Chapter 2: The Film Empress Who Jumped Off a Building to Commit Suicide (2)

Bai Qian had always been calm.

Even in this dire moment, she managed to keep her cool. She raised her hand and firmly gripped the wrist of the woman clinging to her like a snake, trying to rouse whatever scraps of reason remained in her. “Open the door first, Shao Zizhi. You can calm down—this is just a minor—mmph.”

Her lips were suddenly seized, cutting off her unfinished words.

As if to punish her for this lack of understanding and obedience, Shao Zizhi bit down on those cool, soft lips. Worried she’d hurt her, she then soothed the spot with her tongue before reluctantly pulling away. With a grievance in her voice, she said, “I can’t!”

Those slightly warm lips carried the woman’s natural sweetness, mingled with the rich aroma of alcohol.

The booze had an unusual edge to it—faintly bitter, laced with the subtle tang of medicine. Bai Qian sensed something off just as the woman’s soft tongue slipped into her mouth.

The lingering wine, spiked with potent aphrodisiac, mixed with saliva and was swallowed whole.

Her once-clear eyes gradually clouded over with a thin haze.

She tried to push the woman away, but Shao Zizhi seemed to sense it. As their lips parted, she reached out and pressed her finger to the biometric lock.

Click.

The door swung open.

Bai Qian shook her head sharply, fighting off the dizzying lightness that was starting to creep in.

“Sister, if you’re going to be a good Samaritan, see it through to the end!” Shao Zizhi, spoiled rotten by her family since childhood, quickly revealed the petulant side of a little princess.

Her goal wasn’t achieved yet. She rose on tiptoe, pressing her feverish lips toward the woman once more.

Bai Qian dodged just in time, and the refusal instantly reduced the impatient little beast to tears.

“Woo… Sister dislikes me.”

That delicate, tender tone paired with her devastatingly beautiful face—such a pitiful, wronged expression was pure torment.

Bai Qian lowered her gaze and took several deep breaths, ignoring the woman’s soft whimpers. She seized her wrist and successfully dragged her into the bathroom.

With one smooth motion, she lifted the woman into the bathtub and climbed in after her, turning on the faucet. “It’s summer now—a cold soak should be fine. I’ll run the water for you. Just sit tight and wait. I’m going to buy some medicine, got it?”

Her only response was Shao Zizhi’s nonstop sobbing. “Wahhh… Sister bit me. It hurts so much… Sister, it hurts.”

Bai Qian knew she hadn’t used much force, but the woman’s pitiful cries wouldn’t stop. She turned her head and unexpectedly met those tear-filled eyes.

Shao Zizhi pouted as she leaned in close, opening her mouth to show off her pink little tongue. “Sister bit me and it hurts. Wahhh… Sister’s so mean.”

This coquettish beauty laid herself bare without a shred of defense, her shy vulnerability delivering a massive visual shock.

The suppressed effects of the drug stirred restlessly once more under that gaze, tormenting her anew.

Unaware that she was testing the last threads of the woman’s self-control, the naive girl cautiously tugged at her clothing. Pleading, she said, “Sister, help me. I really feel awful.”

Her delicate hand caught the woman’s, guiding it to the hottest, most aching spot on her body. “Sister… my mouth hurts. Wahhh… and here hurts too.”

The final string of reason snapped.

Bai Qian’s pure, clear eyes darkened with a single drop of ink, the shadow spreading to paint them deep black.

~~~

It was still before dawn.

Bai Qian stepped out of the hotel entrance and called a ride, glancing at the time as she did.

2:24 a.m.

Shao Zizhi was truly exhausted. When Bai Qian changed her shoes and left, the woman was still curled up under the covers like a boneless little kitten, sleeping soundly with her eyes closed.

Thinking back on what she’d just done made Bai Qian’s head throb.

Her mission was only to help Shao Zizhi escape the Scum Male Protagonist, alter her fate of jumping to her death, and ultimately become a true Film Empress of renown and power.

In the end, she’d thwarted the scum’s first scheme—for now—but she’d gone and slept with the Female Protagonist herself. How terrifying.

A private car with its high beams on pulled up in front of her. The lights dazzled her eyes; she raised a hand to shield them and heard the driver’s voice from the window. “Miss, is this your ride?”

Bai Qian shut the door casually. As the car pulled away, she let out a sigh.

Fine. What was done was done—regretting it now wouldn’t change a thing.

Shao Zizhi had been in the industry for years, steeped in the entertainment world’s cesspool. She’d surely seen her share of one-night stands.

She was currently riding the wave of her career’s ascent, following the path of a talented actress who relied on skill rather than hype. Apart from the drama that had just wrapped production, she had three more leading TV series awaiting broadcast, and next year there was even a major film by a renowned director who had specifically requested Shao Zizhi for the female lead role—shooting hadn’t even begun yet.

The body Bai Qian had transmigrated into belonged to an utterly ordinary eighteenth-tier actress in the entertainment world.

In terms of status or background, they were worlds apart.

Shao Zizhi might even feel relieved once she woke up, grateful that Bai Qian had the good sense to slip away quietly beforehand.

Otherwise, if some paparazzo snapped a photo, it would spell disaster from out of nowhere.

Bai Qian had weighed all the pros and cons and let out a sigh of relief, only for a fresh wave of helplessness to wash over her.

The scumbag wasn’t the type to give up easily. Having chosen Shao Zizhi as his stepping stone, he’d surely have another scheme lined up now that this one had failed.

She could no longer follow the original plan of cozying up to the female protagonist and becoming her friend. Her strategy for thwarting the scumbag’s schemes would need an overhaul.

With no clear ideas coming to mind, Bai Qian rubbed her throbbing temples and decided to give her brain a break for now.

After all, she wasn’t the only one who’d been worn out not long ago—it went beyond just Shao Zizhi.

~~~

Bai Qian’s plan sounded perfect: head home for a hot shower, then crash into a deep, undisturbed sleep until she woke naturally. Only afterward would she brainstorm a detailed counterplan for “stopping the male lead from stirring up trouble.”

But that plan was shattered by her phone blaring at exactly seven o’clock.

She was so dead to the world that she could barely pry her eyes open. Fumbling blindly, she grabbed the phone, answered it, and accidentally hit the speaker button.

A middle-aged man’s thick, booming voice erupted from the speaker. “Bai Qian! My new tenant’s coming to view the place at eight. Have you packed your crap and gotten out yet?”

Bai Qian was still groggy, frozen in place as the landlord kept ranting. “I took pity on you, a young girl scraping by out there, so I waived the rent and gave you a few extra days. You didn’t forget that promise you made not long ago, did you? You swore you’d be out today. I fell for your sob story last time, but not again—no matter how much you play the pitiful card, it won’t fly with me. I’ll be there at 7:40 sharp. If I catch you still squatting in my place, don’t blame me for tossing your stuff into the street!”

With that, the line went dead with a sharp click.

His final words cracked into a shrill screech, like nails raking across a chalkboard. Bai Qian jolted fully awake.

Shaking off the daze, she zeroed in on the key details from the landlord’s tirade. Piecing it together, she grasped the dire straits this body was in.

She was flat broke—couldn’t even scrape together next month’s rent.

Last night’s chaos had unfolded at breakneck speed. Even after absorbing the original host’s memories, Bai Qian hadn’t had time to process it all.

Now, with a clear head and the landlord’s words fresh in her ears, she scrapped any thought of more sleep and began piecing together the “original host’s” backstory.

Half an hour later, Bai Qian dragged two suitcases out of the apartment.

Adding it all up, she had exactly 202 yuan to her name.

The cash that had hit her account last night? The original host had wired every last cent to her bloodsucking foster mother within ten minutes.

The original host had been adopted into that family at age three. A year later, her foster parents had a son of their own.

With her position in the household already shaky, she was slowly poisoned by the toxic mindset that all her future earnings had to go toward subsidizing her little brother.

That explained how a contract actress with a steady base salary had sunk to the point of missing rent.

That family weren’t saints, but they’d at least raised her. The piecemeal sums she’d sent back over the years more than covered any debt of gratitude.

Bai Qian had no plans to demand the money back. Nor would she keep playing sacrificial lamb to support them like the original host had. The moment she stepped out the door, she blocked every one of their contacts.

Now came the real question: what was her next move?

Shao Zizhi could wait. Per the original plot, the female protagonist—who’d originally shared a fleeting fling with the male lead—holed up at home for a full month after that incident.

She only crossed paths with him again when she attended a charity gala, where she fell victim to yet another “accident” he’d orchestrated in secret.

With the female protagonist safe for the moment, Bai Qian could table that for now.

Her manager only handled two artists: Bai Qian herself and a young starlet, the fresh-faced newbie who had signed with the company just last year.

The starlet had made her debut in a low-budget youth campus web drama, playing the third female lead. Though her acting was nothing to write home about, her character was likable and suited her image perfectly, so she ended up getting a bit of buzz.

The company quickly lined up another campus drama for her along similar lines, only this time she landed the second female lead.

Her role was just as endearing, and to everyone’s surprise, the little web series blew up. Overnight, the starlet’s star rose, and conveniently, the screenwriter from her debut drama had been tapped to adapt a popular novel IP. They recommended her to the director.

Barring any mishaps, filming was set to start next year. This one had solid backing—decent budget, professional promotion, the works. Her manager was banking on it to launch her career for real, so lately, all their attention had been on her.

To the original host, the manager might as well have been invisible.

The drama the original host had just wrapped? She’d gone and auditioned for it on her own. Luckily, her skills were up to snuff, or they wouldn’t have kept her.

Knowing she wouldn’t land any gigs for a while, Bai Qian decided to find a quicker way to make some cash first.

She had to sort out survival, after all.

The entertainment industry was overflowing with fake sisterhoods.

For an obscure eighteenth-tier actress like Bai Qian—no money, no connections—it was damn near impossible to find even one or two genuine friends in a shark tank like this.

But she wasn’t counting on anyone else anyway. She sat on the bench at the bus stop, suitcase in tow, scrolling through Moments for a bit.

One post caught her eye: a small-time director she’d worked with before was hiring extras to play palace maids—200 a day, meals included.

Jackpot!

She tapped into their WeChat chat and started typing, but then her phone rang.

Unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Is this Miss Bai Qian?”

The voice was cool and detached, yet oddly familiar.

“Yes, it is. May I ask who this is?”

A soft scoff came through the line, dripping with innate entitlement. “Your family must’ve taught you well, Miss Bai—eat your fill, wipe your mouth, and vanish, leaving me here all alone, too weak to even pull up the covers properly. And now you don’t even recognize my voice? Impressive, Miss Bai.”

As if to sell the bit that she’d really caught a chill, the caller tacked on a couple of practiced coughs.

Shao Zizhi had downed some medicine last night; her whole body had burned with fever, her voice gone all soft and pliant.

Now the drug had worn off, and with the cold she’d caught on top, her tone was icy with a hint of rasp. It was no wonder Bai Qian hadn’t placed it right away.

The little princess, spoiled rotten since childhood and used to everyone pandering to her, waited a few seconds without a reply. Her irritation flared. “Feeling guilty, Miss Bai? Too ashamed to even speak to me?”

Bai Qian had no idea why Shao Zizhi wasn’t following the original plot—waking up, going home to recuperate quietly, and calling it a day. Instead, here she was, ringing her up to demand answers. Still, Bai Qian figured she owed her an explanation about last night.

Sure, things had gone all the way because she’d given in to temptation, but if she was being honest, it wasn’t entirely her fault alone.

“Miss Shao, I—”

“You’ve got some nerve calling me Miss Shao! After everything you did to me last night! Where are you, Bai Qian? Don’t you dare move—I’m coming to find you right now!”

She must’ve sent someone to track down Bai Qian’s number the moment she woke up. Bai Qian could clearly hear her scrambling out of bed on the other end.

It took real effort; after some rustling and huffing, Shao Zizhi spoke again, breathless. “Don’t even think about hiding from me! Even if you won’t tell me, I’ll find out where you are. So you’d better come clean now!”

Bai Qian could tell the woman wanted real closure. And reflecting on last night, yeah, she’d gone too far under the influence of that aphrodisiac. With a sigh, she relented. “I’ll come to you. Stay put and rest. I’ll be there soon.”