Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 32

Han Ning had been searching for almost three hours. There were plenty of hotels and restaurants near the film city, but she hadn’t seen any sign of Shen Xi.

She started doubting her initial thoughts, but since she was already here, she wasn’t willing to leave without checking everything thoroughly.

Fortunately, luck was on her side. Just as she parked her car in front of a hotel, she saw a woman wearing a black hoodie and a baseball cap walking out. In the dim night, it wasn’t easy to notice her.

Han Ning thought to herself: If I had arrived just a minute later, I wouldn’t have seen her… That was close.

“Did you really go looking for me, one place at a time?” Shen Xi asked softly. She knew she was in the wrong. Sitting in Han Ning’s passenger seat, she placed her baseball cap on her lap and spoke in a quiet voice.

“What do you think?” Han Ning looked at the fallen leaves outside the window and replied irritably. Shen Xi pursed her lips, lowered her head guiltily, and quickly glanced at her.

In a muffled voice, she said, “I’m going back tomorrow. You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t have to?” Han Ning turned to look at her, smiling, but her voice carried a hint of anger. “You think I don’t have to? You just want to avoid me for as long as you can. But I need answers. Why did you—”

“There’s no reason!” Shen Xi interrupted, speaking faster. “I thought you would understand, Han Ning. That atmosphere, the emotions—I was filming for the first time. I didn’t know how to separate reality from acting. If it had been someone else in your place, I would have…” She took a deep breath, turned to look out the window, and gritted her teeth. “I would have done the same. It was just the mood of the moment. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand?” Han Ning repeated loudly, her breath trembling, her eyes slightly red. She bit her lip and stared at Shen Xi’s profile, her gaze turning cold. “Fine. I get it.

Get out. I’m going home.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Xi quickly opened the car door, almost fleeing back into the hotel. Han Ning watched her disappear into the building and muttered under her breath, “Misunderstand…”

She stepped on the gas, and the car sped away.

After returning to Yuhe Xingyuan, Han Ning didn’t go home. Instead, she went to Shen Xi’s place and took all her belongings—including the cat. She didn’t leave a single strand of hair behind.

Anger burned inside her, so much that she skipped dinner. Hunger and frustration made her feel even worse, and she was itching to fight someone—but in the end, she turned her rage into an appetite.

She ordered takeout, holding a greasy fried chicken drumstick in one hand and a bottle of Coke in the other, scrolling through social media. A gossip post caught her eye: “A certain beautiful screenwriter secretly in love with a female celebrity!”

Some netizens guessed it was Xu Lier, but only a few. Most speculated that the female celebrity was Han Ning.

Rolling her eyes, Han Ning tossed the chicken bone and the Coke bottle aside, wiped her fingers with a napkin, and reposted the gossip with a comment: “Baseless rumors! Nonsense! Just a misunderstanding!”

Two hours later, her post had been liked and shared over a hundred thousand times, trending as the number one topic: Han Ning’s clarification.

In the dark, Shen Xi scrolled through her phone. Seeing the trending topic, her eyes flickered, and she clicked on it without thinking. Holding her breath, she sighed and muttered to herself, “Shen Xi, what are you doing…”

At 3 AM, strong winds blew outside, shaking the trees. Leaves scattered across the hotel entrance, making the place look even more desolate. Shen Xi couldn’t sleep. She turned over, got out of bed, and stood by the window, arms crossed, staring at the spot where Han Ning had parked her car. A heavy feeling settled in her heart.

She knew she was running away—wanting to see Han Ning, yet also wanting to avoid her.

She had analyzed her own thoughts over and over, trying to understand why she was hiding from Han Ning.

Maybe it was because Han Ning shone too brightly, making her feel inferior.

Maybe it was because she had too many unresolved emotions and couldn’t handle anything else for now.

The closer Han Ning got, the stronger this feeling became.

Shen Xi sat on the sofa, resting her chin on her palm, staring out the window, lost in thought. She sat there until the sky turned slightly bright before feeling a trace of sleepiness.

She took a shower to wake herself up and left the hotel at around 8 AM to return to the set.

When she arrived, Han Ning was sitting with her eyes closed, letting An An do her makeup.
An An grumbled, “What did you do last night? You have two big dark circles under your eyes, and they’re swollen! How am I supposed to fix this? You’re making my job harder!”

Han Ning didn’t open her eyes. Her brows furrowed as she said coldly, “Shut up.”

Shen Xi glanced inside. Kou Kou saw her and greeted her warmly, “Shen Xi, you’re here! Are you looking for Sister Ning?”

Han Ning opened her eyes and met Shen Xi’s gaze in the mirror. A second later, she turned to scold Kou Kou, “Kou Kou, you’re my assistant. Just do your job. Don’t meddle in other things.”

Kou Kou, startled, quickly lowered her head and whispered an “Oh” before leaving, teary-eyed. An An also sensed something was off. Han Ning seemed to be in a foul mood, snapping at everyone—even Liang Xun and Zhou Heyang had received glares from her earlier.

An An didn’t dare speak anymore and quietly continued applying makeup. Shen Xi sighed slightly and walked upstairs.

By 9 AM, filming was underway as planned.

Zhou Heyang felt much more relaxed. Yesterday’s scenes were the most crucial ones in the entire film, and they had turned out well. Only about twenty scenes were left. If they kept up the pace, they could wrap up filming by tomorrow.

During lunch, Liang Xun sat beside Han Ning on a bench, hands in his pockets, and asked, “You and Shen Xi…”

Han Ning stopped playing with a small yellow flower and asked, “What do you want to say?”

“Nothing…” Seeing the murderous look on her face, Liang Xun smiled awkwardly and quickly added, “Just saying, I’m concerned, not gossiping… So, are you two done for good?”

“Done?! It’s a misunderstanding! How many times do I have to say it?!” Han Ning exploded, yelling at Liang Xun.

Liang Xun leaned back, visibly intimidated. He stammered, “I-I-I… I wasn’t gossiping…”

Han Ning tossed the flower away and walked off. Meanwhile, Zhou Heyang was still eating slowly. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. Looking up, he found Han Ning staring at him expressionlessly.

Zhou Heyang swallowed his food and asked, “What?”

“Are you done eating? Can we start shooting? It’s been twenty minutes. How long do you need? Until sunset?”

Zhou Heyang thought for a moment and said, “I’m pretty sure… I’m the director here?”

“Hah.” Han Ning sneered. “Fine. You have three more minutes.”

Zhou Heyang: “…”