ATIMFL – Chapter 30

September. The still-scorching sun turned the entire city into a giant steamer. Even without much movement, sticky sweat clung to everyone.

Zhao Zhichun would sneak into Li Chu’s room whenever he had free time, not for anything else, but purely to freeload on the air conditioning.

“Li Zi, you’re even more chilling than this AC.” Zhao Zhichun looked at the figure sitting at the desk in the room and couldn’t help but rub his arms.

Li Chu had successfully lost weight. At eighty pounds, she sat upright on the wooden chair, her black hair cascading down her back, her posture graceful.

Hearing this, she turned around. Her palm-sized, slightly pale face conveyed a sense of fragility, but if one stared into her clear, black and white eyes, a chill would run from the soles of their feet to the top of their head.

“Li Zi, you could totally act in a horror movie like this.” Zhao Zhichun rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, repeatedly telling himself that this was a crime drama, not a ghost story.

“I think so too.” Li Chu felt that sometimes Qin Mu’s contrast was quite chilling. The longer she played Qin Mu, the more immersed she became, and the calmer Li Chu’s mood became.

A plan that had been continuously refined and adjusted throughout adolescence was enough to make Qin Mu unusually calm. And precisely because she wasn’t ordinary, she could lie without batting an eye.

A few days ago, they had officially held the opening ceremony, and filming for Die at Dawn and Dusk had officially begun.

The story began with Qin Mu reporting a crime on a cold, rainy day. Filming outdoors was obviously unsuitable, and artificial rain was too much trouble. Director Ji had checked the weather forecast for days with no luck, so he decided to film the later scenes first, and then the beginning.

Zhao Zhichun had outdoor scenes, while Li Chu had indoor scenes these past few days, acting out Qin Mu’s fabricated memories. She had to play both Qin Chao and Qin Mu. The short segment had just finished filming, and Director Ji told her to take a break.

“Brother Zhao, sit further away, you smell.” Li Chu only noticed the smell when Zhao Zhichun got closer and quietly pinched her nose.

“Hey, I just came back from the landfill. Whoa, that smell is something else, pungent and sour, straight to the top of your head. Want a whiff?” Zhao Zhichun grinned and leaned towards Li Chu. He had just finished filming the scene with the male corpse at the landfill. Needless to say, everyone on set reeked.

“No, no, no.” Li Chu completely dropped her Qin Mu persona and scurried to the other corner of the room, pulling Qian Duoduo, who was sitting there, to act as a shield.

Qian Duoduo, as if facing a formidable enemy, displayed the same protective stance as Tang Congnan, spreading her arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

The more she dodged, the more Zhao Zhichun wanted to tease her. He cackled, “Hahahaha, come on, who told you to trick me so badly in the drama?”

Zhao Zhichun felt like he wasn’t playing the male lead, but a poor little thing being played around with.

Li Chu exclaimed in mock terror, “Don’t come any closer!”

“I’m coming!” Zhao Zhichun rubbed his hands together and stepped forward, only to find a resistance behind him.

Eh? Eh? Eh?

Zhao Zhichun turned around and met a fake smile.

“Having fun?” Ning Manqing held Zhao Zhichun’s collar with two fingers, her expression very gentle, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, sending a shiver down Zhao Zhichun’s spine.

“No fun, no fun.” Zhao Zhichun shook his head. He was only a year younger than Ning Manqing, but seeing this older sister, he felt intimidated.

“Go change. Director Ji said we’re filming our first encounter scene later.”

“Aren’t we off work already! Why are we working again! Isn’t that a daytime scene?” Zhao Zhichun thought he could rest tonight, but he had to go back to work. Is this what it means to be a worker?

“It’s changed. He said it flows better with the previous scene, so we’ll just shoot it as a night scene.” Director Ji wasn’t rigid about following the script during filming. If he found a better way to present it, he would change it immediately.

Zhao Zhichun rushed to change his clothes, and the sour smell in the room gradually disappeared.

Li Chu, seeing Ning Manqing’s gaze wandering over the table, knew what she was looking for and took out a wet wipe from her bag and handed it over.

“Teacher Ning, are you filming your first appearance scene?”

“Yes. Want to come and watch?” Ning Manqing took the wet wipe from Li Chu and asked while wiping her fingers.

The slender, white fingers were covered with a layer of moisture, the neatly trimmed, rounded nails a healthy pink, the joints evenly spaced, very beautiful.

Ning Manqing threw the wet wipe into the trash can and, as if to confirm whether her fingers still had any odor, brought them to her nose and sniffed.

This action instantly reminded Li Chu of Ning Manqing during her susceptible period, how she had pulled her fingers from her body and sniffed and licked them.

Different from her usual sensuality and wildness.

Li Chu’s mind went blank for a moment, and she subconsciously nodded.

Ning Manqing lightly tapped her head and left with a smile.

As night fell, it wasn’t as muggy outside.

Li Chu followed them to the filming location and sat on a small stool outside the set.

Qian Duoduo was holding a small fan for her. Li Chu saw that she was getting tired, so she took it herself.

“Sister Li, do you want some water?” Qian Duoduo, with her hands free, wanted to do something else.

“No, I’m not thirsty. Is everything going smoothly with Brother Nan?” Tang Congnan had flown back a few days ago because he wanted a promotion. He didn’t want to just be an assistant agent under Hu Yi. He had big dreams.

Before leaving, he held Li Chu’s hands, looking at her with teary eyes, saying that he would definitely bring her better resources in the future. Li Chu gestured for him to hurry up and leave, saying that if he didn’t get to the airport soon, his luggage wouldn’t be checked in.

“It’s going well. He asked about you earlier. I said you were fine.” Qian Duoduo was always paying attention to Li Chu, even taking on Tang Congnan’s share of concern. It wasn’t that they were being nosy, but they were genuinely worried that Li Chu would get too deep into her role and end up suffering.

“By the way, Sister Li, Brother Hu asked me to tell you that the advertising fee has been paid and the after-tax share will be in your account soon.” To maintain her focus, Li Chu rarely looked at her phone and often missed messages. Hu Yi also asked Qian Duoduo to relay messages.

“The ad’s been released? Okay, I got it.” Hearing that money was coming, Li Chu perked up. She could pay off her debts and have savings! This was the motivation to work hard!

In the scene, Zhao Zhichun was acting out the police officer’s irritable side. He had showered and changed before arriving, only to be made up to look unshaven. To ensure Zhao Zhichun could portray Li Rui’s agitated state, with his eyes bloodshot, Director Ji had been tormenting him for half an hour before letting him start acting.

“I’m fully responsible for these cases. Why should someone else interfere halfway?”

In this part of the plot, three consecutive murders had occurred in Li Rui’s jurisdiction. The second victim was someone closely related to the first victim, whom he had just questioned, and the third murder happened right in front of him. More importantly, he had discovered that these people were connected to his adoptive father.

A policeman’s intuition told him that things weren’t as simple as they appeared. He didn’t want to put his father in danger, and he also wanted to find out who was behind all this. He had only slept two hours a day for three days straight because of these cases, and now someone was telling him that someone else was taking over.

The argument in the scene erupted intensely. Li Chu watched Zhao Zhichun and the teacher playing his superior go back and forth, her eyes full of seriousness.

Although Zhao Zhichun was usually goofy and unreliable, once he got into character, no one would doubt his dedication and skill.

Li Chu could learn a lot from Zhao Zhichun. During this time, Zhao Zhichun was also generous in sharing some of his techniques and methods with her.

Li Chu turned her attention back to the scene. The result of the argument was, of course, that Li Rui lost. He had to obey orders.

As he walked out of the office like a caged beast, he heard the sound of leather shoes hitting the floor in the corridor.

The camera followed his gaze and panned to the doorway.

Li Chu knew who was coming in, but she still held her breath slightly.

The camera would move from the part to the whole, but the human eye wouldn’t.

Ning Manqing was wearing a police uniform. The fitted suit made her figure look even taller and slender. When the light fell on her face, she looked like a cold, divine executioner.

Her expression was cold, and she herself was even colder, like a drawn blade gleaming with cold light. When you first saw her, it wasn’t her beauty that struck you, but her aura.

“That’s so cool…” Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but murmur, screaming internally.

Usually, she just thought Teacher Ning was a bit cold and a bit gentle, but this feeling of completely transforming into a cold-faced god of death was really, really, really cool!

Hearing Qian Duoduo’s words, Li Chu straightened her back even more, a sense of pride welling up in her heart.

Of course! That’s Teacher Ning!

“Good! Cut! Next scene right away! Release pheromones later, got it? Omegas, clear out!” Director Ji yelled through the rolled-up script, his eyes sharp as a hawk, staring straight at the camera.

The first meeting between Li Rui and Xi Yiyun would definitely not be peaceful. It would be like two lone wolves encountering each other, engaging in a brief confrontation through their gazes and pheromones.

“Sister Li, shouldn’t we move further away? What if you get caught in the crossfire?” Qian Duoduo tugged at Li Chu’s clothes, suggesting they leave.

“It’s fine. It’s not like they’re attacking me. I’m not that weak, and we’re sitting pretty far away.” Li Chu waved her hand, watching the confrontation between the two alphas with great interest.

With the sound of the clapperboard, time in the scene seemed to resume its normal flow.

The script described Xi Yiyun’s pheromones as the scent of sunshine and heat, while Li Rui’s were mint.

When Qin Mu smelled Li Rui’s pheromones, she had mocked him in her heart, thinking that while mint was refreshing, his brain wasn’t very sharp.

In reality, Ning Manqing’s pheromones were the scent of cloud mist tea, while Zhao Zhichun’s scent was a bit sweet.

Li Chu thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up. It was the smell of roasted chestnuts.

She was getting a little hungry.

The two actors got into character and were truly engaged in a pheromone battle.

The scent of roasted chestnuts disappeared, and the smell of cloud mist tea filled the air.

Logically, Li Chu should have felt uncomfortable with these aggressive pheromones. However, when the familiar cloud mist tea pheromones spread around her, she didn’t feel any discomfort. Instead, she felt a lazy, comfortable immersion.

The director yelled “Cut!” and the clapperboard signaled the next scene.

Ning Manqing withdrew her pheromones and glanced towards Li Chu, but since Zhao Zhichun and Li Chu were on the same horizontal line, no one noticed.

Both Ning Manqing and Zhao Zhichun were experienced actors with a good understanding of their roles. They basically nailed every take. In less than an hour, they had finished the scheduled scenes.

Director Ji waved his hand, signaling the end of the day.

Li Chu followed them back, her face flushed, looking like she was hot.

Li Chu also thought she was hot. After Ning Manqing’s pheromones disappeared from around her, she had been feeling a bit warm.

“Li Zi, you didn’t get heatstroke from being out for a while in the evening, did you?” Zhao Zhichun teased, seeing Li Chu looking a bit dizzy as she went upstairs.

“Are you okay?” Ning Manqing looked at Qian Duoduo, who was supporting Li Chu, and then glanced at the many people behind them with the corner of her eye, resisting the urge to go check on her.

“I’m fine, just a little dizzy…” Li Chu’s voice was a bit faint. After she finished speaking, the undeniable scent of peaches poured out.

The faces of the alphas behind them changed. Director Ji immediately said, “Duoduo, help your sister inside and give her suppressants, quick!”

Qian Duoduo immediately nodded and pulled Li Chu towards the room, slamming the door shut with a bang.

Ning Manqing subconsciously stepped forward, but Director Ji grabbed her arm.

“Lao Ning, we don’t do that kind of thing here.” Director Ji looked at Ning Manqing disapprovingly and said righteously.

Ning Manqing: “……”

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