Free Web NovelChapter 204: Chapter 173: Escape on a Rainy Night
The rain came fiercely, and Yang Xiao, looking out the window, couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed, as if the rain had been prepared just for the chase scene tonight.
After seeing Yang Xiao and Xia Xiuyan’s costumes, Director Ding was very pleased, "Xiao Sun, you drive them to the site."
Seeing that everyone in the crew was busy with their own tasks, Yang Xiao asked, "Director Ding, is it just the two of us going? What about the other people in the crew..."
"They have their own tasks, everyone is busy tonight," Director Ding said offhandedly.
This also puzzled Xia Xiuyan, "But if it’s just the two of us, how are we supposed to shoot the scene?"
Without a cameraman, without sound recording, without onsite directions, just two lead actors coming together, even an outsider like Xia Xiuyan found it unbelievable.
Hearing this, Director Ding frowned and said, "What do you know? We have equipment, wearable sports cameras."
"The most important thing about a rainy night chase scene is the sense of being there, the realism. We don’t need overly fine images. Chu Xi, you have a lot of pressure on you, you need to bring out the oppressive force of a deranged principal and give the audience a strong visual impact."
"Moreover, to be on the safe side, we’ve also prepared two handheld cameras. Chu Xi, I remember you have one, and Xia Xiuyan, yours is already in the car, remember to take it when you get out."
After saying what had to be said, Director Ding left in a hurry. Yang Xiao caught a hint of panic in his eyes.
There was no need to think about it; this must have been Sun Shengnan’s arrangement. Director Ding was just a puppet on a string. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The driver Xiao Sun had the face of Zhang Sheng, not a member of the crew, probably brought by Sun Shengnan. The car quickly reached the destination, located behind the school on a secluded hillside with a rather complex environment.
After getting out of the car, Xia Xiuyan was in despair. In this remote place, away from any village or shop, if something really did happen, no one would know.
Furthermore, it was still raining.
"Xia Jie, you didn’t take your camera," Xiao Sun reminded.
Before they got out of the car, Xiao Sun had already helped them put on their sports cameras, small square devices hanging at chest level.
"You two, once you’ve finished shooting the scene, give Director Ding a call, and I’ll come back for you, don’t worry,"
After speaking, Xiao Sun hit the gas, and the car drove away. Soon, it turned a corner, and even the tail lights were no longer visible.
Yang Xiao and Xia Xiuyan stood under an abandoned bicycle shed, watching the heavy rain outside and the dense vegetation on the small hill behind them, feeling like they had been abandoned by the whole world.
Yang Xiao turned around, looked at the hillside shrouded by the night rain and darkness, and after a long while, he spoke reflectively, "Night rain, deserted hills, a lone man and a single woman, tsk tsk, those uninformed would think we’re remaking ’Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio’."
Xia Xiuyan, previously frightened by Yang Xiao’s sudden intrusion, immediately stared at him suspiciously, "Let me warn you, don’t you dare have any improper thoughts!"
Yang Xiao shifted his gaze away with a look of contempt and disdainfully said, "You’re overthinking it. I could play Ning Caichen, but look at yourself, could you play Nie Xiaoqian?"
"You..."
Xia Xiuyan was about to argue when suddenly her phone rang. It was Director Ding calling, urging them to shoot quickly. He had just checked the weather report and said the rain would get heavier in an hour.
He also reminded them to strictly follow the path marked on the map and collect all 7 numbered plates before they could leave.
After hanging up, Xia Xiuyan was full of grievances and anger. She had thought that as the female lead, she would be like those in idol dramas, with exquisite makeup and exuding infinite charm with every move. But now, she would soon be drenched in rain, scrambling through the woods, and she was with this kind of person...
Suddenly, Xia Xiuyan shivered intensely, for the man standing in front of her had changed.
Yang Xiao had donned a bull’s head mask at some point, his arms hanging naturally, his right hand clutching a rusty kitchen knife.
The next second, a flash of lightning cleaved the night sky, making Yang Xiao’s profile even more ghastly pale.
"What... what are you going to do?!" Xia Xiuyan asked, her voice betraying her fear as she instinctively stepped back.
Although the man before her had made no move and said nothing, Xia Xiuyan clearly felt the face beneath the mask contort, eventually forming a grotesque smile.
"I’m talking to you, Chu... Chu Xi, don’t scare me." Xia Xiuyan was panicked, now realizing she didn’t know anything about the man before her; his past was a blur.
"10," Yang Xiao squeezed out a word from his mouth.
Xia Xiuyan: "!!! Chu Xi... you..." free𝑤ebnovel.com
"9."
"8."
...
As he counted down to 6, Xia Xiuyan’s pupils contracted sharply, and the man before her slowly raised the kitchen knife he was holding in his blood-drained, vein-bulging hand.
Without hesitation, Xia Xiuyan turned and ran towards the hillside behind her.
"Help! Someone help me!!"
Xia Xiuyan’s cries for help echoed through the night, but were quickly washed away by the pouring rain, becoming the whimper of a dying person.
Masked Yang Xiao seemed like a different person, disinterested in Xia Xiuyan’s escape; he just stood there, continuing to count the numbers earnestly and obstinately.
"3."
"2."
"1."
As soon as the word "1" was spoken, Yang Xiao suddenly looked up, his eyes beneath the mask fixated on Xia Xiuyan’s fleeing direction. The next second, he took the knife and chased after her, rushing into the curtain of rain.
The vegetation on the hillside was denser than expected, with not many trees big enough to block the view, but rather an abundance of bushes.
These bushes, mixed with weeds and some shorter trees, intertwined to create significant obstacles to progress.
