Transmigrated as the Future Movie Queen's Arch-Nemesis - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Watching Xin Keke finish her makeup, change her clothes, and stand before the camera, an indescribable emotion surged within Su Mi.

Light fell from above Xin Keke’s head.

Su Mi couldn’t put her finger on exactly what she was feeling. But looking at Xin Keke, a sudden, powerful urge arose to stay by her side and accompany her every step of the way as she ascended to the throne of Best Actress.

Even though Xin Keke was still just an obscure, unknown actor, Su Mi possessed an inexplicable conviction.

She was certain.

Even if she had to start over from scratch, Xin Keke would undoubtedly succeed.

Having already cleared it with Director Song and He Xiao, Su Mi stood beside the director, holding her breath in nervous anticipation. Xin Keke and the male actor playing Wei Minghui were in position. After He Xiao confirmed that everyone was ready, Director Song nodded.

“Action.”

“Yuan Yuan… the girl who just entered the room…?”

Wei Minghui looked at the girl who had walked in, his smile freezing instantly.

The person standing in the doorway went from calm to shock in a single heartbeat.

The bag in her hand didn’t simply drop due to loss of strength; instead, it slid down almost unconsciously before being gripped tightly by her slender fingers.

Yuan Yuan scanned the room first, confirming she hadn’t come to the wrong place, before managing a smile for the man: “Long time no see.”

Yet, everyone on set could feel the profound sadness hidden within that smile.

Seeing this, Director Song nodded.

Standing beside the director, Su Mi could see the monitor in her peripheral vision. A camera was focused on Xin Keke’s face, capturing every emotion in her eyes in crisp detail.

Su Mi remembered the original text had noted that, unlike many new starlets of her generation, Xin Keke’s greatest strength was her ability to convey emotion through her eyes.

She only needed a single glance to make the audience understand her feelings.

In the drama, Yuan Yuan was a young lady with immense pride who had run away from home to prove her worth. When encountering the childhood sweetheart she had once loved and made a promise to—only for him to disappear without a trace for three years—Xin Keke didn’t choose an outward or explosive performance; she merely smiled lightly at Wei Minghui.

She was protecting the last of her dignity.

Deceived and abandoned, she had waited three years for Wei Minghui, only to find him in her own rental apartment.

What did this prove? That he wasn’t brought here by her; it only confirmed that Wei Minghui was involved with one of the other three women in the apartment.

In other words, Wei Minghui didn’t remember their original pact: “She would wait three years, and when that time came, if he had succeeded, they would be together.”

Or rather, he remembered, but he had broken his promise.

In an instant, Yuan Yuan had deduced all this information.

As a young lady of noble upbringing, she could not allow herself to break down and cry loudly like an ordinary girl. She couldn’t tell a soul about the three-year promise; after more than a thousand days and nights, she discovered she was the only one who had taken it seriously.

She could only smile.

Because there were still things she had to protect.

Wei Minghui was clearly far more flustered than Yuan Yuan; his hands trembled, nearly dropping the items he was holding. He hurriedly set them aside and walked quickly toward Yuan Yuan: “Why are you here…?!”

Hearing this, Yuan Yuan chuckled: “This is my home. Why can’t I be here?”

“I should be asking you the same thing. Do you know my roommates?” She tried to act as if nothing had happened, attempting to walk past Wei Minghui. “Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since we…”

Snap. Wei Minghui reached out and grabbed Yuan Yuan’s arm.

“Yuan Yuan, listen to me,” the man said hurriedly. “Liu Mei and I…”

Hearing the commotion in the living room, the doors to two bedrooms opened simultaneously. Gao Di (played by Ye Luo) and Xia Peixing (played by Xiao Ai), both wearing loungewear, looked outside in confusion. Seeing Wei Minghui grabbing Yuan Yuan’s hand, they exchanged bewildered glances.

“You two…”

Xia Peixing clearly wanted to say something, but Yuan Yuan didn’t want any further contact with him. She exerted force, trying to pull her arm from Wei Minghui’s grip: “Let go…!”

“What are you doing?”

A voice spoke abruptly from the entrance.

Yuan Yuan and Wei Minghui turned around to see Zeng Liumei (played by Shi Yaya) appearing at the front door. The girl was wearing exquisite makeup and was clearly carefully dressed, but the moment she saw Wei Minghui with Yuan Yuan, her gaze locked onto their interlocked hands.

Seeing this, Su Mi couldn’t help but clench her fists.

Although it was a cliché script, after such a performance by Xin Keke, she felt as if she were witnessing it in person. The sorrow and helplessness of being betrayed, combined with the tension of being discovered by the female lead, were portrayed vividly.

Zeng Liumei paused for a second, then suddenly sprinted toward them and shoved Yuan Yuan aside!

The slender girl couldn’t withstand the force and slammed directly into a small cabinet by the door!

Bang! Yuan Yuan’s body nearly tipped the cabinet over.

“!!!” Su Mi’s eyes widened sharply.

“Cut!”

Su Mi didn’t wait for Director Song; the moment he called “cut,” she ran over directly.

Even a fool could see what had just happened!

Xin Keke was naturally slim and slight, while Shi Yaya looked significantly sturdier in comparison. Even if the script said Zeng Liumei was to “shove” Yuan Yuan, it certainly shouldn’t have been a violent push like that.

Su Mi clenched her fists. That Shi Yaya—she did it on purpose!

But as she passed Shi Yaya, Su Mi saw genuine surprise and disbelief on her face.

“Xin Keke!”

“Are you okay?!”

The actor playing Wei Minghui hurried to help Xin Keke up. Ye Luo and Xiao Ai rushed out of their rooms to check on her. Su Mi ignored Shi Yaya, hurrying to Xin Keke’s side: “How is it? Are you hurt anywhere?!”

“I’m fine, hssss…”

It was clear Xin Keke was in significant pain; her small face had turned deathly pale. She clutched the area she had hit, slowly straightening up with the help of Su Mi and the others.

Before Su Mi could confront Shi Yaya, she heard the latter apologizing incessantly to Director Song and He Xiao: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I really didn’t use that much force just now; I don’t know how it ended up like this… I am truly sorry!”

“While we strive for realism in filming, we must also ensure the safety of other actors.”

He Xiao’s expression was grim. Since Su Mi had reported her before, Shi Yaya already had a “record” with her. “What would have happened if she was injured on set? Or do you think that because it’s only the first scene, it doesn’t matter if you hurt someone and we can just swap actors?”

“No, that’s absolutely not what I meant!”

He Xiao’s tone was severe. Someone like Shi Yaya knew exactly what she was implying. Shi Yaya bowed repeatedly to the two directors: “I’m sorry, Director, Assistant Director. I will never make such a mistake again, please forgive me!”

Because Shi Yaya admitted her fault so quickly in front of Director Song and He Xiao, Su Mi had no way to vent her anger.

Targeting her—Su Mi—was fine. She was a seasoned corporate slave with thick skin; she could handle the abuse. But if Shi Yaya dared to set her sights on Xin Keke, Su Mi found it unbearable.

Perhaps it was the heart of an original-novel fan at work. Even though she had transmigrated into a minor villain, in Su Mi’s heart, Xin Keke remained the original female lead she had always loved. She felt a nearly knightly instinct to protect her—even if it wasn’t solely to complete the mission and return to her original world.

“I’m okay…”

Xin Keke, shielded by Su Mi, let out a weak sound.

She gently pushed Su Mi away, stood straight, and after a moment of catching her breath, said seriously to Director Song: “Director, Assistant Director, I am fine now. Let’s start over.”

“But the hit just now…”

“Don’t worry.”

Xin Keke looked into Su Mi’s eyes and said firmly: “We can continue filming.”

Fortunately, after He Xiao’s reprimand, Shi Yaya didn’t dare to trip Xin Keke up again. Throughout the rest of the shooting, she didn’t cause any more trouble.

Although Su Mi had a filter on when it came to Xin Keke—in her mind, neither Shi Yaya nor the actor playing Wei Minghui matched Xin Keke’s acting ability—the three of them worked together effectively. As long as they took the acting seriously, the scenes didn’t look overly pathetic.

However, Su Mi was constantly concerned about Xin Keke’s physical state.

Xin Keke would never show her discomfort in front of the camera, but whenever the camera wasn’t focused on her, or after a specific movement was filmed, the way her brows knitted together tugged at Su Mi’s heart.

Su Mi thought for a moment and then ordered something on her phone.

Because it was the first night, Director Song was relatively lenient and didn’t force them to pull an all-nighter; they finished all the scheduled scenes in five or six hours. That effectively wrapped up half of the night scenes set in the apartment.

At the end of the first day, Director Song kept a few actors behind to chat about their performances that night and to discuss areas where he hoped to see more expression in future filming. Su Mi listened in and felt she had gained a lot.

“Everyone performed very well tonight, especially Keke. Once this segment is released, the audience will definitely empathize with Yuan Yuan.” Director Song rolled his script into a tube and clapped his hands. “Everyone worked hard! Dismissed, go to sleep, get some rest, and gather tomorrow at 10 AM!”

“Thank you, Director!”

“Great work!”

Self-immersed in darkness, yet seeing Xin Keke standing in the light. Su Mi didn’t actually dislike that feeling.

While listening to Director Song’s praise, a smile remained on Xin Keke’s face. This was different from the Xin Keke Su Mi had seen at Shengxing; on set, she seemed to smile with satisfaction quite often. Perhaps, for Xin Keke, acting was her one true love in life.

After the director announced the wrap, the staff and actors dispersed in twos and threes. Xin Keke noticed Su Mi’s gaze and looked back, meeting Su Mi’s smile: “Time to head back!”

“Why did you stay until now?”

Xin Keke was a bit surprised, as if she hadn’t even noticed Su Mi before: “There’s shooting tomorrow morning; do you still have to follow?”

“Hey…” For some reason, hearing Xin Keke say that made Su Mi feel inexplicably deflated. “You’re acting like a ‘scumbag’—wanting me around when you need me, and telling me to get lost when you don’t…”

The two walked together toward the hotel.

“I didn’t… hssss!”

Xin Keke was about to defend herself when her brow suddenly twitched and knitted together.

Su Mi stopped immediately, instinctively wanting to reach out to steady her, but suddenly remembered the “Three-Point Covenant” and awkwardly left her hand hanging in the air: “What’s wrong? Is the spot you hit still hurting?”

“I’m fine…” Xin Keke clutched her waist. “You go ahead; I’ll probably walk a bit slower.”

Su Mi was nearly amused by her: “Comrade Xin Keke, I’ve waited five or six hours—do you really think I care about a few more minutes?”

She extended her arm toward Xin Keke.

“Come on, this young lady is being merciful today and letting you lean on me.” Even though she said that, Su Mi’s eyes were incredibly gentle. “Lean on me; it’ll save some strength.”

“I’m really fine…”

Despite what she said, her waist was truly in pain. Xin Keke bit her lip, the area around the bite marks turning white. Her stubbornness had long since been seen through. Su Mi waved her arm in front of Xin Keke: “I’ll give you five minutes to think about it. Once this village is passed, there won’t be another store.”

“I…”

Seeing Su Mi so persistent, Xin Keke pursed her lips, hesitating for a full minute without moving. Eventually, she carefully reached out and held onto Su Mi’s arm.

“Fine, just this once…” She suddenly turned her head away, her tone cold, as if she were trying hard to pretend they had no relationship. “Sorry to trouble you, I… I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Su Mi smiled.

You fool.

“Stop talking now. Save your strength; we’re going home.”