When the Villainess Transmigrates as the Heroine of a Sadistic Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Entertainment Industry Arc

The scene Ning Yunqing was about to film featured Chao Lu during her school days. It depicted Chao Lu, feeling neglected by everyone, descending into self-abandonment and skipping school with the local delinquents. There were very few lines just a few short phrases: “Sure,” “Let’s go,” and “Hmph.”

Ding Xiaoyao’s eyes crinkled with a smile when she received the script. Isn’t this just a rebellious girl skipping class? She used to do this all the time. Turning back to smile at the worried Yin Ziming, she leaned into his ear and exhaled a puff of fragrance. “Don’t worry, Ziming.”

Yin Ziming’s face beamed with pride as he cast a disdainful side-glance at Ning Yunqing. Ding Xiaoyao clutched the script and walked toward Yin Fengxuan. As she passed Ning Yunqing, she didn’t forget to whisper a fake apology on Yin Ziming’s behalf.

Ning Yunqing returned the smile, thinking: This little girl says she’s apologizing, but her mouth is curled in a sneer and her eyes are full of contempt. With such obvious villainous traits, she’s definitely cannon fodder. She retreated to Yin Fengxuan’s side and watched Ding Xiaoyao’s trashy acting through the monitor.

Ding Xiaoyao walked to the center of the set and chatted briefly with the supporting actors to express her thanks before telling Yin Fengxuan she was ready. A few students dressed as “Shamate” (punks) approached her. “Chao Lu, we’re heading out to play. Coming?”

“Sure!” Ding Xiaoyao’s face was full of excitement. As they left the classroom, they bumped into a teacher. The other kids, used to skipping class, didn’t care and said mockingly, “The teacher’s here. If you’re scared, go back to class.”

Ding Xiaoyao glared at the teacher and started running with the group. “Let’s go.”

They climbed over the wall and left the school, laughing as they discussed the teacher’s “ugly” appearance. Ding Xiaoyao looked back at the towering school building and let out a disdainful “Hmph.”

“Cut.” Yin Fengxuan called a stop. Ding Xiaoyao thanked her for her hard work and ran back to Yin Ziming with joy she couldn’t hide. She believed she had portrayed a delinquent girl perfectly—she didn’t believe Ning Yunqing could do better than her “natural” performance. Yin Ziming took her hand and praised her, “Yaoyao, you acted so well!” He then glared at Ning Yunqing, but she didn’t look at him at all. Feeling defeated, he blustered to Ding Xiaoyao, “This fake is about to cry.”

Yin Fengxuan’s brow furrowed slightly. She commanded Ning Yunqing, “You go.”

“Okay.” Ning Yunqing smiled and stepped forward. When the supporting actors saw her, they greeted her warmly, joking, “Show us some mercy.”

Ding Xiaoyao bit her lip. When she was trying to suck up to them earlier, they were polite but nowhere near this friendly. But they’re just minor characters with a few lines, she thought, they can’t compare to the Prince standing next to me. She turned her head to look lovingly at Yin Ziming, only to find him staring blankly at Ning Yunqing, completely missing her romantic signals!

“Chao Lu, we’re heading out to play. Coming?”

The same question, the same scene, but Ning Yunqing’s performance was entirely different. She didn’t answer immediately; instead, she paused, as if weighing her options, before smiling and saying, “Sure.” Her “Let’s go” was also different. Ding Xiaoyao’s was pure disdain for the teacher, but while Ning Yunqing’s words were decisive, her gaze toward the teacher lacked malice it held a hint of reluctance.

Finally, that “Hmph” wasn’t to express contempt for school rules, but self-mockery. Her eyes turned slightly red as she looked at the campus, and she tilted her head up, letting out a nasal “Hmph” that sounded like a laugh. The look was heart-wrenching.

“Cut, pass!” Yin Fengxuan stood up, walked over to Yin Ziming, and gave him a cool look. “You can leave now.”

Yin Ziming was still in a state of shock. He pointed at Ning Yunqing and said, “She… did she act it wrong?”

Yin Fengxuan looked at him as if he were mentally challenged. “No. She performed exactly the effect I wanted. As for this Ding Xiaoyao you brought, she should go back to school and actually study.”

Ding Xiaoyao gritted her teeth and tugged on Yin Ziming’s sleeve. Yin Ziming snapped out of it, and as Ning Yunqing walked over, he called out softly, “Yunqing.”

Is this the curse of the plot setting? The male lead must always have feelings for the female lead. Ning Yunqing didn’t respond. Before she could even reach them, Yin Fengxuan pulled her behind her back and gripped her hand, saying to Yin Ziming, “Ziming, for the sake of you calling me ‘Sister,’ let me teach you a thing or two about values. Go back and check today’s trending searches, then think long and hard about it.” Turning back, she said to Ning Yunqing, “Go back to watching the shoot. Next scene is soon.”

Ning Yunqing nodded and walked away without a backward glance at the Young Master’s infatuated gaze.

After leaving the set, Yin Ziming drove to a cafe. He and Ding Xiaoyao sat opposite each other, scrolling through the trending searches.

“Inspirational Queen Ning Yunqing?” Ding Xiaoyao’s face contorted, her brows arching high. She ranted inwardly: Ning Yunqing, a fraud who failed to hook a rich guy, becomes a positive figure after just one week? Look at these comments—’Dominating aura,’ ‘Queen Yunqing,’ ‘Scumbag father should die.’

They’re all on her side! She’s become a goddess! Is this a joke? She looked up at Yin Ziming and saw his stunned, regretful expression. Startled, Ding Xiaoyao quickly put on an innocent act and asked curiously, “Ziming, I heard it’s trendy for artists to use ‘marketing’ now. Companies will direct and act out their own scandals just to make someone famous. Is that true?”

Yin Ziming’s eyes widened. Directed and acted? Yes! Her acting was so good; this whole thing was probably a scheme someone devised to flip her image. Damn it, she actually got through a crisis without my help! How could it be that easy?! Yin Ziming’s voice turned cold. “This female fraud’s methods are truly impressive. I want to see who is helping her.”

Ding Xiaoyao “kindly” advised, “Ziming, maybe it’s real. After all, Miss Ning’s family is poor; she can’t afford a ‘water army’ (fake internet commenters).”

Yin Ziming looked at her tenderly. “Not everyone is as kind as you.” Glancing sideways at his phone, his face filled with displeasure. There were actually many people cursing him? Did he offend them? It must be a water army! She can hire one, and I can’t?

“Saying she’ll never contact me again? Thinking she can dump me? In her dreams.” Yin Ziming dialed a number. “Get me the marketing department…”

That evening, while Yin Fengxuan was bathing, Ning Yunqing sneaked into her room to check the entertainment news on her computer. As expected, she was trending again. This time there were two topics: “Inspirational Queen Ning Yunqing” and “Intellectually Disabled Goddess Ning Yunqing.”

Two marketing firms at war, or is someone trying to make me ‘black-hot’? Ning Yunqing curled her lips. “Interesting.” She scrolled slowly, watching the comments. Her smile widened. Someone had posted the video of her confrontation with her scumbag father and guided the narrative to praise her for being inspirational and refusing to yield to a bitter reality.

Not many people knew about that event. Ning Yunqing figured if anyone else had done this, they would have come to claim credit by now. The fact that no one had meant only one person could have done it—her lover, Yin Fengxuan.

As for the second one, claiming she had poor grades and was “intellectually disabled,” it was easy to guess. Only Yin Ziming, whom she had repeatedly ignored, had the resources to make a topic as hot as the first one in just half a day.

“How childish,” Ning Yunqing hissed under her breath.

A voice responded from behind, “Who is childish?”

With her black hair damp, Yin Fengxuan wiped her head as she walked over. She leaned over to glance at the screen, a flash of irony crossing her face. Patting Ning Yunqing on the shoulder, she walked over to the dressing table and commanded casually, “Come here. Dry it for me.”

“Okay.” Since she wasn’t being scolded for entering the room and was instead being given a task, it meant her relationship with Fengxuan had progressed. Ning Yunqing smiled, gently tousling her lover’s hair with the hairdryer. The long hair slipped through her fingers like silk. The scent of shampoo drifted into her nose. Ning Yunqing leaned close to the hair in her palm and stole a secret kiss. Her lover smelled so good.

“What are you thinking about?”

Though Ning Yunqing was behind her, the vanity mirror reflected half of her shadow. Yin Fengxuan saw her face tuck behind her and then reappear with a smile. She was curious.

Ning Yunqing leaned into her ear while playing with her hair. “I’m thinking about you.”

The warm breath hit Yin Fengxuan’s ear, turning the rim of her ear bright red. Thinking of that ambiguous sentence, her heart throbbed. “You…”

Ning Yunqing laughed and pulled back, asking playfully, “Boss, I want to borrow some money from you.”

“…” It was like waiting in line all day for a roller coaster, only to be told “Power’s out, please get off” right as you were ready for the thrill. Yin Fengxuan had a sudden urge to pull the girl over and give her a beating. However, she was well-bred and simply asked crossly, “What for?”

“To buy textbooks.” Ning Yunqing was smiling slightly, with no trace of a joke on her face. Yin Fengxuan was dazed. “Books about film?”

Ning Yunqing shook her head. “Math, Language, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. The ‘Five-Three’ series, mock exams. Boss, I’m going to take the Gaokao (College Entrance Exam).”

Seeing her dead-serious expression, Yin Fengxuan couldn’t help but rub her temples. “Little girl, you aren’t a minor, are you?”

Ning Yunqing checked her character setting and denied it with a laugh. “I’m eighteen this year. I’m an adult, Boss.”

Between the sweet smile and that title, Yin Fengxuan somehow felt like a bald, wicked uncle kidnapping a student. She touched her nearly dry hair and lightly pinched Ning Yunqing’s lips together. “I told you not to call me Boss.”

Ning Yunqing nodded obediently, looking at her piteously. Yin Fengxuan’s heart softened and she let go. But the next moment, the previously “obedient and weak” girl grabbed her hand. Warm breath fanned over her; Ning Yunqing’s face was inches away, wearing a gentle yet mischievous smile as she caressed her cheek.

“Fengxuan. This name… do you like it?”

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