After Transmigrating as the Vicious Female Supporting Character, I Ran Away While Pregnant - Chapter 2

“Ranran, I told you, you can only play on the computer for two hours a day. You already used up your two hours this afternoon.”

Li Sheng emerged from the bathroom. Instead of going to her own bedroom to change as usual, she went straight to little Ranran’s room wrapped in her bathrobe. This caught Ranran off guard; she had miscalculated the time and failed to hide her tablet in time.

Ranran quickly exited the browser and cleared her search history. By the time Li Sheng sat on her bed, Ranran had closed the tablet and placed it on her small nightstand, sporting a sweet, doll-like smile as she called out softly, “Mommy.”

Li Sheng’s heart, which had been frozen by her previous life, had long since been melted by little Ranran over these past four years.

However, the influences of her past life were too deep. That partially melted heart was currently only open to Ranran alone.

She didn’t scold Ranran excessively for playing on the computer—after all, being playful is a child’s nature—but keeping a promise was something that needed to be done regardless of age.

Li Sheng intentionally cooled her expression and spoke seriously to her daughter: “Ranran, we agreed on two hours a day. You promised Mommy back then. Now that you’ve exceeded the time, haven’t you broken our agreement?”

“But that agreement was decided by Mommy alone. Miranda says this is autocracy; it wasn’t the result of a mutual negotiation between Mommy and me, so the agreement doesn’t count.”

I should have let that woman Miranda stay drunk on the street back then, Li Sheng thought. She shouldn’t have meddled and brought her home—look at what she’s teaching her daughter now.

“Then let’s make a new agreement now. Three hours of computer time a day, okay?”

“Mommy, you’re back here for work. In the coming days, there will be many times you won’t be able to accompany Ranran. Since Ranran hasn’t started kindergarten yet, I’ll be very lonely. Ranran should have more playtime. Ranran suggests that Mommy relax the computer time limits and buy Ranran more toys.”

Li Sheng felt a headache coming on facing this little “smart aleck.” Truly a child from a CEO novel—she was different from other kids from birth.

Li Sheng asked with a dry smile, “Did Miranda tell you that too?”

“No, Uncle Xiao Guan told me that.”

“Fine. Three hours of internet a day. And I’ll buy a new set of Nona dolls, deal?”

“Ranran suggests: three hours a day when Mommy is home. When Mommy isn’t home, Ranran plays for five hours. I want one new set of Nona, plus the full set of Collector’s Edition Nona.”

“Are you trying to rebel? What do you think your Mommy is? The richest person in the world? That set of genuine Collector’s Edition Nona costs as much as a small car!”

Little Ranran wanted to argue further to negotiate more benefits for herself, but Li Sheng, being a “sly old fox,” naturally wouldn’t let her have her way.

“A guardian’s duties include: protecting the ward’s physical health, caring for their life, and managing and protecting their property. Ranran is only four years old and cannot play on the computer for long periods, otherwise, it will hinder your healthy physical and mental development. For the sake of Ranran’s health, only three hours is allowed—no more.”

“Additionally, Mommy’s money will all belong to Ranran in the future. So every cent spent now is Ranran’s future money. Mommy has the responsibility and obligation to help you manage and protect it. Mommy believes this money should not be used to buy expensive collector-edition toys.”

“Given the above, does the ward, little friend Li Ran, have any objections? If not, our agreement officially takes effect.”

“Mommy is bad!”

Ranran couldn’t out-argue her and didn’t want to talk anymore. She ducked into her little duvet and turned her back, ignoring Li Sheng.

“Alright, Mommy’s original plan was to hire a nanny to look after Ranran. But Mommy just changed her mind—I plan to take Ranran to the film set for work. So for the foreseeable future, Mommy will still be with Ranran. Does Ranran want to play with Mommy? Or play online and with Nona dolls?”

Since birth, Ranran had only been away from Li Sheng a handful of times, never for more than three days. So while this mother and daughter seemed to bicker a lot, they were actually very close.

Ranran wiggled inside the duvet and poked her little head out to look up at Li Sheng: “Really? Mommy is taking Ranran along?”

“Of course,” Li Sheng waved her phone. “I already messaged your Uncle Xiao Guan. He cleared it with the Director. Tomorrow the crew is casting actors, and Mommy can take Ranran along.”

Little Ranran jumped out from the covers and dove into Li Sheng’s arms, rubbing her head against Li Sheng’s neck. The little one was extremely affectionate toward her.

“Alright, alright, we have to set out tomorrow morning, so lie down and sleep. Otherwise, if you’re late, you’ll make everyone wait.”

Many parents would use threats like, “If you can’t get up, I’m leaving without you.” Li Sheng never spoke that way. Rather than making the child afraid, she wanted her to understand the consequences of being late.

Ranran was very good. After being tucked in, she quietly listened to Li Sheng read a bedtime story. Li Sheng didn’t read fairy tales; at her young age, Ranran had already finished the Four Great Classical Novels of China and was currently listening to Western mythology.

There were many parts the little one didn’t understand, but she was smart; she knew to note down the things she didn’t get and ask them all at once when Li Sheng had time.

Li Sheng had lived a life of blood and storms in her previous world; the things she learned were usually for survival. Knowledge like this was only something she gradually touched upon and learned to enrich herself after coming to this world.

“Today’s story is over. Rest well, Ranran.” Li Sheng pulled the duvet up for the little one. Seeing that Ranran had obediently closed her eyes, she leaned by the bed and gently patted her, humming a pleasant little tune in the night.

While some in this world slept peacefully, others were still running about for various reasons.

The actress Mo Yueshuang was one of them. Her agency had arranged for her to appear on a variety show, along with a newcomer from the same company—Xie Shixian.

Same company, same manager, but the newcomer seemed to have a very powerful background. Mo Yueshuang could clearly feel that resource allocation was leaning toward this rookie.

Mo Yueshuang had debuted nine years ago. Over the years, she had accumulated plenty of connections and money. She planned to not renew her contract when it expired next February, intending to start her own studio and take a new path.

Her current agency, Dayi Entertainment, was a big name in the industry. Although the company was powerful, it wasn’t friendly toward its artists; harsh contracts and pitiful benefits made many people want to leave.

Naturally, Mo Yueshuang felt the same.

However, since last year, after the company’s hope for her to renew early fell through, the upper management began planning to squeeze every bit of utility out of her—the “pillar” of the company—before letting her go.

Tacky advertisements, film scripts that the industry looked down upon… wherever there was profit to be squeezed, the company accepted it for her.

They no longer considered her reputation as carefully as before. Consequently, since last July, Mo Yueshuang’s public image had plummeted, and she had lost many fans.

And at the beginning of this year, the company signed Xie Shixian—a young, beautiful actress who followed the same “route” as Mo but had a ten-year contract and was obedient and sweet.

In the backstage of the variety show Cooking Master Show, Mo Yueshuang looked at the script sent by the production team. It required her to intentionally add too much salt to show the audience that she “didn’t actually know how to cook but had studied hard for the show,” yet as a novice, she still couldn’t master the seasoning.

Mo Yueshuang could memorize hundred-page scripts quickly; she memorized these few pages after a cursory glance. Looking at the arrangements for her, she could already imagine herself looking foolish on stage.

Her assistant, Chen Yue, followed along and read a few pages, turning into an angry “pufferfish” before even finishing.

“Boss, they are bullying you! They even want you to critique Xie Shixian’s cooking, and the instructions in the parentheses say ‘don’t hold back on pointing out flaws.’ They clearly want to use the chance to make people hate you.”

“When one is under another’s roof… Dayi’s attitude toward me is already an open secret in the circle. By cooperating with Dayi, these shows can get benefits through me. They won’t be so stupid as to turn down money.”

The coldness of the entertainment industry no longer moved her heart. The priority was to find a way to maintain her persona during the live broadcast as much as possible without violating the contract.

“Senior Mo, this variety show is a live broadcast. Let’s do a walkthrough first so we don’t get flustered and make mistakes when we start.”

Xie Shixian walked over and stood beside Mo Yueshuang, her posture very respectful.

Xie Shixian herself was hard to find fault with, but Chen Yue couldn’t stand this newcomer. She gave a cold huff from the side, but quickly put on a professional smile and brought over a chair: “Miss Xie, please sit.”

“Sorry for the trouble, Assistant Chen. Thank you.” Xie Shixian pulled the chair closer to Mo Yueshuang and sat down.

Mo Yueshuang did not come from a professional acting background. She didn’t even take the college entrance exam back then; she came to Kyoto to make a living. By chance, she was scouted at the film city by the famous director Yan Bo and became a movie lead.

The “spirit” in her eyes and her hard work on set made Mo Yueshuang an overnight sensation, after which she signed with Dayi Entertainment.

At that time, Dayi was just a small company on the rise. Because the benefits they offered were the best among all companies at the time, and Mo Yueshuang was desperate for money, she signed for ten years without thinking twice.

But the entertainment industry changes rapidly. Dayi Entertainment, which had been the best option then, had become one of the most demanding and harsh companies in the industry years later.

Mo Yueshuang was hardworking and studious. While other actresses needed managers and assistants to monitor their figures and skin, her manager hadn’t had to worry about that for nine years.

When she first entered the industry, her posture wasn’t great and she hadn’t studied systematically. Later, she met an actress who was originally a dancer; after they became friends, she was introduced to classes to improve her poise.

Initially, Mo Yueshuang was mocked by trolls as a “country bumpkin” from the mountains, but now she had transformed into a refined goddess of public aesthetic.

Mo Yueshuang was strict with herself and extremely self-disciplined. Because she had tasted hardships unimaginable to ordinary people, she was afraid of going back to those times. It was also because she had tasted the difficulties of life that she worked even harder to hold onto what she had now.

“Senior Mo. This is my first time participating in a variety show. Please look after me.” Xie Shixian was a bit nervous. She had grown up watching Mo Yueshuang’s works. In her memory, Mo Yueshuang’s eyes were like a galaxy of stars, and she radiated a charming light under the spotlight.

This was her first time in close contact with Mo Yueshuang, and they were about to appear in the same frame. Xie Shixian was more nervous than ever before.

But to avoid losing her composure in front of Mo Yueshuang, she suppressed her internal excitement and lightly bit her tongue to keep herself clear-headed.

“Miss Xie, we are in the same company and both under Sister Yun’s management. No need to be so polite.” Mo Yueshuang picked up the script from the small round table again. Her smile was faint but gave off a rare sense of approachability. She turned her head toward Xie Shixian and said: “Don’t call me Senior anymore. If you don’t mind, call me ‘Sister’ like Xiao Wu and the others.”

Xiao Wu was from the boy group newly formed by the company, who signed with the agency at the same time as Xie Shixian.

Xie Shixian beamed and happily called out, “Sister Yueshuang.”

The author has something to say:

Please crush me with comments, don’t be polite.

Changed it, changed it. Sob sob~ Acting cute shouldn’t be enough for you to forgive me, right? If that doesn’t work, I’ll throw a tantrum—wait, I’ll act cute again! Sob sob QAQ