Chapter 4: Gu Yan

The glow from the screen illuminated my terrified face, pale and streaked with tears. My trembling fingers tapped open Ji Ge’s WeChat; the halo of the screen’s light made my expression appear even more pitiable.

Ji Ge’s message was brief and to the point: “Something urgent came up, Jiang Dian. You head back to the hotel first.” It was followed by a deliberately vague ellipsis.

I cursed inwardly—what could possibly be more important than me at a time like this?

“I can’t go back now! You have to come save me! Otherwise, you might never see me again!”

After all, Ji Ge was still Fu Shuhua’s man; if anything happened to me, he would be partly responsible.

Twenty seconds passed with no reply. It seemed Ji Ge really was tied up.

One hand pressed against the cold body of the Phantom, the other supporting my aching waist, I hunched over cautiously, stealing a glance at the group of Black men arguing with the car owner.

My legs shook uncontrollably, especially the inner thighs, assaulted by waves of soreness and numbness—that was Fu Shuhua’s mark.

Clenching my teeth, I fought to suppress the tremors just to keep myself standing.

I was still young. I didn’t want to die.

Even if I never became famous, a bright future still awaited me.

Seeing no sign of the men dispersing, I gritted my teeth and, while their attention was fixed on the Phantom, I crouched low and hurried toward the garage exit like a frightened cat.

I thought, as long as I could reach the exit, I might be saved.

But I had clearly overestimated my luck and underestimated their vigilance.

My footsteps echoed in the empty garage; no sooner had I run a few steps than one of the Black men spotted my intention.

“That girl’s trying to run!” one shouted hoarsely.

The others immediately ceased their commotion and spun sharply around, pouncing on me like starving wolves, their momentum fierce and unrelenting.

I had neglected to check the lucky days today.

Biting down hard, I steeled my resolve, and before they could encircle me, I changed direction and yanked open the rear door of the black Phantom.

No time for grace—I practically crawled inside in a tumble.

Click—

I quickly locked the door behind me, heart pounding wildly.

Curled up tightly in the back seat, I gasped for breath, my chest rising and falling violently.

Disheveled strands clung to my sweat-soaked forehead; tears still marked my cheeks, mascara smeared beneath my eyes like a faint shadow.

My once exquisite makeup was ruined, lipstick faded to reveal originally rosy lips now pale and cracked.

My dress was wrinkled and slightly torn from the earlier scramble, exposing smooth, slender legs; my high heels had vanished somewhere along the way.

The dim interior of the car held me slumped against the seat as I caught my breath.

Raising my head, I faintly discerned a man sitting there.

His tall frame seemed fused with the seat itself.

Dressed in a sharply tailored dark suit with crisp shoulders, his posture was erect and imposing.

I struggled to make out his face, catching only a furrowed brow and thin lips pressed into a line, radiating a cold aura.

He was clearly displeased at my unexpected intrusion.

“Get out,” the man said coldly, his voice low and magnetic.

I shuddered with fear; crystal tears slid down my delicate face, my glossy black hair tousled, making me appear all the more vulnerable.

“Sir, please help me. There are people outside trying to kill me!” my vision blurred by tears.

I wept like a crushed flower, shoulders trembling.

Panicked, I glanced out the window.

Greedy eyes pressed against the glass, pupils dilated like wild beasts.

Their heavy breaths fogged the glass, a thin mist that seemed ready to shatter the window any second and tear me apart.

My fingertips whitened from gripping so hard, my body leaning forward.

I clutched the man’s arm, desperate to keep him from pushing me back into the jaws of those feral men.

The suit’s fabric was smooth and cool beneath my fingers, a sharp contrast to my heated, terrified body.

In this life-or-death moment, it was almost laughable that I still noticed such trivial details.

He frowned at the noisy men outside, seemingly startled by my sudden move.

I was no longer as terrified as at first, though still curled inward.

My body trembled slightly, like a frightened fawn, tearful eyes fixed on him, choking out, “Sir, please help me... I don’t know why they’re after me... I’m just an actress... a simple actress. I haven’t done anything…”

I deliberately emphasized the word “actress.”

A fragile, innocent actress, cornered and desperate.

Needing a man’s protection.

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

Through the mist, I carefully watched his expression.

The light was dim; I could only make out his brow tightening further.

Inside, I quietly rejoiced and continued my plaint: “I still have so many dreams to fulfill... parents to care for... if I die, what will happen to them...”

I sobbed brokenly, hopeless and helpless, as if I might faint at any moment.

Sneaking a glance with my peripheral vision, I saw his tense shoulders and smiled inwardly, knowing my acting was working, so I poured more effort into my performance.

I gripped his arm harder, my nails nearly digging into his flesh, crying even more heart-wrenchingly: “Please... sir, you’re a good man. Save me... I don’t want to die...”

I deliberately pressed my body closer to his, my soft chest brushing faintly against his arm.

I knew men were visual creatures, especially in situations like this—few could resist a vulnerable beauty throwing herself into their embrace.

Sure enough, I felt his body stiffen slightly; his breath grew a bit hurried.

I smiled inwardly, realizing my plan had succeeded.

He looked down at me, his gaze complex.

“Jiang Dian?”

I froze, wiped my tears, and slowly lifted my head.

In the dim garage light, I finally saw his face clearly.

A sharply defined visage, prominent brow bones deepening his eye sockets as if harboring endless secrets.

Beneath a high, straight nose were thin, sensual lips, pressed slightly together, exuding a stern aura.

“Gu... Gu Yan?”

I stared in disbelief, instinctively calling out his name.