Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The rain prepared by the production team grew heavier, almost covering all surrounding sounds.

And amid the pattering rain, Pei Chuzhi heard a sound that made her heart nearly jump out of her throat.

—“Click.”

Xing Ye twisted the kitchen doorknob open.

This is bad, Pei Chuzhi thought.

Although she had placed Sister Wang behind the counter so the “corpse” wouldn’t be visible at a glance, if Xing Ye stepped inside, he would discover the case had happened.

Would she become the first murderer in “Who Is the Murderer” history to be eliminated before the investigation even began?

At the critical moment.

Pei Chuzhi suddenly saw darkness—her vision plunged into dimness.

It took two seconds to realize—the villa lost power.

At early spring evening, sunlight was fading.

The living room had already been dim, and without lights it fell into darkness.

Xing Ye also froze.

Then, under Pei Chuzhi’s silent prayers, he released the doorknob.

He turned back to the coffee table, looked around for the breaker, and walked toward the basement, disappearing down the stairs.

Pei Chuzhi didn’t dare delay. She rushed upstairs.

The hallway was darker. She returned to her room and checked the time.

5:15 PM.

Fifteen minutes remained until gathering. But based on Xing Ye’s actions, Sister Wang might be discovered early.

After thinking, she messed up the bedsheets, rubbed her eyes, then knocked on the next door.

She needed Ji Yingshan as an alibi.

But there was no response.

Instead, the lights came back on—Xing Ye found the breaker.

Confused, she raised her hand to knock again. The door behind her opened.

Tong Yang peeked out. “Are you looking for Miss Ji?”

Her hair was wet, wearing pink rabbit pajamas.

Pei Chuzhi yawned. “Yeah, I woke up and it was dark, I got scared.”

They exchanged looks—mutual appreciation of acting.

Tong Yang opened the door. “I knocked earlier. She wasn’t here.”

“…”

Pei Chuzhi froze, sensing trouble.

Tong Yang pouted. “I called Ding Yang, he said he was outside fixing the rack. I wanted to find you and Miss Ji, but neither opened.”

She blinked. “You both secretly went out?”

Pei Chuzhi forced an explanation. “I was sleeping.”

Tong Yang smiled. “You slept through thunder?”

“Thunderstorms are best for sleeping.”

Pei Chuzhi replied calmly, but her mind was in chaos.

Ji Yingshan was clearly not in the room—was the blackout just now related to her?

Tong Yang’s words sounded like they carried hidden probing. Had she discovered something?

And Xing Ye had been fixing the flower rack just fine, so why did he suddenly run to the kitchen?

One question after another made Pei Chuzhi uneasy, but to maintain her timid persona, she still found an excuse to enter Tong Yang’s room.

The script didn’t specify what they should do during this time, so Tong Yang wiped her hair with a towel and, unable to hold back, asked curiously, “Zhizhi-jie, are we going to wait here until someone finds the body? And why isn’t Yingshan-jie in her room? Could she be another victim?”

“Teacher Ji probably wouldn’t…”

Before Pei Chuzhi finished, the director’s voice came through their microphones: “Sorry, don’t step out of the script to discuss.”

The two fell silent.

Pei Chuzhi mentally reviewed everyone’s timeline since entering the guesthouse, preparing for the upcoming discussion.

From the current information, all six artists had loopholes in their alibis.

She herself had been sleeping, Tong Yang had been showering, and Ji Yingshan’s whereabouts were unknown.

As for the three men fixing the flower rack, each of them also had a few minutes alone.

Looking at it this way, her situation wasn’t too dangerous.

The one who would need to prove innocence most was actually Ji Yingshan, who hadn’t been seen by anyone.

Time passed. Shortly after five-thirty, hurried knocking sounded.

Pei Chuzhi opened the door.

Ding Yang rushed in shouting, “Sister Wang has been killed!”

In a flash, Pei Chuzhi and Tong Yang both slipped into acting mode, performing different styles of “How could this be? That’s terrifying, I don’t believe it,” before hurrying downstairs.

The kitchen door stood open. Tong Yang acted timid, stopping in the living room.

Pei Chuzhi walked to Xing Ye, about to hide behind him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, pressing the back of her head.

“Don’t look,” his deep voice sounded.

Pei Chuzhi: “???”

Even if we don’t want them to know we’re a fake couple, you don’t need to press me into your chest!

His warm, solid chest was extremely clear.

She breathed in his rain-tinged scent—damp and clean.

Like carefully blended perfume, faint yet addictive.

Her cheeks warmed. She feared suffocation, so she moved slightly and murmured, “Wait, I can’t see the scene.”

“…”

Xing Ye adjusted, letting her lift her head, then covered her eyes.

Light filtered through his fingers.

Through the gaps she saw Xie Yiqian standing seriously in the kitchen, with a pool of blood.

She couldn’t see Sister Wang and hesitated.

Tong Yang finished her fear performance and approached.

Next second, a very real scream sounded.

Tong Yang jumped out like a rabbit on fire.

Pei Chuzhi was stunned, thinking the corpse shouldn’t be that scary.

She lifted her head, intending to check.

Xing Ye made a small motion to stop her, but she didn’t notice.

Pei Chuzhi walked around the counter. The moment her gaze fell on Sister Wang, she froze as if instantly iced over.

—Sister Wang’s face was covered with vicious bloody slashes carved by someone.

Her heart tightened. If not for the actress’s chest still rising and falling, she might have thought a real murder had happened.

Pei Chuzhi staggered back a few steps. This time there was no acting at all—she instinctively clutched Xing Ye’s arm.

For a few moments, she almost wanted to say, “I didn’t slash her face, there must be someone else.”

An unconscious attempt to seek comfort.

Xing Ye frowned. Looking at the girl pale with fright, an indescribable emotion spread in his chest, making him extremely irritated.

I told you not to look.

He wanted to criticize her, but the words became gentler: “It’s fine. It’s fake. After Ding Yang came in and got scared, she even chatted with us.”

Pei Chuzhi nodded dazedly.

The director’s voice came again: “Everyone, don’t step out of the script.”

Xing Ye’s irritation found an outlet. “Tsk. You don’t warn actors before doing horror effects? Who’s responsible if someone gets scared?”

Director: “…”

He didn’t dare retort, turning to the makeup artist. “That scary? I thought it looked good.”

Makeup artist rolled his eyes. “Anyone would be scared. This is suspense, not horror.”

Xie Yiqian also rubbed his brow. “Sorry, can you adjust the makeup? Even I might have nightmares.”

Filming paused.

The makeup artist removed the makeup and replaced it with a less intense version.

While waiting, Pei Chuzhi and Tong Yang squatted with water bottles.

“So scary…” Tong Yang sniffled. “I didn’t dare ask them to change it.”

Pei Chuzhi was even more shaken.

She knew how Sister Wang originally looked, so the difference chilled her.

But Tong Yang was younger.

She hugged her. “Don’t cry. They’re changing it.”

Tong Yang sniffed. “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Of course.”

Pei Chuzhi liked Tong Yang.

She wiped her tears. “Go fix your makeup.”

Tong Yang nodded. “Zhizhi-jie, you’re really comfortable to hug.”

Pei Chuzhi twitched.

After Tong Yang left, Pei Chuzhi stood up.

She turned—and saw Xing Ye by the stairs.

She stepped back. “You scared me. Don’t you make noise?”

“There’s carpet,” he said hoarsely.

Pei Chuzhi paused slightly, feeling that although Xing Ye’s voice was low, it shouldn’t be this hoarse.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, she looked up and saw the light from the high second-floor ceiling fall quietly onto his shoulders, making the man’s tall figure seem bathed in a halo of warm colors.

Perhaps the tone of the light was too gentle; Pei Chuzhi curved her lips into a smile. “I should thank you for the makeup issue. If you hadn’t spoken first, Tong Yang and I probably couldn’t have continued filming.”

Xing Ye gave an “mm,” his expression somehow a bit awkward.

Pei Chuzhi thought she had made things too serious, so she changed to a cheerful tone and said with a smile, “But even so, you shouldn’t stand behind without making a sound. So, tell me—how much did you hear?”

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

But it was too late to stop.

Xing Ye glanced at her, half helpless and half teasing. “I only heard the last sentence. She said…”

His Adam’s apple rolled unconsciously, and his hoarse voice sounded softly in the stairwell, “You’re really comfortable to hug.”

Pei Chuzhi: “…”

Author’s note: Thanks to the little angels who threw overlord tickets or irrigated nutrient solution during 2019-12-04 21:17:36~2019-12-05 21:26:20~

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Mo Jiu 10 bottles; Eveyifan 5 bottles; Jiabao ovo 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!