Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 28

The wind blew, carrying the heat of the summer along with the scent of the kiln fire.

However, at this moment, Chang Yishao was barely aware of any other smells. Xie Qingtang was close by, her bright eyes shining like the brilliant stars of a summer night. The faint fragrance on her body had long since intertwined with Chang Yishao’s own life.

Xie Qingtang’s fingertip unintentionally brushed against Chang Yishao’s earlobe, a touch that was immediately withdrawn. Yet, in Chang Yishao’s perception, it felt as if Xie Qingtang’s touch lingered there, slowly and gently caressing her. Chang Yishao didn’t offer any rebuttal to the critique of “boring.” A soft sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes seemed to hold a hint of melancholy. But upon closer inspection, that hint of sadness seemed to be filled with the joyous excitement of a student, and the previous emotion was merely a fleeting illusion.

Chang Yishao didn’t move.

Xie Qingtang took the initiative to pull back from the dangerous distance. She tilted her head, gazing at Chang Yishao, a smile still playing on her lips.

“Teacher Chang, Teacher Xie! Mine is the best-looking!” The students who received their “works” shouted excitedly, unwilling to restrain their emotions. Comparison was inevitable among them, and when they couldn’t decide on a winner, they often turned to other authorities for “help.”

The pieces with only leaf impressions, or those with incomplete or curled leaves, were obviously eliminated early in this competition. The remaining few small cups were the “winners” of this kiln firing. Their shape, color, and smoothness were far inferior to those of the kiln workers who had dedicated years to the craft, but these were the best answers the students could produce.

“They are all beautiful,” Xie Qingtang played the role of a mediator at this moment. However, the students on the other side stamped their feet, letting out a dissatisfied “hum,” and turned to the other authority figure—Chang Yishao—in an attempt to force a decision. Xie Qingtang hadn’t felt this competitive urge for a long time. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Chang Yishao with a look of amusement, seemingly wanting to see how she would solve the dilemma.

Chang Yishao’s gaze briefly met Xie Qingtang’s, and a moment later, her eyes dropped to the two small cups placed before her. She pointed out their strengths and weaknesses one by one, and finally added, “The finishing of the base was done by the masters, right?” As soon as this sentence was uttered, the two students who insisted on competing for the best piece immediately looked crestfallen, like defeated roosters, their faces showing a hint of shame. They feigned an attitude of “I’ll try harder next time,” but as soon as they returned to the group of students, they immediately changed back—boisterous and still quite arrogant.

The practical activity for Gantang High School had come to an end, but Xie Qingtang’s “apprenticeship” here was not over.

Qi Yu had only taken the job for Gantang High School. Once the drawing was submitted, there was clearly no more role for her in this kiln, which distinctly belonged to the “Qi” family. She fled the place desperately, like someone escaping a famine. Old Master Qi “spat” at her retreating figure, dissatisfied but also somewhat gratified. Qi Yu had not followed the path he had envisioned for her, but she had achieved success on the path she chose for herself.

“She’s gone, Xiao Shao is gone, are you missing a companion now… there aren’t many young people left here,” Old Master Qi’s tone was full of inflection.

Xie Qingtang smiled and said, “How could that be? Don’t I still have you?”

“How many times a day do you see this old bag of bones? I can’t believe you said that.” Old Master Qi glared at Xie Qingtang, pointed forward, and assigned her a new task. Although the students’ practical activities were over, there was still a “big project” in this area—the cast and crew of the drama Beauty Like Porcelain hadn’t left yet, had they? The kiln didn’t have dedicated workers to accompany the guests, and coupled with the school-related matters, whoever was free would go over. The production crew didn’t care as long as the show proceeded smoothly; after all, the workers were not the protagonists.

The variety show’s slogan was “Revitalizing Traditional Culture and Learning the Spirit of Artisanship,” which meant that the attending guests, whether they liked it or not, had to fully experience the “spirit of artisanship.” The previous filming was still in the “knowledge quiz” stage. Among the group, He Yanjin actually took the lead, which momentarily overshadowed the controversy caused by the “real and fake He Yanjin” and brought attention back to He Yanjin.

“Teacher He seems quite knowledgeable about porcelain,” the host said with a smile.

He Yanjin responded in kind, “I had plans to release a song related to porcelain before, so I’ve learned a little bit.” Her memory was not bad, and some of the knowledge actually came from Chang Yishao. Although she had slowly forgotten it, she naturally found it again as she reviewed this “homework.” Although she participated in variety shows and acted in TV series, He Yanjin’s primary profession was a singer. As she said this, no one doubted the truth of her words.

The host smiled and said, “That’s quite a coincidence.” Seeing that He Yanjin still wanted to speak, the host suddenly changed the subject and shifted it to the other guests. Although He Yanjin was inserted by Yunmeng Entertainment, the other guests were not simple figures, and the host couldn’t focus all the cameras on He Yanjin alone.

Compared to the students who came here for practical experience, the guests obviously had to maintain a “presentable” appearance in front of the camera, so they didn’t need to personally take off their shoes and socks to “stomp the clay.” The clay provided to them had been pre-selected by the staff. The guests’ subsequent work was to follow the staff’s instructions—and Xie Qingtang happened to be one of the staff members.

Under Old Master Qi’s arrangement, she and He Yanjin once again began a “fated confrontation.”

Even if the main emotional line between He Yanjin and Chang Yishao was temporarily on the verge of collapse, it had nothing to do with her—she, the “stand-in,” was destined to be incompatible with He Yanjin.

Tragic, indeed. I’m a mere tool, I need a raise. Xie Qingtang sighed inwardly, reaching up to pull her baseball cap lower, trying to conceal her face—Old Master Qi had excellent eyesight, but wasn’t he worried about potential issues with the rest of the production crew? Was it really a good idea to openly assign her to help out here?

The camera briefly swept past the staff members, faithfully capturing the guests’ various emotions: confusion, curiosity, and anticipation. Xie Qingtang sat by the potter’s wheel with the other staff members. They didn’t need to explain; they only had to quickly pull out a new small cup within one or two minutes.

“That teacher looks a bit familiar,” said a female guest. Her gaze swept past the old kiln workers, finally settling on Xie Qingtang, who was distinctly different from them—her hands under the sunlight were porcelain white, slender, and beautiful.

When Xie Qingtang heard this, she slightly raised her eyes. Based on her years of experience as a tool, she could judge that this was a precursor to trouble. She didn’t remember the name of the woman who spoke, but she was the lead actress who had recently become famous in a fantasy cultivation drama and didn’t get along well with He Yanjin.

Sure enough, right after Xie Qingtang raised her eyes, the female guest’s next sentence was also spoken.

“Is she the one from the Maya viral video? The one who… looks a lot like Teacher He, the ‘Beauty’s Inheritor’?”

The title of “Beauty’s Inheritor” was previously attached to He Yanjin, although it was later proven to be a misunderstanding. After asking the question, the female guest pursed her lips and smiled, as if she had brought it up unintentionally. She brushed past the pale-faced He Yanjin and finally stood steadily in front of Xie Qingtang, winking at her and softly saying, “Miss, can you teach me?”

Xie Qingtang was immune to most beauties. She looked confusedly at the female guest who was blocking the light and casting a shadow over her, and asked, “Isn’t this what we are doing right now?”

The female guest was choked by Xie Qingtang’s response and was speechless for a while. She didn’t get angry; instead, she found a wooden stool and sat down without caring about her image. She propped her chin with both hands, her eyes filled with allure, but most of her gaze was fixed on Xie Qingtang.

“Is Teacher Liu looking for a good teacher?” He Yanjin pursed her lips, suppressing the surging emotions in her eyes, her question deliberately provocative.

The female guest, referred to as “Teacher Liu,” smiled brightly and said, “I can give the miss to you, but I’m afraid others will get confused again.” She spoke with a cheerful smile, but her words were full of mockery and unfriendliness. He Yanjin’s expression suddenly turned cold. The tension between the two was palpable, as if they were about to fight the next moment. However, the other guests were unsurprised, as if they were accustomed to the animosity between them.

He Yanjin was backed by Yunmeng Entertainment, so who was behind this Miss Liu?

Xie Qingtang’s expression was calm, but a whole drama was already unfolding in her mind.

She originally thought it was a good thing that she didn’t have to deal with He Yanjin, but she suddenly realized that this Miss Liu was not an easy person to handle.

“Teacher Xie, I messed up again.” After discovering her surname, the word “Teacher” had “Xie” added to it, changing from a general term to a specific designation for one person. Miss Liu’s voice was soft, carrying a gentle trailing tone. This was her sixth mistake. Xie Qingtang wished she could just slap the clay directly onto her beautiful face.

“Teacher Xie, how about teaching me hand-in-hand?” Miss Liu spoke again, her eyes filled with flirtatiousness.

If it were an old kiln worker, Xie Qingtang wouldn’t believe she would behave this way!

“The students I taught before did better than you,” Xie Qingtang gritted her teeth.

“But I’m not a student. I’m just a delicate actress,” the female guest smiled sweetly at Xie Qingtang, keeping her voice very low.

Xie Qingtang gave Miss Liu a cold glance, feeling overwhelmed on the inside. She thought of Chang Yishao again, remembering her goodness. They were both beauties, so why was Chang Yishao good at everything, while the person in front of her was a “dunce”!

Support