Chapter 22: Another One Scared to Tears

In the depths of the late-night film set, Ji Yu sat on the steps, smoking a cigarette. The crew members walking by all gave him a wide berth. They couldn't tell if the man was a genuine pervert or a method actor with terrifying, off-the-charts talent. But until they were sure which one it was, who dared to get close? What if he really was a creep?

Ji Yu tossed his cigarette butt aside, spotted the actress who had just finished playing the female lead coming out in her street clothes, and jogged over to her. The actress shrieked in terror and scrambled backward.

"Don't come any closer!"

Ji Yu offered a sheepish smile. "I'm not a bad guy. It was all just acting. I'm sorry about earlier; I might have gotten a bit too carried away."

Once the actress calmed down, she swallowed hard and said, "I'm fine, just... please, don't come any closer!"

"Right, I won't. My apologies." Ji Yu stepped back a few paces. *It's not my fault my acting is too good! I'm a good guy!*

Just then, Li Yapeng emerged after removing his makeup, smiling as he walked up to the actress. "It's all just acting, don't take it to heart. Are you alright? Let me take you out for a meal to apologize on his behalf."

The moment the actress saw Li Yapeng, she let out a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of security. The two walked off, chatting and laughing.

Ji Yu: "???" *You two are actually going on a date? Am I just your tool for picking up women? Damn it! I'm so jealous I could actually turn into a pervert!*

Watching the actress climb into Li Yapeng’s car, Ji Yu activated his bug. *I want to see what you two are really up to!*

The sounds of their conversation soon crackled through the device. Li Yapeng used a gentle, soothing tone to comfort her, and the actress cooed coquettishly, claiming she was scared and didn't want to go home alone. Ji Yu couldn't help but spit in disgust and cut the feed. There was no doubt about it—those two were definitely hooking up tonight!

Ji Yu activated his tracker, and a transparent map appeared before him, a small red dot pulsing to show Li Yapeng’s location. He tracked the car while hailing a taxi home. By the time he arrived, the red dot had stopped moving. There had been no stops along the way; the destination was a hotel. Li Yapeng had even skipped the late-night snack.

Ji Yu dug a reporter's number out of his bag and headed to a public phone booth to dial. Li Yapeng had a girlfriend, after all—the model Zhai Ying! A scandal like this would be huge news. After using a voice changer to leak the tip, Ji Yu hung up and went home to sleep.

***

Let’s see if the reporters can catch them in the act. Lying in bed, Ji Yu thought of Teacher Li. She was off filming in Hengdian and he wouldn't see her for days. How did their relationship end up being long-distance? Ji Yu sighed; he’d have to settle for hugging his quilt tonight.

He slept until dawn. After washing up, he went out to buy a newspaper and grab breakfast. There was no news about Li Yapeng’s infidelity, which left him deeply disappointed. Munching on a fried dough stick, he called the reporter from last night.

"What the hell? Why didn't you expose Li Yapeng? Do you want any more scoops in the future or not?!"

"I just took photos of that woman leaving his room! It’ll be out this afternoon!" the reporter whispered in explanation, not wanting to lose such a good source of information.

"Fine, I’ll check the news this afternoon. If it's not there, don't expect to work with me again!"

Ji Yu hung up, massaged his throat, and let his voice return to its normal state. Li Yapeng being outed for cheating wasn't the end of the world; these days, people didn't hold celebrities to high moral standards. But if he kept getting involved in messy scandals, his reputation would sour, and his agency would naturally start to abandon him. Ji Yu didn't expect to finish him off with one blow—it was a slow game.

When he arrived at the set, he saw Li Yapeng. The man looked so refreshed and smug that it made Ji Yu’s teeth ache. *Must have had a great time last night! Jealousy is making me lose my mind!* When they filmed their scenes together later, he’d have to find a way to take a swipe at him. *Forget it for now, time to film.*

Today they were shooting an investigation scene, and it was his turn to showcase his righteous side. Let’s go!

The dialogue-heavy scenes were much simpler—no explosions, no complex choreography, and the shoot went smoothly. Ji Yu filmed all day, but that evening, he had more scenes as the perverted predator. The original actress had died, but the film still had to be completed, including the assault scenes. The replacement actress refused to film the scene, so they brought in a stunt double. In the story, Ji Yu’s cousin was the one playing the role; she was desperate to become a star. Ji Yu felt a surge of anger, thinking she had no self-respect, and decided to teach her a lesson.

The perverted predator was on the prowl again!

Sun Li was trembling on set. She had heard how Ji Yu’s performance as the perverted killer had terrified the previous actress. Ji Yu felt quite innocent. *Can you all just be professional? I’m an actor, not a real pervert!*

He walked over to Sun Li and handed her a lollipop. "Why do you seem so afraid of me?"

Sun Li squeezed out a smile. "No, why would I be?"

"Good. For the upcoming scene, I might be a little rough. I hope you don't mind."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand." Sun Li gripped the lollipop, feeling slightly more at ease. *Someone who likes candy can't be that much of a pervert, right?*

Soon, the scene began. Once he put on the black outfit, Ji Yu’s aura shifted. He turned his head and gave Sun Li a grin. The lollipop in her hand clattered to the floor.

That look was terrifying, especially when his gaze swept over her—it felt like he was looking right through her, as if she were completely naked! Sun Li was truly frightened now, but the director was already calling for action. She tried hard to steady her nerves, but when Ji Yu grabbed her from behind, she completely lost control. It felt like being coiled tight by a cold, venomous snake, its thin, flicking tongue sliding over every inch of her skin.

She panicked. She screamed. She struggled!

Ji Yu felt like he was wrestling a pig. Fortunately, this scene was just to scare his "cousin," so he didn't need to drag it out. Once the performance was sufficient, he let go and ran off. As soon as he was out of the camera's view, he transformed back into the paragon of justice, the bane of evil! *Wait, no—the agent of justice, the bane of evil!*

Ji Yu snapped back quickly, but Sun Li was still reeling, wailing in terror. Seeing this, Ji Yu could only crouch in the corner; it wasn't the time to go over and comfort her. He’d probably just make her cry harder. *Sigh... having acting skills that are too good is a sin.*

Ji Yu glanced at Li Yapeng and saw him looking eager to jump in and play the hero, which made him roll his eyes. *You bastard, you're really using me to pick up women! This is the last straw!*

Ji Yu stood up and blocked him, smiling. "Brother Peng, you got a smoke? I'm all out."

Li Yapeng had no choice but to pull out his cigarettes and start chatting. He looked over at Sun Li and saw that Old Cai had arrived at some point and was comforting her. *What a shame, the junior sister is quite pretty.*

Li Yapeng looked away and smiled at Ji Yu. "You should dial it back a bit when you're acting. It's too scary."

Ji Yu nodded with a smile. Seeing Old Cai walking toward them, he had a pretty good guess as to what was happening. Li Yapeng’s little escapade from last night—it had blown up!