Truly angered by those netizens in the comments who could only type hahahaha, Jiang Mian directly closed Weibo.
What kind of lousy trending topic was this? It was completely pointless!
But the aftereffects left by the comments were still there. As she walked along, whenever she saw classmates grinning at her with a hehehe smile, Jiang Mian could not help feeling that they were definitely secretly calling her a goofball behind her back.
Just thinking about such a scene made Jiang Mian feel furious.
And at precisely this moment, Song Qichen went and poured fuel on the fire by sending her a WeChat message.
Stingy Sponsor Song: 【Just watched your… preliminary round video. Very interesting. Keep it up and strive for greater achievements.】
Seeing at a glance the mocking undertone hidden between his words, Jiang Mian’s eyes instantly flared with anger. Her fingers flew across the screen as she searched for images.
Five seconds later.
Song Qichen’s phone rang.
Derelict-of-Duty Canary: 【smile.jpg】
Derelict-of-Duty Canary: 【Blocked. If there’s anything in the future, contact me via message in a bottle.jpg】
Stingy Sponsor Song: 【?】❗️
Eyes wide open, Song Qichen stared at the bright red exclamation mark in front of the chat he had just sent, along with the line of notification below it.
The message has been sent, but the recipient has refused it.
Song Qichen: “……” ‘Tsk, what a petty woman.’
On this side, the subordinate who was continuing his work report lifted his head and stole a glance at President Song as he put his phone away, noticing the faint curve at the corner of his lips.
He could not help feeling that ever since President Song watched that goofball performance by the female contestant from Yanjing Film Academy, his mood had stayed pretty good.
Who would have thought that someone as serious and proper as President Song would also like goofball girls. Truly eye-opening.
‘Sure enough, goofballs are the most dior. Hehe!’
*
At this moment, inside the restroom of Girls’ Dormitory Building No. 3 at Yanjing Film Academy.
Lin Qian refreshed Weibo again and again in disbelief. Jiang Mian… Jiang Mian… Jiang Mian…
How could the person on the trending searches be Jiang Mian? How could it possibly be Jiang Mian!
On the day of the preliminary round, she had clearly performed her strongest peacock dance and had even received unanimous praise from all three judges, who said she was a promising talent of the younger generation. So why…
Lin Qian clenched the phone in her hand tighter and tighter, so tight that the bones of her fingers were already starting to turn white, yet she still had no intention of loosening her grip.
Why did Jiang Mian perform hand-splitting bricks?
Why did a video like that, with absolutely no depth or technical substance, go viral?
Why did the Jiang Mian in the video not show even a trace of her usual shyness or timidity?
Why?
Lin Qian had far too many whys.
If not for the fact that the girl in the video looked exactly like Jiang Mian, she would have almost suspected that this person had been swapped!
But swapped or not, it did not matter.
What she could not tolerate was that Jiang Mian, who was participating in the same talent show as her, had actually become popular before her. Even worse, countless netizens were asking for Jiang Mian’s Weibo account. What were all these people? They were fans!
Jiang Mian had attracted a large number of fans before her. These fans would definitely bring her no small advantage in the later stages of the program.
From the school belle voting when they first entered university, Jiang Mian had been stepping on her head. Even the boy she liked had been snatched away by her. And now, Jiang Mian’s level of discussion was even higher than hers.
This was something Lin Qian simply could not tolerate.
An indescribable agitation and frustration surged up from the depths of Lin Qian’s heart. The girl hiding in the restroom could not hold it in any longer and lashed out, knocking all the neatly arranged plastic bottles on the shelf to the floor in one sweep.
The clattering sounds immediately prompted Lin Qian’s roommate outside to ask loudly, “Lin Qian, what happened? Are you okay?”
Looking at herself in the mirror, eyes red-rimmed, Lin Qian’s expression did not change. Yet the moment she spoke, her voice turned gentle like water. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. The floor was too slippery. I accidentally knocked some things over…”
“Oh, then be careful!”
“Mm.”
As she replied, Lin Qian slowly raised her phone and glanced at the WeChat message she had sent Xu Xingming earlier that morning.
Qianqian: 【Good morning, Xingming. What are you doing? Have you had breakfast? I’ve gone out to attend an elective class. If you see this message, remember to reply to me, okay.】
Qianqian: 【The cafeteria is so crowded. This morning I had millet porridge, a tea egg, and soy milk. What did you eat?】
Qianqian: 【Going to class alone feels so lonely. It’s really cold today, I didn’t wear enough clothes and have already sneezed several times. [photo][photo]】
…
She had already sent him at least five messages that morning, yet Xu Xingming had not shown the slightest intention of replying to a single one.
For the past half month, it had been like this the whole time. Xu Xingming’s attitude toward her had grown increasingly lukewarm. When he did reply, it was often just one or two words, perfunctory to the extreme.
This only made Lin Qian’s heart grow more and more uneasy.
She even began to regret that day at the hospital, when she lost control of her temper and questioned him.
She had always been able to hold herself back before. How had she failed to restrain herself that day?
If she had known that a casual question from her would lead to the situation they were in now, then no matter how angry she had been that day, she would definitely have endured it.
She suspected that Xu Xingming’s abnormal behavior during this period was definitely connected to that night when he and Jiang Mian appeared together in the small grove.
First it was Xu Xingming, then 《Heart-Pounding Idol》. Her orderly, well-managed life had been turned into a complete mess by Jiang Mian.
Jiang Mian… Jiang Mian!
Clenching her teeth hard, Lin Qian slowly straightened up and fixed her gaze on her own face in the mirror.
As she stared, the girl suddenly curved her lips upward without a sound.
‘You forced this, Jiang Mian.’
‘Originally, I had no intention of using this move against you to win Xingming back. But who told you to push things this far and trample all over me?’
‘I have no choice but to fight back.’
‘I just wonder, after this matter blows up, what kind of earth-shaking change Xingming, as well as those netizens in the Weibo comments who are showering you with rainbow-colored praise, will have in their attitude toward you.’
‘Let’s wait and see.’
Maintaining the upward curve of her lips, Lin Qian squatted down. In quite a good mood, she hummed softly to herself while picking up the bottles and containers she had swept onto the floor earlier.
After leaving the restroom, she held up one of her roommate’s shower gel bottles that had fallen to the floor and cracked open. Her face was flushed with embarrassment as she explained softly, “Um, Xinxin, I’m really sorry. I almost slipped in the bathroom just now and accidentally knocked over your shower gel. It cracked open. How much is this bottle? I’ll transfer the money to you.”
“Huh?”
On the other end, the girl who was wearing headphones and playing a game heard Lin Qian speak and immediately waved her hand.
“If it’s cracked, then it’s cracked. Why transfer money? Really. I’ve already used more than half of that bottle anyway…”
“No, that won’t do. I still have to transfer it. Wait a second. I checked online, this shower gel costs sixty-five. I’ve sent it to you on WeChat.”
“Qianqian…”
“All right, we’re good friends. There’s no need to go back and forth over such a small amount of money. I’m heading out now, bye-bye!”
“Qianqian!”
Even after she had walked quite a distance away, Lin Qian could still hear the praise coming from the dormitory over that small sum of money.
“Qianqian is really such a nice person. People online always say that girls’ dorms in college are like palace scheming, that you have to make a dozen group chats and all that. I really don’t feel that at all. If I could have ten more roommates like Qianqian, I wouldn’t complain one bit!”
“Exactly! I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. Qianqian is really so well-mannered. The way she treats people and handles things is just like a refreshing spring breeze.”
…
The rest of the words had already become hard for Lin Qian to hear by the time she reached the stairwell, but that did nothing to dampen her good mood.
Her mother was right. A little favor here and there could buy a good reputation. It was simply the most cost-effective deal in the world.
This was exactly how she had gotten her father’s side of the family to acknowledge the existence of her and her mother. Even without any official status, they were still able to live quite comfortably.
On the other side, Jiang Mian had just blocked Song Qichen when she immediately received a text message from the 《Heart-Pounding Idol》 production team. It said that the show would begin recording in two days. She was asked to arrive at the Idol House marked on the map by five o’clock tomorrow afternoon with her luggage, fill in relevant information, listen to the program rules, arrange room assignments, and get acquainted with the other contestants. Receipt required.
【Received.】
Jiang Mian casually replied with a short message.
Then, as she looked at the text, her thoughts began to wander uncontrollably.
Because she kept feeling as though she had forgotten something. But what was it?
An hour later, as Jiang Mian looked at Lin Qian, who had asked her out to the football field, realization finally dawned on her.
Seeing this older sister, Jiang Mian at last remembered what she had forgotten.
What she had forgotten was nothing else but the plot itself.
In the original work, Jiang Mian, as the female lead, did carry a bit of that protagonist halo at certain moments. For example, although she and Lin Qian both participated in the preliminary round of 《Heart-Pounding Idol》, who knew what exactly it was about her sickly appearance and pale little face that struck a chord with netizens. Even though she did not debut by going viral as a goofball like Jiang Mian did… ah, pfft!
Ahem. Although it was different from her, she still made it onto the trending searches and even gained a group of so-called “mom fans” who wailed at her, shouting things like “our precious daughter, come here for a hug.”
But as the female lead of a tragic romance, could Jiang Mian really expect everything to go smoothly?
Obviously not.
That time she trended on the hot searches—who knew which nerve of Lin Qian’s it had struck.
The moment the topic blew up, Lin Qian asked her to meet at the football field that very afternoon, and then…
And it was at this moment that, inside the boys’ dormitory building, Xu Xingming subconsciously glanced at his phone as it suddenly vibrated.
Qianqian: 【Xingming, you’ve been ignoring me these past few days. Is it because of Jiang Mian? You’re unwilling to talk to me about it, fine, that’s okay. I’ve already asked Jiang Mian to meet me at the football field stands. I’ll personally ask her what exactly happened that night. As your girlfriend, I think I have the right to know the truth.】
Almost the instant he saw this WeChat message, Xu Xingming, who had been lying on his bed, sprang up.
“Lin Qian, you damn…”
The boy cursed under his breath, clutching his phone as he jumped down from the top bunk and ran straight toward the football field without looking back.
“Jiang Mian, tell me, are we good friends?”
Looking at Jiang Mian, Lin Qian spoke in a resentful tone.
“No.”
“Since we’re good friends… huh? What? What did you just say?”
The emotions Lin Qian had just worked up were abruptly cut off by Jiang Mian’s two words, “no.”
“I said, no.”
Jiang Mian smiled.
“Someone as outstanding as me, what virtue or ability do you have to be friends with me?”
Lin Qian: “……” ‘You’re really unbelievably narcissistic. You completely threw off my train of thought.’
After two minutes of silence, Lin Qian cleared her throat lightly. Finally regaining her composure, she hurriedly spoke again. “Whether you acknowledge me as your friend or not, in my heart, I’ve always treated you as my best friend. I’m willing to share anything with you, but there is one thing that absolutely cannot be shared…”
“Is Xu Xingming an object?”
“Of course he’s not an object!”
“Then we’re of one mind.” Jiang Mian sighed in agreement.
Lin Qian: “……” ‘You’re the one who’s not an object.’
“Can you let me finish what I’m saying?”
Interrupted again and again, even Lin Qian was starting to lose her composure.
Hearing this, Jiang Mian turned her head and shot her a glance, her attitude thoroughly indifferent. “Go on.”
Lin Qian: “I…” ‘No, wait, where did I get to just now?’
“You’re the one who won’t talk when I tell you to. Forget it if you’re not going to say anything. I’m leaving!”
As she spoke, Jiang Mian turned as if to leave.
But the person Lin Qian had planned for had not appeared yet. How could she possibly let Jiang Mian go? She immediately grabbed her sleeve. “No, you can’t leave…”
At that very moment, the person Lin Qian had been waiting for all along, Xu Xingming, finally made his appearance.
Her eyes lit up instantly. Whether she could reconcile with Xingming would all depend on today.
Seeing the look on Lin Qian’s face, Jiang Mian curled her lips in boredom.
It could only be said that tragic romance novels were always this formulaic.
The vicious supporting female character always loved to frame the female lead by hurting herself, and every single time, she made sure to do it right when the male lead appeared.
For example, grabbing the female lead’s hand and pretending that the female lead had pushed her off the high football field stands.
All for the sake of portraying the so-called innocent white-flower female lead as sharp and vicious, while presenting herself as weak, pitiful, and helpless.
The key point was that this kind of cheap trick, which anyone with half a brain could see through, was exactly the one thing the male lead, apparently a reincarnation of sheer stupidity, could not see through at all. He would rush over without caring about anything else, slap the female lead first, then cradle the supporting female character, who had only hurt a fingernail or a strand of hair, and insist on taking her to the hospital, leaving behind a line like: “If anything happens to her, I definitely won’t let you off lightly.”
This was not something Jiang Mian was making up. This was the actual plot straight out of the original novel.
The original host had done absolutely nothing, yet not only ended up bearing the vicious charge of pushing Lin Qian off the stands, she was also solidly slapped across the face by Xu Xingming.
After that, there were even posts on the campus forum Evergreen Tree accusing her of pushing Lin Qian on purpose out of unrequited love for Xu Xingming, painting her as excessively malicious.
Tsk tsk. This godforsaken, trash-fire plot was really damn addictive.
Seeing Lin Qian’s gaze grow more and more excited, and after confirming that the Xu Xingming running toward them could clearly see the movements between the two of them, Lin Qian quickened her steps and moved in front of Jiang Mian, lowering her voice at the same time.
“Idiot. Do you really think I ever treated you as a friend? All that filthy stuff you went through back in high school, Xingming already told me everything. I heard the whole class didn’t even like you back then! Makes sense. Someone like you, the type no one wants even when you throw yourself at them, who would possibly like you? You got on the trending searches once and now you think you’re something special, is that it? If I were you, after going through all that in the past, I’d have been so ashamed I wouldn’t even dare to join a talent show. Only someone like you, with skin thick enough…”
These were truly the exact same lines as in the original, not a single word off.
Jiang Mian could not help but marvel at her own excellent memory.
In the plot, it was precisely after hearing this stretch of words that the original host became absent-minded, her face turning pale as Lin Qian pressed her hand against her own chest…
Jiang Mian, on the other hand, did not turn pale, nor did her mind drift. Even so, Lin Qian still dragged her hand over to her own chest, her face instantly putting on an expression of extreme terror.
“Xingming, save…”
Before she could finish, her whole body seemed to lose control as she fell backward.
“Qianqian!”
Xu Xingming shouted her name at the top of his lungs, sounding as if she had fallen off a cliff. He scrambled up the stands in a panic, and then…
He watched as Jiang Mian hooked Lin Qian’s collar with a single finger and effortlessly hauled her back up.
Before Lin Qian could even react, and before Xu Xingming could breathe a sigh of relief, they saw Jiang Mian, a short distance away, grab Lin Qian by the collar and slap her twice across the face.
Smack. Smack.
Crisp and ringing.
Those two slaps left Lin Qian completely stunned.
She had been hit.
Hit by Jiang Mian.
Lin Qian covered her face in disbelief.
The very next second, she was pulled behind Xu Xingming, who rushed forward and shielded her with his body.
“What are you doing!”
The way he was spraying saliva, if Jiang Mian had not dodged quickly, it would have splashed all over her face. She had never seen someone this disgusting!
“What I’m doing, didn’t you see it?”
Jiang Mian flicked her hand and looked surprised. Who would have thought that hitting someone would make her own hand hurt a bit too?
On the other side, Lin Qian’s tears were already falling. Seeing this, the anger in Xu Xingming’s chest flared even more. Last time it had been like this too. She had beaten him up without a word. And this time she actually…
What had Qianqian done wrong?
“Why did you do this?”
“You’re really asking that. If she hadn’t been acting cheap, why would I hit her?”
“I didn’t…” Lin Qian’s weak voice sounded from behind Xu Xingming. She was genuinely confused now about what Jiang Mian was trying to do. She had thought Jiang Mian pulled her back up because she had seen through her scheme, but why slap her all of a sudden?
It really hurt, damn it!
“She says she didn’t!”
“I say she did!”
“Whether she did or not, what right do you have to just hit someone like that?”
This was seriously so damn annoying.
“I feel like it. Is that reason enough? Keep yapping and believe it or not, I’ll hit you too!”
Jiang Mian frowned impatiently.
Hearing this, Lin Qian, who had been playing the weak and pitiful act behind Xu Xingming, immediately lifted her head in disbelief.
It was not just her. Xu Xingming, who had already been brutally beaten by Jiang Mian once before, was just as stunned.
During the period when he was recovering from his injuries, he had recalled the Jiang Mian of the past more than once. That thin, petite, timid girl who liked to follow behind him.
He remembered it so clearly that he could not even muster the interest to reply to Lin Qian’s WeChat messages.
He remembered that back in high school, there had been one time when he saw Jiang Mian wearing that oversized blue-and-white school uniform, obediently helping him do his homework. On a whim, he suggested taking her out to have some fun. Jiang Mian had immediately agreed with a face full of delight. Later, he failed to show up because of family matters. The next day, when he passed by that place, he actually discovered that Jiang Mian had waited for him there the entire night. It had been a torrential rainstorm, with nowhere to take shelter. In other words, Jiang Mian had stood there and gotten drenched all night just to wait for him.
Back then, she had been living with her uncle and aunt. Her monthly living expenses all came from doing part-time jobs outside. Even so, on his birthday, she still used the money she had painstakingly saved to buy him a watch…
There were far too many things like this.
So many that when Xu Xingming recalled them, he could not help but wonder whether there really could be such a foolish, foolish girl in this world.
But that watch was still lying in his suitcase right now, clearly proving that the foolish girl from back then had indeed existed.
So what happened last time had definitely been an accident. Jiang Mian, who liked him so much, must have run into something that time, which was why she acted so irrationally. Today, in full public view, there was absolutely no way she would really lay a hand on him.
Absolutely not!
After thinking all this through, Xu Xingming stiffened his neck and stepped forward, his face full of stubbornness. “Fine, hit me then. Go on, hit me. Hit me!”
He did not believe that Jiang Mian could really bring herself to do it again.
Jiang Mian: “……”
“…………”
Two minutes later.
“Xingming!”
Lin Qian let out a wail as she hugged Xu Xingming, who had fallen to the ground.
Jiang Mian had just withdrawn her fist.
“Well, um, Lin Qian, you heard it too. He’s the one who told me to hit him, so I did!”
“Honestly, I’ve never seen a request like this in my entire life.”
Jiang Mian: eye-opening.jpg