It was almost four in the morning now. Peng Zixian stomped on the accelerator, driving back home at her car’s maximum speed. Due to her wearing high heels, driving at such a speed guaranteed death if not for the streets being deserted at this hour.
Her Lotus sports car rolled to a stop outside a high-end residential community.
This was where Peng Zixian lived. The Peng family had their own manor. However, because of the problematic interpersonal relationships there, Peng Zijie refused to call it his home. Similarly, she had moved out of that place due to personal reasons.
The security guard had initially mistaken Peng Zixian as a madwoman and almost called out for backup. Fortunately, someone was a huge fan of the celebrity. He was able to recognize her in the nick of time, avoiding unnecessary complications.
It was still early, and it was rare for Peng Zijie to have any vacations. Last night, he went out for a couple of drinks with his pals and had only returned at two in the morning. At 4 am, after barely squeezing in two hours of sleep, he was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing.
Picking it up, he peered down to discover that the caller ID belonged to Peng Zixian. Answering the call, he heard her scream, “Brother! Save me!”
Peng Zixian’s voice over the line was trembling. She squeezed word after word out of her mouth in a panicky tone. Peng Zixian’s heart sank the moment his mind registered what was going on. Speaking slowly, he tried to get his sister to calm down. “Don’t panic. Zixian, slow down and tell me where you are right now.”
“Brother, please, open the door. I’m standing outside.” Peng Zixian had collapsed outside his door. She had the keys to his house but she had accidentally left it in her car.
A heavy weight slid off Peng Zixian’s shoulders upon hearing that. He walked over and opened his door, only to find Peng Zixian in an almost unrecognizable state sprawled in the ground outside. At that moment, her eyes were filled with fear.
“Zixian, Big Brother’s here. Don’t panic. Tell me, what happened to you?” Peng Zixian wrung dry a wet towel and wiped her face clean.
Peng Zixian grabbed her big brother’s arm and looked up with a pair of cold, merciless eyes. “Brother, I want Xiao Yun killed. And that Gu Xiqiao too! I want them both dead! Brother, you think you can do that for me?!”
Her eyes were filled with anticipation, staring up at himself.
“So your senses have returned?” Peng Zijie took in a deep breath. “Tell me, why do you want me to kill them? What about Peng Da?”
Peng Zixian reached up and covered her eyes. “P-Peng Da… Peng Da’s…”
There was no way he could communicate with her in this state. Peng Zijie called Peng Da’s phone. Peng Dayuan was the son of the Peng family’s head butler. His family has been serving as Peng Zijie’s for countless generations now. Peng Da had close to limitless potential after he was born, which was also why had been accepted as the disciple of the strongest man in the ancient martial arts world.
After he had received his education, he returned to serve under the Peng family as one of their bodyguards. Subsequently, Peng Zijie had arranged for him to work beside his little sister, Peng Zixian.
Ten minutes later, Peng Zijie returned. He looked at his little sister with scrutiny. “Were you trying to harm a female celebrity tonight? Zixian! I expect nothing but the truth from you!”
Peng Zixian was stunned by her big brother’s reaction. A while later, she looked up at Peng Zijie and replied, “That’s right!”
“Why?!” Peng Zijie’s voice sounded harsh.
“Brother, Tang Qingqiu was the reason why I chose to work in the entertainment industry. I didn’t mind it when Tang Enterprise refused to sign a contract with me. I knew he didn’t like teaming up with other powerful families. And so, I remained there, working under a false identity in another company. I, the young mistress of the Peng family, have reduced myself to such a state for him! And yet! He proceeds to fall in love with a nobody! Brother! I want justice!” Peng Zixian started bawling her eyes out after this.
That’s right, she felt bitter at not getting what she wanted. Her unrequited love has however, started fermenting into something greater, into a mental disorder.
Peng Zijie was a little heartbroken, seeing his sister being neglected like this. “Young Master Tang isn’t the only fish in the sea… I want you to seriously rethink this matter. Let me handle the rest, alright?”
“But Brother! I don’t want to see Xiao Yun anymore!” Peng Zixian suddenly looked up.
In the midst of an ever-changing political environment, if those two were to leak this secret out, no doubt, it would turn into a weak point for potential enemies to strike at.
Luckily, these two were just regular celebrities. A lightbulb lit up in Peng Zijie’s mind. If his little sister didn’t want to see Xiao Yun ever again, then he should just pay her a sizable amount and make her leave the Imperial Capital. Although he felt bad for that Xiao Yun girl, Peng Zixian was still his beloved little sister.
And so, Peng Zijie called someone on his phone and barked out some orders.
A triumphant look appeared on Peng Zixian’s face upon hearing him speak.
“Alright, this thing should blow over pretty soon. Go take a shower and get some rest.” He had a room specially prepared for Peng Zixian in case of times like this.
Peng Zixian remained seated on the sofa for a while before heading into her own room obediently. A wry expression surfaced on her face the moment the door clicked shut behind her back. “Xiao Yun! Although I can’t take your life, I’ll make sure you leave the Imperial Capital in tears!”
In the living room, Peng Zijie was about to hit the sack when his phone rang again. A man’s voice started speaking after he answered the call. “Zijie, what’s up with the tasks you’ve been giving me recently? Did you piss someone off or something?”
“Why would you say that?” Peng Zijie had returned to his room, and he made sure to lock the door.
“That girl, who you’re targeting,” The man paused for a moment. “Do you know who she is?”
“Are you talking about Xiao Yun? Isn’t she just a minor celebrity? Is there something special about her?” Peng Zijie’s brows furrowed up. This thing may be more complicated than it seems on the surface if he’s making such a remark.
“Xiao Yun? Nah, she’s not the one I’m talking about. She’s just a regular university student from N City.”
Peng Zijie was relieved after hearing that but that feeling only lasted a few seconds. “That friend of hers though, she isn’t a commoner! Zijie, if it wasn’t for our fateful friendship, I would’ve thought that you were deliberately sending me to a slaughterhouse!”
“What?” Peng Zijie’s voice tensed up after hearing that.
“That friend of hers is Gu Xiqiao. She’s a student at University A! The revolutionary medical press conference earlier today, she’s the main character behind that event!”
“Isn’t she just a doctor? You should be able to deal with that, no?” Peng Zijie lit up a cigarette and smoothly drew in a lungful of smoke. Then, he slowly blew out a cloud of smoke.
“Yeah, that’s true if things were this simple! But it’s rare for someone her age to achieve such a feat on her own! I gave the Confidential Information Bureau a call. Turns out she has level 8 security clearance!” His voice was shaky when he talked about this.
Typically, only someone from that place could possess a security clearance this high.
The cigarette Peng Zijie was holding fell onto the ground. However, he was beyond shocked to even realize this had happened.
He walked out of his room and hammered on Peng Zixian’s door. “Zixian! Come out! Now!”
Peng Zixian had just taken a shower. Her hair was still wet when she opened the door innocently. “Brother?”
“Tell me, have you done any outrageous things in the past?!” Peng Zijie’s expression was terrifying, which made Peng Zixian tremble in fear.
Peng Zijie took a deep breath. “You will come with me tomorrow. We’ll meet Xiao Yun and we’ll ask for forgiveness from her, understand?!”
Level 8 security clearance. No doubt, Xiao Yun’s friend was more powerful than him. If she were the type to seek revenge, he feared that it would be impossible for him to protect his little sister.
“You want me to meet that b*tch Xiao Yun?” Peng Zixian, who initially thought that she had won the battle, stared at her big brother in disbelief.
“Brother, have you gone insane? She’s just a nobody! Why should I beg her for forgiveness?”
“Listen up, Zixian.” Peng Zijie’s face was dead serious. “Xiao Yun may be a nobody but her friend isn’t.”
Gu Xiqiao immediately came to Peng Zixian’s mind when she heard that. That girl, who, without moving, was able to disarm Peng Da. Immediately, that gut-wrenching fear returned to her. With hope in her eyes, she said, “Brother, you’re a general aren’t you? Aren’t you the only heir of the Peng family?”
“No, it’s futile. Even I cannot offend such a person.” Peng Zijie shook his head.
“I don’t believe this!” Asking her, the young mistress of a noble family to bow down to a stupid commoner? Preposterous!
Peng Zixian slammed her door shut.
Peng Zijie massaged his temples with an annoyed expression. Trouble filled his mind and he struggled over this issue till dawn.
After all’s said and done, she was still his little sister; Peng Zijie could not ignore her situation like this. He picked up his car keys and headed out the door. At this hour, Xiao Yun and her friend should already be at the filming studio.
***
At the filming studio of the web drama.
Xiao Yun didn’t sleep well last night. She arrived on set earlier than usual.
“Er Qiao, I think I can handle this myself.” Gu Xiqiao was a notoriously lazy person. However, after catching only two to three hours of shut eyes, she forced herself up at such an early hour to accompany her friend to her workplace. This made Xiao Yun sigh.
Gu Xiqiao waved her hand. “No, you’re not the primary reason I’m here today.”
“Huh?”
Xiao Yun was puzzled.
Her brain felt like mush right now, especially after hearing what Peng Zixian had said to her last night, which caused her great distress.
She had only feigned unconsciousness just to find out who was targeting her in the dark. When she found out that it was Peng Zixian all along, she was astonished. What Peng Zixian said made her scratch her head too. For some reason, she felt that Gu Xiqiao should have a pretty good idea what she was talking about. However, her friend would only respond with an amused smile every time she asked her what was going on. It frustrated Xiao Yun so much that she wanted to bang her skull against the wall.
Despite how early Xiao Yun left her home, the time at which she arrived on set was still considered late.
The director frowned at her. “I deliberately assigned your scenes to be at the very first and yet here you come, running late and all. Do you know that we have been waiting for you for twenty minutes now? Just tell me if you’re tired of playing the protagonist! There’s a line of more disciplined actresses waiting to fill you shoes, y’know?!”
Xiao Yun apologized instantly. “I’m terribly sorry director, this won’t happen again!”
She was sincere when she apologized. Still, that didn’t stop the director from babbling endlessly about her.
Gu Xiqiao noticed that the cameras were already rolling for the first scene. She couldn’t help but intervene. “Director, I do recall that today’s first scene involves her and Peng Zixian. I don’t see that girl around, do you?”
“What do you know?” The director shot her a nasty glare. “You aren’t part of our production team, are you?! Security! Security! Get this person off out studio!”
What came was not security, but a tall, handsome young man. He proudly sported a crew cut and his facial features were attractive. One could easily tell that he was a powerful man just by looking at his overall demeanor.
“Are you the director of the web drama my Zixian is working for?” His voice was low and husky.
The Director felt his heart pumping when the man looked straight at him. “Yes, may I ask who you are, mister?”
“I’m her big brother. I’m here on her behalf to request for some vacation time.” Peng Zijie was a soldier. He was dead serious whenever it came to missions. Realizing that Peng Zixian wasn’t going to appear at her workplace soon, he might as well get her some time off.
The director was stunned after hearing that he was Peng Zixian’s brother. In the blink of an eye, a courteous smile appeared on his face as he assured Peng Zijie that there was no problem with his request.
Peng Zijie then looked over to Gu Xiqiao, who was speaking to Xiao Yun. “Nice to meet you, Miss Gu, can we speak in private for a moment?”
Perhaps he was unconscious about this but his voice sounded much less assertive when he spoke to Gu Xiqiao.
The director took notice of this and he turned around to look at Gu Xiqiao with shock in his eyes.
Gu Xiqiao only turned around when she finished speaking with Xiao Yun.
To be honest, there were only a handful of times Peng Zijie had seen such a beautiful person in his life. Even his sister paled in comparison to Gu Xiqiao, who had taken his breath away in an instant. He did see photos of her before and even then, he was already astounded by how pretty she was.
Who would’ve thought that she looked way more mesmerizing in real life.
“Sure, let’s talk outside.” Gu Xiqiao motioned to him. She had come here primarily to wait for Peng Zijie.
Thus, the both of them left the studio.
The director only spun back around when the both of them disappeared outside the entrance. He looked at Xiao Yun with kindness he had never shown before. “Xiao Yun, may I ask who that friend of yours is?”
“She’s just a regular friend of mine,” replied Xiao Yun.
Surprisingly, the director did not respond with hostility to her blunt reply.
He remembered how sh*tty his attitude had been toward her and it was then that fear started growing in his heart. It made him uncomfortable.
It totally did not cross his mind that the plain Jane that was Xiao Yun would have such a friend!
***
Outside, Peng Zijie struggled to produce words from his mouth and it was only when he noticed Gu Xiqiao’s growing impatience when he forced himself to speak. “Miss Gu, about last night’s incident. Look, Peng Zixian isn’t as bad a person as you think she is. I-It’s just that she… she has some mental issues that need to be dealt with. Please, could you just overlook this issue? Maybe you can just let her go, just this once?”
Although he wasn’t prepared to say this, he had no other choice when her bright eyes were staring straight into his soul.