Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 14

Si Xiaoxiao covered her still wildly beating heart…

The room was pitch black, with only the faint hum of the air conditioner.

Si Xiaoxiao covered her still wildly beating heart, her fingertips subconsciously touching her lips.

There… seemed to still be the illusory yet distinct sensation and temperature from the dream.

“What… what is going on!”

Si Xiaoxiao whispered in annoyance, burying her face deep into the soft pillow, wishing she could suffocate herself.

How could she have this kind of dream?!

Of all people to dream about, she dreamed about Li Ting?!

And she dreamed about… dreamed about…

“It’s all because of that darn system! All because of that cursed instance!” She muffled in the pillow, her voice indistinct as she found excuses for herself: “It must be because of those messy scripts! Yes! It must be!”

She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the strange palpitations and the residual illusion on her lips from the dream.

Si Xiaoxiao lay down again, closing her eyes tightly.

But in the darkness, her heartbeat was still as clear as a drum.

Perhaps she was truly too tired, as Si Xiaoxiao slept until dawn, only to be woken by her phone ringing.

It was her agent, Yan Guan.

“I negotiated that dress you mentioned last week.” Unimaginably, the first thing the agent said to the artist in the morning was not a work schedule, but a demand for payment: “You want me to front the money again?”

Si Xiaoxiao’s eyes immediately lit up, and all her morning grouchiness instantly vanished: “Of course, you can deduct it directly from my pay! Thank you, Sister Yan Guan, please send it to Nanxiang Road, I’ll go try it on later! Oh, and I also saw a…”

“Still buying? Do you know that your outstanding pay has already been borrowed until June next year!!” Yan Guan sharply pointed out Si Xiaoxiao’s less-than-optimistic financial situation.

Si Xiaoxiao opened her phone and sent the details of the new dress she liked to her agent, replying carelessly: “No big deal, I’m working now.”

Yan Guan on the other end of the phone seemed angered by Si Xiaoxiao’s flippant attitude, and spoke extremely seriously: “Xiaoxiao, you know how much effort I put into getting you that variety show! Now that you finally have some buzz, even if the production team asks you and Li Ting to kiss, you have to do it! Understand?”

“Seriously? Why does the whole world want us to kiss??” Si Xiaoxiao sounded extremely dissatisfied, as if some private thoughts had been pricked.

Yan Guan’s statement was originally an exaggeration, but she didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Si Xiaoxiao, so she hesitated and asked: “Has the scale of variety shows really gotten that big now?”

“No, I’m on two shows with that person!” Si Xiaoxiao fumed, forcibly changing the subject: “Got it, anyway, I’ll finish filming seriously even if the sky falls, is that okay! No matter how excessive the production team is!”

Under financial pressure, Si Xiaoxiao made a solemn vow.

Seeing this attitude from her pampered artist, Yan Guan was finally slightly satisfied, but still emphasized: “If you lose your job and can’t pay me back, I’m going to give that pile of dresses of yours to Xiao Zhuang.”

“Don’t you dare take my dresses!!” Si Xiaoxiao shrieked.

Yan Guan sneered: “Heh, they were all bought with my borrowed money!”

Then, she heartlessly hung up the phone.

Although Si Xiaoxiao had been popular, she was a big spender and was never stingy with herself. As a result, after many years in the industry, she had hardly saved any money.

With fewer acting jobs in recent years, Si Xiaoxiao’s life had become more constrained.

She was very clear about her self-positioning: a beautiful failure would have difficulty surviving anywhere outside the entertainment industry, but unfortunately, her acting skills were also not up to par.

She disdained using her influence to open a bubble tea shop or sell trendy brands; she could only honestly rely on her paychecks to live.

In the singing variety show, Si Xiaoxiao didn’t think she would last long, and she didn’t want to film the low-budget web dramas her agent managed to secure.

However, one phone call pointed her in a new direction.

“Xiaoxiao, are you coming over today? I happen to have a guest here; you two should meet.”

The caller was Yan Yun, her teacher and the director of Tongque Wujian (Copper Sparrow No-Gap).

It was a shame to admit, but many of Si Xiaoxiao’s jobs were introduced by her teacher. Thanks to having a major director as a backing, Si Xiaoxiao’s picky nature hadn’t left her starving.

Si Xiaoxiao specially changed into a bright, eye-catching dress before heading out. The car soon arrived at the old house in the suburbs.

Yan Yun, though an internationally acclaimed major director, was very low-key and disliked extravagance. She was over 60 years old but had never married, living alone in a small house full of flowers, a happy old lady.

Si Xiaoxiao treated Yan Yun like a mother, and Yan Yun likewise regarded Si Xiaoxiao as her own child.

When Si Xiaoxiao knocked on her teacher’s door, she found a frail-looking young woman sitting inside. The woman was thin and delicate, seemingly unremarkable, with only a scholarly aura being slightly prominent.

Yan Yun happily led Si Xiaoxiao in, seeming to have been waiting for a while: “Xiaoxiao, you’re here.”

“Teacher, who is this?” Si Xiaoxiao searched her mind but couldn’t recall any information about the woman in front of her.

The woman didn’t wait for Yan Yun to introduce her; she extended her hand to Si Xiaoxiao first and introduced herself: “Sister Xiaoxiao, hello, my name is Wen Xiuzhen, I’m Director Yan’s student.”

“Hello.”

She seemed to be a director? A chance to get a new role?

“I’m currently preparing a film. Are you interested?”

Just as she was nodding off, a pillow was delivered. Before Si Xiaoxiao could open her mouth to probe, Wen Xiuzhen enthusiastically extended an invitation.

Si Xiaoxiao blinked. It was rare for a box office poison like her to receive such a sincere invitation, but after all, she was a big star, so she intended to be reserved: “I might be quite busy recently. I wonder who the investor for this film is…”

“My private investment,” Wen Xiuzhen smiled brilliantly.

Ah, a low-budget art film with not much money, the makeup and styling must be very ordinary then…

Si Xiaoxiao began to get picky.

Then Wen Xiuzhen quickly added: “But you don’t need to worry about the funding. My family owns a mine.”

A mine…

Si Xiaoxiao licked her lips and scrutinized Wen Xiuzhen closely. Although her appearance was not outstanding, she was covered in designer clothes, radiating the word “rich.”

Rich was excellent; she loved rich production teams.

However, in front of her teacher, she still had to maintain her composure, so Si Xiaoxiao raised her eyelids and asked further.

“What kind of script is it, specifically?”

“It’s about a couple who reunite after many years, picking up the pieces of their broken relationship. You’d definitely be playing true to yourself; it’s very suitable for you!”

Wen Xiuzhen vigorously promoted her project.

Playing true to herself?? Huh? Her?

Si Xiaoxiao, who had never been in a relationship, looked blankly, a bad premonition forming in her heart: “You probably know that I…”

“I know, I know, aren’t you on the same show as Miss Li Ting!” Wen Xiuzhen’s speech sped up when she talked about something she liked. She said: “But this isn’t a show, it’s a movie, so…”

Si Xiaoxiao quickly looked at her teacher and saw her trying to suppress a laugh, her eyes very kind. Si Xiaoxiao instantly felt terrible: “I respectfully decline.”

Wen Xiuzhen’s expression didn’t change, as if she had anticipated Si Xiaoxiao’s answer. She said: “Ten times the pay, and I can guarantee that your ranking will be above Li Ting’s.”

“But…” Si Xiaoxiao was actually a little tempted.

Ten times! How many dresses was that! After filming this one, she could fully buy the most expensive one!

But she still had to stick to her principles and shifted the blame onto Li Ting: “That person hasn’t acted in many years…”

“You don’t need to worry. We have ways to invite Miss Li.”

And Wen Xiuzhen seemed to have victory in her grasp.

Si Xiaoxiao was hesitant and looked to her teacher, Yan Yun, for advice.

Yan Yun said: “Little Wen invited me to be a consultant for this project. I agreed.”

“…”

Huh?

“Xiaoxiao, are you and A-Man still having a disagreement?”

Yan Yun looked worried. Time had not diminished her beauty; the traces of time made her even more charming. Anyone would want to smooth out her furrowed brow.

She rarely used the internet these years, so she didn’t know about the intense drama between Si Xiaoxiao and Li Ting.

No child wants their parent to know they’ve been fighting with a friend.

Si Xiaoxiao immediately replied: “How could that be! We are just thriving in our own fields; there’s no such thing as a disagreement!!”

“Then why are you unwilling to work together?” Yan Yun looked a little nostalgic: “I remember back then, for A-Man, you…”

Seeing that her teacher was about to bring up the foolish things they did in their youthful days, Si Xiaoxiao spoke decisively.

“I agree. How could I not participate in such a good project, hahaha.”

Immediately, Si Xiaoxiao decisively pulled Wen Xiuzhen aside into a corner.

Wen Xiuzhen was very happy: “Xiaoxiao, you agreed, that’s great!”

“Is the script written yet?” Si Xiaoxiao asked softly.

“Still writing,” Wen Xiuzhen replied.

Si Xiaoxiao wanted to fight for her maximum rights: “First, I want to be the female lead. Second, in all the scenes, I have to be the superior one! I want to outshine and completely overshadow Li Ting! Third, the styling must be top-tier!”

Wen Xiuzhen patted her chest and promised: “No problem!”

Seeing how agreeable Wen Xiuzhen was, Si Xiaoxiao nodded in satisfaction: “Alright then. I’m currently still filming a variety show. As soon as I’m eliminated from the show, I can join the crew. What about Li Ting?”

“Mhm, mhm.” Wen Xiuzhen nodded profusely and spoke very sincerely: “She’ll come when you go and convince her.”

“Oh… Huh?? Me, convince her?” Si Xiaoxiao pointed at herself, her eyes wide, almost yelling, and questioned: “Didn’t you have a way??”

Wen Xiuzhen’s eyes narrowed, a flash of slyness passing through: “Yes, my way is for you to beg Teacher Li Ting a little. After all, you were once lovers. As long as you give her enough ‘cremation ground’ (i.e., making amends/grovelling), she will definitely agree!”

Si Xiaoxiao: “???”

Since when did the rumor become lovers??!!

They were just underage kids when they were close back then. Lovers, my foot!

Why are there CP fans everywhere!

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