Looking at Xie Qingyan’s Moments full of cars, yachts, and private jets, Ling Wei began to question her life. She had always thought she was quite well off. Now she even felt a bit resentful of the rich.
At Xie Qingyan’s level, this was not just showing off wealth. It was practically a public service announcement.
A man who appeared refined and dignified in person turned into a devil the moment he got on Moments. And with those captions and replies that were arrogant beyond measure, Ling Wei felt that the only reason he was still alive was probably because of strong family backing and good ancestral fortune. Otherwise someone might have already silenced him.
She guessed this WeChat account was probably his private one, with friends who were all his so called disreputable buddies. If it were his work phone, no one in the business world would dare discuss deals with him.
After half an hour of visual assault, Ling Wei decisively exited WeChat. Xie Qingyan’s Moments seemed toxic. Even though she felt blinded by his flaunting, she still had the urge to keep scrolling, to see just how far he could go. Many of the things he posted were things ordinary people had never even heard of. Presumably his friends felt the same way she did, cursing it as eye hurting while continuing to subject themselves to it.
Ling Wei neither liked nor commented on anything. For the moment, she did not want too much interaction with such a devil.
However, after seeing his Moments, she suddenly felt that this man was not as terrifying as she had imagined.
A week later, Ling Wei took Chen Xiaoruo with her, carrying bags large and small, and flew to the film studio city.
Ling Wei was playing Consort Ru, who had quite a few scenes opposite the female lead, so she could not join the production too late. Bai Xiaolian, who played her maid, was supposed to arrive around the same time.
Although Ling Wei appeared to be a newcomer on the outside, her soul was that of a seasoned veteran. She was very familiar with how a production team operated. On her first day on set, she brought along the small gifts she had prepared in advance and quietly handed them out. Not only the actors received them, but also the makeup artists, costume designers, lighting technicians, and other crew members.
They were not expensive items, but this gesture of goodwill would likely help her avoid some unnecessary trouble later on. These matters should have been handled by an agent, but at this stage she could only rely on herself.
Chen Xiaoruo followed closely beside her, learning earnestly. She wanted to grow up quickly and take on more responsibilities for Ling Wei.
“Sister Wei, I will handle these trivial matters in the future. I can do it. I may not be capable in many ways, but I am good at reading people.”
After hearing this, Ling Wei deliberately teased her. “Oh? Then tell me, is my mood good or bad right now?”
Chen Xiaoruo tilted her head and studied her seriously for a while, but got nowhere. She answered honestly, “I do not know.”
“Didn’t you say you are good at reading people? Why can’t you tell?” Ling Wei teased her until her face turned bright red. Finding it amusing, she then comforted her, “These things cannot be rushed. You have just entered this industry, take your time to learn. Even if you never quite master it, as long as you are willing to stay with me, I will keep you by my side.”
Chen Xiaoruo nodded vigorously. “Sister Wei, I will follow you for the rest of my life.”
Ling Wei found it funny. Youth was wonderful, she thought. When you are young, you can easily speak of a lifetime without hesitation. The older you get, the more you understand the weight of those three words, and the harder they are to say.
“Fine, then follow me for a lifetime. I will make you my agent, let you earn big money, and help you reach the pinnacle of life.”
Chen Xiaoruo was as delighted as if she had found treasure. Then she lowered her voice and gossiped, “Sister Wei, that White Lotus has not joined the production yet. I heard Sister Zhao asked the crew for leave on her behalf. She will come in a few days.”
“Taking leave before even joining the production? It seems she is very dissatisfied with this role,” Ling Wei remarked.
Chen Xiaoruo covered her mouth and laughed. “How could she like it? She usually acts so arrogant whenever she sees us, and now she has to play your maid. She must be furious.”
“We can only say that she and I are destined to cross paths.”
“More like ill-fated destiny!”
On the day they joined the production, the two of them moved into the hotel arranged by the crew. The conditions were decent, but for Ling Wei, who was used to staying in five-star hotels or above, it still felt somewhat lacking. It was also a twin room. At this stage, however, she had no right to be picky. If she wanted better treatment, she would have to climb higher.
Ling Wei went to greet Director Guo Qi, then collected the schedule for Consort Ru’s scenes from the assistant director. With that, she was officially settled in the production. Afterward, she spent her time memorizing the script and getting to know the other actors.
The male and female leads of Palace Wall Willows were both top-tier stars. They carried great prestige, had exclusive lounges and makeup rooms, and were always surrounded by a large entourage wherever they went. It was quite a spectacle.
Ling Wei had enjoyed this kind of treatment in her previous life as well. Wherever she went, people catered to her, surrounding her from all sides. It truly felt good, so good that one could easily lose oneself and forget everything else.
When Ling Wei went to greet the female lead, Lan Ruo, Lan Ruo asked her name and then appeared indifferent. Ling Wei tactfully excused herself and left.
After coming out, Chen Xiaoruo was so angry that her nose nearly twisted. “Sister, she was looking at us out of the corner of her eye the whole time!”
Ling Wei smiled. “You are quite observant. Do not be angry. That is just her personality. She is a bit cold, but she is definitely someone worth befriending.”
“Really? But she did not pay much attention to you just now,” Chen Xiaoruo said, half doubtful.
“She asked my name, which means she will remember it. Sometimes you cannot judge a person only by appearances.” As she said this, she suddenly thought of Xie Qingyan, another person who could not be judged by appearances, a split-personality oddball.
“Sister Wei, you seem quite familiar with her.”
“That is because I did my homework carefully in advance.” In truth, she had had some acquaintance with Lan Ruo in her previous life.
Chen Xiaoruo felt she had learned another lesson. When joining a production, one must understand the key members of the crew. Looking at Ling Wei again, Chen Xiaoruo’s eyes were filled with admiration. “Sister Wei, you are amazing. You will definitely become as popular as Lan Ruo in the future!”
As popular as Lan Ruo? She had already experienced that in her previous life.
In this new life, however, she did not want that kind of empty fame. It meant little. What she wanted was recognition, recognition of her acting skills.
In her previous life, she had taken on many roles, but her career path had been blocked. She was always cast as a decorative beauty in roles that required little acting ability. She had tried to change her path, but the few films she attempted did not perform well, and later people labeled her a box office poison.
She had professionally studied acting. She had excellent grades in school and had even been recommended for postgraduate study. How could she possibly lack acting skills? Were all the professors blind? It could only be said that most people’s impression of her stopped at her striking appearance, completely overlooking her actual acting ability.
Although she had won some miscellaneous awards, she had never received a truly prestigious one. In this lifetime, her sole goal was to reach the top and be crowned Best Actress, so that while people were dazzled by her beauty, they would also be amazed by her acting.
On the second day after joining the production, Ling Wei tried on Consort Ru’s styling, but Director Guo Qi was not satisfied. “Too beautiful, not acceptable.”
Dressed in splendid robes and adorned with golden hair ornaments, combined with her breathtaking beauty, when Ling Wei stood before everyone, how could she resemble a neglected consort? She looked more than qualified to be an empress who commanded the realm.
The stylist felt frustrated. It was the first time he had been criticized for making someone look too good. Reluctantly, he tried to tone down Ling Wei’s appearance.
But Guo Qi was still dissatisfied.
Ling Wei suspected that he simply had a prejudice against her looks, so no matter what she did, it failed to meet his expectations.
Because the period costume styling was complicated and it was the height of summer, after going back and forth a few times Ling Wei ended up drenched in sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of water. She herself could still endure it, but the stylist felt a bit sorry for her. He casually picked up his phone, snapped a photo of her bedraggled state, and laughed. “If you ever become famous one day, I’ll use this photo to ride your popularity.”
Ling Wei did not mind and replied with a smile, “I’ll take that as a good omen.”
“How about you take a break first? I’ll think of another solution.”
After a moment’s thought, Ling Wei offered a suggestion. “Could we change the color of the costume, maybe something plainer, and reduce the headpieces?”
The main cast’s costumes were specially designed by master designers, but for actors with less significant roles, the requirements were not as strict. The stylist quickly adopted Ling Wei’s proposal.
Once she changed out of the ornate costume, the sharp, imposing air about Ling Wei immediately softened. Paired with light, understated makeup, she looked less dazzlingly glamorous and more ethereal, giving her an otherworldly aura.
The stylist admired her for a while, then began to feel uncertain. Such a cool and refined beauty, he did not know whether the director would approve. It really was strange. He had always thought that making someone look beautiful was the true skill, but it turned out making someone look plain was even more challenging.
Fortunately, the director did not complain this time. He truly had no bias against Ling Wei. His main concern before was that her styling had too much presence and would overshadow the leads. Now she was still beautiful, but with a touch of restraint that made her seem less aggressive.
That evening back at the hotel, Ling Wei did not feel like moving after her shower. She lay quietly on the bed enjoying the air conditioning, while Chen Xiaoruo sprawled on the other bed playing on her phone.
When her phone chimed with a notification, Ling Wei was drifting off to sleep. She picked it up and saw it was from Xie Qingyan. Ever since she had checked his Moments last time, she had not contacted him. Seeing his name now made her heart tighten slightly.
His message was brief. “Where is the text message you promised?”
Resting on her pillow, Ling Wei thought for a moment and quickly remembered that the agreement did indeed require her to send a coquettish text every night. She had been so busy these past few days that she completely forgot about it.
“Is it too late to make up for it now?” she typed in reply.
Xie Qingyan must have been idle as well, because he responded quickly. “That depends on your performance.”
Ling Wei stared at her phone for quite a while before swiftly typing, “Gege, we haven’t seen each other for days. I miss you so much.”
He replied, “Good girl. Gege misses you too.”
Ling Wei suddenly felt that the air conditioning in the room was too cold. It gave her goosebumps all over.
She had clearly sent the message as required, so why was he replying so seriously, as if there were really something between them?
Not wanting to deal with him for the moment, Ling Wei remembered his blindingly showy Moments. Her fingers itched, and she tapped into it to see what he had posted over the past few days.
Then…
“Little thing is so clingy!”
Below that was a screenshot of a chat window, showing their two saccharine lines from just now.
Ling Wei: …
A sudden flash of understanding struck her. She finally realized the purpose of the coquettish text stipulated in the agreement.