After Punching Her Way Through The Entertainment Industry [Ancient-to-Modern] - Chapter 2

As Meng Shi reviewed the memories in her mind, she gradually gained a clear understanding of her present circumstances and of the Meng Shi who had lived in this world.

What she could not understand, however, was what was going on with Yan Qing.

She looked at the poster on the ceiling.

There was no mistaking those eyes. That woman was definitely Yan Qing!

Why was there also a Yan Qing in this world? And why, of all things, had this world’s Meng Shi been so infatuated with her?!

Meng Shi could not figure it out, nor did she wish to dwell on it.

Since she was now the owner of this body, she would simply leave this Yan Qing buried within those unbearable memories.

Meng Shi got out of bed, tore down the remaining half of the poster, and stuffed it beneath the bed.

In truth, putting Yan Qing aside, Meng Shi was filled with anticipation toward this world. Everything here was so new and fascinating to her.

Even the small electric fan on the desk was enough to keep her happily entertained.

Meng Shi was fiddling intently with its blades when she accidentally touched the switch. With a sudden whir, the blades began spinning.

Startled, Meng Shi instinctively flung it away without thinking.

Bang!

The little fan struck the door, fell to the floor, and broke into pieces…

Uh…

Meng Shi scratched her cheek. Just as she was about to examine it, she heard rustling from the room next door. She immediately held her breath and listened carefully.

“Shi, are you… all right?”

Xie Ping’s voice carried undisguised concern.

Meng Shi froze for a moment.

“Uh… I’m fine. I accidentally knocked something over.”

“Oh…”

She could hear Xie Ping hesitating, as though she wanted to say something more.

“Then… then you should go to sleep early. Don’t stay up too late.”

“…All right.”

Meng Shi did not know how to respond to Xie Ping’s concern.

She knew that Xie Ping cared about the original owner of this body.

But could she perhaps… selfishly indulge in that affection just a little?

After hearing Xie Ping return to her room, Meng Shi sat at the desk and resumed exploring the many little objects scattered across it.

In her previous life, Meng Shi had spent most of her time in military camps. Aside from practicing martial arts, sparring, riding horses, and training soldiers, there had been almost nothing for entertainment.

Whatever childlike curiosity she once possessed had long since been worn away.

Yet now, faced with so many exquisitely made or amusing little objects whose names she did not even know, she could not resist touching one and examining another.

The little white lion beside the bed quickly became her favorite. Once she picked it up, she could not bear to put it down.

It was not as though Meng Shi had never seen a lion before. However, the lions she had seen were enormous, with sharp teeth constantly dripping with sticky saliva. They had always stared at her with greedy, vicious eyes.

But this one…

It was a tiny creature no larger than her palm. Its entire body was covered in white fur, and a little tuft of hair stuck up adorably from its round head.

It had large, black, bean-like eyes. Instead of the enormous bloody mouth a lion ought to possess, the corners of its mouth curved upward in a cheerful smile.

As it smiled at her, Meng Shi unconsciously smiled back and stroked its head.

“Today’s Ah Shi must keep working hard too!”

The sudden voice made Meng Shi freeze.

This time, however, she restrained the impulse to throw the lion across the room.

She stared into its eyes.

This thing could speak?!

Curious, she stroked its head again.

“Today’s Ah Shi must keep working hard too!”

It repeated the exact same words in the same tone as before.

At that moment, as Meng Shi looked into the lion’s black, bean-like eyes, she seemed to see a young girl filled with hope for the future, speaking encouragingly to the little lion.

For the first time, she felt an urge to learn more about this world’s Meng Shi.

She picked up the neatly arranged notebooks on the desk and began flipping through them.

The handwriting was delicate and graceful, yet carried a lively energy. Combined with the memories inside her mind, Meng Shi was roughly able to understand their contents.

These notebooks contained analyses of classic characters from films and television dramas.

They recorded the characters’ personalities, preferences, and distinctive traits, as well as Meng Shi’s own interpretations of their thoughts and emotions.

Beside each character analysis were photographs taken from the production.

Every frown and smile, every movement and gesture, every hand motion and glance had been carefully analyzed.

Meng Shi raised her head and found herself facing a small mirror hanging on the wall.

For a moment, she could almost see the young girl standing before the mirror, repeatedly practicing all sorts of expressions and poses.

The newest notebook contained only a few pages and had no accompanying photographs. It analyzed a character named Fang Ling.

Meng Shi briefly read through it.

It turned out that Fang Ling was a princess of the Kele Grasslands. She had been raised under the loving protection of her father and older brothers and should have been able to live a carefree life.

However, the Kele Grasslands were repeatedly invaded by the Kingdom of Xuan. To protect his people, Fang Ling’s father reluctantly sent her to Xuan as an offering to the King of Xuan.

The notes focused particularly on Fang Ling’s inner struggle just before she left her homeland.

1. Her attachment to her father and brothers, her reluctance to leave her homeland, and her fear of the unknown Kingdom of Xuan. She would feel uneasy, afraid, and even resistant.

2. However, Fang Ling understood the significance of her departure. She knew that her father would never willingly hand over his beloved little princess. Since she lived on this grassland and was the Khan’s daughter, she had a responsibility and obligation to protect the grassland from the devastation of war. Although she was heartbroken, she could not show it too obviously. She had to remain strong.

3. Fang Ling’s upbringing had given her an open and straightforward personality. Lingering sentimentality, delicate weakness, and coy hesitation did not suit her. Even merely to keep her father from worrying, she should leave decisively.

Meng Shi nearly pulled out all her hair in confusion.

“The Kele Grasslands… the Kingdom of Xuan… Why have I never heard of them before…?”

She flipped through the notebook a little more before suddenly coming to a realization.

Oh!

It was all part of a performance!

…

Over the next several days, Meng Shi became completely absorbed in studying the notebooks.

At the same time, she also researched how to use the computer and mobile phone.

The more she learned, the more wonderful she found this world. Without even stepping outside, one could learn about events happening thousands of miles away.

However, her mother, Xie Ping, only grew more worried about her…

She wanted to see what Meng Shi was doing, but then remembered how Ah Shi used to say that she was already grown up and needed her own private space.

Thus, Xie Ping did not dare disturb her.

…

One day, shortly after Meng Jiu left for work, Meng Shi changed her clothes and examined herself in the mirror.

She wore tight-fitting jeans and a slightly loose white T-shirt. Printed on the shirt was a strange creature that resembled a sponge and wore an enormous grin.

The creature was quite ugly, but for some inexplicable reason, looking at it immediately put her in a cheerful mood.

Meng Shi’s hair nearly reached her waist. It was even longer than the hair she had possessed in her previous life.

She did not know how to arrange her own hair. Yan Qing had always taken care of it for her in the past.

Thus, she simply gathered it together and tied it loosely with a strip of black cloth.

When she finished dressing and prepared to leave, Xie Ping looked at her in surprise.

Still worried, she asked, “Shi, where… are you going?”

“I’m just going for a walk. I’ll be back before dinner.”

Meng Shi picked up her bus card and left.

Because she possessed the original owner’s memories, Meng Shi was able to adapt to modern objects relatively quickly.

She strolled leisurely through the residential neighborhood, enjoying the gentle spring breeze and bathing in the sunlight she had not felt in so long.

Suddenly, her footsteps halted.

She spun around sharply, her gaze as swift and piercing as lightning, and stared directly at a slightly plump figure attempting to hide behind the bushes.

When she saw who it was, Meng Shi froze and hurried over.

“Were you… following me?”

Xie Ping looked slightly embarrassed. She reached out and grabbed Meng Shi’s arm.

“Shi, where are you going? Can you… tell Mom?”

Meng Shi pursed her lips.

Xie Ping could not even stand upright without supporting herself against a tree. She looked at Meng Shi so cautiously, clearly terrified of being discovered.

It felt as though a heavy stone had lodged itself inside Meng Shi’s chest.

“I’m only going to Xiyuan Film and Television City to look around and see whether there’s any work available.”

“Ah…”

Xie Ping released a long sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her face.

She probably thought that her daughter had finally recovered from the setback.

“Then… then did you bring your phone?” she hurriedly asked.

“I did.”

Meng Shi pulled a phone from her pocket. Countless cracks covered the screen. It had probably been smashed during the earlier incident.

“Oh, good. Then come home early. Your sister gets off work a little after seven. If she learns that you went there again, she’ll start lecturing you.”

Xie Ping repeatedly reminded her, still visibly worried.

Warmth spread through Meng Shi’s heart.

“All right.”

【Meng Jiu: ??? Was I adopted or something? Are the two of you joining forces against me now??】

Meng Shi watched as Xie Ping slowly made her way home, stopping to rest every few steps.

She walked over to her.

Before Xie Ping could react, Meng Shi bent down and hoisted her directly onto her back.

“Ah! Shi, you…”

Xie Ping was badly startled.

She weighed more than sixty kilograms! Since when had this child become so strong?

Meng Shi carried her without the slightest difficulty and was not even breathing heavily!

Xie Ping looked at Meng Shi’s profile, overwhelmed with emotion.

She tilted her head slightly and rested it against Meng Shi’s shoulder. To her surprise, that shoulder felt exceptionally firm and dependable.

“Little Ah Shi… has grown up…”

Xie Ping murmured the words softly, but they caused Meng Shi’s heart to tremble violently.

Her thoughts immediately drifted back to her previous life.

When she was ten years old, she had accompanied her mother to admire the flowers in the garden.

All sorts of blossoms were in bloom, competing with one another in beauty. With the gardeners’ careful pruning, the garden looked exceptionally magnificent.

Meng Shi had picked an entire basket of flowers to give to her mother.

Yet her mother had stared in fascination at an inconspicuous little white flower.

“Mother likes this kind of flower?”

“I do not.”

Her mother pulled Meng Shi into her embrace. With her back against her mother’s chest, Meng Shi felt her mother’s cheek resting beside her own.

“Mother likes these flowers too.”

As she spoke, her mother picked up the colorful blossoms Meng Shi had gathered and gently played with them.

“But no matter how beautiful these flowers are, they have all been carefully pruned and forced into shapes that please other people. They no longer possess their original beauty.”

“They cannot compare to this wildflower. No one pays attention to it, and it need not concern itself with the gazes of others. It is free to grow however it wishes.”

“Hmm? Ah Shi doesn’t understand…”

Her mother smiled, but the head resting on Meng Shi’s shoulder gradually became heavier.

Meng Shi did not turn around.

She did not dare to turn around.

Her mother had been bedridden with illness for years. Yet during those past few days, her condition had suddenly improved.

Not only had color returned to her face, but she had even been able to get out of bed and walk.

However, the imperial physicians had stopped delivering medicine to her palace. Even the serving maids had been transferred to other residences.

The king had already ordered preparations for her funeral.

Meng Shi knew all of this.

But she did not dare listen.

She did not dare believe it.

“Is Mother tired? Ah Shi will carry you back to the palace.”

Forcing a smile onto her face, Meng Shi carried her mother on her back, even as tears gathered in her eyes.

Her mother’s body was very light.

However, Meng Shi had only been half her mother’s height at the time. She could only half-carry and half-drag her as she struggled forward.

Step after step, it became the longest road Meng Shi had ever walked.

“Do not cry…”

“I’m not crying.”

Meng Shi sniffled and forcibly held back the tears in her eyes.

“Ah Shi… leave this place. Leave this filthy place, and do not allow it… to stain you…”

“I know… I understand…”

Even though Meng Shi opened her eyes as wide as she could, her tears continued to stream down her face.

“My little Ah Shi… has grown up…”

Author’s Note:

The older woman will appear in the next chapter!