Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 16

It’s just that back then they were a perfect match, purely passionate…

Si Xiaoxiao was eventually packed up to participate in the recording of the song variety show’s spin-off, “Goodbye, Friend.”

This was because her agent, Yan Guan, only gave her two choices.

Either participate in the recording of this variety show, or go film Wen Xiuzhen’s movie.

Yes, after realizing Si Xiaoxiao’s perfunctory attitude, the famous director Wen went to find Yan Guan. After a round of resource exchanges with Yan Guan, Si Xiaoxiao was betrayed by her utterly worthless agent and handed over to Yan Guan for deployment.

As soon as the variety show recording was over, she would go straight to filming the movie. She had no choice at all, unless she was willing to give up all those little dresses.

This time, the song variety show’s spin-off was different from the previous weekly live broadcasts. It adopted a pre-recorded format and would later be released as paid content on the video platform.

Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t figure out which amazing person was still shipping the “Xiao-Ting” CP; the world is full of strange things.

She could only assume that at least someone within the production team was shipping them.

The typically stingy production team spent a fortune to set the filming location on an overseas island, equipped with over a dozen people, some of whom were already on-site preparing in advance.

As a beautiful female celebrity, Si Xiaoxiao’s trips always involved seven or eight luggage cases, all cumbersome, so she could only pay to check them in.

She was also contradictory; she liked a light and easy feeling when traveling, and a small bag was necessary as an accessory for her dresses, but the bag itself could contain nothing.

Therefore, she entrusted all the luggage-related trivial matters to her only assistant, while she herself carried just a small bag.

As soon as they got off the plane, the production team immediately planned to start filming.

Si Xiaoxiao had no choice but to let her assistant first take the luggage to the hotel and handle the check-in procedures.

The production team then led Si Xiaoxiao to the beach, saying they were going to meet a fellow companion.

Si Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. She didn’t need to guess that the companion was Li Ting.

To capture the guests’ first reactions, Si Xiaoxiao was not informed of the show’s complete flow. The script she was given only contained a rough outline.

She didn’t know which little genius came up with the idea, but the production team dressed Si Xiaoxiao in a thick mascot costume and asked her to find a way to attract the attention of her “new companion.”

Only when the new companion shouted out her name could the rendezvous be considered successful, and she was forbidden to make any sound during the process.

The golden sunlight was dazzling on the beach. Huddled in the heavy panda mascot costume, Si Xiaoxiao felt like she was about to melt.

Inside the headpiece, she fiercely ground her teeth, mentally reciting her agent Yan Guan’s birth date seventeen or eighteen times.

The staff member’s voice came through her earpiece with the final instructions: “Teacher Xiaoxiao, please use your ‘cuteness’ to impress your new companion! Remember, no talking—”

Damn it!

She rolled a huge, dramatic eye through the mascot headpiece, cursing Yan Guan wildly in her mind: “Worthless agent, I will pack you and Wen Xiuzhen into the system’s black room to star in pornography sooner or later!”

There was no way around it; the little dresses were in his hands, so she could only lower her head and cooperate.

Si Xiaoxiao, burdened by the several-pound headpiece, let her canine teeth sink deeply into the soft flesh of her lower lip.

Since the entire mascot suit only had a hole near the mouth, she could only peek at the outside world through this small opening. Every step she took felt full of insecurity.

Not far away, Li Ting’s figure slowly appeared under the shade of a palm tree. Her snow-white suit trousers were lifted and dropped by the sea breeze. She carried a small travel bag on her back, her posture slender and tall, standing aloof and at ease, like a solitary crane, exuding an air of nobility.

Why?

Why was she here to suffer, while Li Ting looked like she was on vacation?

Si Xiaoxiao fiercely clenched the plush paws, her dissatisfaction almost overflowing. Her nails practically dug into the stuffing cotton. Sweat rolled down her butterfly bone and into the small of her back. Her eyelashes clustered together, fluttering with her rapid breaths.

Li Ting’s footsteps drew closer.

Coral-colored shells made a faint, crunching sound under her canvas shoes.

The clumsy panda suddenly sprang up and blocked Li Ting’s path directly.

Its plush paws drew a clumsy arc in the air, and the round panda belly almost touched Li Ting’s waist.

Li Ting’s steps paused slightly. Her amber pupils reflected the dancing black and white furball.

She suddenly hooked her little finger to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her pearly teeth gently biting the soft flesh of her lower lip.

Those familiar with her knew this was her usual expression for suppressing a laugh.

But a warning bell immediately went off for Si Xiaoxiao.

She had a strong feeling that this person recognized her and was about to play a trick.

Sure enough, the next second, Li Ting lifted her foot and walked around the panda. As her chiffon shirt was lifted by the sea breeze, a subtle glimpse of her abdominal muscles appeared at her waist.

“Tsk.” Si Xiaoxiao quickly slid to block her path again, slightly adjusted the headpiece, and aimed a super headbutt at Li Ting.

The soft mascot headpiece didn’t hurt much when it hit someone, but it did have a bit of force.

Li Ting was knocked back half a step, her slender white fingers instinctively supporting the panda’s shoulder. The scent of cedar from her clothes drifted into the air.

The sea breeze shifted, scattering her cold chuckle into Si Xiaoxiao’s sweat-dampened bangs, half-threatening, half-teasing: “This swindling panda should be sent to the animal protection society.”

Si Xiaoxiao’s ear canal buzzed beneath the fur. She simply decided to follow through with the swindling, grabbing Li Ting’s waist and resting the panda head on her shoulder, looking like a shameless, tantrum-throwing rogue.

“Let go.” Li Ting’s eyes shimmered with rippling light, and her tone became increasingly dominant.

Si Xiaoxiao didn’t move.

Through the headpiece, she saw Li Ting’s lips pressed together. She flexed her finger and tapped the panda’s forehead through the headpiece, exuding an air of intimidation in every gesture.

With the headpiece in between, it didn’t hurt, but… it looked exactly like a mother disciplining a child.

Si Xiaoxiao, of course, wouldn’t obey. She continued to hold Li Ting, refusing to let her leave.

However, Mama Li Ting had plenty of ways to deal with naughty children. She reached out to pull off Si Xiaoxiao’s headpiece.

Exposing her identity before Li Ting called out her name would naturally count as mission failure.

Si Xiaoxiao quickly released her hands from Li Ting’s waist, scrambling to fight for ownership of the headpiece.

Li Ting didn’t wrestle with her, but wickedly turned the panda headpiece halfway, causing the only air vent to face the side.

To save the panda head, Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t worry about the headpiece’s view, allowing her vision to be plunged into darkness.

But being deprived of her sight made the big celebrity, who was already unaccustomed to wearing the costume, panic instantly. Coupled with the heat, her mind was a blur.

While stepping backward, Si Xiaoxiao’s left foot stepped on her right foot, and her body suddenly lost balance, tumbling backward. She instinctively put out her hands to brace herself, forgetting about the headpiece.

The panda head rolled away with gravity.

Sensing Si Xiaoxiao’s abnormality, Li Ting instinctively tried to grab the clumsy panda.

However, she missed by a fraction and subconsciously shouted her name.

“Si Xiaoxiao—”

As the words fell, Si Xiaoxiao landed with a solid thud on her rear end.

With the panda head rolling two or three meters away, she had indeed taken a hard fall.

Si Xiaoxiao was sprawled on her back amidst the coral reef fragments. The dull ache in her tailbone was like a red-hot nail repeatedly hammering into the bone seams, causing a burning pain.

She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Salty sea breeze rushed into her throat, condensing into tiny salt grains in her windpipe. The panda paws sank into the scorching sand. The stuffing cotton, saturated with sweat, heavily weighed down her wrists, and her ankle was throbbing with pain.

Once the headpiece rolled off, it took the last bit of shade with it, and the fierce sun beat down on her sweaty neck.

The white cotton T-shirt beneath the mascot suit, soaked with sweat, clung to her heaving chest, revealing a faint, cherry-colored silhouette with her rapid gasps.

Si Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip, holding back the physiological tears caused by the pain. She struggled to stand up, when a large shadow pressed over her.

“Don’t move.”

Li Ting stood in front of her, silhouetted against the light, making it impossible to discern her expression.

It wasn’t until she slowly crouched down that Si Xiaoxiao noticed she wasn’t smiling.

The pleasant scent of cedar became stronger as she approached. She reached out a hand, seemingly intending to hug her.

Si Xiaoxiao didn’t refuse.

After a moment of thought, the sound of a zipper being pulled reached her ears. Si Xiaoxiao then realized that Li Ting wasn’t trying to hug her; she was merely helping her escape from the heavy mascot costume.

Exclamations came from the stagehands twenty meters away. The bones of the beach umbrella creaked as they ran. It was chaos all around them, but for Si Xiaoxiao, the world seemed to slow down dramatically.

Especially the moment she felt Li Ting’s palm press against her ankle, everything turned into slow motion.

“Li Ting, what are you doing…”

“It’s swollen,” Li Ting replied without looking up.

The crew members gathered around at this moment, all looking worried and frantic.

Among them, only Li Ting was the calmest. She systematically directed the staff present, assigning tasks one by one, like a natural leader.

Si Xiaoxiao wasn’t the kind of delicate person who would cry over a tiny scrape. If they had ignored her, she might have indulged in a bit of a tantrum, but with everyone gathered around, she became reluctant to show weakness.

So, she said, “I’m fine…”

Li Ting, however, asked the staff member who had run off to get the first-aid kit, “Did you bring the ice water? And the sprain liniment.”

The staff member quickly delivered them.

Si Xiaoxiao felt a little awkward, wanting to say she could do it herself. She only managed to utter one word: “I…”

The palm Li Ting had pressed against her ankle suddenly applied force, her thumb accurately pressing into a sensitive spot above the joint.

The smell of medicinal fluid instantly filled her nostrils. Though distinctly cool, it seemed to steam with heat the moment it touched her skin.

A half-whimper escaped Si Xiaoxiao’s throat, the lingering sound washed away by the carbonated water poured into her mouth, dissolving into a sweet tremor.

Sweat slid down her cheeks and into her collar, tracing winding damp lines between the fabric and her skin. The light purple shoulder strap, saturated with liquid, pressed heavily into her reddened shoulder groove, making her look like a bedraggled but pretty puppy.

Before, when filming Bronze Sparrow Uninterrupted, there were many fight scenes, so bumps and bruises were inevitable.

At that time, they were close and always applied medicine to each other.

And now…

Si Xiaoxiao’s toes curled inside her canvas shoes. The pain mixed with a tingling sensation rushed up to her tailbone, staining her with an immense, magnificent warmth. They had experienced much more intimate touches before, but back then it was the closeness of childhood friends, purely and sincerely passionate.

Because they were young, there were no other awkward feelings.

But at this moment, they were both adults, and their interactions couldn’t help but be tinged with an boundless, beautiful allure.

The woman in front of her had a serious expression, her amber pupils focused…

Seemingly only on her.

She patiently asked her, “Are you okay?”

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