This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 52

The room was a mess; clothes, pants, and bathrobes were tossed everywhere.

On the nightstand, an expensive bottle of perfume stood open, its light fragrance wafting through the room. An unopened phone box lay quietly on the floor, covered by a pair of panties, neglected and looking quite pitiful.

Nie Zhuying was wrapped in a thin air-conditioning quilt, her black-and-white eyes staring fixedly at Xia Qingye with a probing gaze. Her bright red lips bore a trace of a bite mark left by the other woman.

Meeting that misty gaze, Xia Qingye felt an inexplicable surge of amusement. She reached out and pulled the person, who was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon, into her arms. “What is it? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”

Asked why, Nie Zhuying immediately got angry, her face puffing up like a pufferfish. “You have the nerve to ask me.”

Xia Qingye tried her best to maintain a serious image, but her lover was simply too adorable. She couldn’t resist leaning in to bite the corner of the other’s mouth, slowly grinding open the tightly closed gap. After a period of entanglement, both of their breaths became ragged, and Xia Qingye immediately pulled back in a startle.

Nie Zhuying let out a couple of dissatisfied snorts.

“Hmph.”

“Zhuzi, are you uncomfortable?”

Nie Zhuying had naturally enjoyed the process, but she couldn’t figure out why—clearly, she was supposed to be the Top, so how did she end up being the Bottom? This was something she absolutely could not accept.

Consequently, she felt particularly chagrined afterward.

Seeing her looking so deeply resentful, Xia Qingye laughed so hard she nearly fell over. “How about I check on you?”

Nie Zhuying wrapped herself tighter and rolled around on the bed. “No. Go take a shower.”

Xia Qingye kissed her forehead, picked up her pajamas, and went to bathe.

Hearing the bathroom door close, Nie Zhuying immediately grabbed her phone, logged into her alt account, and sent a private message to that fan-fiction blogger: You big liar.

She wanted to interrogate them further, but on second thought, the more she said, the more mistakes she’d make, and it would ultimately be embarrassing.

Nie Zhuying logged out of the alt and switched to WeChat.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian (Nie): Manxi, now you’re the only old bachelorette left! 【Hands on hips, laughing wildly】

Jin Manxi was preparing to visit the set to see if Qi Jiani was adjusting well. Seeing Nie Zhuying’s gloating attitude, she was slightly surprised before realizing what she meant.

Xi Shui (Jin): Congratulations on finally shedding your old virgin status. So, you ran off to your wife’s place?

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: You bet.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: Wife is good, wife is wonderful, wife is top-notch! 【Proud】

Jin Manxi was blinded by the dog-food-style boasting through the screen, but knowing Nie Zhuying’s temperament, she felt she shouldn’t indulge her too much.

Xi Shui: Your wife has worked hard.

Nie Zhuying almost let her eyes pop out.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: I am the one who worked hard! 【Sharp gaze】

Xi Shui: I don’t believe you.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: I am!

Xi Shui: Trying to cover it up only makes it more obvious. Nie Zhuying, you’ve exposed yourself.

Nie Zhuying was nearly fuming at Jin Manxi. She almost threw her phone away and rolled around on the bed in a fit of pique, thinking bitterly: I am the Top, I am the Top… mhm, next time I’ll definitely be the Top.

When Xia Qingye emerged from the bathroom, the person on the bed was already fast asleep like a silkworm cocoon. She was lying on her stomach, half her face buried in the pillow, with a few strands of hair falling across her face. Xia Qingye leaned in, brushed the hair aside, and looked at the flushed sleeping face. She couldn’t help but lean in for a kiss. “Zhuzi, good night.”

The next day, Yu Lan came to the door. She knocked softly twice and didn’t dare knock again.

Perhaps because there was an extra person in bed, and that person’s sleeping posture was completely different from her personality—very well-behaved, sticking close to her all night—Xia Qingye slept quite lightly. Hearing the knock, she quickly got ready and stepped out. She instructed Yu Lan, “Zhuzi is still sleeping. Bring her some breakfast later. If I have many scenes at noon, get her a Chinese lunch she likes.”

Yu Lan nodded from behind. “Sister Xia, Nie—”

Xia Qingye put a hand to her lips. “It’s a secret.”

Yu Lan had no choice but to stay quiet.

As Xia Qingye walked, she still gave worried instructions. “Be very careful when you bring lunch back. Watch out if anyone is following you.”

Yu Lan likely knew who she was referring to. Thinking of yesterday’s incident, she couldn’t help but say, “Sister Xia, was it Wen Wan who posted those photos of you and Brother Xie online?”

Xia Qingye glanced at her. “Don’t worry about this matter.”

Yu Lan lowered her head and proactively admitted her mistake. “Sister Xia, I accidentally told her about this yesterday. Don’t be angry.”

Xia Qingye paused. Realizing Nie Zhuying hadn’t mentioned or seemed to care about the Xie Zhe incident all night, she found it a bit peculiar. “If she knows, she knows. It’s not a secret anyway. Yu Lan, don’t be so talkative in the future.”

“I understand,” Yu Lan nodded.

Xia Qingye originally thought that since Nie Zhuying didn’t bring it up, she probably trusted her to handle it.

Little did she know, at noon, while everyone was huddling together to eat boxed lunches and chatting happily, Wen Wan suddenly walked over in a rage and slapped the lunchbox right out of Xia Qingye’s hand.

The crew members on site were stunned.

Xia Qingye’s costume was covered in white rice and greens; it was a total mess.

Beside her, Xie Zhe frowned and slowly set down his chopsticks. “Miss Wen, your conflict scene with my Junior isn’t for another few days. Are you so impatient that you’re rehearsing now?”

Wen Wan was trembling. Reminded by Xie Zhe, she seemed to snap out of it. Noticing most eyes were on her, she suppressed her rage and followed Xie Zhe’s lead. “Yes. I wanted to find Xia Qingye to go over the scene.”

A smile touched the corner of Xia Qingye’s mouth, but a flash of anger crossed her eyes. “Sure. I’m quite free right now anyway.”

Xie Zhe looked at them with concern. “Junior, should I help lead the scene so Miss Wen can find the feeling quickly?”

Xia Qingye shook her head. “Senior, it’s better if I do it. Miss Wen probably only enters the role quickly when she sees my face.”

The awkward atmosphere was skillfully diffused by their back-and-forth.

Xia Qingye patted down her costume and followed Wen Wan out. Xie Zhe looked at the still-stunned onlookers and smiled brightly. “It’s fine, just a small matter. Everyone, keep eating.”

Ye Xuan, sitting nearby, finally reacted. How could that be a rehearsal? Wen Wan was clearly looking for trouble. She put down her chopsticks to follow them, but Xie Zhe pulled her back and gave a small shake of his head.

The two women walked to a relatively secluded spot before stopping.

This time, Xia Qingye struck first. “Miss Wen, what exactly are you so dissatisfied about that you had to knock over my lunch in front of everyone? In the end, the one who lost face was you, not me.”

Wen Wan let out a sneer. “Xia Qingye, drop that hypocritical face of yours. Your talent for deceiving people is top-notch. I almost fell for it yesterday, but look at you—one way to my face, another behind my back. You turned around and hired a water army to smear me on Weibo. You’re really something.”

Xia Qingye was shocked, looking completely baffled. However, she caught a few points from the words and said in disbelief, “You’re saying I hired a water army to smear you?”

Wen Wan had already decided Xia Qingye was a two-faced hypocrite. Seeing her confused look, she only saw it as an act. “Who else but you?”

The only thing she had done was push Xia Qingye in front of Xie Zhe’s fans; the only person she’d offended was this one.

Xia Qingye laughed softly and interrupted her. “Wen Wan, it seems I’m not the only person you’ve offended. Whether you believe it or not, if I wanted to hire a water army, I’d do it openly. I wouldn’t turn around and smear you right after saying those things to you yesterday.”

“Besides, I let you hit me yesterday and didn’t remind you. If I took that video and leaked it, wouldn’t you be smeared just the same? With a ready-made way to ruin you, why would I bother hiring a water army? What benefit did I get? Having a lunchbox splashed all over me?”

Having finished, Xia Qingye ignored Wen Wan’s colorful facial expressions and walked away. Wen Wan stood there with a complex look on her face.

When Xie Zhe and Ye Xuan saw Xia Qingye return, they crowded around. “Qingye, what happened?”

Xia Qingye finally knew what it felt like to have disaster fall from the sky while sitting at home. she looked at the two helplessly. “Wen Wan says I hired a water army to smear her. What’s on the Weibo hot search today?”

Xia Qingye had left early this morning and hadn’t had a chance to set up her new phone; she couldn’t check even if she wanted to.

Xie Zhe had scrolled through the latest trending topics this morning. Connecting the dots, he couldn’t help but click his tongue. “Her own dark history got leaked by someone else, and she blamed it on you, Junior.”

Ye Xuan filled Xia Qingye in from the side. “Someone exposed Wen Wan’s previous career, saying she was a delinquent girl, and then… cough, cough.”

Wen Wan was approaching with a grim face. Seeing the three of them huddled together whispering, her expression grew even worse, her glare fierce and sharp.

Xia Qingye roughly understood why the other woman was so angry. Wen Wan’s personality really wasn’t suited for the industry; she was easily used as a tool, had a bad temper, was impulsive, couldn’t see her own situation clearly, and offended people recklessly. In short: she was arrogant, thought too highly of herself, and looked down on everyone. Xia Qingye could already foresee her ultimate end in the circle.

Once Wen Wan left, Ye Xuan whispered in Xia Qingye’s ear, “She used to be a hostess in a club. Later, she was discovered by Star Entertainment, filmed a few dramas, and that was that.”

Because Wen Wan was in a bad mood, Xia Qingye had to endure many NGs with her, finishing work an hour later than usual.

As soon as she returned to her room, she saw Nie Zhuying standing by the bed like a conqueror, looking down at her. “Qingqing, you said you’d have dinner with me. What time is it now?”

Xia Qingye walked over and hugged her, using quite a bit of strength to pull this pouting “little ancestor” down to sit on the edge of the bed. “There were many scenes today. Tomorrow I’ll have fewer; I’ll spend more time with you.”

Nie Zhuying glanced at her, the corners of her mouth lifting with a hint of pride. “Qingqing, let me tell you—I did something really impressive today.”

Xia Qingye was curious. “You should have been resting.”

Nie Zhuying rolled around on the bed. Finally, she leaned in mysteriously and said proudly, “I found out who took those ‘ambiguous’ photos of you and Xie Zhe. That person is in your crew—a woman you mentioned to me before.”

Xia Qingye’s expression was complex. “…”

She finally knew how this disaster had arrived.

Nie Zhuying had no idea what Xia Qingye had dealt with today and shared excitedly: “She’s so annoying! How could she take those kinds of photos? I originally wanted to personally tear those trolls apart for you, but on second thought, tearing them one by one is too much trouble. So I found the person trying to harm you first, then had Sister Ling hire a water army to expose her dark history.”

Xia Qingye lay back on the bed, thinking the world was truly a strange place.

Nie Zhuying lay beside her and continued, “You have no idea. She looked like a decent person, but she had so much dirt! She used to be a—”

Xia Qingye knew Nie Zhuying had a habit: once she started exploring interesting gossip, she became exceptionally excited.

She flipped over and pressed directly onto the woman. Nie Zhuying’s non-stop chatter gradually died away as she stared with wide eyes. Xia Qingye leaned in, silencing the slightly open mouth as if inviting her to dance.

After they exchanged a misty kiss, Xia Qingye asked, “Zhuzi, how many days of leave did Sister Ling give you?”

At the mention of this, Nie Zhuying hugged her pillow, looking dejected. “Three days.”

Xia Qingye calculated; only one day was left. “How about I take tomorrow off and take you out for the day?”

Nie Zhuying nodded immediately. “Okay!”

The next morning, the director didn’t grant the leave at first. After some persistent persuasion, he finally agreed to a half-day in the afternoon, automatically moving her scenes to the morning.

In the afternoon, Xia Qingye returned to her room, put on a slight disguise, and went to meet Yu Lan and Nie Zhuying. Yu Lan had borrowed a car from somewhere and acted as the driver as the two of them went for a spin in the city.

Xia Qingye took Nie Zhuying to an underground market. It was bustling with clothes, snacks, and various small accessories. It was a dazzling sight. Nie Zhuying found it exceptionally novel, her eyes wide as she investigated everything. She wanted to touch and buy everything she saw.

Xia Qingye followed behind, haggling and carrying a mountain of bags.

Nie Zhuying saw people queuing for sticker photos (Purikura) and curiously leaned in. After watching a few couples cut their photos, she quickly understood how it worked. “Qingqing, I want to take photos too.”

Xia Qingye didn’t mind. The two squeezed into the cramped space, barely able to move their arms. After picking a background, they removed their disguises and took a series of photos in various poses.

“No, I want to kiss.”

“Okay.”

Xia Qingye indulged her completely—mouth-to-mouth kisses, cheek kisses, and a set of funny faces. Nie Zhuying was having so much fun she took three sets before agreeing to leave.

As they were leaving, they almost got recognized. Nie Zhuying was planning to cut the photos—there was a machine right there—but a couple nearby was eyeing them suspiciously. Xia Qingye sensed trouble, grabbed Nie Zhuying (who was still busy cutting), and bolted.

“Ah, I think I saw Nie Zhuying!”

The exclamation was quickly drowned out by other noises.

“Aaah, Qingqing, why did you pull me away?” Nie Zhuying stared at the stickers in her hand, distressed. “Look, it’s cut crooked! this sticker is ruined.”

Xia Qingye was both angry and amused. They had almost been recognized, yet she was worried about a sticker. “I’m right here in front of you, and you’re staring at a photo? Am I better, or is the photo better?”

Nie Zhuying looked at the photo, then at Xia Qingye, and immediately tucked the stickers into her bag.

They wandered for several hours until the city lights came on and the market shops began to close. They followed the crowd back to Yu Lan’s car. Once inside, Yu Lan asked, “Sister Nie, Sister Xia, are we going back now, or…?”

Xia Qingye toyed with Nie Zhuying’s fingers. “To the airport.”

Yu Lan didn’t dare ask more and drove obediently. Her gaze occasionally drifted to the two in the back who were radiating pink bubbles. She suddenly felt a bit lonely and wanted to find a lover too.

Nie Zhuying was unhappy the whole way. “Qingqing, when will this drama be finished?”

Xia Qingye estimated, “If things go smoothly, another month or two and I can return.”

Nie Zhuying did a mental calculation and sat up straight. “Actually, I’ll be very busy these next couple of months too. Once we’re both done, we’ll meet in the capital.”

Xia Qingye had thought she would be too clingy to leave, but seeing her so decisive, she was actually a bit unaccustomed to it. “Alright. Call Sister Ling and have her pick you up at the airport.”

Nie Zhuying had already called. So, when the car arrived, she left with her many bags. Before leaving, the two exchanged a passionate deep kiss in the car, making Yu Lan’s skin crawl. These two were so sappy; they were the sappiest couple she’d ever seen.

Xia Qingye watched the other’s silhouette pass the gate and disappear. Standing there for a long time, a feeling of reluctance suddenly surged in her heart. She let out a long sigh before returning to the car.

“Sister Xia,” Yu Lan said as she began the drive back, “Sister Xiang just called. She said you should cooperate with Brother Xie. Whatever Brother Xie posts, just repost it.”

Is she planning to clear my name now?

Xia Qingye nodded, indicating she understood.