The Ex-Wife of the Scumbag A Who Abandoned the Female Lead - Chapter 47.2

But before her hand could even touch the papers, she suddenly heard the female director exclaim with unmistakable delight, “Actress Ru?”

At first, she only found the voice familiar and hadn’t yet recalled who it was. But when the woman spoke and she caught sight of that flawless hand, recognition dawned.

At those words, the person in question froze, pausing mid-motion to take the script. Shi Nuocen, however, chuckled softly and asked, “How did you recognize her?”

“I’m her devoted fan,” the female director declared proudly, puffing out her chest. After a moment, her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them, and she lowered her voice hesitantly to ask, “So, what’s going on between you two?”

“We’re discussing work,” Shi Nuocen replied with a smile.

Ru Xi Cheng glanced at Nuocen and chose to remain silent. In front of outsiders, she always made an effort to appear aloof, never letting anyone catch a glimpse of their true relationship.

But the director, being the impulsive type, immediately blurted out, “So you two are pretty close in private, huh?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she instinctively covered it, inwardly scolding herself for this habit of speaking without thinking when excited.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” she quickly added, trying to smooth things over.

Shi Nuocen, somewhat familiar with the director’s temperament, wasn’t overly surprised. Ru Xi Cheng, however, felt her heart skip a beat in alarm. Fortunately, her expression remained unchanged, concealing the turmoil inside.

Shi Nuocen laughed it off, saying it was no big deal, then added, “Actually, the work Actress Ru and I were discussing happens to involve you.”

“Involves me?” The female director was utterly astonished, pointing at herself in disbelief. She took a sharp breath, feeling both nervous and honored. “How could it possibly involve me?”

Her shifting expressions were so transparent that Shi Nuocen found this rookie director genuinely amusing. “It’s about the film script you sent earlier. Since I’m new to this, there’s a lot I don’t understand. Luckily, Actress Ru was here, so I consulted her. She thought the script was quite good and expressed interest in investing.”

The female director listened intently, but as Shi Nuocen spoke, her expression shifted from excitement to regret, tinged with a hint of embarrassment. It was all rather peculiar. “So, it was Actress Ru’s people who called a while back about investing in the film. I thought it was a scam. I’m really sorry about that.”

She ended with an awkward laugh, but soon her spirits lifted completely. Muttering to herself, she said, “To think my film script caught Actress Ru’s attention. I can hardly believe it! This just proves I have real potential. I’ve got to work even harder!”

Both Shi Nuocen and Ru Xi Cheng were taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.

After that, their conversation flowed smoothly and pleasantly.

But half an hour later, Ru Xi Cheng’s phone rang, interrupting their discussion. Everyone fell silent, and after such an animated exchange, the sudden pause left them looking slightly dazed. Ru Xi Cheng offered an apologetic smile and quickly muted the ringtone.

She hadn’t planned to answer at first, but seeing it was her manager calling and remembering the matter concerning An’an, she quietly stepped aside. Making sure her conversation wouldn’t disturb the others, she finally picked up the call.

“Xi Cheng, I’ve found something! The reason why the online discussions about you couldn’t be suppressed all this time is because someone has been fueling the fire. And this person, you know them too. They used to compete with you for roles frequently, and both of your early acting styles and public images were somewhat similar.”

The agent was about to continue, clearly with more to say that couldn’t be summed up in just a few words. However, Ru Xi Cheng had something else she was more eager to know and quickly interrupted, “Wait a moment, what about the male influencer?”

“It’s already resolved. The posts have been deleted, and he’s apologized. Haven’t you checked online?” The agent was puzzled. After all, Xi Cheng was usually very attentive to matters related to An’an. Today, she seemed a bit off, but with urgent matters at hand, the agent didn’t dwell on it.

“Not yet, I’ve been busy with some things here.” Ru Xi Cheng offered a brief explanation while switching her phone screen to check online. Sure enough, the male influencer’s posts had been deleted, and he had issued an apology.

She skimmed through the general sentiment among netizens regarding the incident.

Some comments praised the resolution, stating that baseless accusations shouldn’t be made without evidence. Others, however, became even more convinced of the rumors that Shi Nuocen had influential backing otherwise, how could the negative news be removed so quickly?

Some netizens even speculated that Shi Nuocen might have orchestrated the incident herself to generate hype, perhaps as a promotional stunt for her participation in a parenting reality show.

A parenting show? How did netizens suddenly make that connection? Searching the keywords revealed that someone had claimed to have seen Shi Nuocen at the registration site.

The more Ru Xi Cheng read, the more irritated she became. She simply closed the webpage, deciding that out of sight was out of mind.

“Xi Cheng! Xi Cheng!” The agent’s urgent voice came through the receiver.

“I’m here.”

“I called you several times. Was the signal bad?” The agent sounded breathless and confused.

Feeling a bit apologetic, Ru Xi Cheng mumbled a response.

Hearing this, the agent immediately knew Xi Cheng had been distracted. After years of working together, she could tell just from the tone. But now wasn’t the time to delve into it, so she continued, “Then you probably didn’t hear what I said earlier, right?”

“Yeah.” This time, her voice was filled with clear regret.

“Then I’ll say it again. This time, you really need to listen carefully because it’s quite important.”

After that, Ru Xi Cheng quietly listened as the agent recounted the entire story from beginning to end.

“So, you’re saying that person went to great lengths behind the scenes for a role, like keeping the discussions about my performance in the dating show alive online. Although it did stir up some negative speculation, it didn’t really have any substantial impact; almost like a wasted effort. What exactly is that person trying to achieve?” Ru Xi Cheng found it utterly baffling and couldn’t make sense of the other party’s thought process.

“That person did more than just that.” The agent paused for a moment, lowering her voice. “They also dug up some of your past.”

“My past?” Ru Xi Cheng repeated softly before asking, “How far back?”

“It’s from when you first entered the entertainment industry. Nothing major, just the same old stories being rehashed over and over.”

Upon hearing this, Ru Xi Cheng immediately knew what it was about. When she first entered the entertainment industry, her focus was scattered, and misunderstandings with Nuocen made their initial married life quite awkward.

At that time, she was particularly anxious, solely focused on winning Nuocen’s favor and improving their relationship. As a result, she wasn’t fully dedicated to her acting work. Despite being a newcomer, she frequently took time off, which later led to public criticism accusing her of being arrogant and unaware of her own standing.

Fortunately, her current manager managed to smooth things over, so it didn’t cause any lasting damage.

Just as Ru Xi Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, her manager added, “Regardless, you should be careful lately. I have a feeling someone is keeping an eye on you.”

Hearing this, Ru Xi Cheng’s heart suddenly raced, and she nearly dropped her phone. She quickly scanned her surroundings, wondering, Could it be that someone photographed Nuocen and me visiting our alma mater?

“Xi Cheng, what’s wrong?” The manager immediately noticed the sudden change in her breathing over the phone.

“I… I’m at our high school alma mater with Nuocen. We just attended an alumni event,” Ru Xi Cheng admitted, knowing she couldn’t keep it a secret.

The manager was taken aback. “Were you photographed?”

“Probably not,” Ru Xi Cheng replied hesitantly. She was usually very sensitive to cameras and hadn’t noticed anything, but given her recent distracted state, she couldn’t be entirely sure.

The manager quickly searched online, silently praying there were no new leaks. But her prayers went unanswered. They had indeed been photographed!

“What do we do now?” Even with her experience, the manager was momentarily at a loss.

Just then, Ru Xi Cheng spotted the female director chatting happily with Nuocen in the distance, and an idea suddenly struck her. “I have a plan.”

“What is it?” the manager pressed urgently.

Ru Xi Cheng explained in detail about meeting the new director, who had previously approached Nuocen about a campus-themed film. “We can tell the public that we’re discussing a collaboration. Our visit to the school was to scout locations. Besides, the script is genuinely good, and I’m interested in taking part.”

“Excellent!” The manager’s eyes lit up, her thoughts now clear. After a few more instructions, she hung up to get to work.

Ru Xi Cheng had been worried about how to convince her manager to let her participate in a project by a new director, but now the problem had resolved itself.

After hanging up, she returned to Nuocen. Initially, she wanted to share the news right away, but remembering the photographer, she held back, unsure where they might be hiding.

She signaled for Nuocen and the director to follow her, and they drove to a secluded spot where they wouldn’t be seen.

Once inside the car, Ru Xi Cheng turned to the two of them and announced her decision to join the project. The director, who had been taking a sip of water, was so startled that she spilled it all over herself. Ignoring the mess, she sat up straight, her eyes shining brightly, and asked:

“Actress Ru, am I dreaming? Did you just say you want to join the film?”

“Yes,” Ru Xi Cheng nodded.

“Fantastic!” The director was overjoyed at the affirmative response, practically dancing with excitement.

Shi Nuocen, however, was taken aback by the suddenness of it all. Her ex-wife had never hinted at such intentions before, making her wonder if she had misheard.

“How did you… Was this a last-minute decision, or…?” Shi Nuocen turned to her ex-wife, curiosity evident in her voice.

“It wasn’t last-minute. I’ve had this idea for a while…” Ru Xi Cheng felt it was time to let them know, so she explained everything from start to finish.

Only then did Shi Nuocen understand the full story. In essence, it was a battle for a role, but her ex-wife’s competitor had planned to spread malicious rumors online before the casting began, aiming to tarnish her reputation and damage her image.

“How despicable!” the female director exclaimed indignantly. “Idol, don’t worry, I’ll definitely support you. If your PR team needs anything from me, just say the word.”

“Thank you,” Ru Xi Cheng replied.

After the director left, Ru Xi Cheng mentioned that the male influencer had already deleted the posts and apologized.

“Well then, shall I take you to the girl group’s practice room now?” she asked, glancing at her phone and noting that it was almost time.

Just as Shi Nuocen was about to nod, she noticed a new message from the Class E monitor, informing her that the location had been changed. The new address, which was sent in detail, was very close to the official recording venue for the girl group.

She showed the address to her ex-wife and said with a smile, “Take me here instead.”

Ru Xi Cheng started the car and headed toward the new location. Before getting out, Shi Nuocen turned back and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m off. See you later.”

“See you later!” the actress murmured in a daze, her ears turning bright red.

She remained stunned for a while before slowly snapping out of it. Originally planning to return to the restaurant to pick up An’an, she received another call from her agent, who mentioned that the casting director and the film’s investors wanted to meet.

“Under normal circumstances, whether you go or not might not matter much, but now that someone is targeting you for this role, I think you should attend,” the agent advised. “Let them see who the favored candidate really is.”

Ru Xi Cheng understood the implication, even without the agent spelling it out. Fortunately, the meeting place was nearby. Coincidentally, just upstairs from the address Shi Nuocen had shown her. She parked nearby and decided to walk, regretting inwardly, If only I had known earlier, I could have gone with Nuocen. Now it’s too late to catch up.

Before entering the designated venue, Shi Nuocen made a quick stop at the restroom. Faintly, she overheard two people talking in the hallway. One of them sounded heavily intoxicated, slurring his words:

“You know, this is a film I specially crafted for her. She has always been my goddess; so pure and untarnished, seemingly untouched by worldly emotions. I’ve always admired her from afar, supporting her silently, never daring to get too close. But who would have thought she’d fall for a newcomer? It’s utterly ridiculous.”

“Why are you so drunk? She’s already agreed to meet. Do you really plan to see her in this state?”

“What’s wrong with me seeing her like this! She’s changed, she’s not worth my affection anymore, why should I still care about all that!” the man shouted, opening his mouth and spraying the person opposite him with the smell of alcohol.

“Cough… Do as you please.” The person opposite him was equally helpless.

“Right! You’ve got that right!” The man burst into loud laughter, his voice tinged with a hint of cruelty. “Where’s the room you booked?”

“It’s…” followed by the room number.

Shi Nuocen casually overheard a few sentences but didn’t pay much attention. After leaving the restroom, she headed straight to the meeting spot arranged with the class monitor.

As soon as she pushed open the door to the room, she heard murmurs inside.

“I’m so nervous!”

“I’m afraid I’ll mess up!”

“What if we get assigned to Class A?”

“Everyone, stay calm. Let’s treat this as our final stage and give it our all, going all out just this once!”

“Well said!” Shi Nuocen walked in while clapping.

“Nuocen, you’re here.” The class monitor approached and proactively explained, “The reason we changed the location last minute was to make one final push and see if we could train up a secret weapon. If we were still in the practice room, I was worried someone might see us.”

Shi Nuocen nodded in understanding. After that, she rehearsed twice with her classmates. Perhaps because the performance was imminent, everyone was highly focused, and each run-through was better than the last, boosting everyone’s confidence.

“Let’s take a ten-minute break, and everyone can think about where they might be falling short.”

After disbanding, Shi Nuocen sat down on a nearby sofa and opened her phone. She had intended to ask her ex-wife if she had picked up An’an, but instead, she found a message from her ex-wife sent some time ago. It said she had an unexpected matter to attend to, and the location was upstairs, with the room number being. As for An’an, she had already asked her friend to take her back to the Ru residence.

Upstairs, room number…

Wait, why did that room number sound so familiar? Shi Nuocen pinched the bridge of her nose and suddenly recalled the conversation she had overheard in the restroom. A bad feeling instantly washed over her. She immediately stood up and rushed out.