This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 38
Following Nie Zhuying’s relentless pestering, Xia Qingye finally ran out of options. She dug out a fresh set of blankets and pillows from the cupboard—one set each—so they could sleep separately.
Having a new girlfriend who was this enthusiastic was truly a headache.
Nie Zhuying took a hot shower and, taking advantage of the time Xia Qingye was in the bathroom, merged the separate bedding back into one and slid inside with satisfaction. She sprawled on the bed, happily tapping away on WeChat to show off.
Zhu Shang Ren Jian (Nie): Successfully left the single life behind! 【Dancing emoji】
Xi Shui (Jin Manxi): Is it Xia-Xia?
Zhu Shang Ren Jian: Mm-hmm, definitely her. Turns out she’s been into my beauty for a long time. I knew it—how could there be so many coincidences? Biting me was clearly just an excuse to kiss me; she was just too shy to say it. 【Blushing emoji】
Xi Shui: Congrats, congrats.
Zhu Shang Ren Jian: Our Xia-Xia is perfect in every way, she’s just a bit thin-skinned. One French kiss and her whole face turns red. 【Worry emoji】
Watching the “dog food” (public display of affection) bubbling with red bubbles across the screen, Jin Manxi felt inexplicably stuffed. She decided to leave this girl on read for a bit.
Zhu Shang Ren Jian: I’m about to “cook the rice” with Xia-Xia—wait, I mean Qingqing. Hope you leave the single life soon too. 【Goodnight】
Jin Manxi laughed at the phrase “cook the rice.” An old virgin who knew absolutely nothing about the subject wanted to cook? She’d bet her big toe that after tonight, Nie Zhuying would still be an old virgin.
Nie Zhuying had no idea she was being cursed by her friend. She lay on the bed wondering how to cook the rice. Lacking even basic theoretical knowledge, her thoughts wandered wildly into the clouds until she eventually fell asleep right there, sprawled out.
Xia Qingye finished soaking in the bath, applied a hot towel to her bruised face, and dawdled for a while longer before coming out.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw the bed had been rearranged. She walked over quietly and saw Nie Zhuying fast asleep, using her own arm as a pillow. Her skin was flushed a rosy pink, looking quite adorable.
Xia Qingye turned off the bedside lamp, grabbed the extra set of blankets, and headed to the sofa outside.
“Woof woof woof.”
“Shh, Nuonuo, time to sleep.”
Drying her hair, Xia Qingye turned off the lights and lay on the sofa, tossing and turning. The day’s events felt like a dream. Her mind flickered between the increasingly unrecognizable Zhong Ruanqin and the temperamental Nie Zhuying. She even dreamed she was “two-timing”—juggling the obedient, gentle Zhong Ruanqin of her memory while secretly “having an affair” with Nie Zhuying. Though it was thrilling, she felt deeply guilty in the dream and wanted to resolve the awkward triangle quickly. However, since both women had their unique charms, she couldn’t bear to let either go… Later, she was caught on a date with Nie Zhuying by Zhong Ruanqin, and the two began a violent scuffle. She stood by shouting until her voice went hoarse.
Nie Zhuying: If you don’t break up with her, I’ll break your legs!
Xia Qingye was so terrified by the ferocious expression on Nie Zhuying’s face that she bolted upright—only to be met with Nie Zhuying’s face peering closely at her.
The sudden appearance nearly made Xia Qingye’s heart jump. Because she had been a “scumbag” in her dream, she felt an instinctive sense of guilt toward Nie Zhuying.
“Qingqing, you had a nightmare.”
“Cough, yeah… a very scary one,” Xia Qingye said perfunctorily. She glanced outside; the sun was already rising.
“What was it about?”
“I don’t remember clearly.”
Nie Zhuying took a couple of loud crunchy bites of an apple she was holding, then unexpectedly leaned in and kissed Xia Qingye on the cheek. “Qingqing, good morning.”
Xia Qingye was dazed for a moment and had to secretly pinch herself before smiling. “Good morning, Zhuzi.”
Nie Zhuying leaned her face in and pouted. “Where’s my morning kiss?”
Yu Lan arrived carrying a mountain of supplies. She was rummaging through her bag for her keys when she opened the door, intending to greet Nuonuo. Instead, she saw Nie Zhuying pinning their Sister Xia to the sofa for… a kiss!
Thud.
“Oh no, my eggs.”
Xia Qingye hurriedly pushed the person off her. Seeing Yu Lan squatting on the floor picking things up, she fled toward the bathroom.
Nie Zhuying continued munching her apple, her gaze sweeping over Xia Qingye’s clumsy assistant. “Uhm, you… your name was Yu-something?”
Yu Lan’s legs were literally shaking. Her hands trembled so much that she accidentally broke a perfectly good egg; egg white and yolk covered her hands. The more she tried to clean it, the messier it got. She desperately wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard, but she didn’t dare. She looked up and met Nie Zhuying’s bright, probing gaze. “I… my name is Yu Lan.”
Nie Zhuying patted the sofa. “Yu Lan, come sit.”
Yu Lan didn’t dare say no. She wiped her hands and sat awkwardly opposite Nie Zhuying, not daring to look her in the eye. That scene in the bathroom at the wrap party had left her with a serious psychological shadow. “Miss… Miss Nie.”
Nie Zhuying finished her apple quickly and wiped her hands. “Come, let’s add each other on WeChat.”
Yu Lan’s eyes went wide. She stared at Nie Zhuying like a wooden chicken before frantically fishing out her phone, looking flattered as she scanned the QR code. “Added!”
Nie Zhuying checked it and tucked her phone away with satisfaction. “From now on, I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of our Qingqing!”
Yu Lan: “!!!”
Yu Lan immediately remembered the scene she had just witnessed. She was speechless. Her mind was being spammed by a single sentence: Sister Xia and Miss Nie are actually a couple!!!
She had discovered something monumental!
Yu Lan had actually sensed Xia Qingye was in a relationship for a while—giggling at her phone was the ultimate sign of a budding romance. She had been one step away from the truth, but the truth usually waits for you just out of reach. Mainly, after Nie Zhuying visited the set and took the pets, Yu Lan hadn’t dared to guess further, given Nie Zhuying’s status. Preconceived notions can be very misleading.
Seeing the little assistant looking dazed, Nie Zhuying continued, “In the future, you must keep a close eye on Qingqing for me. Don’t let any ‘messy’ women get close to her. Of course, men are off-limits too. Like that woman named Zhong—if you had notified me on WeChat earlier, Qingqing wouldn’t have been hurt.”
Yu Lan: “…”
By the time Xia Qingye finished changing and came out, she found Nie Zhuying seriously “brainwashing” Yu Lan. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, listening.
Seeing Xia Qingye’s half-smile and hearing Nie Zhuying list all sorts of rules and boundaries, Yu Lan felt like a thousand stampeding horses were racing through her heart.
Nie Zhuying: “Especially if she drinks—who she drinks with—you must tell me in advance. Got it?”
Being stared at by both pairs of eyes, Yu Lan’s scalp felt numb. She felt that being an assistant was hard, and being an assistant who didn’t betray her boss was even harder.
Seeing the little assistant look stupidly dazed, Nie Zhuying wondered if she should suggest a more capable assistant for Xia Qingye, like Yao Wei. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
Xia Qingye gave Yu Lan a slight nod. Yu Lan felt like she’d received a royal pardon. “I understand!”
She then smartly added, “Sister Nie, I’ll go make breakfast for you and Sister Xia. Just wait a bit, it’ll be ready soon!”
Nie Zhuying left after breakfast, but not before remarking, “By the way, I won’t be in the capital for the next few days for Qingming Festival. If you miss me, you can call me.”
Xia Qingye realized Nie Zhuying’s main issue was her extreme narcissism—likely a result of her environment and status. She didn’t bother to expose it. “Alright.”
Once Nie Zhuying was gone, Xia Qingye checked her phone. It was only one day until April Fool’s Day. “Yu Lan, help me pack. I need to go away for a few days.”
Yu Lan didn’t suspect anything and got to work after finishing in the kitchen.
“Sister Xia, where are you going? Should we report it to Sister Xiang?”
“I’ll tell her. As for Nie Zhuying, you know what to do.”
Yu Lan mimed zipping her lips and nodded vigorously. “I know.”
April 1st. April Fool’s Day. It was also the anniversary of Xia Qingye’s death in her previous life. It felt like God had played a massive joke on her.
Xia Qingye had done some research a few days ago. After she died in her past life, her parents and siblings had refused to show their faces. Some people even dug up news of her estrangement from her family. When her sexual orientation was brought up, someone likely suppressed the news to protect themselves. Later, Zhong Ruanqin, acting as a “good friend,” arranged a grand funeral for her in her hometown.
“You clearly knew I never wanted to go back, yet you told the world I was homesick.”
In her past life, Xia Qingye had been kicked out by her family because of her orientation, yet she still paid for her siblings’ education and the family’s expenses every year. They only contacted her when they needed something but forbade her from coming home for holidays. Most of the time, she spent festivals entirely alone. In her early years, life was a struggle; she had no fame or work, lived in the cheapest basements, and ate steamed buns. But whenever a call came from home, she had to find work by any means necessary—even if it meant playing a literal corpse.
She had always thought time would heal all wounds and her family would eventually accept her again. In the end, they had only left her heart completely cold. When she was with Zhong Ruanqin, she had briefly mentioned this painful family history.
Yu Lan, sitting nearby, only caught the word “homesick.” “Sister Xia, if you really miss home, you should go stay for a bit. I bet CEO Xia misses you too.”
That reminder brought the upcoming Qingming Festival to mind. “It is time to go back. I need to sweep my parents’ graves for Qingming.”
Knowing a bit about Xia Qingye’s family situation, Yu Lan proactively offered to look after the pets. “I’ll take care of Nuonuo and the others. My hometown is quite far, so I’m not going back this year anyway.”
Xia Qingye patted her shoulder. “Thanks for the hard work.”
Yu Lan shook her head. “Oh, by the way, Sister Xia, I noticed Lazy-Egg has been building a nest lately. Do you think she’s about to give birth?”
Xia Qingye had noticed Lazy-Egg getting even lazier, rarely leaving her little house—especially after being startled by Nuonuo’s barking. She hadn’t even come out for a stroll in two days. The irritability from before seemed to have vanished.
Xia Qingye leaned in and saw two shiny black eyes staring back, but the little creature was hidden deep inside, making it hard to see. “What did the vet say?”
Yu Lan had followed the vet’s advice and brought some cotton balls. She put a small clump in the cage every day, and Lazy-Egg would drag them into her nest when no one was looking. “The vet said that in the late stages of pregnancy, when they’re close to giving birth, they build a comfortable nest to provide a warm, dry place for the pups.”
“And Sister Xia, you wouldn’t believe it—one time I tried to clean her house, and all the dried fish and mealworms I gave her were hidden inside! When I touched it, she looked at me so nervously, as if she was terrified I was going to eat them.”
Xia Qingye really wanted to ask Yu Lan how she could tell a hamster was “nervous” just by looking at those tiny bead-like eyes.
“If you’re worried, while I’m away, just take Lazy-Egg and Xia-Xia to the pet hospital. Let the professional vets keep an eye on them so you don’t panic when the time comes.”
“That works.”
“One of those pups is yours, after all.”
“Right!” Thinking about her future pup, Yu Lan was suddenly full of energy.
Xia Qingye got into her car with her luggage and headed straight for the highway. Not long after merging onto the fast lane, her phone rang. She answered via Bluetooth. “Sister Xiang, I’m driving. If it’s anything urgent, I’ll call you back in a bit.”
Wei Xianghong’s end was a bit noisy, and she seemingly didn’t hear Xia Qingye clearly. Her voice was incredibly high-spirited as she shouted into the phone, “Qingye, good news! Director Zhuang had his assistant deliver the contract. That role you auditioned for is actually ours! I was honestly so shocked, you have no idea, I…”
Wei Xianghong babbled on, mostly about how she’d almost fallen for Zhong Ruanqin’s bluff and how she regretted certain things.
Xia Qingye felt a surge of surprise. Although she had guessed part of it from Zhong Ruanqin’s words earlier, the stone in her heart didn’t truly settle until it was official. “Sister Xiang, I understand.”
“Qingye, when are you coming over to sign? Or should I just deliver it to your apartment?”
“Sister Xiang, I’m not home at the moment. I’ll head over in a few days to sign it.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll call you when I reach my destination.”
Having said that, Xia Qingye hung up the phone.
City S had undergone massive development. Having not returned for years, she could barely remember the roads. Xia Qingye drove around the city in circles until nightfall, eventually checking into a five-star hotel.
Not long after she checked in, two more groups of guests arrived. After they left, the receptionist at the counter couldn’t help but mutter, “Why is everyone so weird lately? Wrapping themselves up so tightly in this weather… could they be carrying some kind of disease?”
The March weather still held a hint of spring chill, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as winter. The guests she was receiving were weirder by the minute—not only wearing thick cotton coats but even scarves. It was hard not to be suspicious.
As soon as Nie Zhuying reached her room, she inspected the facilities inside and out. When she spotted a yellow stain on the bedsheets, her disdain reached its peak. “The hygiene here is pathetic. How did this place get a five-star rating? Manxi, you must be pulling my leg.”
Jin Manxi stood with her arms crossed. “You could have booked a hotel yourself. There are plenty worse than this.”
Nie Zhuying: “…”
“Forget it then.”
“I’m in the room next door. Knock if you need anything.”
Nie Zhuying shed her heavy coat, cranked the AC to the maximum, and tossed the blanket directly onto the floor. She picked up the bedside phone and demanded the front desk send a fresh one.
Afterward, she sat on the sofa and whipped out her phone. There was a staggering number of texts, calls, and WeChat messages. She scrolled through them happily at first, but her expression darkened as she went. She ended up clicking on Xia Qingye’s Weibo three times in disbelief. “Not a single message to me, not even one call. This isn’t right.”
Is this how someone in love is supposed to act?
The more Nie Zhuying thought about it, the more unsettled she felt. So, she started calling.
Xia Qingye had been driving for hours and was too exhausted to move after a hot bath. She had just laid down when Nie Zhuying’s call blasted through.
“Hello.”
“Qingqing.”
Hearing the heavy sleepiness in the other woman’s voice, Nie Zhuying’s intended interrogation immediately softened into a small probe. “Qingqing, I called you several times just now. What were you doing?”
Xia Qingye backed out of the call screen to check—good heavens, in the time it took her to shower, the woman had called ten times. “I was just in the shower. I left my phone outside and didn’t hear it.”
Nie Zhuying nodded understandingly. “Oh. Do you want to video chat? We haven’t seen each other for several hours.”
Xia Qingye snapped awake. She glanced at the hotel decor and thought for a moment. “I’m a bit tired today and want to rest early. How about we video chat another day?”
Nie Zhuying really wanted to see her, but the hotel environment was so subpar she didn’t want to show it off either. She became increasingly disdainful of the hotel’s grade. “Oh,” she said, her voice heavy with disappointment.
Xia Qingye, trying to find something to talk about, asked, “You mentioned you wouldn’t be in the capital for a few days. Are you rushing a scheduled appearance?”
At the mention of her well-being, Nie Zhuying immediately perked up. “No, it’s just that Qingming Festival is coming up, and I wanted to visit one of my—”
Ding-ling-ling.
“This is the front desk; I’m here to deliver the blanket.”
“Ah, coming!”
“Qingqing, I have something to take care of. I’ll call you back later!”
Xia Qingye stared in confusion at the disconnected call. She listened strangely to the silence outside her own door, then laughed at her own overreaction—she could have sworn she heard the doorbell chime through the phone.
How could she possibly be here?
Xia Qingye waited on the bed for a while, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally fell asleep.
On Nie Zhuying’s side, after taking the blanket from the staff, she gave the girl a thorough lecture on what constituted five-star service until the poor girl was nearly in tears. By the time she finished and looked at the clock, she felt it was too late to call back.
The next morning, two girls at the counter gossiped during their shift change. “You wouldn’t believe it—one guest was so picky yesterday she made Xiao Wen cry.”
The other replied, “She should have just snapped back. Those kinds of guests are just nitpicky. If they’re so capable, they shouldn’t stay here. Staying here and then whining about it…”
“You know Xiao Wen’s temper. The guest said our hygiene was poor, the stains on the blanket weren’t cleaned, the towels weren’t sanitary… she questioned our sterilization process, the quality of the toothbrushes and toothpaste… said we didn’t meet five-star standards. Xiao Wen tried to argue at first, but the more she argued, the fiercer the guest got. She looked like she was going to call the manager and the owner the next second.”
“Wow, what an eccentric guest.”
Xia Qingye had intended to check out, but after standing at the counter for a minute while the two girls whispered, she ended up overhearing quite a bit of their gossip. Realizing it might be unsafe to drive late at night, she decided to stay one more night and walked out of the lobby.
She drove straight toward the public cemetery in the outskirts. Today was April Fool’s Day; her WeChat was pinging constantly with jokes and pranks. Xia Qingye shoved the phone into her pocket and asked for directions before slowly finding her way.
Sweeping my own grave?
It was a bizarre and rare occurrence; she was likely the only person in the world doing this. Xia Qingye walked with a light step, but as she approached, she noticed someone was already standing there.
She recognized her—it was Qi Jiani.
It was an overcast day, the sky heavy with clouds as if it were about to rain. Qi Jiani was dressed in black and white, standing before the central grave. Her silhouette looked exceptionally lonely.
Xia Qingye suddenly remembered the end of the PSA shoot, when the girl had looked at her with a tearful expression, begging for a hug.
As Xia Qingye drew closer, she heard the other woman speaking.
“Sister Xia, six years have passed in the blink of an eye. I haven’t had time to come see you. The company has been busy lately—you know, rushing appearances, shows… just very busy. You told me an artist has to take solid steps, focus on self-improvement, and ignore gossip and boredom. You said if I persisted, I’d eventually polish myself into a diamond and shine. I’ve always remembered. I’ve remembered it all these years.”
“Also… I’m sorry.” As Qi Jiani spoke, she suddenly broke down.
“A public figure, crying like this? Have you considered how the media will spin it?”
Qi Jiani lifted her tear-filled eyes to look at the person standing before her. Through her blurred vision, she thought she saw Xia Tianqing. She suddenly lunged forward and hugged her tightly. “Sister Xia, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Xia Qingye didn’t know why Qi Jiani was apologizing, but seeing the girl—who used to be so full of life and gossip—in this state, she felt as if she were the one who owed her. In these six years, she had died and come back to life in a different body; everything had to start from scratch. Zhong Ruanqin had changed beyond recognition, Qi Jiani’s stage was no longer the same… many things could never return to the past.
The living can only look forward and keep moving.
“I’ll allow you to hold me for three minutes.”
“Thank you.”
Qi Jiani snapped back to reality upon hearing Xia Qingye’s cold voice. Her “Sister Xia” would never return; the person before her was Qingye. For these three minutes, she allowed herself to treat her as Sister Xia.
In the distance, Jin Manxi and Nie Zhuying were slowly approaching, each carrying a bouquet of flowers.
Nie Zhuying sneezed every few steps, rubbing her nose. After one sneeze came another. “Manxi, I’m telling you, never book a hotel like that again. It’s uninhabitable.”
Jin Manxi ignored the complaints and said gently, “It’s not strange to find a bug in a room. A hotel isn’t your own home; you should just make do.”
“Can something as important as sleep be ‘made do’ with?”
“Hey, Zhuying, look. Doesn’t that silhouette look like your ‘wife’?” Jin Manxi had excellent vision and spotted the two figures by the grave from afar.
Nie Zhuying pinched her nose, took a casual glance, and sneezed violently again. “Stop talking nonsense. My Qingqing was at home when she called me yesterday.”
Jin Manxi didn’t just have great vision; her memory was also impeccable. As they drew closer, she became more certain. She shot a glance at the other woman and said meaningfully, “Oh, ‘at home,’ was she?”
Nie Zhuying naturally looked more closely now. Honestly, it looked remarkably like her. Her lips twitched as she insisted stubbornly, “My wife definitely wouldn’t come to a place like this. She said she’d video chat with me today.”
Jin Manxi smiled and said nothing, watching the once-composed Nie Zhuying stare with wide eyes, looking like she wanted to eat someone.
##Wife is ‘climbing the wall’ behind my back, what should I do?##
When the three minutes were up, Qi Jiani let go bashfully. Seeing her tears on Xia Qingye’s shoulder, her face turned red. “I’m sorry for ruining your clothes. But… why are you here?”
Xia Qingye was at a loss for words. Why was she here? Because she wanted to see the place where her past life lay, but she couldn’t say that. “I’m here to pay my respects to Senior Xia.”
Qi Jiani looked her up and down, automatically filling in the blanks. “Ah, are you a fan of Sister Xia?”
Xia Qingye could only nod vaguely. “I suppose so.”
Qi Jiani did some mental math and was stunned. When Xia Tianqing debuted, Xia Qingye would have been a ten-year-old child. She said in disbelief, “Actually, there’s a fan support group in the capital holding a memorial day for Sister Xia. You didn’t need to travel all this way.”
“I know.”
“Hmph!” Nie Zhuying let out a very loud, unhappy snort.
As soon as Qi Jiani saw Nie Zhuying and Jin Manxi, she immediately went to greet them. “Sister Nie, Senior Jin, you’re here too.”
Xia Qingye was beyond surprised. She hadn’t expected Nie Zhuying and Jin Manxi to come sweep her grave. Others might not know, but she knew very well that her past-life interaction with Nie Zhuying was limited to a single banquet. As for Jin Manxi, they had no history at all.
Nie Zhuying shot Qi Jiani a very unhappy glare. The latter found the glare quite mysterious.
Jin Manxi, seeing this, gave a slight smile and stepped forward to pat the girl’s head. She handed over a tissue and said gently, “Your eyes are swollen. It’s best to apply a hot towel when you get back.”
Qi Jiani nodded vigorously. “Mhm, mhm! Thank you, Senior Jin.”
Nie Zhuying stood with her hands in her pockets, kicking at a small pebble. Seeing Xia Qingye standing there dazed, not even proactively coming to her—and she hadn’t even started holding the “climbing the wall” incident against her yet—her temper began to flare, her gaze becoming increasingly resentful.
If the atmosphere weren’t so heavy, Xia Qingye might have burst out laughing.
So many people had come to sweep her grave, yet she, the “owner,” was watching from the sidelines. How bizarre—especially since Nie Zhuying was among them.
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