After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shao Niannian had no idea what was going on in her brain, but she had actually taken Wen Jing up on her offer.

Wen Jing wasn’t lying. She truly led Shao Niannian through a special access channel, whisking her from the very back of the line straight to the front. It just so happened to be Huo Lülü’s turn to step onto the carpet.

Huo Lülü was baring her teeth in a practiced smile, but her mind was entirely occupied by the game she’d played in the dressing room. That damn Li Bai had stolen her blue and red buffs—a total idiot jungler. Played like trash but insisted on taking all the best resources. It caused her to lose that match. If she didn’t hit the bathroom for a couple of rounds the moment she finished the red carpet, her name wasn’t Huo!

Just as Lülü was thinking this, she saw two figures out of the corner of her eye overtaking her and stepping onto the carpet first.

Huo Lülü: “???”

Wait, why is Niannian in front of me? Huh? No, who is that next to her? Holy crap, Wen Jing? Since when did Shao Niannian and Wen Jing start hanging out?

Huo Lülü’s eyes widened. Her brain, usually reserved for memorizing hero skill cooldowns, actually processed a thought for once: Did Sister Gao Hui actually poach Wen Jing? Does this mean I can rot in my apartment playing games for a whole year without having to come out and work?

Unlike Huo Lülü’s well-known “little cleverness,” Shao Niannian’s brain was a complete fog even after she finished the red carpet. She had no idea how Wen Jing had pulled her into the banquet hall, nor how she had ended up less than a meter away from Jiang Yan.

In an instant, Shao Niannian became so nervous she gripped the hem of her dress. Her eyes were fixed solely on Jiang Yan standing in the crowd. She even slowed her breathing, terrified that this was another dream—a dream laced with poppies.

Wen Jing stood beside Jiang Yan, saying something as their voices grew louder. Shao Niannian saw Wen Jing roll her eyes at Jiang Yan. As they brushed past each other, Wen Jing paused for a moment before walking straight toward Shao Niannian.

Wen Jing stopped in front of her. Just as she reached out a hand, Shao Niannian took a giant leap backward. Wen Jing’s hand froze. Meeting Shao Niannian’s beautiful, wide eyes, she smirked. “Didn’t you want to meet her? I’ve done you a favor. We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

“Fate?” Shao Niannian blinked, letting out a confused “Ah.” Thinking about the audition she had scheduled for next week, she shyly rubbed her nose.

“Goodbye, little green midget.”

Wen Jing held her head high, gathered her long black skirt, and quickened her pace as if monsters were chasing her—or perhaps out of resentment for the attitude of the person she’d just left behind. Whatever the reason, Shao Niannian watched her hurry away, seemingly desperate to leave them both far behind.

“Hello.”

Jiang Yan’s voice drifted over.

Shao Niannian reacted instinctively, snapping into a straight, rigid posture like an elementary student caught misbehaving in class. “Hello! My name is Shao Niannian!”

Jiang Yan had just argued with Wen Jing, and her expression was still somewhat cold, but she was visibly startled by Shao Niannian’s sudden outburst. She studied Shao Niannian, her gaze lingering for a good while. Slowly, the teasing, “pet-observing” look faded from her face. She nodded with a hint of apology.

“Sorry. Wen Jing has the temperament of a child. If she said anything to mislead you, I apologize on her behalf.”

Shao Niannian stood frozen, her mind buzzing. She had been stunned by Jiang Yan’s beauty, but hearing her idol apologize for Wen Jing made her bite her lip and force a smile. “No, no, it’s fine! It doesn’t really have anything to do with you. I should actually thank… Teacher Wen Jing for bringing me in, otherwise I don’t know how long I would’ve been out there in the cold wind.”

Shao Niannian gripped her skirt, her soft fingertips restless against the slightly coarse tulle. She desperately wanted to tell the woman in front of her how Jiang Yan had influenced her over the past ten years—how longing had become a thicket of thorns, trapping her.

But before she could speak, the person before her lost patience.

Jiang Yan found it difficult enough to maintain a polite smile for strangers. If it weren’t for Wen Jing, that uncontrollable “explosive device,” she would have just made a brief appearance and left. Though she was annoyed, her eyes lingered on Shao Niannian. A smile played on her lips, hiding an underlying meaning others couldn’t decipher.

The person in front of her was far too easy to read. Shao Niannian hadn’t said a word, but Jiang Yan already knew—here was another person who had seen one of her films or dramas and become infatuated with her character or her face.

Jiang Yan didn’t care which it was. There were simply too many people like that to count.

“Teacher Jiang, actually, I…” Shao Niannian gathered her courage, building herself up mentally to say a few more words, only to be cut off by Jiang Yan’s tactful dismissal.

“Apologies, I still have many things to do today, and social engagements are waiting for me downstairs. I will take responsibility for the trouble Wen Jing caused you today. I’ll have someone stay with you in a bit; it’ll be safer.” Jiang Yan looked apologetic. “The banquet is full of prying eyes. I wouldn’t feel right leaving you here alone.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Seeing that Jiang Yan truly was in a hurry, Shao Niannian swallowed everything she wanted to say. She stared unblinkingly at Jiang Yan, afraid that if she even flicked her eyes, the woman would vanish forever.

Jiang Yan was thorough; she truly acted as if she were atoning for Wen Jing. Normally, at a banquet of this level, Shao Niannian would be lucky if a camera caught a glimpse of her profile in the back. But under Jiang Yan’s arrangement, she was moved from the middle-back rows to the very front. The position was excellent, right in front of the media.

Shao Niannian was naturally beautiful, and the light green tulle dress was photogenic. Her skin was as fair as curds. Several cameras instinctively focused on her. Soon, hashtags like #ShaoNiannian, #GreenWaterLotus, and #PQBanquetBeauty shot to the top of the trending searches.

Meanwhile, the subject of those searches sat in the front row with a deceptive, sweet smile. Her phone, resting by her side, was buzzing constantly with messages she didn’t dare check. She sat there like an exquisite doll.

She was suffering! Her idol was too polite, giving her such a prominent seat! When she sat in the back, she could play on her phone, but sitting here, she felt guilty even lowering her head for a second.

Curse this ill-timed professional discipline…

On the other hand, Huo Lülü—who was teetering between third-tier and second-tier status—took advantage of her seat in the back. Wearing a practiced smile, she used one hand to clear Level 3689 of Candy Crush.

The only normal person, Gao Hui, was outside frantically scrolling through her phone. She confirmed with the PR department over and over: “Did we really not buy these trending spots?”

“We didn’t. This month’s budget was used up by other groups. When we asked if you wanted to buy spots earlier, you said no, so the boss gave the slots to someone else.”

Gao Hui took a deep breath. “So this is just a ‘meat pie falling from the sky’?”

“From what we can see, someone must have bought them for us.” The PR operator checked again. “Of these hashtags, only one is organic; the others are all fixed-spot ads.”

Gao Hui couldn’t fathom why Shao Niannian was suddenly sitting so far forward. She had sent dozens of messages, but her dim-witted artist hadn’t noticed at all. Her only hope now lay with the phone-addicted Huo Lülü. In fact, only Huo Lülü was free enough to reply to her within seconds.