Acting as the Vicious Second Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Beneath a camphor tree by the bushes, the young girl’s obsidian eyes were veiled in a layer of mist. Her nose was flushed red, and crystal tears filled her eyes, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Her posture was ambiguous, her expression a mix of cowardice and resolve. With those moist, animal-like eyes, the alluring flush on her cheeks, and that longing gaze… she projected an aura that specifically incited a desire to bully. It made one want to pinch her face just to watch the tears roll down those fair, tender cheeks.

And yet.

For the first time in her life, Qin Xiaoxiao was being clung to by a member of the same sex acting spoiled. She felt no surge of emotion—only a scalp-numbing sense of “cringe.”

“Go away.” Qin Xiaoxiao snatched the hem of her clothes back from the girl’s hand, her face full of disgust and her tone impatient. “Are you itching for trouble? If you want to play, go find someone else. I don’t have time for you.”

She looked fierce on the surface, but inwardly, she couldn’t stop shrinking back. No matter how harmless the female lead, Xiang Liwei, appeared now, Qin Xiaoxiao could never forget that day in the hotel—how the girl had wailed piteously one moment, only to pull out a whip and fiercely coerce Qin Xiaoxiao into striking her the next.

It was best to stay far away from characters with such unstable mental states.

While Qin Xiaoxiao was desperate to distance herself, Xiang Liwei reacted to the harsh words as if she’d been injected with a stimulant, becoming even more obsessed and excited.

“I won’t!” Xiang Liwei said stubbornly. “It has to be you.”

“Tsk. If you won’t leave, I will.”

“Don’t go!” Hearing her mention leaving, Xiang Liwei hurriedly grabbed her arm. Her eyes cast downward as if about to weep, her voice a low murmur. “Please… don’t leave me.”

“I know you hate me.” Her tone was tinged with sorrow, her grip on Qin Xiaoxiao’s arm tightening. “Hit me, scold me… whatever you want. You can ruin me however you like, as long as you’re willing to stay with me. No matter what ‘position’ it is, I can accept it all, okay?”

“Enough.”

Sensing the topic was veering toward a very “rated-R” territory, Qin Xiaoxiao cut her off with a darkened face. If she didn’t stop the female lead’s outburst now, she had a premonition that this “sweet romance” novel would be forcibly warped into something much more explicit.

Staring at Xiang Liwei’s determined, persistent stance, a nameless fire of irritation flared in Qin Xiaoxiao’s mind.

“You really are asking for it, provoking me over and over again,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, her voice dropping to a bone-chilling cold. She leaned over and set her bento box down by her feet.

In the next second—

Both of the girl’s hands were seized and pinned high above her head. Then, like a doll, she was ruthlessly shoved against the tree by Qin Xiaoxiao with a dull thud. The trunk swayed slightly, leaves rustling, and a sparrow hidden in the branches took flight in a panic.

Qin Xiaoxiao gripped her wrists, admiring the momentary look of blankness in her eyes.

“Abusing you like this?” Qin Xiaoxiao leaned in, using her free right hand to pinch the girl’s chin. She leaned closer to observe Xiang Liwei’s pupils suddenly contract, mocking her: “Are you satisfied now?”

Subjected to this “insult,” Xiang Liwei stood like a wooden stake, offering no response. In truth, she couldn’t respond—she was so overwhelmed with pleasure she was speechless.

Her back was pressed against the rough bark of the tree, the uneven texture rubbing her skin until it turned a deep pink. Her wrists were being gripped with extreme force, likely leaving red circles. Because of their proximity, she could smell the other woman’s perfume—rich and bewitching, just like the owner herself.

To the current Xiang Liwei, this scent was like a catalyst, making her body react in even stranger ways.

“Nng…” Xiang Liwei shifted her body restlessly. Because the pleasure was too intense, her legs couldn’t help but tremble. Amidst the joy, she secretly hoped her body would be treated even more… thoroughly.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring inside a pocket. Beep-beep-beep—the persistent sound shattered the atmosphere.

“Consider yourself lucky.” Qin Xiaoxiao let go. Picking up her bento with one hand, she pulled out her phone with the other and sneered, “You talk a big game, but when it’s time to actually handle you, you’re so scared you can’t even make a sound.”

Glancing at the girl who had slumped weakly to the ground, she raised her volume for the final blow: “Next time, if you dare provoke me again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Clearly, she mistook the girl’s trembling for fear. Having made her forceful declaration, Qin Xiaoxiao turned and left in a hurry.

When she turned around, she saw the actors in the tent all staring in her direction. The director was the worst of them; his neck was craned forward, a nervous expression on his face, and he was clutching his phone as if ready to call the police at any second.

Realizing she had noticed him, the director gave an awkward smile, put his phone away, and pretended to be busy.

Qin Xiaoxiao was speechless. She looked down at her screen. The contact showed Lin Yu—her manager.

“Something wrong?” Qin Xiaoxiao frowned as she answered.

“I just heard from the director that you’re wrapping up your scenes,” her manager said, sounding heartbroken and frustrated. “Why leave so early? Even if the cast is full of rookies, there are still some famous names. Are you sure you don’t want to take the chance to network?”

“Not interested,” Qin Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly.

“You… you!” After three seconds of silence, the manager sighed in resignation. “Fine. I’ll pick you up tonight.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, stop bullying that young girl. Since you’ve entered this industry, if you don’t want people digging up dirt on you later and getting a reputation for harassing newcomers, follow the rules.”

“Okay.”

Qin Xiaoxiao agreed superficially, though she was surprised by Lin Yu’s change in attitude. According to the plot, shouldn’t her manager be colluding with her to cause trouble? Why was she suddenly acting like she cared about Qin Xiaoxiao’s future? She couldn’t figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

After hanging up, she headed toward the director. On the other side, the director was chatting with the crew after having finished “snitching” to the manager. He didn’t realize that what awaited him was the “fist of justice” from the forces of evil.

After giving the director a “small lesson,” filming resumed. The afternoon scenes were relatively easy. Qin Xiaoxiao had to fall to the ground after being cornered by the police, pull out a fruit knife, hold it to her own throat, and threaten to commit suicide if they came any closer.

Then, the female lead—an expert in psychology—would give her a counseling session and slowly approach her. Under the verbal onslaught, Qin Xiaoxiao would lower her guard and, like every “low-IQ” villain in a cliché drama, begin to confess her crimes, as if wanting the whole world to know.

The confession was over three thousand words long. For most people, memorizing it in one go would be difficult, but for Qin Xiaoxiao (who was boosted by her “system” abilities), it was no trouble at all. She recited it fluently, without a single mistake.

The more the director listened, the more shocked he became. Perfect. Simply perfect. Every scene was a “one-take.” If the evidence wasn’t right in front of him, he would never have believed such polished acting and terrifying memory came from the rookie he once looked down upon.

This time, the director was completely won over. His impression of her shifted from “a pampered ancestor used for decoration” to “a highly cultured thug.”

In front of the lens, Qin Xiaoxiao acted out her repentance. Then, following the script, she found her opening, gripped the knife, and lunged at the female lead, intending to take her hostage. Beside them, the male lead—mistakenly believing she was trying to assassinate the heroine—pulled the trigger.

Bang.

Qin Xiaoxiao was “shot dead.”

The final scene of the afternoon was a “bonus egg”—a flashback of the murdered father’s memories. It showed a younger-looking Qin Xiaoxiao in a floral country dress, carrying a basket and picking gardenias. Then, as if someone had called her name, she looked back and gave a faint, gentle smile.

Time passed. By nightfall, it was pouring rain.

The actors changed into their costumes and braved the storm with umbrellas, standing at the scene of the shooting on Gardenia Road. Their expressions were numb, the atmosphere heavy with grief. Qin Xiaoxiao’s job was to play a corpse, lying motionless on the concrete floor covered with a transparent film.

The process lasted five minutes.

With that, Qin Xiaoxiao’s scenes were officially over. The moment the director yelled “Wrap!” she jumped up and ran back to the dressing room to change out of her soggy qipao. Drying her hair, which felt like wet seaweed, she decided the first thing she’d do when she got back was take a long, hot shower.

A moment later, Qin Xiaoxiao opened the dressing room door.

“Get in!” In the rain, Lin Yu—who had been waiting by the tent—rolled down the car window and gestured.

Before leaving, Qin Xiaoxiao shot a quick look at the director and shook her fist at him. The director shrank back in fear, turning into a ball of cowardice. However, as soon as she climbed into the car, his face blossomed into a wide, happy smile.

In the middle of the crowd, Xiang Liwei—in her snowy white dress—stood with dimmed eyes, watching the car with longing until it vanished from sight.

The car had driven a long way. Their figures were no longer visible in the rearview mirror. Only then did Qin Xiaoxiao relax, feeling like she had narrowly escaped a disaster. She opened her bag to take out a mirror for a touch-up when her manager suddenly spoke.

“You really outdid yourself this time.” There was no hiding the joy in Lin Yu’s voice.

Qin Xiaoxiao asked, confused, “What?”

“Stop playing dumb. You know exactly what good thing you did.” Lin Yu hummed a tune as she turned the steering wheel.

Qin Xiaoxiao lost her patience. “Speak English.”

“While I was waiting for you, someone asked me for your contact information.” The manager stopped joking and turned mysterious. “Guess who?”

“Who…” Qin Xiaoxiao’s face paled. Don’t tell me it’s the female lead. I’ve already left and she’s still clinging? Is she really that haunting?

After a pause, Lin Yu revealed the answer: “The top starlet—Qu Li!”

“Not bad at all.” Lin Yu didn’t notice the eerie silence in the car and continued praising her. “At noon, I thought you were hopeless at networking. Who would have thought? In the blink of an eye, you’ve managed to latch onto the biggest ‘golden thigh’ in the entertainment industry.”

Qin Xiaoxiao felt like she was turning to ash. “And you… gave her my contact info?”

“Naturally. When you get back tonight, make sure to accept her friend request.” Lin Yu slapped the steering wheel in excitement. “I even told her our company’s address. She said she’ll come visit in a couple of days.”

“Haha! We have to entertain her well. Be smart when the time comes—try to win her over completely and make her our loyal backer!”

Qin Xiaoxiao: “…” Qin Xiaoxiao: WHAT!