ATIMFL – Chapter 37

Li Chu took her meal back to her room, using the excuse of needing some quiet time to prepare for her role to keep Qian Duoduo out.

Only when she was alone did she relax, picking up the small mirror on the table and removing her mask.

There was a noticeable bite mark on her lip, slightly inside the center. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, but it was still quite obvious.

Li Chu pouted, examining the injury. Teacher Ning is such a wild one at heart, she thought. The bite wasn’t deep; Ning Manqing must have been careful, knowing she had filming the next day.

Li Chu touched the wound gently, put down the mirror, and her thoughts drifted to Ning Manqing.

She swung her feet lightly, pondering the meaning behind Ning Manqing’s actions, her gaze, her smile.

The more she thought, the more tangled her thoughts became, like a ball of yarn. Li Chu ate a little, her appetite gone, and set the food aside.

She recalled the feeling again, the sensation of sinking, as if separated from the world by a barrier. Everything had become unfamiliar, like her soul had drifted to another dimension, where reality wasn’t real.

Ning Manqing could have used other ways to bring her back, but the method she chose… was so direct, so passionate, so fervent, so intimate. The familiar pheromones had filled her senses, causing the carefully constructed gray despair to crumble, replaced by a safe, pure white space.

Li Chu propped her chin on her hand and inadvertently saw the upturned corners of her mouth in the mirror. She patted her cheeks, trying to regain her composure.

The most important thing right now wasn’t Teacher Ning, but the scene she’d messed up countless times today.

She hadn’t gained nothing from her afternoon of contemplation, especially when Ning Manqing had patted her shoulder. Now, recalling it, Li Chu felt a sense of understanding.

That was probably Qin Mu’s subconscious state. But apart from resistance and the resurgence of past fear, for Qin Mu, it was more likely disgust and revulsion.

That disgust and revulsion was probably like being contaminated by something dirty, something as insignificant as an ant or a speck of dust, something she would never normally even notice. Qin Mu’s personality dictated that her feelings about this incident were detached from the typical emotions of a sexual assault victim. It was like a venomous snake being bitten by a cockroach.

Once in character, Li Chu couldn’t think of anything else. She closed her eyes and began to rehearse the scene again, going over the lines she had practiced numerous times already.

Over and over again, on the fifth attempt, she reached her peak.

Li Chu’s eyes shone with excitement. She instinctively wanted to rush out and find the director, to film the scene she hadn’t been able to complete. But as her hand touched the doorknob, she suddenly remembered her lip and stopped, turning back.

But she desperately wanted to share her breakthrough. Li Chu picked up her phone. At this moment, there was only one person she wanted to contact.

【Li Chu】: Teacher Ning! Come to my room quickly! I think I’ve found the right feeling!

【Teacher Ning】: Be right there.

Almost instantly, there was a knock at the door.

Li Chu was startled. Did she fly here? Or was she already waiting outside my door?

If she was waiting outside… Li Chu thought with a slight squirm, that would be too… obvious.

Li Chu opened the door. Seeing the person outside, she instinctively slammed it shut.

“Li Zi! You almost ruined this handsome face, you know that?!”

Zhao Zhichun patted his chest, still shaken. He hadn’t even said a word, and Li Chu had slammed the door in his face, as if he were some terrifying monster.

“Brother Zhao, I’m so sorry, so sorry.”

Li Chu quickly put on her mask and opened the door again to apologize.

“What’s wrong with you? You looked like you’d seen a ghost. And why are you wearing this thing?” Zhao Zhichun asked, puzzled by Li Chu’s appearance.

“Just a little something, covering it up.”

Zhao Zhichun waved his hand dismissively. “Hey, we’re all friends here, no need to worry about that. But are you okay? Here, something to cheer you up. It’s normal to have trouble finding the right feeling sometimes. The more you force it, the worse it might get. Just relax.” He gestured with his chin. “Hold out your hand.”

“Deng deng deng.”

Li Chu extended her hand, and Zhao Zhichun, complete with self-provided sound effects, placed something in her palm.

It was a handful of brightly colored fruit hard candies, sparkling under the light. Their vibrant hues were instantly mood-lifting.

Li Chu’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Thank you, Brother Zhao!”

The alpha and omega, laughing together under the light, seemed close. The light reflecting off the candy wrappers added a touch of sweetness to the scene. However, the third person in the room couldn’t share in this cheerful atmosphere.

“Teacher Ning! You’re here! Come in!” Li Chu spotted Ning Manqing approaching and waved her in.

Ning Manqing’s initially cool expression softened as she walked towards Li Chu.

Zhao Zhichun asked curiously, “What are you two up to?”

“I’m going over that scene with Teacher Ning again, hoping to nail it tomorrow.”

“Can I watch?”

“No.”

“No.”

Two voices rang out simultaneously, one cold, the other nervous.

“You two…” Zhao Zhichun looked back and forth between Li Chu and Ning Manqing, suspicion filling his eyes.

For a moment, Li Chu thought he had figured something out, and her heart leaped into her throat.

“Are you two hiding some delicious food from me? Eating alone goes against our Die at Dawn and Dusk family spirit! That’s deserving of scorn and condemnation!” Zhao Zhichun said suspiciously, his eyes scanning Li Chu’s room, trying to sniff out the aroma of roast chicken or hairy crabs.

Li Chu’s heart dropped back down. She declared righteously, “Of course not! How could I do such a thing? Teacher Ning and I would never eat alone. We’re just rehearsing. I’m not sure if I’ve captured the right feeling, so I asked Teacher Ning to take a look. I’m afraid your presence might affect my performance, Brother Zhao.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. I just came to check on you. You and Sister Ning go ahead and practice. I’ll go chat with Director Ji.” Zhao Zhichun waved to Ning Manqing and Li Chu. As he turned, a sly smile crept onto his face.

Even though Li Chu had only revealed her eyes, Zhao Zhichun could sense her nervousness, as if she was afraid he would discover some big secret.

There’s definitely something going on between these two, Zhao Zhichun thought with certainty. Although it wasn’t obvious usually, upon closer inspection, there were clues everywhere.

Li Zi was warm and polite to everyone. Despite their characters’ bitter rivalry in the drama, off-screen she was cheerful and adorable. But if you paid attention, her attitude towards Sister Ning was different. She was always more respectful towards Sister Ning than even Director Ji, and she always shared anything interesting with Sister Ning first.

And that nervous look just now was hilarious, hee hee.

After seeing Zhao Zhichun off, Li Chu, believing she hadn’t been discovered, relaxed and invited Ning Manqing into her room, removing her mask.

“Shall we begin?” Ning Manqing asked, glancing at the candies on the table and then at Li Chu’s eyes.

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

Ning Manqing put aside her other thoughts, picked up Li Chu’s discarded lunchbox, and handed it to her as a prop.

As she passed it over, she glanced at the food inside the transparent container and frowned slightly. Li Chu usually didn’t eat much, so Qian Duoduo prepared meals according to her appetite. She usually finished most of it, at least eighty percent. But today, it looked like seventy percent was left.

However, Li Chu’s current state was the priority. Ning Manqing suppressed her urge to comment and waited for Li Chu to get into character.

This time, Li Chu performed flawlessly, seamlessly blending her emotions into the performance.

“How was it, Teacher Ning?” she asked, looking up at Ning Manqing with bright eyes, awaiting her feedback.

They were so close that the angle at which Li Chu looked up at her made Ning Manqing momentarily lose herself.

The peach, still bearing the imprint of her teeth, tilted her head up, her lips slightly parted in anticipation, revealing a glimpse of pearly white teeth and the tip of her tongue, reminding Ning Manqing of her sweetness.

“Excellent, you did it,” Ning Manqing praised sincerely, filled with pride for Li Chu.

The hardworking peach shone brightly.

Reassured by the affirmation, Li Chu wanted to say something more but was stunned by Ning Manqing’s next action.

“Does it still hurt?” Ning Manqing’s thumb brushed against Li Chu’s lip, lingering on the mark she had left.

It felt hot, numb, and itchy, making Li Chu want to bite down and grind her teeth.

Her breathing suddenly grew heavier. Li Chu’s throat felt dry as she replied, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

As she answered, Li Chu saw Ning Manqing smile.

Not her usual faint smile, but a genuinely happy one.

Her eyes and lips curved upwards, like a vibrant painting of spring blossoms. It was as if the sharp, cold early winter wind had instantly transformed into a soft March breeze, causing the flowers on the branches to tremble, and entwining around Li Chu’s heart, making it tremble too.

“Then can we do it again?”

Before Li Chu could react, the beauty before her parted her lips and asked.

“Wha… what… mm…”

Ning Manqing leaned closer, bringing with her warm breath, soft lips, and the light, pleasant scent of Cloud Mist Tea pheromones.

The scent of peaches filled the air, swirling around them.

This kiss was exceptionally gentle, as if trying to melt Li Chu into a clear spring lake. Like the wind caressing flower buds on a branch, twirling around leaves, it was unbelievably soft and patient.

A layer of shimmering mist clouded Li Chu’s eyes. The bite mark stung a little as it was gently licked, but gradually, the pain faded.

The kiss was lingering and drawn out. Li Chu didn’t remember when she became unsteady. Her hand was still held by Ning Manqing.

Unlike Xi Yiyun’s probing grip on Qin Mu, Ning Manqing’s hold was more daring.

Her hand slid down from Li Chu’s wrist, her fingers intertwining with Li Chu’s.

Before this, Li Chu couldn’t have imagined that simply holding hands could feel so intimate, like some unspoken act.

Like each withdrawal, her fingertips were coated with clear moisture.

Li Chu’s lips, once pale, became a vibrant red, and a blush crept up her cheeks.

Ning Manqing wiped the corner of Li Chu’s mouth, as if coaxing her. “I’ll have Duoduo buy you some porridge later. You must drink it.”

Li Chu nodded, watching Ning Manqing gracefully leave.

Half a minute later, the sound of a beautiful woman pounding the bed echoed through the room.

Aaaaaaah! What the heck!

What the hell is going on! Is Ning Manqing some kind of succubus?!

Li Chu wanted to run laps and scream at the sky.

Why! How! How did things become like this! When did our pure relationship become tainted?!

Li Chu couldn’t figure out where it all began.

This ambiguity was too difficult to articulate. Unless Li Chu went to Ning Manqing right now and said, “Don’t touch me anymore, I don’t like this.”

Could Li Chu say that? No, she couldn’t!

Because… she actually found it quite enjoyable.

This was so frustrating.

Li Chu was usually decisive, but now she was at a loss. She decided to follow her heart and stop thinking about it.

After Qian Duoduo brought her a large bowl of hot porridge, Li Chu spent a happy and pleasant evening.

The next day, the mark on Li Chu’s lip had faded considerably, no longer hinting at anything ambiguous. When she told the makeup artist that she had accidentally bitten herself while eating last night, the artist teased her about craving meat and expertly covered the remaining trace.

Today, she nailed the scene in one take. Ji Yun, who had expected to spend more time on it, was overjoyed and praised her profusely. Filming proceeded smoothly.

The story continued to unfold, and the identity of the third victim, the man killed by the explosion, was revealed.

His name was Zhang Ming. An ordinary name, an ordinary appearance, an unremarkable office worker. He had worked at a state-owned enterprise for almost ten years. Everyone said he was honest and responsible, with no bad habits besides playing cards and having an occasional drink.

The police immediately identified the suspect: Zhang Ming’s wife, a female beta.

Because since the victim’s death, his wife had been unreachable. According to neighbors, she had left the house after her husband and hadn’t been seen since.

Xi Yiyun and Li Rui investigated the explosives while also looking into the victim’s wife, searching for a motive.

At the victim’s home, Xi Yiyun and Li Rui found a safe. Inside, there were only two items.

One was an old business card in a transparent sleeve, and the other was a torn medical report.

The report was old, but it was impossible to tell exactly when it was from. The top and bottom were ripped off, with no name, age, or date.

【Sex: Female Omega
Diagnosis: Difficulty Conceiving
Cause: Undetermined】

Li Rui’s heart sank when he saw it. And when he saw the business card, his heart plummeted further.

Three words were written on it: Li Sudong.

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