We Are Filthy, Born From Mud - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Yes, They Are Indecisive. The Priority is to Play Yu Yulai Well…

Zong Yougu truly couldn’t understand why she had secured the role of Yu Yulai; she racked her brains but couldn’t come up with a single reason.

She lay in the motorhome in a comfortable position, holding the script that had been delivered to her.

The drama was titled A Guide to Student Socialization, but it wasn’t a simple story set against a school background; it was mixed with many supernatural elements, such as rising from the dead and time loops.

Zong Yougu’s eyes scanned line after line, reading with extreme focus, her brow never unknotted.

In the script, Yu Yulai is the protagonist. Her classmates disappear one after another. One day, the quiet, eccentric classmate, Lin Lingwan, tells her that she knows the truth. Lin Lingwan leads Yu Yulai to the rooftop and then leaps off right before her eyes. Traumatized, Yu Yulai stands frozen; by the time she reacts, Lin Lingwan is standing before her once again.

Lin Lingwan tells her that the missing classmates are all trapped here, looping through this single day, and only true death can allow them to leave. Having lured Yu Yulai here as the only person capable of freely entering and exiting both worlds, Lin Lingwan wants Yu Yulai to find a way to lead them out.

Zong Yougu’s brow finally smoothed out.

So that was it. During the audition that day, the scene the director described was actually Yu Yulai’s part. No wonder the screenwriter sitting nearby had looked so surprised.

However, Zong Yougu did not have full confidence in the character of Yu Yulai. After all, the Yu Yulai in the script was lively, wise, and steady—almost every positive adjective could be used to describe her. This was too great a departure from Zong Yougu herself; she couldn’t even begin to understand Yu Yulai’s logic of action.

Without understanding, there is no empathy; without empathy, it is difficult to achieve a perfect performance. Zong Yougu had worked her way up from being an extra and had filmed many scenes. Thus, fooling the director, the camera, and the audience wouldn’t be a problem, but she knew that in this state, she probably wouldn’t be able to satisfy herself. She truly couldn’t lie to herself; only a perfect performance was worthy of her.

“What are you thinking about? Why is your brow so tight?” Zong Liangu, sitting opposite her, asked with a smile.

Whenever they went out, Zong Liangu always concealed all her obvious characteristics and deliberately altered her tone of voice. Consequently, when these words reached Zong Yougu’s ears, they carried a hint of sarcasm.

Zong Yougu casually tossed the script at Zong Liangu, and it landed accurately in her hands. Zong Liangu leafed through it, the rustling of pages particularly noticeable in the car. Zong Liangu’s reading speed was also very fast, her eyes darting back and forth; in less than fifteen minutes, she had skimmed the entire script.

She gave a light chuckle, and with a flick of her wrist, the script was thrown back onto Zong Yougu’s knees.

“Finished?” Zong Yougu asked with some surprise.

Zong Liangu gave a slight nod.

“Do you have anything to say? Any thoughts after reading it?”

Zong Liangu thought for a moment before saying, “The script is really well-written.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

Zong Yougu’s brow furrowed. She asked, “Don’t you think the character of Yu Yulai is very difficult?”

“Is she?” Zong Liangu quirked an eyebrow.

“I can’t understand Yu Yulai at all. In my eyes, many of her actions are irrational. Look, she gets dragged into another world by a classmate, gets set up, yet she still stands there with a face full of righteousness, vowing to save everyone. Isn’t that insane?”

“True.” Zong Liangu’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “Then let’s not act in it. Let’s turn around and go home right now.”

Hearing this, Zong Yougu’s eyes widened instantly, and she cried out, “How can we do that! This is my first time as the lead; how can I give it up?”

Zong Liangu began to laugh loudly. “Exactly. So complaining now is useless. Besides… I actually feel like this role was tailor-made for us.”

“Hmm?” Zong Yougu quirked an eyebrow curiously.

“Look, in the script, the character of Yu Yulai has quite a few dialogue-heavy scenes and monologues. Playing this role definitely requires nuanced emotional expression, which you are very good at. Additionally, she has quite a few action scenes; she has to leap from buildings and chase classmates. I can certainly do those better than any stunt double or action director.”

Zong Yougu became thoughtful. She propped up her chin and looked out the window. The light outside was excellent, the sun shining directly in, making her hair sparkle.

“You have a point. I am a person, and Yu Yulai is a person; humans always have some commonalities. Even if there aren’t any, I can definitely deliver a perfect performance with my skills.”

Zong Yougu regained her usual pride. She looked out the window; everything was so good. It was late spring, and the once-bare branches were now covered in thick green leaves. One look was enough to make one’s mood improve involuntarily.

Zong Yougu couldn’t help but hum a song. She didn’t know many songs; the ones she could hum at will were just the few the director-mother used to hum in the orphanage back then. Before she could finish, she felt two kicks to her shin. She looked up and met Zong Liangu’s eyes.

“Have you forgotten something?”

Zong Yougu acted as if she hadn’t heard and continued to hum to herself.

She felt a bit irritable. Zong Liangu was always like this, interrupting her good mood without any sense of timing. No wonder she had a short life in her past world; she really deserved it. Zong Yougu thought mean-spiritedly.

“Escapism is useless. You promised me before that you would deal with Zhang Yinyang before the official start of filming.” Zong Liangu’s voice was calm, but it gave Zong Yougu a sense of pressure.

Zong Yougu shrugged and said, “She hasn’t come looking for me. If I rush to give her money, anyone would know something’s up. I’m not going to do something that alerts the enemy like that.”

Zong Yougu spoke nonchalantly, but she wasn’t as composed as she appeared on the surface. These past two days, while Zong Liangu was away, she had checked her spare phone countless times. But she hadn’t received a single message, a stark contrast to before.

Zong Yougu was also uneasy. On one hand, she worried Zhang Yinyang would act up again. On the other hand, she was afraid something had happened to her. After all, Zhang Yinyang had a bad personality since childhood; it wasn’t impossible for her to have been beaten to death in a sack. If she died just like that, it would be too easy.

Zong Yougu frowned.

“I said I could help you kill her. Since coming here, I’ve been law-abiding and a good citizen for a long time. My hands happen to be itching; I can help you solve this trouble. How can you be so ungrateful?” Zong Liangu spread her hands, her tone sounding somewhat innocent.

“Indecisive,” Zong Liangu pointed a finger at her.

Zong Yougu slapped Zong Liangu’s palm. After a crisp sound, her own palm felt a bit numb.

“Yes, I’m indeisive. I just can’t harden my heart; any slight change makes me hesitate. I’m indecisive, so what? But are you any better?” Zong Yougu reached out, her finger pressing heavily against Zong Liangu’s brow.

“Me? How could I be indecisive? Heh, do you know how many people I’ve killed? Do you know how many people’s pleas I’ve heard? I’ve never wavered, not once! Your words are completely baseless!” Zong Liangu’s speech grew faster, and her pitch tended to rise.

Zong Liangu wanted to say more, but she was interrupted by Zong Yougu’s laughter.

“You can be cold-hearted only because those people you killed had nothing to do with you. You were simply indifferent to them. By the same token, you can strike at the Zhang Yinyang of this world only because you have no emotional connection to her. In other words, it’s easy for you to talk when it’s not your problem.”

“What?”

“My memory has always been good; I remember everything you’ve said. I still remember you saying that in your world, you were an assassin and Zhang Yinyang was a police officer. You said you died before Zhang Yinyang even suspected you. I don’t believe she never suspected you; I don’t believe she never posed a threat to you. You should know that here, the worst outcome for me is a ruined reputation, but for you, if you take a wrong step, you will die. Yet you still let Zhang Yinyang live. Why don’t you act?”

“Because…” Zong Liangu looked away, her lips a bit pale.

“Is there even a need to hesitate? Because you are just as indecisive!” Zong Yougu began to laugh, the wide grin distorting her features.

Zong Liangu suddenly grabbed Zong Yougu by the throat.

Zong Yougu’s voice dropped instantly, but she continued to laugh. She stubbornly resisted the pressure on her throat and said in a hoarse voice, “Stop it. You can’t kill me. If you could have brought yourself to do it, you would have done it long ago.”

Zong Liangu unconsciously released her grip and fell back into her seat, her chest barely moving.

The argument did not continue. Zong Liangu ignored Zong Yougu. She simply turned to look out the window, all color gone from her face, appearing even paler in the golden sunlight.

Zong Yougu didn’t speak again; she just watched Zong Liangu. Zong Liangu had seen her in a mess so many times; it wasn’t too much for her to observe Zong Liangu this time, was it? Zong Liangu’s trembling, her shaky breathing, the panicked look in her eyes… all of it was captured by Zong Yougu.

She looked at Zong Liangu triumphantly, a strange sense of pleasure arising in her heart.

“So, what do you want to do? Just sit and wait for death?” Zong Liangu’s voice was very soft, her pinky finger trembling slightly.

“We’ll see when the time comes. I won’t die anyway,” Zong Yougu said irrelevantly.

A bad premonition flashed through her chest, but when she tried to think about it carefully, it was untraceable. She shook her head, casting aside the insecurity in her heart.

What had happened to Zhang Yinyang? What threats would the future hold? Zong Yougu disregarded it all. At worst, she’d die—dying would be just fine.

The motorhome rocked as it drove toward the set of A Guide to Student Socialization, delivering Zong Yougu and Zong Liangu to the upcoming opening ceremony.

The priority was to play Yu Yulai well. That was all.