The Ex-Wife of the Scumbag A Who Abandoned the Female Lead - Chapter 11

Qiaoqiao was frantic with worry, but after Xianyue carefully inquired about the other person’s position, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, she then cast a rather regretful glance at Shi Nuocen:

“Qiaoqiao and I are fine. We were facing away, so our faces weren’t visible. But Nuocen, he probably saw you.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Nuocen didn’t seem too concerned and said, “It’s fine. If anything really happens, let him come at me. Just rest assured, I won’t give you two away.”

Qiaoqiao immediately looked at her with deep gratitude, and even the usually reserved Xianyue couldn’t help but grasp her hand in thanks.

Sure enough, just as Shi Nuocen, covered in thick fake blood, had finished playing the role of a grimy corpse lying on the ground, someone called her over.

She walked over and saw that it was indeed that “Yu Ge.”

Yu Ge, wearing heavy makeup, raised an eyebrow and looked her over. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Gong Ruiyu. I called you over for no other reason than to ask you to be my stunt double for the fight scenes. One scene, 100 yuan.”

Shi Nuocen curled her lips into a faint, insincere smile. “And if I refuse?”

Gong Ruiyu stepped closer, his lowered voice like a cold, venomous snake. “Believe me, you don’t want to know what happens if you refuse.”

“Oh.” Shi Nuocen shrugged, lifted her eyelids slightly, and flashed a provocative smile, feigning a sigh. “Actually, being your stunt double is easy, just put on some ugly makeup.”

Gong Ruiyu’s anger flared at her words, but then, as if remembering something, he gave a sinister laugh. “You know, I’ve always liked newcomers the most. They’re useless at everything, but they sure have guts. It’s more fun to break them. I hope you can keep me entertained for a while.”

Shi Nuocen didn’t retreat even half a step. Instead, she met his gaze head-on, her expression playful but her words infuriatingly sharp. “Don’t worry, I won’t disappoint. I, for one, love going up against shameless seniors like you.”

She deliberately drew out her tone at the end. Gong Ruiyu was indeed furious!

But after his assistant whispered a few words in his ear, his expression quickly improved. He thought to himself, What’s the point of witty comebacks? Just the ten fight scenes scheduled for today are enough to grind away her pride and wear her down. Not only that, I’ll find more tasks for her, so I can have the whole day free to spend with my sponsor and maybe squeeze some benefits out of it.

With that thought, he tilted his head and signaled his assistant with a glance before heading to the dressing tent to change out of his costume and into casual clothes.

Shortly after, Shi Nuocen heard Gong Ruiyu’s assistant order her arrogantly, “You, during your breaks as the stunt double, remember to go to the adjacent studio. There’s a joint advertisement to shoot. Just wear Ruiyu’s outfit and show your profile the whole time.”

“And the pay?” Shi Nuocen spread her hands and said matter-of-factly, “Extra tasks without extra pay? Does such a good deal exist in this world?”

The assistant glanced at her twice, sneered, and held up two fingers.

“Two thousand? You’re insulting me! No way!”

The assistant, however, stared with dead-fish eyes and slowly replied, “It’s two hundred. The stunt double fight scenes only pay a hundred per scene.” The implication was clear. For a mere advertisement, two hundred was more than enough.

“A hundred for the fight scene? Did I agree to that?” Shi Nuocen found it particularly annoying. She raised the corners of her eyes and glanced at him disdainfully. “Let me be honest with you. I don’t necessarily have to stay in the entertainment industry. At worst, you can blacklist me. In five years, I won’t even have to pay a penalty for breaching the contract. But your big star seems to have something very important today, right? Can you find a second stand-in besides me in such a short time?”

She took a step forward, crossed her arms, and looked down at him condescendingly. “So, get this straight! The tables have turned. You’re the ones begging me, not the other way around!”

Had she actually figured it out? The assistant’s pupils contracted slightly. Brother Yu had indeed contacted the sponsor, and the meeting was urgent. No matter what, they couldn’t stand up such an important client.

But he wasn’t willing to be outmaneuvered by a newcomer either. He tried to detect any signs of deception on Shi Nuocen’s face, but to his frustration, there were none. At this point, he had to admit that she was either telling the truth or had exceptional psychological resilience; either way, he was no match for her.

Fine, it was better to spend money to avoid trouble.

The assistant offered 15 times the original rate. A reasonable price for a newcomer serving as a stand-in and filming an advertisement.

Seeing this, Shi Nuocen calculated that she would earn at least 45,000 yuan that day and decided to quit while she was ahead.

As for Gong Ruiyu causing trouble in the future? Well, that was a problem for another day. She’d leave it to her future self to worry about.

Shi Nuocen had always had a “carpe diem” streak in her personality, which made her highly adaptable to her surroundings.

In Gong Ruiyu’s private dressing room, she sat as the personal makeup artist applied layers of makeup to her face, following Gong Ruiyu’s reference photos. In essence, she, a natural high-end version, was being made to cosplay a heavily made-up, low-end version. The irony of it was something only those who’d experienced it could truly understand.

After being deliberately made to look plain, she put on Gong Ruiyu’s costume. Since they were similar in height and the makeup artist was highly skilled, once the wide-sleeved robe was draped over her, she looked almost exactly like Gong Ruiyu at a glance.

But upon closer inspection, one could still see that Shi Nuocen’s features were more refined and natural, and her chest was noticeably fuller; clearly, she was a woman.

Shi Nuocen had no choice but to retreat to the inner partition and wrap her chest tightly with cloth strips.

When they arrived on set, the assistant must have come up with some excuse, as Director Qian, though visibly displeased, didn’t say anything. He was just skeptical about whether Shi Nuocen could perform well, especially since the fight scene had high demands. Even if she were just going through the motions, she still had to make it look convincing.

It wasn’t until Shi Nuocen removed her outer cloak, revealing a dark-colored martial arts outfit, and drew her sword in front of everyone, moving as lightly as a swallow and performing an aerial sword dance, that doubts were dispelled.

Her sword moved with her heart, her steps flowed with emotion. Every motion seemed filled with poetic charm and Zen-like tranquility, blending the boldness of “leaving no trace for a thousand miles” with the enchantment of “dazzling blossoms.”

As her sleeves fluttered, the moment she sheathed her sword, she lifted her chin slightly, her eyes captivating and her demeanor exuding nobility.

“Excellent! Absolutely brilliant! Did you capture that? I want to keep it as a behind-the-scenes clip!” Director Qian clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

Gong Ruiyu’s assistant grew anxious and quickly reminded him, “That’s just a stand-in.”

Director Qian paused for a moment, then replied nonchalantly, “What does it matter? We can just add a blurry filter later.”

Hearing this, the assistant finally relaxed.

Today, the fourth male lead had ten scenes, all of them action-packed. The scene they were about to shoot involved the female lead, Liu Qingqing, encountering danger in a tavern, with the fourth male lead, the prince, stepping in to rescue her. With a “princess carry” move and a 720-degree spinning gaze, the female lead, using her slender waist and delicate eyes, captured the heart of the notoriously flirtatious prince.

“Do you know how to position yourself? Have you familiarized yourself with the tavern’s layout?” Director Qian specifically asked Shi Nuocen before the scene began.

“Of course, I know,” Shi Nuocen replied, pointing to a spot in the tavern. She couldn’t help but sigh, “Just an hour ago, I was playing a corpse rolling down from the second floor to the first floor there. Now, in the blink of an eye, I’ve become a noble and a prince, no less. Acting is truly magical.”

Director Qian: “…” Heh heh heh, are you sure you’re not being sarcastic?

If Shi Nuocen could read minds, she would have cried out in protest. She was being completely sincere! After all, her pay for one scene had jumped from 50 to 1,500; a thirtyfold increase!

Once the scene began, Shi Nuocen, dressed in her costume and holding a folding fan, swaggered up to the third floor with her attendants. Her eyes, naturally charming, were accentuated with elongated eyeliner, making her even more captivating. A single glance from her was enough to leave people in awe. The background actors didn’t need to force their reactions; they naturally fell into character, displaying expressions of infatuation.

Just as the female lead was shoved by a thug and tumbled over the third-floor railing, plummeting downward, Shi Nuocen already harnessed; narrowed her eyes, pushed off lightly with her toes, and soared through the air toward the female lead. Her movements were graceful, her wide sleeves billowing, evoking the image of a chivalrous young noble from ancient times, clad in vibrant attire and riding a spirited horse.

She reached out an arm, wrapped it around the female lead’s slender waist, and looked down to meet her gaze. As their eyes locked, they slowly spun in the air, circle after circle, until they landed steadily. Shi Nuocen then withdrew her arm, leaving Liu Qingqing with the elegant profile of a gentleman as refined as the breeze.

After the scene, the popular young actress playing the female lead clasped her cheeks excitedly and said, “Oh my, at that moment, I almost fell for her! The prince in the script sounded so cheesy, but she acted so well. If she continues playing the prince, I might just abandon the male lead for her!”

Of course, Shi Nuocen didn’t hear any of this; she was too busy. After five consecutive action scenes, she had to rush off to shoot a commercial under Gong Ruiyu’s name.

But then, she ended up in the wrong set. Still wearing the fourth male lead’s sleek costume, she passed by what looked like a grand, big-budget film set when a female crew member stopped her: “Hey, you’re one of the background actors playing an imperial guard, right? Director He has already discussed the scene with Actress Ru. We’re about to do a test shoot, so hurry up and come with me!”

With that, she grabbed Shi Nuocen’s arm and pulled her along.

Shi Nuocen, forced to follow, asked in confusion, “Actress Ru?”

“It’s Ru Xi Cheng! You’re a fan of hers too, right? When we recruited background actors for this film, the turnout was massive. It was like picking one in a hundred. Everyone came because of Actress Ru and Actor Zong. It’s really not easy that you got selected!”

“One in a hundred?” Oh my god, the competition is insane!

A moment later, Shi Nuocen suddenly realized: Wait a minute! This costume I’m wearing is for the fourth male lead in a high-budget period drama. How did I end up demoted to a background actor in Ru Xi Cheng’s film?

She was quite eager to broaden her horizons. After all, it was just a trial shoot. She was merely filling in for free. Still, worried that her costume might cause any issues later, she asked, “Could you check if I’m wearing this costume correctly?”

The production assistant, hearing this, pulled her along while turning back for a closer look. “No, you look incredibly dashing in it.”

Only then did Shi Nuocen feel reassured.

When she stepped into the core area of the set and faced the exquisite scene design, she finally understood what a true blockbuster production looked like. It was a palace setting, grand and majestic, with a resplendent, golden glow. Twelve intricately carved golden pillars stood in the hall, adorned with coiling dragons and dancing phoenixes. Every scale of the dragons and every feather of the phoenixes were carved with such fine detail that they seemed to come alive. The floor was paved with dark-colored bricks, and when the light hit them, golden patterns seemed to shimmer faintly beneath the surface.

Just as she was tilting her head to admire the vivid dragons and phoenixes, a light, crisp tapping sound suddenly reached her ears.

Turning her gaze, she saw Ru Xi Cheng, dressed in luxurious palace attire, walking toward her with graceful, dignified steps.