Top Dupe CH 093 Filled With Killing Intent Part 2

A few minutes later, with the rain still falling, Sister Cui replied: [I asked around. Rumor has it that Huang Ling has decent acting skills, but he has a habit of taking photos of key actors’ interactions and selling them to gossip sites. It's just a rumor without evidence, though, or the director wouldn’t use him. Do you know what photos he took?]

Luo Yu glanced at Huang Ling, who was now looking down at his phone, no longer watching them.

[Not sure how many he took. Probably the one of Gu Xiaowei holding my face.]

Sister Cui responded immediately, excited: [Why would Gu Xiaowei hold your face?! You’re not even filming a romantic scene!]

[It started raining, and I was warming by the fireplace and almost got hit by a spark. He reached out to shield me.]

Sister Cui: [You just focus on filming. I’ll arrange for someone to look into which gossip sites Huang Ling might be dealing with, and I’ll coordinate with Meng Yu and also have a talk with Huang Ling’s agency.]

Since Sister Cui had things under control, Luo Yu knew nothing major would come of it. Besides, even if photos of him and Gu Xiaowei were posted, it would satisfy fans’ desire for moments between them. But Luo Yu was annoyed that someone was profiting off Gu Xiaowei's image.

The rain finally stopped, and in just a couple of minutes, the sun came out.

A loudspeaker sounded outside, with the script supervisor calling for the next shot.

Gu Xiaowei stood up, about to reach out to fix Luo Yu’s collar, but Luo Yu turned his head to avoid it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Huang Ling holding his phone at an angle, probably filming them again.

“Let’s go; it’s time for the next scene,” Luo Yu said, smiling politely at Huang Ling.

Huang Ling froze, the usually easygoing Luo Yu giving a smile as sharp as a blade, piercing straight into Huang Ling’s nerves, nearly making him drop his phone.

Luo Yu was already outside the door. “That rain made the mountain paths slippery, so be careful, everyone!”

Gu Xiaowei paused, glancing coldly at Huang Ling, his gaze as sharp as a dissecting knife. Huang Ling felt a dull pain in his head as if being mentally sliced, and he frantically turned away.

As Huang Ling exited, he missed his footing, landing on his backside and sliding over a meter. It was Luo Yu who helped him up.

“Hey, didn’t I just warn you about the slippery ground?” Luo Yu asked with concern.

“S-sorry…”

Huang Ling hadn’t expected Luo Yu to be so strong, lifting him up effortlessly by his arm.

Once he regained his balance, Huang Ling instinctively distanced himself from Luo Yu.

Luo Yu said nothing further, putting his hands in his pockets and heading toward Gu Xiaowei, on their way to the next filming location.

Next up was the scene where Zhuang He, played by Huang Ling, attempts to ambush Lu Pingfeng and Wen Yuchi, only to be countered.

“Everyone, get in position, day X scene X take XX! Action!”

In front of them lay a shadowy forest, the hunting lodge behind them fading into the distance.

Lu Pingfeng, with a wooden stick in hand, walked forward, speaking to Wen Yuchi behind him: "Your shocked expression—was it because you thought I strangled Li Heng?”

“What pleasure would you get from strangling Li Heng?” Wen Yuchi had Li Heng’s dagger tucked at his waist.

“Taking his breath away, feeling his struggle, sensing his life vanish in my arms,” Lu Pingfeng replied.

“Heh, come on. Li Heng, a gambler? You’d rather see him poisoned to death than waste the effort strangling him. Think about your paintings—the stag, the redback spider, the shimmering butterfly. All living beings full of spirit. Where’s Li Heng’s spirit? He’s so deep in gambling, he doesn’t even have luck.”

Wen Yuchi muttered while walking, and Lu Pingfeng, leading the way, allowed himself a slight smile.

“Then why were you so shocked?” Lu Pingfeng glanced back at Wen Yuchi, extending his stick, which Wen Yuchi readily grabbed, pulling himself up.

“My surprise was in response to your performance! I also wanted to knock out Li Heng, but I thought of hitting him on the head! Who knew you’d go for choking him? Isn’t that worth my surprise?”

After a few steps, Wen Yuchi adjusted his collar.

Lu Pingfeng laughed, “Dr. Wen, your stamina seems pretty average.”

“Wouldn’t you be tired after hours of overtime and getting dragged to a place like this? Aren’t you hungry? Tired? Are you superhuman?”

Lu Pingfeng, unusually, wore an accommodating expression, glancing around. “Once we find the other heirs, maybe we’ll get something to eat.”

“Speaking of which, when I tied up Li Heng and threw him in the hunting lodge's underground cellar, you seemed pretty happy about it.”

“Really?” Lu Pingfeng lightly responded.

“Yeah, I mean, just imagine him waking up, facing Old Han's corpse, probably trembling all over with fear, maybe even wetting himself. Then, he'd have to twist like a cocoon to try to turn away, or else he'd be stuck staring at Old Han until morning... Just thinking about it is pretty funny.”

Wen Yuchi paused and looked at Lu Pingfeng in front of him. Although Lu Pingfeng had his back turned, he clearly let out a slight chuckle.

Who said Lu Pingfeng didn’t have human emotions? He obviously had a bit of a mischievous streak.

Suddenly, Lu Pingfeng turned around, grabbed Wen Yuchi’s head, and pressed him down.

The camera zoomed in, capturing Lu Pingfeng’s cold gaze as he looked in a particular direction, while Wen Yuchi braced himself on the ground, his head shielded protectively by Lu Pingfeng.

—They had just dodged a bullet.

Two more shots followed, whizzing past their heads and splintering the bark of the tree behind them.

Closing his eyes, Lu Pingfeng assessed the direction of the gunfire and then held up a finger to Wen Yuchi, indicating that there was only one shooter.

Wen Yuchi nodded in understanding.

Lu Pingfeng then made a circling motion with his hand, suggesting they flank the shooter from both sides.

Wen Yuchi frowned, pointing upward, and Lu Pingfeng immediately understood—there was a high chance the shooter had set up an ambush point on the western cliff.

Just as Wen Yuchi was about to hand the knife to Lu Pingfeng, Lu Pingfeng pushed it back, mouthing, “The knife suits a forensic doctor better.”

With that, Lu Pingfeng crept in the opposite direction.

The two circled toward the shooter’s ambush point.

Lu Pingfeng might have been exposed because a series of gunshots suddenly rang out, causing Wen Yuchi’s heart to race. He sped up his approach to the cliff and saw a man wearing a knit cap and a black trench coat, lying in wait behind a rock with a gun.

Just as the man fired another shot, Wen Yuchi narrowed his eyes and, grabbing the knife from his waist, dashed forward as fast as he could.

The ambusher heard the noise and started to turn, but it was too late. As he tried to swing his gun around, it was jammed between two small rocks.

Wen Yuchi had already closed in, his eyes filled with cold killing intent, his knife slashing through the air with an overwhelming aura that multiplied the terror in the ambusher's mind.

“Ahhh—” he shouted, clamping his hands over his head and closing his eyes.

But Wen Yuchi’s blade lodged into the rock crevice next to his ear.

The scene came to an abrupt halt because of the scream.

“What’s going on! Who told you to cover your head and close your eyes? Are you playing hide and seek with me?” Director Sheng Yunlan yelled through the megaphone.

Huang Ling, the actor playing the ambusher, quickly lowered his hands and, upon opening his eyes, found himself staring at Luo Yu's gentle, harmless smile. Luo Yu smoothly pulled the knife from the rock, knocking loose some pebbles that clattered to the ground, making Huang Ling's heart skip a beat.

That earlier scene had been terrifying; it wasn’t acting—it felt like life and death!

“Sorry, Director! Let’s try again… one more time!” Huang Ling hurriedly apologized to everyone.

After all, Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu hadn’t missed a single line, yet when it was his turn he couldn't stay in character.

“Everyone ready! Zhuang He! Adjust your emotions! Focus! When Wen Yuchi advances with the knife, why would you cover your face? You’re supposed to grab his knife! You’re a fugitive! You’re not afraid of death; go for the knife!” the director shouted.

Luo Yu patiently rehearsed the movements with Huang Ling, even demonstrating the exact way to grab his knife.

“Why are you nervous? The blade isn’t even sharp,” Luo Yu said with a smile.

Huang Ling awkwardly smiled, but he was internally trembling. “Right… It’s just your acting was too real, and I forgot.”

“Let’s go again.”

In the second take, Luo Yu, as Wen Yuchi, quickly approached with the knife, while Zhuang He abandoned his attempt to adjust the gun and reached out for Wen Yuchi’s right hand.

As Wen Yuchi’s intense gaze bore down on him like a torrent, Zhuang He’s breathing caught in his throat. His fingertips barely brushed Wen Yuchi’s wrist before Wen Yuchi twisted it, pressing a hand against Zhuang He’s chest, and kneeled heavily on Zhuang He’s chest as he hit the ground.

“Ugh—” Zhuang He almost coughed up blood.

And Wen Yuchi’s gaze drilled into his own.

It was terrifying, and Zhuang He stared back in shock.

The scene stopped again.

“Zhuang He! What’s going on with you! In the script, you’re a hardened fugitive! You’re supposed to be tougher than Wen Yuchi! Are you weaker than a forensic doctor?”

The actor playing Zhuang He, Huang Ling, gulped and whispered, “But… forensic doctors aren’t normally this fierce…”

“Oh, my bad, my bad.” Luo Yu pulled Huang Ling up, lifting the knife. “I’ll hold back!”

Director Sheng Yunlan shouted, “Hold back! You’re worried about Lu Pingfeng being killed; you’re supposed to be desperate! If you hold back, what’s going to happen to Lu Pingfeng?”

Luo Yu’s mouth curved slightly. This was exactly what he wanted the director to say—no need to hold back; he could unleash his intensity.

Huang Ling’s throat tightened, and then Luo Yu put his arm around his shoulders and leaned close to his ear, saying, “What are you worried about? With everyone watching, it's not like I can kill you.”

The words, drawn out slightly, sounded teasing but also like a threat.

Huang Ling couldn’t help but wonder—did Luo Yu know he planned to sell photos of him and Gu Xiaowei to the gossip rags, and was this a warning?

The third take began, and Huang Ling resumed his position, mentally preparing himself.

Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, he’s only trying to scare me. Could he really kill with a prop knife?

He waited for Luo Yu’s approaching footsteps and timed his turn, once again facing Luo Yu’s stare.

The knife glinted coldly as Luo Yu's merciless eyes revealed a deadly glint. The knife came down toward Huang Ling’s face.

He grabbed Luo Yu’s wrist, feeling the weight and pressure, but Luo Yu shifted his wrist, transferring the knife to his right hand and aiming it at Huang Ling’s neck.

“Ahh—” Huang Ling broke out in a cold sweat, tensing up and shouting.

Just as the knife tip pressed against his skin, Luo Yu paused.

It wasn’t his imagination; Huang Ling heard a soft scoff.

It was an unrestrained scoff of disdain.

“Good! The knife transfer move looked great!” Sheng Yunlan praised with no hesitation.

Luo Yu smiled sheepishly. “It was just an instinctive move. I didn’t expect it to work.”

Afterward, Luo Yu bent down, clasped Huang Ling’s wrist, and pulled him up. “Sorry if I scared you.”

“No… no, not at all,” Huang Ling stammered, wiping sweat from his neck.

“Oh, really? I didn’t scare you?” Luo Yu leaned closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave. “Then I’d better try harder.”

“N-no… I’m scared!” Huang Ling nodded frantically.

The scene wrapped up for a location change.

Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu joined Sheng Yunlan to review the recent takes.

All three were silent.

“I feel like I don’t look like a forensic doctor—I look like a fugitive,” Luo Yu said.

Sheng Yunlan replied, “It just shows how much Lu Pingfeng matters to you. Even a cornered rabbit will bite.”