Chapter 7: I Think You're Quite Thin
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo first went to the hospital cafeteria.
She looked around and saw the bustling crowd of patients' family members buying food, and even several patients with heavily plastered arms queuing up. She was afraid of accidentally bumping into them.
Xi Mo was startled and at the same time, had serious doubts about the taste of the hospital canteen food. As a result, she decided to go to the street outside the hospital instead.
In all these years, she had never gone out alone to buy food like she was doing now, thanks to Ruan Yesheng's meddling. In the past, she could have whatever she wanted. The company practically treated her like a money-making queen, catering to her every need. Even when she went out for filming, there was always a special stove and extra meals prepared for her. The level of servitude was so extreme that they were practically feeding her the food directly into her mouth. Of course, if Xi Mo had been willing, the assistants would have lined up to feed her.
She wasn't familiar with this street and had no idea where to find good-tasting food. So, driven by both her cleanliness obsession and picky taste buds, she hailed a taxi and headed to a restaurant she had visited a few times before. It was relatively close to the hospital.
Being so particular, it was already pitch black when she returned.
Ruan Yesheng's body softened as she leaned against the edge of the hospital bed, her eyes fixed on Xi Mo, who was carrying takeout boxes in both hands. She said softly, "Did you go out to buy food or embark on a pilgrimage?"
Xi Mo couldn't be bothered to respond to her. She took out several takeout boxes and placed them on the dining table. After washing her hands, she sat down quietly to eat.
Ruan Yesheng also washed her hands and sat opposite her.
With a casual glance, although the food was packed in take-out containers without any extravagant dishes, the dishes inside were delicately prepared and abundant. There was even a thermos of hot soup included.
Ruan Yesheng reached out to take one of the containers, but Xi Mo lifted her eyes coldly and shifted that container to her own side.
Then she pushed another container towards Ruan Yesheng.
Ruan Yesheng opened it and found a box of plain congee.
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
"Eat," Xi Mo called out to her with a flat voice.
Ruan Yesheng stared straight at the plain congee. "Just this?""
Just that."
Ruan Yesheng protested, "Don't you think you lack any sense of humanitarianism?"
Xi Mo calmly said, "I have a role to take on later that has very strict body requirements. Lu Qingming wants me to maintain my figure. Since you're currently using my body, you better follow the rules. You can only have plain congee for dinner."
Ruan Yesheng held the spoon with the congee, motionless and gloomy. Xi Mo maintained a poised posture, chewing slowly. After swallowing completely, she calmly asked, "Where did your self-discipline as an actor go? Did a dog eat it?"
Ruan Yesheng remained silent.
Your humanitarianism got eaten by a dog as well.
However, she was already starving, and with the mindset that having congee was better than having nothing, she held the spoon and lowered her head to eat the congee. After a few sips, she glanced at Xi Mo. It had to be said that Xi Mo's demeanor during the meal was impeccable, naturally exuding an air of nobility in every gesture. Unless one had been raised with excellent upbringing, most people couldn't fake it.
The table fell silent for a while.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
After a moment, Xi Mo said, "Think about Shen Qingbie, who can only chew a few vegetable leaves every night, scrolling through Weibo and drooling over food. You should be content."
Is this your way of comforting me? If it is, can you please drop the high and mighty attitude?
"I'm very content, so content that I might have to kneel in gratitude," Ruan Yesheng glanced at Xi Mo with a slanted look. "But I'm also curious, how do you know that Shen Qingbie only eats a few vegetable leaves every night?"
Xi Mo sneered "She posts food pictures on Weibo every night. Grilled meat, cheese, cake, steak, all kinds of dishes. Whatever high-calorie food she eats, she posts it. And then her fans cry and shout, 'even though she eats so much, she still looks so slim. She truly deserves to be called my goddess. How amazing is that, muah!*' "
*term used is 么么哒 (mēi mēi dā) - a cutesy expression, similar to "muah" or "kisses" or "xoxo"
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
You are the only one who can say 'muah!' so cold, colder than a cold joke*. Really.
*bad/lame joke
I can't bear to look at 'muah' anymore.
Speaking of Shen Qingbie, it seemed like a layer of resentment enveloped Xi Mo's entire being as she continued, "With such high calorie intake, she manages to stay slim, with no chest in the front and no butt in the back. It's really hard to believe, wouldn't you agree?"
To Xi Mo's rare display of resentment, Ruan Yesheng decided to agree with her, saying, "Of course, I don't believe it either."
Although there was no visible change on Xi Mo's face, her eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment, showing a hint of excitement. She confidently continued, "Those are just staged photos. She can't eat any of those things, only nibble on leafy greens to maintain her figure. If we take it a step further, she probably can only drink plain water and stare at it. When she looks at the photos she takes, naturally, all she can do is drool."
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
I never thought that besides being a show-off, you're also the queen of imagination. Shen Qingbie would definitely cry her eyes out if she knew.
But then again, such practices are indeed quite common in the entertainment industry.
Many female celebrities dare not eat for the sake of beauty and figure, but they absolutely cannot miss the opportunity to show off their selfies with delicious food on Weibo. Even when eating, they would take a modest staged photo, delicately posing with their mouths touching the food. After the click of the camera, they would immediately put it down. For them, food is like a tempting little devil, especially high-calorie delicacies.
In fact, Ruan Yesheng had also done this a long time ago.
At that time, her career was still on the rise while filming a movie that also demanded strict requirements for her figure. Exhausted from filming, she had a sudden idea to taste grilled skewers, to stimulate her taste buds. Her assistant cautiously bought her a skewer, and she held it to take a selfie. Afterward, she just pretended to have eaten it, convincing herself, and let the assistant eat it instead.
Xi Mo suddenly stared at her, her gaze profound. "Have you done that?"
Ruan Yesheng recalled past events and her face flushed. With a stiff expression, she replied, "Do I need to? Whenever I want to eat, I just eat."
"Is that so?" Xi Mo glanced at her again, her expression seemingly smiling yet not. Ruan Yesheng thought to herself that the self-proclaimed queen of imagination was at it again. Then she saw Xi Mo remain silent, lowering her head to continue her meal.
After eating the bland vegetarian congee for a while, Ruan Yesheng gestured towards the luxurious array of meal boxes beside her, unwilling to accept it. She said, "Do you really intend to eat all these boxes?"
Xi Mo innocently replied, "I think you are quite thin, so I'm eating a bit more on your behalf. It's for your benefit."
Haha, well, at least it's not me getting fat.
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
Xi Mo's tone was indifferent as she said, "In order to regain my body as soon as possible, I still have a lot of things to do. It requires a lot of mental and physical energy, and I need to replenish my energy at any time. So, for the sake of the future, I have decided to eat four bowls of rice per meal from now on."
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
"I also want to add a chicken leg and a half-cooked fried egg. Make sure the fried egg is seven minutes cooked," Xi Mo glanced at the meal box. "You're not allergic to chicken legs and fried eggs, right?"
Ruan Yesheng almost crushed the spoon she was holding while eating the porridge.
Haha, I want to eat seafood.
I must go and eat seafood.
Ruan Yesheng took a sip of porridge and smiled, "I must have a lot of energy expenditure too. You're going to shoot a movie later, and I'll be the one shooting it. So I also need to eat more. Whatever amount you eat, I'll eat the same. I like my fried eggs cooked nine minutes and crispy chicken skin. Chocolate flavor is also nice, we can have it as a dessert after the meal."
Xi Mo looked at her quietly, revealing a mysterious expression.
Ruan Yesheng felt a bit uneasy because of her expression.
Xi Mo remained calm, "Lu Qingming won't allow it. If you don't go on a diet, you'll witness his power in the future."
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
She forgot there is still Lu Qingming, a vampire-like senior manager.
Ruan Yesheng was well aware of Lu Qingming. As the company's top agent, he appeared to be a serious and capable loyal dog. In reality, Lu Qingming was involved in every aspect of Xi Mo's affairs. He was exceptionally competent and meticulous, resembling the nature of a caring and worrying mother.
Usually, within the scope of his consideration, Lu Qingming was polite and accommodating. He would accept even the most challenging requests from Xi Mo. However, if a delay in schedule occurred due to waking up late or if there was even a tiny increase in weight caused by not going on a diet, he would instantly switch to his motherly mode. He would use gentle and polite words to constantly nag and talk until the other party couldn't take it anymore and compromised.
Therefore, Lu Qingming got a nickname in the circle, true gentleman, Lu Tangseng*
*Tangseng refers to the character Tang Sanzang a Buddhist monk one of the main characters in the Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West" . He is known for being disciplined, well-mannered, and perhaps even a bit strict.
Ruan Yesheng shivered, remaining silent as she lowered her head to continue eating the porridge.
Halfway through, Xi Mo pushed the untouched lunch boxes towards her and got up from the table.
Ruan Yesheng was taken aback but then smiled, "Why suddenly being so kind? Aren't you afraid I'll ruin your figure?"
Xi Mo turned back, looking at her and said, "If you're not afraid of ruining your own figure, then give it a try."
