This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 53

That night, Xie Zhe posted several of his rogue-ish character photos. The very last one was a couple’s shot of him and Xia Qingye, who plays Shi Ling in Trio.

The two were wearing matching office uniforms. Xie Zhe was sitting in a magnificent chair with his legs crossed; even through the screen, one could see the rebellious look in his eyes—a bit rakish, a bit wicked. Xia Qingye’s chin was slightly tilted up with a hint of playful charm as she tugged at the tie around his neck. She leaned against the side of the chair, with a small distance between them—neither too far nor too close.

But to a discerning eye, it was clear the two were flirting.

Xie Zhe: New drama character photos. Junior @Xia Qingye, please show some mercy; watch out for your Senior’s neck.

Xia Qingye reposted it within half an hour.

Xia Qingye: Senior, please take care of me in the future [folded hands][folded hands] //@Xie Zhe: New drama character photos…

Xie Zhe’s style was consistently humorous, and everyone knew he was joking. Once this Weibo was posted, Xie Zhe’s “girlfriend fans” were fired up.

I Love My Zhe: The new character photos are so wicked, I super love them.

Where Is Your Starlight: Xie Zhe’s modern look is even handsomer than his ancient look, but what’s with this “overbearing CEO” vibe -_-||

All Other Sluts Get Out, I’m the Real Wife: What’s wrong with overbearing CEO? I love overbearing CEO Zhe-Zhe style the most. Calling for Zhe-Zhe!

Xie Zhe’s Wife: So they’re playing a couple… but I still think Xia Qingye is so ugly. It’s so upsetting that she’s playing opposite our Xie Zhe.

All Vixens Scram: I also think Xia Qingye is ugly and quite fake. Don’t like her, but I’ll just watch our Xie Zhe.

There were countless “girlfriend fans” making such comments.

Yu Lan used to quite like Xie Zhe, and she still did, but seeing the comments from his fans made her feel a bit defensive of her Sister Xia. What was Xie Zhe worth? He couldn’t even compare to one of Sister Nie’s fingers.

She even maliciously hoped that Sister Nie’s fans would step in and directly suppress Xie Zhe’s girlfriend fans; just thinking about it felt satisfying. However, that was unlikely.

“Sister Xia, don’t be angry. In a few days, the netizens will calm down and it’ll be fine.”

“I’m not angry.” Xia Qingye looked puzzled. “Since Xie Zhe stepped forward to speak, the matter will pass. I just need to maintain a certain distance from him normally; otherwise, if someone leaks that I’m ‘leeching his fame’ again, I truly won’t be able to explain myself.”

Yu Lan didn’t think it was a pity and nodded in agreement.

Xia Qingye scrolled through her Weibo and found that after she reposted the message, some fans stood up for her. Most of their comments were very gentle, reflecting her own temperament.

Wishing Clear Skies a Safe Journey: I was thinking earlier it must be a misunderstanding; finally, it’s clarified.

Loving You Isn’t Just for a Day or Two: I’ve been binge-watching Double Flowers lately; it’s filmed so well. Your acting is great; looking forward to more works.

If You Don’t Leave, I Won’t Abandon You: You said you hope to become an artist like Tianqing one day; I believe you can do it.

Qingqing’s No. 1 Brainless Fan: All those girlfriend fans of Xie Zhe, come out and apologize! You ran here to curse people without knowing the facts—where are your manners? Do you think my Qingqing is that easy to bully?

Panda’s Bamboo: I also feel aggrieved; I couldn’t even talk back when being scolded before. Why can’t people speak civilly? Those fans have no manners.

After reading through the long string of comments, Xia Qingye scrolled back to the top and pondered over the ID “Qingqing’s No. 1 Brainless Fan.” Looking at the ID, she felt a mysterious sense of familiarity.

She casually clicked into the ID. It was clearly a secondary account with very little content. The people they followed were few and far between: besides her, there was only a blogger named “Yanguo Wuhen” (Tranceless Swallow).

With a hint of curiosity, Xia Qingye clicked on that blogger’s Weibo and saw articles the person had published on a certain website. That wasn’t even the strangest part. The strange part was that this blogger was a “Yuri” (Girl’s Love) writer. She continued investigating, finding a few reposted stories with the most comments and clicking on one.

A door to a new world swung open.

Now, after reading several “smutty stories,” Xia Qingye was even more certain of the true identity of “Qingqing’s No. 1 Brainless Fan.” Thinking of Nie Zhuying’s strange ideas and the “props” she occasionally brought out to scare her, she finally couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.

Yu Lan, who was still scrolling away, looked at her in surprise. “Sister Xia, what are you laughing at?”

Xia Qingye shook her head with a light laugh but pulled out her new phone to send Nie Zhuying a WeChat message.

Xia Qingye: What are you busy with? 【Gives you a little heart】

Nie Zhuying was currently taking advantage of a break to personally “tear apart” the trolls who had been cursing under Xia Qingye’s posts. She was winning every fight.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian (Nie): I’m educating some ill-mannered people on how to be human. 【Serious face】

Xia Qingye couldn’t help it; she laughed heartily. Yu Lan watched in horror, quickly realizing her Sister Xia must be messaging Sister Nie. Aside from that woman, she couldn’t find anyone else who could cause such a large emotional fluctuation in Sister Xia.

However, being forcefully stuffed with “dog food,” Yu Lan had to hide her face behind her phone and try to reduce her presence. She suddenly really wanted to be in love, too.

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: Qingqing, does this mean you miss me?

Xia Qingye: What do you think?

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: 【Spinning in place】 Missing me is missing me; you actually tried to deny it 【Angry】

“Nie Zhuying, you haven’t finished your business yet—why are you playing with your phone? Come and see if there’s any problem with this contract.”

“Oh, oh.”

Zhu Shang Ren Jian: Qingqing, I have to go work. Remember to miss me 【Kiss】

Xia Qingye had wanted to chat longer, but checking the time and seeing the final comment on Nie Zhuying’s alt-account, it seemed she really was busy.

Xia Qingye: Rest early. Good night.

After that, the other person really didn’t reply. Xia Qingye quietly followed Nie Zhuying’s alt-account.

The next day, everything was back to normal.

Xie Zhe’s single post of character photos had easily resolved her predicament. Xia Qingye thought she should treat him to a meal; to avoid suspicion, she invited Ye Xuan and Wen Wan as well. However, as soon as Wen Wan heard it was her treat, she flatly refused.

So the three of them casually found a small hotel with a decent reputation, got a private room, and ordered a table full of food.

“Senior, Ye Xuan—it’s my treat today, please help yourselves.”

“They actually have my favorite spicy crawfish!” As soon as Xie Zhe saw the Spicy Crawfish (Ma Xiao), his eyes lit up. He immediately took two photos. “One bowl isn’t enough; bring another!”

Xia Qingye immediately had the waiter order two more bowls. “Senior, eat your fill; there’s plenty.”

Xie Zhe gave her an appreciative look. Beside them, Ye Xuan giggled. “Brother Xie, aren’t you supposed to be controlling your weight?”

Xie Zhe nearly dropped his phone into the pot. He smacked his lips. “I only have the energy to control my weight after I’m full.”

Considering the chubby physique of the lead character Shi Ling and smelling the crawfish, Xia Qingye touched her face and also let herself eat freely. She originally loved spicy food, but after eating boxed lunches every day on set, her taste buds were nearly numb.

“By the way, Qingye, is there some unresolved conflict between you and Wen Wan?” Ye Xuan asked suddenly while eating. “The way she acted last time scared us all. She hasn’t troubled you again, has she?”

“Let’s not talk about that while eating; let’s talk about something happy. I heard you’re still a university student—how did you enter this circle?” Xia Qingye shifted the topic back to Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan had been in many dramas; her seniority was higher than a rookie like Xia Qingye, though unfortunately, she was neither famous nor obscure. Xie Zhe kept peeling crawfish as if he weren’t paying attention, but his ears were perked up. “Junior, you don’t know? Ye Xuan debuted as a child star.”

Xia Qingye looked surprised. “So you were a child star. Ye Xuan, you’re amazing.”

Ye Xuan smiled shyly, her eyes fixed on Xie Zhe. “Brother Xie is the amazing one. I’m still a loyal fan of his.”

Xia Qingye quietly observed the gestures and expressions between the two. She began to understand Ye Xuan’s strange attitude when the scandal broke. “It seems Senior is the most amazing. Come, cheers everyone.”

To prevent herself from passing out after five cups, Xia Qingye used a bit of cunning. She had the waiter bring her some “fake wine”—it looked the same color as theirs but was actually plain water. So she drank without restraint.

The meal lasted until nearly midnight. Outside, a cool breeze was blowing, and cicadas were chirping incessantly; the moonlight stretched their shadows long. Xie Zhe had drunk a bit much and looked tipsy. Xia Qingye had Ye Xuan help him out into the breeze while she unhurriedly paid the bill before they all walked back together.

“The moon is so round today.”

“Brother Xie, why do I think the moon is square?”

Xia Qingye looked up. The moon wasn’t round at all; the Mid-Autumn Festival was still a ways off. It was clear Xie Zhe and Ye Xuan were talking drunk nonsense. She couldn’t handle both of them alone. “I’ll have Senior’s assistant come pick him up.”

Ye Xuan and Xie Zhe were acting wild on the steps. Xia Qingye dialed several times before getting through, and then she called Yu Lan. When she turned back, she was stunned.

Ye Xuan was holding Xie Zhe’s shoulders, standing on tiptoe, and kissing him on the cheek.

Xia Qingye felt a throbbing pain in her forehead and hurriedly pulled the two apart. “Don’t cause trouble, you two. Even though no one is around tonight, if we’re caught on camera, I’ll be the culprit.”

Ye Xuan clung to her arm. “I just like him. I’ve liked him for so, so long.”

Xie Zhe looked at Ye Xuan with misty, drunken eyes; it was unclear if he was dazed or just slow. Anyway, in Xia Qingye’s memory, the time she spent waiting for the two assistants felt very, very long—at one point, she wanted to just leave these two drunks behind.

Fortunately, Xie Zhe’s assistant arrived quickly. She had Yu Lan send the loud and rowdy Ye Xuan back. She sat alone on the steps for a while, planning to let the breeze clear her head.

In the distance, a black sedan came speeding toward her. In the faint moonlight, she saw a figure get out of the car; looking closely, she realized it was Wen Wan, who had refused to eat with them. After the car window was lowered, she also saw a man’s head lean out. He grabbed Wen Wan and kissed her.

Xia Qingye was certain: the man in the car was not Zong Cong.