This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 23

Regarding the stories of the previous generation, or even the one before that, Xia Qingye searched through the original owner’s memories and found them to be quite hazy. When her parents passed away, she was still very young and lacked clear recollection. By the time she grew old enough to understand, these old matters had become a scar between the siblings, something they didn’t easily reveal.

People always have to look forward. Aside from the annual tomb-sweeping on the anniversary of their death, Xia Qingye rarely remembered her biological parents. Her feelings toward them were quite indifferent; the only person she felt close to was her brother, Xia Yanbo.

So, hearing Mr. Nie talk about the older generation left Xia Qingye’s eyes vacant and her mind utterly blank.

As the saying goes: “Poverty doesn’t last three generations, and wealth doesn’t last three generations.”

Two generations ago, the Xia family was a peasant household. They were so poor they didn’t have two pennies to rub together. This was before family planning was widespread; those who could have children would have nine or ten in one go, and even those who “couldn’t” still had five or six. Xia Qingye’s grandmother had five children, but after a period of social upheaval, only two survived. One was the father of Xia Qingye and Xia Yanbo—the eldest—and the other was their uncle.

The elder Mr. Xia was a sturdy man with a sharp mind. He could handle farm work but also found ways to earn extra cash on the side. In those days, he even knitted socks—a craft usually associated with women—and that skill alone supported several family members. When he realized the “side hustle” money matched their annual harvest, his mind turned even faster. He started by selling socks and, step by step, walked the path of entrepreneurship to wealth.

The younger uncle was the baby of the family, doted on and spoiled. They didn’t let him do farm work and paid for his education. After graduation, he married a woman with a very sharp tongue—someone who didn’t dare snap at outsiders but only bullied the family.

After the Xia parents passed away, the enterprise they had built from the ground up was taken over by the uncle acting as the “sole guardian.” In less than five years, he squandered it all.

Fortunately, the Xia mother had left a sum of money for her children. Xia Yanbo used that money to start from scratch, leading to his current success.

“If it hadn’t been for your parents’ timely help back then, my old man probably would have kicked the bucket long ago.”

“Uh—”

When their parents died, Xia Yanbo was already a half-grown boy. He had endured cold looks and bullying, knowing full well what it meant to live under someone else’s roof. Having tasted the bitterness of those years, he swore to build a great career. Even so, he had never heard his parents mention a pre-arranged “bride.”

Xia Yanbo looked troubled and spoke honestly: “I’m sorry, Mr. Nie. You say this was an agreement between our families, but as you know, my father and mother have been gone for over ten years. They never mentioned this while they were alive. I think it’s best if we just let it go.”

“Yes, let’s just let it go.”

Nie Zhuying had been waiting for exactly that sentence.

Mr. Nie’s face darkened instantly, and he let out a light cough. Mrs. Nie immediately pulled Nie Zhuying aside and whispered, “Little Ying, stop making trouble. Do you really want to send your father to the hospital before you’re satisfied?”

Nie Zhuying pouted; they always used that to threaten her.

The calmest person in the room was Xia Qingye. She had finally found the reason for Nie Zhuying’s recent eccentric behavior—it turned out she disliked Xia Yanbo, and by extension, she disliked her too.

However, watching a Film Queen being helplessly forced into marriage was so amusing that Xia Qingye could hardly suppress her laughter.

“Yanbo, this just proves that you and your father are both honest people. Our Nie family cannot do something so treacherous as breaking a promise; otherwise, people would say we’re bullying honest folk. Furthermore, this was the old man’s deathbed wish—to find you. Otherwise, he couldn’t rest in peace. How am I supposed to explain it to him when I eventually join him?”

Over the years, whether in business or personal conduct, the Nie family had always put “Sincerity” first. If they didn’t agree to something, that was fine, but if they did, they followed through to the end. Moreover, this matter had been a weight on Mr. Nie’s heart that he dared not forget.

Until he found the Xia siblings, he couldn’t find peace.

Xia Yanbo’s head was throbbing. He looked to Xia Qingye for help, but she acted as if she hadn’t seen him. She was listening intently with a look of pure entertainment, which made him feel both annoyed and amused.

“Mr. Nie, are you sure you haven’t mistaken us for someone else? There are thousands of people with the same names. If there’s a mistake, forget about those who are gone—this is Miss Nie’s life-long happiness at stake. We can’t afford to delay it.”

Nie Zhuying looked up at Xia Yanbo in surprise.

“Right. Do Mr. Nie and Madam have any proof?” Xia Qingye felt her head growing large at the thought of Nie Zhuying becoming her sister-in-law. Dealing with Xia Yanbo alone was enough; if you added Nie Zhuying, she’d blow her cover in minutes.

“We do.”

Back then, after the Xia father saved the Nie patriarch, the two families became close. The Nie grandmother had given one of a pair of blood-jade earrings as a token, one for each family, waiting for the day the children would unite and the earrings would be a pair again.

Mr. and Mrs. Nie were well-prepared. Not only did they bring the token, but they also pulled out an old, faded photograph to show Xia Yanbo. “This is your father, and this is the old man. Names might be similar, but faces don’t lie, right?”

The old man was in military uniform, looking spirited and healthy. The young man beside him wore coarse clothes, but his handsome features were even more pronounced than Xia Yanbo’s.

Even a stranger looking at the photo and then at Xia Yanbo would conclude they were father and son.

Xia Yanbo held the photo, staring at his father’s face, momentarily lost in thought. For years, he had worked hard to give his only sister the best of everything, enduring any hardship to fulfill his parents’ final wish to look after her. He lightly touched the temple of the man in the photo, as if stroking his father’s brow. “It’s my dad.”

Xia Qingye glanced at the photo, then focused on a brocade box. “Madam, may I see?”

Mrs. Nie carefully placed the box on the coffee table. Xia Qingye knelt and opened it cautiously. The box was small—palm-sized—and inside lay a single blood-red earring: a round bead about the size of a pinky nail.

“This is the token?” Xia Yanbo asked in surprise.

“Yes. Yanbo, have you seen the other one?”

Xia Qingye covered her face; that was a total self-betrayal. She didn’t even need to take out the other blood-jade earring to know that if held against the sun, one could see the faint image of a phoenix spreading its wings—a fiery red scene like a burning blaze, possessed of a beauty akin to a rebirth through fire. Whether a master craftsman had carved this into the jade or it was a natural fluke, it was magical.

In her memory, the original owner occasionally played with it; it was one of the few relics left by the Xia mother.

“Haha! It seems we haven’t found the wrong person.” Mr. Nie’s laughter was exceptionally hearty, as if he had completed a major task that had been stalled deep in his heart for years.

Xia Yanbo returned the heavily worn photo to Mr. Nie. “Mr. Nie…”

Mr. Nie suddenly patted Xia Yanbo’s shoulder. “Good lad, still being so formal. if your father were still alive, he’d be a few years younger than me. Just call me ‘Uncle’.”

“Uncle, you’ve been searching for Qingye and me all these years. I won’t say much else, but I will remember this kindness. However, regarding the marriage, I think we still need to sit down and discuss it.”

“Good! Your aunt and I have already discussed the arrangements at home. As soon as you and Zhuying agree, we’ll organize the wedding immediately.” Mr. Nie slapped his thigh happily, seemingly settling the matter with a single sentence.

“No, Uncle, you’ve misunderstood me.” Xia Yanbo said frantically, explaining, “I feel that Miss Nie and I don’t have an emotional foundation. It’s better to discuss this slowly; there’s no rush.”

Xia Qingye saw Nie Zhuying standing silently to the side and felt a bit of sympathy. She felt such an arrangement didn’t suit someone as free-spirited as Nie Zhuying; she shouldn’t be bound like this.

Besides, Nie Zhuying didn’t look like the type to be swayed by Xia Yanbo’s looks alone.

This betrothal was going to be difficult.

Xia Qingye saw Xia Yanbo coaxing the Nie parents into smiles and secretly gave him a thumbs-up. She then went to the kitchen to prepare a fruit platter and hot tea.

Nie Zhuying remained a cold observer throughout, not participating in the conversation, just standing there watching.

When Xia Qingye brought the tea and fruit back, she heard Mrs. Nie say boldly, “Feelings come from spending time together! How about this: Yanbo, find some time during the holidays to take our Xiaoying out. Once you’re familiar, the feelings will come naturally.”

“This… it’s best to ask Miss Nie’s opinion first.”

Xia Qingye lit a mental candle for Xia Yanbo. She finally knew where Nie Zhuying’s frankness came from; it was inherited.

“Uncle, Auntie, please have some tea.”

“Sigh, Qingye is still the virtuous one. Our Xiaoying never does this at home; I’m lucky if she brings me a glass of water.”

Xia Qingye heard Nie Zhuying let out two cold snorts. Her scalp went numb. Mrs. Nie was digging a deep pit, burying both her and Nie Zhuying in it at the same time, making it so she didn’t even dare to respond.

Nie Zhuying picked up the tea, took two sips, smacked her lips, and suddenly said: “I actually think what Mommy just said makes sense. Feelings come from spending time together. CEO Xia looks quite busy, and I have to rush to appearances after the New Year. Everyone’s time is limited. How about this: since we have a marriage contract, I’ll just spend this New Year at the Xia residence.”

Hearing this, the hair on the back of Xia Qingye’s neck stood up.

She just wanted to have a peaceful New Year.

Author’s Note:

Nie Zhuying: Our first New Year together. [Finger heart]

Xia Qingye: Heh. [Cold face]