How to Stop the Villain from Going Crazy
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 62 - His tongue and thoughts betrayed his will (2)
Many people thought that actors only needed acting skills. In fact, this was a profession that required high comprehensive skills. Not only did the actors need to understand the content of the script, they also needed a certain level of creative ability to interpret the script and act out the characters' lines and movements.
In order to be a good actress, Bo Li had read many playwriting books and had a foundation in writing. Her writing style couldn't be considered good, but Marbella's story was shocking enough that it didn't need much embellishment.
After she finished writing, she found a local newspaper and paid the manager money to publish her article on the front page.
Most of the things published in the local newspaper were trivial matters. For example, a missing dog, a cat running away, a hat falling off on the tram, a job advertisement with a high price for an exterminator for a certain place that is plagued by rats, etc.
She deliberately changed into men's clothing before going to submit her article. She looked like a cultured, gentle, and attractive talent.
The newspaper manager thought she was a rich youngster with big dreams and money to burn. He agreed to post the article without even looking at it. Anyways, there hadn't been big news recently.
At first, people didn't pay much attention to Marbella's story until two gentlemen almost started a gunfight over it. Although it ended up in nothing, it caused quite a stir in the city.
Many people were curious. Who is Marbella? Where was this circus now? When would it come to New Orleans?
Bo Li wasn't in a rush to announce the performance date and continued having people build momentum in pubs and other places.
She spread the news that if anyone could watch the entire show without dropping out, she would pay them $100.
Marbella's story only caused small-scale discussions, but this news threw the entire city in an uproar.
$100! The daily wage of a hardworking laborer at a clothing factory was only $1.
Was this circus manager insane or trying to swindle a bunch of money through tickets and run away without paying out the prize?
For a while, men and women were discussing this matter.
Many people were convinced this was a hoax. There was everything in the world, except a performance that people were unable to finish watching.
The only possibility was that the circus manager was playing word games and wanted them to watch the show for several days and nights without food. It could only be said that this circus manager's knowledge was too limited.
The manager must have never seen destitute, dejected common folks. In order to get $100, they would persist in watching the show even if they had to go without food for several days and nights.
This incident even attracted the attention of the New Orleans Police Department.
The sheriff came to see Bo Li and told her to not play tricks. It would be troublesome if someone starved to death while watching the show.
Bo Li mysteriously smiled. "Don't worry. The show won't exceed three hours."
Now, even the sheriff was a bit curious. What kind of show gave her the courage to make such a promise?
Of course, Erik was the reason why she dared to make this promise.
When she was writing Marbella's story, she asked a question aloud.
"I have a bold idea. If it succeeds, we'll probably make a lot of money and become celebrities in the city, but if it fails, we'll become infamous and even penniless. What do you think? Should we go through with it or not?"
There was silence in the room, but she knew Erik was in the room.
He was looking at her and breathing in the shadows.
Sure enough, after she said those words, a low, chilly voice sounded in her ears. "What's your idea?"
Bo Li blinked. "Can we talk face to face?"
No reply.
"Fine, fine." Bo Li was somewhat miffed. "Whether this idea succeeds or not doesn't depend on me, but on you."
He was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Me?"
"As long as you can realize my vision," she said, "we'll succeed."
Bo Li didn't know that Erik was standing behind her.
He was accustomed to hiding in the shadows. Without his permission, she wouldn't be aware of his presence.
He understood her meaning. She was testing his attitude towards her and forcing him to acknowledge a partnership between them.
Her mind was more agile than he had thought. Although she didn't possess great wisdom, she was very clever in small matters.
She never shied away from showing her face in public and would even change into men's attire when necessary. She fraternized with men and even flirted with ladies.
He was aware of her incongruities. She had an eastern accent, but logically speaking, she probably had never been to the eastern part of America.
She wasn't shy like other women. There were ladies that wore relatively short dresses that exposed their shoes. She took it a step further. She frequently wore bloomers and walked around the house with the bloomers rolled up to her knees, revealing her pale and smooth calves.
He could tell she didn't view this as titillating behavior. She probably came from a very open-minded place. She had to be brought up in such an environment to behave so forthright.
And yet, when he saw her appear in front of other people dressed like that, he still felt… jealous. He didn't know what he was jealous of. Was he jealous that she was comfortable with exposing her body, or was it because he didn't want others to see her body?
These thoughts made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
What made him even more uncomfortable was the realization that he had felt jealous many times before. He just hadn't been able to identify that feeling as jealous until now.
Why was he feeling jealous?
Why had he felt flustered when she had approached him step by step and wanted to see his face that day?
She was like a bird in his hand. He could easily kill her, but why couldn't he make that move?
Her neck was so thin, and her neck bones were so fragile.
He had almost broken her neck before.
Why couldn't he do it this time?
During this period, he had wanted to kill her countless times.
And yet, as soon as he wrapped his hand around her neck and felt her pulse, he felt a subtle tremor like a static shock instead of murderous intent.
He had killed many people by choking them. Under his terrifying hands, no one had lasted past three seconds.
Her skin was warm, her blood vessels were throbbing, and her breathing was even.
Her guard was completely down.
He could quickly snap her neck and painlessly end her life. It could even be considered a mercy killing.
And yet, her body temperature was like a living thing that enveloped his body.
He felt as if his disguise was melting away. The shadows were being dispelled, and the darkness was retreating.
Even in her sleep, she could make him feel as if he was stripped bare and exposed to the public. It felt humiliating.
It was as if his mask had been removed, his gloves taken off, and there was nowhere to hide. The most terrifying thing was that even at that point, he still couldn't kill her.
Just like now, he heard the hidden meaning and the temptations in her words. He could see through her intentions.
And yet, he still agreed, "I can do it."
His tongue and thoughts betrayed his will. He felt as if his body wasn't his own, and he lacked the strength to stop it.
T/N: Resuming regular updates on Tuesday, October 15 at 9:25 PM EST.