Huh?
Little Fish arrived here without first asking what happened, but instead asked why Luo Hao was here… Shui Mingyue’s mind felt dull and wooden. “Luo Hao has been here all along. Tonight’s dinner was to treat the main creative team of the drama. Otherwise, I would not have come. A large group of us ate together. Halfway through the meal, the director and others were all gotten drunk. Yiyi and I did not drink alcohol. We drank juice.”
Seeing Wen Ying, Pei Yiyi’s heart settled.
From such a distance, Wen Ying had managed to rescue them before even arriving in person. Shui Mingyue had never encountered something like this, but Pei Yiyi could guess that Wen Ying’s background must be extraordinary.
Fearing Shui Mingyue might not explain the key points clearly, Pei Yiyi took over.
“Mingyue, let me speak.”
Having gone through danger together, Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue’s way of addressing each other had changed.
The crew had not been filming in the capital recently.
This location was over two hours’ drive from the capital.
One investor happened to be local.
With the drama nearing wrap-up, the investor said he wanted to treat the main creatives to a meal, thanking everyone for their efforts during filming.
The investor also invited a few local friends to join, all experts at toasting. The director was the first to fall.
Pei Yiyi had been worried when hearing about the dinner initially. The investor invited so many people, yet no one pressed her to drink. She relaxed her vigilance somewhat.
Shui Mingyue had even less experience.
The juice was sour and sweet, quite tasty.
Shui Mingyue finished a glass, feeling parched and her cheeks burning, but did not think much of it, assuming the private room’s air conditioning was too high.
Pei Yiyi sensed something wrong first.
It was juice, not red wine. How could it have such strong aftereffects?
Pei Yiyi and her assistant had good rapport. She excused herself to the bathroom, and the assistant grabbed the bag and followed. From the private room to the bathroom, Pei Yiyi could barely hold on. Dizzy and light-headed like a severe cold, she splashed cool water on her face at the sink while urging the assistant to contact the manager.
The manager’s phone was off!
Pei Yiyi was stunned.
Even the safest dinner was still a dinner. Pei Yiyi was not secretly taking side jobs. Her schedule was cleared with the manager. Not staying in contact, how to notify the manager in case of emergencies?
“The manager should not have turned off the phone. That was the only thought in my mind then.”
Pei Yiyi did not know yet that Shui Mingyue was affected too. She thought the manager had made some shady deal behind her back.
Probably seeing Pei Yiyi and the assistant lingering long in the bathroom, someone came looking.
It was the female manager of the club.
A woman with exquisite makeup, always smiling, around thirty-something, very charming.
The female manager brought several servers, insisting on helping Pei Yiyi back, asking if she felt unwell and offering to call a doctor.
No one tore faces with Pei Yiyi. Everyone’s attitude was polite.
But their actions were not so gentle, forcibly trying to support her.
Pei Yiyi’s assistant pretended stomach pain, locked herself in a stall and refused to come out. Pei Yiyi mumbled “Teacher Little Fish” as the female manager took her away.
The assistant hid in the stall, trembling as she called Wen Ying.
Wen Ying instructed the assistant to report to the police. The assistant wanted to but did not, as two bodyguards rushed in, kicked the door open, and dragged her out.
They had not torn faces with Pei Yiyi yet, so no need for politeness with the assistant.
In the scuffle, the bodyguards snatched the assistant’s phone, punched her head, gagged her, and locked her in an empty private room. Of course, this was learned after Pei Yiyi’s rescue. At the time, Pei Yiyi could barely save herself.
“I was supported by the female manager and realised we were heading opposite the private room. I remembered someone mentioning during dinner that this club was the investor’s own property, partnered with friends for this garden-style club. The front courtyard open to public, the back small courtyards private. I was terrified. If they dragged me there and locked me in a small courtyard, how could I escape? I wanted to run, but my body was limp, no strength at all.”
Even recalling the danger now, Pei Yiyi broke into cold sweat.
Pei Yiyi was truly terrified.
What terrified her more was, as the female manager dragged her back, at a corridor corner, she saw Shui Mingyue.
Shui Mingyue’s state was similar, completely limp.
The difference was Shui Mingyue supported by Luo Hao, heading in another direction from Pei Yiyi.
Only then did Pei Yiyi realise tonight’s dinner targeted not just her, but Shui Mingyue too.
How dare they?
Shui Mingyue was not even in the industry.
Pei Yiyi knew some in the circle might swallow such a loss.
But outsiders would not care about rules. They did not rely on this for a living. Why suffer this?
Shui Mingyue clearly an innocent in relationships. If harmed when powerless… afterwards, she might take extreme measures!
Pei Yiyi, already in peril herself, thinking Shui Mingyue might go extreme, somehow found strength to break free from the female manager.
Pei Yiyi lunged towards Shui Mingyue!
Neither the female manager nor Luo Hao reacted. Pei Yiyi knocked Shui Mingyue into a nearby storage room, quickly locking the door.
The storage room piled with tables and chairs. Pei Yiyi moved them to barricade the door.
The knock somewhat sobered Shui Mingyue. She told Pei Yiyi the juice was problematic. Luo Hao had noticed something wrong and was trying to get her out.
Pei Yiyi laughed at that.
Luo Hao saving Shui Mingyue?
Luo Hao failed to gain from Shui Mingyue, now playing good guy. Pei Yiyi did not believe it.
Moreover, the director and others were drunk. Why was Luo Hao still sober?
Unless…
“Unless Luo Hao was in on it from the start.”
Wen Ying continued Pei Yiyi’s words.
From when Pei Yiyi started recounting, Wen Ying had listened without interrupting, until now.
Wen Ying praised Pei Yiyi’s bravery.
In that situation, without active self-rescue, how could they wait for police?
Pei Yiyi felt embarrassed by the praise. “I did not think much then. I just felt they could not succeed so easily…”
Resisting might not save them.
It could even anger the bad people, leading to violence against Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue.
But without resisting, there was truly no hope.
Pei Yiyi told Shui Mingyue her assistant must have called Wen Ying for help. Even if Wen Ying could not come personally, she would find a way.
After hiding in the storage room, the female manager reacted. Pei Yiyi heard her order servers to fetch keys.
The door barricaded, the two girls used everything movable, even their bodies to brace, not daring to relax.
Shui Mingyue found spare cutlery in a box, handed Pei Yiyi a fork, gripped a steak knife herself.
The female manager found keys useless. Bodyguards came to kick the door.
Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue heard the investor raging outside, calling his men useless.
Shui Mingyue heard Luo Hao pleading for her, saying she was just an outsider.
Luo Hao wanted to take Shui Mingyue away, pretend nothing happened, guaranteeing she would say nothing.
Pei Yiyi feared Shui Mingyue tricked, held her hand tightly.
Shui Mingyue thought Pei Yiyi feared abandonment, repeatedly assuring she would not leave alone.
Both young girls were terrified.
In the cramped, stuffy storage room, they together resisted violent entry.
In such tension, time passed inaccurately.
It felt like one or two minutes, or ten or twenty. Pei Yiyi heard outside quiet down.
A voice said police arrived.
The investor said make up an excuse to dismiss them. Even this they could not handle, truly useless.
But police were not easily fooled.
For some reason, police were certain something happened, insisting on checking the entire club.
Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue thought rescued, but the investor ordered bodyguards to ram harder.
The door already damaged, moving barricades only a matter of time.
This investor feared no police. Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue despaired!
“At that moment, I heard a phone ring outside.”
“Someone called the investor. He was clearly unwilling, but after hanging up, stopped the bodyguards.”
Pei Yiyi heard the investor say it was all a misunderstanding. He drank too much, wanted to joke with Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue.
He said Pei Yiyi smart, knew what to say to police. He was close to her company’s boss. Her female lead role was his recommendation. Hoped she not ungrateful.
Even if Pei Yiyi lied, he was innocent. They had no time to do anything.
Kicking doors? It was his club’s door. His property. Drunk, venting on own assets not illegal.
The investor left after speaking.
In two minutes, police rescued Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue.
Shui Mingyue feared Pei Yiyi swayed by threats and bribes, settling. First words to police: go to hospital for blood test.
The juice was problematic!
Shui Mingyue indeed emotionally inexperienced, but having written dozens of romance novels, many with professional backgrounds, one male lead a criminal investigation captain, she knew some procedures.
Wen Ying praised Pei Yiyi earlier, now praised Shui Mingyue.
Pei Yiyi saving Shui Mingyue was self-saving too.
In that situation, without mutual encouragement and cooperation, how to hold until police?
Wen Ying not there, but from their recount, ached for the girls’ ordeal, yet glad her whim leaving contact saved potential tragedy.
In previous life, likely same happened.
Pei Yiyi and Shui Mingyue not rescued.
Shui Mingyue retired from writing, perhaps extreme.
Pei Yiyi quit industry, married.
The drama’s huge scandal, though outsiders unaware of their harm, affected normal broadcast!
“Have you told police all this?”
Shui Mingyue nodded. “I told them everything.”
Shui Mingyue did, so Pei Yiyi had not?
Wen Ying turned to Pei Yiyi. “Are you afraid of the company? I saw your manager come. Did he threaten you?”
