This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 36
The moment Xia Qingye got into the car, she felt Wei Xianghong’s gaze lingering on her through the rearview mirror. It was exceptionally complex.
She turned her head to watch the scenery flashing past the window, and when she turned back, she met Wei Xianghong’s eyes again as they darted away like a thief caught in the act. The manager seemed incredibly guilty.
“Sister Xiang.”
“Hmm?”
“If you keep sneakily watching me like this, I’ll start to think you—” pity me.
“I am not!” Wei Xianghong denied it vehemently before she could even finish. She let out a cough, likely feeling like her over-explanation was a “guilty party protesteth too much” situation.
Xia Qingye let out a soft laugh.
This reaction was truly unheard of. When she had come out in her past life, everyone had avoided her like the plague—even her parents. It wasn’t until she moved to a different city and a new environment that she realized some things couldn’t be revealed to the outside world. They had to be buried in the heart as the deepest of secrets until someone on the same wavelength appeared.
Wei Xianghong thought it over and finally voiced the thoughts that had kept her up all night. “Qingye, even though public acceptance is a bit better than it used to be, you have to be clear: in this circle, unless you have absolute authority or power, your career is over the moment this is leaked. Everything you’re working for now will go down the drain. Have you thought this through?”
“It’s how I was born.”
“My point is… I’m grateful you told me so frankly from the start. At least I’m prepared. I want to know: besides me, does anyone else know about your sexual orientation?”
“My brother.”
Xia Qingye suddenly felt the car swerve sharply as another vehicle roared past them.
Wei Xianghong broke into a cold sweat. It took her a long moment to regain her composure. “Your brother?”
Xia Qingye said meaningfully, “Yes. He knew before I even entered this industry.”
Wei Xianghong finally understood. It turned out she was the only one worrying over nothing.
The place Zhong Ruanqin had chosen was a high-end private club with various entertainment facilities. After Xia Qingye gave her name, a staff member led the way.
“Sister Xiang, I can go in alone. Forty-five minutes max. If I’m not out by then, call me.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come along? You said she…” In public, Wei Xianghong could only gesture wildly to describe “those words,” looking like a mother worried her daughter was falling into an illegal cult. She followed her for a short distance.
“Don’t worry.”
“Fine. Forty-five minutes at most.”
“Mhm.”
Xia Qingye was led into a small private booth. The lighting was very dim, with only a few small colored lamps casting a gaudy, flickering glow. It gave off a distinctly tawdry vibe.
“Ms. Zhong, the guest you were waiting for has arrived.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Xia Qingye followed the sound of the voice and finally spotted a figure in the darkest shadow. It was Zhong Ruanqin. Her expression was obscured, but Xia Qingye couldn’t resist a sarcastic remark. “Senior Zhong certainly picked a ‘unique’ location.”
It looked like the kind of place where illegal transactions happened. Outside, the sun was bright and beautiful; inside, it reeked of a decadent atmosphere that was extremely unpleasant.
Then, she caught the pungent scent of cigarette smoke mixed with heavy perfume. The combination made her feel nauseous. Xia Qingye remembered that the Zhong Ruanqin of the past didn’t smoke.
“Sister Xia, come and sit.”
“I have things to do today, so I won’t be sitting. Senior Zhong said there was something to discuss. I’m here now, so let’s get straight to the point.”
As soon as Xia Qingye finished speaking, she heard a loud thud—the sound of a glass being slammed onto the coffee table.
Zhong Ruanqin stood up and approached her step by step.
As she drew closer, Xia Qingye smelled the stinging odor of alcohol and choking smoke. The mixture made her head spin. Clearly, the woman had been drinking and smoking heavily before she arrived.
Zhong Ruanqin’s eyes were slightly glazed. She gave Xia Qingye a seductive smile and reached out a hand as if to stroke her hair. “Have a few drinks with me?”
Xia Qingye leaned back, avoiding the touch, and chose a spot several steps away. “If Senior Zhong went to such lengths to get me here just for a drink, I’m sorry. I have an afternoon schedule; I can’t stay.”
“Heh. Sister Xia, you’re afraid of me.”
“No, I just don’t like you,” Xia Qingye said frankly. “And it’s not just me; most people in this circle don’t like you.”
It was as if she had stepped on a sore spot. Zhong Ruanqin’s voice suddenly turned shrill. “What are you talking about?!”
She closed the distance again, her face nearly contorted with rage as she glared at Xia Qingye. “I warned you before: do more and say less. Xia Qingye, do you think having a brother makes you so special?”
Xia Qingye only felt that the person before her was increasingly unrecognizable; there wasn’t a trace of familiarity left. She smiled and admitted honestly, “Yes. Having a brother to dote on me means I can take fewer detours.”
Especially such an excellent brother.
Zhong Ruanqin froze, then suddenly burst into a fit of mad laughter. “If one day your brother has nothing left, won’t you become a poor little thing? Wouldn’t it be better to just follow me obediently?”
Her voice turned as soft as a trap, coaxing the prey to jump in.
Xia Qingye looked at the woman and took a step back, reminding her calmly, “Senior Zhong, you’re drunk. I can pretend you never said that.”
Zhong Ruanqin ignored the warning, prowling forward like a hunting leopard. “As long as I whisper in Zong Cong’s ear, the partnership between your brother and Siji will be over.”
Xia Qingye wasn’t sure if Xia Yanbo had a partnership with Zong Cong, but hearing the threat, her expression remained unchanged. From the moment she received that phone call, she had prepared to be threatened. She was just curious about what the woman actually wanted. “If CEO Zong knew you were keeping female artists behind his back, would he still hold you in the palm of his hand?”
“Hahahaha!” Zhong Ruanqin’s arrogant laughter made Xia Qingye frown. This reaction was unexpected.
Zhong Ruanqin laughed her fill, then looked her up and down with a disgusting gaze. Her lips curled slightly. “It seems Sister Xia hasn’t been properly ‘loved’ yet. No wonder you’re so naive.”
Xia Qingye had a bad premonition. She heard Zhong Ruanqin lean into her ear and whisper suggestively, “Ever played a 3P?”
Xia Qingye’s eyes snapped wide. She stared at the person before her in disbelief—or rather, in horror. She stared at her with the eyes of a total stranger. Her stomach churned; she felt sick enough to vomit. Instinctively, she shoved the woman away, rounded her, and bolted for the door!
“Xia Qingye!”
“If you dare take one step out of here, I’ll tell Zong Cong that Xia Yanbo molested me and took advantage of me.”
Xia Qingye’s steps came to a dead halt.
Zhong Ruanqin watched with satisfaction as she stopped at the doorway. She walked over, lifted a lock of the girl’s long hair from behind, and rested a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. “Wouldn’t it be better to just be obedient?”
Enduring the nausea, Xia Qingye turned her head and suddenly said, “Senior Zhong, did you have me come here just to ‘unspoken rule’ me?”
Zhong Ruanqin took hold of her soft, slightly cool hand. “Of course not just that. Your hands are so cold. Have you heard? Girls with cold hands were angels with broken wings in their past lives, destined to be loved properly in this one. Sister, I will love you well and give you everything you want.”
Xia Qingye watched her coldly.
Zhong Ruanqin, seemingly oblivious, raised Xia Qingye’s hand and lowered her head, intending to plant a kiss on it.
Xia Qingye could swear her skin crawled at that moment. She yanked her hand back. “Senior should talk business first.”
Seeing her attitude soften slightly, Zhong Ruanqin felt a surge of triumph. This girl looks stubborn on the outside, but she’s just a soft persimmon after all. That background file was somewhat accurate.
“The reason I called you today is mainly about the role of Yuan Fei in Winged People. I don’t think you’re suited for it. If you withdraw voluntarily, I’ll have Zong Cong invest in a drama specifically for you. No, make it two.”
Xia Qingye was stunned. She stared blankly at Zhong Ruanqin. Recalling the call from Sister Xiang earlier, she suddenly understood everything. She pulled her hand back completely.
She let out a snort. “Senior Zhong, you could also have CEO Zong invest in a few dramas for you. Why do you insist on the role of Yuan Fei?”
She stood up to leave, sneering as she walked. “Also, my brother is young and successful. He has no interest in old women—especially a woman who is rotten from the inside out like you!”
“You!”
“Goodbye!”
As Xia Qingye opened the door, she heard the rapid click of high heels behind her. Just as she took a step out, her hair was grabbed from behind, forcing her whole body to jerk backward.
Zhong Ruanqin pulled her hair, slapped away her hand from the doorframe, and kicked the door shut again. “Who are you calling an old woman? Who’s rotten? Xia Qingye, don’t refuse the easy way only to be forced into the hard way!”
She yanked backward with force. Xia Qingye felt her back hit the soft sofa. She felt as if her scalp was about to split. In this moment, she slightly regretted not bringing Wei Xianghong, though she knew Zhong Ruanqin would have found a way to separate them anyway.
Otherwise, how would she have known that Zhong Ruanqin hadn’t actually secured the role of Yuan Fei yet?
Hahahaha!
Despite the pain in her scalp, Xia Qingye felt damn good.
“Stung by the truth? Ha. A woman like you doesn’t deserve happiness for the rest of your life.”
Slap!
Xia Qingye’s ears rang from the blow. She tasted iron in her mouth. She licked her lip. “Did I touch a nerve? You should look at how dirty you are yourself!”
She had indeed touched a nerve. Every word from Xia Qingye was like a knife, hitting its mark with deadly precision.
“I’m dirty? Let’s see how clean you are!”
“Get off!”
Xia Qingye felt a hand on her chest. She went frantic, kicking out blindly. But Zhong Ruanqin was no pushover; she knelt directly on Xia Qingye’s knees, pinning her legs down, and reached out to pull at her pants.
“Zhong Ruanqin, don’t you dare! I’ll expose you tomorrow!”
“Expose me? Try it!”
“Zhong Ruanqin!”
Just as Xia Qingye reached out to claw at Zhong Ruanqin’s face, the door suddenly swung open.
Light flooded in from outside. The two people in the darkness squinted, unable to adjust.
“My god.”
For the first time, Xia Qingye felt that her manager’s voice sounded like celestial music. She felt a weight lift off her body, and then she was pulled up by a pair of strong hands. Wei Xianghong, standing beside her, asked in a low voice, “Qingye, are you okay?”
“Xia Qingye, you dared to bring help? Do you have any idea this is my territory?”
“Heh, is that so?”
Xia Qingye actually heard a familiar voice. She blinked several times in disbelief and opened her eyes again; this time, she saw clearly—it really was that person. As for Zhong Ruanqin, who had just been pulling her hair, she had been shoved to the ground at some point and was currently being kicked by that person.
Xia Qingye felt an inexplicable sense of vindication, as if a long-held grudge had finally been vented.
“Ah—!” Zhong Ruanqin cried out in pain. The moment she heard that voice, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost. She shrieked in terror, “Nie Zhuying! Why are you everywhere?!”
Nie Zhuying kicked even harder, specifically picking the fleshy spots—like the buttocks.
“Hey, venting a little is fine, but don’t beat her to death.” Another person stood at the door with her arms crossed. Her voice was as calm and gentle as a trickling stream.
“Xia-Xia, do you want to come over and give her a few kicks too?”
Xia Qingye’s forehead was lined with black streaks; she knew Nie Zhuying hadn’t meant well when she gave that hamster her name. Looking at Zhong Ruanqin on the ground, clutching her head and not even daring to resist, she suddenly felt a wave of pity for her. Was this a classic case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
Zhong Ruanqin knew she was easy to bully, so she specialized in targeting her. But she feared Nie Zhuying, so even while being beaten, she didn’t dare make a sound…
Xia Qingye walked over and pulled Nie Zhuying’s hand. “Forget it. Hitting her feels like a waste of my energy.”
The person at the door let out a “tsk” and beckoned to them. “Then let’s go.”
Nie Zhuying shook out her leg and remarked, “Kicking people is pretty tiring.”
Wei Xianghong didn’t say a word until they walked out of the private room. When the light hit Xia Qingye’s face, she couldn’t help but gasp. “Qingye, your face.”
During the scuffle, her attention had been diverted. Xia Qingye hadn’t felt the pain then, but now that Wei Xianghong pointed it out, the side of her face that had been slapped felt like it was on fire. Her scalp was throbbing too. She twitched the corner of her mouth slightly. “It’s nothing. I just took one hit.”
As soon as she spoke, her body was turned around, and her small face was cupped by a pair of warm hands. She only thought of one thing: Nie Zhuying’s hands always seemed so warm.
Nie Zhuying’s face was dark, her eyes full of coldness. She used her thumb to wipe the corner of Xia Qingye’s mouth with significant force.
Xia Qingye winced in pain. “Ow, it hurts.”
Nie Zhuying immediately slowed her movements. Once she had wiped the blood from the corner of the girl’s mouth, her face filled with disdain.
Beside them, Wei Xianghong watched their intimate behavior, utterly dumbfounded. She had only just learned about Xia Qingye’s sexual orientation yesterday, and seeing Zhong Ruanqin pinned on top of her earlier had deepened her understanding of lesbians.
Now her mind was flooded with one thought: Holy sht, is Miss Nie a lesbian too?*
She quickly shook her head. No matter how she looked at it, Nie Zhuying’s actions just now seemed incredibly ambiguous. She glanced at Jin Manxi beside her; the woman still wore that same faint smile, not looking surprised at all.
Then she looked at Xia Qingye; her expression was quite calm, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
Help! Am I the only one who thinks this behavior is totally abnormal?
“She hit you? No, I have to go back.”
Xia Qingye grabbed her back. “Go back for what?”
Nie Zhuying rolled up her sweater sleeves and said as a matter of fact, “I should try giving her a few slaps too. I let her off way too easy just now.”
Jin Manxi, standing with her hands in her pockets, had a glimmer of a smile in her eyes. She reminded them slowly, “If you hit her, she’ll secretly hold a grudge against you but won’t dare move against you. But this little friend beside you—unless she stops working in this industry—otherwise—”
The implication was clear: if a Film Queen wants to make life difficult for a newcomer, unless you keep that person tied to your waist and watch her every day, it’s impossible to guard against.
Wei Xianghong quickly tossed the “toxic” thoughts out of her head. At Jin Manxi’s reminder, she instantly understood the gravity of the situation. “You’re right. I really have to thank Miss Nie and Manxi for today. If I hadn’t run into you, I really wouldn’t have known what to do.”
She had been staring at her phone, watching the minutes tick by. When Xia Qingye hadn’t come out after half an hour, she had nearly considered calling Xia Yanbo or… reporting it to the police.
Luckily, she had run into Jin Manxi and Nie Zhuying.
Jin Manxi had been an artist under her management before. After she became famous and her contract expired, she joined another company and eventually started her own studio. Wei Xianghong had just shared her worries with Jin Manxi, but Nie Zhuying’s reaction had been unexpectedly intense… and then it turned into the scene they just saw.
Jin Manxi had a faint smile. “Sister Xiang, no need to be so polite. All the credit for today goes to Zhuying; I didn’t really help much.”
Nie Zhuying’s face was set in a scowl, clearly writing “I am unhappy” all over it.
Xia Qingye also thanked them both. “Thank you both. Otherwise, I really don’t know what would have happened to me today.” There was a trace of helplessness in her voice.
She had imagined the worst-case scenario, but she never expected Zhong Ruanqin would use violence to force her hand. Reality had given her a harsh slap. All the methods she used to despise the most, Zhong Ruanqin had displayed them all, using every single one of them against her.
“Qingye, let me take you back.”
“Mhm.”
“Then Zhuying, we should get going too.”
Nie Zhuying looked at Wei Xianghong and Xia Qingye, then shook her head at Jin Manxi. “No, I’m going to see my ‘daughter-in-law’ today. You go ahead.”
Jin Manxi understood and gave Nie Zhuying a meaningful pat on the shoulder before leaving.
Wei Xianghong originally had many questions she wanted to ask Xia Qingye alone, but on the way back, because the back seat was occupied by a “little ancestor” radiating a freezing aura, all three people in the car remained as quiet as mice.
As soon as Yu Lan saw Xia Qingye return, especially seeing her swollen face, she immediately started shouting, “Aaah! Sister Xia, what happened to your face? Who hit you?”
Seeing that even she could tell at a glance, Xia Qingye figured her face must look truly awful.
“Boil two eggs for me, and brew a cup of black tea for Miss Nie and Sister Xiang.”
“Ah, Film Queen Nie is here too!” Yu Lan was so nervous she took several clumsy steps back. Under Nie Zhuying’s overwhelming aura, she completely ignored Wei Xianghong, who had just finished parking and coming up. She ran into the kitchen in a panic.
Wei Xianghong saw Nie Zhuying monopolizing the sofa, expressionlessly teasing a little white dog while radiating a vibe of “I’m in a bad mood.” She looked at Yu Lan busy in the kitchen, while Xia Qingye went to her room to change. Feeling the pressure of the aura directed toward her, she cleared her throat. “Yu Lan, I’m heading that way anyway, I’ll drop you home.”
Yu Lan was confused—Sister Xiang’s place wasn’t on her way at all. But hearing someone would give her a ride made her overjoyed, since the buses would stop running if she stayed too late. “Okay! But I have to boil two eggs for Sister Xia first. Sister Xiang, please wait for me a moment.”
Wei Xianghong saw Nie Zhuying was entirely focused on the dog. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Nie Zhuying ask coldly, “Why did ‘Xia-Xia’ go to meet that woman named Zhong today?”
Wei Xianghong naturally wouldn’t say it was because the woman had taken an interest in her artist. She thought for a moment. “Probably because of Director Zhuang’s movie. When Qingye went to the audition last time, she ran into Ms. Zhong. They were both competing for the lead role of Yuan Fei…”
Nie Zhuying followed up flatly, “And?”
Wei Xianghong was running out of ways to spin the story, so she gave a lengthened version of the issues during Xia Qingye’s audition, even sharing some of her insider gossip with Nie Zhuying.
“Then it’s even more impossible.”
“Ah, what?”
Nie Zhuying shot an unsatisfied glance at Wei Xianghong and corrected her, “If things were as you said and that woman named Zhong had secured the role of Yuan Fei, with her tendency to show off, she’d have been on the trending headlines long ago. There’s no reason for her to go out of her way to call Xia-Xia. There must be another reason.”
Wei Xianghong: “…”
What sharp reasoning. It’s so hard to lie to this person.
Wei Xianghong really didn’t dare say it was because a lesbian had taken a liking to her artist and invited her out. If she had known today’s conflict would happen, she would have stopped it.
Just as Wei Xianghong felt like she had nowhere to hide under Nie Zhuying’s piercing eyes, Xia Qingye appeared in her pajamas. She was carrying the clothes she had worn earlier—the coat, sweater, pants, and shoes—and placed the bundle by the entrance. “Sister Xiang, please throw these away for me when you leave.”
Wei Xianghong knew at a glance that today’s events had left a psychological shadow on Xia Qingye. To a lesbian, being harassed by a woman was likely as traumatic as a woman being sexually harassed by a man. She nodded smartly and urged, “Yu Lan, are you ready?”
After locking the three little creatures in their cages with plenty of food and water, preparing hot towels and water for Xia Qingye, and finishing her chores, Yu Lan finally left.
Once Yu Lan and Wei Xianghong were gone, the house was silent except for Nuonuo’s whimpering and the sound of their breathing.
Xia Qingye rolled a boiled egg over the injured side of her face, her mind drifting elsewhere.
Nie Zhuying endured the silence for a while, then kicked off her shoes and nudged her with her foot. She asked unhappily, “What were you doing going to see that bad woman? I don’t believe your manager’s story.”
Thinking of how she had just used her feet to kick Zhong Ruanqin, Xia Qingye instinctively moved further away.
“Do you want the truth?”
“Of course.”
“What do you think happens when one woman is pinning another down?”
The image flashed back into Nie Zhuying’s mind, and she felt a surge of displeasure. She had been the first to open the door, so she had seen it clearly: Zhong Ruanqin was kneeling on “Xia-Xia,” pulling at her pants while they were tangled together.
Hmm, it didn’t look like they were fighting.
Xia Qingye was tired of this meaningless probing. Seeing the fluctuating expressions on Nie Zhuying’s face, she decided to throw caution to the wind and leaned in. “Do you want to feel what I felt at that moment?”
Nie Zhuying froze, her beautiful eyes filling with confusion.
Xia Qingye forcefully pushed her back onto the sofa and knelt over her waist. Her body was suspended; she wasn’t actually sitting on her, but one hand was placed on Nie Zhuying’s waistband. “Do you feel it now?”
Nie Zhuying frowned in thought, then shook her head. “I don’t feel anything.”
Xia Qingye let out a soft laugh. She gripped the waistband with one hand and took the other woman’s hand with her other. Their slender, beautiful hands interlaced, fingers locking as they looked into each other’s eyes. Xia Qingye leaned down, staring at Nie Zhuying’s enticing red lips.
“If you don’t want to continue, just tell me to stop.”
Nie Zhuying stared up at her. She felt a place in her chest beating exceptionally fast, and a strange emotion gathered in her heart. She focused on the sensation and instinctively licked her lips.
“Continue.”
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