Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 32

Xie Qingtang gazed at Chang Yishao with an air of indifference. She swore the word “sultry” was now on her blacklist. What was wrong with being an unromantic blockhead?

Chang Yishao had no intention of waiting for Xie Qingtang’s answer. She turned sideways, and her finger brushed the touch switch of the bedside lamp—Xie Qingtang felt as if she heard a ‘click.’ Darkness washed over them like a tide, and it took a while for her eyes to adjust to the lightless room. Chang Yishao remained seated, her expression completely hidden in the shadow, her leaden thoughts buried along with it.

Xie Qingtang was quite confident in her ability to sleep, but the silent Chang Yishao now became a source of “noise.” She tossed and turned repeatedly. Finally, she threw off the covers and glared angrily at Chang Yishao, but the woman acted as if she hadn’t noticed, still looking down like a thinker in contemplation. Xie Qingtang reached out and grabbed Chang Yishao’s wrist. She frowned and asked good-naturedly, “Good sister, when are you sleeping?”

Chang Yishao finally stirred. Her gaze dropped to Xie Qingtang’s hand, and the corner of her lips curled into a subtle smile. “Good sister, I’m coming now.” Her tone was light and teasing, carrying a hint of ambiguity and tenderness in the enveloping darkness.

Xie Qingtang retracted her hand as if she had received an electric shock. She lay stiffly on the bed, adding the phrase “good sister” to her blacklist as well. Being teased by a blockhead truly didn’t feel good at all.

The two people lying on the bed had different thoughts and slept back-to-back, devoid of any warmth. Dealing with He Yanjin and Liu Wuxuan during the day, and being vexed by Chang Yishao at night, Xie Qingtang was physically and mentally exhausted and naturally fell into a deep sleep. Chang Yishao, however, found it difficult to sleep. After a long while, she carefully turned over, her gaze falling on Xie Qingtang’s figure blurred by the night, and she let out a soft sigh.

Similar faces, yet completely different attitudes towards life. He Yanjin was a dangerous fire that could burn a person to ashes, but Xie Qingtang? She was the scorching daylight, the eternal brightness between heaven and earth.

A contract born of a momentary whim, its implications were yet unknown, whether good or bad.

Xie Qingtang’s “apprenticeship” in Pingyao was about to conclude. As she watched the actors joyfully exclaim over the small pieces coming out of the kiln, she merely looked on coolly, uninfected by the shared happiness.

He Yanjin seemed like a different person after the preceding night. In earlier filming, she and Liu Wuxuan had been at loggerheads, the smell of gunpowder palpable even to the other guests. But He Yanjin was different now; she seemed oblivious to Liu Wuxuan’s sarcasm and suddenly began to fawn over her. Wouldn’t it be surprising for rivals to suddenly try to build a “good sisters” persona?

The disgust in Liu Wuxuan’s eyes subsided somewhat. When He Yanjin was acting like an innocent little white flower, she naturally couldn’t keep suppressing her. But this turn of events ruined her mood; it took a lot of time to placate He Yanjin, leaving her with no mind to tease Xie Qingtang. Xie Qingtang, of course, was happy for the peace and quiet.

He Yanjin probably knows something.

Liu Wuxuan lowered her eyes, masking the coldness in them. He Yanjin had a strong desire to win, and her small piece was considered beautiful among the guests’. She held the small piece, her smile undisguised, and amidst the compliments of the other guests, she walked with light steps towards Liu Wuxuan.

Here we go again—Liu Wuxuan muttered inwardly. If she could, her eyes would have rolled to the heavens.

“Teacher Liu,” He Yanjin’s tone was eager and warm.

Liu Wuxuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, interrupting her opening remarks: “I heard that Teacher He wrote a song for the porcelain? Can we all have the pleasure of hearing it?” He Yanjin had intentionally or unintentionally disclosed this earlier. Rather than waiting for the host to ask at He Yanjin’s deliberate hinting, it was better for her to bring it up first, temporarily shutting down He Yanjin’s eagerness.

Xie Qingtang was originally sitting on the side playing with her phone; they wouldn’t appear on camera when the staff wasn’t needed. She looked up when she heard that sentence.

Would Chang Yishao’s relatives know she is a quiet “composer”? Is Liu Wuxuan up to something? Several thoughts flashed through Xie Qingtang’s mind. She tilted her head slightly, yawned, and then suppressed that bit of curiosity.

He Yanjin and Liu Wuxuan locked eyes, a look of surprise surfacing in He Yanjin’s expression. Although she had been constantly engaging with Liu Wuxuan, trying to soften her attitude, she could clearly sense Liu Wuxuan’s disdain for her. Why would she bring this up? He Yanjin’s gaze gradually became guarded. When the host heard Liu Wuxuan’s words, he smoothly followed up on the topic. “That’s right, Teacher He, I’m a fan of your music. You haven’t released a new song in a while, and everyone can’t wait.” The host joked.

After breaking up with Chang Yishao, He Yanjin hadn’t released any new music. The excuse was traveling abroad to relax and study, but in reality, nothing had changed. When she was in a band with Chang Yishao and the others, she had the ability to write her own songs, but as time passed, she gradually neglected it. From collaborating on ideas to Chang Yishao helping her revise a small part of a melody, and finally to Chang Yishao completing the entire song alone, He Yanjin’s name was completely erased, as if she had nothing to do with any of it.

She didn’t care about those things.

He Yanjin’s drifting thoughts slowly returned. She smiled gracefully and replied openly, “Sure.”

Liu Wuxuan smiled faintly, as if she had expected He Yanjin to comply. On the show, she would spare no effort to showcase her favorable side; image and persona were extremely important to her. No, not just to He Yanjin, but to all the actors. The variety show Beauty Like Porcelain promotes the positive aspects of traditional culture, has official support, and has a vast audience, episode after episode. He Yanjin wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Xie Qingtang had heard He Yanjin’s songs before, and her previous works were beyond reproach. If she had to criticize anything, it would only be He Yanjin’s personal character, taking credit for others’ labor. Xie Qingtang had no aspirations for the spotlight and didn’t see herself having any conflict with He Yanjin in this regard, so she naturally didn’t pay attention. But when He Yanjin’s clear, cold singing reached her ears, her brows couldn’t help but furrow. She looked up and stared at He Yanjin, her eyes immediately becoming sharp.

She had lost a score in the small pavilion and hadn’t thought much about it, assuming the sheet music would likely end up in the trash, and no one would pick up such “garbage.” But He Yanjin’s singing shattered her wishful thinking. Someone had taken the score! The lyrics were new and she didn’t know who wrote them, but the melody of the music was seventy percent similar!

Xie Qingtang nearly stood up.

The number of people in the live stream room was increasing. Some fans of other guests thought He Yanjin was being pretentious, deliberately performing on the show, but there were also passersby who expressed their feelings.

—The song is quite nice. ??—My sister is a singer, I don’t know why she decided to become an actress. —Singing well leads to acting. ??—When is the album coming out? Screaming! ??—It sounds a bit familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere? ??—How can everything sound familiar? No way? Does this song have a plagiarism expert too?

The viewers in the comments began to argue, but it didn’t last long. Once He Yanjin finished her song, the various discussions returned to the guests themselves. However, the one who first mentioned “familiar” couldn’t swallow her pride. She had only felt a simple familiarity, but after being attacked by He Yanjin’s fans, she couldn’t believe it and decided to find the melody she had heard before.

Amidst the guests’ tireless praises, He Yanjin’s face was flushed, and her eyes seemed to flutter with charm.

“When does Teacher He plan to release a new single?” the host asked with a smile.

He Yanjin smiled broadly. She cleared her throat and said, “After the show wraps up, there will be a break, which is a good time to release a new song to reward my fans.” She had originally decided to focus on the screen, but her manager and company personnel all advised her to pursue a dual career, arguing it would be better for her future. Her song, although claimed to be for her fans, was more likely meant to be the theme song for this variety show.

She did not doubt Yunmeng Entertainment’s arrangements; she knew she was enjoying such treatment because of Zhou Yunmeng, but she couldn’t rely on Zhou Yunmeng forever. If she didn’t have the courage to fight against those things, Chang Yishao… she probably wouldn’t come back to her, right? He Yanjin masked a hint of sadness in her eyes. She cast a cold glance towards where Xie Qingtang was, but was met with a pair of cold eyes, she frowned and instantly withdrew her gaze.

This person is Chang Yishao’s deliberate attempt to provoke me. Their countless arguments in the past never led to a real break-up, so why would this time be real?

He Yanjin’s provocation was undisguised, but Xie Qingtang had no intention of confronting her. Did He Yanjin’s people simply find the sheet music? Or did Chang Yishao give it to her? Xie Qingtang’s thoughts swayed back and forth. Knowing that confusion wouldn’t bring an answer, she sent Chang Yishao a message.

“Did you give He Yanjin the music?”

After a long wait, Chang Yishao’s reply “arrived late.”

“No.” A moment later, she sent another question: “What’s wrong?”

—Do you know your ex-girlfriend is a thief?

Xie Qingtang typed out this sentence but then deleted it, word by word. Asking Chang Yishao about this already implied an insult to her character; adding another sentence like that would make herself look excessive. This was, after all, an undeserved calamity for Chang Yishao.

Chang Yishao’s inquiry had no follow-up, but she learned from Xie Qingtang’s few words that the problem lay with He Yanjin.

She frowned, took out her phone, and searched He Yanjin’s name. As expected, she found related news—not many people were discussing it, but she learned the whole story from the information. He Yanjin sang a song about the variety show during the live broadcast, and this song was most likely leaked from Xie Qingtang’s hands—if He Yanjin publicly released it first, she might steal Xie Qingtang’s work.

This was not good.

Chang Yishao continued to read the search results. When she saw the doubts and questions mixed in with the many praises for He Yanjin, her eyebrows raised. A moment later, she contacted someone. However, before she could act, news came that Yunmeng Entertainment had already bought a trending topic and hired trolls to build momentum for He Yanjin’s “new song.”

Zhou Yunmeng… Chang Yishao raised an eyebrow.

She was somewhat confused. What exactly was Zhou Yunmeng trying to do?

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