Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 43

In a dark corner, A-Tian stood with his head covered in bl00d. In front of him was Nie Lan, holding his phone while reading a message from Shen Xi. Her eyes were filled with malice. She threw the phone onto the nearby sofa, bent slightly forward, and pressed a finger harshly against the wound on A-Tian’s head.

“Ah… it hurts! Sister Nie Lan, please, I know I was wrong!” A-Tian grimaced in pain, but Nie Lan ignored his pleas. She sneered coldly, almost gritting her teeth as she questioned him, “Who do you think you are? How dare you help that woman investigate me? Hmm?”

Without waiting for his reply, she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

One of the men in black beside her pulled her back. “Sister Lan, there’s no need for you to do it yourself for such a small matter.” He then gave a look to the henchmen, who raised their clubs, ready to strike. Nie Lan instructed, “Leave him alive. I still have use for him.”

With that, she left the room. Behind her, the sound of sticks hitting flesh mixed with A-Tian’s agonizing screams. Nie Lan frowned in annoyance. “So noisy,” she muttered.

A-Tian was beaten until he was barely conscious. Nie Lan’s trusted men were ruthless, and it didn’t take long before A-Tian revealed everything about Shen Xi.

The next night, at home, Nie Lan looked through the documents presented by her right-hand man, Zhang Qing. She rolled her eyes in disdain and tossed the papers aside. “I really underestimated this outsider, Shen Xi. And that A-Tian… he’s bolder than his master. I think he might still be useful to me.”

She lit a cigarette and turned to Zhang Qing. “Take good care of A-Tian’s injuries. You guys were too rough.”

Zhang Qing lowered his head. “It was our mistake.”

“When he recovers, put him to work.” Nie Lan stubbed out her cigarette, took some vitamin pills, placed them in her mouth, and swallowed them with a sip of water. “Shen Xi, that beauty, seems to have an interest in me. That’s perfect because I’m interested in her too.

But I don’t want the side of her that everyone sees—I want the part of her that nobody knows.”

Zhang Qing nodded. “I understand.”

“You can leave now. I’m going to rest.” Nie Lan stood up and walked to her bedroom, while Zhang Qing turned and left.

Since that day, Shen Xi had not received any more messages from A-Tian. Following Han Ning’s advice, she avoided taking risks to keep herself out of trouble.

However, something didn’t feel right. A-Tian had always been a talkative person. Besides giving her information, he used to ramble on about random things. But ever since she sent him that last message, he had gone completely silent. That was unusual… and strange.

Han Ning approached from a distance, alongside the cheerful and energetic Cheng Nian, who was heading to eat with her assistant. Seeing that no one else was around, Han Ning pouted and asked for a kiss. “Baby, give me a kiss~”

“You want another one already? It hasn’t even been half an hour!” Though she said that, Shen Xi still kissed her. Han Ning, satisfied, held her hand. “Half an hour? Even one minute feels too long.”

Shen Xi chuckled. “You’re really addicted.”

Han Ning grinned. “Of course~”

The two of them arrived at a nice restaurant near the filming set. After ordering food, Han Ning finished replying to her messages and looked up at Shen Xi, who was staring blankly into space, lost in thought.

Han Ning waved a hand in front of her. “What’s wrong? What were you saying?”

“I didn’t say anything…” Han Ning rested her chin on her hand, eyes filled with concern.

“Baby, are you too tired lately? You’ve been distracted these past few days. What’s on your mind?”

Shen Xi sighed, then smiled faintly. “I’m not tired, just a little uneasy.”

She shared her concerns, but if she had been speaking to a sharp-minded person, they might have analyzed everything clearly for her. However, Han Ning was different—she was well-known in the industry for wearing her emotions on her sleeve. She didn’t overthink things.

Han Ning bit into a chicken claw, spat out the bone, and said, “You’re not working with him anymore, so why keep in touch? Besides…” She glanced around before lowering her voice.

“This was an investigation. Even if you only meant to collect material, once word gets out, people might say you had ulterior motives. It wouldn’t sound good.”

She picked up another chicken claw. “So, not contacting him is for the best. Otherwise, it’ll only bring trouble. Even though you’re not in the entertainment industry, you have fans and rivals. If this gets exposed, your opponents will be thrilled. You’d be handing them a weakness to use against you.”

She poked Shen Xi’s forehead. “Think a little.”

Shen Xi gave her a resentful look. After thinking about it, she realized Han Ning had a point. Maybe she was just overthinking things. In reality, it was better for her if A-Tian stopped contacting her.

A week passed in the blink of an eye. The filming of Thorned Rose had completed five episodes. Shen Xi wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed home to revise scripts and write novels instead of going to the set.

She enjoyed reading reader comments, especially long ones—they felt like discovering hidden treasures. Some of them were so well-written that she admired them and even shared screenshots on Weibo to praise them.

She noticed a few new comments under her work. They weren’t long, but they made her hair stand on end.

“I saw Aunt Shen today. She looks much older now…”

“Aunt Shen said you don’t care about her. I told her you’re just busy.”

“Aunt Shen said you want to cut ties with her. I told her to go find you.”

Shen Xi’s breathing quickened. Her scalp tingled as she scrolled further, but there were no more comments. That was the last one.

She took deep breaths. What scared her wasn’t Shen Fengmei coming to find her—but the person who had posted the comments.

“Who is this person?” Shen Xi stood up, pacing anxiously in her room. “Who is she… How does she know so much about me?”

She grabbed her phone and called Han Ning. It rang for a long time, but no one answered.

Her frustration grew. She forced herself to stay calm, convincing herself it might just be a prank.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

She froze, like a frightened bird, staring at the door. The bell rang again—then again, more urgently.

Heart pounding, she cautiously walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

Her breath caught in her throat. She sucked in a sharp breath…