Chapter 16: The Rotten Cabbage Is Covered With Frost
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5821232
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"What?" Bai Wenxi, who used to have a strong understanding with Lin Qingyi, found herself struggling to keep up with Lin Qingyi's pace lately.
"The flower vase is filming next door. Let’s drop by and visit the set. After all, she called me 'sister' several times on Weibo," Lin Qingyi said with a demeanor that seemed to value reciprocity.
She was mainly curious about just how bad the vase’s acting could be, considering it had reached the point where everyone criticized it, to the extent of being almost universally condemned. Since she had nothing else to do today, she figured she might as well go and watch the spectacle.
On the first day of filming, instead of staying with her own crew, she ran off to visit Qin Shiyue’s set. Wasn’t this the strangest thing in the world? Bai Wenxi couldn’t figure out when her White Peacock got so close to someone else’s vase. Or had she lost her memory, completely unaware of such a deep connection between them?
Quick to analyze, Bai Wenxi immediately came to her own conclusion: whenever her White Peacock’s rhythm was off lately, it almost always had something to do with Qin Shiyue. There were already many such links, and it wouldn’t be surprising if more appeared in the future.
Alright, next time she couldn’t keep up with White Peacock’s pace, she’d know it had something to do with Qin Shiyue.
“Oh, right, go buy some cold drinks to take over. Everyone else’s flavor can be the same, but get Qin Shiyue a strawberry one specifically,” Lin Qingyi suddenly said after taking a few steps, giving Bai Wenxi instructions. Since they were going to visit the set, showing up empty-handed didn’t seem right. Lin Qingyi thought she was truly both considerate and thoughtful.
"You know Qin Shiyue likes strawberry flavor?" Bai Wenxi asked in utter shock. Ordering Qin Shiyue a different flavor from everyone else was clearly a way of showing she was special to her. So, could it be that her White Peacock had secretly been in love with Qin Shiyue for a long time? She even knew what flavor she liked—this was way too well hidden!
"I don’t know, but I think it suits her. I picked it especially for her, and she’ll definitely like it. After all, this kind of special treatment isn’t something just anyone gets," Lin Qingyi said, feeling that Qin Shiyue was like a strawberry—easy to handle, with a tender and juicy appearance, as if a gentle squeeze would make water come out. She figured Qin Shiyue was perfect for the strawberry flavor. If Qin Shiyue didn’t like it, then that would just be a sign of bad taste.
Bai Wenxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that White Peacock wasn’t secretly in love with her for ages; otherwise, she would’ve felt like she’d failed miserably by not noticing even the slightest hint. However, Bai Wenxi secretly searched online for Qin Shiyue’s preferences and found out that she actually did like strawberries. Wasn’t this way too much of a coincidence? Was she really not secretly in love with her?
When they arrived at the “My Princess Girlfriend” set, Qin Shiyue was still filming.
The actors and staff in Qin Shiyue's crew were stunned when they saw Lin Qingyi. They couldn’t understand why this Movie Queen, who had no reason to be here, had suddenly shown up. Just as they were about to greet her, Lin Qingyi smiled at them and placed her index finger against her lips, making a gesture to signal silence. It seemed she didn’t want her arrival to disrupt the filming.
However, Lin Qingyi’s aura seemed completely out of place with the atmosphere of the entire crew.
As the female lead in an idol drama, Qin Shiyue had a significant number of scenes. The director of the drama, Song Chengmu, was relatively reliable. Faced with Qin Shiyue’s disastrously poor acting skills, he could only focus on shooting more close-ups of her undeniably beautiful face. He hoped that the audience would tolerate her rotten cabbage-like acting for the sake of that stunning face.
Lin Qingyi had assumed that Qin Shiyue’s poor acting was because she wasn’t putting any real effort into it, treating it casually, which resulted in her subpar performance. However, as she watched Qin Shiyue filming on set, she realized it wasn’t quite what she had expected. This vase wasn’t being perfunctory at all. In fact, she was filming with a lot of seriousness.
It seemed like Qin Shiyue was trying very hard to do well in every shot. Yet, because she was overexerting herself, her acting came off as excessively exaggerated and awkward. It was as if she were smashing rocks when she should’ve been embroidering—this kind of mismatched force was bound to fail.
Still, the fact that Qin Shiyue was putting in so much effort earned Lin Qingyi’s unexpected respect. For some reason, she even found it a little endearing.
From the start of filming until now, a week has passed. The string of Qin Shiyue’s determination to perform well had been stretched so tightly that it was on the verge of snapping. She was already hovering at the breaking point.
Lin Qingyi’s sudden appearance was probably the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
After five consecutive NGs, Song Chengmu decided to give Qin Shiyue a break to regain her composure.
It was only then that the assistant informed Song Chengmu that Lin Qingyi had arrived.
"Teacher Lin, what brings you here?" Song Chengmu greeted Lin Qingyi with delight. After a week of filming, he had been worn down by Qin Shiyue's dreadful acting, leaving him exasperated. A stifling frustration had been building up in his chest, growing heavier with time. Now, seeing Lin Qingyi, the goddess of acting, it felt as though the tightness in his chest dissipated. The air seemed refreshed, filled with the presence of true acting prowess.
Which Teacher Lin? Qin Shiyue instinctively looked in the direction Song Chengmu was heading. When she saw Lin Qingyi, she nearly turned to stone. Why was this woman here? How long had she been here? Had she witnessed her countless NGs and abysmal acting?
Her already embarrassing performance, compounded by her repeated NGs, was humiliating enough. But now, her romantic rival had witnessed it. It was like frost forming on already rotten cabbage. The thought that Lin Qingyi might be mocking her terrible acting made Qin Shiyue feel utterly miserable.
Qin Shiyue’s grand ambitions to improve her acting and surpass Lin Qingyi crumbled like a sandcastle struck by a wave. The collapse left her completely dejected. She seemed to have come to terms with one harsh truth: her desire to surpass Lin Qingyi was nothing more than a delusional fantasy, a hopeless overestimation of herself.
"In the coming months, I will also be filming nearby. Since I had nothing to do today, I decided to come and visit Shiyue." Lin Qingyi made it clear that she was here specifically to visit the "vase."
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5821232
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Everyone immediately thought of the recent hot searches. While fans had passionately discussed it, people in the industry didn’t take it seriously. After all, Lin Qingyi and Qin Shiyue seemed like they belonged to completely different worlds. They rarely appeared in the same frame, let alone interacted. Lin Qingyi's deliberate visit to Qin Shiyue's set surprised them, hinting at a relationship they had not anticipated.
However, when they considered that Qin Shilan was the second-largest shareholder of AX, the connection between Lin Qingyi and Qin Shiyue didn’t seem entirely implausible.
After speaking, Lin Qingyi glanced at Qin Shiyue. The latter appeared not to be listening, instead immersed in her own emotions, looking somewhat despondent. Qin Shiyue, who should have been dazzling and vibrant, as radiant as a freshly blooming flower, now seemed dim and lacked her usual brilliance.
Lin Qingyi quickly understood what was troubling Qin Shiyue. She seemed bothered by the fact that Lin Qingyi had witnessed her poor acting. Could it be that the comments Lin Qingyi had made during their last dance had impacted her this much?
Leaving Song Chengmu behind, Lin Qingyi walked toward Qin Shiyue.
Qin Shiyue did not want to see Lin Qingyi at all right now. However, they were both adults and since Lin Qingyi had come under the pretense of visiting her, she had to at least pretend to be polite and play along.
"Why are you here?" Qin Shiyue asked with a forced smile that did not reach her eyes. The feigned surprise in her tone was so obviously insincere that it brimmed with unwelcomeness. She thought to herself that Lin Qingyi, that scheming "white lotus," must have come here on purpose to see her joke.
But the real problem was that she truly was a joke.
Author's Note:
Lin Qingyi: Baby, you're so concerned about my thoughts. This is a good sign.
Qin Shiyue: I request to withdraw from this drama's cast.
Lin Qingyi: Baby, don't be discouraged. As long as you sleep with me, you'll be the biggest winner of this story.
Qin Shiyue: Heh, how can a narcissus like you be so full of yourself when your narcissus looks like garlic?
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