After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Shao Niannian felt that she and Wen Jing weren’t particularly close—more than colleagues, but less than friends. After all, her initial approach to Wen Jing had been motivated by personal gain, even if she didn’t end up getting what she wanted in the end. Who would have thought she’d see the day when Wen Jing would take the initiative to remember her?

Shao Niannian sliced a piece of cake, tossed a bag of red bean and barley tea into the kettle, and opened a tin of food for her pet, Baobei. With everything ready, she sat cross-legged on the rug, intending to finish the TV drama she had started last time.

However, she hadn’t been sitting for more than a few minutes before Wen Jing messaged her on WeChat.

Wen Jing had moved seamlessly into a new production; having finished a modern drama, she was now filming a historical piece. She wasn’t the lead this time, but the hardship involved wasn’t any less than their previous collaboration. Because the filming wasn’t in Hengdian but scattered across various remote locations nationwide, they were constantly on the move. For a wealthy young lady like Wen Jing, being able to endure this exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Shao Niannian bit her transparent fork as she replied.

Wen Jing sent a photo of their surroundings. “See this? Pure northwestern desert scenery. I almost died here.” The video panned to show a 1L water bottle Wen Jing had bought—it was completely empty, not a single drop left. Both the text and video radiated a sense of pathetic misery.

“So tragic! But the director and screenwriter duo for this project is quite good and well-known in the industry. Your acting will probably reach a new level after this,” Shao Niannian replied. Wen Jing’s progress was visible to the naked eye. With her wealth and access to high-quality sets, she would soon shed the “eye candy” label. Perhaps by the time Wen Jing completed her transformation, Shao Niannian and Huo Lv would still be stuck in the “Four Great Eye Candies” group.

Shao Niannian then thought that, fortunately, she had Huo Lv at the bottom of the rankings to keep her company. Huo Lv grew more rebellious the more she was criticized; she had simply started “rotting”—taking jobs when they came and playing games at home when they didn’t. Her manager, Gao Hui, had even found her a gaming variety show a few months back, intending to turn Huo Lv into a professional gamer among celebrities.

Before Shao Niannian could get a second bite of cake into her mouth, another message from Wen Jing arrived.

“What are you doing at home? No new work lately?”

Shao Niannian looked down at the cake on the table, her thoughts drifting inexplicably to Jiang Yan’s membership card. She suddenly remembered the cake the production logistics team had bought back then; it was a budget sub-brand of this very label, but the logo on the packaging was the same.

She put down her fork and, forgetting the cake, opened her browser to search for information about this brand. She even searched for the brand alongside the name of their previous filming location. Eventually, she found a sub-brand store in the provincial capital of the county they had been in.

Checking the map, a round-trip bus ride would take five hours, and driving herself would take four. Shao Niannian’s eyelashes fluttered; whenever she got nervous, she couldn’t help but bite her lower lip.

She switched to Weibo to search for news about Jiang Yan celebrating Wen Jing’s birthday, but found nothing. After trying several different keywords, she finally found an old video she had seen long ago. The cake bag Jiang Yan was carrying in the video was unmistakably the same brand as the one she had now.

The sweet, light cake in her mouth suddenly turned bitter. Even the fruit garnishes seemed to lose their luster. After a moment of hesitation, she took a photo of the cake and sent it to Wen Jing.

“Eating cake at home.”

Wen Jing had just finished work and was carrying her empty water bottle back to her trailer. Filming in the desert meant the boxed meals were all self-heating rice, which tasted terrible. Seeing the cake made her crave it.

“You’re eating this brand too! Their cakes are really good. I like the Cheese Soft Tofu one. It’s best when the ice in the packaging hasn’t melted yet—it’s sweet and light.” If she didn’t have a manager, she could probably finish one by herself.

Shao Niannian pursed her lips. There were things she wanted to ask Wen Jing, but she didn’t know how to start. Little did she know, Wen Jing was even more anxious than she was.

The moment she sat in her trailer, Wen Jing began brainstorming how to casually bring up Jiang Yan. She rubbed her manicured nails against her lips, nearly biting them. To her, Shao Niannian was like a dull little rabbit that had wandered into a hunter’s trap on its own.

“This cake… I didn’t buy it. Jiang Yan treated me,” Shao Niannian said concisely. “I went to be a promotional guest for Dark Night today…”

Wen Jing slapped her leg and immediately sat upright, typing out: “Jiang Yan treated you? That’s nice. I remember her membership level at that shop is quite high.”

“Yes.” Shao Niannian couldn’t help but stick out her tongue; that consumption level was staggering to anyone who heard it. She typed and deleted several times before finally asking: “But I remember she doesn’t seem to like desserts? Why is her spending so high at that shop?”

“I don’t know,” Wen Jing answered honestly. “I really don’t. When I was with her, I just charged it to her account too.”

“Maybe she likes treating the crew to this brand. Oh, the cake the logistics team gave us that time was a sub-brand of this.”

Shao Niannian nodded. “I know. Wasn’t that bought specifically for you?”

Wen Jing sent a string of question marks, feeling that text couldn’t convey her shock, and immediately placed a voice call. Before Shao Niannian could figure it out, Wen Jing’s voice came through, sounding exasperated: “How could that have been for me? Do I look like a ‘love-brain’ who stays entangled with an ex after a breakup? Please, even though she dumped me, she’s not the only person in the world!”

“I’m beautiful, my family is rich—I can have whoever I want!”

Shao Niannian was startled and instinctively pulled the phone away. After turning on the speaker, she slowly picked up her fork again. “But you pay a lot of attention to her.”

For every word Shao Niannian said, Wen Jing had ten retorts, desperate to distance herself from Jiang Yan. Once her fire died down, Wen Jing remembered she was there to “matchmake.” After a long silence, she touched the bridge of her nose and whispered, “Actually, dating Jiang Yan was quite interesting. Well, maybe we just weren’t right for each other.”

Wen Jing racked her brain to find excuses for Jiang Yan, finally offering a few forced compliments before pinching her nose and grunting, “But that time with the crew logistics… those cakes really weren’t for me. If they were, I’d write my name backward.”

“Neither Jiang Yan nor I are the type to cling. The breakup was very clean. I just find her annoying, but I wouldn’t spread rumors about her.”

The breakup was indeed clean: lovers one day, enemies the next. Wen Jing nervously fidgeted with her costume, thinking that she technically wasn’t lying—since she and Jiang Yan hadn’t “done it,” everything fell under the “incapable” baseline, which wasn’t a big deal.

Shao Niannian let out an “Ah.” Before she could fully digest what Wen Jing said, Wen Jing continued: “Look at the chat logs I sent you. Jiang Yan’s cake really wasn’t for me—it was for you.”

“I don’t know why her membership level is so high,” Wen Jing plotted. “Don’t you love this brand’s cake? Just woo her, and you can charge all the cakes to her account. Total free ride.”

The chat log Wen Jing sent was between her assistant and a member of the logistics team. At first, the staff member tried to play it off, but eventually, unable to resist the urge to gossip, they told the truth.

— “Don’t know. Jiang Yan arranged it, and the director agreed. Apparently, it was an apology to Niannian, but we’re not sure.” (Cat scratching head sticker)

— “But everyone got to eat! Anyway, Film Queen Jiang paid! Director Mo even told us to pick the expensive ones, saying her family doesn’t lack a buck or two. We packed up all the pricey stuff—didn’t matter if it tasted good or not~” (Lina Bell holding face sticker)

Shao Niannian looked at the logs, still feeling dazed. She remembered why Jiang Yan would apologize—Jiang Yan had gotten too deep into character during a rehearsal and scared her. But Shao Niannian thought that cheap cream cake had been the apology. Who would have thought Jiang Yan was so serious about it that she had the logistics team buy expensive cakes for everyone?

Shao Niannian realized that because she had assumed the cake was for Wen Jing, she hadn’t eaten a single bite…

Wen Jing’s high-pitched voice pulled her back from her memories. “Chasing Jiang Yan is actually very simple—just cater to her interests.”

The “heavy bomb” was dropped, and the romantic novice Shao Niannian took the bait instantly, listening intently to her senior’s advice. She had no idea that her senior’s unspoken plan was the real way to get her onto Jiang Yan’s “pirate ship.”

In that moment, the cake became less important; finding someone to eat cake with became paramount. However, when two romantic half-wits get together, they don’t make a full wit. Because of the “short-plank effect,” Shao Niannian dragged the average down. No matter how much water was poured in, it just leaked out of the lowest plank. Teaching her was a lost cause.

The promotional re-release of Dark Night did indeed create many viral moments, including the “lead actors’ discord” trending high. However, none of this could drown out the box office success of a good film. Audiences gossiped while enjoying the love and hate on screen—the definition of “beautiful.”

The most innocent person caught in the crossfire was Shao Niannian. Both casual observers and fans were speechless.

“Shao Niannian didn’t do anything to Li Yin, so what’s the deal? She’s a guest who came to help promote the movie, only to get her reputation tarnished. Honestly gross.”

“That couple… they really are just that bitter. If you don’t know their true colors, go watch Our Married Life. That variety show is explosive. Both of them are unstable. They spend the whole show either fighting or mocking other couples. Truly unhinged.”

“Didn’t someone say they’re a contract couple? I heard they both play around in private~”

“The person above seems to know a lot. Got any gossip links for me?”

“Be careful with the gossip! Slander is illegal. They might just be bitter people; no need for such malicious speculation.”

“LOL, even if that’s a rumor, have they paid their taxes? The audacity to show their faces after they were publicly shamed by the coastal tax bureau last year. Who’s backing them? How are they still active…”

“Don’t get it, but I advise those two flops to stay away from our good tax-paying citizen. Our Nian is a model citizen recognized by the tax bureau. Don’t touch.”

“Everyone is mocking the couple, but I also caught a bit of Jiang Yan’s protectiveness. I feel like I’m striking gold with this ship.”

“Me too. I ship everything. My nutrition is balanced.”

“Is there anyone who still doesn’t know how sweet ‘Yan Huo Nian Nian’ is? I can’t stand it. A sister who was at the scene said they prepared a gift bag for Niannian but got too nervous to give it to her. A social-butterfly sister shouted at Jiang Yan as they were leaving. She thought it was hopeless, but Jiang Yan actually turned around and took the support items we handed over… It would be rude not to ship this!”

“Whatever. Nian fans, stop talking nonsense. Jiang Yan clearly took support items from Yan fans too. She didn’t make an exception!”

“Really? I remember Jiang Yan explicitly saying she doesn’t need fans to buy expensive gifts to boost her ego. She said her family is rich enough and to just support her work. I didn’t think she’d be the type to take support items.”

“I’m a Yan fan, and I was there. Jiang Yan took the Nian fans’ items first—she took two bags—and then walked a bit further and took a bunch from the Yan fans who handed them over. They weren’t valuable, just hand banners and small cards our fan club made. But I’m certain she took the Nian fans’ support first. I felt like she took ours afterward because she felt awkward if she didn’t! Usually, when she encounters this, she just runs away really fast!”

“Don’t ship everything you see. They’re just colleagues.”

“Were you under their bed? How do you know they’re ‘just’ colleagues? I say they’re dating in secret!”

“…”

Solo fans tried to cover for each other, desperately wanting to prove that the other party had no special status with their idol—that they were just ordinary colleagues. If they hadn’t worked together, they wouldn’t even know each other.

Meanwhile, “CP fans” (shippers) gathered every scrap of info from the solo fans into “sugar,” combining them with videos from the few shippers at the event to imagine a hundred-thousand-word psychological process of Jiang Yan taking the gifts.

In reality, even Jiang Yan felt she had been blinded by irrational emotions when she turned back to take that support bag. She originally thought the fan wanted her to pass it to Shao Niannian, but the fan had prepared two—one wrapped in translucent tape. The fan had specifically instructed: “The one with tape is for Niannian, and this one is for you! Thank you so much for helping us give it to her. I hope you both stay happy every day!”

Perhaps out of guilt, or some mysterious need for balance, Jiang Yan, who never accepted fan gifts, had actually taken them. Fortunately, the items weren’t expensive, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.

After getting in the car, Jiang Yan handed the bag meant for Shao Niannian over. Then, on a whim, she gave one of the small bags her own fans had given her to Shao Niannian as well. At the time, she was worried Shao Niannian would ask why. So, the moment Shao Niannian prepared to open it, Jiang Yan decisively changed the subject.

There was no answer to that question—or rather, there was no answer in that moment. If Shao Niannian had paused to feel it, she might have noticed Jiang Yan’s lack of composure early on. But she didn’t. To Shao Niannian, whatever small anxieties Jiang Yan had seemed non-existent.

Jiang Yan had stopped her from peeking into those thoughts, and later, those hidden secrets would fade with time. Thinking about this, Jiang Yan felt somewhat annoyed. But tracing it back to the source, she was the culprit. Her desire to scold someone vanished, turning into a dud.

Irritated, Jiang Yan pushed the opened support items to the side of the coffee table. She rolled a multi-sided metal die from left to right, then right to left. The clattering sound was particularly loud in the empty room. It interrupted her thoughts entirely.

She pursed her lips and couldn’t help but reach for the support items again. She didn’t pick up her own, but Shao Niannian’s.

It was a transparent fan. It had to be said that support items made with fan love were indeed beautiful. It featured Shao Niannian’s hit drama from last year; while her acting wasn’t great, it was sufficient for a “sweet, white, and simple” female lead.

Curious, Jiang Yan had searched for clips of that show. The lead changed clothes constantly, all the outfits were pretty, and the chemistry with the male lead was just right—the ambiguous romantic line was indeed sweet. But watching it made Jiang Yan feel annoyed, to the point she blocked all the “so sweet” comments.

“So annoying to look at. What’s sweet about it? A cliché CEO drama. Just a different skin and it tricks a bunch of people…” After saying it, she felt she was unfairly targeting Shao Niannian. Even though no one was there to hear her, she added an excuse: “The female lead is the only one with decent acting; at least her expressions are natural.”

Jiang Yan involuntarily thought about the rankings for “Sweetest Actresses” in the industry—Shao Niannian wasn’t on it. Instead, they put her in the “Eye Candy” category. Did being eye candy mean you didn’t deserve to be called sweet? Jiang Yan didn’t understand and didn’t care to figure it out.

She held the small transparent fan. The edges were a light orange-yellow, and the flowers and character were very harmonious, making the person in the classic Chanel outfit look mischievous and cute. She spun the fan and fanned herself; the breeze was quite strong.

She stared at the fan for a long time. After deciding that Yang Yang would go crazy if she did what she was thinking, she put the fan back with a hint of regret. She continued rummaging through the other items, looking for any other “Miracle Niannian” merchandise she hadn’t seen.

To show “fairness,” she even guiltily opened the items her own fans had given her. She looked at them for a while and then put them back without much thought.

As she sat by the coffee table playing with a small magnetic badge, a text message arrived: “There? Free?”

She looked down at the sender’s name and replied lazily: “Not there, not free.”