After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Gao Hui didn’t see the top trending topics on Weibo until she finished several meetings. When she finally watched the video, she was startled. She made several calls that went unanswered, her heart leaping into her throat. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long before Jiang Yan’s manager sent a text explaining the whole cause and effect of the situation.

“Is she okay now?” Gao Hui couldn’t understand why Jiang Yan’s manager was suddenly paying so much attention to her artist. She secretly wondered if the woman had taken a liking to Niannian and was trying to poach her.

“Nothing serious.” Jiang Yan’s manager had no intention of taking down the trending topic. Since it was positive and free publicity, she coordinated with Gao Hui to let the search term stay on the list naturally.

Gao Hui agreed. But as she locked her phone screen, she still felt something was off—What was it I originally wanted to do?

Xixi’s return made the final days of the shoot much more interesting. Every day, Xixi, Wen Jing, and Pei Yao revolved around Shao Niannian. The three of them were a show in themselves, laughing and playing every day, making it impossible to tell that this was actually a horror-thriller film set.

As soon as her manager bought the tickets, Jiang Yan flew back to the coast with her assistant without a moment’s delay. When she decided to leave, she left cleanly and decisively, as if staying one minute longer in the crew would somehow harm her.

By this point, even Mo Yu had sensed something was wrong.

“Not right, not right…” Mo Yu watched Jiang Yan pack her things, tilting her head to try and catch Jiang Yan’s expression, only to be ruthlessly pushed away.

“Why are you so close? You’re hurting my eyes.”

Mo Yu: “?”

“You’re acting strange. Why are you running away so fast this time?” Mo Yu wore a gossipy expression. “Tell me the truth, did something happen between you and Shao Niannian? Are you scared?”

“I am not!”

At the mention of Shao Niannian’s name, Jiang Yan reacted like a powder keg with a lit fuse. A classic self-incrimination.

Instead of being intimidated, Mo Yu firmly grasped the “anger” leverage and calmly gave the answer Jiang Yan didn’t want to hear.

“You are.” Mo Yu tutted. “I was wondering why you were in such a hurry to pack. Turns out you’ve incurred an unwanted debt of the heart and are planning to hide.”

Jiang Yan pressed the tip of her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Her hands didn’t stop folding clothes, but she couldn’t offer any denial to Mo Yu’s teasing. Her current behavior was so atypical it was hard even for her to believe.

“If you think you’re right, I have nothing to say.” Jiang Yan finished packing her basic items, zipped her suitcase, and checked the time. She didn’t head out immediately.

At this hour, Shao Niannian would be finishing dinner and walking back. If she dragged her suitcase out now, they would inevitably collide. Jiang Yan didn’t want to explain anything, so she sat on the bed to wait for the window to pass, since the room’s soundproofing was poor.

Mo Yu sat cross-legged on the bed. Her raspy laugh sounded a bit eerie, especially contrasted with her appearance. “So, Xixi and the Rong couple coming back after that whole ordeal—that definitely had your hand in it, didn’t it?”

“It’s true the Rongs weren’t in a hurry to leave, and they likely had thoughts about moving Xixi’s mother’s grave, but they hadn’t made a move yet.” Mo Yu speculated. “After all, their nephew Rong En is still in town. The matters with Tang You and comforting the security couple were likely assigned to him. The fact that the Rongs came back personally… that’s thanks to you.”

Mo Yu hit the nail on the head. Jiang Yan’s finger paused over her phone screen, but she didn’t speak.

Seeing this, Mo Yu grew excited. She shifted from her cross-legged position to leaning forward on her hands. “You called pretending to check on Xixi, but you actually used her as a topic to suggest that the Rongs let Xixi participate in these matters personally. Xixi likes the security couple, and she likes Niannian. Once the Rongs gently asked Xixi if she wanted to come back, she definitely agreed. And as long as Xixi is back, someone is there to distract Shao Niannian. Your departure becomes much less noticeable.”

Mo Yu continued: “Jiang Yan, didn’t you used to just use your prideful acting skills to fool people? Why is it that when it comes to Shao Niannian, you have to use these petty schemes and tricks you once looked down upon?”

“…”

Jiang Yan gripped her phone tightly. Facing Mo Yu’s persistent questioning, the usually sharp-tongued woman found herself without a single word of rebuttal.

“Running away isn’t the best solution!” Mo Yu narrowed her eyes and spoke with a smile.

Those words felt like a curse. Even when Jiang Yan and her assistant boarded the plane, she could still hear Mo Yu’s raspy, low voice echoing in her ears like tinnitus, repeating that sentence over and over.

Jiang Yan didn’t know how to answer that question. She was like a wild animal encountering danger in the wild; her instinctive reaction was to hide. Even if she knew it wouldn’t be 100% successful, running away was her first priority.

Shao Niannian didn’t discover that Jiang Yan had returned to the coast until she was almost ready for bed that night.

After finishing work and helping Pei Yao settle Xixi down, Niannian realized something was wrong while applying hair oil. She began retracing her thoughts from the moment she woke up, trying to find the discrepancy. Sitting solemnly on the bed, she suddenly remembered something and messaged Jiang Yan’s private WeChat.

No response. She tried calling. Still no response. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

The noise of Niannian’s agitation woke Wen Jing, who rolled over in bed. Her phone was still on a reading app interface. She looked up and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you tossing and turning in the middle of the night?”

“I…”

“Can’t get a hold of Jiang Yan, right?” Wen Jing had known all along. “It’s normal. It’s not the first time she’s done this. Oh, I forgot to tell you—she asked me to let you know she went back to the coast.”

Wen Jing had clearly “forgotten” on purpose, as Jiang Yan had asked her to tell Niannian right after work.

“She won’t pick up my calls…” Niannian looked at the so-called “private number” dejectedly. She realized the number wasn’t that “private” if she still couldn’t reach the person when she needed to.

“She’s probably on the plane.” Wen Jing originally wanted to badmouth Jiang Yan—who could blame her? Jiang Yan was truly infuriating—but when she turned and saw Niannian’s foolish, puppy-dog look, she got angry for a different reason.

You can’t even handle this! What use are you!

The frustrated Young Miss Wen exited her app and rolled up her sleeves to act as Niannian’s romance strategist. “For a person like Jiang Yan, playing ‘hard to get’ is useless! You have to be thick-skinned, cling to her, and show up everywhere she goes so she sees you every minute!” Wen Jing spoke through gritted teeth.

Niannian’s polite refusal was stuck in her throat. What she saw in Wen Jing’s eyes was the fire of a brewing war; it didn’t look like a romance strategist at all, but more like a general leading a charge.

Shao Niannian’s final scene was a wirework stunt. It was a “hidden ending” the director and screenwriter had brainstormed mid-shoot. Niannian’s character, wearing a red dress and covered in blood, would walk through flames onto a balcony, with small sparks already consuming the hem of her skirt. On a bright, sunny day, she would vault over the railing.

Blood, the red dress, flames, and sunlight would converge—her most brilliant moment in life.

Researching how to control the speed of the fire on the dress had taken a lot of time. Eventually, they decided to shoot in segments. They bought dozens of identical dresses, switching to a new one for each segment to control the burn pattern. it was time-consuming and dangerous for Niannian. Facing the flames, her only protection was the staff standing by with water buckets and fire extinguishers. The fabric had been carefully sourced to be flame-resistant enough to not be consumed instantly.

Mo Yu had been worried about Niannian being injured and suggested, “If it’s too much, we can just use CGI.”

“No, no. Everyone worked so hard to find this material and made so many dresses, let’s not waste them,” Niannian waved her off. “Don’t worry, the path isn’t long. We’ll finish quickly.” She slightly lifted her red skirt to show skin-colored patches designed to prevent burns. “I feel like the protection measures are very solid. No need to worry about me.”

With the actress’s assurance, the scene proceeded as planned. Although Niannian said she wasn’t afraid and trusted the crew, she still instinctively recoiled two steps when the real flames were ignited in front of her.

The male actor playing the villain was also startled. Still in his special effects makeup, he laughed toward the “behind-the-scenes” camera: “Niannian is truly dedicated. Even if this prop fire doesn’t burn like real fire, to be honest, it’s still uncomfortable. It stings the nose, and it hurts if it touches the skin.” Seeing Niannian adapt to the flames on her skirt, he shared the same expression as the crew. “So professional. You rarely see actresses willing to do this; after all, an accident could leave a scar.”

The staff ignited the fabric strips. Once the clapperboard snapped, the fire was led onto the hem of Niannian’s dress.

The indoor scenes went smoothly with almost no retakes. Every time “Cut!” was called, staff with water buckets rushed in to douse the flames, and a clean towel was immediately draped over Niannian. Despite the chaotic scene, Niannian joked around, wiping her face. “Luckily, everyone’s aim is great. No one splashed my face, or I’d have to redo my makeup. Let’s just treat this as our own mini Water Splashing Festival—I’ve received everyone’s blessings!”

Wen Jing, who would be the last to wrap, was just a “background extra” today. Seeing Niannian finding joy in the hardship, she couldn’t help but comment: “If being splashed meant the God of Wealth would bless me with a few extra million, I’d be willing to be soaked, too.”

This lightened the mood, and the crew joked that they wished the water in their hands was molten gold.

Finally, it was time for the fall. The wires were checked repeatedly. Once everything was clear, the balcony was opened. An air cushion was set up below as a precaution. Wen Jing, also wrapped in a towel, squeezed through the crowd to peek down. Seeing the height, she recoiled. “Whoa, that’s way too high! Is such realism necessary?”

They were on the fifth floor—about fifteen meters. Falling from there, even with protection, was terrifying. Wen Jing tugged at the wire harness on Niannian; it was tight and secure, but her eyelid still twitched.

“Hey, this movie doesn’t need that much realism. Fifteen meters… if something goes wrong… let’s just film on a different floor.”

Niannian waved her off. “Don’t worry. This height is nothing compared to the cliff I jumped off in that ‘CEO abuses his wife’ drama. That was twenty-five meters.” She winked at Wen Jing. “Trust me, when it comes to ‘committing suicide’ by jumping, I’m an expert.”

Wen Jing’s lip curled. “…” True. Between all those old-school melodramas, Niannian had probably jumped off a dozen cliffs and into a dozen seas. There was no method of “jumping” she hadn’t mastered.

“Fine. Just be safe.” “Mm-hm.”

The clapperboard sounded. Niannian entered her character immediately. With disheveled hair and covered in blood, the woman gripped the railing. Flames devoured the hem of her skirt, turning fabric into ash that scattered in the air. She looked up at the blinding sun, uncaring of the glare. When her vision began to blur into blackness, a beam of light seemed to guide her onto the railing. As the light narrowed to the size of a coin, her vision cleared.

By then, she was already on the railing, her knees pressing down on the burning skirt. One more step and she would fall. A butterfly happened to land on her finger. The hysterical woman suddenly became calm. she reached out with her other hand to touch the butterfly. As her balance shifted, she fell from the height. The butterfly took flight toward the sky and the sun.

As she plummeted toward the ground, the sensation of weightlessness made her heart feel like it was being squeezed by a giant hand…

“Pull! Pull the wire! The speed is too fast!” the wire operator suddenly screamed.

Shao Niannian, falling through the air, also realized the descent speed was wrong. She immediately followed the technique her martial arts instructor had taught her: protect the head.

In an instant, everything around her became incredibly vivid—the rushing passage of time and the whistling gale roaring past her ears.