I Love Her Because She’s Dim-Witted And Filthy Rich - Chapter 32.1

In late September, the two of them went to participate in a web variety show as planned to promote the Qing dynasty time-travel drama they had filmed a few months prior.

While the drama was still filming, it had already been confirmed for sale to a certain web platform. According to the schedule, the series was set to premiere soon, so the platform arranged for the cast to appear on their own variety show to build some hype.

When they met the other lead actors at the television station, Duan Bainian took the initiative to step forward and greet them, appearing quite cheerful.

Su Miao remained painfully shy, following behind Duan Bainian like a little tail, never missing a step.

Looking at Su Miao’s dazed expression, Duan Bainian couldn’t help but sigh. Did this dummy only become a chatterbox when she was in front of her?

After all, they were in the entertainment industry, and these were all acquaintances. What would it hurt to open her mouth and say hello?

She tugged on Su Miao’s arm. “Talk to everyone; after all, you filmed together for several months.”

Su Miao looked reluctant. “It’s not like they required me to speak. Besides, I don’t see them coming over to talk to me.”

Duan Bainian said with exasperation, “You have ‘don’t come near me’ written all over your face; who would dare to approach you? I have small cakes in my bag. Go hand them out and say that recording takes a long time, so they should have a little something to pad their stomachs.”

Su Miao was still unwilling, but seeing the expectation in Duan Bainian’s eyes, she couldn’t bear to refuse. She took the small cakes and handed one to each person.

This was the first time Su Miao had ever proactively handed out food. The group of actors was stunned, but once they reacted, they accepted Su Miao’s kindness and thanked her one after another. Someone even teased, “Wow, Su Miao, are you this thoughtful now?”

Su Miao’s face flushed instantly, and she didn’t say a word. Duan Bainian jokingly scolded the person for a few moments before pulling Su Miao away to enter the hall and begin recording the show.

The recording did not go smoothly.

As the female lead, Su Miao was supposed to get plenty of screen time, and the jokes and prompts were supposed to be directed at her as much as possible. However…

Watching the dazed Su Miao on camera, who lacked any sense of variety show timing, the director sighed. He asked the assistant next to him, “How did she become the female lead? Does her family own a mine?”

The assistant: “…” “Actually, her family really does own a mine.”

The director endured for another half hour but truly couldn’t take it anymore. He had given Su Miao so many shots and specifically had the host throw prompts to her so many times, yet not a bit of variety sense came out. If things continued like this, this episode would be bored to death.

The director quickly called for a halt to the program and ordered a mid-break.

The director walked up to Su Miao with a kind and amiable expression. “Oh, Xiao Miao, I feel like you’re a bit shy. It’s a variety show; you should let loose a little. It will help you gain a lot of fans later!”

The director’s words were quite tactful, but Su Miao wasn’t actually stupid; she understood what he meant.

In fact, she herself felt that she wasn’t suited for variety shows, but being forced into it left her with no choice.

She wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say. She just stared blankly at the floor in silence.

Duan Bainian watched anxiously and smiled. “Director, Su Miao just entered the industry and doesn’t have much experience. You can’t rush these things.”

If it can’t be rushed, how is this show supposed to be recorded? The director almost swore, but he still smiled and said, “It’s not that I’m in a hurry, but if Su Miao doesn’t let loose, her persona might not be attractive to the audience when the show airs. She’s the female lead and gets the most screen time; if her persona isn’t engaging, the whole show becomes boring. Wouldn’t that affect the marketing results of your drama? Since you’re here, we definitely hope to maximize the marketing impact.”

Halfway through the director’s speech, Su Miao understood the key point: her performance was poor, yet she had the most screen time, which affected the overall quality.

So she hurriedly spoke up, “Then give the screen time to Duan Bainian.”

The director was stunned. “What?”

Usually, stars used all sorts of petty schemes for billing or to steal the spotlight. How was it that here, someone was giving away their screen time?

Su Miao repeated, “I said, you can reduce my screen time and give it to Duan Bainian.”

The director hesitated. “That’s not very good… after all, you are the first lead.”

Su Miao looked sincere. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about those things. Just film Duan Bainian more!”

After saying that, feeling as though something was missing, Su Miao added, “You must film Duan Bainian more!”

When the show ended, the two of them said goodbye to the other leads and went downstairs to leave in their van.

It was the National Day holiday, and the roads were heavily congested, moving in fits and starts.

Duan Bainian looked at the person next to her with a smile. “Why did you give your screen time to me?”

Su Miao chuckled. “Gotta keep the benefits within the family!”

It didn’t matter how much screen time she had; she wouldn’t become famous regardless of how much they gave her.

But Duan Bainian was different. She was so excellent—beautiful, a good actress, and a good singer—she just lacked exposure. As long as she was given the chance, she would definitely become famous.

Thinking about Duan Bainian becoming known by everyone in the future, Su Miao couldn’t help but laugh.

This variety show was recorded locally in Beijing. It wasn’t actually far from Duan Bainian’s apartment, but because of the traffic, it took from 5:00 PM until 10:00 PM to get home.

Upon arriving home, they had no time to rest. Duan Bainian had a magazine cover shoot and had to go to Dunhuang. Their flight was set for the next morning. They had to pack their bags, get some sleep, and then head to the airport.

Actually, Duan Bainian had originally planned to go to Dunhuang with only her assistant, but Su Miao kept clamoring that she wanted to go too, so she booked a ticket for Su Miao as well. Fortunately, they booked early; otherwise, during a time like the National Day holiday, it would have been impossible to get a ticket.

They got off the plane at 3:00 PM. Since it was the National Day holiday, there were people everywhere.

Outside the airport, the magazine crew’s car was already waiting. The driver took them to the pre-arranged hotel to meet up with the staff there.

Considering it was already late, and by the time the equipment was set up and makeup was done, it would probably be dark, the formal shooting was scheduled for the next morning.

According to the original plan, they would need to shoot in the desert for about three days.

The first day went quite smoothly. The weather was cooperative—hardly any wind or sand, the sunlight was just right, and the temperature was perfect.

Su Miao went around to the shaded side of the car, found a board to place on the yellow sand to sit on, and watched happily as Duan Bainian struck various poses for the photos.

Su Miao laughed as she watched. My god, Duan Bainian looked so good in that red dress!

Someone nearby spoke up, “Watching the shoot?”

Su Miao instinctively turned her head. This person was the makeup artist’s assistant.

The makeup assistant was a senior intern, naturally friendly and a chatterbox. He had only met Su Miao’s group yesterday, but he had already chatted with everyone, including the team of another female star who was part of this collaborative shoot.

Su Miao actually didn’t like this makeup assistant very much. Although he was indeed handsome, he felt too greasy; every expression seemed to be saying, “I’m very handsome.”

However, since they had spoken yesterday and were somewhat acquainted, Su Miao replied, “Yes, watching the shoot.”

The makeup assistant smiled. “I’m watching too. Hey, let me tell you, this dress really complements Duan Bainian. It’s vibrant but not ostentatious. Beautiful!”

Hearing him praise Duan Bainian’s beauty made Su Miao happier than hearing praises for herself. She couldn’t help but look at the makeup assistant again, and the repulsion she felt for him decreased by a few degrees. “I also think Duan Bainian is especially beautiful.”

The makeup assistant continued, “Even though I’ve only been interning here for a few months, I’ve seen dozens of stars, big and small. Really, Duan Bainian has the best skin I’ve ever seen. Fair with a rosy glow, just like… how do they put it… ah right… like a peeled egg!”

Su Miao was simply overjoyed listening to this. Of course, Duan Bainian’s skin was truly beyond reproach. She heard her mother was negotiating a skincare endorsement for Duan Bainian; the sales would definitely be great then!

The more she looked at the makeup assistant, the more pleasant he seemed. She reached out, took some washed grapes from beside her, and handed them to him. “Want some?”

The makeup assistant was a bit surprised. From their interactions yesterday, although Su Miao had a lolita face, she was actually a bit aloof and didn’t like to talk much. But now, she was actually asking him if he wanted grapes?

Stunned for a moment, the makeup assistant understood again. So Su Miao was the “cold outside, warm inside” type. He accepted the grapes with a grin and popped them into his mouth. “Thanks~ they’re really sweet!”

Su Miao felt something was wrong on the afternoon of the second day.

Ever since she had spoken to the makeup assistant yesterday, he had been appearing by her side like a ghost. He was there at meals, in the elevator, and at the supermarket across from the hotel. As for the desert shoot… as long as he wasn’t busy, he followed Su Miao like a clingy bug.

On the second afternoon, looking at the chattering makeup assistant beside her, Su Miao really couldn’t take it anymore. She interrupted, “Aren’t you busy? Why are you always following me?”

The makeup assistant was indeed unusually confident. He raised his eyebrows in what he thought was a handsome manner. “Because I’m happy chatting with you. And I see that you’re very happy too, aren’t you?”

Su Miao: “…”

Facing Su Miao’s silence, the makeup assistant still maintained his “I’m so handsome” face. “I heard the Dunhuang night market has a lot of delicious food. Do you want to go wander the night market together tonight?”

Su Miao: “…”

She gave the makeup assistant a strange look, then got up and walked over to Duan Bainian’s side.

As evening approached, the temperature in the desert dropped, and everyone began packing up to return to the hotel.

Su Miao held it in the whole way back, but as soon as they entered the room, she couldn’t help but vent loudly. “Do you know? That makeup assistant is a psychopath!”

Duan Bainian had been very busy these past two days and hadn’t noticed Su Miao’s situation. She asked in surprise, “What happened?”

Su Miao was simply indignant. “He’s so disgusting! From yesterday to today, he’s been constantly following me. I asked him why he was following me, and do you know how he answered?”

Duan Bainian asked curiously, “What did he say?”

“He said he likes chatting with me and that I look very happy chatting with him. Do you think he’s blind? Which eye saw that I liked chatting with him?!! I like chatting with him??? I’d rather go play with a dog!”

Duan Bainian wanted to laugh but felt it wouldn’t be good to do so, so she suppressed it and said, “Then just don’t pay him any mind.”

But how could she suppress the laughter? Su Miao saw through it immediately. She glared at Duan Bainian dissatisfiedly. “Is this so funny?”

Only then did Duan Bainian stop laughing and ask seriously, “Why did he think you liked chatting with him? Did you do something to make him misunderstand?”

Su Miao immediately refuted, “I didn’t do any… ah… could it be that I gave him grapes and made him misunderstand?”

Duan Bainian’s expression turned subtle. “Last time when we were promoting the drama and I asked you to hand out cakes, you were so reluctant. Why were you so proactive in giving someone grapes this time?”

Su Miao was also angry at her own busy hands. Why on earth did she give him grapes? She had provoked a psycho for nothing.

She pouted, “If it wasn’t for him saying you looked beautiful, I wouldn’t have given him grapes!”

This answer was a bit unexpected for Duan Bainian. “What?”

Su Miao pouted even harder. “Originally I disliked him a bit, but then yesterday he praised you for looking good in that red dress. I also thought you looked good in that red dress, and suddenly the distance between us closed, didn’t it? As a result, he kept praising you endlessly, and I was so happy listening that on a whim, I asked if he wanted grapes. Who knew he was a psycho?”

Duan Bainian couldn’t contain her laughter. “So when others praise me, you are that happy?”

Su Miao was genuinely happy for Duan Bainian, yet she didn’t expect her to laugh at her. Su Miao was instantly even angrier, staring at Duan Bainian without a word.

Duan Bainian gently and tenderly pinched Su Miao’s face. “Actually, when others praise you, I am also very happy.”

Su Miao’s eyes widened. “Someone has praised me?”

Duan Bainian’s eyes were full of mirth. “When we recorded ‘Drunken Truths,’ several guests said you were especially cute in your dazed way… mm… I also think you’re a little cutie.”

The “little cutie” stared blankly at Duan Bainian, then suddenly hugged her.

She buried her face in the crook of Duan Bainian’s neck, and after making sure the other couldn’t see her expression, she couldn’t help but start laughing.

After the third afternoon of shooting, the magazine staff left first. Duan Bainian had no work scheduled for the next few days, so she decided to explore Dunhuang with Su Miao and sent Guan Jing back to Beijing early.