Chi Juanbei had always seen nothing but insatiable greed and vulgarity in Lin Qian. This was the first time he had ever seen such a pure expression on her face. A flicker of conflict stirred within him as he sensed her vulnerability.
But he quickly dismissed the feeling. This woman had been rotten to the core from the beginning. She didn’t deserve his sympathy.
“Oh?” He straightened up, looking down at her with disdain. “Are you talking about your situation at the company?”
Lin Qian shook her head, her clear eyes clouding with tears. Her lips trembled as she forced the words out. “I got divorced.”
This time, Chi Juanbei looked genuinely surprised. Then, a smirk touched his lips.
“Shihan moved fast.”
Seeing her face flush with humiliation, he finally felt a pang of pity. He cleared his throat, abandoning his taunts. “So why did you sneak onto my set? Did you realize you couldn’t cling to Shihan’s coattails anymore, so you decided to try mine?”
Lin Qian looked up at him, shaking her head frantically. “No, it’s not like that. My agent arranged this job for me. I didn’t know you would be here.”
Her words sounded like she was trying to distance herself from him, which annoyed him. If anyone was going to draw a line, it should be him. Was Lin Qian even worthy of making such a move?
Lin Qian spoke earnestly. “After the divorce, I finally understood. Miss Chu is the bright moon in the sky, and I am just rubble on the ground. How could rubble ever hope to stand beside the moon? I only received your kindness because of Miss Chu. Now, I won’t chase after things that don’t belong to me. I just want to work hard, take care of my mother, and strive to become as excellent as Miss Chu one day.”
As she spoke, Lin Qian took advantage of Chi Juanbei’s hesitation and pinched the sleeve of his costume. Fearing he might get angry, she only gripped a tiny bit of fabric.
Chi Juanbei stared at the pathetic scrap of cloth pinched between her fingers. He decided that pulling his arm away would be overreacting, so he remained still.
His gaze met Lin Qian’s face. Her eyes were rimmed with red as she pleaded, “Teacher Chi, please trust me this once.”
Before arriving, Chi Juanbei had been bursting with insults to throw at her. But facing her now, he found he couldn’t bring himself to say a single harsh word.
It was beneath a man to scold a woman like that.
But saying nothing felt like a betrayal of Chu Qingqing. Chi Juanbei considered his words for a long moment before finally snapping, “You’d better learn your lesson. If I ever find out you’ve caused Sister Qingqing any more trouble, I won’t hold back.”
Lin Qian slowly released her grip on his sleeve. She lowered her tear-brimming eyes and murmured, “She’s someone you cherish so much. Why would I ever do that, even for you… Never mind. It’s pointless to talk about this.”
The words left Chi Juanbei’s heart feeling as if a cat had scratched it. He was desperate to know what she had left unsaid, but Lin Qian gave him no chance to ask.
“Since you’re done, Teacher Chi, I’ll be going. Goodbye.” With that, she turned and hurried away.
It wasn’t until she was well clear of him that Lin Qian rolled her eyes.
The whole “meaningful silence” act had been a performance for Chi Juanbei. After all, the arrogant bastard had cut her scenes and then showed up just to lecture her. It would be a miracle if she felt anything but resentment.
Shaking her head, she tossed his infuriating face from her mind and went to find Yang Qi to collect her pay.
One hundred fifty yuan. That was her pay for the day. Though the amount was small, Lin Qian was thrilled. This was the first money she had ever earned from acting! She decided she would frame the bills when she got home and keep them as a memento.
Lin Qian was a natural at networking. She gave Yang Qi a pack of cigarettes, and before long, they had added each other as friends on social media. She even made a point to ask him to keep her in mind for any future jobs.
Yang Qi had initially been reluctant to get too close to her, given her terrible reputation in the Film and Television City. But after chatting with her for a while, he found himself genuinely liking her.
“The crews only come to me when they need extras,” he said reluctantly. “I’m afraid there won’t be many roles suited for you. Besides, there’s your agency…”
“Extras are fine!” Lin Qian interrupted. “To be honest, Brother Yang, I’m in a tough spot right now. I’m not in a position to be picky. I’ll take any role, no matter how small, as long as I can act. I’ll handle my agency.”
Yang Qi admired her sincerity. “Alright,” he said magnanimously. “I’ll contact you if something comes up.”
Lin Qian beamed. “Thank you, Brother Yang!”
Lin Qian’s smile made her even more beautiful. Yang Qi looked away, feeling a blush creep up his neck. Her charm only strengthened his belief that the rumors about her in the Film and Television City were nothing but lies.
After saying goodbye to Yang Qi, Lin Qian returned to her mother’s old apartment. Just after nine that night, Lin Yajun walked through the door, dusty and worn from her journey.
Cough, cough…
Lin Yajun couldn’t stop coughing as she changed her shoes.
Knowing her mother had suffered from asthma for years, Lin Qian rushed to pour a glass of water. She handed it over and asked with concern, “Mom, are you okay?”
“I’m… cough, cough… I’m fine,” Lin Yajun managed, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “The wind was just strong outside, and it triggered my cough. I’ll be fine in a moment.”
The worry in Lin Qian’s eyes didn’t fade. In the original novel, Lin Yajun’s asthma had worsened dramatically after the original host had given up on life, leading to her early death. This poor woman had spent half her life devoted to the original Lin Qian, only to never enjoy a single day of peace.
Thinking of last night’s fried rice and the few hundred yuan she had earned this morning, Lin Qian helped her mother to the sofa. “Mom,” she said earnestly, “as soon as I earn a little more money, let’s go to the hospital for a checkup.”
Lin Yajun stopped coughing in surprise. Hadn’t she always insisted that a few coughs weren’t a real illness and that there was no need to see a doctor? She had even complained that Lin Qian’s constant worrying was annoying and told her to just bear with it. Why the sudden change of heart?
Lin Qian’s personality was fundamentally different from the original host’s. Although the original Lin Qian had spent little time with her mother growing up and had never lived at home since starting college, Lin Yajun was still her mother. Such a drastic change in her daughter’s behavior was bound to arouse suspicion.
To address this, Lin Qian simply adapted the words she had spoken to Chi Juanbei earlier that day.
“Mom, I’ve finally learned my lesson,” she said, her eyes reddening. “I realize now that no one in this world will ever love me as much as you do. My career is a mess, my studies are a failure, and I was kicked out of my marriage with nothing… I have nothing left but you.”
She choked back a sob. “Mom, I can’t lose you too.”
Lin Yajun was a kind and gentle woman who loved her daughter deeply. Hearing how much Lin Qian was suffering, tears streamed down her face.
Lin Qian hadn’t expected her words to have such a powerful impact. Stunned, she quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to her mother. “Mom…”
“Mom’s fine, really,” Lin Yajun said, wiping away her tears. She patted Lin Qian’s shoulder, her eyes filled with such tender affection that no words were needed to convey the unspoken thought: My daughter, you’ve suffered so much.
Lin Qian had faked her earlier display of grief, but now, a lump formed in her throat. Is this the love of a mother? she wondered. It’s so heartwarming, so comforting.
Lin Yajun’s voice was thick with concern as she asked, “What are you going to do now? If you can’t make it work, just go back to school and focus on your studies. You can find a different job after you graduate. The entertainment industry is too difficult. You don’t have to stay in it.”
Lin Qian managed a small smile. “Is any job easy? You get up so early every day to open the shop, and that’s hard too. Don’t worry, Mom. Acting is my favorite thing in the world, and I know I can get through this.”
Seeing the spark in her daughter’s eyes at the mention of acting, Lin Yajun understood her passion for the craft and respected her decision.
“Alright,” she said. “I won’t pressure you to change careers.”
Lin Qian nodded vigorously, overwhelmed once more by the realization of how wonderful it was to be reborn. In her past life, she had dreamed of becoming an actress, but her family had deemed it beneath the Lin family’s eldest daughter to become a “lowly performer.” They had forbidden her from even mentioning it.
She had been forced to secretly hire teachers to tutor her, performing for them in private.
Once, when her mother returned to the Lin Family home, she had rushed to greet her with joy, only to be met with a scathing tirade. Her mother had berated her for wanting to become a “lowly performer” and mocked her frail health, saying she could barely walk two steps without panting.
She was told she’d never hold down a real job and should just stay home and recover.
In this life, Lin Qian was penniless and struggling, yet her mother supported her unconditionally. She was finally free from those shackles, able to pursue her dreams.
For my mother’s sake, Lin Qian vowed, I will change the course of this life.
She clung to Lin Yajun’s arm and pleaded softly, “When I start making money, let’s go see a doctor, okay?”
“Alright,” Lin Yajun replied. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
***
In his Scandinavian-style study, Lu Shihan was working at his computer when his phone, resting nearby, began to buzz.
He glanced sideways. It was Chi Juanbei.
Lu Shihan, Chu Qingqing, and Chi Juanbei had all grown up together in the same residential complex. Chi Juanbei was a few years younger than the two of them and had always followed them around.
When Chu Qingqing eventually moved abroad, Lu Shihan and she had had a falling out, and she cut off all contact with him.
Now, Chi Juanbei and Lu Shihan were both busy with their own careers and rarely saw each other, yet they had always gotten along well.
They both knew Lu Shihan was using Lin Qian as a stand-in for Chu Qingqing. Neither of them took Lin Qian seriously, so her presence never affected their friendship.
What was Chi Juanbei calling for today?
Lu Shihan picked up the phone and answered. “Hello?”
“Shihan-ge, it’s me!” Chi Juanbei chatted cheerfully for a moment before getting to the point. “I heard you and Lin Qian got divorced?”
“How did you find out?” Lu Shihan asked. He hadn’t told anyone, and his assistant was known for his discretion.
“I ran into Lin Qian on set today. She told me.”
Lu Shihan was surprised. With Lin Qian’s temperament, he assumed she’d find the divorce humiliating. Why would she broadcast it?
No, that’s not right. He’d found her impossible to read on the day of the divorce. After she left, the housekeeper had informed him that she hadn’t taken a single valuable item from the room.
Lu Shihan still couldn’t believe a woman so insatiable would suddenly change her nature. If this was all a ploy to deceive him, she had grown much smarter.
“What else did she say?” he asked coolly.
“Ha,” Chi Juanbei drawled. “She said she’s a changed woman now, that she’s going to work hard and turn her life around. I don’t believe a word of it.”
“…”
“Anyway, let’s not talk about her. Shihan-ge, now that you’re divorced, are you going to try and win Sister Qingqing back?”