This Best Actress is a Bit Annoying - Chapter 8

[Popular starlet Chu Rou’s role allegedly stolen; posts tearful message at midnight about being used.]

The smear campaign against Xia Qingye originated from a “grievance” post Chu Rou made on Weibo the previous night. The original text read: [Having been in this industry for nearly three years, I thought that treating others with sincerity would earn the same in return. I never expected… [aggrieved]. Perhaps being capable of being used is a form of capital in itself [laugh-cry]]

Chu Rou deleted the post just three seconds after uploading it, but quick-handed “Rou-fans” had already screenshotted it as evidence.

The fans didn’t know exactly what had happened, but based on the wording, they speculated that something had occurred to make their idol lose heart. Chu Rou’s brain-dead fans couldn’t stand for this and swarmed the comments to investigate.

An hour later, a “detective fan” discovered the “truth.” They circled Xia Qingye in the “family photo” from the Twin Flowers opening ceremony and matched her with the person in the “brain-dead fan’s” selfie with Chu Rou. The spearhead was instantly pointed at Xia Qingye. They accused her of “bundling” herself with their idol for clout. Xia Qingye’s pathetic Weibo account, which only had two posts, was instantly occupied by angry fans and gossip seekers.

At that time, Xia Qingye was lying in her room catching up on sleep. One night was enough time for the matter to ferment into what they saw now: shifting from “clout-chasing” to “securing a role through the casting couch.”

Twelve hours away in a different time zone…

Nie Zhuying was currently in Hollywood filming a blockbuster, speaking fluent, authentic English with a group of international colleagues. By the time she discovered this gossip, nearly twenty-four hours had passed.

To a discerning eye, it was obvious that Xia Qingye’s situation was being orchestrated by someone behind the scenes to blacken a newcomer’s reputation. In the entertainment industry, talented or popular newcomers being stepped on or slandered was a common, everyday occurrence.

Nie Zhuying initially treated it as idle gossip to pass the time. After all, she was thousands of miles away from home. But as she kept reading, something felt off. “Yao Wei, come here.”

Yao Wei leaned over, confused. “Sister Nie, what’s up?”

Nie Zhuying enlarged a front-facing photo of Xia Qingye for her. “What do you see?”

Yao Wei’s eyes widened as she admired Xia Qingye’s beauty. Xia Qingye was the kind of stunner with an angelic face and a devilish figure. Just staring at that face with its faint smile made Yao Wei feel a bit lightheaded.

Seeing her star-struck expression, Nie Zhuying let out a dissatisfied snort. “Is she prettier than me?”

Yao Wei really wanted to nod but didn’t dare. Nie Zhuying was the type of person who, if you dared to say someone was more beautiful than her, would quietly accept it—only to find an opportunity later to trash that person until they were worthless. In her mind, she was the most beautiful person in the world. “Of course Sister Nie is more beautiful! But… who is she?”

Nie Zhuying finally got back to the point, satisfied. “Doesn’t she look a bit familiar?”

Yao Wei shook her head uncertainly.

Nie Zhuying’s finger scrolled through several photos. “When Sister Ling gets back, have her confirm if this Xia Qingye is the one who was eavesdropping on me and Director Xun that day.”

“Huh? Then who is she exactly?”

“A little newcomer who replaced me. Heh, interesting.”

The director called out for her. Nie Zhuying tossed the iPad to Yao Wei and instructed, “I want to know the follow-up to this. Keep a close eye on it. I want to hear the latest update later.”

“Oh… okay, Sister Nie.” Yao Wei watched her leave, feeling torn between laughter and tears. In all her years, she had only ever seen one Film Queen who took such joy in following entertainment industry gossip: Sister Nie.

Meanwhile, Chu Rou was in high spirits. She was waiting to see Xia Qingye make a fool of herself. Currently, the hottest topic on Weibo was whose bed Xia Qingye had climbed into; her own previous post had been mentioned briefly and then brushed aside.

To her surprise, twenty-four hours had passed without Xia Qingye making a move. She filmed as usual, her expression was normal, and her state was fantastic. She was even praised on the spot by Director Xun, acting as if the chaos on Weibo had nothing to do with her.

Chu Rou, the culprit, was getting a bit anxious. When she saw Fang Xiang, she whispered, “What has Wei Xianghong done?”

Fang Xiang thought of the rumors he’d heard—that after the incident, Wei Xianghong had thrown a tantrum in her office and then done absolutely nothing. He leaned into Chu Rou’s ear. “I bet she’ll choose to protect one over the other. Xie Zhe has a much brighter future than this girl.”

However, it wasn’t long after those words that his face was metaphorically slapped.

By the afternoon, the incident had been fermenting for over twenty-four hours. The “casting couch” topic fell off the trending list due to lack of engagement, while another post shot up to the top. The title: [Chu Rou, do you still have a conscience?]

Xia Qingye was currently “clashing” in a scene with Lu Yu. Their performance was full of tension and infectious energy. The set was deathly quiet. Director Xun’s expression grew solemn as his squinted eyes focused on the monitor, unwilling to miss a single second.

Chu Rou didn’t have any scenes today. She was sitting nearby, waiting for Xia Qingye to stumble. Bored, she scrolled through Weibo and suddenly found herself at the top of the trending list. She immediately clicked on it.

The post didn’t have a long narrative; it was simply a series of screenshots. The first was the “aggrieved” post she had intentionally made and deleted. Even though she deleted it instantly, she had purposely had a “water army” screenshot it to bait her fans and direct their anger toward Xia Qingye. Seeing it again, Chu Rou felt a sense of foreboding.

When she saw the second image, that foreboding was confirmed.

“Sister Rou, have some water.”

“Sister Rou?”

“What are you shouting for? I’m not drinking!” Chu Rou was irritable. Feeling a shadow over her head, she impatiently swiped her hand. Her knuckles hit the teacup, sending it flying. Most of the water splashed directly onto her own clothes and hair. Chu Rou stood up with a terrified jolt and screamed in rage, “What are you doing?! You poured water on my clothes! Do you not want this job anymore?”

“No, Sister Rou, you said you wanted water just now, I—”

“You can’t even do one small task! What use are you?!” Chu Rou was going crazy. Her bad mood made her voice shrill.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Sister Rou, I didn’t know you weren’t drinking it—” The little assistant’s face turned white with fear as she bowed repeatedly in apology.

Hearing the commotion, Fang Xiang put away his phone and rushed over. A crowd had already gathered, many filming with their phones. He immediately put on a smile and grabbed Chu Rou to pull her away. “Sorry everyone, sorry! I’m taking Chu Rou back to change her clothes.”

Yu Lan watched the whole thing. Seeing a guy nearby snickering while filming the video of Chu Rou’s outburst, she gleefully pulled him aside and had him send the video to her phone via Bluetooth.

Xia Qingye filmed two more sets of shots before her day was finally done.

Yu Lan rushed over eagerly, handing her a towel and water, chirping happily, “Sister Xia, you should have seen it! Chu Rou was so scary when she yelled at her assistant. That poor girl… if it were you, Sister Xia, you definitely wouldn’t have lost your temper like that.”

Xia Qingye looked at her mildly. “And?”

Yu Lan giggled and whispered in her ear, “Sister Xiang called. She told me to tell you to focus on filming and not worry about anything else.”

It wasn’t until Xia Qingye got back that she checked Weibo. Her two posts had become three. As expected, her previous “confession” to her manager had become Wei Xianghong’s best piece of evidence for a counter-attack.

The third post: [Treating others with sincerity requires picking the right target; otherwise, a sincere heart is just being fed to a dog. [Pic][Pic][Pic][Pic][Pic][Pic][Pic][Pic][Pic]]

The first picture was a transfer record: 300,000 Yuan. The recipient: Chu Rou.

From the second to the ninth picture, besides more billing info, were photos of expensive luxury gifts. If it were just bills, it might not mean much, but on the back of the receipts, Xia Qingye had written down her feelings about meeting her idol, including the location and time. Anyone who bothered to check could verify if Chu Rou had been at those places. After all, a celebrity’s movements can’t be kept 100% secret.

The handwriting on these records showed the world the diligent attitude of a fan toward their idol—a love so humble it was in the dust.

Fortunately, the notes were minor; Xia Qingye mostly wrote things like “Saw Rou-Rou today, so happy,” rarely mentioning her sexual orientation. Indeed, facing such a “perfect” idol, that humble love could likely only be hidden in the depths of her heart.

Xia Qingye scanned the comments. The section had exploded. There were people scolding her, people supporting her, people calling her a “sugar mama”… all sorts. It was much livelier than before.

She put down her phone and dazed out for a moment. The expected joy didn’t arrive; instead, she felt a sense of loss. “Treating others with sincerity… you really do have to pick the right person. Some people are just ungrateful white-eyed wolves.”

She stayed in her room for fifteen minutes and called “Yu Lan” a few times, but there was no response. Thinking her assistant was only twenty-four—just a young girl—Xia Qingye went out to look for her. After searching the hallway, she was about to head to the elevator when she saw a flickering light behind the fire door.

“Sister Xia is doing great, Boss, don’t worry.”

“Yes, after this, Chu Rou should be too busy to handle herself. If she causes more trouble, I’ll notify you immediately.”

“Okay, I’ll take good care of Sister Xia and make sure she stays healthy and well-fed.”

…

Yu Lan finished her call and opened the door, only to see Xia Qingye—who was supposed to be in her room reading gossip—leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, staring at her with a half-smile.

Even though she knew this artist had a good personality and was always kind, for some reason, being stared at like this made Yu Lan’s heart skip a beat and the hair on her arms stand up.