When the Villainess Transmigrates as the Heroine of a Sadistic Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Entertainment Industry Arc

When Ning Yunqing arrived home, her scumbag father wasn’t there, which left her feeling somewhat regretful. However, a greater disappointment awaited her: she discovered her wardrobe contained only three sets of clothes for spring, summer, and winter.

Including the autumn outfit she was currently wearing, she had exactly four sets for the four seasons. Their style was archaic and clearly handmade, with every inch of fabric showing signs of painstaking repairs, stitch by agonizing stitch.

Looking at her current reflection in the mirror, Ning Yunqing realized her present outfit was actually several grades better than those in the closet. She wore a hooded sweatshirt that had been washed until it turned yellow and jeans that had faded to white. Ignoring the poor-quality fabric and loose threads, she felt she looked quite like a student just not one from a film academy, but rather a high schooler from a school without a strict uniform policy.

“So poor,” Ning Yunqing couldn’t help but sigh. This home had been nearly bled dry by that man. If he expected her to help him pay off his gambling debts, he could keep dreaming!

Ning Yunqing gave a cold snort, a chilling light flashing in her eyes. Wiping a dusty wooden stool, she sat down clutching the script. A quiet environment was better for memorization. The movie she was about to film was titled Morning Dew. It was a film depicting the life of a “small character,” telling the story of the short and laughable life of the female protagonist, Chao Lu (Morning Dew), whom she would be portraying.

Chao Lu was a tragic figure. She came from a wealthy family as a child, but a commercial crisis bankrupted her father. The family was left with massive debts; her father committed suicide, and her mother sold their property to pay the creditors before finding another man, having new children, and ceasing to care for her.

To hide her emotional scars, Chao Lu pretended to be indifferent to everything and even hung out with delinquent youths just to gain her mother’s attention. Unfortunately, her mother remained cold. Heartbroken, Chao Lu impulsively dropped out of school and ran away from home.

That year she was sixteen, she met the first man who made her heart flutter. Regrettably, she had a poor eye for people. She thought the man truly loved her and was her Prince Charming; little did she know he just saw her as an easy target for a bit of fun. Devastated, Chao Lu wanted to leave him, only to discover she was pregnant.

She went to confront him but found him surrounded by debt collectors. To save him, she rushed in and got into a brawl with his tormentors, which caused her to miscarry. Having lost the child, she asked the man if he was willing to marry her. The man remained evasively silent. In a fit of desperation and rage, Chao Lu began to scream and slapped him. Seeing his pathetic, cowardly demeanor, she realized she had been blind and walked away without looking back.

Having had an abortion, Chao Lu was too ashamed to go home and started working various odd jobs. Lacking an education, she could only do low-level work: washing dishes, janitorial work, and even acting as a KTV hostess.

In those places, she saw all walks of life and interacted with people of different backgrounds. Discovering that people in every social stratum had their own miseries, she suddenly felt at peace. She wanted to return to her hometown, resume her studies, and start over—but at that moment, she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. She was going to die.

Life is like the morning dew; the days of suffering are many. She was only twenty, an age like a blossoming flower. Her life was just beginning, yet the final period was already being drawn.

Ning Yunqing clicked her tongue softly: Just how much did those people hate her? They wouldn’t even give her a decent survival in a movie.

In less than a week, Ning Yunqing had committed the thick script to memory. While lines filled her brain, her stomach remained empty.

Her scumbag father, Ning Erbai, had scavenged all her savings. She was left with only a hundred yuan from a secret part-time job she’d done a few days prior. To save enough for the bus to the hotel in the neighboring city, Ning Yunqing had spent the past few days surviving on nothing but steamed buns and water. She had wondered why Young Master Yin hadn’t contacted her for so many days, only to realize the house didn’t even have a landline, let alone a mobile phone.

Without even providing something as essential as a phone, did that scumbag father expect her to rely entirely on Young Master Yin for everything? Ning Yunqing let out a cold laugh. Fortunately, there was a clock in the house so she knew what time it was; otherwise, she would surely have been late. Rubbing her dizzy brow, she stood up, put the script into her old school backpack, and headed out.

Before she reached the door, she heard a commotion, followed by the “creak” of the rusted security door. A middle-aged man with unkempt stubble and a disheveled appearance walked in.

His steps were staggering, and the pungent stench of alcohol was enough to give anyone a headache. Ning Yunqing rubbed her temples, debating whether or not to kick him. The man, however, wore a stern face and swayed toward her. “Yunqing, why are you at home? Why aren’t you with Young Master Yin?”

Ning Yunqing couldn’t be bothered with him and didn’t reply. The man was highly dissatisfied. Breath reeking of booze, he rolled up his sleeves to reveal two thick arms, glaring with wide eyes as he cursed, “I’m talking to you! Damn it, I lost money again! Why haven’t you gone to coax him yet? Earn some capital for your old man!”

Ning Yunqing’s lips curled: Built so strong, yet he has to rely on selling his daughter for money. What an incompetent and unscrupulous waste.

Ning Erbai was used to lording it over Ning Yunqing and her mother. Seeing the mockery on his daughter’s face, his ego couldn’t take it. He raised his hand and slapped Ning Yunqing. She tried to dodge, but after starving for so many days, her physical movements couldn’t keep up with her reflexes.

Before she could move, a sharp crack rang out. “You useless girl! You find a rich guy and suddenly you don’t want your father? You dare mock me? I’ll give you something to laugh about!” He threw another punch, knocking Ning Yunqing straight to the ground.

Ning Yunqing propped herself up and stood. Looking at the man across from her—who was now huffing in pain because her collarbone had bruised his hand her eyes were filled with ice. Why is this damned body so weak! Her brows knitted. Since she couldn’t play it “hard” right now, she would have to play it “dirty.” “My face is ruined. Do you think Young Master Yin will still care about me? I’m telling you, I was just about to head out.”

In Ning Erbai’s mind, the only reason Ning Yunqing would go out was to see Young Master Yin, and at this hour, the two of them were likely to get up to something. Realizing his daughter was his personal “little vault,” he suddenly shifted gears 180 degrees, saying flatteringly, “Yunqing, I’m sorry. It’s Daddy’s fault. Daddy drank too much. Does it hurt? Should Daddy rub it for you?”

No thanks; she felt nauseous. Ning Yunqing shot him a glance and walked straight to the door. Ning Erbai followed behind her. “Baby daughter, don’t be angry. It’s all Daddy’s fault. I’ll slap myself twice to make it up to you, okay?” He slapped himself left and right, the sounds crisp and loud, but Ning Yunqing didn’t look back. Ning Erbai grew anxious and hurried his pace. “Daughter, you mustn’t get upset. You have to serve Young Master Yin well—”

The last word was swallowed by a loud thud. The security door slammed right into Ning Erbai’s face, turning his flushed nose a bruised iron-blue. Blood began to flow from the tip of his nose. Ning Erbai clutched his nose and crouched on the ground. It took a while before he could stand up, intending to push the door open to give a few more instructions, only to be completely stunned. The door was deadlocked from the outside, and it couldn’t be opened from within. He was trapped.

“I hope you don’t starve to death.” Ning Yunqing weighed the key in her hand and quickly ran downstairs. She hailed a taxi and, after more than an hour’s ride, arrived at the Grand Westin. Using her last hundred yuan to pay the fare, she pulled her hat lower and walked inside.

“You’re late.”

Just as she reached the lobby, she saw Yin Fengxuan sitting on a sofa. Tapping her wristwatch, Yin Fengxuan glanced at her with dissatisfaction. “Three minutes late.”

Ning Yunqing didn’t want her lover to see the slap mark on her face. She pulled her hat down further and bowed in apology. “I’m sorry.” She knew Yin Fengxuan disliked excuses, so she didn’t offer any.

Yin Fengxuan actually felt a bit more favorable toward her for this, tapped the table lightly, and said calmly, “Don’t let it happen again.” Standing up, she prepared to take Ning Yunqing to the budget hotel where the crew was staying to check in. But as she got closer, she saw Ning Yunqing retreat two steps, her head hanging even lower.

Wasn’t she bold enough to get handsy with me a few days ago? Why is she so well-behaved now? Yin Fengxuan was curious. The more Ning Yunqing tried to hide, the more she wanted to look. She caught a glimpse of a reddish tint on the girl’s fair face. Yin Fengxuan frowned. “What’s wrong with your face?”

“Nothing. I just applied a bit too much blush.” Ning Yunqing pursed her lips, feeling quite helpless. It was all because that home was too poor; they couldn’t even afford foundation to cover the bruise.

“Blush?” Yin Fengxuan raised an eyebrow. Seeing Ning Yunqing trying to dodge, she grabbed her chin and tilted it up. Seeing the clear five-finger mark on her face, she felt a strange surge of indignation and gave a cold, mocking laugh. “Five-fingered blush. Ning Yunqing, you certainly have a unique style.” Her right hand pressed onto Ning Yunqing’s shoulder, her palm inadvertently pressing against the wound on her collarbone. Ning Yunqing winced in pain.

Yin Fengxuan immediately retracted her hand. The thought of taking her to the budget hotel vanished. Grabbing her hand, she headed straight for the elevators. “Come with me.”

The luxury suites had a private elevator. Ning Yunqing looked down at Yin Fengxuan’s hand resting on her wrist, her lips curling slightly. She turned her hand over and gripped back.

Yin Fengxuan froze and frowned at her, only to see the young girl keeping her head down, looking completely bashful. “I… I have claustrophobia.”

This was, of course, just an excuse to hold her lover’s hand. Yin Fengxuan took it seriously, however. She shook her head helplessly and stepped closer to shorten the distance between them. Ning Yunqing took the opportunity to wrap an arm around the other’s waist, hoping to “take some liberties,” but her stomach—starved for so many days—threw a tantrum. In front of Yin Fengxuan, it let out a loud protest: “Growl~ rumble rumble.”

After a moment of mysterious silence, Ning Yunqing continued to play the role of the quiet, beautiful girl, except the hand that was meant to embrace her lover changed direction and covered her own face instead. Yin Fengxuan burst out laughing and asked teasingly, “Hungry?”

Ning Yunqing nodded. Because this body had a tendency to blush easily, her face felt like it was on fire. In her heart, she made a mental note against the person who designed this world’s settings. How dare they make her lose face in front of her lover? Fine, just wait until they fall into her hands. Heh.

Seeing the girl in front of her too ashamed to lift her head, Yin Fengxuan suddenly thought the child was quite cute. She reached out and patted Ning Yunqing’s head, much like coaxing a child who wanted candy. “Be good. Once we get to the room, I’ll order a meal for you.”

Ning Yunqing’s head hung even lower. She really wanted to refuse, but her stomach yelled out again at an inopportune moment: “Growl—”

“…” Ning Yunqing felt like life was no longer worth living.

Ding-dong. The elevator doors opened. Yin Fengxuan glanced at the somber-looking Ning Yunqing, took her hand, and walked out looking radiant.

Ning Yunqing suddenly felt dizzy. She didn’t know if it was from hunger or shame. She followed closely behind Yin Fengxuan, and the moment she stepped into the room, she suffered a bout of “sudden severe myopia.” Everything blurred before her eyes. Her legs went soft, and her face plunged toward the ground without hesitation.

Thud!

That was the sound of knees hitting the carpet. Ning Yunqing didn’t actually kneel to Yin Fengxuan; rather, her waist was caught mid-air, preventing an intimate contact between her cheek and the floor.

Yin Fengxuan held Ning Yunqing’s waist, thankful that her female lead hadn’t been disfigured. She reached out to check Ning Yunqing’s breathing. Finding she was still breathing, she asked herself, “Did she faint from hunger?” Long eyelashes fluttering, Yin Fengxuan looked at the female lead who was fast asleep in her arms but hadn’t forgotten to let her stomach growl.

She looked bewildered: So, what should I do now? Call an ambulance, or order dinner?

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