After Saving The Villain, He Had Sex With The Female Ghost. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was the height of summer in June. The air conditioning inside was blowing strongly, causing the scattered script pages on the floor to rustle loudly. Chu Yu was completely unfazed, holding the script and muttering lines to herself, her brow furrowed, her expression shifting between panic and relaxation.

She hadn’t landed a role in a full year. Finally securing a decent project where she played the third female lead was deeply satisfying.

Filming was set to begin tomorrow, and Chu Yu had already worn the script ragged. Anyone who saw her would praise her as a relentless worker.

The phone rang at an inconvenient time. The screen flashed with her agent Xu Yue’s name. She answered.

“How are you preparing for Director Li’s drama?” Xu Yue’s voice held a hint of hesitation.

Chu Yu glanced at the script, which was crammed with messy annotations and whose corners were curled up like dry leaves. She smiled. “Pretty well. I’ll perform fine tomorrow.”

She put the script down, switched to speakerphone, and placed the phone on the coffee table.

“Have you memorized all the lines?” Xu Yue asked.

Not just memorized—she could recite them backward. Chu Yu replied modestly, “Almost. Getting there.”

“Ah, that’s good. You don’t need to memorize any more for now. Director Li just called. He said the production team inserted an actor, and they want your role for that person… It’s not that your ability is lacking, it’s just that the opportunity might not be so coincidental…”

Lime sparkling water gurgled as it poured into the glass. The sound of bursting bubbles mixed with a ringing in her ears. Chu Yu’s hand, gripping the glass, froze.

She was silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said to the person on the other end, “I don’t need to go tomorrow? Okay.”

To be honest, she had anticipated this outcome. With no background, no backing, and an added dose of bad luck, it would have been a miracle if this role had actually gone to her.

Xu Yue was still rambling on, comforting her with the usual platitudes: it’s fine, there will be a next time, it’s not your lack of ability, it’s just bad luck.

She tilted her head back and took a sip of water. At that exact moment, the glass in her hand unexpectedly shattered. Sparkling water splashed everywhere. Chu Yu instinctively moved to protect the script.

A moment later, she pulled her hand back. Screw it. She’d been fired; why bother protecting the damn thing?

“What’s wrong? Did you break something? Don’t do anything rash!” Xu Yue shouted in alarm from the other end.

Amidst the glass shards and buzzing sparkling water on the floor, Chu Yu picked up her wet phone, sat down, and said calmly, “It’s nothing. The cup suddenly broke. You know me, right? My emotions are very stable.”

Generally, a person whose emotions are extremely stable has two possibilities: either they are extremely happy, and nothing in life can affect them, or they are extremely unlucky, and everything in life punches them in the face.

Chu Yu belonged to the latter.

“Ugh, your luck. I really don’t want to say it, but it’s too terrible, isn’t it? You should go see a master. When I tell others that their skill is fine but their luck is bad, it’s a formality, but with you, I mean it from the bottom of my heart,” Xu Yue clicked her tongue.

“No way. Haven’t I been scammed enough times?” Chu Yu sighed, picking up a broom.

She had sought out masters before, spending a large sum of money. Afterward, a few directors genuinely emailed her about roles.

Chu Yu was happy for only a few days before realizing the directors shared the same phone number. They were all the master, pretending to be directors to boost his rating. The money was wasted, and the master had run off with the funds. She couldn’t even punch him to vent her frustration.

“Those were all accidents. I’ll introduce you to someone in Thailand. They say the results are especially good. Lots of people in the industry have seen her, and they all blew up afterward! Your skill is there; you just need that final push. I guarantee I’ll send you to Cannes!” Xu Yue chattered on.

“If they’re that good, how could I afford them? How long has it been since I had a job?” Chu Yu dumped the broken glass and the script into the trash can.

“Here’s the deal: I’ll lend it to you. You can pay me back once you earn money,” Xu Yue said, uncharacteristically generous.

“Does the master give you a commission? You’re even lending me money to go?” Chu Yu leaned back on the sofa.

“The master doesn’t, but you’ll give me a commission once you’re famous,” Xu Yue joked.

That night, Chu Yu lay awake, staring at the screen where she had been removed from the crew chat group.

In all honesty, she was indignant about the result. When she first entered the entertainment industry, her ambition was sky-high, believing she could succeed through hard work. But now she was in her late twenties, almost thirty, and aside from a few trashy horror films, she had no respectable work to show for it. This opportunity was gone, and the next one felt impossibly far away.

After agonizing for a few days, she finally knocked on Xu Yue’s door.

“Whoa, those dark circles. Did this hit you that hard?” Xu Yue asked, surprised, toothbrush still in her mouth.

Chu Yu gritted her teeth and didn’t speak. Xu Yue truly was her best friend and mentor. Chu Yu sat in the living room for half an hour before Xu Yue emerged, pushing a suitcase and wearing a flowered shirt, swaying gracefully.

“Where are you going?”

‘Welcome to Thailand.’ Xu Yue took off her sunglasses, looked down, and glared at her.

Thailand. Tuk-tuks raced along the narrow streets, and the steaming heat was laced with spices and motorcycle exhaust. Chu Yu was dressed entirely in black and sweating profusely.

The smell of gasoline from the tuk-tuk made it hard to keep her eyes open. She tugged at her shirt collar and sighed.

“Why aren’t we taking an air-conditioned car?”

Xu Yue, dressed like a colorful peacock, fanned herself with her phone and said contentedly, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We’re here to experience the local culture.”

Only locals could truly endure the local culture. Chu Yu felt dizzy and nauseous the entire way, holding back the urge to vomit until they hit traffic, still far from their destination.

She closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and looked weakly at Xu Yue. “I really can’t take it anymore. Ask her how much longer. I need to throw up.”

The two of them used a translator, gesturing with their hands and mouths for a long time. Finally, the driver typed a few words on the phone.

-Ten minutes without traffic, half an hour with traffic.

Just as the car in front started its engine, Chu Yu was hit squarely by the fumes. Gasoline mixed with an unknown stench drilled into her nose. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, dry-heaved, jumped out of the tuk-tuk, covered her mouth, and rushed to the side of the road.

Xu Yue paid the driver and quickly jumped out. They both crouched by the roadside, drinking water and fanning themselves. Chu Yu finally unbuttoned the top of her shirt, allowing herself to breathe.

“Why are you dressed so conservatively? You get hot and then you have to take things off,” Xu Yue said lazily, looking at the navigation.

Chu Yu was too weak to speak. She swallowed some ice water before saying, “I dressed formally. First impressions, you know.”

After a brief argument, they followed the navigation again. Logically, the place wasn’t far, but they wandered around like headless chickens for a long time and still couldn’t find it.

“Are you sure the address is right? Maybe let me look,” Chu Yu said weakly, crossing her arms.

Xu Yue frowned, scrolling through her phone. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, it’s right around here.”

Following the navigation, the two walked back and forth through foreign alleys. The first time they entered, there was a pot of dead flowers at the alley entrance. The third time they emerged, the dead flowers were still there.

The area was surrounded by low-rise residential buildings. Perhaps tourists rarely came here, as several residents stared intently at them.

Chu Yu ducked under a clothesline. A piece of red silk was hanging from the line, trailing down to the ground. Just as she was about to walk past, the wind blew, and the silk violently wrapped around her head.

Her vision was obscured by a hazy red. Chu Yu grabbed the silk and pulled it down, but the fabric seemed to fight her, endless and impossible to tear away.

Just as she was about to call Xu Yue, a woman chuckled softly near her ear. Chu Yu’s heart jumped. She yanked the silk hard, but the fabric suddenly floated lightly to the ground. The surroundings were empty, and a water bird flapped its wings and flew away.

Xu Yue was looking down at her phone, completely oblivious to the strangeness around them. Chu Yu couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the phone. “Ask a local. They must know.”

“Hello, where is this address on the map?” The translator spat out the mechanical Thai. The elderly woman’s eyes shifted from confusion to clarity.

She nodded repeatedly, took the phone, and looked at it for a long time, then suddenly frowned. Several people nearby gathered around and consulted each other in a flurry of chatter.

A woman stepped forward and pointed to the alley on the left. Xu Yue took the phone back and thanked them profusely.

As Xu Yue turned to leave, the first elderly woman grabbed her and shouted rapidly, “Ya ba ai! Ya ba ai!” She waved her hands back and forth in front of her chest, palms facing outward.

The two looked at each other. “What does she want?” Xu Yue asked.

“I don’t know. Is she telling us not to go?” Chu Yu frowned. She stood further back and saw clearly that the person who pointed the direction was not with the group of older women.

“She must want a tip,” Xu Yue said, pulling out a bill and handing it to the woman. The woman refused.

“Not enough? This is a dollar,” Xu Yue said, annoyed.

“Ya ba ai, ya ba ai!” She continued waving her hands. Her companions also gathered around, looking agitated. Xu Yue grabbed Chu Yu. “They’re crazy for tips! Run!”

Before Chu Yu could speak, Xu Yue dragged her into the left alley. Her grip was so strong that Chu Yu couldn’t break free for a long time.

They ran until the entrance was just a small speck of light before finally stopping.

“Hey, why didn’t they follow us?” Xu Yue leaned over, panting, hands on her knees. Chu Yu’s expression subtly changed. She caught her breath and looked at the women at the end of the alley. They were still gathered there, peering inside, but none of them entered.

Looking ahead, they saw a very small courtyard. Outside the yard, several small statues were thrown haphazardly, crudely carved with blurred faces. Over the low courtyard wall, they could see a black statue piercing through the roof.

There was no plaque on the wall. Xu Yue knocked on the door and tentatively called out, “Is anyone here?”

No one answered. The wind blew from the dark alley, pushing the two toward the door. Chu Yu turned and strode inside.

“Don’t just walk in! Don’t you know you can’t just enter many temples in Thailand?” Xu Yue followed her, muttering as she looked around.

The courtyard was quiet. A narrow path led straight into the building. On both sides were sunken, black sculptures.

They were dark, like charred hands, reaching desperately toward the sky. Chu Yu glanced at them and walked forward.

There was no threshold at the entrance. Inside, they were immediately faced with a black statue. The carving was slightly better than the ones outside—at least the facial features were discernible. The woman had long eyes and a slender nose, sitting cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, looking down at them.

There was no altar or prayer mat, just a single deity sitting inside. Two half-burnt candles lay on the floor.

Chu Yu straightened the candles and looked up, meeting the gaze of the statue.

“This is too creepy. Let’s go,” Xu Yue whispered, pressing close to Chu Yu.

The corner of Chu Yu’s mouth curved up. She tilted her head slightly toward the direction of the main door and said,

“It’s too late to leave. Didn’t you notice something has been following us the whole time?”

“Or rather, her goal was to lead us here,” Chu Yu turned around, looking at the woman wrapped in a headscarf who had appeared before them at some unknown point.