After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“I don’t know. They’re still trying to solve the housing issue,” Wen Jing said, her brow furrowed. Her shoulder actually hurt a bit from where Shao Niannian had been leaning.

The young socialite tilted her head, looking at Niannian’s dazed, half-awake expression. She realized Niannian probably had no idea that Jiang Yan was joining the crew as an acting coach.

Wen Jing’s fingers twitched. She thought about the scandal she hadn’t managed to leak before Jiang Yan suppressed it, and she decided that Shao Niannian was a truly excellent pawn.

“Have we exchanged contact info yet?” Wen Jing pulled out her phone and waved it. “I’ve only heard of you before. Since we’re in the same cast, I hope my senior will give me some guidance.”

“I don’t think I’m in a position to ‘guide’ anyone,” Niannian said, taking the chance to add Wen Jing as a friend. “Let’s just improve together. My acting is pretty bad, too.”

As Wen Jing edited the contact nickname, she casually dropped the ‘big news.’ “You shouldn’t worry about the acting. Jiang Yan…”

Wen Jing blinked as if just remembering something. She leaned against the armrest, slowly closing the distance between her face and Niannian’s. “The Movie Queen Jiang I introduced you to? She’s joining the crew as an acting coach for at least three months. I believe that with Director Mo’s ‘training’ and Jiang Yan’s genius talent, even a wooden puppet would know how to dance for the camera once they start pulling the strings.”

“Jiang…”

Shao Niannian instinctively recoiled until her back hit the seat. There was nowhere left to retreat. She was forced to let Wen Jing’s exquisite face hover inches from hers, the faint, elegant scent of jasmine perfume filling her lungs.

The newly added friend suddenly felt like a hot potato in her pocket. So did the plan she had tucked away in her heart.

Looking at Wen Jing so close by, Niannian panicked. When she made her plan, she viewed Wen Jing as a stepping stone to reach Jiang Yan. But in reality, she felt like this was a path covered in deadly poppies—alluring her forward while slowly poisoning her.

“Jiang Yan,” Wen Jing repeated with a sweet smile. “Exactly the Jiang Yan you’re thinking of. The one who played the Republican-era courtesan alongside you.”

Shao Niannian couldn’t quite process the current situation—especially the fact that she was being led off the bus by Wen Jing, arm-in-arm. The curious gazes of the crew made her uncomfortable, but the most piercing stare came from Mo Yu.

Following Mo Yu’s line of sight, Niannian immediately saw the tall, beautiful Jiang Yan. She was dressed in clean, crisp casual clothes, with a shirt tied loosely around her waist to accentuate her slender frame. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and large sunglasses obscured half her face.

Even so, she possessed a captivating beauty under the sun. At least, whatever sulking or annoyance Niannian had felt a few days ago vanished the moment she saw Jiang Yan.

As if burned, Niannian jerked her eyes away and muttered, “Being that pretty really lets you get away with anything.”

“What did you say?” Wen Jing asked.

“Nothing,” Niannian denied quickly. “So, what’s the plan now?” She looked around; compared to when she boarded, there were far fewer people.

“Just ask the director.” Wen Jing ignored Niannian’s hesitation and dragged her toward Mo Yu and Jiang Yan. “Director Mo, how much longer are we waiting?”

Mo Yu retracted her scanning gaze the moment the two girls approached. “Waiting for cars. They’re re-coordinating transport. Once the cars are here, we go to the new residence.”

As Mo Yu finished, the atmosphere among the four became incredibly bizarre. Jiang Yan and Mo Yu were old foxes in the industry, experts at handling awkward silences. Jiang Yan wore a faint smile, but her eyes behind the sunglasses were cold. She wasn’t here by choice; this was supposed to be her vacation time.

Meanwhile, Wen Jing had grown up in an environment even more complex than this. In her world, the sweeter the smile, the more likely the person was hiding a knife behind their back.

This high-tension standoff was enough to make the thin-skinned Shao Niannian want to bolt. Even though she was struggling internally—This is such a great chance to stand next to Jiang Yan! My unreachable dream is reality!—her face was burning with anxiety. This panic came from deep within. She felt like an interloper who didn’t belong in their world.

The tour bus had only been rented for a day. The contract was technically fulfilled once they reached the hotel, but Mo Yu wasn’t the type to swallow an insult. After the hotel tried to hike the price, she told her lawyer to sue them according to the contract, didn’t give the owner a second glance, and ordered the company to find a new place to stay.

“If there’s a first breach of contract, there’ll be a second. If I compromise now, what happens halfway through filming when she changes her mind again? How do I finish the movie then?”

No one could persuade Mo Yu. They knew her temper was backed by someone powerful who let her do as she pleased, even if Mo Yu rarely gave that benefactor the time of day.

In this suffocating silence, Niannian bit her lip. Finally, she gave up on the idea of lingering near Jiang Yan. She decisively pulled her arm out of Wen Jing’s grasp and spoke in a voice so small it was almost lost to the wind.

“I’m going to help the logistics team move things… I won’t… won’t disturb you all.”

Without waiting for a reply, Niannian ran toward the logistics crew like her life depended on it, helping them unload gear from the bus. Once she reached the bus, the breath she had been holding finally escaped. She felt like a fish that had accidentally landed on shore and was finally back in the water. Her limbs, which she hadn’t known how to control a moment ago, finally felt normal again.

Only her crimson earlobes betrayed how fast her heart was actually beating.

The three women left behind all watched Niannian at the same time.

Mo Yu broke the silence first. “Wen Jing, I don’t care what you’re planning, but while we’re filming, you’d better behave.”

“Otherwise, however you got in here, you can take your money and go back to your mother.”

The implication was clear: If you don’t follow the rules, I won’t tolerate you. You’ll leave exactly the way you came.

Wen Jing toyed with her phone, casually brushing back her hair. “Director Mo, you worry too much. What could I possibly do? Shouldn’t you be more worried about Movie Queen Jiang?”

Wen Jing smiled sweetly. “After all, Teacher Jiang was photographed eating with Shao Niannian right before joining the crew. Oh, and she even spent money to suppress the trending search and buy back the photos.”

Wen Jing shrugged innocently. “Instead of worrying about me, worry about whether someone is trying to start a romance on set again.”

“I never step on two boats in the same crew,” Jiang Yan, who had been directly insulted, finally spoke with a cold face. “I’m also afraid of capsizing because of a ‘small person’ like you.”

“You’ve been making a scene since New Year’s Day. What more do you want?” Jiang Yan sneered. “Our business is our business. Leave others out of it. If you drag someone else in again, I’ll make you regret it.”

Wen Jing stared at Jiang Yan, seemingly unfazed by the threat.

“Yuancheng is a beautiful city, surrounded by mountains and water,” Jiang Yan took off her sunglasses and looked Wen Jing in the eye. Under the brilliant sun, Jiang Yan’s skin was as white as snow, her lips vivid red. She was more stunning than the scenery behind her.

“If I remember correctly, you graduated from Yuancheng No. 1 High School, right? Tell me… how is your high school deskmate doing these days?”

Jiang Yan’s smile was like a flower in bloom, and her voice was dangerously soft, as if afraid to wake a dreamer.

The previously confident Wen Jing suddenly trembled. Her hand tightened around her phone, her teeth digging into the inside of her lip until she tasted blood.

Wen Jing leaned in close to Jiang Yan’s ear and whispered, “Jiang Yan, you’d better keep investigating me. Find the leverage that truly breaks me.”

“Because otherwise, next New Year’s Day, I will definitely slap you across the face. Or maybe… you won’t even make it to next New Year.”