Chapter 46 Framed

"Fan Chi is just here for show. Did you notice earlier? People around were filming me and him with their phones. Now that he’s lost the persona of a good husband, he wants to establish himself as a good father. Since he’s shameless enough to come, why not give him a way out?"

Moreover, even if she disliked Fan Chi, she would never lose control of her emotions like Fan Xiaoyun in such a public setting. Learning to manage her expressions and control her true feelings was one of the basic disciplines of any performer.

Lian Youyou noticed the blood pack tossed on the table, picked it up, and tucked it into Fu Yuanye's clothes, patting him to make sure it was secure. "We’re about to start shooting. Why are you still not ready with the blood pack? If you don’t put it in and there’s no blood when you get ‘stabbed,’ we’ll have to do another take."

…

"Everyone, to your positions! Cameras ready, actors ready. ‘The Legend of De Zhao,’ scene 23, shot 4, take 1. Action!"

"Wang Xian, keep holding the fan just like before. Don’t move. Zhao Dezhao, enter! Run, quickly! The woman you love is about to be thrown into prison by your wife—go save her! Camera, don’t push in so fast, follow De Zhao’s pace! De Zhao, shout your lines as you run!"

"Stop!" Fu Yuanye rushed forward, blocking Fan Xiaoyun. "Wang Xian, I order you to stop!"

Fan Xiaoyun frowned and shook her head. "De Zhao, you shouldn’t have come."

Lian Youyou’s willow brows arched, her eyes blazing with hatred. "De Zhao! You would protect this wretch so fiercely? How can you treat me like this, how can you face my father?"

Director Li sighed with admiration. "That look in her eyes is incredible."

"De Zhao, to gain more supporters at court, my father, already in his twilight years, has been tirelessly running about for you, fighting for your cause. And this is how you repay his most cherished daughter?" Lian Youyou’s eyes reddened, anger making them bloodshot. "You’ve gone too far. How could you betray me like this, Zhao Dezhao? How could you betray me!"

The screenwriter beside Director Li also praised her, "I underestimated this girl before—her acting is exceptional! I almost want to cry. I’m starting to think Wang Xian is the protagonist. Zhao Dezhao is so infuriating!"

Fan Xiaoyun said, "You’re really mistaken, Lady Han... you..."

"Cut!"

After the cut, Director Li put down his megaphone and approached Fan Xiaoyun. "You didn’t act that right. Look at Youyou just now—she walked a few steps naturally as she delivered her lines. You, on the other hand, just stood there, reciting your lines without moving."

Fan Xiaoyun asked dully, "So, what should I do with my movements?"

Fu Yuanye whispered to Lian Youyou, "It’s always like this with Fan Xiaoyun. She needs the director to guide her step by step—she has no intuition. I’m not even from this field and I’m better than she is."

…

Because Fan Xiaoyun kept making mistakes, the scene dragged on from afternoon until the sun was setting behind the western hills.

The sunset was blazing red, the clouds above streaked with gold and crimson.

"Cameras ready, actors ready. ‘The Legend of De Zhao,’ scene 23, shot 4, take 7. Action!"

After countless errors, Fan Xiaoyun finally got through without a hitch.

"Now, Wang Xian draws her dagger and stabs toward Ping’er. De Zhao, step in to stop her!"

Lian Youyou drew the dagger hidden in her sleeve, unsheathing a blade that gleamed cold and bright.

Why did it feel so much heavier than the rehearsal prop? Did the prop master switch it? It certainly looked far more realistic than before.

No matter—she pushed the thought aside.

With tears in her eyes, Lian Youyou shouted, "You’ve gone too far! I’ll kill you!"

She raised the dagger towards Fan Xiaoyun, and Fu Yuanye rushed in to block her. "Wang Xian, are you crazy!"

"Wang Xian, push Zhao Dezhao. De Zhao, dodge left, then return to your position. Ping’er, grab De Zhao’s clothes—she doesn’t want him risking himself for her. Good, Wang Xian and De Zhao keep struggling. Yes, keep going. Now, Wang Xian, you can stab toward De Zhao’s left shoulder!"

"Ah—" Fu Yuanye let out a blood-curdling scream.

"De Zhao, your expression is spot on—but don’t scream. Just grit your teeth, furrow your brows, and show pain. After locking eyes with Wang Xian for a few seconds, go straight into your lines."

Lian Youyou looked down at the bloodied dagger in her hand, then at Fu Yuanye, who was kneeling on the ground, clutching his shoulder and pale as a sheet.

Something was wrong!

The moment her fingers brushed the blade, she realized—it was a real knife!

"Yuanye, Yuanye!" She dropped the dagger in panic and rushed to help him. "Director, stop filming! Yuanye’s hurt!"

Director Li was stunned. "What happened?"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, everyone hurried to Fu Yuanye’s side.

"Lian Youyou, it was you!" Shao Zihan stood beside Fan Xiaoyun, pointing at Lian Youyou. "I saw you swap the prop knife for a real one!"

"What?"

She’d only debuted a few days ago—was someone already trying to frame her?

And this woman—she didn’t even know her. Why would she falsely accuse her?

Fan Xiaoyun shouted, "Everyone, don’t disturb the scene—call the police!"

Wasn’t calling an ambulance more urgent?

Director Li propped up Fu Yuanye, worried. "How are you, Yuanye? Are you okay?"

The crew had medical staff on hand. A nurse rushed over with a first aid kit, tearing open Fu Yuanye’s costume and tending to his wound.

Lian Youyou turned to get her phone. "We should call emergency services—better to go to the hospital..."

"Trying to run?" Shao Zihan seized her arm. "You tried to kill Yuanye and failed, so now you want to escape?"

Lian Youyou looked at her as if she were an idiot, her voice dripping with disdain. "Are you brain-damaged? Even if I had a grudge against Fu Yuanye, I wouldn’t do it here in front of so many people. Would you?"

"Admit it!" Shao Zihan tightened her grip. "You admit you have a grudge against Yuanye!"

"What did I admit?!" Lian Youyou was exasperated. Was this woman actually insane? Did she not understand human speech?

Shao Zihan pointed at the dagger. "Of course you’d do it during filming. Even though there are lots of witnesses, you could always blame the prop master, right?"

The prop master, suddenly implicated, was so frightened he stammered, "It’s not... my fault... I swear! I don’t know anything, I never... never prepared a real knife!"

In the distance, a police siren wailed, and a couple of officers rushed over.

As Lian Youyou was handcuffed, Director Li’s face grew grave. "Youyou, tell me—was it really you?"

This young woman was a rare talent. He couldn’t bear to lose a rising star about to ignite the stage.

"Director Li, it wasn’t me," Lian Youyou shook her head. "Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon."

"Sister!" Fu Yuanye, enduring the pain, struggled to his feet. "I’ll go to the station with you! I know... I know you were framed!"

"Yuanye, you need to rest," Lian Youyou said lightly. "I didn’t do it, so I’m not afraid to go to the police. I trust the law won’t wrong any innocent person."

With everyone watching, their expressions varied, Lian Youyou got into the police car and was taken from the set.

…

That night, after his shower, Lu Ming stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a white bathrobe. His hair was damp and soft, beads of water or sweat glimmered on his neck, and the entire bathroom was filled with the scent of his body wash.

He walked straight to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

It was empty.

While Lian Youyou was away, he spent most of his time at the office, eating at the company cafeteria, rarely at home.

He’d order takeout.

After placing his order, Lu Ming went to his study, turned on his computer, and logged into Rivers and Lakes Chronicles. The new season had just begun, and every day he completed daily quests for both his main account and Lian Youyou’s.

Barely ten minutes later, someone knocked at the door.

Tonight’s delivery was fast.

Opening the door, Lu Ming found Du Mao outside, panting.

"President Lu... open Weibo, quick..."

Lu Ming, puzzled, did as told and opened the Weibo app.

When he saw the second spot on the trending list, his eyes widened.

Number one: Fu Yuanye injured.

Number two: Lian Youyou attempted murder on Fu Yuanye.

Clicking in, he saw a well-known blogger’s post: a photo of Fu Yuanye wounded, with the caption—New actress Lian Youyou secretly swapped the prop knife for a real one. Fu Yuanye was stabbed and injured, but his life is not in danger. Lian Youyou has been taken to the police station; motive unknown, pending investigation.

"What do we do, President Lu? Miss Lian’s been framed. She and Fu Yuanye have no feud—she had no reason to hurt him!" Du Mao was anxious.

Lu Ming scrolled through several more posts. All of them targeted Lian Youyou.

Was this Fan Chi’s family at work?

He remembered Youyou mentioning that the female lead was Fan Chi’s daughter, Fan Xiaoyun.

Could Fan Xiaoyun have swapped the prop?

"Du Mao, contact the director of the provincial public security bureau immediately."

…

"I told you, I don’t know anything." Lian Youyou sat in the interrogation room, handcuffed, facing a male and a female officer. The small room was monitored by two cameras so others could observe the interrogation in real time.

The male officer held up a sealed evidence bag with the dagger inside, waving it before her eyes. "How do you explain this knife?"

"That’s your job as police, isn’t it?" Lian Youyou glanced at the bloodied knife. "I really don’t know why it was switched for a real one. Maybe you should ask the prop master?"