This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 30
The next day, Xia Qingye dressed exceptionally pure. She wore a flowing white gown, her long hair loose and adorned with a headband. Over it, she donned a long wool coat. She looked beautiful, but compared to the howling wind outside, she appeared bone-chillingly cold.
Fearing she would freeze, Yu Lan prepared the car with a thick padded jacket, a warm quilt, two packs of heat pads, a rechargeable hot water bottle, and even a small space heater. As long as there was an outlet, they feared nothing.
“Sister Xia, we’ll be there all day, right? Will these little guys be okay at home?”
“I left enough water and food for them; they should be fine.”
Xia Qingye had some knowledge about raising plants, but when it came to small animals, she was a total amateur. Recalling Nie Zhuying’s satisfied “goodnight” from the night before, she hesitated as she stepped downstairs. “Forget it. Just bring Nuonuo and Xia-Xia along in the car. We’ll keep the AC on and wrap them in a thick blanket so they don’t freeze.”
Yu Lan, who had been looking for a chance to play with the dog, practically leaped for joy. Nuonuo was incredibly well-behaved and adorable; she loved teasing him. Having achieved her goal, she skipped upstairs and came back down carrying the two cages.
Xia Qingye was likely the only person to ever bring a dog and hamsters to a public service advertisement (PSA) shoot.
Wei Xianghong rushed over from Xie Zhe’s side. Xie Zhe also had a commercial shoot today. It was originally scheduled for the eighth day of the New Year, but because Xie Zhe had accepted a movie role requiring him to join the cast on that same day, the schedules clashed. After negotiations, everyone took a step back and settled on the fifth—a perfect coincidence. Wei Xianghong felt it was a nightmare; she had let Xia Qingye go to the TV audition alone last time, but she couldn’t let the girl face this PSA alone. It wouldn’t be right.
As soon as she got out of the car and saw Xia Qingye’s outfit, she nodded in approval. “This set is great; it has a real student-era feel.” Simultaneously, she turned to Yu Lan and instructed, “When you get back, boil some ginger water for Qingye. Don’t let her catch a cold.”
Yu Lan nodded vigorously, indicating she understood.
Wei Xianghong immediately led Xia Qingye toward the director and screenwriter. Upon arrival, they discovered another group had already arrived. The leading woman was wearing a low-cut dress that exposed both her chest and thighs. The group surrounded the director and screenwriter, appearing to be in deep communication.
Xia Qingye’s “exposure” was different from the other woman’s. She was reserved, like a shy teenager, showing only a sliver of her calves. Even so, in this weather, she felt like she was going to freeze to death.
The other woman was quite bold—whether it was her personality or if she had interpreted the character that way, it was hard to say.
“Sister Xiang, it looks like there’s been a change,” Xia Qingye murmured, looking at the woman’s attire.
“I’ll go negotiate.”
The other party clearly noticed them as well. When the woman saw Xia Qingye, her lips curled in disdain. A flicker of contempt flashed in her eyes, and she proactively walked over. “Where did this one spring from? A very unfamiliar face. Looking at your pitiful appearance, you should just go home. This PSA is mine.”
Xia Qingye had seen plenty of arrogant people. Nie Zhuying was occasionally arrogant, but she had a sense of proportion that made her impossible to hate; in fact, it made her seem quite cute. But the person in front of her was the type that was genuinely repulsive.
Xia Qingye didn’t budge. Even the smile on her face didn’t change as she said, “It seems you have a backer.”
The woman sneered. “Whether I have a backer is not something a green girl like you should worry about. If you’re smart, you’ll crawl back to wherever you came from. Looking at you, you’re still a student; go back to your ivory tower and learn well. Don’t come to this ‘dyeing vat’ of an industry.”
Xia Qingye wasn’t in a hurry to state her position. Instead, she asked with feigned humility, “May I ask who you are—”
The woman froze, looking dumbfounded as if it were incredibly strange. “You don’t recognize me?”
The little assistant who had jogged over flared up upon hearing this. She glared and shoved Xia Qingye. “Who do you think you are? You don’t even recognize our Sister Wen? Where did you even come from?”
Yu Lan had left a crack in the car window with the AC running, wrapping the three little creatures up tight. The moment she stepped out of the car, she saw two people bullying Xia Qingye. She ran over immediately and shouted loudly, “Hey! Why are you pushing our Sister Xia?”
Xia Qingye felt lucky she wasn’t wearing high heels; otherwise, she surely would have fallen again. The pain in her hips and back had only just disappeared.
“Pfft, ‘Sister Xia’?” The woman mocked. “I think you look older than her.”
This was the blunt truth. Yu Lan was so choked by the remark that her anger was momentarily stifled. Xia Qingye looked at Yu Lan’s aggrieved face and wanted to laugh.
Because of Yu Lan’s loud voice, Wei Xianghong also noticed the situation. After a quick word with the director, she ran to Xia Qingye’s side. “Qingye, are you okay?”
Xia Qingye shook her head. It was just a small shove. Had she not seen enough of these petty, disgusting things?
Wei Xianghong actually found this sudden female artist unfamiliar as well; she had never seen her. She pulled Xia Qingye aside. “This is a bit troublesome. The other party has a strong backer; she’s a ‘parachuted’ replacement.”
This kind of role-snatching was a common occurrence in the circle. Like Chu Rou last time—even if you’ve signed a contract, if you do something to upset the director, he can still tell you to pack your bags and get out. Until a project is truly finished, you never know what changes might occur—natural disasters or man-made ones.
Furthermore, Xia Qingye hadn’t even signed the contract yet.
“Who is it?”
“Hmm?”
Xia Qingye smoothed her wind-blown hair and laughed softly. “Since their backer is so strong, I should at least know what kind of formidable character I’ve run into. That way, I can take a detour early next time I see them.”
Wei Xianghong laughed at her artist’s sarcasm. “Stop talking nonsense. Although she’s not to be trifled with, we aren’t that easy to bully either. Besides, the director is in the wrong here. He had already settled on you, but now someone pushed another person in through connections, so he’s caught in the middle. However, he’s agreed to give you both a chance.”
If it really came down to it, she could always bring out Xia Yanbo. If they wanted to compare backers, then let’s compare!
“An audition?”
“Yes. I have faith in you. You were personally approved by Director Xun; give yourself some confidence.”
Xia Qingye wasn’t surprised. The director likely knew Wei Xianghong was difficult to deal with, so he gave a verbal agreement just to brush them off. If she couldn’t deliver a performance that stunned the director, she would likely be passed over. “Who is the person, and who is the ‘Sugar Daddy’?”
“Zong Cong.”
Xia Qingye’s pupils dilated slightly. Hearing that name made her instinctively think of that person.
Wei Xianghong gave her the bottom line: “The director only mentioned those two words. Honestly, Zong Cong has kept many little lovers over the years, mostly newcomers in the entertainment industry. This one likely isn’t that favored; otherwise, Zong Cong would have just given her a lead role in a movie or drama. When I was talking to the director just now, I noticed her manager is quite capable.”
Xia Qingye looked over. The woman was standing with a very tall man, talking. That man was likely the manager Sister Xiang mentioned.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Mhm.”
Wei Xianghong felt like today was an unlucky start. It was supposed to be an ironclad deal, only to have someone intervene like this. No one would be happy, especially since she thought she’d just be coming here to finalize things. She touched her phone. “Get ready. I’m going to call Xie Zhe.”
Xia Qingye nodded slightly.
Yu Lan was puffing out her cheeks, glaring angrily at the other group. Seeing Wei Xianghong leave, she said aggrievedly, “Sister Xia, is that person here to steal your role?”
Recalling the woman’s lack of confidence from before, Xia Qingye patted her shoulder and said earnestly, “Yu Lan, in the future, when you meet people who pick fights like this, don’t cower. Snap back at them boldly. If you talk them to death, I’ll take the blame!”
Yu Lan was stunned by Xia Qingye’s momentum; she even saw a hint of Nie Zhuying’s international Film Queen aura in her. She was completely won over, her back straightening up. She nodded like a woodpecker. “Mhm, mhm!”
The two returned to the car. Xia Qingye shivered; she was nearly numb from the cold outside. Beside her, Yu Lan thoughtfully handed her a thermos. “Sister Xia, if your hands are cold, tuck them against my back. I have a heat pad on my back.”
Xia Qingye was warmed by her thoughtfulness. After drinking some water and shivering a few more times, she rubbed her hands and declined.
“Sister Xia, do you know that person?”
“I’m not sure.”
She had only heard the name “Wen” from the little assistant. Looking at that provocative stance earlier, she was clearly brainless. However, the fact that she was one of Zong Cong’s people was something she could use…
Soon, the audition content was announced.
The female university student Xia Qingye was to perform was a student from the countryside—simple and frugal. Because of her poor background, she was ostracized and bullied by her classmates. She had no friends and envied those around her with phones and computers; she could only access the internet at the school’s computer lab.
The scene Xia Qingye was to perform was a moment where she was cornered in the restroom and mocked. The protagonist was introverted, long-suppressed, and suffered from low self-esteem. She was weak and dared not resist, yet within that weakness glowed a spark of anger—emotions of indignation and unwillingness. These emotions were shallow, buried under the weakness of daily campus life.
Xia Qingye captured the appearance and clothing of the protagonist perfectly, as well as those slight psychological shifts. The dress she chose was very simple—a common white one found in online shops.
In terms of appearance and attire, the director and screenwriter were more inclined toward Xia Qingye. Especially through the lens, the director saw the moment Xia Qingye was about to cry—tears stubbornly swirling in her eyes, refusing to fall. It was heartbreaking. The director couldn’t help but clap in approval.
The screenwriter pulled the director’s sleeve and coughed. “Xia Qingye, right? The performance was good. Go wait for news over there.”
The moment she bowed, Xia Qingye suppressed the tears in her eyes. That effortless transition in acting left the onlookers stunned; a burst of enthusiastic applause soon followed. Xia Qingye nodded slightly to those around her, her attitude humble.
To the side, Wen Wan was nearly dead with rage. A blind person could see the director had made his decision. She walked over in her high heels, and as she brushed past Xia Qingye, her shoulder lurched.
However, Xia Qingye had stepped aside a second early, as if she had expected the move. The other woman used too much force and nearly fell forward.
Xia Qingye reached out to kindly support her and whispered in her ear: “Does your ‘Sugar Daddy’ actually dote on you more, or does he favor Zhong Ruanqin more?”
“You—”
“Hey! You’re bullying Sister Xia again!” Yu Lan, holding Xia Qingye’s coat, was about to drape it over her when she saw Wen Wan suddenly raise her hand as if to hit her. It was too much.
Xia Qingye grabbed her wrist, her lips curling slightly. “You don’t even have grace. You’re far worse than her.”
Yu Lan found it a bit mysterious—who was “her”? But seeing Wen Wan’s face turn red with anger was very satisfying. She puffed out her chest and immediately used her body to separate them, draping the coat over Xia Qingye. She shot Wen Wan a sideways glance. “Sister Xia, ignore her. Let’s go back to the car and warm up.”
Xia Qingye nodded slightly and gave Wen Wan a friendly smile.
Yu Lan grumbled once they were a distance away, “Sister Xia, your temper is just too good. You don’t need to smile at people like that.”
Just as they were about to get into the car, they heard a familiar voice: “Qingye!”
Turning back, they saw Qi Jiani walking over with her artist. As they got closer, she enthusiastically reached out and hugged Xia Qingye. “What a coincidence! I didn’t expect you to be in this PSA too.”
“Wow, your hands are so cold! Get in the car, quick.”
“Let’s go together.”
Fortunately, the car was quite spacious; with a bit of shifting, it could fit five people. Wei Xianghong was in the passenger seat. After a greeting, she kept her head down texting frantically, looking quite anxious.
Xia Qingye watched for a moment before focusing on Qi Jiani. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Qi Jiani’s manager was sensible; she greeted Wei Xianghong, and seeing she was busy, sat quietly in the back without interrupting.
“Sister Fang secured the opportunity for me; I’m playing a student.”
Qi Jiani looked around the car and pulled a blanket from a box to drape over Xia Qingye. Yuan Fang even lent a hand, but as they pulled it halfway, Yu Lan screamed: “Don’t touch that! You’ll pull them all down!”
Everyone in the car was startled by Yu Lan’s sudden outburst. Even Wei Xianghong looked back. “What is it?”
Xia Qingye reacted quickly and confessed, “Some small animals a friend left with me. I thought the shoot would take a long time today and I wouldn’t be able to care for them, so I brought them along.”
Hearing this, Qi Jiani got excited. She pulled back the blanket to reveal an adorable Samoyed and two hamsters.
“Wow! So cute! Qingye, can I pet them?”
“Mhm.”
Qi Jiani picked Nuonuo out of the cage, petting his head and poking his ears. Nuonuo’s ears were very sensitive; they twitched at her touch. He eventually struggled to get down, seemingly annoyed.
Beside them, Yu Lan was quite jealous. Seeing this, she immediately pulled Nuonuo into her own arms, teasing his chin. Watching him close his eyes contentedly, she buried her face in his fur. “Good Nuonuo, I’ll feed you later.”
“Oh! Why are your hamsters in the same cage?”
“Saves a cage, and it’s more convenient.”
Question: Is it better to feed them at the same time, or separately?
Yu Lan was just trying to save herself some trouble; she saw that the two cages were taking up way too much space, so she simply shooed both hamsters into one nest. In her mind, their fur was the same color and type, so they were probably related anyway—being together for company was much better.
Qi Jiani stared at the two of them, her eyes going wide as she fixed her gaze on Xia Qingye in sheer astonishment.
Being stared at like that made Xia Qingye feel a bit uneasy. “What’s wrong?”
Qi Jiani sounded incredulous. “Qingye, do you seriously not know?”
Xia Qingye looked completely blank. “Know what?”
Qi Jiani quickly opened the cage, separated the two little creatures who were huddling together for warmth, and pulled one out to flip it over and inspect it thoroughly. Then she pulled out the other one and did the same. Finally, she let out a long sigh of relief. “Fortunately, nothing happened yet. They seem to be getting along quite well for now.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
Qi Jiani put the two little guys back. “Hamsters are solitary creatures. They are extremely territorial. If they encounter another of their kind, they’ll use their claws to scratch the other to death or use their teeth to bite them to death. Honestly, I’ve raised hamsters many times, and in the end, they all died.”
Xia Qingye: “…”
See? They really are just like rats, even murdering their own kind.
She then shifted her gaze toward Yu Lan. “Yu Lan, do you actually know how to raise a hamster at all?”
Yu Lan felt incredibly aggrieved. She hugged Nuonuo and shrunk her head back. “Sister Xia, I told you, I’ve only ever raised turtles.”
Seeing the two of them staring at each other, Qi Jiani burst out laughing. “Qingye, so you really don’t know how to raise hamsters!”
Having been exposed, Xia Qingye remained expressionless. Raising these strange little biological creatures was truly not her forte.
Qi Jiani reached out to tease the two identical, indistinguishable hamsters. The two, who had been huddling together for a nap, were woken up by her prodding. Their four little black-bead eyes stared off in different directions, looking adorably dazed. “How about I raise them for you? Once they’ve finished mating, if they successfully give birth to a litter of pups, you can let me keep one.”
Xia Qingye: “…”
Hearing Qi Jiani’s words, Xia Qingye felt her vision go dark for a second. A litter of hamster pups!!!
Yu Lan was also excitedly putting in a pre-order. “Aah! So they’re a male and a female! Sister Xia, I want to raise one too. Just save a female for me when the time comes.”
Xia Qingye’s face was now as black as the bottom of a pot. Forget females or males—she wanted to throw both Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg into the Pacific Ocean right now. She grit her teeth. “As soon as we get back, separate them immediately.”
Qi Jiani looked at Xia Qingye pleadingly, her face practically screaming: Let me help you raise them, okay?
Xia Qingye actually wanted to dump the two little things on Qi Jiani—the girl had experience and seemed more reliable than Yu Lan. “Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg were left with me by a friend. She wants to see them every night.”
“Oh.”
Qi Jiani looked a bit disappointed, just as Yuan Fang reminded her from behind, “It’s time to go to the director.”
Wei Xianghong, sitting in the passenger seat, also turned back. “Let’s go together. They should have made a decision by now.”
Unsurprisingly, after Xia Qingye left, Wen Wan’s performance was mediocre—no, much worse than mediocre. Wen Wan was furious; the director and screenwriter could clearly see through the lens that she was carrying personal emotions into her acting, and her face was contorted. Everyone present witnessed it. If they still chose Wen Wan after that, it would truly be a blatant case of “using the back door.”
The director didn’t want to offend Wei Xianghong, but he also didn’t want to cross Zong Cong. An open audition served as an explanation to both. If the actress couldn’t get the role under those circumstances, it was simply a matter of her own lack of ability.
After returning, Xia Qingye took a long, hot bath. Even after soaking, she still felt a bit cold. Wrapped in a quilt, she curled up on the sofa, staring at her phone on the coffee table. After a while, her gaze drifted toward the cage, and she saw Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg suddenly going wild. The two hamsters were sprinting around the cage chasing each other, showing none of the “loving” behavior from earlier. To make matters worse, they were running so fast and their fur was so identical that it was impossible to tell who was chasing whom.
“Yu Lan!”
There was a series of clatters and bangs from the kitchen, as if something had fallen to the floor.
Yu Lan poked her head out and added, “One second!”
In that “one second,” Xia-Xia caught up to Lazy-Egg and used its front limbs to grab Lazy-Egg’s waist. The two hamsters overlapped…
Yu Lan still didn’t know what had happened while she was tidying the kitchen. “Sister Xia, what’s wrong?”
Xia Qingye pointed toward the hamster cage with an indescribable expression, covering half her face with her hand. “See for yourself.”
Yu Lan leaned in, her face lighting up with surprise. “Aah! Sister Xia, Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg are mating!~”
She then excitedly pulled out her phone and recorded the process, cheering from the sidelines. “Go, Xia-Xia! Go! Get Lazy-Egg pregnant! Try to have a bunch in one litter!”
Xia Qingye: “…”
What the hell? For some reason, she could hear the joy in Yu Lan’s voice, and she couldn’t figure out where this sudden sense of shame bubbling up in her own heart was coming from.
“Indescribable” was no longer enough to characterize Xia Qingye’s mood. She sat there dazed for a long time, not moving until the two hamsters in the cage had finished their “business.” Then, she said weakly, “You… hurry up and separate them.”
Yu Lan said regretfully, “Xia-Xia, you heartless man. As soon as you finish the dirty deed, you abandon Lazy-Egg.”
Xia Qingye snapped, her patience gone, “Shut up!”
Author’s Note: I suddenly feel like you guys aren’t reading as fast as I’m updating. 2333, I think I’m being too diligent. →_→
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