After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

As the promotion ended, several related topics trended on social media, sending the buzz to a fever pitch.

Shao Niannian had been sitting in the dead center of the second row, but as the event wound down, she quickly stood up, hunched over to reach her fans’ section, whispered a few words to them, and slipped out of the theater ahead of the crowd.

The moment she stepped outside, Jiang Yan’s manager was already waiting for her.

Yang Yang walked briskly toward her. “Let us drive you back. It’s on the way, and I’ve already spoken to your manager—she’s fine with it.”

Niannian blinked, startled. She was about to say it was a short distance and she could manage on her own, so there was no need for Yang Yang to go out of her way.

“The area is swamped with media and fans. It’s risky for you to head back alone,” Yang Yang stated firmly. “Don’t worry, we really are going the same way, and this wasn’t just my decision.”

The implication was clear: the decision to drive her home came from Jiang Yan.

Niannian gave a soft “mm.” She wanted to ask more, but seeing how busy Yang Yang was, she didn’t want to intrude—especially since the questions she had weren’t ones the manager could answer definitively anyway.

Yang Yang escorted Niannian to the van in the underground parking lot first, then returned with security to fetch Jiang Yan.

Sitting in the back seat, Niannian aimlessly scrolled through various apps on her phone. She couldn’t quite describe her current mood; it was a palpable sense of anticlimax. She searched through her WeChat for someone who had the time to listen and understand her, but everyone seemed busy. It was hard enough to find someone to chat with, let alone someone with a large block of free time.

Finally, Niannian saw a photo of Ms. Shao at a post-work dinner on her Moments. Suppressing the lump in her throat, she sent her mother a message.

“Are you home tomorrow? I want to come back for a visit.”

Perhaps because it had been so long since Niannian proactively asked to come home, Ms. Shao called her back almost instantly, despite still being at the dinner. The background noise was chaotic, filled with voices.

Ms. Shao’s voice came through slightly distorted, but with a rare hint of tenderness. “I’m home tomorrow! Are you really coming back? Then Lao Li and I will hit the supermarket tonight to stock up on food for you.”

“Is cake okay? That bakery you liked seems to have a new flavor.”

Ms. Shao chatted for a while, but when she received no response, she grew anxious. “Niannian? Why aren’t you talking?”

“Nothing, just that the event was exhausting.” Niannian leaned her head back against the seat, tilting her neck to loosen her tight muscles. “Cake sounds good. I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Good. Do you want Lao Li to pick you can up?”

“No need, I’ll have Gao Hui drop me off,” Niannian chuckled. “Mr. Li is a busy man.”

Ms. Shao dismissed this. “Let Lao Li get you. If you’re coming home, he’ll definitely take the day off from the law firm anyway. Might as well give him something to do, or he’ll just stay home and annoy me all day.”

“Fair enough,” Niannian agreed.

Ms. Shao hummed, then added, “Don’t bring Baobei back. The German Shepherd and the Bernese Mountain Dog broke their crate a few days ago. They’re running wild in the yard now; we can’t even lock them up. It wouldn’t be safe for the cat.”

“Okay.”

After a few more instructions, Ms. Shao hung up.

At that moment, Jiang Yan—having finally escaped the fans and media—opened the car door. Before she even stepped in, a pile of items was shoved inside.

Startled, Niannian shifted over to make room, pointing at the mountain of gift bags. “Why did you bring so much fan support stuff?”

Jiang Yan reached into the pile and precisely pulled out a bag from Niannian’s fans. “This. Your fans asked me to give this to you.”

“For me?”

Niannian took it hesitantly. Inside was a beautiful, handcrafted golden osmanthus flower made of shrink plastic. There were also fan-made fans, masks, banners, and a letter. It seemed they had prepared this specifically for her.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Oh, and this.” Jiang Yan pulled out another bag and handed it over. Before Niannian could look inside, Jiang Yan asked, “What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know.” Niannian rarely visited this area and was clueless about the local food. She left it to Jiang Yan.

Yang Yang drove them to a secluded mall. As the three of them took the elevator toward a Thai restaurant on the top floor, Jiang Yan suddenly reached out and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

When an artist is quiet, they are usually up to no good.

Yang Yang’s eye twitched. “I thought we were having Thai? Why the fourth floor?”

“Business,” Jiang Yan replied, clearly not feeling the need to explain herself to her manager.

When the doors opened, Jiang Yan pulled Niannian out, leaving Yang Yang alone in the elevator. Watching the doors close on their retreating figures, Yang Yang felt that her visit to the temple earlier this year must have lacked sincerity—why else was her luck so abysmal lately?

“I hope this is the end of the drama for the year,” Yang Yang muttered. “No more messy business from the ‘ancestor,’ please.”

This mall was quiet, partly because it was far from the city center and partly because it was incredibly expensive—nearly double the price of city supermarkets. However, it was surrounded by luxury villas, making its VIP delivery service quite profitable.

Niannian didn’t understand why they were on the fourth floor until they walked up to a familiar storefront: a very famous coastal bakery brand. The same one Ms. Shao mentioned on the phone.

Niannian wouldn’t refuse a cake from Jiang Yan, but the reason—an “apology”—confused her.

“Did something happen that you need to apologize for?” Niannian joked, trying to lighten the stiff atmosphere. “If you’re apologizing for rejecting my confession, then yes, that’s quite reasonable. I’m a catch; rejecting me is a bit ridiculous.”

Jiang Yan’s lips curved slightly, and she awkwardly rubbed the tip of her nose.

“It’s not because of… what you said,” Jiang Yan replied. “I didn’t expect Han Li and Ye Yin to drag you into their attempt to embarrass me. I’m responsible for what happened today.”

Niannian let out a soft “oh,” finally processing the hostility she felt from those two. She knew they hated her for no reason, and it wasn’t hard to guess it was because of Jiang Yan.

Still, Niannian was curious. “Ye Yin has a grudge against you, so hating me makes sense. But what about Han Li?”

“Oh, they’re in a lavender marriage (a marriage of convenience to hide sexual orientation).”

Niannian’s eyes went wide. Even with her mask and hat, her shock was visible. She pointed a finger at Jiang Yan, her brain struggling to process the sheer volume of gossip.

Jiang Yan wasn’t one to gossip behind people’s backs, nor did she want to burden Niannian with the sordid details. She simply tilted her head toward the shop, signaling Niannian to go pick something out.

Niannian didn’t hold back. She didn’t have many events coming up, so a few slices of cake wouldn’t hurt. If she got a job call, she’d just spend all night on the treadmill.

As she was choosing, Jiang Yan stepped outside to take a private-looking call. The shop was quiet, leaving only Niannian and the clerk.

The clerk didn’t recognize Niannian. “Shall I put the bill on Ms. Jiang’s tab?”

“I guess?” Niannian paused. “Wait, doesn’t a tab require a linked family member? Maybe I should wait for her to come back and use her member code.”

“For Silver members, yes, but Ms. Jiang has a Diamond card. We just send her the monthly bill for automatic deduction.”

Niannian had been eating this brand for years. Her account was linked to her mother’s family plan. With four of them using it, they had spent nearly 200,000 yuan, yet they were still only Silver.

“How much do you have to spend for a Diamond card?” Niannian asked, curious.

The clerk smiled. “An annual expenditure of 200,000 yuan or more across our company’s chain stores will upgrade you to Diamond.”

Niannian was profoundly grateful for her mask; otherwise, her embarrassment would have been on full display. “Your company’s spending tiers are… unique.”

Niannian watched as her favorite Blackberry Forest cake was boxed up. She thanked the clerk and walked out.

As she stepped through the door, a thought struck her. Jiang Yan was incredibly strict about her diet—one of the core rules was “no sugar.” She almost never touched high-sugar desserts like these. In interviews, she had explicitly stated that she didn’t like cake.

“Sometimes I don’t take a single bite for a whole year,” Jiang Yan had told an interviewer. “I don’t even eat cake on my birthday. I eat mugwort cakes—they’re good for clearing heat and detoxing. Highly recommended.”

Niannian had been impressed by that. Mugwort cakes were incredibly bitter; even with honey, Niannian found them hard to swallow. Yet Jiang Yan could eat a whole piece without blinking.

How could such a person spend over 200,000 yuan a year at a bakery chain?

Niannian looked at Jiang Yan standing a short distance away. She realized she might not know the other woman as well as she thought. Jiang Yan was smiling into the phone, looking relaxed and happy—a complete contrast to the tense, cold state she was in when she was with Niannian.

Suddenly, the small cake in her hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

It was so heavy her shoulder began to ache. It was so heavy that her gaze, fixed on Jiang Yan, felt burdened, sinking until she was only staring at the clean, polished floor. The tiles reflected Niannian’s reflection—looking a bit pathetic.

After dinner, Yang Yang safely dropped Niannian at her apartment complex. Only after seeing her enter the security gate did she drive the “ancestor” back to her penthouse.

Yang Yang glanced through the rearview mirror at Jiang Yan, who was resting with her eyes closed. “I’ve never seen you accept fan gifts before. Why this time? And why help someone else’s fans deliver a gift?”

“Are you really…”

“I’m not,” Jiang Yan interrupted before Yang Yang could finish.

Yang Yang let out a soft “tsk.” Typical. The same old “trying to hide the obvious” routine.

“Fine. Based on your reaction, I get the picture. Date if you want, just don’t cause a massive scandal.” Yang Yang thought about warning her not to be like the male artist she used to manage—the one with secret wives and illegitimate kids—but then she realized: given Jiang Yan’s method acting style, unless she took a role about a love triangle or cheating, her only risk was falling for her co-stars.

Besides, most men in the spotlight were disappointing. At least women tended to be less… messy. Yang Yang felt a sense of relief.

But she forgot one thing: Jiang Yan’s past flings always started during filming.

Shao Niannian was the exception.