Part 2
Wang Zhao looked at Jiang Si in disbelief, his face a complete accusation of Jiang Si having kept them in the dark about his romance.
Dammit! Jiang Si had even claimed he was raising an ‘OC’ named Hai Di. It turned out to be his partner!
Jiang Si saw through his look. “That was a misunderstanding.”
Wang Zhao didn’t believe a word of it. “Say no more. You’re just a couple of schemers looking for ways to show off your love.”
Hai Di asked in confusion, “Hm?”
“I’ll tell you when we get home.” Jiang Si propped up his forehead. Hai Di had lost his memories too; he was the only one who knew the truth of the matter.
A grand film festival opened the following day. Tong Yong attended the event in grand style with several lead actors. A red carpet dozens of meters long was laid out, the venue was brilliantly lit, and both sides were packed with invited journalists and photographers.
From the moment they stepped out of the cars, fans screamed their support, pushing the atmosphere of the film festival to its peak.
The lead actress was named Yun Shu, a major star in the industry whose beauty was of the vivid, glamorous variety. Because she was so stunning, people often overlooked her acting skills, but she had finally joined the ranks of the serious actors with Tong Yong’s film.
Yun Shu maintained a perfect smile throughout, and only once she reached the interior was she finally able to relax her stiff face. The organizers had seated the film crew together. After finding her seat and sitting down with Tong Yong, she whispered a complaint: “I came straight here the moment the plane landed, and I have to do more publicity tomorrow. It’s exhausting.”
“It’s normal to be tired now; you can relax in two months,” the lead actor leaned over to tease. “Sister, there’s definitely an award for you today; we’ll have to celebrate properly.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Who knows if there is or not.” Yun Shu shot him a playful look, pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, and sat up elegantly, striving to present her best state before the cameras.
“The online buzz for you is massive,” the lead actor said with an ambiguous smile before turning the topic to the director. “Director Tong, wouldn’t you agree?”
“We’ll have to see the final results.” Tong Yong’s attitude was noncommittal. He was confident, but he couldn’t say it in front of others and leave himself open to criticism.
“Hahahaha.” The lead actor met with soft rebuffs everywhere and laughed awkwardly to himself before asking again, “Director Tong, I heard you’re planning to film your next project? Have you decided on the theme?”
“What, do you want in?” Tong Yong asked with a half-smile. “It’s a horror film. Aren’t you terrified of ghosts? When we were moving around State D and several small islands in Southeast Asia, you didn’t even dare enter the temples.”
Yun Shu became interested at this and said excitedly, “That’s right. That night I went out late and almost got lost. Fortunately, I met a monk who gave me directions; otherwise, being in a strange place like that would have been so dangerous. But there really are a lot of temples there; I must have visited seven or eight of them myself.”
“Hahahaha, Xiao Yun, you’re being too pragmatic. Who visits temples like that?” Tong Yong was amused. “I think you just went there with a utilitarian mindset to try your luck.”
“I visited every one I saw; what if they worked?” Yun Shu lowered her voice and covered her mouth as she said, “Anyway, I only made one wish: as long as I can win the Best Actress award this time, I’ll do anything.”
“Does that really work?” The lead actor was a bit tempted. “But I heard people say those Buddha amulets are made with bone ash.”
“Who knows? Who cares? As long as the wish comes true. Besides, I didn’t get any amulets; I just burned incense and prayed.”
Just as she finished speaking, the room erupted in applause. The host stepped onto the stage with a microphone and read the opening remarks. The film festival awards ceremony had begun.
Yun Shu listened to the host’s clear speech with increasing focus, her eyes fixed forward without blinking.
Occasionally, as the camera panned over her, she would immediately smile and wave at the lens. Outside the camera’s view, her fingers were tightly interlaced, and her breath even hitched during the pauses before names were announced.
In the next second, the host announced with a powerful voice: “Congratulations to the winner of this year’s Best Actress award—”
“Yun Shu!”
The room fell silent for a moment before a wave of applause erupted.
“Congratulations, Yun Shu!”
“Congratulations, Sister Yun!”
“Congratulations, congratulations—”
Whether they were sincere or just pretending, Yun Shu treated them all the same. She feigned composure as she embraced her partner and then walked toward the spotlight, lifting her skirt.
She accepted the heavy trophy, thanked the host, and then looked up at the crowd on stage. Countless gazes converged on her. Hundreds of faces were encased in various respectable formal outfits; everyone had donned a dignified mask.
Yun Shu cleared her throat and began reciting her prepared speech from memory.
“First, I want to thank all my colleagues and the director who worked with me. the presentation of a work is the result of everyone’s hard work. If it weren’t for you all…”
As she spoke, she suddenly felt that the atmosphere was wrong.
When had it become so quiet?
It wasn’t a deliberate silence; it was as if the massive venue only contained her, and everything else was dead.
Yun Shu’s voice trailed off. She looked around in confusion. The host was gone, and the hundreds of audience members had vanished as well.
A spotlight shone down from above, illuminating her expression. Her impeccably made-up face couldn’t hide her shock. Her hand, clutching the trophy, was trembling, and her heartbeat sounded louder than the ambient noise.
“Where is everyone?” Yun Shu couldn’t understand it. In the blink of an eye, how could everyone have disappeared?
She turned in a full circle and found that not only were the audience and host gone, but even the staff members were missing.
Thump, thump—thump—
Her heartbeat amplified several times, echoing in her ears. As Yun Shu stood in a daze, she suddenly felt something tugging at her skirt. She looked down. Her trailing skirt was being pushed up from underneath, and a small hand suddenly poked out from the wide fabric.
The light illuminated it with absolute clarity, and Yun Shu didn’t even need glasses to see it clearly—it was definitely a human hand.
Before she could react, another hand poked out from the other side of her skirt, followed by another hand… then a small head, and then a body.
An infant clutched her skirt and gave her a giggling smile, revealing deathly white, pointed teeth. They looked like two rows of alligator fangs.
Yun Shu had just sucked in a breath when the other side of her skirt was tugged as well. She turned her head and saw another infant poking out.
Then, as if blooming, the entire circumference of her wide skirt was filled with infants.
They all looked up at Yun Shu in unison and opened their bloody maws.
From one second to the next, the infants began wailing incessantly. Waves of sound surrounded Yun Shu without a single gap.
Yun Shu trembled all over. she tried desperately to pull her skirt away, but no matter how much force she used, it didn’t budge an inch. Because the designer fabric was so high-quality, she couldn’t even tear it. In her panic, she hurled the trophy, and it struck one of the infants heavily on the head.
Pinkish-white brain matter and blood sprayed all over Yun Shu’s face.
The warm liquid blurred one of her eyes, and her vision was filled with a sea of crimson.
Yun Shu was going mad. She couldn’t understand—she had only come to attend a film festival; how could she encounter such a horrific thing?
With one infant killed, the others were all startled into silence. This silence was even more terrifying than the previous noise. A ‘creak, creak’ sound like an electric current made Yun Shu’s entire body shake. A wave of coldness pressed down on her from every direction.
They opened their bloody mouths and began frantically tearing at Yun Shu’s skirt with their sharp teeth.
“Get away—get away—everyone get away!” Yun Shu screamed. “What are you things? Get away from me!”
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