After Crossing Through Ten Worlds, I Failed To Run Away

hem he was fine.

“I will be there during filming tomorrow.
I’ve discussed it with the crew and they’ve agreed.” Herinos stroked Ji Ning’s hair and smiled, “Your condition is worrying and I won’t feel at ease if I can’t follow you.”

Ji Ning looked up at him, guessing that this so-called ‘discussion’ was probably Herinos using his power of suggestion, but this was exactly what he wanted.
If Herinos hadn’t insisted on going, he would have had to find a way to make him. 

Ji Ning spent the day resting.
In the evening, the director personally visited him to check his condition.
After checking that Ji Ning was alright, the director said the central optical brain confirmed it was highly unlikely for another earthquake to occur so soon.
As the studio had been repaired and strengthened, they would continue filming the next day.

The next morning, the cast and the crew arrived early at the location.
Because of Herinos’ suggestion, the others showed no objections to Ji Ning’s entourage and he seamlessly blended into the crew.

“Good morning Senior, have you had a good rest these two days?”

Gu Chen smiled brightly, taking the initiative to greet Ji Ning.
Even in the face of Herinos’ cold gaze, the smile on his face didn’t fade at all. 

In front of everyone, of course, Ji Ning would continue his act, maintaining his cold persona.
He gave Gu Chen a nod in greeting but didn’t speak.
Faced with his attitude, several rookie actors who had wanted to speak to him became hesitant, but Gu Chen didn’t seem to mind and continued talking to Ji Ning.

However, before they could exchange more than a few words, Herinos put his arms around Ji Ning’s shoulders and pulled him close, blocking his eyes with his hands so he couldn’t see Gu Chen.

“Xiao Ning, didn’t you say you still needed to read the script?”

Herinos intimately held Ji Ning, glanced at Gu Chen absently, then said to Ji Ning with a smile, “I’ll play along with you.” 

“Ok.”

Naturally, Ji Ning couldn’t refuse, he slightly raised the corners of his lips and nodded.

His smile was slight, but it was extremely good looking.
As if the ice had melted, his cold expression softened, revealing a gentle face that several of the newcomers were unable to look away from.

This was the first time they had seen Ji Ning smiling.
After all, they were filming a horror movie and there had been no reason for him to smile before. 

“The two of them have a really good relationship.”

The newcomers gathered together and muttered a few words, the sound wasn’t loud but it was audible to Gu Chen.

“…”

Gu Chen’s expression didn’t change, but he lowered his head, looking away from the two people leaning against each other and left. 

Once the crew had finished preparing, the filming of ‘Ghost Mansion’ began again inside the old house.
The actors took their place within the holographically simulated forest outside the building, whilst the crew positioned themselves closer than before, to prevent the unexpected situation that had occured last time.

Due to his power of suggestion, Herinos had also joined the crew, watching the practice shots filmed by the cameras alongside the director.
He was unaffected by the exposure to sunlight.
As a descendant of the royal vampire bloodline, the rays couldn’t harm him.

The recordings captured previously had been destroyed when the invisible cameras failed, therefore the film had to be shot from the beginning.
Without Huo Wuling, the filming went smoothly and after only a few days, they were preparing to film the final scenes.

According to the plotline, the group was chased by ghosts and killed off one by one, until only the three characters played by Ji Ning, Gu Chen, and the female lead remained. 

In fact, according to the original script of ‘Ghost Mansion’, the role played by Gu Chen should have died a few scenes back, but Gu Chen had performed so well in previous shots that the director has specially revised the script to give him a bigger role.

The director had not informed Ji Ning and the female actress about the revised script, but since Ji Ning had read the entire plot of ‘Rebirth of the Interstellar Actor’ he knew that Gu Chen would play the final boss of the film, after ‘Li Gui’ his character becomes possessed by a ghost.

“Huh, huh…”

Chased by the ghost, the three of them raced inside the dark basement, blocked the door, and sprinkled a circle of salt they had desperately stolen from the kitchen, trapping the ghost outside the door. 

Inside the hastily drawn salt circle, Ji Ning and the female lead finally felt safe and slumped down, knowing the ghosts were unable to cross the line.

They would never have thought that inside of their salt circle, the most deadly terror was already among them, as it was them who had personally invited the ghost to their refuge, and so on…

Following the script, Ji Ning lowered his head and gasped as he noticed the oil lamp they had found earlier in the scene was emitting a faint light into the darkness.

“…” 

Ji Ning suddenly felt a little nervous and his spine went rigid.
He knew from the original novel that in the next scene, Gu Chen’s character ‘Li Gui’ would reveal his true colours and stab him with a knife.

Although the knife in Gu Chen’s hand was a simulated holographic projection, in order to achieve a realistic reaction, the projection would simulate a certain amount of pain in Ji Ning’s body.
Ji Ning was still a little afraid of pain.

It was almost time…

Ji Ning counted down the seconds in his heart, and gripped at the sleeves of his shirt to prevent himself from instinctively dodging the knife.
But before he had fully prepared himself, he heard a soft ‘pfft’ sound. 

It was the sound of a knife piercing a body, but it didn’t come from him.

Ji Ning was taken aback.
As soon as he raised his head a spray of blood splattered across his face.
The actress’s expression was a little dull as she silently fell to the ground, a knife sticking out of her chest.

A blood-stained hand stretched towards him, his fingers icy cold and unnaturally pale as he tilted Ji Ning’s chin up.
Slowly, Gu Chen’s figure entered his eyes.

The handsome man looked down at him, then gently wiped away the blood from his face, smiling. 

“At last…I can have you.”

The comments on JJWXC are so funny for this chapter.
Here are my personal highlights:

‘Female lead: …I’m so angry, I’m the female lead but I’ve been fed a lunchbox by you gays’

‘Female lead: what use are gays (－‸ლ)’ 

Poor female lead, if only Ji Ning wasn’t so pretty.