After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Wen Jing’s message never reached Shao Niannian. To heighten the stakes, the production crew had confiscated their personal phones and issued them new sponsor-branded devices. These phones contained only one app: a payment wallet with a balance of exactly 5,000 yuan.

“For the next two weeks, each couple’s activity fund is limited to 5,000 yuan. As you develop your story arcs, please ensure your spending remains realistic within this budget.”

Shao Niannian, who had just woken up, was devastated to find her phone gone. She slumped against the sofa, her head heavy and dazed. She stared at the PD (Producer), but not a single word of the instructions actually processed in her brain.

Jiang Yan held the phone, simultaneously keeping a close watch on Niannian to prevent the sleepy girl from sliding off the sofa and onto the floor.

“Is there any way to increase our funds during these two weeks?” Jiang Yan asked.

“Yes, but you must earn it yourselves,” the PD replied, adding a list of constraints. “And the work must align with your assigned role cards. Also, you cannot borrow money from anyone outside the show.”

“Understood.”

Niannian was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. As they left the room, her body swayed as if she might lie down and go back to sleep right there on the pavement. Since Niannian was currently unreliable, Jiang Yan took charge. She pushed the suitcases with one hand and held a “cat leash” in the other—the end of which was looped around Niannian’s wrist.

Niannian blinked blearily. “What is this for?”

“You’re so sleepy, I don’t want you wandering off,” Jiang Yan demonstrated, giving the leash a gentle tug. Niannian’s arm followed the pull with a slight sway.

“This ensures we won’t get separated. And if you need anything, you can just… pull.”

Niannian looked at the leash—the very one she used to walk her beloved pets—and felt a sudden wave of grumpiness. Because she wasn’t fully awake, her expression looked uncharacteristically fierce.

A spark of clarity hit her brain. Seeing the cameras nearby, she decided to play along. She suddenly crouched down on the path, clutching the slack leash and looking up at Jiang Yan with a piteous gaze.

“I don’t want to walk anymore.”

“Are you a three-year-old?” Jiang Yan asked, amused. She stood there with the suitcases, expecting Niannian to eventually stand up. Instead, after a brief staring contest, the girl simply buried her face in her knees.

Complete “ostrich” mode. Jiang Yan was defeated.

“You really are three.”

Sighing, Jiang Yan pushed the luggage toward her. She felt lucky she had chosen sneakers today and had been hitting the gym regularly; carrying Niannian while pushing a suitcase was well within her physical limits.

“Get on.” Jiang Yan half-squatted, presenting her back. “I’m only giving you three seconds. Three, two…”

Before she reached “one,” Niannian—who had looked half-dead a moment ago—scrambled onto Jiang Yan’s back with surprising agility. She snuggled against Jiang Yan’s neck and, with deliberate intent, pressed a kiss against Jiang Yan’s cheek.

It was like she was marking her territory.

Niannian tugged at the leash still around her wrist and wrapped her arms loosely around Jiang Yan’s neck, a bit worried she might fall. “Hehe! Let’s go!”

Jiang Yan wasn’t about to let her fall, but she was surprised by how light Niannian was.

Didn’t she gain weight since we first met? Jiang Yan frowned slightly. How thin is she normally?

She thought of Gao Hui constantly nagging Niannian to lose weight, watch her diet, and exercise more. It seemed far too harsh on her body.

While their thoughts were worlds apart, Niannian slept soundly on Jiang Yan’s back. Whether it was Jiang Yan’s steady stride or just the psychological comfort of being close to her, Niannian didn’t wake up once—not even when Jiang Yan carefully tucked her into the backseat of the car.

Jiang Yan was already planning how to hire a nutritionist and a trainer to visit them during filming—not for weight loss, but to ensure Niannian was actually healthy.

The production crew wasn’t joking about the money. Jiang Yan lived in the city center where a simple, unremarkable takeout meal cost nearly 40 yuan. Compared to their 5,000 yuan budget for two weeks, that was an unsustainable luxury.

Niannian, who couldn’t cook, rested her chin on the dining table and looked at Jiang Yan. “So… what are we eating for the next few days?”

Jiang Yan sighed. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue. Even though she didn’t eat high-calorie food, her fridge was usually stocked with pre-prepared healthy meals.

But bad luck comes in waves.

The housekeeper had come to replace the meals just as the crew arrived to clear out “illegal” supplies. Seeing the boxes of prepared food, the crew made the housekeeper take them all back.

“In-instant noodles?” Jiang Yan rummaged through a cabinet and held up a small packet with two fingers. She sounded hesitant. “Do you eat this?”

“…” Niannian squinted at it. “Do we have to eat ‘underage’ noodles? It looks like a crime.”

Most importantly… is that even safe?

Niannian could swear she saw a layer of dust on the packaging. When Jiang Yan shook it, tiny particles actually drifted into the air.

The noodles were vetoed. It was better to stay hungry than to risk food poisoning on the first day of cohabitation.

“If it comes to it, we can just skip a meal. Humans can survive a little hunger,” Niannian said, rolling around on the sofa with a throw pillow. Then, on a whim, she beckoned Jiang Yan over with a finger.

Jiang Yan paused, then slowly walked over. “What?”

Niannian didn’t actually have a reason; she just wanted to see if Jiang Yan really was being “romantically submissive” as part of their act. She pressed her palm against Jiang Yan’s cheek, squeezing gently to test the reality of this dream-like situation. She pushed the pillow off the sofa and reached out, falling into a hug that smelled of fresh laundry.

The lipstick mark on Jiang Yan’s cheek had long been wiped away.

But strangely, even though both knew it was an act, they couldn’t stop testing each other’s boundaries.

When Niannian’s lips brushed against the skin of Jiang Yan’s neck, she felt the hand on her back tremble slightly. The body’s first reaction never lies.

In front of the cameras, watched by countless people, they pretended to be intimate, pretended to be in love.

The onlookers called it fake.

But the two sinking into the warmth and the kisses couldn’t help but think: It could be real.