Chapter 18
After hearing that, Little President Cheng nodded happily and let out a string of cheerful meows. Just thinking that she had saved Shen Yunmiao both time and money filled her with a bittersweet sense of happiness.
When can I turn back into a human? I really, really want Shen Yunmiao to stop worrying about everything.
Sigh… such is the sorrow of a little cat.
Jian Shen happily accepted the carrier and placed it beside herself. She knew how precious this little cat was to Shen Yunmiao, so she didn’t dare be careless and sat right next to it.
Meanwhile, Shen Yunmiao had already gone to change clothes and have her makeup done. Fortunately, her appearance perfectly suited the role, and since the Princess of Song was someone who dressed simply and elegantly, the styling process was quick.
Jian Shen filmed Yuan Duan’s scene first, and then it was Shen Yunmiao’s turn.
Counting everything, Shen Yunmiao only had a few scenes left. At most, another two days and she would wrap filming.
Since the shooting schedule had been rearranged, today’s scene took place a few months after the Princess of Song first arrived in the State of Ying. Because she had already given her heart to someone else before being forced into this political marriage, she never tried to please the King of Ying.
The king was helpless yet furious toward his cold and distant queen. In a fit of anger, he stayed away from Jiaofang Palace for months.
This scene began with a maid reporting that the king had once again spent the night favoring Consort Li.
The young queen sat quietly by the bed, her expression unchanged as cool moonlight poured over her. Her long hair remained unbound, cascading smoothly over her plain white robes.
She picked up a chess piece, yet could only finish the unfinished game by playing against herself. Black and white pieces alternatedānot as a contest between two opponents, but as the struggle within her own heart.
She knew that the life of a pampered princess she once enjoyed would never return. The candle flame flickered gently in the breeze, shadows dancing across her dark eyes. With this single game, she bid farewell to her former life. From this night onward, she would never again touch black or white stones.
Although the scene contained no dialogue, it demanded tremendous acting skill. The actress had to portray the gradual transformation of the Princess of Song’s state of mind.
She abandoned her past tenderness…
And chose supreme power instead.
Shen Yunmiao entered the role almost instantly. Her hair fluttered in the breeze, and with only the slightest changes in expression, she conveyed everything the scene required.
She was like the bright moon itselfā
Yet had mistakenly fallen into the mortal world.
Even Cheng Jianian, who had won the Best Actress award years ago, was deeply shaken by the performance.
…This expressive power… it’s incredible.
Acting wasn’t merely about “performing.”
True emotion, explosive emotional release…
Technique could be refined through years of practice, but those qualities required talent. Countless actors spent their entire careers chasing the ability to create performances that truly immersed audiences.
And Shen Yunmiao possessed that gift naturally.
She was the world’s favored child.
One day, everyone in this world would fall hopelessly in love with her.
Little President Cheng inevitably became one of those countless admirers, utterly captivated by both the woman before her and the woman on camera.
Her attention was so completely fixed on Shen Yunmiao that she lost the instinctive vigilance of a feline, failing to notice the footsteps quietly approaching from behind.
Not just herāeven the busy staff failed to notice anything unusual.
Chapter 19
Wife, a bad person is bullying me! Boohoo!
Cheng Jianian was absolutely furious.
She had been quietly staying inside her carrier, bothering absolutely no one, when some blind idiot suddenly picked up both the carrier and the cat inside it and carried them away.
From inside the carrier she couldn’t see clearly. She could only vaguely tell that it was an adult man. His arms swung widely as he walked, his pace hurried and restless, clearly anxious about being discovered.
In an instant, countless terrible possibilities flashed through Cheng Jianian’s mind.
Thinking of Shen Yunmiao, who was still filming, she forced herself to calm down.
The locator was still hanging around her neck.
As long as Shen Yunmiao discovered the carrier missing after filming, she’d immediately come looking for her, so there was no need to panic.
The only concern was that this man might discover the tracker, remove it, and throw it away.
But if he did that, he’d have to let her out first. As long as she got out, she’d find a way to escape.
Right now, the priority was figuring out what this man wanted.
A cat thief?
Probably not. There wasn’t exactly a huge market for cat meat, and catching stray cats was far easier than stealing one from a film set covered with surveillance cameras.
Which meant someone had done this deliberately.
No need to think twice.
Someone was targeting Shen Yunmiao again.
At that thought, Little President Cheng’s face immediately turned cold.
I’d better not return to my original body in one piece.
Otherwise, I’ll make every last one of these people pay.
The man walked quickly but not recklessly. He deliberately chose deserted yet accessible paths.
This had clearly been planned in advance.
Someone who knew Shen Yunmiao would bring the cat today…
Someone with the opportunity to carry out the plan…
It had to be another actor from the production.
Cheng Jianian desperately tried recalling the original novel’s cast.
Unfortunately, back then she’d only cared about Shen Yunmiao’s storyline and never paid attention to anyone else.
Naturally, her mind was completely blank now.
Little President Cheng guiltily lifted one paw.
…Well, you can’t really blame me.
This movie had originally been Shen Yunmiao’s debut. The novel focused almost entirely on Shen Yunmiao and Ji Hanfeng’s romance and barely described her acting career.
Soon, the man stopped walking.
Looking through the transparent cover, Cheng Jianian carefully observed the surroundings.
Sure enough.
It was an RV.
The interior looked luxurious.
She immediately understood.
Lazily lying down, flicking her fluffy tail, she decided to see what this so-called heroine planned to do.
She’s really in a hurry to get herself killed.
Qiao Jingshu watched the man timidly carry the cat carrier inside.
Her eyes filled with contempt.
Lifting her chin arrogantly, she said,
“Put it over there.”
She nodded toward her assistant.
“Transfer him fifty thousand now.”
The staff member received the notification of the fifty-thousand-yuan transfer and immediately beamed with joy. After saying several flattering blessings, he was impatiently waved away by Qiao Jingshu.
“Hurry up. Don’t let anyone see you coming here.”
He immediately patted his chest confidently.
“Don’t worry. Forget youāI wouldn’t dare let anyone know either. I’m risking my entire career doing this for you. I scouted everything out beforehand.”
Little President Cheng narrowed her round cat eyes.
She had already pieced together most of what had happened.
Qiao Jingshu had originally planned to use the cat to frame Shen Yunmiao.
Unfortunately, the cat inside wasn’t the original cat from the story anymore.
Since her first plan had failed, she’d come up with another oneāhaving someone kidnap the cat just to make Shen Yunmiao panic.
The carrier suddenly opened.
An overpowering cloud of heavy perfume rushed toward her, making her instinctively nauseous.
The pampered hand slowly reached toward her.
Little President Cheng immediately entered full alert, baring her teeth.
Qiao Jingshu clicked her tongue.
Her assistant standing nearby quickly advised,
“This beast isn’t obedient. What if it bites you?”
“Bite me?”
Qiao Jingshu sneered.
“Let it bite.”
“If it bites me…”
“It’ll only be its owner who suffers.”
Her sharp fingernails slowly scraped across the cat’s head as she smiled eerily.
“Didn’t everyone say this little beast is intelligent?”
“I’d like to see whether that’s really true.”
Every hair on Cheng Jianian’s body stood on end.
Her back arched.
Her claws dug tightly inward.
Every instinct screamed for her to fight back…
Yet reason restrained her completely.
This was exactly what Qiao Jingshu wanted.
She wanted to be bitten or scratched.
That way, the original plot could proceed naturally.
She absolutely couldn’t.
She absolutely couldn’t let Shen Yunmiao suffer because of her.
Yet Qiao Jingshu continued provoking her without restraint.
Human and cat stared each other down.
Meanwhile, Shen Yunmiao’s performance had been so outstanding that Jian Shen wanted to capture everything in one uninterrupted take.
She never called “Cut.”
Instead, she filmed several consecutive scenes together.
While immersing herself completely in the performance, Shen Yunmiao forced herself not to glance toward the cat carrier beside Jian Shen.
I wonder if Good Girl has gotten tired of waiting.
Fortunately, Shen Yunmiao remained calm.
Although she hadn’t been informed beforehand, she smoothly completed the continuous take without difficulty.
“Cut!”
The moment Jian Shen called it, Shen Yunmiao immediately stood up.
Jian Shen also rose, smiling broadly.
“Amazing, Yunmiao! I’m telling you, this year’s Golden Rose Best Newcomer Award is definitely yours!”
She intended to give Shen Yunmiao a high-five.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yunmiao’s gaze never landed on her.
She walked straight past.
Jian Shen froze awkwardly.
Before she could say anything else, Shen Yunmiao spoke in an icy voice.
“Director Jian…”
“Have you…”
“Seen my cat carrier?”
Beneath the calmness…
Her voice was trembling.
Jian Shen immediately froze.
Following Shen Yunmiao’s gaze, she looked over.
The cat carrier that had been sitting beside her moments ago…
Had completely disappeared.
“I… What the hell? I don’t know! It was just here!”
Yuan Duan had also been admiring Shen Yunmiao’s acting. Hearing the commotion, she hurried over.
“Who took it? Hurry and check the security cameras, Director Jian!”
Her shout finally snapped Jian Shen back to reality.
She rushed to the logistics department.
The entire crew scrambled into action.
But the young man responsible for the surveillance looked troubled.
“Director Jian… It rained yesterday.”
“The cameras were damaged.”
“The footage is too blurry to see anything.”
Jian Shen’s vision went black.
She wanted to strangle him.
She was completely finished.
Shen Yunmiao treasured that cat beyond measure.
Despite all her promises, she’d still managed to lose it.
What unbelievable bad luck.
Throughout all the chaos, Shen Yunmiao remained silent.
She neither screamed nor broke down.
Her brows remained composed.
The glow from her phone reflected in her dark eyes as she calmly said,
“Director Jian, don’t worry.”
“The red-string bell tied to my cat’s paw is actually a tracker.”
“We’ll find her very soon.”
The young man responsible for the surveillance suddenly twitched.
Jian Shen frowned in confusion.
A bell?
Wasn’t that just a prop they forgot to remove?
Looking at Shen Yunmiao’s unwavering certainty, she quietly swallowed her doubts.
