When she pressed the dial button for the fifth time, Lu Xiaomi decided that she could no longer deceive herself.
Chen Fu has disappeared.
*
She was very calm when she told the production team about it. The director was also quite calm after hearing this. Without saying a word, he sent someone to negotiate with the hotel. In less than half an hour, the surveillance footage from this morning was retrieved.
Lu Xiaomi sat next to the director, staring intently at the computer screen. Her face was expressionless, but a closer look revealed her pale lips.
Surveillance footage shows that Chen Fu left the hotel around 5:30 p.m.
The hotel's outdoor surveillance cameras didn't have a wide range, only showing the general direction Chen Fu left in. As a result, there were many possibilities for her escape route. While watching the video, Lu Xiaomi called Chen Fu countless times, but without exception, Chen Fu didn't answer any of them.
...
"Call the police."
Lu Xiaomi said sullenly.
Orus is a relatively remote small town with a less developed police force. Coupled with the language barrier, the production team spent a lot of time negotiating with the police. The small room was crowded with all sorts of people. The production team and hotel management were arguing, and several police officers were caught in the middle trying to break up the fight. During the scuffle, the pen used to record the case fell to the ground, and the metal nib immediately bent and deformed.
Lu Xiaomi's eyes were fixed on the rolling pen, then she bent down and slowly picked it up.
No matter how noisy the people in front of her were, she remained seated in her chair with a blank expression, as if she were a detached bystander. Qin Niannian was terrified by her ashen face and stood beside her, holding a cup of milk tea.
She picked up the pen and sat up. Qin Niannian asked her if she wanted milk tea, but Lu Xiaomi shook her head and then started bleeding heavily from her nose.
Her lower face was quickly stained with blood, and her off-white coat instantly became filthy. Qin Niannian screamed in fright at the sudden turn of events, and the noise in the room stopped instantly as countless eyes turned toward her.
"I'm going to find her."
As if a switch had been flipped, Lu Xiaomi, who was sitting in the chair, suddenly stood up. Her lack of sleep had recently weakened her immune system, and the act of standing up made her feel dizzy, so everyone's face in front of her turned into a mottled mess.
Like raindrops trickling down a car window, her memories began to drift back. Lu Xiaomi recalled the entire trip, countless images flashing before her eyes: the airport parking lot, the candid conversation at the dinner, even the kiss in the back seat. She also thought of Chen Fu's face, every expression on her face, the thoughtful look on her face after hearing that Orus had a sea.
Orus has the sea.
She grabbed a clean piece of clothing, turned around, and rushed out.
*
Lu Xiaomi has a poor sense of direction and can't tell which way is which in an unfamiliar place. She can only search along the coastline. It has been raining for several days in Orus, so the temperature at the seaside is a bit colder. The further she walks, the colder she feels. The coldness on her face is even more intense. The cold wind feels like a knife cutting her face. Lu Xiaomi reaches out and touches her face, only to find that she doesn't know when tears have been streaming down her face.
She had a poor sense of direction and wandered aimlessly in unfamiliar places searching for Chen Fu. The long walk soaked her shoes with seawater, and a biting coldness spread from the soles of her feet. In despair, she tried to pray to 0413. She called out to him countless times in her mental sea, but received no response.
The series of blows made her feel that her mind was also in trouble. Maybe there was no such thing as 0413 at all, and that transmigrating into a book and having a system was just a dream she had imagined.
Perhaps she is Lu Yu.
She knelt on the ground in despair, tears streaming down her face without her realizing it. Lu Xiaomi didn't want to reach out to wipe them away, so when she looked up, all she saw was a cold, blurry image.
In a dizzying blur, she vaguely saw a blurry figure in front of her.
Chen Fu sat on a rock not far from her.
*
A desperate roar escaped Lu Xiaomi's throat, the joy of finding what she had lost quickly filling her heart. The moment she saw Chen Fu, all those strange thoughts vanished from her mind. But perhaps because her calls were drowned out by the waves, the person with her back to her didn't react.
She struggled to reach Chen Fu's side. The tide was rising, and the cold waves crashed against Lu Xiaomi's body. Her suppressed emotions exploded the moment she confirmed that the person in front of her was indeed Chen Fu. Her body became hot from the atmosphere. She grabbed Chen Fu's arm and almost screamed as she asked her why she had run away.
Chen Fu was in pain from being pulled so hard, so she slowly turned her face away.
She held a thin red rope in her hand and said softly to Lu Xiaomi, "You've arrived."
"Can you die with me?"
*
This red string was the first gift Lu Xiaomi gave to Chen Fu on New Year's Eve not long ago. Originally, a small gold bead was strung on the red string. When Lu Xiaomi put it on Chen Fu, she wished Chen Fu good health and success at work. What did Chen Fu say to her then? Oh, Chen Fu whispered in her ear that she wanted her to love her a little longer, a little longer.
It's only been a few dozen days since the New Year, how come everything has changed?
Under Chen Fu's silent gaze, Lu Xiaomi slowly took the red thread. Chen Fu, barefoot, stepped into the seawater, and Lu Xiaomi also took off her shoes and socks. She pondered quietly for a moment, and finally uttered a few words softly.
"If you really want to, I'll go with you."
What's the point of living like this? Every day I'm troubled by unfounded things and tormented by my lover's unpredictable emotions. Didn't 0413 say she wanted to return to the real world and needed to seize a certain opportunity? Maybe this is that opportunity. Maybe she's having a dream right now, and when she wakes up she'll find herself in a warm bedroom.
So she slowly squatted down and gently tied her ankles together with Chen Fu's using the red thread.
Hand in hand, they walked towards the sea, as if bewitched. Their resolve to die suddenly became firm. The crashing waves brought waves of pain that were hard to ignore, and the red thread connecting them came loose. The little golden bead floated in the white waves.
A sudden emotional fluctuation appeared on Chen Fu's face as she leaned forward to pick up the red thread.
But the red thread was swallowed by the waves in an instant. Chen Fu was so anxious that she almost threw her whole body into the sea.
Seeing that the person in front of her was about to drown, Lu Xiaomi finally regained her senses and used the last bit of strength in her body to pull Chen Fu out of the increasingly deep water.
"What are you doing?!"
A desperate scream came from Chen Fu's mouth as she glared at Lu Xiaomi like a wounded beast.
Immediately afterwards, Chen Fu slapped the person in front of her hard across the face.
Chapter 37 CP37
It was already evening when they returned to the hotel. Having lost two people in half a day, the director was very distressed and squatted on the ground drawing circles. At this moment, he saw Lu Yu standing in front of him, completely unharmed. He immediately stood up and sang "Good Luck".
Qin Niannian pushed her way through the crowd to Lu Yu. The girl's face was flushed with anxiety. She said, "Where have you been? The production team is going crazy looking for you. They've been calling you but you're not answering."
Several pairs of eyes, some puzzled and some delighted, shot over. Amidst the probing scrutiny, Lu Yu gently lit a cigarette.
Her hair was wet, as if she had just come out of the water. She calmly apologized to the production team, saying that she was really sorry about what happened today, that Chen Fu had been found, and that she had troubled everyone with their worries.
"Chen Fu is currently experiencing some health issues and may not be able to participate in the upcoming recordings. The penalty for breach of contract will be paid to her account on time."
This is indeed the best solution at the moment. The director's tightly furrowed brows relaxed instantly. He nodded and said, "It's a pity. When are you going back to China? I can help you book your tickets in advance."
Lu Yu lit his cigarette butt and said it wasn't necessary.
Hearing that Lu Yu was leaving, Qin Niannian felt a pang of reluctance.
She was young, so she wasn't surprised to hear that Lu Yu and Chen Fu were a couple, but her attitude towards the two of them changed slightly. She secretly compared herself to Chen Fu. Evaluations of beauty are too subjective. Even if Chen Fu looked prettier than her, she was young, and youth is the most precious thing.
Seeing the person in front of her silently packing their luggage, Qin Niannian awkwardly approached. The milk tea she had poured for Lu Yu earlier had gone cold, so she bought a new one, trying to be ingratiating.
"You've left, will you come back?"
She deliberately ignored Chen Fu's presence, speaking in an ambiguous tone, but Lu Yu rejected her kindness. She quickly packed her and Chen Fu's things, refusing the milk tea with a smile. Lu Yu's left cheek was hidden in her drooping hair, but a closer look would reveal that it was abnormally swollen.
Qin Niannian exclaimed in surprise and asked her what happened to her face. She anxiously reached out to touch it, but Lu Yu subtly dodged her movement, a faint look of annoyance on her face.
That gaze was so cold that Qin Niannian froze on the spot, no longer daring to make any rash moves, just by sweeping over her.
Seeing that she was disliked, Qin Niannian could only awkwardly withdraw her hand. However, she was unwilling to leave like this. She didn't even have Lu Yu's contact information. This time, she might never see him again.
"Where's Chen Fu? Why didn't Chen Fu come up?"
In her haste, Qin Niannian could only make up some random things to say, and asked Chen Fu in a rather impatient tone. Perhaps it was because her lover was mentioned, but Lu Yu's expression softened for once.
"She's sleeping."
Lu Yu spoke with a hint of disdain, as if he were scoffing, and the look in his eyes darkened.
*
After packing her things, Lu Xiaomi took a car and left, arriving at a guesthouse in the suburbs. The guesthouse was run by an elderly couple from Orus, who originally intended to rent it out to international students in the area as affordable housing. However, it was currently the holidays, and no students needed to attend school, so the rooms remained unrented.
She asked a local friend about the accommodation, and when she returned, it was just in time for dinner. The elderly couple warmly invited her to join them. Before Lu Xiaomi could refuse, the older woman said with great difficulty that they had tried to call Chen Fu down for dinner, but the door was locked and no one answered no matter how much they knocked.
Lu Xiaomi politely declined the invitation, explaining that the lady she was sharing a room with was probably resting, as she was a heavy sleeper and usually difficult to wake up.
Hearing Lu Xiaomi's explanation, the elderly couple's doubts were somewhat dispelled. Their doubts stemmed not only from what had just happened, but also from the fact that the two of them were soaked to the bone when they arrived at the folk house, looking as if they had just experienced a great battle.
If it weren't for the call from the international student headquarters recommending the room, the couple really wouldn't have wanted to rent it to them temporarily.
After saying goodbye to the two, Lu Xiaomi turned and went upstairs. The house had a long history, and the wooden steps had probably not been repaired for a long time, making a loud creaking sound with each step.
She stopped at the doorway, took a deep breath, and unlocked the door with her key.
Chen Fu lay on the bed, motionless as if she had fallen asleep. Her hands were uncomfortably raised above her head, and upon closer inspection, it could be seen that her hands were tightly tied to the headboard with rope.
*
The feeling of having her hands forcibly bound was unpleasant, and Chen Fu's delicate brows remained tightly furrowed. Perhaps hearing the approaching footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes weren't particularly bright, but at least they looked more normal than at the beach. A ring of red marks was hidden beneath her wrists, which were bound with red hemp rope, and Chen Fu struggled slightly in discomfort. She had developed a fever after returning from the beach, and Lu Xiaomi hadn't been in the mood to accompany her to the hospital, so she was now pitifully sick alone.
Lu Xiaomi snorted and casually tossed the keys onto the table.
"The landlord came to call you for dinner, why didn't you go downstairs?"
A few hours ago, Lu Xiaomi personally tied Chen Fu's hands to the headboard, making it impossible for her to get out of bed. This person was almost asking a question they already knew the answer to. Upon hearing this, Chen Fu stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
The person in front of her didn't make eye contact with her, but rather casually stroked her cheek with his finger.
Chen Fu's cheeks were burning hot. Lu Xiaomi had just returned from outside, carrying with her aura of coldness. Her icy fingers actually made Chen Fu feel somewhat comfortable. Chen Fu was so feverish that she was a little delirious, and slowly rubbed her palm against Lu Yu's.
"If you're not hungry, then don't eat tonight."
Lu Xiaomi looked at Chen Fu, her memory still stuck at the beach a few hours earlier. The red line that had fallen into the sea was being pushed further and further away by the waves. She anxiously tried to reach out and touch it, but when Lu Xiaomi pulled her back, she became angry and embarrassed, and slapped Lu Xiaomi hard across the face.
Lu Xiaomi was stunned by her beating. She wanted to ask Chen Fu what was wrong with her, but the grief-stricken expression on the person in front of her didn't seem to be an act. So she covered her left cheek and stood there blankly.
Amidst the clamor of the waves, Chen Fu asked her if she remembered the plot of "Cultivation".
Having gone through so much, Lu Xiaomi's mind was no longer functioning properly. She was haphazardly thinking about the plot of "Cultivation." As the editor, Yan Shan loved to write dramatic stories, so the female protagonist's life was full of hardships. She experienced many tribulations on her journey to collect evidence, and finally discovered that the one who had caused her to fall into such a predicament was actually the teacher who had always tried his best to help her.
When Lu Xiaomi first saw this part of the plot, she praised Yan Shan as a genius, saying that such a convoluted storyline was what could pique the audience's curiosity. But looking back now, it all seemed ironic. Lu Xiaomi didn't know what Chen Fu was trying to say, so she stammered and couldn't speak. Fortunately, Chen Fu didn't expect her to remember. Chen Fu paused and said that the female protagonist of "Cultivation" was stabbed by her lover and died on the eve of dawn.
Will you betray me?
She raised her head, as if summoning her courage, and asked the question. In fact, Chen Fu already knew the answer, but she asked it because she was unwilling to accept it. She wanted to hear Lu Yu say it to her face, to explain everything clearly in front of her, so that she wouldn't appear as a clueless fool in front of Lu Yu. But Lu Yu didn't seem to want to answer; she just stood there, stunned.
Lu Xiaomi stood in front of Chen Fu, stunned by Chen Fu's unexpected question.
This question seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Chen Fu gave a self-deprecating laugh, then collapsed into the sea, completely drained.
*
In the silence, Lu Xiaomi gave a disdainful sneer.
She sat across from Chen Fu, slowly sipping ginger tea, a travel art book spread out on her lap.