This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 35

Coming out to her manager caused Xia Qingye zero stress. In her eyes, Wei Xianghong had always been a highly professional manager, both in her past life and this one. She knew exactly what should and shouldn’t be said.

Xia Qingye had noted the care Wei Xianghong showed her in private. Beyond the professional relationship, there was a genuine bond of friendship. Taking the situation with Xia Yanbo as an example, Wei Xianghong had no obligation to dig up information; doing so was a favor, not a duty.

In short, Wei Xianghong was remarkably sincere in her eyes.

Once the call ended, Xia Qingye slept soundly, feeling at peace.

Wei Xianghong, however, had been exhausted and ready to crash after a long night of work. But after that phone call, she was completely wired. When she tried to call back, the phone was off—Xia Qingye had clearly decided that when it was time to sleep, it was time to sleep.

Xiaoyelou was the name of a building in a famous villa district in the capital.

Xia Qingye didn’t bring Yu Lan. She drove there alone, carrying the hamster cage and a large bag of Lazy-Egg’s food, without even putting on a disguise.

Yao Wei was already waiting at the gate. After registering with security, she got into Xia Qingye’s car. “Miss Xia, keep driving forward. There’s still a bit of a way to go.”

“It’s this far?”

“The villas here are all separate and widely distributed. The designer supposedly integrated Feng Shui and the Five Elements into the layout. The distance between buildings is large, the grounds are vast, and the roads are irregular. Just follow me, you won’t get lost.”

Xia Qingye grew interested. “It sounds like the Feng Shui here must be quite good.”

Yao Wei thought of something Nie Zhuying had said and laughed. “I don’t know about the Feng Shui, but Sister Nie says she likes it here because it’s quiet enough.”

Xia Qingye understood instantly. This meant the security measures were extremely strict and paparazzi couldn’t get in. For an artist, it was a true sanctuary. She drove the car along the winding road, and by the time they reached the house, she was breaking a light sweat.

“You can park the car right there.”

“Alright.”

As soon as the door opened, Xia Qingye saw a white blur flying toward her, accompanied by high-pitched, youthful barks.

She immediately backed up two steps, jumping from the low porch down to the flat ground to put distance between herself and Nuonuo. Fortunately, while Nuonuo could climb up stairs, he was a bit hesitant about going down them. Xia Qingye stared warily at the white puppy. “Hurry and take Nuonuo away.”

Nie Zhuying leaned against the doorframe and smacked her lips. “Coward. Nuonuo only wants to play with you because he likes you. Come here, Nuonuo, come to Big Sister~ ignore her.”

Hearing the call, Nuonuo spun around, wiggled his little butt, and happily bounced toward Nie Zhuying.

Xia Qingye finally let out a sigh of relief. Inside, she swapped her shoes and looked around. The villa wasn’t as large as she’d imagined, but the decor had a touch of British style. There was even a fireplace in the hall, reminiscent of an old Western villa. She leaned closer and felt the wave of warmth, which chased away the chill she’d brought in from outside. “You certainly know how to enjoy life.”

Nie Zhuying was sprawled lazily on the sofa, one foot on the floor and the other resting on the cushions. Nuonuo was lying belly-up on her stomach, batting at her hand with his paws.

Xia Qingye set the hamster cage on the coffee table. Lazy-Egg had scurried back into her little house, terrified by Nuonuo’s barking. Normally, the hamsters didn’t like the dog. Unfortunately, Nuonuo was the freest of the three; he hated being in a cage and would sprint around the house the moment he was released. He’d scratch at the sofa and occasionally try to paw at the hamster cage. If Yu Lan hadn’t kept the cage on a high surface, he probably would have played the hamsters to death by now.

“So the ‘daughter-in-law’ is shy. What was her name again, Lazy-Egg?”

“Yes.” As lazy as you.

“Who picked that name? How could you call such a cute hamster ‘Lazy-Egg’?”

Xia Qingye: “I did.”

Nie Zhuying was momentarily choked by the blunt answer. She quickly set Nuonuo down and leaned toward the cage, tapping it. “Hey, Lazy, come out.”

Xia Qingye explained, “She’s become more timid since she got pregnant. Any little movement makes her hide. She won’t come out if you tap like that.”

Nie Zhuying looked enlightened, then let out an “Ah!” and sprinted upstairs in her slippers. A moment later, she brought Xia-Xia down and placed his cage next to Lazy-Egg’s. “Xia-Xia, your wife is here. Go keep her company.”

She reached out to open the cage. Xia Qingye grabbed her hand immediately. “Don’t put them together.”

The warmth from the skin contact traveled straight to Xia Qingye’s palm. She pulled her hand back abruptly, her cheeks flushing. She explained awkwardly, “Female hamsters become very irritable during pregnancy. She might attack the male.”

Nie Zhuying let go immediately, sighing. “But Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg are already a couple. Why would they fight?”

Doesn’t this low-IQ question reveal your true self?

Xia Qingye grew suspicious and looked directly into Nie Zhuying’s seductive eyes, wondering if the woman was truly dim-witted or just playing dumb in front of her. She spoke with more emphasis, “Are you like this with everyone? Close, unreserved, without even a hint of a guard?”

Nie Zhuying was startled by the inexplicable flare of temper. She lifted her chin and glared back, refusing to back down. “Aren’t we here to discuss Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg? What are you actually trying to say?”

Meeting Nie Zhuying’s earnest gaze, Xia Qingye felt her frustration deflate. She suddenly felt like she was performing a monologue; some things weren’t meant for her to hope for. “Nothing. Let’s sit back down and talk.”

Nie Zhuying found the mood shift bizarre, but seeing the other sit down, she chose the opposite seat, picked up Nuonuo, and resumed stroking his fur.

“Lazy-Egg might have five pups in this litter. That’s the vet’s preliminary estimate.”

“That many?” Nie Zhuying did indeed love these furry, cute creatures, but she was startled by the number five. She liked petting and looking at them, but she didn’t like the raising part. She was already regretting Nuonuo and Xia-Xia a little.

Xia Qingye was beyond exasperated. She could see it now—this person had a three-minute attention span. She liked them, but she was genuinely lazy. Raising animals, like plants, required immense patience, energy, and interest. This woman had the interest, but as for the patience and energy…

Thinking of Yu Lan and Qi Jiani’s excited faces earlier, Xia Qingye said, “I have people who have already pre-ordered two. You need to find a way to handle the remaining three.”

Nie Zhuying immediately snapped a photo of Lazy-Egg. “That’s easy. I’ll just post on WeChat and ask who wants them.” She lowered her head and started editing the post.

This casual attitude… she’s really like a stepmother.

Xia Qingye felt like she’d boarded a sinking ship. She really should have refused flatly from the start.

Her own WeChat had very few contacts; she had deleted all her old fair-weather friends. She picked up her phone and saw a new update in her feed:

##High-quality Robo genes, our Lazy-Egg is pregnant! Pre-ordering for hamster pups starts now##

[Accompanying images: A grid of nine photos of Lazy-Egg and Xia-Xia.]

Xia Qingye looked at it and asked, confused, “What ‘Robo’ genes?”

Nie Zhuying didn’t look up. “I think it’s the name of the breed. That’s what the owner told me when I bought them.”

Xia Qingye checked the time; over an hour had passed unnoticed. “Miss Nie.”

“Just call me Ying-zi or Zhuzi. Do we still need to be this formal?”

“Then, Zhuzi.”

An unexpected surprise. Xia Qingye repeated the name Zhuzi in her mind several times before saying seriously, “Hamster pregnancies are short. They can have a litter basically every month.”

Nie Zhuying jumped. “Ah! Then it’s best to start pre-ordering early, so no one misses out next time.”

Xia Qingye: “…” She’s already thinking about a second and third litter.

She said sternly, “Frequent pregnancies are very damaging to hamsters. I don’t plan on letting Xia-Xia and Lazy-Egg share a cage again. Just this one litter.”

A thought flashed through Nie Zhuying’s mind: her Xia-Xia was likely going to spend the rest of his life without “sexual bliss.” “Fine, we’ll let them live separate lives.”

“By the way, I have something to do in a few days. Can you help me look after Nuonuo and Xia-Xia?”

Xia Qingye, who had also wanted to be a hands-off owner, didn’t have time to refuse before facing Nie Zhuying’s “acting cute” face. She sat up straight. “For how many days?”

Nie Zhuying calculated. “Two or three days.”

Xia Qingye was still in a daze when she left with Nuonuo, Xia-Xia, and Lazy-Egg. She had clearly come here to dump Lazy-Egg on Nie Zhuying, but she had been bluffed into taking the whole family back to the apartment.

“Woof woof woof!”

“Nuonuo, don’t bark, or the neighbors will come looking for trouble.”

Xia Qingye stared at Nuonuo. She realized that in the past half-month, the little guy had grown a lot. His body had lengthened, losing that round ball-like appearance. There wasn’t much space left in the cage; he couldn’t even turn around. If it was uncomfortable for him, it was even more uncomfortable for her to watch.

“Your ‘Sister Zhuzi’ is too irresponsible.”

“Stop barking.”

The barking gave her a headache. She immediately called Yu Lan and gave her instructions for the next few days.

The next day, Yu Lan arrived and took Nuonuo out for a walk. When she returned, she set up a newly bought bed. Nuonuo tested it out, even dragging his old cushion into the new bed, looking quite satisfied.

“Wow, Sister Xia, did you go see Film Queen Nie yesterday?” The gossip was thick in her voice.

“Pay more attention to Lazy-Egg over the next few days. I’m afraid she’ll give birth at any moment.”

Xia Qingye put on a sweater, jeans, a coat, and high-top boots—a simple outfit. “Sister Xiang is coming with me to the appointment today. You stay home and look after these three little ones.”

Yu Lan nodded vigorously. “Then, Sister Xia, whatever you do, don’t drink.”

Xia Qingye: “…” Always bringing up the sore spot.

She adjusted her scarf and said casually, “It’s just a chat, not a meal. She hasn’t reached the level of familiarity where I’d sit at a dinner table with her.”

Harsh.

Yu Lan thought to herself: It seems Film Queen Zhong doesn’t have nearly as much “face” as Film Queen Nie.