Reborn! Caught Up by the Critically Obsessed Actress - Chapter 105

Xie Jingcheng was not a candid person; she generally kept things hidden even from her relatives.

To Xie Jingshu, his elder sister was practically omnipotent and all-knowing. He never expected that such a sister would actually admit to being jealous of someone.

Although he was young, Xie Jingshu understood far more than the average child.

“Is it because of Song Qingxing?”

“Even though I quite like her, and my classmates like her too, if she makes you angry, Sister, then I’m going to hate her!”

Xie Jingshu spoke with such solemnity that it was hard not to laugh.

“It’s not because of her. It’s just… seeing her act with someone else makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps my jealousy is just too strong.”

Xie Jingcheng smiled. Even though Xie Jingshu was just a little kid on the phone screen, his attempt to comfort her brought warmth to her heart.

“So, you’re just worrying all by yourself,” Xie Jingshu said, hitting the nail on the head.

“I say, Sister, you’re being a bit too overbearing. You’re even more bossy than the boy in my class who steals people’s toys.”

Seeing that Xie Jingshu was about to start lecturing her, Xie Jingcheng quickly coughed to interrupt him.

“Ahem…”

“I’m hanging up now. If you’re short on pocket money, let me know. I won’t help you with anything extra, though, otherwise Mom and Dad will scold me if they find out.”

Xie Jingcheng hurriedly hung up the phone. Estimating that the intimate scene must be nearly finished, she slowly walked back.

Song Qingxing carefully memorized her lines. The scene wasn’t particularly difficult to act, but when she had been reborn, this movie was already nearing its end, so she had perfectly missed the window to film this specific segment.

Picking it up again now was somewhat challenging because not much time had passed, and the scheduled time for reshoots was short. Consequently, the director had packed the schedule tight.

When filming began, just as she expected, Song Qingxing flubbed a line. They had to reshoot, and after two or three takes, she finally settled into the rhythm of the performance.

Every glance and smile perfectly captured the female lead—a woman who lived in the gutters of the slums but still struggled fervently toward the sunlight.

However, just as things were going smoothly on her end, a problem arose with Li Hai. He seemed to be acting with excessive force; his large hands gripped her arms and refused to let go.

“Why won’t you believe me?”

“I love you!”

As he spoke, he began pulling Song Qingxing’s hand toward his heart.

Wait…

This was completely absent from the script.

Song Qingxing glanced at the director and noticed he hadn’t called “cut.” It seemed he felt that Li Hai’s improvisation suited the character’s state of mind, so he sat there with narrowed eyes, observing.

Despite the momentary chaos, compared to her past life where her acting skills were subpar, the current Song Qingxing had long since developed a personality that remained calm in the face of crisis. Naturally, she followed Li Hai’s lead and continued the scene.

“Don’t touch me! Let go! You have a wife!”

At this, the other staff members on set were stunned. They looked at one another in confusion. Finally, the assistant director couldn’t help but speak to the director.

“Director Wang, these lines aren’t in the script. Aren’t we going to call it?”

“What’s there to fear? Don’t you think Li Hai’s performance fits the character’s psychological shift? I actually think it’s more detailed than what the screenwriter wrote. This is quite good.”

Director Wang stretched out his legs, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

“Besides, Xie Jingcheng isn’t here right now. No one is going to get angry over such an intimate scene…”

Before he could finish his sentence, footsteps echoed from behind him.

“Is that so?”

Xie Jingcheng’s voice was sinister and cold, like a winter wind that made everyone’s skin crawl with goosebumps.

The director practically bolted out of his chair.

“I’ll call cut right now!”

His forehead was drenched in sweat. He hadn’t expected Xie Jingcheng to return so early. It was a complete miscalculation.

“No need. Let them act.”

Xie Jingcheng watched the scene with narrowed eyes. The expression on her face made it impossible to tell if she was furious or merely annoyed. She had to admit, Li Hai was quite clever.

He was using his professional knowledge to quietly add scenes for himself so he could take advantage of Qingxing.

In this drama, the screenwriter had already written everything in great detail; there wasn’t much room for “improvement.” So why did he only choose to “refine” this specific scene and none of the others?

When it came to insight into human nature, Xie Jingcheng was far superior to Li Hai.

However, she was not a capricious person. When she encountered issues, she mostly endured them in silence. For instance, right now, Song Qingxing was working. While Li Hai’s improvisation was a bit “handsy,” from a cinematic perspective, it did a better job of showcasing the supporting character’s psychological attitude.

Therefore, she could only endure.

Xie Jingcheng sat in her chair and waited for a moment longer. Perhaps sensing the invisible pressure permeating the set, Li Hai quickly finished the final take.

He knew perfectly well that his little scheme had been caught. Choosing to take the initiative, he wiped the sweat from his face with a tissue and walked over first.

“I’m sorry, I added some lines on my own. I hope I didn’t cause any trouble for the director or for you.”

As Li Hai spoke, he intentionally glanced at Xie Jingcheng. His tone and gaze seemed to imply that if anyone minded, it was only because they cared more about their own romance than the quality of the film.

It was a well-played preemptive strike.

The reason Li Hai had been able to wander through a “forest of flowers” for so long without being caught—maintaining a public reputation as a “good man”—was entirely due to this so-called high emotional intelligence.

“Not at all,” the director said, shaking his head with a polite, albeit forced, smile. Sweat continued to bead on his forehead.

“Your addition was good. However, I hope you don’t just put this much thought into intimate scenes. You should put the same effort into the other parts of the plot as well,” Xie Jingcheng remarked.

Her voice was flat, showing no emotion, but anyone who knew her realized this was a sign of her being displeased.

“That… of course.”

Li Hai wavered for a moment. He was genuinely afraid that Xie Jingcheng would disregard decorum and strike at him directly. If he ended up with a broken arm just for trying to “pluck a flower,” it wouldn’t be worth it.

The filming for the morning concluded. The crew went off to eat their boxed lunches, while Song Qingxing sat to the side. Her meals were prepared by a specialist.

It was mostly vegetables—the kind that wouldn’t make one gain weight—but the taste was surprisingly decent.

Song Qingxing picked up a leaf, noting only a tiny hint of oil. Well, since stars earn so much, it’s fine if the food tastes a bit bland, she thought.

Chewing on the leaf, she watched Xie Jingcheng and sighed helplessly.

“Are you upset about what just happened?”

“Alright, I’m actually a bit bothered too because his improvisation was unexpected, but…”

But the behavior did indeed fit the character. Therefore, Song Qingxing couldn’t say much.

“That is exactly where that man is treacherous,” Xie Jingcheng said, taking a sip of water and staring at Song Qingxing.

“You will have to go through things like this many more times in your acting career. So, I have to learn to adapt.”

Song Qingxing: “…”

Despite what she said, she was clearly being quite petty at heart.

Fine, Song Qingxing thought, I’ll find some time later to coax her out of it.