When the Villainess Transmigrates as the Heroine of a Sadistic Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Entertainment Industry Arc

Half a month passed. Yin Fengxuan watched Ning Yunqing head to the set again wearing the same hoodie and jeans, and finally unable to stand it, she called her to a stop. “Wearing one outfit for a whole month… as a girl, you are truly…”

Truly rugged? Ning Yunqing didn’t want to be this way either, but she was broke. She looked at the director innocently and stammered, “I do wash them. I spin-dry them at night so I can wear them during the day.”

Yin Fengxuan curled her lip helplessly. “Fine. I’m giving you the weekend off. Go buy some clothes.” Seeing Ning Yunqing’s conflicted and piteous gaze, she added, “Consider it part of the crew’s costume budget; Miss Chao Lu wouldn’t wear one outfit from start to finish.” Besides, winter was approaching. Even if this city was warm, she needed an overcoat.

“Mhm, okay,” Ning Yunqing answered obediently, considerately opening the door for Yin Fengxuan.

Accustomed to her care, Yin Fengxuan took it as a matter of course. She stepped out with her bag, not forgetting to tsk-tsk, “That brat doesn’t even know to buy you a few pieces of clothing.”

Ning Yunqing closed the room door and quickly followed her into the elevator, saying with a smile, “Actually, Young Master Yin and I aren’t very close.”

“Oh?” Yin Fengxuan arched an eyebrow.

Ning Yunqing replied, “The day I went to your office was only the second day I knew him. The first day, at the entrance of the Film Academy, his car nearly hit me. To apologize, he treated me to a meal. I was… hungry back then, so I went along.” Having said this, Ning Yunqing looked a bit embarrassed.

Watching the girl’s slightly flushed face through the elevator’s reflective surface, Yin Fengxuan burst into a laugh. The doors opened; she put on her sunglasses and stepped out. “Let’s go. Breakfast first.”

“Did you check Weibo last night?”

“I did. Ning Yunqing is in big trouble this time.”

“Sigh, she’s such a talented kid. How could she make such a mistake just as she’s starting out?”

“Yeah, I wonder if she can even keep the role.”

“Stop talking, she’s here.”

As soon as Ning Yunqing and Yin Fengxuan arrived on set, they saw staff members gossiping in small groups. Upon seeing her, they fell silent, looking at her with either regret or pity. Ning Yunqing figured her background had been exposed. Yin Fengxuan frowned, staring at a nearby group of employees. “What were you just saying? Repeat it for me.”

Yin Fengxuan owned a studio within Shihua, and the crew members were all on her payroll; they were always submissive to her commands. A young girl with glasses, seeing that her seniors didn’t want to face the director’s wrath, stood up helplessly and handed over her phone. “Director Yin.”

Yin Fengxuan took it, her frown deepening. She glanced at Ning Yunqing, who acted as if nothing was wrong. Just as she was about to hand the phone to her, a roar erupted from the distance: “Ning Yunqing!!!”

Yin Ziming slammed his car door and strode over, his anger at a five-star rating. He reached out his “devil’s claws,” intending to grab and shake her shoulders, but Ning Yunqing took a step back, hiding behind Yin Fengxuan’s side to dodge him. Yin Ziming huffed, “Sis, don’t mind her. She’s a fraud!”

Yin Fengxuan remained expressionless and silent. Ning Yunqing took the opportunity to peek at the phone in Yin Fengxuan’s arms. She saw headlines like “Dark History of the New ‘Xuan Girl’ Exposed,” “Fake Credentials,” “Young Master Yin’s Kept Woman,” and “Role Bought with Her Body.” She pursed her lips.

The public was certainly having a lively time insulting her; they had even concluded she must be “intellectually disabled” since she couldn’t even get into the film academy. They must be really bored to have such phantom pains, she thought.

Just as she was getting into the reading, Yin Fengxuan turned the screen off. Ning Yunqing felt a bit bored but also slightly worried. Her Fengxuan’s character setting shouldn’t be as brainless as the Young Master’s, right?

“Humph!” The brainless Young Master Yin was so angry his liver hurt. “Sis, she isn’t even a student at the Film Academy! Don’t let her face fool you! She just used my influence to get the role, she…”

Yin Ziming ran out of words. Ning Yunqing kindly helped him out. “Young Master Yin.” She stepped out from behind Yin Fengxuan, standing right by her side, and looked at Yin Ziming face-to-face, saying righteously: “I don’t know who wrote that promotional copy, but it has caused me a lot of trouble and affected your profits as well.”

Yin Ziming tilted his head back high, letting out a huff from his nostrils.

Ning Yunqing didn’t bother to put him down and continued calmly, “You say I deceived you. I believe I need to explain. First, I never told you I was a student at the Film Academy. Second, you were the one who proactively brought me to Shihua that day; I never asked you.

Third, I earned this role myself. Of course, it is somewhat related to you—if you hadn’t brought me to Director Yin, she would never have known I existed. Therefore, despite the fact that we aren’t close, I greeted you with a smile every time you came to see me.”

Yin Ziming’s face filled with pride, but just as he was about to brag, Ning Yunqing shifted her tone. “However, as you know, you and Director Yin spoke for a long time that day, and she didn’t agree. Later, when she agreed to cast me, you assumed it was your doing.

Out of respect for your face, I didn’t have the heart to expose the truth. But now that you no longer care, I’ll tell the truth. Director Yin is an upright person; she dislikes people who use the back door. The reason I got this role is that after you left, I calmed myself down and conquered her with my acting skills.”

The entire crew agreed with her words, but Ning Yunqing only cared about one person’s opinion. She glanced back at Yin Fengxuan, her eyes clear and filled with a touch of admiration, not a plea. Yin Fengxuan was surprised; this young girl was remarkably steady for her age.

Being insulted like that, she could still argue logically. She reached out, grasped Ning Yunqing’s hand, and pulled her behind her back, looking coldly at the fuming Yin Ziming. “I don’t know about your past dealings, but that last part is true. Watch yourself; we are in public, don’t embarrass me. Go back, I’m starting the shoot.”

Yin Ziming bit his lip, scanned the various expressions around him, gave Ning Yunqing a vicious glare, and strode back to his car.

Ding. A phone vibrated in a bag. Yin Fengxuan pulled it out to see a text from Yin Ziming: Fire Ning Yunqing, I’ll find you someone new. Yin Fengxuan remained impassive and put the phone back.

“Director Yin.” Yin Fengxuan’s hand was still holding hers. Ning Yunqing was satisfied, but the next moment, the warmth was gone. Yin Fengxuan let go and turned to look at her. This girl hadn’t flinched before her chaotic brother, but she was clearly much more relaxed now. Wait, what did she see when she let go? Did the girl look… disappointed?

Her mind raced, but Yin Fengxuan’s expression remained flat. “Explain everything to me when we get back tonight. Now, go change. Prepare to shoot.”

Despite the drama, Ning Yunqing remained unaffected and continued to film with high standards. After the day ended, she took Yin Fengxuan’s car back to the hotel.

Once upstairs, Yin Fengxuan asked Ning Yunqing to sit. The two sat on opposite sides of the sofa with a coffee table between them. On the table were two cups of water Ning Yunqing had just placed there. Yin Fengxuan spoke softly, “The promotion was handled by that brat’s side; I never participate in that. Fine, you can explain now.”

Is she clarifying that today’s scandal had nothing to do with her? Ning Yunqing held her cup and nodded. “Okay. As I told Young Master Yin, I never said I was a film student. We just met at the school gate. I think he misunderstood. After all, once to avoid him, I lied saying I was going to a lecture there.”

“Oh?” Yin Fengxuan’s lips tilted slightly. “Continue.”

Ning Yunqing went on, “The day he treated me to dinner, I didn’t know he was the Young Master of Shihua Shadows. We talked about movies, and hearing my longing to film, he brought me to Shihua. This shouldn’t count as me begging him, right?”

Seeing the girl across from her looking so cautious, Yin Fengxuan’s lips twitched with amusement. “Mhm, it doesn’t count.”

Ning Yunqing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled radiantly at Yin Fengxuan. Yin Fengxuan tapped the cup with her index finger, thought for a moment, and said, “So, that brat wanted to promote you to show off his ‘gallantry,’ but it went wrong, and then he came to demand an explanation from you?”

Ning Yunqing pursed her lips and didn’t respond. Yin Fengxuan glanced at her. “You don’t need to care. I’m not close to him anyway; we don’t share the same mother.” After saying that, she felt it was strange—why was she sharing her private affairs with an outsider? She took a sip of water to cover her tracks. Just as she was about to speak, the room’s landline rang.

Ning Yunqing got up to answer it. Yin Fengxuan watched her, seeing her brows gradually knit together. She figured something must have happened. When Ning Yunqing hung up, Yin Fengxuan asked, “What is it? Is that brat causing trouble again?”

Ning Yunqing shook her head. “No.” She walked back slowly, but didn’t sit down. She stood near Yin Fengxuan, hands clasped in front of her, leaning forward slightly as if in a difficult position.

Yin Fengxuan asked, “Do you need a favor?”

Ning Yunqing bit her lip and nodded hesitantly. “I… the money you mentioned for buying clothes this weekend, can I have it in advance?”

Yin Fengxuan looked at her in surprise. Seeing her troubled expression, her gaze softened. She got up to find her wallet, pulled out a stack of cash, and handed it to Ning Yunqing. “I don’t have much cash on me, take this for now.”

Ning Yunqing lightly swept her finger over the money, doing a rough count—about fifteen or sixteen bills. It wasn’t a lot, but for a poor person like her, it was quite a bit. “Thank you, Director Yin. I’ll pay you back once I get my salary.” She bowed deeply, stuffed the money into her pocket, and walked out.

Yin Fengxuan saw her leaving in a hurry, appearing to be carrying some suppressed anger. Curious about the visitor, she called the front desk. The answer she got surprised her even more. Before the receptionist could even speak, she heard a man’s coarse, raspy voice shouting through the phone: “Ning Yunqing! Ning Yunqing! You useless girl, get the hell out here!”

Yin Fengxuan’s exquisite eyes narrowed into slits. Ignoring the receptionist’s inquiry, she slammed the phone down with a bang and pushed the door open to walk out.

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