This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 45

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed. Nie Zhuying prepared to take Xia Qingye home to recuperate.

Xia Qingye’s hospital room had become cluttered with many items: fresh flowers replaced daily, fruit baskets, and small gifts. The livestream that day had completely exposed her location, and since then, the hospital had received a steady stream of flowers and gifts. Most were well-wishes from Nie Zhuying’s fans, while some “cute fans” simply sent postcards related to Nie Zhuying, wishing Xia Qingye a speedy recovery.

Some gifts were even accidentally sent directly to the company. When Zhou Ling sorted through the mail and saw Xia Qingye’s name tied so closely to Nie Zhuying’s, she felt a massive headache coming on.

Yu Lan was called over by Nie Zhuying a day early to help pack. Seeing the room full of gifts, she squealed with excitement, nearly getting herself kicked out by the protective Film Queen.

Yu Lan took a peek and, seeing “Big Cat Nie” had her back turned, leaned into Xia Qingye’s ear. “Sister Xia, Sister Xia! I found a postcard! This little angel says she’s your fan! She hopes you recover quickly and have new works out soon; she’ll be waiting.” Yu Lan grinned. “Sister Xia, you’re famous now.”

The girl didn’t quite understand the nuances of fame yet, but seeing the joy on Yu Lan’s face as she read the fan mail, Xia Qingye felt inexplicably touched.

“Aaah! Sister Nie, don’t grab my collar!”

“Why are you leaning so close to Qingqing? Are you speaking ill of me?” Nie Zhuying was taller than Yu Lan and quite strong; she hoisted the girl up like a little chick, moving her away from the bed. She let out a huff. “Hurry up and pack, or you won’t be finished by tomorrow.”

Yu Lan gave a miserable “Oh,” but as soon as Nie Zhuying turned toward Xia Qingye, she pulled a huge face at her back. She had realized by now that Nie Zhuying was just a big cat in tiger’s clothing—the paper-mache kind.

Xia Qingye wanted to laugh at the childish gesture but didn’t expose her. “I should notify my brother before we leave.”

At the mention of Xia Yanbo, Nie Zhuying pouted unhappily. “Xia Yanbo goes back on his word; he has zero merchant’s integrity. I’ll call him after I’ve gotten you to my house.”

Xia Qingye: “…”

Nie Zhuying was a woman of her word. She picked up Xia Qingye in her car the next day and only notified Xia Yanbo once they had arrived.

Xia Yanbo rushed over from the company during a break, originally intending to demand an explanation. However, once he saw the cozy room Nie Zhuying had prepared for his sister, along with the medical equipment and rehabilitation gear in the adjacent room, he softened. Still, he couldn’t help but probe. “This equipment is all new. You prepared this specifically for Qingye?”

From the moment she convinced Xia Yanbo, Nie Zhuying had considered the rehab gear Xia Qingye would need. She then figured it would be good to have some medical equipment at home anyway. Being a woman of action, she had everything installed within two or three days. When asked, she was perfectly blunt: “Of course. She got hurt for me; what’s a bit of equipment?”

Her tone was full of “boss” energy.

A dangerous glint flashed behind Xia Yanbo’s glasses. “Nie Zhuying, you don’t happen to… like women, do you?”

This was a question someone had asked during the livestream as well—do you like men or women? At the time, Nie Zhuying’s answer was: “I haven’t tried.”

She had been a bachelorette for thirty years; how was she supposed to know if she liked men or women? A rare look of confusion appeared on her face as she thought for a long time. “Uhm, probably not.”

I only like Qingqing. As for other women, forget it.

Hearing her answer, the anxiety in Xia Yanbo’s heart eased for the moment. “Alright then. Let Qingye stay here for a month. Once she’s a bit better, I’m taking her home.”

Nie Zhuying glared at him and started snapping back. “You’re busy twenty-four hours a day like a—”

Xia Yanbo had been fooled by her once before. Hearing her start with the same line, he interrupted immediately. “I can take leave to stay home with Qingye. I believe, as an older brother, I can squeeze out that much time.”

Nie Zhuying wanted to argue, but she was cut off again.

Xia Yanbo counted on his fingers, refuting every point she had made at the hospital. “It might be inconvenient for me to care for her, but she has a personal assistant. Yu Lan can handle those tasks. Also, Aunt Fang at home is a great cook; I’ll have her focus on nutrition. If all else fails, I can hire a professional nurse to help me care for our Qingye.”

Nie Zhuying: “…”

My hands are itching. I want to hit someone.

Suddenly, she had a brainwave. She looked extremely triumphant; if she had a tail, it would be pointing to the sky. “There is one thing you cannot replace.”

Xia Yanbo waited for the answer.

Nie Zhuying: “Because of this injury, Qingqing lost a drama. I can find a way to get her an even better script. I can discuss the script with her and help her analyze the characters. Can you do that?”

“Besides, with me coaching her, there will be zero problems.”

“…”

By the time Xia Yanbo left, he was incredibly puzzled. She’s my own sister—what exactly is the problem with taking her back to my own house???

Nie Zhuying saw him off like a victorious general, the pride evident in the corners of her eyes. She walked into the room. “I’ve gotten rid of Xia Yanbo.”

Xia Qingye crooked her finger at her.

Nie Zhuying obediently leaned in. “Want to know how I handled him? His face was livid when he left.”

Xia Qingye had already realized that Xia Yanbo was no match for Nie Zhuying. She sighed. “Did you release Nuonuo to scare him again?” This was the method Nie Zhuying had used before to scare him into calling off the engagement.

Nie Zhuying shook her head mysteriously. “Keep guessing. If you get it right, I’ll promise you one thing.”

Xia Qingye said quickly, “If I get it right, will you give me Jin Manxi’s contact info?”

Nie Zhuying immediately pounced and bit her. Xia Qingye dodged, so the bite landed on her chin. Nie Zhuying didn’t dare bite hard, but she snapped, “I’m blacklisting Manxi! You’ll never get her number in this lifetime!”

Seeing her “vinegar jar” persona surfacing, Xia Qingye felt even more like teasing her. “Zhuzi, I need to talk to her about something. It’s not what you think.”

Nie Zhuying’s eyes darted around, refusing to bite that hook. Instead, she dropped a bombshell. “My Mommy and Daddy saw the video of you getting hurt to save me. They’ve booked a flight for three days from now. Mommy said she’s coming to personally take care of you until you’re well.”

Xia Qingye: “…”

Facing the kind and gentle Mrs. Nie, Xia Qingye always felt a sense of guilt, as if she had accidentally led her daughter into a “ditch.”

The two of them stared at each other.

Xia Qingye cleared her throat and said softly and tentatively, “Maybe… Zhuzi, you should call my brother back. I’ll go home with him.”

Nie Zhuying cupped Xia Qingye’s face forcefully with both hands, staring at her with fuming eyes. “Take that back, or I’ll tell my Mommy and Daddy right now that we’re together.”

Xia Qingye immediately raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have mentioned going home. But your Mommy and Daddy—”

To be honest, Xia Qingye wasn’t mentally prepared to meet them. To this day, the relationship with Nie Zhuying felt like a dream—unreal and strangely hollow. Because of Xia Qingye’s instinctive avoidance, Nie Zhuying spent the whole day pouting.

Xia Qingye lay quietly in bed thinking about Mr. and Mrs. Nie. Her thoughts eventually drifted elsewhere. She pulled out her phone and made a call. “Hey, Jiani. Send me Jin Manxi’s phone number.”

Qi Jiani asked a few questions about her condition, and knowing she had left the hospital, said she’d come visit. Then, she sent the number over.

Xia Qingye thought for a moment and sent Jin Manxi a text first: I want to talk to you about Qi Jiani.

After sending it, she was quite nervous, feeling that this probe was a bit of a gamble. To her relief, the reply came back quickly: Who are you?

Only then did Xia Qingye dial the number. “Senior Jin, it’s Xia Qingye.”

Nie Zhuying had no idea her Qingqing was hooking up with Manxi. She was currently sitting on the sofa angrily stroking Nuonuo. She was being a bit heavy-handed; Nuonuo, feeling the pinch, jumped off the sofa and retreated to his nest to stay far away from her.

In just over half a month, Nuonuo had grown from a tiny ball you could scoop up with one hand to a medium-sized dog that was a bit of a struggle to hold with two. In another month, he’d likely be huge. Nie Zhuying looked at Nuonuo’s lazy appearance and felt even more stifled.

However, she still pulled out her phone and resignedly called Zhou Ling. “Hey, Sister Ling. Bring over some scripts with good resources for me to look at.”

Zhou Ling thought she had finally come to her senses and was ready to work seriously. After hanging up, she excitedly rushed over to Nie Zhuying’s house with a stack of scripts.

“There are also two international jewelry commercials. I think you should take them.”

“When exactly?” Nie Zhuying was buried in the pile, picking through them. She narrowed the twenty-plus scripts down to two or three. “If the shoot is short, I’ll take them. If it’s too long, I’ll pass for now. Just these three; I’ll look them over. You can go now.”

Zhou Ling, who had been summoned and dismissed at will: “…”

Zhou Ling thought for a moment and decided to give a reminder. “Your fans are sending gifts for Xia Qingye to the company. I don’t know who snitched to the higher-ups, but they are very displeased. I know you won’t like me telling you to keep your distance, but you have to keep up some appearances. Don’t go looking for trouble.”

Nie Zhuying looked up sharply. “What?”