Transmigrated as the Future Movie Queen's Arch-Nemesis - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

This was probably the happiest period of time Su Mi had experienced since transmigrating. There was no pressure, and she was on the verge of successfully winning over Xin Keke, all she had to do was follow the original plot and stay by her side until she became the Best Actress at the Liangyu Awards. The remaining tasks were simple—as long as she followed the script, everything would be fine. She was clearly on the path to changing the original host’s destiny.

As she entered the dance floor with Xin Keke for a night of revelry, Su Mi squeezed her hand. Yet, Su Mi knew better than anyone that all good things must come to an end. Even if she was happy in the Summer crew, there would eventually come a day when the filming wrapped up.

Multi-colored lights danced over the disco ball, and rhythmic beams reflected in Xin Keke’s eyes. Su Mi smiled at her. Thank goodness Xin Keke is still by my side.

A few days later, on set:

“Come to think of it, I saw a travel group a few days ago. Since I’m taking my annual leave and you’re finally free, why don’t you come on a trip with me?”

Bo Xiaoling shoved her hands into her pockets as Yuan Yuan walked beside her, the two exchanging a smile. They reached the end of the camera’s view. After the final line was delivered, a crackling sound erupted around Su Mi. Confetti cannons fired, catching her off guard and making her jump. The staff applauded, and Director Song walked toward her, holding a bouquet he’d taken from He Xiao.

“Congratulations on wrapping up,” Director Song said. “You’ve worked hard during this time. Thank you.”

“No, no, Director, don’t say that!” Su Mi waved her hands. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity. It’s been a joy working with everyone.”

She pulled the large, heavy bouquet into her arms. The fragrance filled the air, as if leading Su Mi into a sweet dream. So, this is what wrapping up feels like. She had only ever seen actors wrap up in short videos; the moment the bouquet was handed over, it signaled the end of this dream-like experience. The reactions of the actors in those videos varied—some kept their composure, others teared up, and many burst into uncontrollable sobbing.

When it was her turn, a wave of complex emotions washed over Su Mi. She knew that acting was just a choice she had been forced to make after transmigrating. Whether the original host wanted fame or genuinely loved acting, she had transmigrated into this body and had to follow the original settings. In a way, she had been pushed into this line of work.

Compared to drawing, acting was a hurdle for Su Mi. She had never done anything like this in her twenty-plus years in the real world—at most, she’d once helped a journalism classmate with a small short film for a project. Could she say she hadn’t acted seriously? Definitely not. She’d even secretly consulted Xin Keke and rehearsed with her over and over again to make the Director’s job easier.

But could she say she was truly serious? She still viewed acting as the original host’s business, not “her own” career. Yet, looking down at the bouquet, Su Mi felt an irreplaceable sense of accomplishment. Although she didn’t fully identify with the identity of an “actress,” this was recognition gained in another field through her own ability. Perhaps such an opportunity would never come again in her real life, but she had experienced it. And the feeling wasn’t bad at all.

“Congratulations, Su Mi.”

From somewhere, Xin Keke produced a bouquet. Compared to the crew’s flowers, it wasn’t particularly large, but it was filled with golden sunflowers—Su Mi’s favorites.

“How did you know I liked sunflowers?” Su Mi was pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t expected Xin Keke to prepare a separate bouquet for her. Her eyes brightened, and she leaned into Xin Keke. “Thank you, baby.”

Even if it was a web drama put together in a rush and filmed quickly, it would be a beautiful memory for Su Mi. This time, Xin Keke didn’t push her away. She gently wrapped her arms around her and whispered, “…You’re welcome.”

The filming had wrapped. That meant there was no longer any need for Su Mi to stay on set. After the previous unpleasantness with Shi Yaya, she had maintained a good relationship with Xin Keke as roommates, which had made Shi Yaya so angry she stopped talking to them, preferring to hang out with the minor side characters instead. Su Mi didn’t mind; as long as they weren’t named bosses from the original text, she treated them all as cannon fodder.

Su Mi had planned to lounge in the room with Xin Keke for the few days before Xin Keke wrapped, drawing and doing things she liked. The ideal was plump, but reality came quickly. After bidding farewell to the crew, Su Mi returned to her room to pack when her phone suddenly rang. She looked over; it was a call from the butler.

She hadn’t expected this at all. That’s incredible—did they have an eye on the set? Did they know she’d just wrapped? Even though they were just the original host’s family, it didn’t feel bad to be thought of. Su Mi answered happily: “Hello? Butler Lu, I just—”

“Miss, the Old Madam has fallen ill.”

The butler cut her off before she could finish. Su Mi paused. “Ill? What kind of illness? Is it serious?” The original host’s grandmother is sick? That wasn’t mentioned in the original text…

“Sigh, I hope you are mentally prepared. The preliminary diagnosis indicates pancreatic issues, and there is a high probability that it is…”

The butler didn’t finish the sentence. But for a man who was usually so sharp and spirited to sound so somber, it couldn’t be anything good. The grandmother was old and her immunity was low; wasn’t it usually cancer or something similar? And pancreatic, at that…

“How could this happen?” Su Mi was anxious. “I’ll buy a ticket to see Grandmother right now.”

“Please, don’t be hasty. After the Old Madam fell ill and lapsed into a coma, the Master and the Young Master took over her duties immediately and forced her to stay in the hospital for recovery.” The butler’s voice sounded pained. “Miss, it was the Old Madam’s wish that you do not return. Lately, the Madam has been harping on about wanting to marry you off to a family with similar social status. Now that the Old Madam has fallen ill, there is no one left to stop her. If you return now, I fear…”

Su Mi: “…”

No, what is wrong with everyone in this world? The information in the butler’s words was too heavy, delivering a major shock to Su Mi. She could only nod, then realized the butler couldn’t see her and said, “Mm, I understand. Thank you.”

“Butler Lu, I need to think this over before making a decision. Thank you for your hard work—please take care of Grandmother for me during this time.”

“That is my duty, Miss.”

After hanging up, Su Mi stared at the caller ID, unable to snap out of it for a long time. What is… going on? Everything had been fine before, but with this one phone call, the world had turned upside down. Su Mi had initially thought that with the original host’s substantial family assets, even if her mother was biased against her, her grandmother favored her, ensuring she would be safe as long as she stayed in this world. She even felt that after the time they’d spent together, her relationship with Xin Keke was strong enough that she could lie flat, shower her with resources, and smooth her path to becoming a Best Actress.

But reality had slapped her hard. Her status had plummeted. That wasn’t even the worst of it—the original host’s grandmother was the first person to show Su Mi kindness after she transmigrated… and the thought of her being bullied made Su Mi livid.

Pancreatic issues… that could only mean pancreatic cancer. Su Mi covered her mouth. This disease was excruciating in its later stages. Even if the grandmother had enough funds for treatment, Su Mi didn’t believe for a second that her father and brother had good intentions in seizing power the moment the old lady fell ill.

What about the money? What about the old lady’s health? And Xin Keke’s future…What can I do? What can I possibly do in this situation? It seemed as if the heavens didn’t want Su Mi to succeed. Her path, which had just begun to brighten, had plunged her back into darkness.

Su Mi closed her eyes and forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm her emotions. She still felt a sense of unreality, likely because she hadn’t fully internalized her role as the original host while having to face her circumstances. Regardless, things had come to this, and she had to resolve it, no matter the trouble.

After several breaths, she gradually calmed down. Just then, her phone rang again. Expecting it to be her dog-like father or mother, she braced herself, but when she looked, it was Xiao Ai.

Su Mi steadied her emotions and answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Big Mimi?” Xiao Ai was somewhere with wind whistling in the background. “I heard you wrapped up today? That’s great, congratulations~”

“Hahaha, thank you.”

Distracted by her grandmother’s illness, Su Mi wasn’t in the mood to accept well-wishes.

“Hey, how come you sound a bit unhappy?” Xiao Ai’s intuition was sharp. Su Mi swallowed, trying to make her voice sound normal. “No, I’m fine. What’s up?”

“Oh, you asked me to help you look into who started those rumors, right? See how good I am? I actually found out for you.”

Su Mi could imagine Xiao Ai’s proud expression. But when it came to who had spread the rumors about her and Xin Keke, Su Mi regained her spirit. “Who?”

“Little Sanhe, the one who’s been hanging out with Shi Yaya lately.”

“Shi Yaya? You think she had something to do with it?”

“I didn’t say that,” Xiao Ai chuckled. “That would be too obvious. Besides, Shi Yaya has been fairly well-behaved lately, and she doesn’t have any real conflicts of interest with you two, does she?”

That was true. Shi Yaya was just a smoke screen, there had to be someone else behind her. Su Mi’s brow furrowed. Putting together recent events, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone from the Su family was involved…

“Alright, my mission is over. The rest is up to you~” Xiao Ai said happily. “I’ll come to Dingjiang to find you later. Bye!”

“Yeah, okay. Bye.”

Standing by the window, Su Mi looked out at the sun-drenched earth. An unknown plot had emerged—or perhaps a plot the original author hadn’t written. Though it didn’t seem related to Xin Keke’s path to fame, Su Mi felt that one wrong step could send her into an endless abyss. She knew nothing about wealthy family infighting and had no desire to participate, but now her parents and brother were dead set on destroying her grandmother, and it looked like they would target her next.

She pressed her forehead lightly against the glass. She couldn’t be heartless. Even for the sake of the original host, she couldn’t leave her grandmother isolated and helpless.

So, what on earth should I do…?