Rebirth of a Star

Chapter 171- Madman (2)

Jiang Cheng walked away but left behind that spooky mask on the table. Lan Jinyao’s eyes locked on the mask, her heart distraught with anxiety.

Jiang Cheng had kidnapped her, but what did he want to do later? Could it be that he wanted to drag her to hell with him again? If the person who’d kidnapped her was Jiang Cheng all along, then who was the one who’d died in the sea of fire?

All these questions were circling her mind, tangling themselves into a complete mess.

As she lay in bed, she gradually calmed down.

When Lan Jinyao quieted down, she suddenly noticed that the sound echoing in her ears became louder and clearer. It was the sound of waves crashing against rocks!

Lan Jinyao’s eyes lit up at this thought. Did this mean that Jiang Cheng had brought her back to the island where the filming crew was located? It was daybreak now, so the crew must still be on the island. They shouldn’t have left yet.

She briefly checked her surroundings. This room was brightly lit and decorated in almost the same way as the room she’d previously stayed in on the island, just a bit more luxurious.

As she thought to this point, she began to shout at the top of her lungs, “Jiang Cheng!”

She couldn’t call anyone else’s name. Otherwise, her real intentions would‘ve been exposed. Besides, even if the crew really hadn’t left yet and came to her rescue, Jiang Cheng would surely rush here one step ahead of them. In that case, her life would be at risk.

“Jiang Cheng!”

She shouted his name several times. Soon after, hurried footsteps could be heard coming from the door, and Jiang Cheng entered the room.

On the other hand, Lan Jinyao felt disappointed because no one else came to save her.

Jiang Cheng nervously asked, “What’s wrong?”

The nervous look on his face…it didn’t seem like he was faking it. At least, that was what Lan Jinyao had thought.

Soon, however, she realised that her guess was incorrect. This man’s train of thought had always been undecipherable, so she wouldn’t be able to guess it so easily.

She looked at Jiang Cheng and justifiably said, “I’m hungry, extremely hungry!”

She’d thought that her acting skills were impeccable, but in fact, her act was easily seen through by Jiang Cheng.

“You’re hungry? I think you just wanted to call someone over, right? I’ve really seen too much of your acting skills, so I can tell whether you’re truly hungry or just putting on an act.”

While talking, the corners of Jiang Cheng’s lips slightly curled up, revealing a sinister smile that made Lan Jinyao’s hair stand on end.

Lan Jinyao’s heart skipped a beat, but her face remained expressionless as she spoke, “You’re saying I’m putting on an act? Are you sure that you can tell what’s real and what’s not? I was hungry to begin with!”

“Okay, fine. You’re hungry all right; you weren’t trying to make use of this opportunity to call someone over. Food will be ready in a minute, and those are all your favourite dishes-” Jiang Cheng paused for a second before adding, “Don’t try to escape, and you can stop shouting…I’m afraid that you’ll hurt your throat in the process. No one’s coming to save you, because everyone already left the island an hour ago.”

As expected, Lan Jinyao’s last glimmer of hope was extinguished; her eyelids slightly drooped, concealing the disappointment contained within her eyes.

“Don’t be sad. One day, when I’m in a happy mood, I’ll take you away from here provided that you behave in the meantime.”

One of his hands was about to touch her hair, but Lan Jinyao instantly tilted her head, making him touch air instead. She’d initially thought that he’d become angry, but he was still all smiles and it didn’t seem like he’d get mad at all.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Upon hearing that person’s subtle voice, Lan Jinyao’s eyes suddenly lit up again, and she intently stared at the door.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Cheng’s smile grew wider as he said, “Tsk, look at you. Who do you think that person standing out there is?”

Upon hearing him say this, that little bit of excitement in Lan Jinyao’s heart completely vanquished.

That was right; this was Jiang Cheng’s territory. He wouldn’t let just anyone in. Even that person who’d knocked earlier was one of his people. There was no way they would help her escape from here.

Jiang Cheng then indifferently said, “Come in!”

The person who came in was an aunt in her work uniform, somewhere in her fifties. She held a tray in her hands, and on it was a bowl of soup or something. Lan Jinyao noticed that from the moment this aunt stepped in, her head was hung low and she didn’t dare to look around.

The moment the aunt opened the lid, a strong smell of medicine infiltrated Lan Jinyao’s nostrils. For a moment, her heart leapt into her throat. In fact, Jiang Cheng shouldn’t know that she was pregnant, so, what was this medicine for?

Her hands and feet were bound; the rope used was also very short, so if Jiang Cheng wanted to force the medicine down her throat, she wouldn’t be able to escape.

At this thought, the panic she felt in her heart inexplicably increased by tenfold.

“What do you want to do?” Lan Jinyao asked with a slightly trembling voice. She looked like a pointy hedgehog, and even her gaze was extremely ferocious; as if she’d bite Jiang Cheng if he made a move.

The smile tugging at the corner of Jiang Cheng’s lips gradually disappeared. He then coldly asked, “What are you afraid of? You think I’m gonna hurt you?”

Lan Jinyao repeatedly shook her head. She was never worried that Jiang Cheng would hurt her. The thing that she was worried about was that he’d not let the child in her stomach off the hook. This body was Chen Meimei’s; the child also carried Chen Meimei’s blood.

“No, I’d never hurt you. I’d acted stupidly before!” Jiang Cheng took the bowl and placed it on the table. Then, with a voice filled with regret, he said, “I was really about to swallow the sleeping pills back then, but I was saved by the man my father sent. That person, who went in afterwards and lay down next to you, was actually not me. At that time, I thought; fortunately, I haven’t died. If I’d died while you were still alive, I’d be crossing the river to the afterlife all alone. How sad would that be! Besides, I’d feel lonely.”

Lan Jinyao intently stared at that bowl of soup. When she ascertained that it was chicken soup with some unknown medicinal herbs, her heart tensed up a bit.

“The person you like is obviously Chen Meimei, but you clearly also know that I’m not her. So, why are you doing this to me?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng suddenly laughed, his eerie laughter reverberating around the room.

“No, you are Chen Meimei; you’re the same person. At that time, you refused to die alongside me, so I was despondent. But, you left me a message afterwards. Upon reading that, I overcame my depression and thought: If you want to keep on living, then I’ll keep you company!”

Lan Jinyao’s eyes widened in shock when she heard this. At this moment, she was feeling utterly remorseful.

She kept scolding herself inwardly: Who told you to be so stupid? Now, you’re stuck with this madman! This time, how are you going to get yourself out of this mess?