I Was Taken by the Female Lead After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 24

Ji Meng and Bai Xue went to a nearby cafe. Bai Xue likes sweet things and ordered a cappuccino, while Ji Meng prefers bitter coffee and ordered an Americano. They placed their orders and waited for the server to bring them.

There was a moment of silence between them. Ji Meng looked out the window. The summer sun was bright, and the world was golden and full of life, which put her in a good mood.

She suddenly turned to Bai Xue and asked, “What season do you prefer now?” She remembers that Bai Xue only liked summer during the years she was sick.

Bai Xue looked at her, smiled in surprise, and said, “All four seasons.”

“You like all four seasons?” Ji Meng laughed, knowing that Bai Xue had truly recovered. “A few years ago, you said you liked summer. You were desperately looking for places with lots of sun and high temperatures. You almost moved to the equator. You lived in Xinjiang for two or three years, and I thought you were never coming back.”

Bai Xue thinks back to those two years. At the time, she didn’t care about anything. She just wanted to get away from everything related to her past life. She ended up contracting an orchard in the area. At first, she just wanted to plant a few trees to pass the time, but Xinjiang’s location is excellent, and the fruit she grew was naturally delicious. Planting trees and flowers is highly addictive, and the orchard grew bigger without her realizing it. After that, she started selling fruit to her friends in the mainland.

Their coffee arrived, interrupting their work-related pleasantries. The topic ended with Bai Xue’s last words, “I used to think that place had a lot of sunlight.”

After the server left, no one would disturb them. Ji Meng’s expression became serious, and she spoke in a professional tone. “Should we tell Feifei about this? Or should we stick to the old ways?”

In the past, Bai Xue only managed pure actors. She didn’t like to communicate with them and would handle everything on her own—this was Bai Xue’s “old way.” She had worked with actors who were crazy for their craft and others who loved acting more than anything. These people didn’t care about the behind-the-scenes drama; they just wanted to act in good projects. So, when things went wrong, they couldn’t understand her perspective. Ji Meng doesn’t want her to repeat the same mistakes, and she hopes Bai Xue will change, starting with Bai Feifei.

Ji Meng taps the table, giving her some unsolicited advice. “You aren’t a person who falls into the same pit twice. You know that you learn from your mistakes better than I do.”

“I know what you mean,” Bai Xue says. “But there’s no need to talk to Feifei about this. She’s just a child, and she already has enough on her plate. Besides, this has nothing to do with her. My work-related unpleasantness was ten years ago, and many of those people aren’t even in this industry anymore. We can talk about these things slowly in the future. Right now, we’ll only talk about the present. Since this involves her, I just want to make sure she knows what she needs to know.”

Ji Meng sees that she has her own plans, so she doesn’t say anything else. Bai Xue has always been a person with her own ideas. Jiang Yuemin’s surgery only takes about an hour, and Huo Wu and Bai Feifei are upstairs. They don’t plan on delaying them for too long. Ji Meng says, “Let me know if you need anything.”

Bai Xue doesn’t stand on ceremony. After all, she will be tied to Ji Meng and Huo Wu for a while, from the start of filming “Guang·Ying” to its release and the aftermath.

Ji Meng re-evaluates Bai Xue. Bai Xue’s demeanor is now calm and gentle, but under that gentleness lies unyielding strength, something you can’t ignore. This is the opposite of how she used to be. The old Bai Xue was young and naive. She started as an assistant in her teens and worked her way up to become a star agent. She’s been in the industry for a long time and knows that in this business, you can’t talk about feelings. People will only treat you well if you have ability, and only then will you feel like the world is a kind place. Even though she knew this, she didn’t want to become that kind of person. She was always kind and naive, and she always liked to make friends.

Bai Xue faced a lot of unfairness early on, but she also met many people who helped her, so she always had a positive outlook on the industry. It turns out there are more good people than bad. Bai Xue worked like this for a decade until her career completely fell apart when she turned thirty. After that, she changed completely.

“Are you sure Yang Sha did this?” Ji Meng whispers.

Bai Xue glances at her, seemingly unwilling to say the name. After a moment of silence, she sighs, looking a little tired. “It’s her.”

Bai Xue pulls out her phone and shows her the text messages from an unknown number. Ji Meng immediately sees the malicious text. [Do you like my welcome gift?]

Ji Meng curses and takes out her phone, dialing the number. It’s an empty line. She is about to dial it again when Bai Xue stops her. “Don’t bother,” Bai Xue says, leaning back. “I called that number right after she sent the message, but it was already disconnected. It became an empty line that same afternoon. The owner’s information is untraceable. It’s an anonymous burner card. She didn’t leave any evidence.”

Ji Meng puts down her phone, temporarily stopping this obviously foolish action. “As long as you know what you’re doing,” Ji Meng says, calming herself. Enemies make you see red. She has personal experience with Yang Sha’s malicious taunts, and she is filled with righteous anger. The old grudges and new ones all come back to her at once, and she loses her composure.

“You worked with her for ten years. You know her tricks better than I do. She’s a devious person, so be careful. I almost fell for her tricks a few years ago. If the Ling family hadn’t helped me, I’d still be in jail. It’s so embarrassing.”

Bai Xue purses her lips. Without saying anything, she knows Ji Meng’s situation was genuinely dangerous at the time. Yang Sha is a vile and disgusting person. Bai Xue nods. “I know.”

Bai Xue takes a phone call. “You have plans this afternoon?” Ji Meng asks, surprised.

Bai Xue doesn’t hide it. She winks and says, “I’m meeting some old friends. I haven’t been in the industry for years, and since there are no more benefits to be gained, my relationships with some people have become a lot closer. I guess it’s because of all the boxes of fruit and supplements I sent them over the years. When I came back this time, I was wondering how I’d get the resources I needed. But Yang Sha just gave me a big gift. No matter what, Feifei now has a little fame, which will make negotiating contracts and having more freedom a lot easier.”

Yang Sha wants to ruin Bai Xue’s artist from the start so that no one will dare to hire her. This is also Bai Xue’s biggest concern right now. Bai Feifei will soon join the cast, but she won’t be able to get any work before the series is released. Bai Feifei doesn’t have a company right now, only Bai Xue as her agent, so they have to do everything themselves. Using her name, Bai Xue can get some jobs, but they’re all insignificant. It’s a waste of time to take them, but it’s also a shame to pass on them. They need to walk the red carpet and go on variety shows. She doesn’t want Bai Feifei’s career to start too low, especially since “Guang·Ying” is their trump card. Taking on small roles would devalue her.

Getting better work requires fame. Even if she has no fame, Bai Xue will create some for her. Yang Sha’s intentions were vicious, but she accidentally gave her a helping hand, and Bai Xue just happened to have the coals.

Ji Meng nods and smiles. “Isn’t this like adding fuel to the fire?” Ji Meng is so delighted that she can’t help but gloat. “She’s still afraid of you. She may have pushed you out of the industry for ten years, but you almost killed her. I heard she’s been drinking and taking medicine all these years. Just mentioning your name can drive her crazy. Now she’s using all the connections she has to screw you over, and Feifei has so many trending topics, which has also given ‘Guang·Ying’ some promotion. She thought she was going to use this to step on others, but instead, she just shot herself in the foot.”

Ji Meng gets even happier as she talks. “She’s going to be so mad when she finds out about this.” Ji Meng looks at Bai Xue and shrugs, taking the initiative to say, “I should warn you that Huo Wu and I are both very vengeful. But I still advise you to be careful of her next move. Her methods are vicious.”

Ji Meng raises her cup to Bai Xue. “Good luck, old friend.”

“You too,” Bai Xue says, raising her cup.

They clink their cups. Bai Xue finishes her coffee and drinks some water to wash away the taste. “It’s really sweet.”

“Is something wrong with being sweet?” Ji Meng finishes her last sip of Americano. “Mine isn’t bitter. It’s very fragrant.” Bai Xue looks at her, and they both smile.

The two of them exchange a few messages outside. Ji Meng recommends a few people for Bai Xue to talk to if she needs help. When they go back upstairs, Jiang Yuemin is already in the ward after her surgery. This time is better than the last. At least there’s no lost nail clippers, but everyone is still on edge. When Ji Meng enters the room, Jiang Yuemin is still crying.

Ji Meng is experienced, but she has never met a patient who has just undergone MECT. She doesn’t know how to react, so she remains silent. This time, Jiang Yuemin’s condition is better, but the other two patients’ conditions are not. They are new patients, and their conditions are much worse than Jiang Yuemin’s. The room is soon filled with low sobs. It’s clear that Jiang Yuemin can’t be left alone on her first day.

Bai Feifei asks the doctor and learns that she will recover in a few hours, so she decides to stay with Jiang Yuemin until her recovery period is over.

Ji Meng pats Huo Wu on the shoulder and whispers, “Come out for a moment.”

Huo Wu gets up and says something to Jiang Yuemin. Jiang Yuemin looks up, her eyes full of tears, and forces a smile that is stiff and teary.

Huo Wu looks at Bai Feifei. “I’ll be right back.”

Bai Feifei’s eyes light up. She stands up from the bedside, looking a little nervous and scared. After a while, she says, “Okay!”

Ji Meng looks back and forth between them, getting a bad feeling. It seems something happened between them just now.

“What did Bai Xue say?” Huo Wu asks, standing in the hallway, her face still completely covered. Not many people are so heavily bundled up in the summer, and it’s even rarer to see two people like that. There aren’t many people walking by, but most of them give them a second look.

Huo Wu leans against the wall. After a while, she seems tired and slides down the wall into a lazy crouch, looking down at the ground. The beige tiles are clean and polished, reflecting her expressionless eyes, which are full of lifelessness. She looks up and into the room. Bai Feifei is whispering to Jiang Yuemin, stroking her arm, feeding her grapes, and reaching out to catch the seeds she spits out. Huo Wu can’t look away.

Ji Meng says, “She has a plan. She knows who did it, so at least we can be prepared. Yang Sha’s tactics are always the same: she uses rumors to smear people. It’s easy to ruin someone. These days, if an actor has a scandal and it’s confirmed, they’re only one step away from being blacklisted.”

“The online trolls have been deployed, but the issue hasn’t escalated yet. It hasn’t reached a critical point,” Ji Meng says, frowning. “We don’t know what Yang Sha’s next move is. But you don’t need to worry. This is a very targeted attack, and besides, she wouldn’t dare to provoke you again.”

But Huo Wu doesn’t look as relieved as Ji Meng expected. She remains crouched in the same position. Huo Wu looks at Bai Feifei in the room. Her voice is a lot colder. “Don’t you know what she wants to do?”

Ji Meng opens her mouth and falls silent.

When many companies sign artists, they will do a complete background check. They’ll hide anything they can, and what they can’t, they’ll bury so no one will ever know. Even if the person has committed moral or ethical mistakes, as long as it doesn’t get out, they’re a cash cow once they become popular. But Bai Feifei is different. She’s full of scandals and doesn’t need anyone to expose her. Sex, drinking, being a mistress, bullying, tattoos, smoking… There are too many baseless accusations that can be made against her. They don’t even need solid proof; a picture is enough, even if it’s photoshopped.

In this day and age, a retraction is always harder than a false accusation. Bai Feifei is unknown, and she has no connections, no money, and no ability to defend herself. No one is willing to stand up and defend her because she doesn’t even have a fanbase.

Ji Meng purses her lips.

Huo Wu drops a bombshell without any emotion. “Do you remember what Director Li’s requirements were for the actress playing Fusang?”

Ji Meng licks her lips. “Purity.”

Director Li Ke can’t stand a single blemish. It’s because of this that the actors who work with him, as long as they don’t do anything stupid, will have a smooth career. Their talent and Li Ke’s reputation will make their futures worry-free.

Huo Wu looks down, her eyes empty, and her voice is cold and hard. “When we were auditioning, I asked Director Li to wait, and he agreed. He thought Bai Feifei was good. I thought the role would be hers.”

Ji Meng can almost guess what Huo Wu is trying to say. She pauses and subconsciously lowers her voice. “Are you saying Director Li wants to replace her now?”

Huo Wu glances at her, not saying anything.

Director Li just called her and asked about the candidate. He didn’t go into detail, but his meaning was clear. Ji Meng realizes she asked a stupid question. The role of Fusang hasn’t been officially cast. They all know that Director Li liked Bai Feifei’s spirit and her purity after the audition, but if all of that was fake, if it was just an act, then when Director Li finds out, all of that will come back to haunt him. It will make him even more furious. What would happen to a person who was almost cast by Director Li but was then kicked out of the cast? The situation would worsen, and everyone would want to know what happened. With a little exaggeration and some gossip, her acting career would be over. There’s no way around it.

“But this child, Bai Feifei…” Ji Meng frowns. “Do you really believe she did all those things?” The time they spent together isn’t fake. If Bai Feifei were that kind of person, why would Fu Xiaoxiao protect her? Why would Xi Rong, a famous lawyer whom many companies want to hire, go to such great lengths to protect her and even become her legal representative?

“I don’t want to believe it, either.” Huo Wu’s lips curl. Her eyes are filled with a desperate struggle between herself and Bai Feifei, reality and fantasy. If she hadn’t seen Bai Feifei’s tattoos with her own eyes, if she hadn’t seen Bai Feifei kissing different people and entering rooms with them, she might have continued to believe that Bai Feifei was innocent. But on that day, when she asked Bai Feifei about it, all Bai Feifei could do was repeat the same phrase: “Believe her.” There was no explanation, just that one phrase repeated countless times.

For a time, Huo Wu actually believed her. But just now, a flood of pictures, information, and texts all unfolded before her eyes, once again shaking the trust she had built over so many years.

Ji Meng realizes what’s happening and opens Weibo.

Her mind immediately goes blank.