentuated her striking presence like a rare rose, or perhaps a weapon, emerging from the battlefield.

“You… you really have changed lately. You’re not the same scumbag you used to be. I won’t stand in your way anymore. You…” Gu Yueli stammered, watching as Yan Xunzhen stood quietly, waiting for her to finish. The prejudice and disgust she once held had, without her realizing, mostly faded away.

Maybe this person really was different now. Maybe that was why Du Zuilan had changed her attitude and developed an unexpected interest in her.

“Go to the hospital. Don’t bleed to death.”

Yan Xunzhen chuckled and nodded.

Yu Tutu gestured to her, signaling they’d talk later by phone. Then, she and Tang Ying set off to gather evidence preparing the materials they’d need to counter Tianneng in the court of public opinion.

“Yan Xunzhen!”

From a distance, Du Zuilan now freed from the harness approached. Her face was pale, whether from witnessing Yan Xunzhen rushing to grab the harness or from the raw panic and worry that had flashed across Yan Xunzhen’s face in that moment.

Her words faltered. Lowering her gaze slightly, she said softly, “Can… can I see your hand?”

Yan Xunzhen led her away from the crowd.

Calling an ambulance would be excessive, so she planned to go to the hospital by herself. Without hesitation, she extended her palm swollen, scraped, and still bleeding for Du Zuilan to see.

Du Zuilan’s slender, soft hand, tinged with a faint blush and slightly damp, gently grasped Yan Xunzhen’s long fingers.

Yan Xunzhen’s ears burned uncontrollably once again.

She heard Du Zuilan fall silent for a moment before murmuring in self-reproach, “I’m sorry. I should have told you I’d be fine.”

Yan Xunzhen paused, then quickly reassured her, “It’s not your fault. No one expected Tianneng to stoop so low. You didn’t know either, right?”

“But…” Du Zuilan’s voice was muffled, tinged with a slight nasal tone. Cradling Yan Xunzhen’s hand in her palm, she lifted her gaze her moist eyes striking straight at Yan Xunzhen’s heart. “Did it hurt a lot?”

Yan Xunzhen’s hand stiffened involuntarily, her lowered gaze softening. “It wasn’t too bad.”

The two stood beside the parking lot, where the warm, blazing sun coaxed a faint fragrance from the leaves. The dappled shade beneath the trees lent an unexpected tranquility, the rustling shadows casting long, delicate lashes over Du Zuilan’s eyes, curved like teasing raven feathers.

Du Zuilan lowered her head, her elegant hair failing to conceal the fair curve of her neck. A light, delicate scent wafted from her.

It was the same orange wine aroma as before. Yan Xunzhen’s heart skipped a beat, bracing for another wave of dizziness yet this time, the faint pheromones proved more soothing than ibuprofen. A scalding warmth rose from the nape of her neck, easing the throbbing pain between her brows and even alleviating the wounds on her hand.

“Shall we go?” Du Zuilan withdrew her warm hand, her eyes laced with quiet concern. “To Hualing First People’s Hospital.”

They got into the car.

Du Zuilan sat beside her, her gaze unconsciously clouded with worry and a trace of unspoken thoughts. Only when the driver announced their departure and the car roared to life did she seem to snap out of it.

“Aside from your hand, is there anywhere else that hurts?”

The ache between Yan Xunzhen’s brows had faded, but the nape of her neck still pulsed erratically. She steadied herself and answered earnestly,

“My gland.”

Meeting Du Zuilan’s expression, she quickly amended, “Just a little… it’s not serious.”

Du Zuilan had only changed out of her costume hastily, traces of light makeup still lingering on her face. When she lowered her head, she exuded a fragile, icy beauty.

She retrieved a wet wipe from her bag.

Her voice was soft. “Could you turn your face toward me?”

Yan Xunzhen complied.

The next moment, a tender, damp touch grazed her cheek, gently wiping away the smudges of dirt.

Du Zuilan worked meticulously, her warm breath brushing against Yan Xunzhen’s neck. But just as her fingers neared Yan Xunzhen’s earlobe, Yan Xunzhen flinched away.

Pressed against the cold window, Yan Xunzhen shivered, realizing her reaction made her seem more like the flustered one. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she muttered, “I can do it myself.”

Du Zuilan said nothing, her warm hand covering Yan Xunzhen’s once more, the unspoken implication clear.

With her hands bloodied like this, how could she manage alone?

The cool wipe touched Yan Xunzhen’s sensitive, burning earlobe, sending a tremble through her. She pressed her back against the car door again, an involuntary, ambiguous whimper escaping her throat.

Du Zuilan’s hands paused mid-motion, her tone tinged with urgency as her slender fingers slipped and wrapped around Yan Xunzhen’s neck.

Her body was delicate yet incredibly soft, pressing warmly against Yan Xunzhen’s frame. It seemed like an innocent, anxious inquiry, yet it also resembled a cat cornering its prey before pouncing.

First extending a gentle, padded touch, she asked softly, “Are you okay?”

Yan Xunzhen froze on the spot, her mind utterly scrambled by the sudden contact.

She thought to herself, I’m fine now, but if you keep clinging like this, I won’t be for long!

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