The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 40

After the staff had prepared everything, the opening ceremony officially began.

Once everyone was in position, Qiao Xiaorou, who had left earlier, hurriedly returned. The crowd turned to look at her.

Naturally, Qiao Xiaorou wasn’t just back for no reason. She had already suppressed her earlier anger and walked over with a smile, stopping beside Tang Jing. Softly, she asked, “Teacher Tang, may I stand here with you?”

This time, she didn’t push Meng Xue aside but instead stood on Tang Jing’s other side.

Given this arrangement, Tang Jing couldn’t say much after all, the positions weren’t strictly assigned.

Zhao Kuang watched nervously from the side, terrified that this young lady Qiao Xiaorou might provoke Teacher Tang.

Seeing that nothing had happened, he finally let out a sigh of relief. “Let’s begin.”

Each person held three incense sticks. After paying respects, they inserted them into the incense burner.

Tang Jing turned her head and asked, “Together?”

Meng Xue smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

Just then, the morning sunlight spilled onto her face, soft and beautiful. Tang Jing was momentarily entranced.

This scene was perfectly captured by a street photographer. Gazing at the framed image of the two looking at each other, the photographer sighed in admiration, “So beautiful!”

She then transferred the photo to her phone and uploaded it to Weibo.

That touch of morning light, paired with their perfectly timed gaze, was simply too dreamy like something out of a fairy tale.

[Ahhhh, this is so gorgeous!]

[Photographer, you’re a genius! This shot is absolutely stunning.]

[The way Tang Tang looks at Xiao Xue is so tender, anyone who says she doesn’t like her is lying.]

[Another day of envying this divine romance.]

Sun Sijia happened to come across this photo, and her eyes burned with jealousy.

But more than that, she was filled with regret. If only, if only she had…

At that moment, Tang Jing and Meng Xue were unaware of all this.

After the opening ceremony, for good luck, Zhao Kuang wanted Tang Jing and the female lead to film the first scene of the drama. But before he could even speak, Qiao Xiaorou approached him.

A few minutes later, Zhao Kuang called for the production assistant.

By then, Tang Jing was already in the makeup room, and her styling was nearly complete.

“Teacher Tang,” the assistant said with an ingratiating smile, rubbing his hands together. “Director Zhao wants you and Miss Qiao to film the first scene together.”

Tang Jing stared at him expressionlessly through the mirror.

The assistant’s smile froze. “It’s Director Zhao’s orders. I’ll take my leave now.” With that, he fled in a panic, only realizing once outside that his back was drenched in cold sweat.

Inside the makeup room, Tang Jing’s expression turned icy. The makeup artist didn’t dare breathe too loudly, keeping her head down and focusing on her work.

Tang Jing didn’t say a word. By the time she left the makeup room, her expression had returned to normal.

Zhao Kuang had been nervous too, but seeing Tang Jing’s calm demeanor, he finally relaxed.

However, once filming began, he realized he’d relaxed too soon.

“Cut!” His face darkened as he watched Qiao Xiaorou’s disastrous performance, swallowing back the curses on the tip of his tongue.

There was nothing he could do, he was the one who had agreed to let her act opposite Teacher Tang. And because she was the investor’s daughter, he had softened and granted her request.

But now, who could tell him why the gap between their performances was so vast?

The first scene was crucial. If it went smoothly, the entire production would follow suit. But now, after thirteen takes, even Zhao Kuang, who was eager to curry favor with the investor felt like throwing in the towel.

Yet he couldn’t lose his temper. After all, he had brought this upon himself. Seeing Qiao Xiaorou’s red-rimmed eyes, he waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s take a break.”

Tang Jing walked over to the rest area.

“Teacher Tang,” Meng Xue looked at her with concern.

Her assistant frowned. “What’s wrong with this Qiao Xiaorou? Her acting is terrible, yet she’s making Teacher Tang go through so many takes with her. Does she really think she’s some princess who can boss everyone around?”

Tang Jing agreed with her assistant’s words, but with so many people around, she only gave a light, ineffective warning glance. The assistant, however, wisely shut her mouth.

“How’s the memorization going?” Tang Jing asked.

Meng Xue hesitated, glancing toward Qiao Xiaorou, who happened to be glaring daggers in their direction. The venom in her gaze made Meng Xue lower her eyes.

Noticing the tension, Tang Jing turned to look. Qiao Xiaorou quickly forced a smile, but the remnants of her previous hostility lingered, making her expression awkward and unnatural.

Tang Jing scoffed inwardly.

When they resumed filming, Qiao Xiaorou performed slightly better than before, but she still couldn’t hold her own against Tang Jing’s acting. How could she? With her mediocre skills and lack of intuition, she probably couldn’t even match Meng Xue, a complete newcomer.

Initially, Qiao Xiaorou had been thrilled to have Tang Jing act alongside her in the first scene. She had even smirked triumphantly at Meng Xue while Tang Jing was still in the makeup room. But the more smug she had been then, the more humiliated she felt now.

She never expected Tang Jing to be this formidable. And whether it was her imagination or not, the pressure Tang Jing exerted seemed to intensify with each take.

“Cut!” Zhao Kuang’s voice cracked with frustration. If the producer hadn’t held him back, he would’ve unleashed a torrent of curses at Qiao Xiaorou right then and there.

Unable to stand the sight of her any longer and perhaps out of spite, he turned to Meng Xue. “Meng Xue, go get ready. You’ll take the first scene today.”

Qiao Xiaorou nearly gritted her teeth in anger, but she quickly suppressed it. A realization dawned on her: Meng Xue had never acted before. Being thrust into the spotlight like this, she was bound to make a fool of herself. Comforted by the thought, Qiao Xiaorou stepped off the set and settled into a chair, ready to enjoy the show.

Meng Xue was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded. “Yes, Director.” With that, she headed to the makeup room.

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