After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Shao Niannian’s eyes were brimming with tears. She stared at the incredibly oppressive Jiang Yan in front of her, eyes wide with involuntary reflex. Even though she knew it was just a rehearsal, the moment Jiang Yan entered that state, the primal fear of being choked—vivid as the last time—surged back over her.

She didn’t have a single line of dialogue, yet Niannian felt as if her throat were aching terribly, as if someone’s hand were clamped firmly around her windpipe.

From the first second Jiang Yan pulled her into the scene, Niannian’s emotions felt caught in a woven net; the more she struggled, the tighter it became, until there was no way to pull herself out.

At that moment, she truly felt that the person standing before her wasn’t Jiang Yan, but Pei Fei. It was rare for Niannian to have her emotions so violently triggered during a scene. This wasn’t just Jiang Yan leading her along; it was Niannian erupting with an equal emotional response to meet her.

The only thing that made Niannian uncomfortable was that even though the rehearsal segment had ended with the “slamming of the door,” Jiang Yan didn’t come out of the role immediately.

She remained transformed. From her expression and way of speaking to the look in her eyes, she had briefly become someone else entirely.

The look Jiang Yan leveled at Niannian was no longer a curious or indifferent observation. It was the gaze Pei Fei reserved for Jiang Yi—”disdain, contempt, yet laced with a twisted sense of intimacy.”

Being stared down by a venomous snake was not a pleasant feeling.

Niannian retreated two steps, but she still couldn’t escape Jiang Yan’s line of sight. She was forced to shift her gaze away, unable to maintain eye contact.

“Jiang… Teacher Jiang…” Niannian suddenly recalled the strange sensation she’d felt in the room earlier.

It wasn’t her imagination. Jiang Yan…

She was truly imitating. She was mimicking someone else.

“Hmm?”

Jiang Yan’s elegant brows knitted slightly. She pulled herself out of the state, like a reservoir suddenly opening its floodgates to release a massive volume of water. That familiar, throbbing pain spread from her chest to her limbs.

Jiang Yan bit her lip hard, looking down at Niannian. She tried to force the corners of her mouth up, but she couldn’t manage to look remotely normal.

Before she could speak, Niannian asked her:

“Are you okay? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

“No…” At the mention of the hospital, Jiang Yan’s face grew even paler. She shook her head quickly. “It’s nothing serious. No need for a hospital.”

Niannian opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. However, her sensitive intuition told her that Jiang Yan’s state was very wrong. At the very least, it wasn’t the state of a “normal” actor who had simply immersed themselves in a role.

Before Niannian could figure out what was going on, Mo Yu finally showed mercy and released Wen Jing, who looked like she was about to vomit from performing the same segment repeatedly.

“What are you two dazing off over there for? While Wen Jing is still in the zone, let’s get through this scene.” Mo Yu, wearing her hat, sat upright in her chair, peering over the monitor. She waved toward Niannian and the others in the distance, signaling them to hurry over.

“Coming!”

Niannian took a deep breath. As she brushed past Jiang Yan, she realized her calves were so weak and sore that she nearly stumbled forward.

Luckily, Jiang Yan was quick enough to catch her. Otherwise, Niannian would have been on her knees on the hard ground.

“Thank you.”

“Mm.”

Niannian hurriedly pulled her arm out of Jiang Yan’s grip and jogged toward where Mo Yu was stationed. Mid-run, she couldn’t help but look back worriedly at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan’s brow was still tightly furrowed. She looked extremely uncomfortable, as if a heavy, suffocating sensation was weighing on her heart. Her face was deathly pale.

Niannian slowed down, wanting to turn back, but before she could, a stagehand helping with crowd control grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

“Teacher Shao, please don’t waste the crew’s time. Director Mo is in a foul mood; don’t provoke her.” The stagehand lowered her voice in warning. “Whatever you do, don’t cross Director Mo’s line, or we’ll all be working until midnight.”

The stagehand had seen this happen too many times to count.

Caught in the middle, Niannian understood the priorities. The production couldn’t stall for her alone.

She grabbed the stagehand’s arm. “Jiang Yan seems unwell. Please find the set doctor to take a look at her.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t delay the progress.” Niannian gave the stagehand a light push, signaling her to let go. “I’ll go over myself. You go find a doctor for Teacher Jiang first.”

The stagehand thought for a moment and nodded. “Okay.”

“Thank you.”

Watching the stagehand head toward the medical station, Niannian’s anxiety eased slightly. She straightened her clothes and stepped into the small circle surrounded by cameras.

When the clapperboard snapped, she was no longer Shao Niannian.

She was Jiang Yi.

A bullied little mute.

“Phew…” Wen Jing was so exhausted she couldn’t even lift a finger. Since entering the industry, she hadn’t actually filmed that many projects. Strictly speaking, the one she did with Jiang Yan was her first “real” role.

Back then, the demands weren’t high. Jiang Yan was very good at driving her emotions, so many of Wen Jing’s reactions had been natural. Especially since they were dating at the time; many of their interactions on screen were just real-life lovers flirting.

That was also why Wen Jing’s anti-fans attacked her later—accusing her of being the only “resource flower” to shamelessly treat her job like a public dating diary.

“If I knew it was this tiring, I wouldn’t have come,” Wen Jing grumbled. “If I knew getting revenge on Jiang Yan was this much work, I would have just given up at the start.”

“Turns out, nothing in life is hard as long as you’re willing to give up.”

Niannian was lying on a soft pillow, her damp hair spread over a towel. She was staring blankly at her phone, her head tilted to the side.

Wen Jing called her name several times with a complaint, but got no response.

Finally, Wen Jing’s “young miss” temper flared. She grabbed a stuffed crocodile used as a sleep aid and hurled it at Niannian.

The girl on the bed jumped, turning around abruptly. Her voice carried an involuntary hint of a pout: “What was that for!”

“I called you three times and you ignored me! What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought.”

Wen Jing clicked her tongue. Seeing Niannian stay silent, she raised an eyebrow and guessed: “You aren’t thinking about Jiang Yan, are you?”

“…”

Niannian silently looked away. She reached for the crocodile that had rolled beside her and tossed it back to Wen Jing.

“How come every time I ask if you like her, you go quiet? You’re such a coward; you’re never going to succeed in a relationship,” Wen Jing said, frustrated. “If you like someone, you have to say it out loud! If you don’t say it, who’s going to hear what’s in your heart?”

“Only a ghost would know.”

Niannian gave Wen Jing a long, soulful look and said aggrievedly: “Aren’t you her ex-girlfriend? Why are you so anxious to egg me on to chase her?”

Niannian couldn’t help but add: “Don’t you think the one with the problem is you?”

Who in their right mind breaks up with someone and then encourages another person to pursue their ex?

To her surprise, Wen Jing wasn’t stumped. She replied with total nonchalance: “Our sex life wasn’t compatible.”

“What? Is that not a valid reason to break up?”

“…” Niannian’s face turned beet red at Wen Jing’s bluntness. She couldn’t get a word out for a long time.

Watching Niannian’s crimson face, Wen Jing felt satisfied. She hugged the crocodile and rolled around on the soft bed. But before a sigh of contentment could escape her lips, she heard Niannian ask in a tiny, soft voice:

“Is it because… you’re the one who ‘can’t’?”

“…If you ‘can’t,’ what department do you even go to at the hospital for that?”

Wen Jing lay flat on her back, staring at Niannian’s serious, beautiful face. For a moment, she couldn’t even summon a curse word.

Is this a twenty-five-year-old adult or a fifteen-year-old minor?

She felt like if she said two more words, she’d have to start singing a song about being a bad influence behind bars.