After Becoming an Alpha, I Marked My Nemesis - Chapter 37

Following the stunt double’s earlier movements, Zhou Qian anxiously stepped forward. Li Maoshan, holding a megaphone, shouted, “Alright, let’s begin!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian quickly slipped into character. She first glanced around with a terrified expression, then sprinted to the edge of the rooftop.

Frozen in fear, she couldn’t utter a word. When she looked down at the ground below, her face drained of color.

She was truly terrified.

Zhou Qian felt the ground swaying beneath her feet, as if one misstep would send her plummeting to her death. Just then, the masked man wielding a knife burst through the rooftop door.

“Help…” Zhou Qian desperately wanted to scream, but the word seemed stuck in her throat. She stumbled backward in panic as the man relentlessly advanced.

The railing loomed behind her. According to the script, she was supposed to press her body against it.

For someone with a fear of heights, clinging to the railing felt no different than jumping off. Her hands trembled slightly, as if her entire body were shaking.

Director Li Maoshan observed Zhou Qian’s every expression. He found her emotional shifts excellent, perfectly capturing the anxiety, panic, and speechlessness that would grip someone at the breaking point of fear.

Zhou Qian retreated slowly, while the killer advanced toward her at a normal pace.

Completely terrified, Zhou Qian didn’t realize her back had already pressed against the railing. Sweat streamed down her face as she stared at the killer with wide, panicked eyes, as if afraid he might stab her to death the moment she lost focus.

Just then, Zhou Qian seemed to remember a scene in the script where she was supposed to slowly look back.

She couldn’t.

She genuinely couldn’t. Even facing the railing and looking straight down made her dizzy. How could she possibly turn around now?

But if she failed this scene and Li Maoshan didn’t cast her, her acting career would end here. This was the only opportunity she had left!

Zhou Qian, Zhou Qian, it’s come to this. Are you really going to back down? If you can’t succeed, if you don’t have the strength to rival Song Luoxue, you’ll end up with broken legs and in jail.

Zhou Qian instinctively glanced down at her long, straight legs. As if steeling herself, she closed her eyes, then looked back.

Below lay a bottomless abyss, as if one wrong move would send her plummeting into the void.

“Okay, cut!”

Li Maoshan’s words were like a lifeline.

Zhou Qian was drenched in sweat, cold beads clinging to her eyelashes and trickling down her cheeks, making her look as though she had just been crying—utterly vulnerable and pitiful.

Ning Xiao, standing nearby, noticed Zhou Qian’s pale face and rushed over with a bottle of water. “Sister Qianqian, what’s wrong?”

Zhou Qian snapped out of her daze at Ning Xiao’s voice, shaking her head to reassure her that she was fine.

Just then, Li Maoshan grabbed a megaphone and boomed, “Miss Zhou Qian’s performance was outstanding! Let’s give her a round of applause!”

Thunderous applause erupted across the set. Zhou Qian stared at Li Maoshan in disbelief. Did I hear that right? He said my performance was outstanding?

Li Maoshan continued, “Miss Zhou Qian, congratulations on passing the audition. I’ll discuss the details with your agent.”

Zhou Qian paused, momentarily stunned by the news. She quickly regained her composure and bowed deeply to Li Maoshan. “Thank you, Director Li! I’m truly grateful!”

Her emotions surged like a rollercoaster. She had been convinced her performance was so poor that Li Maoshan would never hire her. To her astonishment, she had passed the audition!

Ning Xiao had already opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Zhou Qian. “Sister Qianqian, you look pale. Take a sip and calm down.”

Zhou Qian forced a smile. “Thank you!”

Ning Xiao had initially suspected Zhou Qian might be afraid of heights. After all, Zhou Qian had previously worked with wire stunts and filmed numerous scenes on high rooftops. Why was this time different?

Am I overthinking this?

In truth, Ning Xiao’s intuition was correct. During the filming of Phoenix Perches on the Wutong Tree, Zhou Qian had performed many wire-suspended action scenes. However, her focus had been entirely on the other actors, not the ground below, which had masked her fear of heights. Now, standing on the ledge of a fifteen-story building and looking down, her terror was undeniable.

Zhou Qian entrusted all contract negotiations and salary discussions to Ning Xiao, confident she would secure the role in Dreaming of a Murder.

Letting out a long sigh, Zhou Qian realized she had been driven to New Jia Film City by Ning Xiao. To return home, she would either have to wait for Ning Xiao to finish the contract talks or take a taxi herself.

If I wait for Ning Xiao, it’ll be so late, she thought. Still shaken from her earlier ordeal, she longed to be home, lounging in her rocking chair on the balcony, fast asleep.

As she reached for her phone to call a taxi, a white Bentley pulled up in front of her. The window slowly rolled down, revealing the driver. “Miss Zhou,” the woman asked, “are you waiting for someone?”

Zhou Qian froze, recognizing the voice instantly. She looked up to confirm her suspicion.

There was no mistaking it—this was Li Pianpian.

Seriously?! All I wanted was to go home and rest!

Last time, Zhou Qian had exchanged only a few words with Li Pianpian, yet Song Luoxue had been furious. This time, she couldn’t afford to be alone with Li Pianpian again.

Forced to smile awkwardly, Zhou Qian replied, “I’m waiting for my agent. She’s negotiating the contract and will be down shortly.”

Upon hearing this, Li Pianpian pulled out her car keys and walked over to Zhou Qian. “Negotiating contracts takes quite a while, doesn’t it? Standing here waiting must be tiring. Why don’t you relax in my car while you wait?”

Zhou Qian immediately tried to decline. “Wouldn’t that be… inappropriate?”

Li Pianpian smiled. “What’s inappropriate about it? I’m your biggest fan, after all. It would be an honor for me if you’d ride in my car. Please don’t refuse my request!”

By mentioning her status as Zhou Qian’s fan, Li Pianpian subtly reminded Zhou Qian that she was currently the most useful person to her and that she shouldn’t risk offending her.

Zhou Qian reluctantly agreed, but before getting into the car, she glanced around, checking to see if Song Luoxue was nearby, watching her.

Only after confirming that Song Luoxue was nowhere in sight did she finally get into Li Pianpian’s car.

As they sat side by side, Li Pianpian, eager to take Zhou Qian to a romantic spot, asked, “Qianqian, where would you like to go?”

Hearing Li Pianpian call her “Qianqian,” Zhou Qian quickly replied, “Please just call me Zhou Qian. I don’t like being addressed so intimately.”

With this, she was gradually becoming more like Song Luoxue.

Li Pianpian chuckled. “Oh, I see. Well then, Miss Zhou Qian, where are you planning to go? This is my new car—I’d be happy to take you for a drive.”

Zhou Qian immediately declined. “I’m sorry, I’m waiting for my agent here. Maybe we can grab a meal together when I’m free.”

Li Pianpian’s expression turned serious. Even someone as dense as her should realize Zhou Qian was deliberately rejecting her.

Is she rejecting me for Song Luoxue’s sake?

Even her earlier insistence on avoiding intimate nicknames was likely because of Song Luoxue. It seemed only Song Luoxue had the right to call her “Qianqian.”

But Li Pianpian wasn’t one to give up easily. The more Zhou Qian resisted, the more determined she became to win her over.

Li Pianpian fell silent for a moment before continuing, “Contract negotiations aren’t something we can finish quickly. Why don’t we grab a coffee nearby first? You can text your agent, and when she’s done, she can meet you at my place. How does that sound?”

Zhou Qian had already refused Li Pianpian several times. Another refusal would be impolite, especially since Li Pianpian was one of her biggest fans, having spent millions on Weibo alone.

Zhou Qian reluctantly nodded. “Okay… fine.”

Hearing Zhou Qian’s agreement, Li Pianpian smiled. “Perfect!”

With that, the Bentley parked by the roadside pulled forward and drove off.

Just then, Song Luoxue, watching from behind, saw Zhou Qian get into another woman’s car, her face turning green with anger. She instructed Mo Zhen, who was driving, “Follow that Bentley.”

Mo Zhen immediately replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

Song Luoxue leaned against the car window, gazing out with a hint of displeasure. She had known Zhou Qian was here for an audition today, and she had planned to take her back to her villa for a romantic evening after the audition. But the moment she arrived, she saw Zhou Qian getting into another woman’s car.

Someone else had beaten her to it after all.

A villainous supporting character was still a villainous supporting character. No matter how good her acting was, she could never compare to the Zhou Qian of that world.

Song Luoxue was determined to see what kind of betrayal this little cat, who loved to stray, would commit against her.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qian, sitting in Li Pianpian’s car, suddenly felt a resentful aura rushing toward her, sending shivers down her spine.

Zhou Qian watched as Li Pianpian drove into the parking lot of a bar. Puzzled, she asked, “Miss Li, weren’t we going for coffee? Why are we here?”

Li Pianpian’s expression darkened at her words.

I’m not some irredeemable villain, she thought. Why is Zhou Qian so wary of me?