Transmigrated as the Future Movie Queen's Arch-Nemesis - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Noticing that Su Bin and the original host didn’t get along, and seeing that the mother favored the son, Su Mi ceased her fire. She decided to test the waters with the father and grandmother before deciding on her next move.

Fortunately, the father soon came out to call them to dinner. Su Mi immediately ignored Su Bin’s provocations and dashed to the table to sit down.

In such a wealthy house, dinner tonight was bound to be excellent.

She had to see what was on the menu before deciding whether or not to snap back at Su Bin.

The dining table was massive. Su Mi sat next to the mother, with Su Bin and the father across from her. She looked around but didn’t see the grandmother anywhere.

Hmm? Didn’t they say the grandmother was here?

She didn’t have to wonder for long; soon, the butler led the servants in, carrying the dishes.

Su Mi looked. Whoa, mama.

There were South American giant prawns, sea cucumber, and abalone, of course. Beyond that, there was a soup made with fresh honeycomb grouper.

With so many delicacies, Su Mi completely forgot about the grandmother for a moment.

Seeing everyone pick up their bowls, Su Mi raised her chopsticks to dive in, but before she could make a move, her chopsticks were knocked aside with a sharp ping.

Su Mi looked up and met Su Bin’s smirking face.

“Sister, can’t you get your hands on good food like this outside?” Su Bin started pestering her again. “Look at you, acting like a starving monkey. Grandma hasn’t even come out yet…”

“Why wait for me? Eat.”

Before Su Bin could finish, a majestic female voice cut him off.

Hearing the sound, Su Mi’s parents immediately stood up to greet her: “Mom.”

Only then did Su Mi see an old lady with silver hair being pushed in a wheelchair by the butler from the innermost room.

Her hair was combed back meticulously and secured with a black headband. Although she was in a wheelchair, her spirit was sharp. In short, she looked like an old lady you shouldn’t mess with.

Even Su Mi, a transmigrator, was cowed by the grandmother’s aura. Forgetting her verbal sparring with Su Bin, she stood up quickly: “Hello, Grandma!”

“Oh, Big Mi Mi is back.”

The grandmother had looked quite stern just a second ago, but as soon as she saw Su Mi, she beamed: “It’s not easy for Big Mi Mi to come home. Come, sit next to Grandma.”

The butler pushed Grandma to the head of the table. The old lady didn’t even give her son or daughter-in-law a direct look before beckoning Su Mi. Holding her rice bowl, Su Mi looked innocently at the mother, who had been sitting next to the head of the table.

The meaning was clear: Move over, give up the seat.

The mother’s expression turned a bit sour, but since it was the Old Madam’s request, she had no choice but to comply.

“How has work been lately, Big Mi Mi? Are you happy?” As soon as Su Mi sat down, the grandmother took her hand and stroked it carefully in her palm.

Even though this was the original host’s grandmother and not hers, Su Mi felt a sudden wave of emotion.

In this world, only the grandmother and Xin Keke had feelings for Su Mi that felt “real.”

It was just that one was real love, and the other was real hatred.

She nodded: “I’m happy, Grandma.”

The grandmother’s eyes crinkled into crescent moons. She patted Su Mi’s hand: “Good, good. That’s all that matters.”

In her peripheral vision, Su Mi saw Su Bin and the mother exchange a look. Neither spoke, while the father just gave an awkward, apologetic smile.

At this point, Su Mi had a basic grasp of the family dynamics.

The father was a fence-sitter. He’d lean toward the mother if she nagged him, but lean toward his own mother (the grandmother) if she scolded him.

As for the children, the mother was strictly on the son’s side, while only the grandmother favored the granddaughter.

The grandmother happily stroked Su Mi’s hand for a while before remembering: “Come, everyone, don’t just stand there. Eat, eat.”

After waiting so long, dinner finally began.

However, Su Mi was a bit of a vindictive person. Seizing the opportunity now that she had backing—and because Su Bin had knocked her chopsticks away earlier—Su Mi kept an eye on whatever Su Bin wanted to reach for and snatched it away with lightning speed.

Her speed was so fast it left Su Bin stunned: “…”

Su Mi gave him a fake, thin smile.

She did it a second time.

Su Bin set his sights on the largest giant prawn. Su Mi was faster, stabbing it with her fork just as he was about to move: “Grandma, this prawn looks great. I’ll peel one for you.”

“Oh, good, good! Big Mi Mi is becoming more and more filial, knowing to peel prawns for Grandma.”

Su Mi glanced back at Su Bin, unable to hide her “winner’s” expression.

Su Bin was so angry he slammed his chopsticks down with a loud thud.

The mother, seeing things going south, quickly tugged at Su Bin’s sleeve under the table. Seeing this, Su Mi continued peeling the prawn for the grandmother while putting on a look of great shock: “Eh? Brother, why aren’t you eating?”

Stoking the flames was something she was quite good at.

Finishing the prawn, she placed it in the grandmother’s plate and blinked: “Could it be that you want Big Sister to peel one for you too? Oh, you should have just said so if you had such a small request. Big Sister wouldn’t refuse you acting like a spoiled baby~~”

Su Bin’s face turned nearly iron-blue: “Su! Mi!”

“How dare you speak to your sister like that?” To Su Mi’s surprise, just as she thought Su Bin was about to explode, the grandmother spoke up.

She glared at Su Bin: “If you want to eat, sit down and eat properly. If not, go back to your room!”

Su Mi sneered inwardly.

Litte brat, you think you’re the only one with a backer?

Sorry, but my backer is more reliable.

“Oh, Mom, Xiao Bin didn’t mean it that way.” Seeing the situation, the mother quickly stepped in to play peacemaker. She picked a prawn from the platter and started peeling it for Su Bin: “Come, come, Xiao Bin. If you want a prawn, Mommy will peel it for you.”

Su Bin said coldly: “Mom, I was going to peel one for you.”

Su Mi spread some honeycomb on a piece of rusk, paired it with thin slices of papaya and bitter melon, and took a crunchy bite.

Hmph. Trying to fight your sister? You’re a bit too green, kid.

It seemed the original host’s family issues were indeed quite serious.

“Big Mi Mi, Grandma remembers you like acting, right?” the old lady suddenly asked.

Su Mi pulled her attention away from Su Bin and nodded.

She still remembered that the original host’s job was being an 18th-tier minor actress.

One second the grandmother was scolding Su Bin with a stern face, the next she was all smiles for Su Mi:

“Perfect. A couple of days ago, a friend of mine—Director Song, the one Grandma helped out a lot—said his new drama is starting production, and they happen to be short of a female lead. I wonder if Big Mi Mi wants to give it a try? It’s a low-budget production, so our Mi Mi doesn’t have to be too serious; just take it as some practice.”

Her? The female lead?

Su Mi was so shocked she couldn’t even finish her bite of bread.

If it were the original host, she would have agreed instantly.

But Su Mi had never had any experience as an actress in real life. She knew that a pretty face alone was useless. The entertainment industry was full of such people; only those with acting skills won people’s hearts.

If she took the lead role, even in a “flopped” web drama, she’d be roasted to death for her acting once it aired.

She didn’t want to be remembered for a thousand years of infamy.

While Su Mi was deliberating, Su Bin, who was still fuming from the earlier exchange, seized the opportunity to be sarcastic: “Sister, didn’t you always want to act? What are you hesitating for? Even if it’s a low-budget web drama, it’s still the female lead. Maybe you’ll get famous overnight.”

He placed heavy emphasis on “female lead” and “famous.”

To his surprise, Su Mi ignored him and spoke solemnly to the grandmother: “Thank you for the kindness, Grandma and Director Song. I know this is a rare opportunity, and I would love to take the lead role, but I know that my current abilities aren’t there yet.”

“If I were to take this role rashly, it would be irresponsible to you, to Director Song, to myself, and to the project.”

She finished this long speech without even a blush or a heavy breath. By the time she finished, the people at the table were stunned.

“A-Are you… are you really Su Mi?” Su Bin was terrified. “Are you possessed by a ghost?”

“Xiao Bin, don’t say such unlucky things.” The father, who had been acting like an invisible man, finally spoke. He nodded at Su Mi. “My daughter has finally grown up. She’s sensible now.”

The grandmother laughed so hard she couldn’t close her mouth, not at all displeased that her offer was turned down: “Truly my granddaughter. Alright then, Grandma will have the butler tell Director Song that we don’t want the lead role. Let’s see if there’s another character Big Mi Mi likes. You’ve always wanted to act, so just go with the crew. Treat it as training.”

G-Go with the crew??

Su Mi felt depressed. No way, was this in the original novel? I don’t think so. Wasn’t the minor villain always around Xin Keke?

If she went with the crew, wouldn’t that mean not seeing Xin Keke for several months?

Then how was she supposed to get closer to her?

If she couldn’t get closer, then her future…

But she had already made a request just now. If she raised more objections at the dinner table, she’d look ungrateful.

Su Mi didn’t want Su Bin or the mother to catch her in a mistake. For a moment, she could only smile and act vaguely.

During the rest of the meal, although Su Bin continued his verbal provocations, Su Mi shut them all down.

The dinner finally ended peacefully. However, shaken by the “joining the crew” news, Su Mi couldn’t even taste the freshness of the sea cucumber.

She had to think of a way, fast.

Su Mi eventually had the butler drop her off in front of the Shengxing Entertainment building.

The grandmother had wanted Su Mi to stay at the main mansion tonight, but Su Mi used the excuse of a sudden evening rehearsal to leave.

Grandma was great to her, but if she had to stay there all night facing Su Bin and the mother, she might actually go crazy.

Logically, she should have stepped out of the car and called a taxi home, but for some reason, Su Mi found her legs moving toward their studio as if possessed.

She was going with a film crew…

Going with a film crew.

For such a long time, she wouldn’t see Xin Keke. What should she do?

She had never acted before. What if her acting wasn’t up to par?

Pressure mounted. Unconsciously, Su Mi arrived at the floor where their studio was located, wanting a quiet place to clear her head.

She thought everyone had left, but the large rehearsal room was still lit, and the door was unlocked.

Su Mi suddenly heard a sound coming from inside.

Is someone still here at this hour…?

Su Mi leaned curiously toward the door.

“Since you have chosen her, then from now on, there is nothing between us.”

The rehearsal room was brightly lit, but the massive room held only one person: Xin Keke.

A stand was set up in front of her with a phone perched on top, as if she were recording a video.

At this moment, Xin Keke was filming herself.

What… what is she recording?

Su Mi watched as she turned around and took two steps toward the door. Su Mi thought the filming was over and was about to jump out and give her a “surprise,” when she heard her voice again.

As if a voice from behind had stopped her, Xin Keke paused, yet stubbornly refused to look back.

“Wei Minghui, for a promise, I waited for you for three years. In all those long days and nights, whenever I felt things were unbearable, I would remember the way you looked so serious that day.”

Xin Keke was currently standing sideways to the door, so Su Mi could see her face.

The unadulterated expression of sorrow on Xin Keke’s face, the slight nasality in her voice, and the lines Su Mi heard—they all dragged Su Mi into a state of deep sadness.

She only used two sentences. Even the setting was just a simple rehearsal room.

Is this a genius actress?

Su Mi remembered the original author writing that Xin Keke was a genius.

At first, Su Mi hadn’t taken it seriously. So many protagonists in novels are labeled “geniuses,” but few actually make the reader feel their intelligence.

But at this moment, when Su Mi faced a “method-acting” Xin Keke in person, she realized what it meant for someone to be “blessed by the heavens.”

Every nuance of Xin Keke’s expression and the emotions swirling in her eyes felt like hands, pulling Su Mi—the spectator—into her emotional vortex.

She didn’t know the background of the scene Xin Keke was practicing, but that stubborn look of being betrayed by a lover yet refusing to shed a tear was captured clearly in Su Mi’s eyes.

Someone seemed to say something behind her again. Xin Keke turned her head slightly but didn’t let the person behind her see the full expression on her face.

She gave a weary smile: “Goodbye.”

With that, as if someone were grabbing her sleeve, Xin Keke raised her hand slightly and pulled her “sleeve” out of the other’s grasp.

Every movement was as smooth as flowing water. Without a hint of lingering attachment, she personally cut off this tangled relationship.

This segment left Su Mi in awe.

This is Xin Keke.

Unable to describe the feeling in her heart, Su Mi stood outside the rehearsal room for a while after Xin Keke finished recording, then walked away quickly.

For the first time, she didn’t take the initiative to greet Xin Keke, nor did she tell her that she was about to join a film crew.

Su Mi didn’t know why she was running away so fast.