Acting as the Vicious Second Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

“Liu Ruijia.” “Xiang Liwei.”

The staff members called out names in an orderly fashion. One by one, the minor actors were summoned for their auditions. Minutes later, they would return—some with ashen faces, others beaming with joy.

Qin Xiaoxiao leaned back in her chair. She felt a prickling sensation on her back, as if she were being watched by a snake—a cold, sticky gaze. However, when she turned around, she didn’t see anyone looking at her.

An illusion? She frowned.

On the other side, Xiang Liwei, who was sitting behind her, was looking out the window as if nothing were wrong, seemingly admiring the scenery. However, her hand hidden behind her skirt was clenched tightly, her knuckles white, betraying her nervousness.

Close… so close to being caught. I must be more careful. I have to restrain myself…

Without needing a mirror, Xiang Liwei knew her eyes were filled with adoration whenever she looked at that woman. If that person found out, would she think she was a creep? Ever since meeting that woman, she felt she had become strange. Flushed face, racing heart… it was all because of her.

She is so special, Xiang Liwei mused. No one had ever treated her so roughly before… and yet, she found herself starting to feel excited.

“Yin Ni.”

The staff member’s voice rang out.

“Oh.” Hearing her character’s name, Qin Xiaoxiao stood up and walked out the door. Under the staff’s direction, she entered a room.

The room was bright, the air tinged with the light scent of jasmine, making one feel relaxed. A Movie King and a “Traffic Queen” (top idol) sat in office chairs—one cold-faced, one smiling—both looking toward the newcomer. Additionally, a group of people sat in the room, watching the girl with solemn expressions.

An old man in the front row glanced at her, then looked back down at his documents. He asked expressionlessly, “Are we following procedure, or are you going through the back door?”

Stared at by so many eyes, Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t show the slightest panic. She said calmly, “The back door.”

The former asked directly; the latter answered even more directly.

The corners of Qu Li’s mouth curled upward, a flash of interest appearing in her eyes.

“Sign here.” The old man placed a contract, a script, and a pen on the table, saying succinctly, “Look at the roles first. Pick whichever one you like.”

“Alright,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied, stepping forward.

The script was thick. Looking at the five bold characters on the cover—The Dawn of Daybreak—Qin Xiaoxiao flipped through it while recalling the plot.

In the original story, the producer spent a massive amount of manpower and money on this drama, and fortunately, it was well-received. The visuals were excellent, the pacing was strong, and the characters were vivid. There was only one thing the audience complained about: the acting of the female lead (played by the original “Yin Ni”) was terrible, and her “diva” behavior was excessive.

For example, during a scene in the rain, everyone else was getting soaked while she alone held an umbrella. In a chaotic battle scene where everyone was disheveled, she remained spotless with heavy makeup, looking far too glamorous for the setting.

Not only was it distracting, but it was an eyesore. Despite that, she had an overwhelming screen presence, appearing in every single episode. Seeing the powder on her face as thick as a wall and hearing her wooden line delivery, the audience felt mentally polluted. They swarmed Weibo to tag the producer, venting: “Is Yin Ni your secret daughter? One piece of rat droppings ruined the whole pot of soup! If this kind of acting can get into a production, just how ‘hard’ is her background?”

In contrast to the original host being dragged through the mud, the female protagonist’s side was a different story. The role the protagonist, Xiang Liwei, obtained was an obscure bit-part. Though she didn’t appear often, she was noticed by everyone for her beauty.

As the saying goes, “There is no harm without comparison.” Under Yin Ni’s “foil,” the audience felt this minor character was pure, unpretentious, and had great acting skills. She was miles ahead of that arrogant female lead. Consequently, fans cropped beautiful stills of Xiang Liwei and praised her incessantly on Weibo. The public opinion fermented, the posts were shared by marketing accounts, and finally, the newcomer Xiang Liwei unexpectedly hit the trending searches and became an overnight sensation.

Following that, countless companies offered her olive branches, resources flocked to her, and even the Movie King seemed to favor her. She reached the pinnacle of her life. From then on, the original Yin Ni hated her completely, believing it was Xiang Liwei who made her look pathetic and a laughingstock. Thus, she dedicated herself to opposing the female lead, seeking her own death in various ways.

The memory ended.

Looking at the dozens of pages of dialogue for the female lead, Qin Xiaoxiao’s scalp went numb. There were very few female characters in the script. After searching for a while, she finally handed the script back to the director and pointed to a specific page.

“I want to play this role.”

“Are you sure?” The old man took it. Seeing the role she selected, his eyes showed surprise and he frowned. “This is a villainous character who exits the stage by episode twenty. Are you sure you want to play her?”

He had assumed she would choose the female lead, but she chose the least likable villain. He didn’t understand.

Qin Xiaoxiao: “I’m sure.”

Between a female lead with over a hundred thousand words of dialogue and a “cannon fodder” role with only three thousand, she naturally chose the path of least resistance.

Laziness whenever possible—this was one of her working principles.

“You can’t regret it after signing.” Although still confused, the producer didn’t care enough to argue.

“Mhm.” Qin Xiaoxiao picked up the pen and signed the original host’s name on the contract.

Watching her sign, the producer collected the contract and signaled that she could leave. On the other side, Qu Li, who had watched the whole process, shifted her gaze to the signature page. Two flamboyant characters were written there: Yin Ni.

The handwriting on the paper was bold and elegant, with every stroke showing a sense of free-spiritedness. It was clear the writer’s personality was spontaneous and unbound by rules. Qu Li narrowed her eyes, silently committing the name to memory.

It had been a long time since an interesting newcomer appeared in the circle.

Yin Ni… how interesting.

Meanwhile, outside the building.

Qin Xiaoxiao, completely unaware that she had been marked by a “troublemaker,” walked out the door and saw a woman waving at her from a car nearby.

“Quick, get in.” “Okay…”

Qin Xiaoxiao slid into the car. As the vehicle began to move, the woman turned on the stereo, and rock music blared out. Watching the woman’s shoulders swaying to the beat in the driver’s seat, Qin Xiaoxiao knew this was her manager, Lin Yu.

This woman was no saint either. She spent her days stirring up trouble, often colluding with the original Yin Ni to frame others. However, none of that mattered. What mattered was that she eventually turned traitor, exposing all of Yin Ni’s “black materials.” Once the evidence of her past and her persecution of colleagues was exposed, it ignited public fury.

Even with the Yin family’s power, they couldn’t suppress the matter. In the end, Yin Ni was forced to apologize and compensate her victims. One could say the manager was like a time bomb that could plunge her into eternal damnation.

Knowing all this, Qin Xiaoxiao’s gaze toward her became subtle. But despite the feeling, the plot had to be followed.

Before long, they arrived at the company entrance. The company was large but quiet, with few people around. Upon entering, the manager dropped her handbag and began scurrying around like a spinning top. After watching her in silence for a moment, Qin Xiaoxiao sat down.

Seconds later, perhaps out of boredom, she pulled a small mirror from her bag, looked into it affectionately, and grinned.

[Host, are you okay?]

The System, appearing in the form of a rabbit, emerged. It looked shocked. [Your smile is terrifying.]

“Is it really that weird?” Qin Xiaoxiao’s smile faded into a pout. “I saw someone smile like this today, and I thought it was cute…”

[So you wanted to learn it?]

“Bingo!” Qin Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. her tone was light, showing no trace of the previous gloom.

The System remained unmoved. [Give up. You aren’t suited for the ‘cute’ route. You can’t learn it.]

“Hee hee.”

Qin Xiaoxiao gave the System an even brighter, more distorted smile than before. She successfully saw the System shudder, its bead-like eyes going blank.

[You… you…] The System was so poisoned by her smile it couldn’t speak for a while. After a long pause, it finally said, [Actually, you don’t need to imitate others. Your original appearance is already very charming.]

Hearing this, Qin Xiaoxiao asked happily, “So, are you charmed by me?”

The System couldn’t answer: …This question is too tricky.

However, seeing the Host’s expression starting to sink again, the System’s heart softened. It went against its conscience and said, [Yes!]

“Thanks, Little White,” Qin Xiaoxiao suddenly laughed. That smile was as brilliant as starlight—dazzling but not piercing. The System dazed out for a moment before realizing: [Who is Little White?]

“You,” Qin Xiaoxiao explained. “Because you’re white all over, I’ll call you Little White. Oh, and you can call me Xiaoxiao.”

Just taking the liberty of naming me like that… The System felt helpless but didn’t object.

As the human and rabbit were communicating telepathically, the manager suddenly walked over. Little White didn’t hide, since ordinary people couldn’t see it. Lin Yu strode up to Qin Xiaoxiao aggressively.

“You changed your role to the villain?” She held up her phone, looking despairing, pointing at the notification from the director. “Did the director trick you into playing cannon fodder?”

“No, I did it voluntarily.”

“Why?” The manager couldn’t understand.

Qin Xiaoxiao put the mirror back in her bag and said, “Because I felt like it~”

Lin Yu was momentarily speechless. She thought to herself: You really are willful. A prime position that others would kill for, and you just give it up with a casual ‘I don’t want it.’ But since the girl indeed had the capital to be willful, Lin Yu couldn’t judge too harshly. She could only say sourly, “Can you even handle a villainous role?”

In short, she didn’t believe in this young newcomer at all. Why couldn’t she just stay a rich young lady instead of coming to the entertainment industry to torment people? Now that she was being so unmotivated, Lin Yu felt her own future was bleak. At this thought, Lin Yu’s face darkened, and her resolve to leave Yin Ni as soon as possible grew stronger.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a villain.”

Qin Xiaoxiao stood up, walked to the manager’s side, and patted her shoulder. Her tone was relaxed, but for some reason, hearing it made Lin Yu’s heart feel heavy. Lin Yu turned her head in suspicion and was met with a face zoomed in right before her.

Even at such a close distance, no pores could be seen on her skin; it was so smooth and delicate it was envious. Her “peach blossom” eyes were slightly narrowed, containing a cold glint as she looked at Lin Yu with a half-smile.

Then, Lin Yu heard her continue:

“When it comes to playing a villain… I’m a professional.”

The woman in front of her suddenly laughed, looking radiant and high-spirited. Her confident manner made it seem as though she were stating a simple, natural fact. The retort that was on the tip of Lin Yu’s tongue was swallowed back down.

It was true that a truly capable person could make even a bit-part shine. But to let a “rookie” with zero acting experience perfectly portray a villain…

The manager looked at her again with a scrutinizing gaze. Suddenly, she wavered. For some reason, she felt that if it were this woman, she might actually be able to do it.

If she really is a talent worth molding, I don’t mind training her. Lin Yu put away her “playing house” attitude and said seriously, “Then, we shall wait and see. I hope you aren’t just talking big.