This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 18

With Yu Lan dismissed, only the two of them remained in the office. Wei Xianghong noticed that Xia Qingye didn’t look very well. “I originally planned to have you go home and rest immediately, but I think I still need to ask your opinion on the upcoming work.”

Xia Qingye held her phone, looking slightly distracted. “Go ahead, Sister Xiang.”

Wei Xianghong handed her a schedule. “Take a look at this first.”

Xia Qingye scanned it briefly. It listed several popular commercials—shampoo ads from two or three different brands—as well as audition times for a few scripts. The table was clear and very well-organized.

“It’ll be the New Year in about half a month. Your first drama probably won’t premiere for another half a year. During this gap, I’ve selected some suitable commercials and scripts for you. Tell me which ones you like, and I’ll arrange them.”

Xia Qingye shifted her seating position. “Sister Xiang, I don’t want to take on any commercials for the time being.”

Wei Xianghong looked at her in confusion. “Filming a commercial is a good way to show your face before your first drama airs, so people can get familiar with you.”

In her previous life, Xia Qingye had followed exactly that route—messy commercials, idol dramas that gained her quick followers, and countless roles as supporting characters or “Extra A, B, and C” to test her acting. In those years, she had filmed no less than several hundred projects. After she became famous, those off-brand commercials and cringey dramas became “dark history” for the public to mock.

Back then, she had no family background and no choice; she only wanted a chance to stand out. Once she opened her own studio and trained several artists, she realized in hindsight that if given enough resources and a strong network, she would strictly follow a high-end, refined route, crafting a unique path for each individual.

“Sister Xiang, I’m a bit tired from filming these past few months. I want to rest for half a month.” Xia Qingye knew her current reasoning wouldn’t convince the gold-medal agent, so she tried a roundabout reminder. “Last time, Director Xun said his old friend was preparing a commercial drama that might start filming this winter. I wonder if you’ve heard anything about it?”

Wei Xianghong glanced at her and sighed helplessly. “I knew you’d ask about that when you got back. I checked; it’s a movie by Director Zhuang. However, his last blockbuster was three years ago. I heard he’s been meticulously preparing this one. My friend told me word should get out around the New Year, which is why I wanted you to take a couple of commercials in your spare time.”

Hearing it was Director Zhuang, Xia Qingye’s interest piqued, but she quickly calmed down. “It still depends on Director Xun’s side.”

Wei Xianghong patted her shoulder. “Since Xun Guang mentioned it to you, he’ll definitely pull some strings. But whether you can get into the cast depends on you.” She shifted the topic back to the ads. “Your hair quality is great right now; why not film that shampoo commercial?”

Xia Qingye smiled and shook her head. “Sister Xiang, you’ve seen what my hair was like before. If someone digs up old photos and connects them to my previous image, you’ll definitely regret letting me film that commercial today.”

Wei Xianghong: “…”

True, the current Xia Qingye was like a completely different person compared to the girl she first met six months ago. At the mention of “dark history,” Wei Xianghong nervously confirmed, “Aside from Chu Rou, you haven’t provoked any other messy business, right?”

Xia Qingye shook her head repeatedly before she was finally allowed to leave. The commercial matter was dropped.

Returning to her small company apartment, Xia Qingye finally relaxed. When she lifted her clothes and pants, she found that her legs and back were indeed covered in purple bruises. The injuries looked terrifying, as if she had been brutally beaten. she pressed her finger lightly against her skin and hissed.

“That kick was really ruthless.”

After searching for a while without finding any ointment, she thought about texting Yu Lan but then remembered the girl had gone home for the holidays. She placed a soft cushion behind her waist, found a comfortable spot on the sofa, and lay down lazily.

She opened her phone and clicked on the video that had already surpassed a million views. Only now did she have time to study her “hooligan” behavior that Yu Lan had described.

She vaguely remembered that in her hazy state yesterday, she had indeed hugged someone and then “eaten” something delicious like jelly—soft, smooth, and leaving a lingering aftertaste even now.

Xia Qingye instinctively smacked her lips. She paused the video at the moment Nie Zhuying’s veil—no, the silk scarf—fell from her face. At that moment, Nie Zhuying’s expression was more startled than angry; she probably hadn’t expected to have her disguise knocked off by a random collision.

Nie Zhuying’s lip was split, and most noticeably, there was a deep tooth mark on her lower lip. It was neat, fresh, and looked incredibly ambiguous—like a mark left by a passionate lover during an intimate moment.

Xia Qingye could feel the “sweet scent” of a public scandal even through the screen, let alone the clueless onlookers. she touched her own teeth, compared them to the mark on Nie Zhuying’s lip, and joined the fun by leaving a comment on the video:

“Has no one noticed that this tooth mark is actually quite small?”

“Yes, suppress the public opinion first. I know. She’s lying down right now, not worried at all. Fine, I’m hanging up.” Zhou Ling hung up the phone and turned it off, tossing it onto the table in frustration. Turning around, she saw the subject of the scandal, Nie Zhuying, reclining on the sofa. Those enviable long legs were draped halfway over the coffee table in a slovenly, irritating manner.

“You’re still in the mood to play games?”

“What else should I do?”

Nie Zhuying replied, and in less than a second, her character died.

Zhou Ling had a headache seeing her so heartless. “If you don’t post a clarification on Weibo soon, your fans are going to go crazy. The anti-fans will keep attacking you; do you really not care?”

Over the years since her debut, Nie Zhuying had offended many people due to her temper. Anyone else in this circle would have been ruined by now, or at least lost a few layers of skin.

Yet she just swung her legs like nothing was wrong and glanced at her manager. “Do you really want me to clarify who bit me?”

Zhou Ling was nearly knocked backward with anger. She couldn’t help but scold, “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from that woman? You didn’t stay on guard, you walked right up to her and let her leave a mark like that on your face! Now there’s this huge misunderstanding and work is delayed. You might as well spend the New Year abroad.”

Nie Zhuying had been fuming earlier, but she had learned her lesson—she didn’t speak, because moving her mouth slightly hurt like hell.

Seeing her being unusually obedient, Zhou Ling didn’t have the heart to scold her further. On a whim, she suggested, “How about you fake a romance with Lu Yu? His career is going well right now, and his manager wanted to discuss this with you last time anyway.”

“No!” Nie Zhuying stared at her manager with a blank expression. Her dark eyes showed no emotion as she reminded her coldly, “Have you forgotten what you promised me back then?”

Being stared at by those emotionless phoenix eyes made Zhou Ling’s scalp tingle. “Fine, fine, my mistake.”

Back when she was still a rookie agent and took over Nie Zhuying, Nie had already been famous for three years and was just a step away from being a Film Queen. It was like picking up a treasure. But she still remembered what the star had told her: “I will not accept any bundled publicity, no fake ‘CPs,’ no scandals, and no unspoken rules.”

Zhou Ling had scoffed at the time. The entertainment industry is a chaotic melting pot. Everyone starts with a moral compass, but how many can actually keep it?

Yet, over the years, she had witnessed a legend. Nie Zhuying had done it—no romances, no fake couples, no clout-chasing, no “casting couch.” She was like a lotus rising from the mud… well, a very short-tempered red lotus.

“I’ve always wanted to ask, what kind of lover are you actually looking for?”

Nie Zhuying blinked in confusion. Just as she moved her lips to speak, her phone vibrated. She stood up abruptly and went to the balcony before answering. “Mommy.”

Zhou Ling was about to leave, but then she heard Nie Zhuying explaining frantically. If she hadn’t heard the word “Mommy,” she would have thought Nie was explaining herself to a lover. “A misunderstanding, it really is a misunderstanding. No boyfriend, I promise. I swear on the Nie family honor! It was an accident—it was a girl with a really strong bite who did it.”

Zhou Ling’s mind was filled with the image of that “girl,” the proud and upright Xia Qingye.

Nie Zhuying’s Mom: “Your Daddy just threw a huge fit. He said you should quit the industry and come back to take over his business. Xiaoying, tell Mommy the truth—have you really fallen for an outsider?”

Nie Zhuying had experienced this “retreat to advance” tactic ten years ago. Back then, she thought her mother was on her side and shared her inner thoughts, only to be locked at home for three months to be lectured on “integrity and ethics.” Since then, she never fell for it again.

Nie Zhuying kicked a flower pot on the balcony. The pot couldn’t take the hit; it smashed against the wall and broke in two with a loud crash. Her mother heard it on the other end.

“What happened over there?”

“Oh, a big rat ran in. Sister Ling was scared and accidentally broke a glass. It’s fine.”

Zhou Ling, openly eavesdropping on the lies: “…”

Seeing that her daughter wasn’t biting, Nie’s mother went straight to the point. “The family that had a marriage contract with you has been found. Their family suffered a great upheaval, which is why we lost contact. Clear some time during the New Year; we need to pay them a visit.”

Nie Zhuying’s hand shook, and the phone nearly slipped from her ear.

Her mother added sneakily, “I got a photo. I’ll send it to you on WeChat. She’s quite pretty, very nice indeed.”

Nie Zhuying hung up immediately. Her phone pinged with a WeChat notification. She clicked on the photo, and the more she looked, the more familiar the person became. After a long silence, she squeezed out one word:

“Fuck.”