This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 51

This blogger’s exposé was quite high-level; they first used Xie Zhe’s name to send the post straight to the trending topics. As for Xia Qingye, under their pen, she became a seductive femme fatale.

They dug up everything: that Xie Zhe and Xia Qingye were in the same company and shared the same manager.

The photos were also perfectly inserted into the text—almost all of them showed Xia Qingye leaning toward Xie Zhe, while Xie Zhe maintained a gentle expression, looking as wonderful as he always did on camera.

Xie Zhe’s “girlfriend fans” are extremely repulsed by female artists who shamelessly lean in to leech off his popularity. After many past lessons, they didn’t even bother looking at the details before starting a flame war.

Xia Qingye had finally managed to gather a small following, only to have them nearly torn to shreds by Xie Zhe’s fans.

While scrolling through her phone, Nie Zhuying saw a swarm of “water army” accounts flooding Xia Qingye’s Weibo with insults. Xia Qingye’s latest update was still the one tagged 【Starting Work】, accompanied by an elegant photo of her back as she pulled a suitcase.

Zhezhe Is Mine: B*tch, one look and I can tell you’re a vixen, a stinking fox.

I’m the Real Mrs. Xie Zhe: You’re not worthy of our Xie Zhe at all. Get lost, as far as you can.

Never Give Up on Zhe: Disgusting woman.

Die You Sluts: Die you sluts.

…

Nie Zhuying had only read a fraction of it before her anger began to surge. Scrolling further down, the comments became even more excessive; Xia Qingye’s Weibo had been completely overrun by the mob.

The driver heard the passenger in the back let out a disdainful snort. He glanced through the rearview mirror and saw that she was wrapped up very tightly; a pair of sunglasses covered half her face, and with her hat, he could only see a pair of pink, fiery red lips pressed into a firm line. Even with only a small part visible, one could tell she likely had outstanding looks and temperament. “Is the young lady angry with her boyfriend? Actually, matters of the heart are no big deal. If everyone takes a step back, there won’t be so many problems. My wife and I have been married for twenty years and have never once had a heated argument.”

Nie Zhuying’s entire focus was on her phone; she couldn’t hear a word of this uncle’s rambling marriage advice delivered in an unstandard local dialect. She stared at those comments as if she wanted to burn a hole through them. Just as she switched to her burner account and prepared to roll up her sleeves for battle…

Zhou Ling’s call came straight through.

“My little ancestor, where did you run off to right after finishing the commercial shoot?”

“Where else could I go? I’m obviously going to see Qingqing.”

Zhou Ling felt dizzy hearing she was visiting the set. “How could you visit without telling me in advance! What if you’re photographed? How—how do you plan to explain it?”

Nie Zhuying didn’t care at all and let out another casual snort. “If I’m photographed, I’m photographed. What is there to explain!”

Fine. Zhou Ling felt that this little ancestor had never once cared about gossip reporters.

She could only settle for the next best thing and took a deep breath. “Since you’re going to see Miss Xia, keep a low profile. Don’t let people find out, or Miss Xia will be constantly pestered by the crew asking what her relationship is with you. People will think she’s trying to leech off your fame. Even if they don’t say it, they’ll definitely believe in their hearts that everything she’s worked so hard to achieve now is somehow tied to you.”

Nie Zhuying felt very uncomfortable hearing this, but she actually took Zhou Ling’s roundabout words to heart.

She wasn’t angry about whether Xia Qingye was leeching off her fame; she was angry about how to make those people who liked to spread rumors and cause trouble shut up!

The moment the call ended, Nie Zhuying looked at her burner account. The momentum she had to start a fight was disrupted by that phone call.

After thinking for a moment, she logged out of the burner account and moved the battlefield to WeChat.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian (Nie): How can you make something that is officially unrecognized become officially recognized?

Xi Shui (Jin): When you control the entire game, if you want it to be recognized, it will be. If you don’t want it to be, it won’t.

Nie Zhuying’s eyes lit up; she seemed to know exactly what she needed to do.

Yu Lan had been hesitating about whether to tell Xia Qingye about her “reporting” to Nie Zhuying. She was faltering and indecisive; just as she wanted to speak, Xia Qingye went off to film again. This delay lasted until the phone suddenly let out a piercing shriek.

Everyone on the set was startled by the bizarre sound. Yu Lan was so spooked she dropped the phone on the ground. Seeing the display, she directy cut the call in a mix of trembling and guilt.

To ensure she would hear Nie Zhuying’s summons immediately no matter how busy she was, Yu Lan had set a very special ringtone for her.

The ringtone was like a scream from a midnight horror movie; it could be heard from far away.

And so, after cutting the call, Yu Lan realized with hindsight that she had just hung up on Nie Zhuying!!!

Fortunately, she wasn’t left to fret for long before the phone roared to life again.

“I’ve arrived. Come pick me up!”

“!!!”

After Xia Qingye finished work, she looked left and right. “Where’s Yu Lan?”

Ye Xuan said, “She seemed to leave in a panic after taking a call.”

Xia Qingye felt her pockets, wanting to call Yu Lan to check on her, and realized then that not having a phone was quite a hassle. “Forget it, I should know how to get back in a bit.”

Ye Xuan had dismissed her own assistant just to walk back alone with Xia Qingye. “Qingye, did you see those comments? The people online have no class, scolding people at the drop of a hat. Don’t take it to heart. I was once accused of leeching fame too; that person had a massive fan base, just like Xie Zhe now, and I was in a bad mood for a long time. You’d better step forward and explain things.”

Xia Qingye shot her a suspicious look.

Under that gaze, Ye Xuan felt very guilty and instinctively touched her face. “What is it? Is there something on my face?”

Xia Qingye smiled. “There was a bit of dust, but you’ve wiped it clean now.”

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but wipe it again, rubbing her face until it was red before stopping. “Qingye, what do you plan to do next?”

Xia Qingye said with a smile, “Don’t worry, things will be resolved.”

Ye Xuan didn’t get a definitive answer and looked preoccupied when they parted.

Xia Qingye stood in place, thoughtfully watching her return to her room.

Because she was thinking about things, Xia Qingye was somewhat absent-minded as she opened and closed her door.

So, when someone stealthily lunged out from behind and grabbed her in a sudden hug, Xia Qingye’s first reaction was to strike.

“Ouch!”

“…”

Xia Qingye was completely dazed to see Nie Zhuying in the room, but seeing her clutching her stomach, she immediately snapped out of it. “Zhuzi, are you okay?”

Nie Zhuying’s abdomen had been struck hard by the other’s elbow; she had been totally off guard.

“Qingqing, you actually hit people.”

“Let me see.”

Nie Zhuying was coy and refused to lift her clothes. “It’s not even dark yet, Qingqing, you’re already so impatient!”

Xia Qingye was moved to laughter by her. Knowing words were useless, she simply pushed the woman down onto the bed and lifted the clothes herself. Seeing a large red patch on her fair skin, she didn’t know whether to feel bad or be angry. “You jumped out to scare me like that; me striking out was only human instinct.”

Nie Zhuying said aggrievedly, “I was giving you a surprise!”

The surprise nearly became a heart attack, okay?

If a woman returns to her residence and a stranger suddenly pounces from behind, the normal first reaction is that there’s a thief in the house, not that her girlfriend has come to find her.

Seeing that red patch on her abdomen was a bit of an eyesore, Xia Qingye couldn’t help but reach out a finger to poke it. “Does it hurt?”

Nie Zhuying nodded slightly; that blow had nearly knocked the wind out of her lunch. She affectionately hugged Xia Qingye’s hand and pulled her down onto the bed. “It hurts. How does Qingqing plan to compensate me?”

Xia Qingye was helpless against her; even in this state, she was still trying to seduce her. She took the opportunity to press the woman against the bed, trying to make her behave. “There will be compensation.”

After saying that, she kissed the woman’s eyes and brow, moving down bit by bit.

The two had been separated for nearly several months; upon meeting again, they naturally no longer suppressed their true hearts.

However, Xia Qingye took into account that the other had been in a car for so long and hadn’t eaten anything. She stopped at the right moment, pulling up the person who had already turned into a puddle of water from just kissing and touching. “Where’s Yu Lan?”

Nie Zhuying clung to her lazily, pouting unhappily as she couldn’t help but complain, “You’re with me, and you actually have time to ask about another woman!”

Xia Qingye helped her gather her messy long hair. “I’m afraid she’ll come back suddenly and be scared out of her wits seeing us like this. Then you’d have to compensate me with a new assistant.”

Nie Zhuying seemed to think of something and let out a low laugh. “I sent her to stay at the hotel.” Then she added with a tone full of jealousy, “You actually lived with her for so many days and didn’t even report it to me!”

Xia Qingye: “…”

Fortunately, Yu Lan was thoughtful enough to have sent dinner over for them.

After dinner, Nie Zhuying took advantage of the moment Xia Qingye went out to throw away the trash to take everything out of her bag and arrange it on the bedside table. Then, she took the first step to the bathroom to shower.

While Xia Qingye was out throwing the trash, she ran into Wen Wan again.

The woman walked up to her arrogantly, looking down at her since she was wearing high heels. “I see you don’t even dare reply to the netizens anymore. How does it feel to be scolded?”

Xia Qingye didn’t actually care much about what those people under her Weibo were saying, but clearly, some people were following it for her every second. “Miss Wen, we still have to get along in this crew for several months. Can’t we just be civil? That would be better for everyone.”

Filming is tiring enough as it is; having to deal with these constant situations was too much.

Wen Wan refused flatly, “No!”

“If it weren’t for you, that PSA would have been mine!”

“It seems Miss Wen is a sore loser.”

Xia Qingye kept her smile throughout. “Actually, if you asked around, you’d know Sister Xiang accepted that PSA for me first. Do you know where you really lost?”

Some people know the truth in their hearts but act ignorant. Xia Qingye had never held Wen Wan in high regard, so she said very frankly, “You didn’t lose to me in acting; you lost because your status in a certain person’s heart is inferior to someone else. Whether I am truly trying to drive a wedge between you, you know best in your own heart.”

From the difference in how Xia Qingye handled Zhong Ruanqin versus Wen Wan, it was clear that Zhong Ruanqin’s status—both in public and before Zong Cong—was higher than Wen Wan’s. She could jump into a fight with Wen Wan without hesitation, and she could compete openly with Zhong Ruanqin, but when things happened, she had to give Zhong Ruanqin a way out. For Wen Wan, she wouldn’t bother.

Wen Wan’s face flushed with anger, and she raised her hand to strike.

Xia Qingye said nonchalantly, “If Miss Wen wants to make the headlines, go ahead. There are surveillance cameras at both ends of this hallway.”

Wen Wan’s raised hand froze mid-air; she felt like she had thrown a punch into a pile of cotton, utterly powerless.

Then she heard Xia Qingye’s gentle-faced warning: “Miss Wen, I can treat this time as an accident, but there won’t be a next time. Otherwise, the unlucky person definitely won’t be me.”

Wen Wan didn’t snap out of it until the other party had returned to her room. She had clearly come to see the other’s joke, but now…

Xia Qingye let out a cold laugh after returning to her room. For a fickle sugar daddy like Zong Cong, how many of them are sincere? Relying on others is too foolish!

“Where did you go? It’s been so long!” Nie Zhuying came out wrapped only in a bath towel. Her entire body was covered in something that smelled wonderful. That towel featured a landscape print, truly illustrating the meaning of “picturesque.”

Xia Qingye saw her damp curls dripping water and resignedly pulled a towel from the other’s suitcase, standing up to dry her hair. “Ran into an acquaintance and talked for a bit.”

Nie Zhuying enjoyed the service immensely and didn’t ask further, but after her hair had been dried for a while, she became a bit drowsy. She snatched the towel away and went to rummage through her suitcase.

Xia Qingye looked at her flawless white back, her heart itching slightly. “What are you looking for?”

As if presenting a treasure, Nie Zhuying pulled a phone box from the bottom of the suitcase, the packaging still intact. “Your phone is no good. I specifically bought you a waterproof one.”

Really brought up the one thing I didn’t want to talk about.

Xia Qingye remembered that the culprit was exactly the person in front of her. If she hadn’t seen the message saying she was visiting the set, would her hand have slipped?

Taking advantage of the moment she reached for the phone, Xia Qingye dragged the woman onto the bed. She pressed her large frame over her, and seeing the cute, wide-eyed look on the other’s face, her heart melted completely. How did she find such a treasure? “Zhuzi, I suddenly think you’re right.”

Nie Zhuying blinked, not yet realizing how dangerous her position was. “What?”

Xia Qingye leaned in and smelled an exceptionally sweet scent—she didn’t know if it was the scent of the bath or the woman’s natural fragrance. Just like the person beneath her, it was sweet and made one want to take a lick, and then slowly eat her up bite by bite!

Xia Qingye leaned closer and laughed softly, “Eat, drink, and be merry!”