A Washed-up Movie Queen's Divorce Strategy [Rebirth] - Chapter 11

“Cut! Again!”

Xie Qinglan’s voice was as unchangingly annoying as ever, repeating the same phrase over and over. Ji Chenli had lost count of how many times she had heard it.

Her body was so frigid she had almost no temperature left; she could no longer even distinguish between heat and cold. When the lifeguard pulled her from the water, her face was a ghostly blue-gray and her lips were frozen bloodless.

The lifeguard’s hand trembled from the chill when he touched her. As he brought her ashore, he let out a sigh in her ear. Being an actor wasn’t easy; everyone was just out here trying to earn a meal. They looked glamorous in front of the lens, but behind it, there was no telling how much they were being toyed with.

The scene had been filming until four in the afternoon—the same single shot over and over: medium shots, wide shots, close-ups… an endless cycle of repetition. Even the assistants and assistant directors behind Xie Qinglan began to feel it was more than they could bear, yet Xie Qinglan showed no intention of letting Ji Chenli go.

Everyone knew deep down that the “President’s Wife” had likely offended the director. However, she certainly had a temper; she stayed locked in this standoff with the director, refusing to utter a single word of submission. One assistant shook his head, secretly sighing that this girl was truly stubborn—what was the big deal about admitting a mistake or softening up? When under someone else’s roof, one must bow one’s head, and that person was the director! Unless Ji Chenli quit the production, she was going to suffer for a long time.

Furthermore, this Great Director Xie Qinglan was quite the daredevil to toy with the President’s Wife like this. It seemed the rumors from the outside weren’t without reason—President Ming had probably been blackmailed into the marriage by Ji Chenli. Otherwise, how could she remain indifferent and not even show her face while her lover was being tortured like this? Truly, a pitiful person must have a detestable side.

With that thought, the group’s sympathy for Ji Chenli faded considerably.

Ji Chenli stood stiffly on the bank, her school uniform completely soaked and stained with lake silt, algae, and other filth. It clung stickily to her skin. A cold wind blew past, stripping away the last trace of warmth from her body. Her limbs shook uncontrollably, her teeth chattered, and even her eyelashes trembled at a high frequency. She closed her eyes and swallowed; even her breath was cold.

It felt as if her head no longer belonged to her. Inside her skull, countless hammers were smashing in all directions with a buzzing sound. Ji Chenli felt like her brain was about to be split open. She had long since forgotten about acting, lines, or shots. She had even forgotten why she was standing there; she only knew to jump into the water mechanically whenever she heard Xie Qinglan’s loathsome voice.

The day had been too long. Ji Chenli’s eyelids were so heavy she could barely open them. Looking at the sky through a narrow slit, it was the same grayish-white as the morning; she couldn’t even judge the time.

“Out of Reach, Scene 1, Take 3… Action!”

Hearing “Action,” Ji Chenli reflexively jumped into the water with a splash. She didn’t even hear which take it was.

“Cut!”

Ji Chenli’s heart leapt into her throat.

“Again!”

As expected, her heart dropped heavily back down. Ji Chenli climbed back onto the bank with the lifeguard’s help. Facing the camera, she used every ounce of strength to pull her mouth into a weak, ghostly arc.

Xie Qinglan sat behind the monitor, taking in every detail of her expression, not missing the unnatural facial twitches caused by the cold.

Ming Yan sat beside Xie Qinglan memorizing lines. When she looked up, she happened to see Ji Chenli’s fleeting, mocking smile. Ji Chenli’s uniform was still dripping and clinging to her; her hair was a mess tangled with lake water, sticking randomly to her cheeks and neck, decorated with bits of green moss and dry twigs.

Her ink-black hair contrasted with her paper-white face. Ji Chenli’s expression had long since frozen, and her gaze was blurred, yet her body stood ramrod straight. Her bloodless lips were pressed into a line as sharp as her posture.

“Tsk, this sister-in-law of mine is truly no ordinary person. No wonder my sister took a liking to her.” Ming Yan rolled up her script and held it, an expression of surprise and admiration on her face. She nudged Xie Qinglan with her elbow and joked: “Hey, that’s enough. She’s at least half a Ming now. If word gets out that you’re hazing her like this, how will it look? Let it go, give the Ming family some face.”

Xie Qinglan stared at the monitor expressionlessly, not moving an inch. No one knew what she was thinking.

Ming Yan continued, “I know you want to vent for Xinyuan, but this isn’t the way to do it. There’s plenty of time ahead. My sister left her in my hands; if something actually happens to my ‘cheap’ sister-in-law, my sister will skin me alive!”

Xie Qinglan opened her mouth to speak, but from the distance came a hoarse, screaming curse: “Xie Qinglan! You’re a petty person! You’re using your public office for a private grudge! And you call yourself a director? Ptu! Remember this! If anything happens to Sister Chenli, I’m not finished with you!”

Ming Yan turned to look. The voice was coming from the lounge. The door was locked tight, leaving only a ventilated window. Feng Cai was leaning out of it, screaming her head off. She had been cursing all afternoon, and her voice was now completely raspy.

Ming Yan laughed again, standing up to stretch her tired waist. “This little manager really has spirit. She’s been shouting all afternoon, hasn’t she? Her voice is totally cracked.”

Hearing Feng Cai’s shouting, Xie Qinglan’s gaze darkened. She picked up her megaphone again. “Again!”

“Hold it!”

A commanding shout to stop came from far behind. Xie Qinglan and Ming Yan turned simultaneously. The smile on Ming Yan’s face froze.

Ming Lang was striding across the set, followed by her personal assistant and several bodyguards. She was walking so fast that her shoulder-length hair was tossed by the wind, and her black overcoat billowed behind her. The shout to stop had come from her assistant. Ming Lang’s speed was incredible; before Xie Qinglan or Ming Yan could even process it, she was standing in front of them.

“Sister… Sister…” Ming Yan shrank her neck and took two steps back, her eyes shifting uncomfortably to the side.

Ming Lang scanned the area. “Where is Ji Chenli?”

Ming Yan looked at Xie Qinglan, forced a smile, and said, “Sister, hasn’t the company been busy lately? How did you find time to come over? You didn’t give us a heads-up… Sister-in-law is filming…”

“I asked you where Ji Chenli is!” Ming Lang barked.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was colder than the north wind. Everyone around trembled and lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.

“Sister-in-law… she…” Ming Yan stammered, unable to speak. Xie Qinglan gave a huff and a contemptuous smirk. “Ming Lang, don’t you know how much Xinyuan has sacrificed for you over the years? I think your conscience has been eaten by dogs.”

Ming Lang’s face was ashen. “I am asking you, where is Ji Chenli!”

“She…”

Before Xie Qinglan could finish, Ming Lang’s eyes locked onto the monitor. The woman on the screen was in a wretched state, shaking like a leaf. She managed to stay standing at first, but then her footing wobbled, and she pitched headfirst into the water.

Ming Lang’s pupils constricted. She violently pushed Ming Yan and Xie Qinglan aside, kicked over the monitor blocking her path, and bolted out like an arrow. By the time Ming Yan reacted, Ming Lang had already reached the lake and jumped in without a second thought.

Ming Yan had rarely seen Ming Lang lose control of her emotions like this—in fact, she hadn’t seen it once since Ming Lang took over the family. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized with a start that this little actress might be a bit more important to her sister than she had thought.

Ming Yan looked at Xie Qinglan with a bitter face. “Now I’m dead for sure.”

The lake water was bone-chillingly cold. The moment Ming Lang jumped in, her heart felt just as cold. She was an excellent swimmer and reached Ji Chenli before the fully equipped lifeguard could. Ji Chenli had already lost consciousness in the water, her eyes closed tight, her lips still chattering, and her body twitching violently.

“Ji Chenli! Ji Chenli!” Ming Lang pulled Ji Chenli into her arms. The girl’s body was colder than the lake water. Ming Lang tried to use her own body heat to provide some warmth, but it was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. Ji Chenli remained unresponsive to Ming Lang’s calls.

“Ji Chenli! Wake up!” Ming Lang panicked. She shook Ji Chenli forcefully, as if doing so could wake the person in her arms. “I won’t allow you to die! You can’t die, do you hear me! Ji Chenli, wake up! If you dare to die, I’ll… I’ll raze that tattered orphanage to the ground! I mean what I say, do you hear me!”

Perhaps Ming Lang’s shaking made Ji Chenli uncomfortable even in her coma, or perhaps Ming Lang’s words stimulated her. Ji Chenli actually woke up. The lake was too cold, and Ming Lang’s body heat felt exceptionally warm, so her arms instinctively tightened around Ming Lang’s neck, pressing herself unreservedly into Ming Lang’s embrace.

“You can’t… you promised me you wouldn’t touch them…” Ji Chenli’s chin rested on Ming Lang’s shoulder as she murmured into her ear. Her breath fanned across Ming Lang’s ear, cold enough to cause a shiver.

“Chenli?” Ming Lang’s eyes lit up. She hugged Ji Chenli tighter, as if trying to melt her into her own body. “Thank God… I thought… thank God you’re okay…” Her lips pressed against the shell of Ji Chenli’s ear. “Thank God you’re okay…”

Ji Chenli felt a few drops of warm liquid fall behind her ear. Her skin was so cold that the warmth felt scalding, enough to sear a patch of flesh from her neck.

“Ming Lang?” Ji Chenli finally regained a bit of consciousness.

“Yes,” Ming Lang said hoarsely. “Chenli, I’m here… I’m right here…”

Ji Chenli gave a weak, mocking laugh. Then, she pushed herself out of Ming Lang’s embrace and reached out to the lifeguard who had been standing by helplessly. “I have no strength. Please, take me up.”

Ming Lang tried to help her, but Ji Chenli flinched away from her as if she were a hot iron. “I don’t want you.”

Ji Chenli leaned against the lifeguard’s shoulder, still murmuring, “I don’t… I don’t want you…”

Ming Lang watched helplessly as the person who had been in her arms just a second ago now preferred to lean on a stranger’s arm just to escape her—as if she were some unbearable, filthy thing.

I don’t want you.

This was Ji Chenli’s most instinctive, honest reaction.

The lake water seemed to seep through Ming Lang’s pores into her very internal organs, and her heart cooled along with them.

The lifeguard brought Ji Chenli ashore. Her legs could no longer support her body. She slumped onto the bank, struggled for a long time, and finally lost consciousness for good.