This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 3

Half a month later, Xia Qingye met her manager—Sister Xiang (Wei Xianghong), the gold-medal agent of Star Penguin Entertainment. She had groomed one Best Actress and one world-class Best Actor for the company. Currently, she also managed the popular “Little Fresh Meat” Xie Zhe, who, with his handsome looks and gentle temperament, had attracted a massive horde of “girlfriend fans,” creating new trending topics almost every few days.

“Sister Xiang, this is my sister, Qingye.”

“Qingye, come meet Sister Xiang.”

Xia Qingye knew of Wei Xianghong. Back when she had her own studio in her past life, she’d heard that Wei Xianghong once had a massive fallout with the company’s upper management. The reason was that a high-level executive wanted one of Wei’s female artists to accompany a client for drinks. In a fit of rage, Wei Xianghong confronted the executive directly. At the time, she was just a rookie agent; offending the higher-ups nearly destroyed her career. The incident caused a huge stir in the industry, and Wei’s fiery temper became legendary from then on.

While many called her a fool, others felt she was sincere and honest. Having such a manager was a blessing for an artist. But in the dog-eat-dog world of the entertainment industry, being upright and sincere was sometimes the most precious yet most worthless trait.

Wei Xianghong swept a faint glance over her and smiled. “Rest assured, CEO Xia. I will take good care of Qingye. But don’t forget our agreement.”

“Of course, of course.”

Xia Qingye looked between the two of them suspiciously, certain they were hiding something from her—something that concerned her.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xia Yanbo left the room to her and Wei Xianghong.

The moment he was gone, the smile on Wei’s face vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating scrutiny. Xia Qingye let her circle around her twice, like someone appraising a piece of merchandise. Being stared at by those sharp eyes gave her the illusion that she had nowhere to hide.

Wei Xianghong rubbed her chin and stepped back. “Your figure, face, and temperament are all good. But tell me—why do you want to be an artist?”

This was a question Xia Qingye had once asked others.

She thought for a moment. “Sister Xiang, I want to prove myself. Even without my brother’s protection, I can stand in the brightest spotlight and make him cheer for me from the audience, making him proud.”

Wei Xianghong nodded thoughtfully. “At least you’re honest. You didn’t use that same fluff you used to fool your brother on me.”

Xia Qingye gave a shy smile. “There’s no point in hiding things from you, Sister Xiang.”

Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. A manager and an artist share a mutual interest; in a sense, they are grasshoppers tied to the same string, bound together for better or worse.

Wei Xianghong suddenly sat up straight, her expression serious. “I’ve looked into the things you’ve done before. Why don’t you tell me yourself—how many things do I not know about?”

Xia Qingye’s pupils shrunk slightly, and she lowered her head guiltily.

Wei Xianghong crossed her arms, not rushing her.

Finally, Xia Qingye looked up with difficulty. The agent showed no anger or joy, her face a calm mask. It was impossible to tell how much she already knew. Qingye clenched her fists, and after a long moment, she gritted her teeth in determination. “Whatever you want to know, I’m willing to tell you.”

This was exactly the response Wei Xianghong was waiting for. An artist’s looks and talent are bonuses, but managing a “rebellious” child who pretends to be obedient is a nightmare. Best case scenario, it costs time and resources to clean up their messes; worst case, it destroys their future instantly.

Wei had been in the industry for nearly ten year and had only managed three artists. Two were already world-famous, and the third was relatively obedient. By her usual standards, she wouldn’t have taken on a clueless rookie like Xia Qingye.

But since she had taken her, she was going to do it by the book.

“Tell me about you and Chu Rou. Specifically. Carefully. From the beginning, without leaving out a single word.”

“I… I—” Xia Qingye stammered, looking worried, but internally she was applauding her manager’s decisive methods. Now that’s a bold woman; I like her.

“I can overlook what you did in the past,” Wei Xianghong continued. “But regarding Chu Rou, you should know that she is a newcomer the company is currently pushing. She’s been in a few idol dramas and has decent traffic. Her manager recently suggested pairing her with Xie Zhe for a ‘scandal’ marketing stunt. I don’t want my artist getting caught up in any unsightly scandals with her. Do you understand?”

The “old” Xia Qingye wouldn’t have understood. As a “brain-dead fan,” she would never want to see her idol or the person she liked in a scandal with another man, even if it was just for publicity.

But the “current” Xia Qingye understood perfectly: Chu Rou wanted to use Xie Zhe for clout, and Sister Xiang wasn’t having it.

Xia Qingye’s face lit up with joy, though she quickly tried to hide it. In a small voice, she detailed how she had spent money, effort, and used various connections just to get Chu Rou to come out for a meeting, and how she later realized she was being used. Finally, she added, “I… Sister Xiang, will I see Chu Rou again in the future?”

Wei Xianghong’s face turned cold, nearly coughing up blood. This is the power of a brain-dead fan. Even after being cheated and used, after all the heartbreak, she was still thinking about that Chu Rou! Why on earth did she agree to take on this hot potato?

Sensing the agent’s bad mood, Xia Qingye quickly covered for herself. “Sister Xiang, don’t misunderstand. I just mean that since I’m following you now, I’ll eventually run into her at the company. It would be so awkward.”

Wei Xianghong stood up and walked to the window, lost in thought for a long time. “Do you have any ‘leverage’ or ‘dirt’ in her hands?”

Xia Qingye thanked the original owner’s cowardice—the girl had kept her love for women a closely guarded secret. Otherwise, she would have been in real trouble regarding Chu Rou. After thinking it over, she said intentionally, “There shouldn’t be any. I paid for everything every time we went out. Sometimes Chu Rou would complain to me about things that happened on set, or how the boss wanted to ‘sponsor’ her… Usually, she did all the talking, and I barely said anything—”

“You paid for everything?”

“Mhm.”

“Find all the receipts and text messages and give them to me. Also, list every place you’ve ever been together.” Wei Xianghong rubbed her arm, looking out the window. “Try to recall everything she said to you. Anything you can repeat, repeat it to me.”

Xia Qingye looked at her nervously. “Sister Xiang, what are you going to do? I did those things voluntarily; it has nothing to do with Chu Rou.”

Wei Xianghong rubbed her temples, her head throbbing. I’ve really picked up a ‘White Lotus’ and invited trouble into my own home. She turned around with a forced smile. “What are you worried about? This is company procedure. Any ‘out of line’ things an artist has done must be reported so the company and manager can be prepared. If you get famous and someone digs up your past, the company can handle it early instead of being caught off guard.”

Xia Qingye looked enlightened and nodded in agreement. Internally, she was beaming. Her manager was truly smart. Life is so much easier with an intelligent partner.

…

She didn’t know what preparations Wei Xianghong was making, but over the next few days, for convenience, she moved from her home into a small studio apartment arranged by the company. It was a one-bedroom, one-living room setup—plenty for one person. The neighbors upstairs and downstairs were all artists from the same company.

As they say, you’re bound to run into each other eventually.

Xia Qingye went downstairs to take out the trash, and as she looked up, she saw Chu Rou stepping out of a nanny van. Before Chu Rou could take two steps, her manager called her back to say something.

Qingye felt her pockets and found a receipt in her back pocket. Once the van drove off, she didn’t hesitate and rushed over.

“Can I have your signature?”

“You!”

Chu Rou had just seen off her manager. Hearing a soft, weak voice, she thought she’d run into a fan. When she turned around and saw a familiar face, she was surprised but recovered quickly. “Qingye, what are you doing here?”

Xia Qingye smiled shyly and handed the receipt to Chu Rou. “Sign this for me first, then I’ll tell you.”

Chu Rou didn’t suspect a thing. She frequently encountered loyal fans asking for signatures—and a “stupid” fan like the one in front of her, who was always willing to spend money on her, asked for signatures every time. Sometimes on clothes, pants, backs, or arms. She signed it quickly and then asked considerately, “What kind of message do you want?”

A glint of light flashed in Xia Qingye’s eyes. “Could you write the words: ‘I love Xia Qingye’?”

Chu Rou’s pen moved swiftly, and soon the sentence was written, followed by her personal signature.

A wave of bitterness rose in Xia Qingye’s heart (the original body’s feelings). Her eyes sparkled as she held the signature like a treasure, looking at it from every angle. “Sister Rou, I’m so excited! Can I post this on Weibo?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Okay!”

Xia Qingye pulled out her phone at lightning speed and took a selfie with Chu Rou, plus a photo of the signature. She then typed out a post that perfectly captured the “brain-dead fan” persona and sent it to the Weibo account Wei Xianghong had just registered for her.

It wasn’t until Chu Rou got home and saw that she had been @-ed that she realized what happened. She opened Xia Qingye’s Weibo and saw it was the only post there. Thinking of how Xia Qingye used to follow her around like a lost puppy, she didn’t care much and let it be.

However, the busy Wei Xianghong, alerted by her assistant, took one look at the post and nearly passed out from the sheer “brain-dead fan” energy radiating from the screen.

“Xia Qingye, where are you?”

“At home.”

“Wait there. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Xia Qingye, bored, browsed Weibo and noticed her follower count was skyrocketing after @-ing Chu Rou. Hearing the fury in Wei Xianghong’s voice over the phone, she calmly sliced a plate of fruit and brewed a pot of chrysanthemum tea, placing it on the coffee table while waiting for her manager to come and “interrogate” her.

Author’s Note:

Nie Zhuying: Qingqing, I heard you asked Miss Chu for a signature.

Xia Qingye: Yep.

Nie Zhuying (pouncing): Qingqing, I can give you a signature too!

Xia Qingye (kicking her): Sign then.

Nie Zhuying (joyfully writing): Little Qingqing loves Zhuzi forever~

Slap slap slap! Face gets swollen, falls to the ground. (:з)∠)