Top Dupe CH 093 Filled With Killing Intent Part 1
“After killing people, you still think you can go back and inherit his wealth? Man, are you out of your mind?” Wen Yuchi rolled his eyes upward.
“You don’t understand my uncle’s influence! He’ll make it happen! I can kill the others and claim it’s justifiable because we’re forced to fight for survival. His lawyers are excellent and will ensure I get off without punishment. If I don’t do it, I’ll die from poison within 24 hours!”
“What if the whole poisoning thing is just a lie?” Wen Yuchi asked again.
“The person who read out this inheritance rule to us… he was my uncle’s driver. He died from the poison right in front of us. Do you think we should believe it or not?” Li Heng replied, tears streaming down his face. “I must be cursed to have such an uncle. He was always stingy with family, never giving us a penny, no matter how rich he was. I failed in business, got into debt, nearly got my legs broken, and he wouldn’t lend me a dime. Now, on his deathbed, he pulls this nonsense!”
Hearing this, Wen Yuchi felt a headache coming on. “The world really is big… there are all kinds of lunatics out there.”
Lu Pingfeng was listening nearby, standing across from the fireplace. The firelight cast his shadow on the wall, changing shape, as if the demon within him was slowly breaking free.
Wen Yuchi didn’t turn around, his back to Lu Pingfeng.
“This reminds me of one of your paintings,” Wen Yuchi said.
“Which one?”
Mentioning his artwork softened Lu Pingfeng’s tone considerably.
“Hunger. The one collected by Zhuang Jie. I remember it depicts a nest of young hawks. The mother hawk, wounded, fell from the edge, leaving a poisoned mouse behind. The young hawks, unaware, fought each other over the mouse and ended up all dead.”
“You’ve seen it?” Lu Pingfeng asked.
“I’ve seen every painting on your portfolio list,” Wen Yuchi said.
Lu Pingfeng slowly walked over from the fireplace and stood beside Wen Yuchi, gazing down at the back of Wen Yuchi’s fair neck.
“There’s one more painting you haven’t seen.”
“Which one?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
At the time, Wen Yuchi didn’t know that Lu Pingfeng had left a side profile of him on the wall of his studio.
Wen Yuchi held a dagger, lightly poking Lu Pingfeng’s chest with its tip. “Hey, didn’t you hear? As long as you kill me, you can leave this place safely and inherit Zhuang Jie’s vast fortune.”
To his surprise, Lu Pingfeng took Wen Yuchi’s dagger, walked behind Li Heng, and held the blade against his throat.
Wen Yuchi was alarmed, “Hey! What are you doing?”
“If I kill him and then kill everyone else, I can take you away from here,” Lu Pingfeng replied, expressionless like a statue. His wrist was about to twist when Li Heng, terrified, began struggling desperately.
“Hey! Are you out of your mind? In the end, it’ll still just be the two of us left, and Zhuang Jie will still only let one person live! What’s the point of killing everyone?”
“Yes, I mean everyone except you.” Lu Pingfeng smiled, looking at Wen Yuchi.
He was including himself among the "everyone."
Wen Yuchi felt a shiver down his spine. “There has to be another way! If you go along with Hunger, you’ll be playing right into Zhuang Jie’s hands! Are you really willing to become just another character in his story, under his influence?”
“What way?” Lu Pingfeng tilted his head. “Do you know this is a gift from Zhuang Jie to me? He’s pushing me past that boundary, to experience taking life, to depict real death, not merely ‘imitate death scenes.’”
“But haven’t you lost your fascination with death? Haven’t you recently painted something beautiful, full of life? Maybe Zhuang Jie saw it and was displeased. If that’s true, why follow the inspiration he’s set for you? You should be chasing your own inspiration.” Wen Yuchi’s voice softened.
Lu Pingfeng didn’t respond, just looked at Wen Yuchi with his deep gaze.
“Listen, they need our antidote. If we disappear for long enough, they’ll all die without it. Or, we could use our antidote to save them. That way, they won’t come after us for the inheritance.”
“No, for the inheritance, they’ll still turn on each other. If I’m right, Li Heng was chosen because he’s already deep in debt. If he doesn’t repay it, he’s as good as dead. So even if he takes the antidote, he’ll still try to kill the other heirs.”
“No… No, I don’t owe that much!”
But Li Heng’s panicked and guilty expression confirmed Lu Pingfeng’s suspicion.
“See, this is what Zhuang Jie loves to collect—human greed.” Lu Pingfeng chuckled.
He was naturally handsome, and with this smile, a chill spread outward from him, seeming to wrap the entire space in icy threads.
“We… we could immobilize each heir one by one. If they die after 24 hours, that’s their bad luck. If they survive, Captain Zhao will eventually find us,” Wen Yuchi suggested, slowly approaching Lu Pingfeng and grabbing his wrist, looking into his eyes. “Believe me, blood spraying from a wound is too direct; it lacks any subtle beauty. It has fixed trajectories, without any creative potential.”
Lu Pingfeng smirked and let go. Wen Yuchi immediately took the dagger back.
Just as Wen Yuchi exhaled in relief, Lu Pingfeng suddenly wrapped an arm around Li Heng’s neck, tightening his grip, and closed his eyes, a horrifying, pleased expression crossing his face.
Li Heng struggled but eventually slumped down.
It all happened too quickly, and by the time Wen Yuchi reacted, it was too late.
“What are you doing!” Wen Yuchi rushed over to check Li Heng’s pulse, his body tense with worry.
Lu Pingfeng let his arms fall calmly. “I tried it out. You’re right. There’s no meaning in it.”
Wen Yuchi looked at Lu Pingfeng with wide eyes, his expression filled with intense emotion, yet his gaze penetrated through Lu Pingfeng. It wasn’t blame or shock, but a more profound certainty.
The hunting lodge was silent, with only the crackling of the fire in the fireplace and their hearts beating.
In that silence, it was as if the world existed only in Wen Yuchi’s gaze at Lu Pingfeng.
Everyone held their breath, not wanting to break the delicate balance.
Sheng Yunlan, propping his chin on his hand, stared at the screen, wishing this moment would last longer.
Seated to his left was the assistant director, on his right Yan Jun, and behind him stood Nie Yangchen.
Yan Jun, an experienced actor, felt his breath caught in his throat watching Gu Xiaowei’s expression as Lu Pingfeng choked Li Heng. Gu Xiaowei’s intense, almost ravenous look felt like a long-starved demon finally tasting blood, ready to fully unleash. Yan Jun was struck by Gu Xiaowei’s performance, wondering if he’d even remember his lines if he were to play Wen Yuchi opposite Gu Xiaowei’s Lu Pingfeng.
But Luo Yu held steady. Not only steady, but he also remained fully present in the powerful, immersive aura that Gu Xiaowei created.
No matter how much Gu Xiaowei pulled the scene into Lu Pingfeng’s world, Luo Yu remained grounded, like an anchor in the depths of the ocean.
Standing behind the director, Nie Yangchen exhaled slightly. It wasn’t just the complexity of the scene and the long lines that impressed him, but that Sheng Yunlan had the confidence in both actors to shoot three continuous scenes in one take.
Nie Yangchen had his doubts. Even experienced actors make mistakes, like forgetting lines or missing their mark.
But these two didn’t make a single error. They carried everyone’s emotions into the scene, an immersive experience that edited films struggle to convey.
Skill and chemistry—both essential.
Earlier that morning in the van, Nie Yangchen overheard someone say that Bai Ying’s role was popular, boosting Luo Yu’s career, implying he owed his success to the character’s charm. What nonsense. Bai Ying’s character would never reach Luo Yu’s level with anyone else.
In ‘Counterattack’, Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu elevated each other.
In ‘Beast and Rose’, each frame of their scenes together brims with the contrast and unity between them.
Sheng Yunlan hadn’t called “cut.” Luo Yu kept staring at Gu Xiaowei, his gaze deepening, shifting the scene’s center from Gu Xiaowei to Luo Yu, enhancing the atmosphere.
Then the firewood in the fireplace crackled loudly, snapping reality back, startling the actor playing “Old Han” into a small shoulder twitch. The tension created by Luo Yu and Gu Xiaowei dissolved.
The “corpse” sat up, pressing his palms together apologetically. “Sorry! My bad! I slipped up!”
Sheng Yunlan finally lifted his megaphone and said, “That’s a wrap. Let’s get some close-ups and cover those extra lines!”
The frozen moment resumed.
Cameras reset, returning to the start of the track.
Luo Yu took a breath, patting his chest as Gu Xiaowei approached, giving him a light tap on the shoulder.
“You really went all out choking Li Heng! I was afraid you’d actually suffocate him!”
Having witnessed Gu Xiaowei’s strength firsthand, Luo Yu was still a little shaken from that scene. Because of this, his expression as Wen Yuchi in the current scene appeared very genuine.
"What about you? Do you think Lu Pingfeng would really strangle Li Heng?" Gu Xiaowei asked.
"Ah?" Luo Yu stopped, took a deep breath, bent down to pick up his script from a small chair, and unexpectedly whacked Gu Xiaowei's head with it. "We've been acting together for so long, don't you know whether Wen Yuchi believes Lu Pingfeng would actually kill someone?"
"Then why did you look at me so surprised? Just to create suspense for the audience?"
Luo Yu smirked and beckoned Gu Xiaowei over with a finger.
Gu Xiaowei leaned in towards him, surprisingly obediently.
"To test whether Lu Pingfeng actually cares what others think of him."
Saying this, Luo Yu's eyes curved in a smile as he picked up his script and walked over to Ye Shengyi for a makeup touch-up.
Gu Xiaowei lowered his eyes, sighed lightly, and then smiled.
"Brother Gu, what are you smiling at?"
Ah Yan, who came over to do Gu Xiaowei's makeup, thought he was seeing things. Did Gu Xiaowei not only let Luo Yu mess around with him but also smile at his back?
"Just smiling at someone with too many schemes," Gu Xiaowei replied.
As for this scene’s reshoot, Sheng Yunlan was meticulous, raising even the gaze interactions between Lu Pingfeng and Wen Yuchi to a higher standard than before.
With all these back-and-forths, the entire morning passed by.
But the weather changed quickly; right after lunch, the previously clear sky was suddenly filled with clouds.
At this time, Luo Yu and Gu Xiaowei were filming the scene of leaving the hunting lodge to search for the other heirs.
Who could have known, after only a few lines, it started pouring rain.
Luo Yu was looking at Gu Xiaowei's back when he suddenly turned around, grabbed Luo Yu's shoulder with one hand, and shielded his head with the other, pulling him towards the tent.
Behind them, staff members shouted.
"It's raining! How did it suddenly start raining?"
Luo Yu and Gu Xiaowei had just ducked into the tent when the rain started pouring down heavily.
The most important equipment was the camera. Luo Yu grabbed a waterproof tarp from inside the tent and handed it to a crew member rushing past them.
They put on raincoats and quickly went out to help.
After packing everything up, some people stayed in the tent to monitor the equipment, while Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu returned to the small hunting lodge.
Even through the wooden door, they could hear the heavy rain outside.
"This rain comes quickly and goes just as fast. But for your outdoor scenes later, be careful not to slip," the assistant director reminded them.
"Thank you."
The two sat on small chairs by the fireplace, drying their damp shoes and sipping hot coffee.
Water had gotten inside Luo Yu's collar, so he leaned close to the fire, stretching his neck. Just as sparks nearly jumped onto his face, Gu Xiaowei immediately cupped his cheek to pull him back.
"Are you alright?" Luo Yu anxiously checked Gu Xiaowei's hand.
Luckily, there were no burn marks on his palm or the back of his hand.
"I should be asking what you were thinking?" Gu Xiaowei frowned at him, his voice dropping.
"My collar just got a bit wet..." Luo Yu trailed off, glancing over Gu Xiaowei's shoulder and spotting an actor who seemed to be taking a photo of them.
Who was that again? Looked like one of the heirs, Zhuang Jie’s nephew, Zhuang He...
Luo Yu lowered his head and checked the cast list for the day, finding the actor for Zhuang He was named Huang Ling.
Luo Yu sent a message to Sister Cui: [Sister Cui, do you know an actor named Huang Ling? It looks like he took a photo of me and Gu Xiaowei.]
After sending it, Luo Yu felt a bit strange. He and Gu Xiaowei weren’t in a relationship, so what did it matter if a photo was taken?