What Should I do After Binding the Wrong System and the Female Lead comes Knocking at my Door? - Chapter 20

After finishing breakfast, Pei Yuanxi hurriedly took Gu Qing to the studio, where the director for the drama they had chosen was already waiting for her.

“Old Zhang!”

Pei Yuanxi shouted as she entered the room, startling Director Zhang Quan, who was reading the script.

Zhang Quan grunted in annoyance, “I feel like you’re determined to send me away.”

Pei Yuanxi grabbed Gu Qing’s hand and introduced her to Zhang Quan, “This is Gu Qing, a promising newcomer I have high hopes for.”

Gu Qing slightly bowed and greeted him, “Hello, Director Zhang.”

Zhang Quan nodded at Gu Qing, then turned to Pei Yuanxi and asked, “Is she playing the female lead in this drama?”

“Of course,” Pei Yuanxi replied.

She pulled out a chair and gestured for Gu Qing to sit.

“Ah Qing, Director Zhang here was the director for my very first drama. It was because that drama became such a huge hit that I was able to smoothly step into the public’s view,” Pei Yuanxi continued.

“So, Old Zhang, when I thought about who should direct Ah Qing’s first drama, the first person I thought of was you. How about it? Have I made it big, but haven’t forgotten about you?”

Zhang Quan couldn’t help but stroke his mustache, then sighed with nostalgia, “When you came to my set for an audition back then, you were still so inexperienced, but you had this innate spark. So, I gave you a secondary female role. I didn’t expect your performance to be so surprisingly good, and I ended up choosing you to play the role, even though it meant I had to go against many people.”

Zhang Quan glared at Pei Yuanxi and continued, “Then, after the film became a hit, people dug up your background. I have to say, you clearly never intended to hide it. Why didn’t you just bring money into the set then? If you didn’t, at least tell people that you were the second daughter of the Mu family, and they wouldn’t have dared argue with me so boldly.”

Pei Yuanxi chuckled, “Wasn’t it to test if I really had the chops to be an actress? And now, Old Zhang, here comes the compensation. Ah Qing will definitely be the next me, even better. Just think about how people will talk about how both of the future Best Actress winners did their first roles under your direction. You’ll be secretly enjoying it!”

Zhang Quan laughed and said, “Alright, enough with the compliments. Let’s see her try a scene. I need to know her foundation to know how to direct her.”

Pei Yuanxi nodded. “I understand. Which scene should she try?”

Zhang Quan thought for a moment, then pointed to the final pages of the script. “Since you’re here, let her try the last scene with you. The core of the entire drama is in the final scene. You two should perform it so we can communicate and fix any problems now. Gu Qing, are you okay with that?”

“No problem.”

Gu Qing nodded and quickly memorized the final part of the script. It wasn’t long, but it was a scene that would really showcase her acting skills.

After two minutes, Gu Qing set the script down and took a deep breath. “I’m ready to start.”

At that moment, Pei Yuanxi also felt nervous. Even though she always had faith in Gu Qing, this was the first time she would be testing her talent. She worried that if Gu Qing became too nervous, it could affect her performance and result in a setback.

Gu Qing began with a scene where she staggered alone in an empty area, then gradually collapsed to sit on the ground.

After watching Gu Qing’s performance, Pei Yuanxi finally breathed a sigh of relief. At that point, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “You can leave now…”

Gu Qing paused to catch her breath and tried to make her voice sound normal before softly responding, “But we haven’t seen the flowers, have we?”

“There are no flowers left… I’ve reached the end… now it’s time to wait here to die…”

Gu Qing’s eyes shifted. “I have flowers here.”

“What flowers?” Pei Yuanxi asked.

“Flowers,” Gu Qing replied softly.

“How nice… I really want to see them.”

After saying that, Pei Yuanxi lay down on the ground. Gu Qing noticed that Pei Yuanxi suddenly appeared right in front of her, and in her joy, she used all her strength to get up and support Pei Yuanxi’s upper body. She sat down on the ground, holding Pei Yuanxi gently in her arms.

“Xi… is it really you?”

Pei Yuanxi leaned against her chest and nodded weakly.

Gu Qing’s lips trembled slightly, and soon tears streamed down her face. Her sobs in the quiet room were heart-wrenching.

She pressed one hand to her mouth, trying to stifle the sound of her crying, but her sobs still reached Pei Yuanxi’s ears.

Pei Yuanxi slightly turned her head to look at Gu Qing’s face, gently poking the tear rolling down her cheek with her finger and twirling it, “Such a beauty… I still don’t even know your name.”

Gu Qing suddenly smiled through her tears, “You really do like women, huh! My name is He Xiaomai. My grandmother gave me that name. She said that in her time, she felt happy whenever the fields were full of crops, and she hoped my life would be full of happiness and goodness, so she named me Xiaomai.”

Pei Yuanxi nodded slightly, “I don’t quite understand, but I know that right now, I feel good because of you.”

“So… are you saying the flowers are you?”

Gu Qing pointed her finger through the air, as if offering something to Pei Yuanxi.

Pei Yuanxi took it, looking up to the sky and asking, “Is this the flower? Does it have a name?”

“It’s called a rose. I’m sorry, it’s already wilted.”

Pei Yuanxi replied softly, “It’s okay… It’s still beautiful…”

After saying that, she couldn’t hold on any longer and tightly clenched the rose in her hand, closing her eyes.

Gu Qing lowered her head and gently gazed at Pei Yuanxi, “Yes, it’s really beautiful.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Quan, who had been standing nearby, pretended to howl like a wolf and then clapped his hands.

After Pei Yuanxi stood up and waited for Gu Qing to collect herself, she asked Zhang Quan, “How did I do?”

Zhang Quan joked, “Not bad. If I were playing your old man, I would be moved by both of you too. And once this is released on the big screen, you two will definitely gain a lot of fans. I’m sure they’ll be all over the CP (couple) pairing.”

“However… there are still some details to be worked on.”

Gu Qing nodded, obediently waiting for Zhang Quan’s advice.

“Gu Qing, your eyes are too one-dimensional. All I see in your eyes is love. In the play, Xi is supposed to be someone who likes women, but when you look at Xi, your gaze is even more passionate than Xi’s. This is wrong. By the end, when you look at Xi, your gaze should be complicated. Remember this: You need to make it look like you don’t like women, but rather, you have a sudden realization that it’s just that Xi happens to be a woman.”

“Look at Yuanxi, she does it really well. Even though Xi likes women, her empathy for He Xiaomai is much stronger than her love.”

Pei Yuanxi coughed awkwardly, “Alright, alright, I understand. I’ll make sure to help A Qing. Since you don’t have any objections to A Qing’s performance, let’s move on and discuss the other issues.”

Zhang Quan nodded. “Who did you cast for He Xiaomai’s boyfriend in this drama?”

“Wen Liang.”

“Who?!”

Zhang Quan looked at Pei Yuanxi in disbelief. “Does Wen Liang know you’re setting her up for this role?”

“She only knows I’ve given her a role, but she doesn’t know it’s a scumbag role. And how can this be called setting her up? Wen Liang is definitely going to benefit from playing this. Honestly, when she plays this role, don’t you think the audience’s expectations will be off the charts?”

“Think about it. Really think about it.”

Zhang Quan thought for a moment, then realized that Pei Yuanxi had a point. “In my opinion, Wen Liang has much more potential than you, and letting her step out of her comfort zone is a good thing.”

“Don’t jinx it.”

Before Pei Yuanxi could finish speaking, a woman’s voice came from outside the door. The woman walked in and smiled, “Director Zhang, please don’t say that. If our Second Young Miss’s fans hear this, I’ll be in big trouble.”

Pei Yuanxi was stunned for a moment. “Wen Wen? When did you arrive?”

Wen Liang didn’t answer. Instead, she walked up to Gu Qing, extended her hand, and said, “Hello, I’m Wen Liang.”

Gu Qing lowered her eyes and shook Wen Liang’s hand. “Hello, I’m Gu Qing.”

Wen Liang smiled and said to Gu Qing, “I’ve been outside watching since you both started your rehearsal, but I didn’t want to disturb you. You both performed very well. At least, it’s much better than Pei Yuanxi’s first time acting.”

Gu Qing softly replied, “Thank you.”

Wen Liang turned her head and gave Pei Yuanxi a tender look, causing Pei Yuanxi to feel her hair stand on end.

“Second Young Miss, don’t you have anything to explain?”

Pei Yuanxi gave an awkward laugh and patted the table with righteous indignation. “I’m doing this for your own good!”

Wen Liang sighed. “Alright, I’ll listen to you and play this role, but if I don’t do well, don’t blame me.”

Pei Yuanxi, very pleased, patted Wen Liang on the shoulder. “You should have told me you were coming!”

“I sent you a message as soon as I got off the plane, but you didn’t reply. So I just came to see if you were here. I also bought a bunch of things for the staff at your studio. I’m exhausted.”

Gu Qing, who had been quietly observing Wen Liang, looked at her thoughtfully. Wen Liang noticed her gaze and turned to meet her eyes.

The two exchanged a brief look. Wen Liang nodded at Gu Qing, then turned back to Pei Yuanxi. “Honestly, if I had known your studio was still accepting new talent, I would have come here earlier. So, what do you think? Can I join now?”

Pei Yuanxi immediately responded, “As long as you want to, I’ll sign you!”

Wen Liang smiled, but still said, “Forget it, my penalty for breaking the contract is pretty high right now. I’m afraid I won’t make enough to cover it. I can’t let Second Young Miss suffer, right?”

Just then, hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the door. It was Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou had been feeling sick today. She had been wondering whether Pei Yuanxi had secretly poisoned her food last night.

When she came out of the bathroom, clutching her stomach and looking pale, she saw that everyone in the studio had a small gift in hand. She immediately asked what was going on.

When she learned that Wen Liang was here, she was completely stunned!

So, she hurried in, unsure whether a fight had broken out. If it had, who would she pull apart?

Gu Qing?

Wen Liang would be upset.

Wen Liang?

Gu Qing would be upset.

When she opened the door and saw the group laughing and chatting, Bai Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. She walked over to Gu Qing’s side and softly asked, “How did the rehearsal go?”

After Gu Qing assured her that everything was fine, Bai Zhou smiled and greeted Wen Liang, “Long time no see! You didn’t just come here and bring gifts, did you?”

Wen Liang gave Bai Zhou a playful look, making Bai Zhou feel a little uneasy.

Wen Liang mouthed the words, “You’ll regret this.”

Bai Zhou: …