Acting as the Vicious Second Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

The following day, at the talent agency.

Inside the office, Qin Xiaoxiao leaned against the sofa, scrolling through her phone while sucking on a strawberry-flavored candy. The rich, sweet flavor coated her mouth, bringing a strange sense of satisfaction that filled her mental void. Though the environment was comfortable, her brow was slightly furrowed, refusing to relax.

When she woke up this morning, she had seen two messages from Qu Li.

23:57 Li Li: I just got back.

07:00 Li Li: Good morning.

07:39 Li Li: [Image] Li Li: The weather is so lovely today, perfect for work~

The sent photo was a selfie, though it only captured half of her face. The frame was frozen at the moment the wind caught the curls near her cheek, leaving her beautiful face fully exposed, her eyes squinting slightly.

The background was a wash of crystalline blue sky—cloudless and pure. Because she was facing the light, the woman was bathed in sunshine, turning her pupils a shimmering golden hue. There wasn’t a hint of gloom to be found; looking at her made one feel warm.

At the time, Qin Xiaoxiao had stared at the photo in silence for a while before saving it. Of course, she didn’t save it to “simp” over her beauty; she simply figured it was a free perk—and it would be a waste not to take it. After all, photos of a big star weren’t easy to come by, especially from the habitually low-profile Qu Li.

As the saying goes, “rare things are precious.” If she sold this to the paparazzi, she’d surely make a killing. However… Qin Xiaoxiao looked down, the corners of her mouth curling into a mischievous arc. She didn’t plan on doing that—at least not yet.

Pushing everything else aside, she sent a direct message: I want to know, how exactly did you see through me? How did you know I was being “wicked” on purpose?

The daisy-shaped loading icon spun once before the message successfully sent. However, the other party did not reply immediately. In fact, there was still no response.

Growing a bit restless, Qin Xiaoxiao closed QQ and decided to browse Weibo instead. The account that logged in automatically was the original owner’s official artist account. Given her wealthy family background, she was a natural lightning rod for attention; the media had scrambled to report on her the moment she stepped into the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, those reports did nothing but smear her reputation. They detailed every “atrocious” thing she had supposedly done, exaggerating facts or weaving outright lies. For instance, they claimed she juggled ten boyfriends at once, changed men faster than clothes, and spent every night in a debauched haze at bars.

The result? These fake “exposés” had attracted a relentless wave of haters for Yin Ni. They hounded her daily, cursing her and her ancestors back eighteen generations. Currently, out of her twenty thousand followers, at least seventy percent were anti-fans. Of the remaining thirty percent, twenty were bot accounts, and ten were accounts selling adult content or followers.

Because the comment sections under the original owner’s previous posts were a disaster—filled with truly repulsive language—her manager had deleted everything to keep her from losing her temper. The manager figured that as a rich heiress, Yin Ni was just playing around in the industry and would head home once she got bored, so she hadn’t even bothered hiring a PR firm.

With the Weibo feed cleared, the haters had nowhere to vent their public rage, so they concentrated their fire on her private messages. Currently, her unread DMs exceeded five thousand. Qin Xiaoxiao gave them a dull glance and looked away. Negative comments were trivial to her; reading them was a waste of time.

Clack, clack, clack—

The sound of hurried footsteps approached. A moment later, the door swung open.

It was her manager, Lin Yu. Today, she wore “no-makeup” style makeup and had her hair tied back, looking the part of a sharp professional.

“You and Qu Li are on the Hot Search together!” Lin Yu exclaimed excitedly the moment she entered. She ran over to the sofa, thrusting her phone screen toward Qin Xiaoxiao.

“Huh?”

Startled, Qin Xiaoxiao focused her eyes. Sure enough, four glaring characters occupied the trending list: Yin Ni, Qu Li.

“…” Qin Xiaoxiao looked down in a daze and opened the Hot Search on her own phone. The third spot on the list was indeed her name alongside the “Traffic Queen.” Furthermore, the heat was rising, and the ranking showed signs of climbing even higher.

After double-checking to ensure it wasn’t a glitch on her manager’s phone, Qin Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. She looked up and asked, “Why am I trending? And why am I tied to Qu Li? Did you buy this for me?”

Lin Yu quickly replied, “No! Search for the official Weibo of the Dawn’s Breaking crew and you’ll see.” Lin Yu tucked her phone away, her eyes sparkling. “Take this chance to promote yourself. Hitch a ride on this hype, got it?”

“Oh.”

The manager’s words went in one ear and out the other. Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t have time for deep thought as she searched for the crew’s official account and clicked in.

The account had a pinned post from seven o’clock this morning.

TV Drama Dawn’s Breaking Official V: Redemption? Death? Their ending is—

The post included some lyrical prose and two promotional photos. In the first, a woman in a qipao lay on the ground next to some gardenias. Her back was to the sun, her posture disheveled but still undeniably glamorous. Her face was pale, and her eyes—fixed on the camera—were full of ruthless malice.

The second photo featured the “Police Flower” Qu Li. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with concern. Although she wasn’t smiling, her expression remained as gentle as water. Facing the sun, she reached out toward the camera as if trying to pull someone out of the darkness.

The post had been shared by various marketing accounts, and public opinion had already reached a boiling point, causing a massive stir online. Qin Xiaoxiao scrolled down to the top comments.

[Jun Zhao Zhao]: Holy crap, Goddess’s new drama! I’m definitely supporting this!

[Egg’s Undies]: Who’s the girl in the first photo? I’ve never seen her before.

[Ru Ka 123]: Am I the only one who thinks they look perfect together?! I’m shipping them!

[Eating]: Don’t get too excited, look closely. The actress in the first picture is the notorious Yin Ni. Taking my Xiao Li away now; we’re not interested.

Having gotten the gist of the situation, Qin Xiaoxiao stopped scrolling. She exited Weibo and sank into thought.

Clearly, her name appearing on the trending list was the work of the producers. As for why, she didn’t particularly care. They were likely using her “black-and-red” notoriety combined with Qu Li’s massive following to generate heat. Whatever the reason, it likely wasn’t her father’s doing. In the original story, her father disapproved of her being in the industry and wanted her to study business to inherit the family legacy. Under those circumstances, he would rather see her fail miserably and retreat than help her become famous early on.

What left Qin Xiaoxiao most speechless was that, in promoting the new drama, they had actually cropped out the male lead… allowing a cannon-fodder female supporting character to take the spotlight.

Yes, the official Weibo had photoshopped the male lead—who was originally standing next to Qu Li—out of existence.

Come on, that’s the male lead! Even if he wasn’t as popular as Qu Li, he was still a star, yet he had been unceremoniously cut.

Suddenly, a QQ notification popped up at the top of her screen, interrupting her thoughts. She opened the app and saw Qu Li’s reply.

Li Li: If you want to know, I’ll tell you in person in a few days.

Qin Xiaoxiao was speechless. What could possibly be said in person that couldn’t be said now? Two seconds later, she shot back a question.

Qin Xiaoxiao: Why?

—Why?

Far away at the filming set, Qu Li read the message and couldn’t help but chuckle. A hint of playfulness touched her eyes as she typed a line and hit send with sheer delight.

Li Li: Because I want to see you.