Category: Reborn to Stew Soup (GL)

Chapter 9: Osmanthus Rice Balls p2

Mi Hongdou’s new laptop died.

She had just been poached by Qiong Yu and hadn’t had any collaborations with her idol of many years, and then her idol retired. Mi Hongdou wanted to throw a bucket of paste on Dajin Entertainment’s face! The two consecutive statements caused an uproar in the entertainment industry. There were fierce arguments, and it was hard to tell who were real fans, anti-fans, or paid posters. Mi Hongdou turned off her computer and felt exhausted. Her hatred for Zhang Zijing deepened. Later, when she had the good fortune to become friends with Ji Junxin, the scumbag’s name never came up in their conversations. Fortunately, Qiong Yu had issued the statement cutting ties, so Mi Hongdou didn’t have to collaborate with Zhang Zijing.

But there were still awards ceremonies and gatherings where Mi Hongdou would see Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo. Every time, she had to try her best to ignore them. Mi Hongdou was already very famous at that time, much more famous than Zhang Zijing, who relied on rumors for hype. A media outlet once took a photo of her holding a wine glass, ignoring the couple’s friendly smiles, and walking past them with an expressionless face. Then they put her on the cover with the headline “Famous and Arrogant, Ignores Others.” God knows how much self-control Mi Hongdou had to exercise to walk past them with an expressionless face instead of splashing wine on their faces.

The more Mi Hongdou adored Ji Junxin, the more she hated Zhang Zijing. That feeling of seeing Zhang Zijing at the buffet table and losing her appetite, wanting to throw food at his face, made Mi Hongdou understand the anger of a true die-hard fan. Yes, Mi Hongdou called this violent urge to hit someone the anger of a die-hard fan. The next day, several other media outlets’ covers were bought by Qiong Yu and published Qiong Yu’s statement from long ago about cutting ties with Dajin, Zhang Zijing, and Jiang Duo, along with the date of Mi Hongdou’s signing with Qiong Yu. They also called out the magazine that accused Mi Hongdou of being a diva with the four words, “Don’t pretend you’re blind.”

Qiong Yu was so high-profile, repeatedly slapping them in the face. It seemed like another fight was about to start. Mi Hongdou was ready to roll up her sleeves and fight to the death with her main account. Unexpectedly, Ji Junxin’s Weibo, which hadn’t been updated in more than two years since her retirement, suddenly updated with just two words: “Thank you,” followed by a tag of Mi Hongdou’s main Weibo account. Everyone with eyes could see what happened two years ago. Those who couldn’t see it gradually found the right direction in the posts that were spreading over the years. As for those who were blind, let them stay blind.

Ji Junxin’s “thank you” at this time instantly became the top trending topic. Many fans commented below, saying that they felt sorry for their goddess, that she should take care of herself, and that they were waiting for her to come back.

As for that magazine and the scumbag, needless to say, Mi Hongdou didn’t have to do anything. Just her and Ji Junxin’s fans could destroy them.

Although she had now been reborn ten years in the past, Zhang Zijing and Ji Junxin had only been working together for a little over a month, and they probably hadn’t filmed many scenes together yet. Everything had not yet happened. However, Mi Hongdou’s dislike for Zhang Zijing was already deeply ingrained, almost instinctive. Mi Hongdou knew it wasn’t good, but perhaps this was the pride of a die-hard fan. I will never forgive the scum who hurt my goddess!

Enduring her disgust and acting together was already very difficult. It was better when she couldn’t see him, she could still try to immerse herself in the role. But as soon as she saw Zhang Zijing’s face, that face still trying to show deep affection, Mi Hongdou wanted to hit him. How could she possibly act shy, flustered, and look down with affection? She had really overestimated her endurance. Even though nothing had happened yet, she still hated him so much.

She could collaborate with Ji Junxin, and in such a cute script. Mi Hongdou had momentarily forgotten the difficulty of acting opposite Zhang Zijing, and so her debut was a tragedy.

After two more NGs, Mi Hongdou could hardly face the frowning Director Pan. The onlookers were whispering, and a few laughs could be heard. Even if she couldn’t hear clearly, Mi Hongdou could guess what they were saying. She was someone who had been inserted into the cast halfway through, and now she had so many NGs. If she were an onlooker, she would also think that this person had no skills and only got the role because of her connections. She would probably be quite disdainful.

Mi Hongdou couldn’t get past this scene, and she couldn’t immediately change everyone’s perception of her. She was at a loss for a moment.

“It’s okay. A few NGs in the first scene for a newcomer is nothing. Once you find the feeling, it will be easier later. Is there anything you don’t understand about this scene? You can tell me, and we can discuss it.” Being NGed more than ten, almost twenty times by a newcomer, Zhang Zijing was quite annoyed.

But he had just seen Ji Junxin arrive, and next to her seemed to be Qiong Yu’s boss, Qiao Rubai. This stupid newcomer was stuffed in by Qiao Rubai. He couldn’t throw a tantrum anyway, so he might as well build a good relationship with her. Qiong Yu’s future was much brighter than Dajin’s. Zhang Zijing thought this and softened his expression even more, like a caring older brother, ready to comfort the newcomer and show Qiao Rubai what a virtuous actor he was.

Mi Hongdou felt like she had found the secret door hiding the truth, just one step away from seeing Qiao Rubai’s motives. Mi Hongdou was lost in thought, and the caring older brother Zhang Zijing was left hanging, not getting any response from the person in front of him who was looking down, lost in thought.

It was really embarrassing. Zhang Zijing suppressed his anger, pretending nothing had happened, and returned to the door. Only his clenched fist revealed his true feelings at the moment.

Director Pan didn’t care what they were doing. He didn’t believe that he couldn’t get this scene right. The previous shots were so good, how could they fail at the last look?

If once didn’t work, then they would do it again. He waved his notebook and called for another take!

Hearing Director Pan’s voice, Mi Hongdou could only temporarily put aside those messy thoughts. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes, looked at Director Pan, and then suddenly froze.

Ji Junxin was holding a piece of peanut candy, taking small bites, and holding a tissue underneath to catch any crumbs. She didn’t expect this candy to be so fragrant. As soon as she arrived, she smelled the aroma from the place where the crew usually put snacks. Fortunately, she had a good sense of smell. Otherwise, if she had just wandered around with Qiao Rubai, she would have missed out when she came to film tomorrow. It was crispy but not hard, sweet but not greasy, and had a faint osmanthus fragrance that she loved. She heard from the crew that the candy was brought by the newcomer who was playing the empress, Mi Hongdou.

Ji Junxin thought that since she was already here, she might as well watch the newcomer’s first scene. The peanut candy was so delicious that she couldn’t put it down. Just as she stood behind the director, she saw the little empress on the bed looking at her, seeming a little dazed. Uh-oh, did she find out that she ate too much of her peanut candy?

Ji Junxin licked the peanut candy crumbs from the corner of her mouth and smiled a little embarrassedly.

Mi Hongdou stared at Ji Junxin behind the director. Unlike the mature woman from many years later, the Ji Junxin of this time, the Ji Junxin who had not been hurt, was full of kindness and a bit of innocence. Even her smile was much more genuine than when she was familiar with her. At this time, she had not yet detached herself from the world, had not yet pushed everyone out of her heart. Mi Hongdou suddenly understood Qiao Rubai’s purpose for letting her join the crew. It must be!

To let her mess up Zhang Zijing and Ji Junxin’s relationship, to protect the cute goddess, to fulfill her mission as a die-hard fan!

Qiao Rubai suddenly sneezed in the back. But she wouldn’t know that Mi Hongdou had already guessed half of her intentions.

Right now, she was looking at Jiang Duo, who was getting her makeup done not far away, with an ambiguous look in her eyes. Young, delicate, truly a white lotus.

Perhaps Qiao Rubai’s gaze was too direct. Jiang Duo seemed to notice it. Taking advantage of the makeup artist’s pause, she turned around, saw that it was Qiao Rubai, and smiled generously, “President Qiao, you’re here to check on the newcomer? It’s so late, you must be tired. I have some sweet soup here, would you like a bowl to warm up?” Before Qiao Rubai could answer, Jiang Duo got up and quickly poured a bowl, walked over, and handed it to her.

Jiang Duo was quite pure-looking, and now she was acting so naturally, just like she was talking to a regular colleague, without any hint of flirting.

“Thank you.” Qiao Rubai was about to refuse, but when she saw what was in the bowl, she changed her mind, took it, blew on it, and drank it in one gulp. “Is there any more?

I didn’t eat enough tonight.”

Qiong Yu’s Qiao Rubai was cold and difficult to get along with, but Qiong Yu had a bright future. In the past month or so, Qiao Rubai had come to the set several times, but always with Ji Junxin. Jiang Duo hadn’t had a chance to chat with her. Now, she didn’t expect the sweet soup to be so effective. There were rumors from inside Qiong Yu that Ji Junxin was a foodie. That was why she always had food on hand, hoping to get on Qiong Yu’s good side.

So, the boss of Qiong Yu was also a foodie? Jiang Duo poured bowl after bowl, and Qiao Rubai drank bowl after bowl. The bowls weren’t big, but the thermos was quite large. Soon, Qiao Rubai finished the whole thermos.

“Thank you for the treat.” Qiao Rubai finished eating, wiped her mouth, and left, leaving Jiang Duo, who was stunned by her appetite and forgot to chat, behind.

Hmph, osmanthus rice balls, how clever. It wasn’t store-bought osmanthus honey. There were no stems, only petals. It must have been homemade. The small rice balls also had sesame filling, and the soup was thickened with lotus root starch. One mouthful was full of the fragrance of osmanthus, sesame, and lotus root. It was indeed delicious. But, Qiao Rubai touched her round, full stomach, it was too much. One more bowl, and she probably wouldn’t have been able to finish it.

It was all because of that stupid foodie Ji Junxin. If it weren’t for her, would she have had to risk her life to finish this pot of soup?

In her previous life, everyone knew that Ji Junxin retired from the entertainment industry because of Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s marriage. But only Qiao Rubai, who had been childhood friends with Ji Junxin, knew that the one who had been with Ji Junxin was Jiang Duo, not Zhang Zijing. Unfortunately, she was too stupid back then. She thought that as long as Ji Junxin was happy, it was okay. Jiang Duo encouraged Ji Junxin to go along with the rumors about Zhang Zijing to cover up their real relationship. It was their private matter, so she didn’t interfere. As a result, Zhang Zijing became popular, and Jiang Duo said that she had always only liked men, that she was pregnant with Zhang Zijing’s child, and that she hoped Ji Junxin would forget about them. That was it.

But since she had returned to ten years ago, she wouldn’t let Ji Junxin fall in love with Jiang Duo. No, she wouldn’t let Jiang Duo have a chance to seduce Ji Junxin. Even if Ji Junxin still fell in love with a woman, that person couldn’t be Jiang Duo again.

Qiao Rubai patted the peanut candy in her pocket that she was holding for Ji Junxin. This one was very good.

Chapter 9: Osmanthus Rice Balls p1

Before Mi Hongdou could take a closer look, Director Pan waved his notebook, signaling the actors to get into position for another take. In a moment of distraction, she looked back towards the camera, but the familiar figure was gone.

The onlookers were far away, so they couldn’t see Mi Hongdou’s appropriate micro-expressions or well-executed small actions. All they could see was Director Pan calling cut again and again, and the newcomer named Mi Hongdou’s repeated NGs. If they kept retaking it like this, she would probably become the NG queen of this drama.

Mi Hongdou was aware of this, but her dislike for Zhang Zijing couldn’t be completely suppressed by reason.

Speaking of Zhang Zijing, he was currently a popular young actor being promoted by Dajin Entertainment. He had just debuted, had a good face, and looked particularly good in historical costumes. In his previous drama, he played a minor role as a weak scholar, physically frail but with a scholarly aura. He wore a pale blue and white scholar’s robe, giving him an ethereal appearance. By chance, he met and married a raccoon spirit who had transformed into a human woman. Years later, when the protagonists passed by their home and were about to slay the demon, the weak scholar, instead of being frightened by the raccoon spirit who had revealed her true form, protected her out of their years of affection and sacrificed his own life.

Young girls nowadays loved this kind of affectionate and handsome man. Although he was just a supporting role with only a few scenes, Zhang Zijing became popular because of it.

Then he was heavily promoted by Dajin Entertainment and joined the crew of , continuing his affectionate persona.

Despite having a harem, Ji Yan was deeply in love with Empress Qin Muxue. In the previous script, Ji Yan knew that the empress had harmed Miao Qianye’s child, but instead of blaming her, he reflected that he had hurt the empress’s feelings by being too affectionate with other concubines. He protected Qin Muxue and found a scapegoat to take the blame. Later, the emperor and empress were both killed by Miao Qianye’s revenge, fulfilling Ji Yan’s vow to be with Qin Muxue in life and death. The Ji Yan in the previous script had more than just Qin Muxue. If one were to be critical, he was a scumbag. However, Zhang Zijing was good-looking and very good at playing affectionate roles.

After the movie was released, a large number of people believed that the emperor and empress had true love, and they admired the elegant and handsome Ji Yan.

Zhang Zijing became very popular because of the role of Ji Yan.

In her previous life, the role of Empress Qin Muxue was played by Bao Yueqiao from Qiong Yu Entertainment. She was very delicate and a little spoiled, which was very suitable for the role of the empress in the original script. In terms of looks, Mi Hongdou thought she might not be as good-looking as Bao Yueqiao. But now, Qiao Rubai’s intention was that with the changed script, the empress should no longer be a delicate and jealous woman, but a woman with the pride of a military family and a compassionate heart for the world. For such an empress, Mi Hongdou was more suitable than Bao Yueqiao. As for why Qiao Rubai was so sure that Mi Hongdou was suitable for this role after seeing her just once, Yang Lianyi wouldn’t remember to ask.

Mi Hongdou always felt that Qiao Rubai had ulterior motives, beyond economic interests, but she couldn’t figure it out and couldn’t ask, so she could only let it go for now.

Back to Zhang Zijing. Whenever a new movie or TV series was released, aside from the hype created by some companies, the audience would always link the relationships between the characters in the drama to the actors in real life, creating a lot of gossip. The better the drama, the more people would speculate, and the more elaborate the gossip would be. It wasn’t strange. The drama was short, and the better it was, the more touching the relationships were, the more the audience would be reluctant to let those people and those relationships end with the short drama.

Being reluctant, they hoped it would still exist, still happen, still be seen. But the drama had ended, so these beautiful visions could only be placed on the actors who played those roles, hoping that they would continue to fulfill them. After was released in her previous life, because it was a harem drama, the audience could speculate on many different pairings. After the audience took sides, the official pairing of the emperor and empress naturally had many supporters. The pairing of the emperor and Miao Qianye was also very popular. There were also some less popular pairings, such as the emperor and Concubine Zhu, the emperor and the general, Miao Qianye and Concubine Zhu, etc., which were not as popular as the first two.

The actors’ Weibo accounts were filled with comments tagging them and asking them to be together. Generally, this kind of situation would only be popular for a while when a drama was first released. When the actors went on to act in other dramas and played new roles, the audience would pair them with new people. After was released in her previous life, because it was so popular, several entertainment companies took advantage of the heat and made a TV series with the original cast, making a lot of money again.

It was also at that time that, for some reason, rumors about the lead actors started to spread. Among them, the rumors about Ji Junxin and Zhang Zijing were the most prevalent. For a time, Zhang Zijing, riding on Ji Junxin’s coattails, frequently appeared in the top three trending searches on Weibo. At that time, Mi Hongdou, who was already somewhat famous, had been captivated by Ji Junxin and became her fan. She paid close attention to the situation. With her limited experience in the industry and a lot of intuition, Mi Hongdou always felt that the rumors were too intense, as if someone was manipulating them behind the scenes.

According to Mi Hongdou’s analysis at the time, Qiong Yu had Qiao Rubai, so it was impossible for them to use rumors for hype. It must have been Dajin Entertainment, trying to promote Zhang Zijing by dragging down Ji Junxin, the most popular actress in the drama. Just as Mi Hongdou was getting angry and wanted to go online with a fake account to refute the rumors, the two agencies simultaneously issued statements, confirming the relationship between Ji Junxin and Zhang Zijing.

That night, one laptop was scrapped at Mi Hongdou’s home.

If it had just been that, it would have just been a case of her idol dating and getting married. She would have been sad but would have wished her happiness and continued to adore her child in the future. Who knew that she wouldn’t even get to see her idol’s wedding, let alone adore her child. The announcement issued by Dajin Entertainment stated that Zhang Zijing and Ji Junxin had amicably broken up months ago, and Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo were in love and would be getting married next month. They thanked everyone for their blessings. Blessings, my ass!

Four years later, after reading the statement, another laptop was scrapped at Mi Hongdou’s home.

Who was Jiang Duo? Another artist under Dajin, the one who played Concubine Zhu in , the one who became Ji Junxin’s close friend after collaborating multiple times! What peaceful breakup? It was clearly a case of a scumbag cheating! She didn’t know what Zhang Zijing saw in Jiang Duo. She looked like a white lotus and was definitely not a good person. The roles she played were either pitiful and weak or outwardly pitiful and weak but actually vicious and cunning. She had been acting for so many years and was still only semi-famous, which showed how stupid she was!

Mi Hongdou didn’t really want Ji Junxin and Zhang Zijing to be together, but compared to her idol being dumped, the former was clearly more acceptable to her. Oh, and why did she know that Zhang Zijing cheated and not that he was dumped by Ji Junxin? That went without saying. If she didn’t even have that much insight, how could she be Ji Junxin’s loyal and die-hard fan for so many years?

Mi Hongdou miserably put on her fake account and went to her idol’s Weibo to say things like, “The weather is great today. I was walking and not looking, stepped into a manhole, and fell on my butt. The warm egg pancake I had just taken a bite of was instantly snatched away by a smiling Samoyed, and a big gray cat stepped on my hand. My hand hurts now.” She hoped that among the thousands of comments saying “Don’t cry, goddess, get up and keep going,” hers would be a breath of fresh air that would make her idol smile.

Sure enough, the day after Dajin Entertainment issued the blessing statement, Qiong Yu Entertainment issued a statement saying that Ji Junxin was retiring from the entertainment industry, and from that day on, Qiong Yu Entertainment would no longer have any kind of cooperation with Dajin Entertainment, Zhang Zijing, or Jiang Duo.

Chapter 8: Peanut Candy

Qiao Rubai was definitely a reborn person. Mi Hongdou no longer doubted this. She could even guess that Qiao Rubai should have been reborn from a point in time after she fell from the wires, which was why she appeared in such a way to help her. Was it compensation for the wire incident in her previous life? Everything was just speculation, and Mi Hongdou didn’t intend to acknowledge her as a fellow time traveler. After all, after Qiao Rubai’s rebirth, whether it was changing the script or getting an early share of the reality show market, it should have been from the perspective of a businesswoman’s profits. As for herself, she still had her own things to strive for.

Don’t ask, don’t mention, don’t gossip. Since the other party had given her an opportunity and saved her some detours, then she would work hard.

“Who is Mi Hongdou?” This question had been at the top of the internal discussion list in the crew for the past few days. Unfortunately, even after asking around internally, they could only find out that she was an outsider with no works to her name. There was not much else known. For the crew of , it was common for Mengguan to find someone completely unrelated to the entertainment industry to act in their projects, even for upcoming ones. It was all because they had a capricious boss. People got used to it, so the crew’s discussion about Mi Hongdou mostly revolved around “how cute this newcomer must be,” which was a strange point of focus. The crew of was different. In the original script, although the role of the empress ran through the plot, she didn’t have many scenes and was just a supporting role.

But after the script was revised, whether in terms of screen time, plot development, or even the overall feeling of the character to the audience, it was vastly different from the original version. Even if she was still called a supporting role, she was essentially an unacknowledged main character. In fact, after the crew members read the new script, they felt like the drama now had two female leads.

Such an important role was taken by an outsider, which really made everyone very curious about that Mi Hongdou. Of course, most of the discussions in were about how much backing this newcomer had.

The internal discussions of the two crews didn’t reach Mi Hongdou’s ears. Of course, even if she heard them, Mi Hongdou wouldn’t have time to care. There were more important things waiting for her. The iron pot was heated over a low flame, and she had to continuously wave the spatula to ensure that the peanuts in the pot were heated evenly. Mi Hongdou was completely focused on the peanuts. This was the first time she was cooking with her ten-year-old body, and only by being more careful could she avoid making mistakes. Her efforts paid off. Slowly, the aroma of peanuts wafted from the pot, and then the skin of the peanuts gradually darkened. Mi Hongdou, ignoring the heat, picked one up, rubbed off the skin, and put it in her mouth. It was just the right doneness.

She turned off the heat and let them cool. After removing the skins from the roasted peanuts, she put half of them into a food processor and pulsed them a few times until they became coarsely chopped. The other half was ground into a fine powder. She took another pot and melted white sugar and maltose together to make a syrup. She poured out a quarter of the syrup onto a countertop and repeatedly pulled and folded it until it turned white and elastic, forming a smooth sugar sheet. Then she poured out another quarter, kneaded it until elastic, wrapped the peanut powder in it, and continued to fold and knead until the syrup and peanut powder were completely mixed, forming the filling. Finally, she wrapped the filling with the sugar sheet, rolled it into a log, and cut it into small pieces of peanut candy, about two knuckles long.

The remaining half of the syrup in the pot was mixed with peanuts, roasted white sesame seeds, and a small amount of osmanthus flowers. After mixing well, it was taken out and formed into a rectangular candy slab of moderate thickness. Then it was also cut into small pieces, making peanut brittle.

The peanut candy was delicate and needed to be picked up carefully to avoid crushing it. In the mouth, layers of crispy sugar sheets combined with the sandy peanut powder were crispy, sweet, and fragrant. The peanut brittle had a different texture. Because the syrup was cooked just right, the peanut brittle wasn’t hard at all. It was very crispy when bitten into. The osmanthus petals and whole sesame seeds inside added a special fragrance to the candy. Even after eating a few pieces, it wasn’t greasy at all.

Mi’s mother also believed Mi Hongdou’s claim of being naturally talented and affirmed her sugar-making skills.

Mi Hongdou made a lot of both types of candy. After they cooled, she packed them into transparent snack bags.

Each bag contained two pieces of each type of candy. They were sealed and looked very delicate. She packed a whole backpack full, which she planned to take to the set.

She didn’t know how Qiao Rubai did it, but both crews were now in Shudian, and not far apart. was further along, having already started filming. Mi Hongdou’s first scene after her rebirth was the imperial wedding in , or more accurately, filming Emperor Ji Yan’s memory of his wedding night with Empress Qin Muxue. The script described that after the country was defeated and Ji Yan was injured and forced to retreat to the north, he deeply missed the empress who was exiled to the estate by the enemy. He remembered when they were young, on their wedding night, when he pushed open the door, Qin Muxue, dressed in red, looked at him with a hint of shyness.

This scene had no lines. Even if Mi Hongdou hadn’t been reborn, it would have been simple for a newcomer.

Because it was a wedding, there should be some nervousness. A newcomer on set should also be nervous. The director putting this scene as the first one to film felt like a way to help the newcomer adapt, she wondered if it was Qiao Rubai’s idea.

Because Shudian was a few hours’ drive from Jiang City, Yang Lianyi booked a hotel in Shudian for the crew. This time, it wasn’t the same hotel as Qiao Rubai’s crew. Mi Hongdou, Hao Ba, and Ye Xin were newcomers to the crew, so there were no rooms for them before. Now, Qiao Rubai’s crew’s hotel was full, so they could only temporarily stay with Yang Lianyi. had started filming more than a month ago, and the three of them had missed the opening ceremony, which involved offering incense and eating roast pig.

There weren’t many people in Mengguan at the moment, and the most important filming was . The TV series hadn’t started filming yet. Yang Lianyi, as Mi Hongdou’s temporary manager, brought them to the set and also brought a lot of incense, making them pay their respects at the four corners of the filming location.

There was no pig to eat, but incense must be offered.

Mi Hongdou had the most screen time among the three and was the first to film. The day after they arrived in Shudian was the day she was to film the wedding scene, which was also, in the eyes of others, her first take.

There were those who had expectations for her, and even more who were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Although it was supposed to be the wedding night, the scene was shot at dusk, near nightfall. The palace was filled with festive colors. On the bed, a red wedding gown embroidered with phoenixes, adorned with pearls and jade, reflecting on the person. Her heart was pounding, joy in her heart. Hearing the young emperor push open the curtain, she clutched the silk handkerchief, lowered her eyes, blushed, but still couldn’t help but quickly glance at the door.

She met the smiling emperor’s gaze and immediately looked away as if she had been caught, her face turning even redder, and she couldn’t help but smile.

It was a simple, short scene, but they had more than ten NGs, and each time it was because of Mi Hongdou. The crew members who came to watch the show were greatly satisfied.

They thought she was some powerful newcomer, but she turned out to be completely incompetent.

“Xiaomi, you acted well at the beginning. The nervousness and shyness of a young empress on her wedding night, and the joy of finally marrying the person she loved, you acted them all well. But every time Xiaozhang came in, your initial look at him was right, that look of wanting to see your loved one as soon as possible.

But after that, it was wrong. After that, you should have a kind of shy and flustered feeling from meeting his gaze, but you…” Director Pan, who was finally exhausted from the NGs, pulled Mi Hongdou aside to explain the scene. He looked left and right, then lowered his voice and continued, “But every time you look at Xiaozhang, your eyes are full of hatred. The camera is capturing your close-up, it’s very obvious.

Do you two know each other?”

Director Pan was in his fifties and was best known for filming historical dramas, especially palace dramas. He was considered one of the top directors in this field. This time, it was only because of the cooperation and ample funding from several entertainment companies, and because the script appealed to him, that they were able to get him. When people get older, their tempers tend to get worse. With more than ten consecutive NGs, many people were probably hoping that Director Pan would explode and kick Mi Hongdou out.

But others might not know, but Director Pan, who had seen countless people, could see clearly. This person, who Qiao Rubai had temporarily brought in, was acting for the first time. The first part, those dozens of seconds where she was sitting on the bed alone, expressing her inner feelings of shyness, joy, and nervousness through micro-expressions and actions, was much more difficult than acting directly with someone else. Having this scene as the first was also a way for Director Pan to test the newcomer. As soon as the camera started rolling, Mi Hongdou gave Director Pan a big surprise. The micro-expressions and small actions of a new bride, Mi Hongdou did them perfectly. This was her first time acting. If she practiced more in the future, her future would be limitless.

Unfortunately, this surprise didn’t even last a minute. When Zhang Zijing pushed open the door and their eyes met, the problem was exposed.

Director Pan patiently let them do more than ten takes, just to determine whether Mi Hongdou couldn’t act and messed up, or if she had some kind of problem with Zhang Zijing, which was why she couldn’t make the correct reaction.

“Director Pan, I’m sorry, I…” Mi Hongdou was also a little frustrated. Even in her previous life, she had never had more than ten consecutive NGs, it was so embarrassing.

Hearing Director Pan’s words made her even more frustrated. She did indeed dislike Zhang Zijing, but she had tried her best to immerse herself in the role and hide it. How could it still be so obvious? Fortunately, it seemed that Ji Junxin didn’t have any scenes tonight. Otherwise, her debut would be a complete disaster.

A professional actor should not let personal grudges affect their performance, especially when the reasons are something that cannot be revealed to outsiders.

Just as Mi Hongdou adjusted her emotions and prepared to face the challenge, she seemed to see a familiar figure flash by near the camera.

Chapter 7: Roasted Sweet Potato

She left home alone, and returned with three contracts. Mi Hongdou was basically certain that Qiao Rubai was 90% a reborn person, which was a difficult piece of news for Mi Hongdou to process. In her previous life, firstly, Qiao Rubai became her boss, and secondly, it was thanks to her that Mi Hongdou was able to legitimately get in touch with the already retired Ji Junxin. So, aside from the incident of falling from the wires, Mi Hongdou and Qiao Rubai had a pretty good personal relationship.

It’s just that the matter of rebirth was truly bizarre in the eyes of normal people. Mi Hongdou wasn’t sure if Qiao Rubai would be willing to have a “fellow time traveler,” nor did she know from what point in the future Qiao Rubai came from. Rather than rashly revealing herself, it was better to pretend to know nothing. Anyway, now she had a movie and a reality show to get in touch with Ji Junxin, which was already much better than her previous life. There was no need to take the risk of using Qiao Rubai as a shortcut.

Moreover, Qiao Rubai’s sudden collaboration with Mengguan, unlike her avoidance of Yang Lianyi in her previous life, showed a hint of indulgence, which further confused Mi Hongdou.

The filming of required a large number of palaces, pavilions, and ancient scenery. Filming had already begun at the Shudian Film City, which was a five-hour drive from Jiang City, where Mi Hongdou lived. was an urban drama, mostly with indoor scenes, and it had been decided long ago to film it locally in Jiang City. She didn’t know what kind of magic potion Qiao Rubai had given Yang Lianyi, but the final result was that this drama was also moved to Shudian for filming.

In any case, for Mi Hongdou, less travel was a good thing.

As it turned out, the good news was just beginning.

Two days later, Mi Hongdou received the revised script.

One of the main characters, Ji Junxin, plays Miao Qianye, the daughter of an official. She enters the palace through the talent selection and is granted the title of “Changzai,” a concubine of the seventh rank. Emperor Ji Yan and Empress Qin Muxue have known each other since they were young, and it has only been three years since their grand wedding. They are still deeply in love, and he mostly neglects the other members of the harem. Many of the women who entered the palace through the selection have not been favored for a long time, and Miao Qianye is one of them. Fortunately, Miao Qianye is naturally indifferent and not anxious about being favored. She closes her doors, stays in her own little corner, and lives as if she were still in her maiden home. However, the master may not be anxious, but the servants are. Several months after entering the palace, Attendant Miao hasn’t even seen the emperor’s face. Apart from the two personal maids she brought into the palace, the other servants have gradually become lax.

The weather is getting colder, and not only is the allocated charcoal insufficient, but even the daily meals are cold, meager, and not fresh. Miao Qianye can endure other things, but when it comes to food, she can’t stand to shortchange herself. Unfortunately, the Miao family’s official rank is not high, and they couldn’t provide much for Miao Qianye to bring into the palace. Miao Qianye’s rank is low, and her monthly allowance is also small. Even if she wants to buy some hot and delicious food from the imperial kitchen, she probably can’t afford it for long, perhaps not even enough to last through the winter. Fortunately, Miao Qianye is clever. Knowing that she can’t afford the special dishes from the imperial kitchen with her silver, she has the palace servants who go out to purchase ingredients buy her a pot, seasonings, and ingredients.

Miao Qianye’s rank is not high enough to have her own private kitchen. Originally, she only dared to stew some vegetable soup on the small brazier while warming herself by the fire, which was at least warmer and fresher than the food that was delivered. If the delivered meat was decent, she could also stew it all together. Fortunately, she lives in a remote area, and no one visits in the cold weather. She secretly cooks in her room, and apart from her two personal maids, she doesn’t dare to let anyone else know. After doing this for a few days, Miao Qianye’s courage grows. Today, in addition to stewing vegetable soup, she also throws a few expensive raw sweet potatoes into the charcoal brazier to roast.

Unexpectedly, Concubine Zhu, who lived in the adjacent side hall and entered the palace at the same time as her, had been waiting in the Imperial Garden from spring to summer, then to autumn, and finally to this day of winter snow. She finally encountered the emperor, who was strolling alone in the garden without the empress. Who knows what methods she used, but it wasn’t just a chance encounter. She actually managed to lure the emperor to this remote, probably long-forgotten small palace. The other side halls were also occupied by several low-ranking concubines, some of whom, like Miao Qianye, had never seen the emperor. They all rushed out to meet him.

Miao Qianye’s room was filled with the smoky smell of roasted sweet potatoes. She didn’t even dare to open the door, let alone go out to see the emperor. But even though she didn’t open the door, the emperor’s guards, with their sharp senses, noticed the smoky smell coming from this side hall. At first, the emperor thought it was a fire and almost left. Fortunately, they finally discovered that it was just a low-ranking attendant cooking in her room. Needless to say, the roasted sweet potatoes, which were common food for ordinary people, easily captured the stomach of the supreme ruler. The charming and beautiful Concubine Zhu lost to Attendant Miao, who still had a few streaks of charcoal ash on her face.

Two sweet potatoes, a night of favor, and a promotion of two ranks. Afterward, the emperor seemed to have become addicted to the taste, and his favor continued. In just half a year, Miao Qianye, favored but childless, was promoted to the rank of Zhaoyi, a concubine of the third rank, just below a consort. Even the empress, who had always been deeply in love with the emperor, began to take notice of Miao Qianye’s existence.

She still remembered the roasted sweet potatoes in the drama. They were probably specially chosen red-fleshed sweet potatoes. After roasting, a layer of caramel formed on the outside. When the emperor in the drama broke open the sweet potato, it even had strings of sweetness. Mi Hongdou could imagine the aroma even through the screen.

Two sweet potatoes, a night of favor, and a promotion of two ranks. Afterward, the emperor seemed to have become addicted to the taste, and his favor continued. In just half a year, Miao Qianye, favored but childless, was promoted to the rank of Zhaoyi, a concubine of the third rank, just below a consort. Even the empress, who had always been deeply in love with the emperor, began to take notice of Miao Qianye’s existence.

She still remembered the roasted sweet potatoes in the drama. They were probably specially chosen red-fleshed sweet potatoes. After roasting, a layer of caramel formed on the outside. When the emperor in the drama broke open the sweet potato, it even had strings of sweetness. Mi Hongdou could imagine the aroma even through the screen.

She couldn’t resist and went to buy two sweet potatoes to eat after watching. They were soft, sweet, and had a lovely caramelized aroma, but she always felt that the ones Ji Junxin roasted in the movie were more delicious. She wondered if she could get a few NG ones that were discarded during filming this time. She loved them so much she had no shame.

Up to this point, the plot was similar to what Mi Hongdou saw in her previous life. But what came after truly blinded her eyes.

In the previous life, the plot after this point was about palace intrigue. Both the favor and the rank that Miao Qianye received made her the target of everyone in the harem. She thought that she could live peacefully with the emperor’s favor if she didn’t fight for anything. Who knew that when she finally got pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to keep the child past three months. The emperor’s investigation into the loss of the child yielded no results. Miao Qianye didn’t believe it and became a different person. Not only did she no longer refuse the emperor’s promotions of her father and brother as she used to, but she also used the pitiful appearance of a grieving mother to secure even more important positions for them, so they could send more money and people into the palace to expand her influence.

She was no longer indifferent to palace affairs and changed from being gentle and not calculating to striving to hold onto the emperor’s heart. Miao Qianye put her heart into it, and the emperor pitied her for losing her child, so he made her Consort De. For a time, she was the most favored in the harem, and even the empress didn’t dare to confront her directly. Miao Qianye was determined to avenge her child. Although she didn’t want to harm others, she didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire and kicking people when they were down, so that the harem would become chaotic, and she would have a chance to find the person who harmed her child. Planning for her father and brother in the court and monopolizing the emperor’s heart in the harem, Miao Qianye’s efforts finally paid off. All the evidence pointed to the empress.

But unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly intervened and only punished the obvious culprit, Zhu Ronghua (formerly Concubine Zhu), to put an end to the matter. The emperor didn’t want Miao Qianye to continue investigating. Because of her persistence, he gradually distanced himself from her and never saw her again. Later, because she wouldn’t give up, the emperor demoted her from Consort De of the first rank to Attendant Miao of the fifth rank. Her father and brother were also suppressed in the court and lost the glory of being the most favored consort’s family. The emperor’s favor was fleeting. Miao Qianye had truly loved the emperor, but after this, there was no turning back. She was no longer innocent. She pretended to let go of her grudges, bowed her head, regained the emperor’s favor, and treated others kindly, gradually winning people’s hearts.

Half a year later, she gave birth to a son, and her father and brother returned to important positions in the court. Three years later, the emperor fell ill and passed away. The empress was infected while attending to him and, heartbroken, passed away after more than a month of treatment. Miao Qianye had been plotting for years. After giving birth, she had been giving the emperor a drug that made him infertile. Then, step by step, after her father and brother were firmly established in the court, she arranged for the emperor to contract an incurable disease. Since the emperor truly loved the empress, and could even forgive her for the death of their child, then he should go first and not stand in the way of her revenge. Afterward, her young son ascended the throne, and Miao Qianye ruled from behind the curtain.

Finally, her young son became a capable and wise ruler, and even had grandsons. Miao Qianye gradually grew old, withdrew from politics, and sat alone in the side hall where she first met the emperor. Recalling the day of her heart-fluttering favor, it felt like yesterday. In the end, a tear fell. She had truly loved him. Unfortunately, the one the emperor loved was never her.

But the problem now was that in the new script, from the point where Miao Qianye was favored but childless and promoted to Zhaoyi of the third rank, just below a consort, the plot was completely different! An external enemy invaded, and the border was breached. The emperor personally led the troops but failed to stop them. After the defeat, he disappeared, and no one knew if he was alive or dead. The court and the country were in chaos. The empress tried to step forward to turn the tide, but even in the face of national crisis, the old fogeys in the court were still concerned about a woman ruling the country, quoting classics and refusing to cooperate. Without a leader, even though the empress had the support of the Minister of State, she had no military power and only controlled the Imperial Guards of the capital, which was useless in the overall war.

The enemy advanced all the way to the capital. There was no time to resist, let alone escape. Some court officials surrendered, some committed suicide, and some forced the concubines who couldn’t escape to commit suicide to show their chastity. Just then, Miao Qianye was found to be pregnant. The empress wanted to preserve a bloodline for the emperor. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, she opened the gates of the capital and surrendered to the enemy, avoiding unnecessary bloodshed and saving the people in the palace. Afterward, the enemy emperor, firstly to keep his promise to the empress, and secondly because the emperor’s body had not been found, wanted to keep the harem as hostages.

The people in the harem were not punished, but they were only allowed to bring their personal belongings and were moved to a heavily guarded estate outside the capital. They were short of food and clothing and had to farm for themselves. They weren’t even allowed to bring many eunuchs or maids. The empress had to take care of Miao Qianye herself. Without the emperor, there was no more fighting for favor. The people in the harem could actually get along well in order to survive. Miao Qianye gave birth to a son, who became their shared secret. Naturally, those who wanted to betray them were secretly strangled by the eunuchs under the empress’s orders. They told the guards that those people couldn’t bear the hardship and committed suicide.

In the estate, with the empress as the leader, they gradually became self-sufficient and slowly began to forget how they used to scheme against each other for the favor of one man. The empress grew closer to Miao Qianye because she doted on her son. The empress came from a military family, was strong and decisive, and could stand on her own. Miao Qianye came from a scholarly family, was literate and talented. They had very different personalities, but because they worked together to raise the emperor’s last bloodline and depended on each other, they gradually became close friends. They thought that when the child was older, they could try to find a way to send him out so he could live an ordinary life.

Who knew that three years later, the remaining troops in the north would regroup. The emperor wasn’t dead and had reorganized the old troops from various places and was fighting back. While raising the army, the emperor also sent a small group of elite soldiers to raid the estate, hoping to rescue the people in the harem. Weapons are blind, and there were casualties. By the time they reached the north, half of the people who had depended on each other in the estate had died. Afterward, they followed the army into the capital, and the emperor regained the throne. Three years of farming and two years of military life felt like a dream. The war was won, but the harem was lost. Although the surviving members of the harem were promoted, the emperor no longer touched them. He only favored the beauties he had acquired in the northern army or the new beauties selected after the victory.

If that was all, so be it. But the emperor still had the empress in his heart. The empress became the only person from the old harem who could still spend the night with the emperor. The others didn’t matter, but the empress couldn’t bear to see the child she had raised suffer. She persuaded the emperor to go to Miao Qianye, and Miao Qianye regained his favor and was promoted to Noble Consort. Then, fearing that this would make the empress a target, the emperor also favored several other high-ranking concubines from the old days. After the external enemies were eliminated and the court was reorganized, just four years later, the emperor’s old injuries relapsed, and he passed away without leaving a will. The empress had no sons, and Miao Qianye’s son was the eldest, qualified to ascend the throne.

But some old officials brought up the fact that the empress had wanted to seize power in the past, saying that the eldest prince had been raised and taught by the empress and would be controlled by her in the future. The Ji dynasty would be replaced by Empress Qin. They suggested making Concubine Zhu’s (formerly Concubine Zhu) second prince the emperor instead. For a time, many important officials in and outside the court agreed with this, and a group of poor scholars, incited by who knows who, gathered outside the palace to stage a sit-in protest. The country was in the process of recovering from the war, and there were still other enemies eyeing the border. A single day without an emperor meant a day of instability for the country. Just as Miao Qianye was about to persuade the empress to give in and make the second prince the emperor, news came that the empress had committed suicide by taking poison.

The empress’s last decree was to tell the court officials that she had resolved their concerns. Since ancient times, the eldest should be established, not the youngest. She hoped that they would assist the eldest prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible to stabilize the foundation of the country. The empress’s move left no room for argument, and the voices supporting the second prince disappeared. The eldest prince successfully ascended the throne, and Miao Qianye became the empress dowager. At the end of the script, the country was peaceful and prosperous under the new emperor’s rule. The elderly Miao Qianye, now with white hair, was in a small dark room. Refusing the help of the palace servants, she personally fed a bowl of poison to Concubine Zhu.

Just a few drops were enough to kill, but Miao Qianye fed her very slowly, firmly, little by little, until the entire bowl of poison was finished.

She watched her struggle, scream, and vomit blood, just like the year she heard the news and rushed to the central palace, only to see the bright red by the bed.

The very end of the script showed the elderly Empress Dowager Miao returning to the estate where they had been held captive. She gently touched the old spinning wheel. In her eyes, she saw the scene from when they were still in the estate, herself spinning yarn, the empress on a bamboo chair next to her, coaxing the child, and a fat cat lying nearby. The setting sun slowly fell, and the orange light gently enveloped the estate. Those were the most difficult but also the happiest days of her life, days she could never go back to.

This wasn’t just a slightly modified script! More than half of the plot was different! And why did she feel like something was wrong! Why did she feel a little like crying! And!

Why does it say “Mi Hongdou as the Empress” in the cast list!

Chapter 6: Apple Tree

Dressed in a panda onesie, Yang Miemie rolled in like a ball. Before she could correctly snuggle up to Yang Lianyi, she was caught by a group of people who rushed in after her.

The tiny Yang Miemie was held in the arms of a very flustered young girl, who stiffened even more after seeing Yang Lianyi on the sofa. Following behind her were two burly men, tall and sturdy, with fierce faces. Seeing that the girl had caught Yang Miemie, they didn’t enter but stood on either side of the door, like door guardians. Those who didn’t know the situation might think it was a scene of a gang attacking an innocent girl.

In contrast, the woman who followed last, dressed in a pearl-colored cotton outfit, beige cloth shoes, and her hair simply tied up with a light green jade hairpin, was neat and composed as she stepped forward to greet Yang Lianyi.

As soon as Yang Miemie was caught, Mi Hongdou recognized the people. They were all brought in by Yang Lianyi to take care of the child, as a way to make up for yesterday’s mistake. Speaking of which, Yang Lianyi’s handling of Yang Miemie was really as simple and crude as always. If she was hungry, she would be fed to her heart’s content. If she was cold, she would be covered with the whole blanket. The day before, she carelessly lost the child, and the next day, she brought a bunch of people to watch over her. The woman who came in last was originally only responsible for making food for Yang Miemie, and occasionally making some snacks to bring to Mengguan for everyone’s benefit. Now, she was also looking after the child.

That young girl was probably some relative of the Yang family, someone they knew well enough to be temporarily asked to take care of the child. However, thinking about the mess of the Yang family in a few years, Mi Hongdou’s head started to ache.

Because of her experience in her previous life, Mi Hongdou wasn’t too surprised by the chase scene between the “gang” and the “innocent girl.” But what surprised her was that Qiao Rubai didn’t seem to react much either.

She didn’t know if Qiao Rubai was just that calm, or if her own suspicions were growing deeper. While pretending to be calm, she was also unsure whether she should probe or avoid the topic.

Speaking of Qiao Rubai, the industry’s evaluation of her was that she was serious and earnest to the point of being unfeeling. After Mi Hongdou switched to Qiong Yu in her previous life, she had a lot of contact with her. She felt that apart from being a bit too serious about work and avoiding Yang Lianyi, there was nothing else. Most importantly, Qiao Rubai once accidentally discovered that Mi Hongdou was a fan of Ji Junxin and kindly introduced them.

If it weren’t for her, Mi Hongdou wouldn’t have had those years of slowly fulfilling her dream of getting closer to her idol.

On the second day after her rebirth, she had to face a suspected fellow time traveler. Mi Hongdou felt a lot of pressure.

Before she could find a place to quietly digest and think, Yang Lianyi, holding the child and her new favorite “cute thing,” took Mi Hongdou out for lunch.

Yang Lianyi suggested lunch, but the restaurant was arranged by Qiao Rubai. Anyway, Mi Hongdou no longer had any expectations for Yang Lianyi’s IQ. They went to Qiao Rubai’s favorite private kitchen, where dishes were made to order. As long as the requests weren’t too strange, they could basically make any dish you ordered. Even if it wasn’t on the menu, they would go out and buy fresh ingredients, which took more time. In her previous life, Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin also liked to come here. Mainly because after Ji Junxin retired from acting, she became obsessed with cooking, no, to be precise, she became obsessed with eating. It was as if the suppressed appetite from years of acting was suddenly unleashed.

If she read about or saw something delicious on TV, she would always want to come here and have the chef make it for her to try. But this didn’t last long. At one point, Ji Junxin got her hands on a few ancient cookbooks written in classical Chinese. The dishes described in them sounded delicious, but they were difficult to read and even more difficult to make. Even this frequently visited restaurant refused to make them for her. Later, Mi Hongdou went back and consulted with her mother while also experimenting on her own. Whether it was authentic or not, at least it tasted good. She discovered her own culinary potential and also satisfied Ji Junxin’s foodie heart.

After that, they came to this restaurant less often. If they had time to get together, they would cook at Ji Junxin’s house instead.

It had been a long time since she last ate here. Mi Hongdou looked at the signature dishes on the menu and had many ideas.

Unfortunately, Qiao Rubai had already ordered the dishes via text message on the way here.

Springy crystal meat jelly, tender hand-shredded three-yellow chicken, deep-fried peanuts mixed with cucumber sections, thinly sliced five-spice pork liver dipped in a slightly sweet and rich soy sauce with garlic leaves – simply delicious. And the soft, honey-glazed pumpkin with red dates and the lighter salted white shrimp were perfect for children. Yang Miemie had a spoonful of pumpkin puree from Yang Lianyi in her left hand and a shrimp from Qiao Rubai in her right, happily eating with both hands. In her previous life, although Qiao Rubai avoided Yang Lianyi, she really liked Yang Miemie. Because of this, Yang Lianyi used Yang Miemie as an excuse to chase after her several times. She also contributed a lot to the little fatty’s weight loss journey.

But, the three of them only met for the first time today! Is it really okay for them to interact so naturally and intimately?

Mi Hongdou, who felt like she was about to explode today, looked at the three busy people at the table and felt like an outsider.

There were only four people eating, so the portions of the cold dishes weren’t large, and they were almost finished in a short while. Mi Hongdou put down her chopsticks and started thinking about whether the first dish to arrive would be today’s chef’s recommendation, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, or the signature dish, sesame steamed chicken. If a sweet soup with fermented rice and small glutinous rice balls came first, that would be nice too.

The homemade fermented rice mixed with lotus root starch made the sweet soup thick and smooth but not greasy. The small glutinous rice balls were mixed with osmanthus powder when they were made, and the fragrance filled the mouth as soon as you took a bite. Qiao Rubai’s favorite dish, salt and pepper pork knuckle, was also her favorite. The skin was crispy, the meat was fragrant and tender, and with the aroma of salt and pepper, one bite was crispy and delicious. Anyway, those three were gathered together, and Mi Hongdou was happy that no one was paying attention to her. She indulged in her own imagination, completely forgetting the pot of congee she had in the morning and the several pieces of snacks she had just eaten.

However, even after thinking through all the dishes she wanted to eat, Mi Hongdou never expected that the first dish to arrive would be a plate of “apple tree.” “Apple tree” is usually made by blanching broccoli florets, letting them cool, and then mixing them with oyster sauce. They are arranged on a plate in the shape of a tree crown. Small cherry tomatoes are cut in half and placed cut-side down on the crown to resemble apples. The trunk is made of seaweed wrapped around an omelet. If it were just an ordinary apple tree, Mi Hongdou wouldn’t be so surprised. The key was that you could tell at a glance that the “apples” on the tree were red grapes, not cherry tomatoes.

Taking a couple more bites, the broccoli crown was drizzled with honey instead of oyster sauce, with the sweetness of broccoli and honey complementing the crispness. The omelet in the trunk didn’t have scallions, but instead had thin slices of ham. One bite and the savory seaweed wrapped the tender omelet, and another bite filled the mouth with the rich aroma of ham. It was simply amazing. The savory apple tree was made with a sweet top (the crown) and a savory bottom (the trunk). This was clearly her own modified version from her previous life! Because Ji Junxin didn’t like to eat scallions, ginger, and garlic, Mi Hongdou specifically removed the scallions from the omelet and replaced them with ham for flavor.

Tasting it this way, this dish was simply a pirated version!

Eating this dish, Mi Hongdou felt a little indignant, but also a little relieved. Only Ji Junxin and Qiao Rubai, who had come to visit, had eaten her modified version a few times. So, the problem was Qiao Rubai, not some random person around her whose background she didn’t know.

Identifying the target was always reassuring, although Mi Hongdou didn’t know what the next step should be.

“The movie script for Imperial Secrets is almost finalized, and filming will begin soon. I’ll send you two contracts this afternoon, one for Imperial Secrets and the other for Reality On Line. The contracts for the movie and the show must be signed together.” Qiao Rubai gave Yang Miemie a few chopsticks of broccoli and interrupted Mi Hongdou’s self-immersion.

Even though Mi Hongdou had confirmed Qiao Rubai’s strangeness, Reality On Line… what was that? And Yang Lianyi, staring at Qiao Rubai with a lovestruck smile, was completely unreliable! This was a disaster!

It couldn’t be more of a trap!

“I don’t know what Reality On Line is…” Self-sufficiency through one’s own efforts, Mi Hongdou pretended to be ignorant and eager to learn.

“Reality Online is a large-scale reality show planned to be produced by the same team as Imperial Secrets. The current idea is to film it immediately after the movie. Of course, since it’s still in the planning stages, the specific content is subject to change. The contract for Reality Online is just to ensure that the main cast of the film will also participate in the reality show. The company believes that the movie and the reality show can complement each other.” Qiao Rubai said it very calmly, but it scared Mi Hongdou quite a bit.

Right now, reality shows in the country were just starting to gain some traction. In her previous life, Qiao Rubai didn’t get in on the action in time. By the time she wanted to, Qiong Yu’s reputation for being serious and earnest, not letting actors use stunt doubles, and insisting on authentic performances without faking it had already spread.

Everyone knew that entertainment shows always had some artificiality. It was one thing that their artists weren’t allowed to lip-sync or use stunt doubles, but everyone also knew that reality shows often involved pranking artists and making them suffer. Qiao Rubai was so serious to the point of being stubborn, who would dare to participate in Qiong Yu’s reality shows? Now, Mi Hongdou knew this, but others didn’t. Should she get on this pirate ship or not?

Chapter 5: Rice Cakes

Full and satisfied after her meal, Mi Hongdou felt like a warm bowl of preserved egg congee as she walked in the sunshine to sign her contract. Yang Lianyi had a guest, so the contract was signed with Mengguan’s legal assistant. With the experience from her previous life, Mi Hongdou quickly scanned through it, signed her name, and the process was completed. She officially became a member of Mengguan again and was assigned an assistant named Bai Tang. A newbie, with zero experience. No need to ask, Yang Lianyi had just had her secretary pick someone from the submitted resumes last night. There was only one requirement: the name had to sound edible, to match the newly signed Mi Hongdou. How cute!

The hiring process was careless, but fortunately, the person was useful. She used her for ten years in her previous life and never changed.

As for her manager, Yang Lianyi would temporarily take on the role. So, after signing the contract, the legal assistant specifically told Mi Hongdou to stay behind and meet with Yang Lianyi after her guest left.

The legal assistant went back to work, and Bai Tang went to train with other senior assistants in the company. Mi Hongdou was left alone in the meeting room, bored. She had eaten a big pot of congee in the morning, but after just signing a contract, she was already feeling a little hungry. Perhaps it was because she was reborn and younger, her appetite had improved!

Mi Hongdou found a reason to extend her devilish claws towards the plate of guest snacks on the table.

Small, square, snow-white rice cakes, individually wrapped in sealed transparent bags. One look and you could tell it was the handiwork of the chef Yang Lianyi specially hired to take care of Yang Miemie’s diet. Yang Lianyi was saddled with a sister who got pregnant out of wedlock, came back to give birth, and then ran away. Even though she wasn’t good at taking care of children herself, she had to figure out how to raise Yang Miemie for three years. Keeping her fed and clothed, Yang Miemie grew into a cute little meat bun. Yang Lianyi put in a lot of effort, and this chef also played a significant role. Occasionally, when the chef made extra snacks, Yang Lianyi would bring some to Mengguan. But what she brought, how much she brought, and when she brought it was all a matter of chance.

This time, apparently, Mi Hongdou’s luck was good.

Mi Hongdou picked up a rice cake and held it up to the light outside the window. The light passed through the rice cake, and she could vaguely see that there was filling inside. Light yellow was banana filling, red was strawberry, purple was grape, green was candied winter melon, orange was orange flavored, the transparent one in the middle was coconut jelly, and the opaque one was the original flavor. In her previous life, Mi Hongdou’s favorites were the coconut jelly filling and the original flavor. She picked out a few, took a bite, and couldn’t stop. The snacks were just the right size for one bite. The outer layer of rice cake had a small amount of mint powder mixed into the rice flour, giving it a cool, refreshing taste that was sweet but not greasy.

If it was the solid one, the cool mint flavor would go down her throat and straight to her stomach. The taste wasn’t strong, but it made her whole body feel refreshed. If it was the coconut jelly filling, the faint mint flavor would be neutralized by the rich coconut milk fragrance, slightly cool and slightly sweet, highlighting the rich aroma. No wonder that later, when Mengguan grew bigger and there were more people, they jointly submitted a petition, willing to share the cost of the tea room, begging Yang Lianyi to have the chef make more snacks and send them over. Just this one type of rice cake was already addictive, not to mention that this was just the tip of the iceberg of the chef’s skills.

There weren’t many solid and coconut-filled ones, and Mi Hongdou finished them in a few bites. Not satisfied, she tried a few fruit-filled ones. Although they weren’t her favorite flavors, the fruit jam was made by the chef herself, and the taste was much better than those bought outside. When she stopped, she realized that the snack plate was almost half empty. Mi Hongdou then remembered that she wasn’t the popular artist who had been with Mengguan for years in her previous life, but a newcomer who had just signed the contract and come for the first time.

Being so forward on her first visit was not good. Mi Hongdou, feeling a bit regretful, quickly rearranged the snack plate. From the surface, it looked piled high, just like before. It wouldn’t be immediately noticeable that the snacks were arranged to create a hollow space in the middle.

After tidying up, Mi Hongdou didn’t have to wait long before being called to Yang Lianyi’s office. Unexpectedly, when she pushed open the door, she saw that sitting next to Yang Lianyi on the guest sofa was none other than Qiao Rubai. Would she see Qiao Rubai in Yang Lianyi’s office at this time in her previous life? Did they have any interaction then?

Mi Hongdou felt that something was off, but now wasn’t the time to think about it. After all, those ten years in the industry weren’t for nothing. Mi Hongdou suppressed the surprise in her heart, greeted Yang Lianyi generously, and gave her a slightly puzzled look.

Then Yang Lianyi’s introduction made her even more surprised. According to Qiao Rubai, there were problems with the script for , so filming was temporarily suspended. Some content was added, and a few supporting roles were added. She came this time to collaborate with Mengguan, to get a few pretty girls to fill the roles. The script that had been in preparation for so long, they only discovered problems a month after filming started? Qiong Yu, such a big entertainment company, couldn’t find a few young actresses to fill the roles? Mengguan’s reputation in the industry hadn’t even been established yet. How could such a small company catch the eye of Qiong Yu Entertainment, and even have the head, Qiao Rubai, come begging for collaboration? Are you kidding me?

Mi Hongdou was shocked by Yang Lianyi’s introduction. She couldn’t believe that Yang Lianyi was taking such a flawed story seriously, without any doubt. Yang Lianyi wasn’t the type of person to go to work without thinking. Full of suspicion, Mi Hongdou tried her best to maintain a normal gaze at the excited Yang Lianyi and the unfathomable Qiao Rubai.

Then, she looked closely at the two, and was struck by lightning!

Mi Hongdou finally realized what had been wrong since she entered the room! Black-framed glasses, a white shirt, a black pencil skirt, a mature and restrained look. This was the outfit Qiao Rubai wore five or six years later, when Yang Lianyi first took a liking to her. Looking closer, Qiao Rubai’s almost shoulder-length straight hair was very smooth, and she had a small beige starfish hairpin on it, adding a touch of playfulness to her restrained look, like a crack in the tightly wrapped, stern exterior, waiting for someone to appreciate it.

That hairpin, Mi Hongdou remembered that in her previous life, Yang Lianyi had complained to her about how Qiao Rubai’s restrained look was so cute it made her heart itch. Mengguan had signed so many cute artists, but none of this type. Then she pestered Qiao Rubai for years. Although she didn’t manage to sign her, their relationship seemed to have eased a lot, and they weren’t just chasing and avoiding each other anymore. On Qiao Rubai’s thirty-third birthday, Yang Lianyi gave her a beige dolphin hairpin. Qiao Rubai disliked such girly things, and Yang Lianyi had to pester her for a long time before she agreed to wear it.

At that time, Ji Junxin even said that Qiao Rubai had never had such a girly heart since she was a child.

Qiao Rubai and Ji Junxin were the same age, only 24 years old now. This outfit was too mature for her. Fortunately, she had a serious and unfathomable expression, which helped her pull it off, so it didn’t look too out of place. No wonder Yang Lianyi had no doubts about Qiong Yu’s collaboration. Qiao Rubai in this look was her ultimate favorite. She probably even forgot her own name.

Mi Hongdou wasn’t sure if Qiao Rubai looked like this at this time in her previous life. If not, what was going on now? She had a guess in her mind that even she didn’t dare to think about in detail. It was absurd, but not impossible.

Her mind was racing, but she couldn’t show it on her face. Yang Lianyi’s words started to get to the point: “This time, Mengguan will send three female artists to participate in the filming. Two of them are Mengguan veterans, Ye Xin and Hao Ba. The last one, your contract just came in. Rubai saw your photo and decided on you.

The script will be sent later, and you will be notified of the specific role arrangements.”

It couldn’t be more ridiculous! Photo, what photo? Attached to the contract was a copy of her ID card! In black and white! The ugliest photo of her life, with no other until she changed her ID card! So the third role that was needed was definitely and certainly an ugly one! And Rubai, you’re calling her so intimately, and the person next to you has no reaction? How well do you two know each other! Mi Hongdou finally confirmed one thing, that Yang Lianyi’s IQ was definitely negative when she was facing Qiao Rubai, especially a Qiao Rubai who had been modified according to her preferences!

Her inner self was like being trampled over by ten thousand alpacas three hundred times, but on her face, she had to show the nervous expression of a new girl in the industry who had been hit by a gold ingot, flattered, wanting to laugh but restraining herself.

Hehe, actually, after being reborn, everyday life was where she really needed to show off her acting skills!

“But what about the previous TV series?” Mi Hongdou wasn’t sure what role she was given.

Being in the same drama as Ji Junxin was certainly attractive, but if she had to give up a script that would definitely make her famous for a role where she could only show her face and not become famous, then her distance from Ji Junxin would only grow further.

Qiao Rubai, who had been like a background board, spoke up, “Your TV series hasn’t started filming yet, and your role isn’t that heavy. Here, the role I’m giving you is also just a supporting role, so as long as the two sides are coordinated, you can definitely handle both at the same time.

This has already been discussed with your Manager Yang, don’t worry.”

“Aiyo, what Manager Yang? Didn’t I just say, although this is our first time meeting, I knew we were kindred spirits as soon as I saw you. I’m a few years older than you, just call me Sister Yang~” Even though they were talking business, Yang Lianyi couldn’t suppress her desire to flirt with cute things. Today, she was wearing a floor-length red dress with dark gold floral embroidery on the hem, which, combined with her undeniable charm, made her look like a vixen trying to seduce a white rabbit.

Those who knew her, knew that she just had a hobby of collecting cute things. Those who didn’t, might think she had some special fetish. It was a pity that she met someone like Qiao Rubai, who was impervious to her charms. It was going to be a long road. Mi Hongdou looked with a bit of sympathy at Yang Lianyi, who was trying her best to attract Qiao Rubai’s attention like a peacock spreading its tail. How long did it take her in her previous life to get Qiao Rubai to start tolerating her and interacting with her normally as a friend? Two and a half years?

Or three years?

“Sister Yang,” Qiao Rubai’s voice was a little stiff, lacking the usual charming cadence and playful tone that Yang Lianyi’s voice was known for. But these two simple words made Yang Lianyi ecstatic and shocked Mi Hongdou. In her previous life, Mi Hongdou never heard Qiao Rubai call her “Sister Yang” until she fell!

Where was the cold, serious, and aloof face that rejected people from a thousand miles away!

So, could Qiao Rubai also be… Mi Hongdou didn’t have a definite answer yet when the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Chapter 4: Century Egg Congee

Hate clickbait titles the most. After Mi Hongdou finished reading the entire report, her worried expression gradually eased. Flipping back to the magazine cover, she thought, this magazine’s reputation… who knows whose money they took to publish such an ambiguous article. It vaguely stated that after a month of filming, there were rumors of internal problems within the crew, Qiong Yu Entertainment was inexplicably suppressing a newcomer, and after many attempts at mediation by the crew, Qiong Yu Entertainment was considering having their lead actress, Ji Junxin, withdraw from the production.

This matter had been confirmed by an anonymous investor. Currently, Qiong Yu Entertainment and Ji Junxin had not yet made a clear response. More details would be revealed next week.

Because of Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou had previously looked up information about this movie. The film had ample funding. In addition to Qiong Yu Entertainment, which was the major investor, several other small and medium-sized entertainment companies also had a stake. Excluding post-production, the filming itself took almost a year. So, it was true that filming had started about a month ago. However, in the information she saw back then, the filming process was smooth. Besides making Qiong Yu’s Ji Junxin even more famous, other actors from other entertainment companies also received widespread acclaim. Where did this talk of suppressing a newcomer come from?

Moreover, Qiong Yu Entertainment’s Qiao Rubai was a big eccentric, almost stubbornly serious and upright. He was one of the most righteous people in the entertainment industry and wouldn’t suppress a newcomer for no reason. Mi Hongdou thought it over and felt that the so-called suppressed newcomer and the anonymous investor who confirmed this to the magazine were both highly suspicious.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t even stepped into the industry yet. Things that could have been easily clarified with a few phone calls ten years later, she could only try to subtly ask Yang Lianyi about tomorrow when signing the contract.

She didn’t know why she was so concerned about Ji Junxin. In her previous life, at this time, Ji Junxin was just one of many stars on the screen to Mi Hongdou.

She truly started to pay attention to her, understand her, care about her, and want to get closer to her, probably starting from this movie that was released a year and a half later. In the drama, Ji Junxin played the role of a naive and innocent official’s daughter who entered the palace through a talent selection, going through ups and downs to eventually ascend to the throne as the powerful empress, and finally becoming the kind and wise empress dowager with white hair at the end of the drama. She led the audience through this woman’s life and into that fictional country. Court intrigues, layers of mystery, peeling away layer by layer, Ji Junxin, who maintained her original heart until the end, was a very positive character in the drama. She portrayed a woman’s gentleness, kindness, forbearance, sacrifice, and even persistence so vividly that she gained countless fans.

Mi Hongdou had just become popular at that time and was being tutored by Yang Lianyi on the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. It was then that she became one of the fans captivated by Ji Junxin.

At first, Mi Hongdou just watched it a few more times because she liked it. Then, she couldn’t stop. She watched all of Ji Junxin’s TV shows and movies since her debut, even the few variety shows she had been on. Ji Junxin just debuted early and became famous quickly. In terms of age, she was only two years older than Mi Hongdou, so she didn’t have many works. Mi Hongdou watched everything she could find over and over again, and the more she watched, the more she wanted to know more about Ji Junxin. She searched for Ji Junxin’s past interviews, news reports, commercials, even fleeting appearances in some entertainment videos. At that time, Mi Hongdou was completely captivated by Ji Junxin, and quickly became her die-hard fan.

Unfortunately, whether it was fate or destiny, she and Ji Junxin never had the opportunity to collaborate. They hadn’t even been on a variety show together. At most, they attended the same award ceremonies, and Mi Hongdou didn’t dare to approach her. The entertainment industry was so small, yet the distance between them was so vast. So, for five or six years, Mi Hongdou was just like an ordinary fan, silently supporting Ji Junxin, and no one knew. Interestingly, in the sixth year, Mengguan’s Yang Lianyi took a liking to Qiong Yu’s Qiao Rubai. The two were entangled, and Qiao Rubai, as the head of Qiong Yu, couldn’t possibly sign with Mengguan.

It was the first time Yang Lianyi couldn’t sign someone she wanted. She was unwilling to give up and put in a lot of effort. Qiao Rubai had no choice but to cause trouble by trying to poach Yang Lianyi’s most popular artist, Mi Hongdou. However, Qiao Rubai didn’t know that Mi Hongdou was actually a mole sent by Yang Lianyi to Qiong Yu. Mi Hongdou thought that with this transfer, she would be in the same company as Ji Junxin, and there would be plenty of opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Who knew that less than two months after the transfer, the popular Ji Junxin would retire from acting!

She just wanted to be friends, why was it so difficult!

Without the opportunity to collaborate, Mi Hongdou, who had transferred to Qiong Yu, was once dejected. Unexpectedly, when one door closes, another opens. Later, through Qiao Rubai’s connections, Mi Hongdou had the opportunity to become friends with the retired Ji Junxin. Although they weren’t close confidants, after three or four years, they could meet up for meals and tea a few times a week. Some people, when they are far away, just looking at them from afar brings joy. When they really come down and stand in front of you, that joy turns into uncontrollable ecstasy! Mi Hongdou knew that her feelings for Ji Junxin were a bit excessive. Perhaps this was the hidden feeling of a die-hard fan who was close to their idol but couldn’t directly ask for an autograph.

You were in front of me, but I couldn’t tell you how much I liked you. Until Mi Hongdou fell from the wires, she never got Ji Junxin’s autograph, nor did she have time to tell her how much she admired her, for nine years.

This was one of Mi Hongdou’s greatest regrets in her previous life.

Living again, she must be a good and loyal fan! Mi Hongdou secretly clenched her fist in her heart. First, she had to find an opportunity to destroy the source that ultimately led to Ji Junxin’s retirement!

Mi Hongdou thus spent her first night after her rebirth full of ambition.

Perhaps because she thought too much and went to bed too late the night before, when she woke up the next day, her mother had already gone to work. Ever since her parents divorced, her mother stopped working as a pastry chef and went to work as an accountant at a paper company. Sometimes it was idle, sometimes it was really busy. In a few months, her mother wouldn’t have to work so hard… Mi Hongdou ladled a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat congee from the pot, feeling a little sour in her heart.

Her mother raised her alone. In her previous life, she still broke her mother’s heart once, but this time, she wouldn’t!

In her previous life, when Mi Hongdou was filming , although she had received some training from Mengguan, her lack of acting experience was still evident. Fortunately, the experiences of Lin Qiao in the script were somewhat similar to Mi Hongdou’s real life. Mi Hongdou studied the script thoroughly, and during filming, she tried to immerse herself in Lin Qiao, feeling like Lin Qiao was her, and she was Lin Qiao. This method of immersing herself in the role made the filming go smoothly, but it caused trouble for Mi Hongdou, who was getting into character for the first time, and doing so quite deeply.

The title of the drama was fitting to the content. Lin Qiao’s parents, ever since she was born, had talked about divorce multiple times due to various issues such as the first child being a girl, whether to have a second child, the seven-year itch, in-law relationships, and the appearance of a mistress. The closest they got to actually divorcing was when they were already sitting in the Civil Affairs Bureau. But for various reasons, they argued for years but never actually divorced. The first drama had a happy ending. No one is perfect, and in the end, everyone tried to live together, stumbling along the way, reflecting the reality of society. Lin Qiao, in the drama, was a strong and independent character who longed for her family’s love and didn’t want her parents to divorce.

She tried her best to mediate and comfort them. Mi Hongdou immersed herself too deeply in this role, and even after filming ended, she couldn’t get out of character for a long time. Her mother was sure to watch Mi Hongdou’s first drama. She remembered her mother asking her after watching it, “Do you think that I should have agreed to have another child, so you wouldn’t have felt like you had a father but didn’t for so many years?” At that time, still unable to get out of character, Mi Hongdou nodded in agreement, which made her mother very sad for a long time.

It wasn’t until Mi Hongdou filmed that she finally emerged from the story of the first drama. Although she later comforted her mother a lot, the damage at that time could never be undone.

Who would like that father who she only saw once a year? Immersing oneself in a role can be dangerous, proceed with caution!

This time, Mi Hongdou would definitely not make her mother sad again.

Thinking about the stupid things she had done in the past, the preserved egg congee in front of her was almost cold. Mi Hongdou quickly stirred it to even out the temperature. Full of the fragrance of preserved egg and meat, red sausage pieces, white salted pork pieces, and diced preserved eggs, the pot had been simmering for a long time and was now very thick. Taking a spoonful, the preserved egg and rice grains melted into a liquid in her mouth, enveloping the sweet sausage and savory salted pork. After chewing a few times, she felt like she was glowing! No need for side dishes, just eating this was the best. A whole pot?

Absolutely no problem!

Mi Hongdou naturally moved “signing the contract” on her schedule behind “finishing this pot of congee.”

Chapter 3: 

After parting ways with Yang Lianyi and the others, Mi Hongdou stood alone on the street, finally having some free time, but her heart felt empty. The year she fell from the wires, Mi Hongdou was thirty years old. In those ten years, she had fame and fortune.

Returning to ten years ago, to do it all over again, what was the point?

And now, signing with Mengguan, she would act in the same dramas she had acted in before, do the same things she had done before, and then have fame and fortune, living all the way to thirty? She felt listless, and the thought brought no excitement. Mi Hongdou walked along, thinking, and couldn’t help but mock herself for not appreciating her blessings. Even if there were no major changes, being able to enjoy youth again was a good thing.

With her mind a jumbled mess of memories and thoughts, she didn’t know how long she had walked. When Mi Hongdou finally snapped out of it, she was almost home.

Looking at the newly built residential complex in front of her, Mi Hongdou regretfully patted her head. In her previous life, she bought a house here after filming the two dramas. Right now, she and her mother should still be living in the old neighborhood in the other direction. Indeed, habits were hard to break. After slapping herself a few times, Mi Hongdou became more clear-headed. It had only been two months since she graduated, and she had just started sending out resumes for job hunting. Today, she was supposed to be out buying some professional attire to prepare for interviews.

But she didn’t buy any clothes, and instead saved someone. After all the delays, it was almost dark. Mi Hongdou decided to hurry home to avoid getting scolded. Even though her mother was only in her early forties, these past two years she seemed to be going through menopause, and her temper was quite volatile.

When her parents divorced, the small snack shop had already grown from a two-burner stove to a large storefront. Her father wanted the shop and the child. To gain custody of Mi Hongdou, her mother took a step back and only took the house and a portion of their savings. Later, her father’s business grew even better, from a small snack shop to a chain of fast-food restaurants, and he even opened a few restaurants. He wasn’t super-rich, but he was living quite comfortably.

As for her mother, who gave up most of their assets to gain custody of her daughter, she now only had this old house. But it didn’t matter. Mi Hongdou knew she could change this situation, and soon.

Before going home, Mi Hongdou stopped by a small newsstand at the entrance of the neighborhood and bought a few entertainment magazines. Her intention was to understand the current state of the entertainment industry, but she didn’t expect that two of them had Ji Junxin on the cover.

Seeing that it was already dark, Mi Hongdou didn’t look closely. She bought them and then went to the pastry shop next door to buy a bag of egg rolls.

The dim hallway had touch-activated lights. Mi Hongdou went up to the fifth floor, felt the keys in her pocket, and suddenly felt a sense of trepidation about returning home.

Inside, was not the mother from ten years later who had finally let go of the past and found peace. The mother at this time should still be carrying resentment in her heart, right?

Fortunately, her mother was in a good mood today. She didn’t scold Mi Hongdou for coming back late and missing dinner. She just said there was some food left in the kitchen and told her to go eat.

Opening the large steamer on the stove, there was a bowl of rice and a plate of braised pork on the top layer, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables with mushrooms and a whole bowl of steamed egg on the bottom layer. It was supposed to be leftovers, but every time it was freshly made. The richly seasoned, fatty and lean pork belly, just the smell of it made her mouth water. Ever since Mi Hongdou started acting, she had to control her figure and rarely ate braised pork. Now, deceiving herself that she hadn’t signed the contract yet and could eat one more time, Mi Hongdou’s first chopstick went straight for the meat bowl.

Her mother only used soy sauce and no salt when braising pork, and she also added soybeans to the pot. The meat was stewed until it was very tender, almost melting in the mouth. This bite was a mix of meat and bean flavors, the texture was soft and glutinous. She barely chewed twice before the piece of meat was gone. If she was just a little hungry before starting, after the first bite, it was so delicious she couldn’t stop. One bite of meat, then one bite of vegetables. The freshness of the latter relieved the greasiness of the former, bringing out a different kind of sweetness. This cycle was simply a perfect match.

The rice was deliberately cooked a little dry, making it perfect with the meat sauce, soybeans, or steamed egg. The dry rice grains highlighted the smoothness of the meat sauce and steamed egg. After finishing the bowl of rice, the bottom of the bowl was scraped clean. Twenty years old, it was a time of good appetite. Mi Hongdou couldn’t remember the last time she had such a satisfying meal.

After clearing the four bowls and plates in front of her, she suddenly felt that this rebirth was really good!

While Mi Hongdou was finishing her meal, her mother had also finished half a bag of egg rolls. If someone said that some things weren’t inherited, it would be hard to believe.

In her previous life, Mi Hongdou was apprehensive and didn’t immediately agree to Yang Lianyi’s offer, saying she needed to discuss it with her mother. Unexpectedly, her mother didn’t object at all, but rather supported her, giving Mi Hongdou a great deal of reassurance. So now, even though Mi Hongdou had already made the decision herself, her mother, as in her previous life, didn’t stop her but encouraged her. Mother and daughter chatted about it for a while, then ran out of things to say. Mi Hongdou retreated to her room, glancing at the remaining egg rolls on the table before leaving. Her mother had a natural talent for cooking. As the older generation would say, she was born to do this.

Back then, her father’s snack shop thrived because of her mother’s pastry skills. But after the divorce, her mother never made Chinese pastries again, and she wouldn’t even eat them. It wasn’t until two years before Mi Hongdou’s rebirth in her previous life that her mother slowly let go and showed off her skills, surprising Mi Hongdou quite a bit.

And she was partly responsible for her mother taking so long to let go, Mi Hongdou thought, feeling a little heavy-hearted.

Her mood, which had been lifted by the food, was brought down again by thoughts of her mother. It wasn’t until she returned to her room and picked up the newly bought magazines that she was replaced by another indescribable feeling.

The top magazine had Ji Junxin on the cover. Her makeup was light, her smile appropriate, her shoulder-length hair slightly curled inwards at the ends, giving her a refined, scholarly air. She was wearing a low-cut white dress that showed off her figure. But those high heels, Mi Hongdou frowned slightly, the heels seemed too high, she wondered if it would be tiring to shoot in them. But soon, her mood was smoothed out by the gentle eyes on the cover. A pool of autumn water, warm and lovely. Ten years later, she still looked the same, as if time had not brought her any change.

No, there was a change. At this time, she had an innocent air of detachment from the world. Ten years later, she had a gentle look of someone who had seen through the world.

Should she really try to change that incident? Looking at the person in the picture, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt a little timid. Her eyes darted away, but she suddenly saw a headline on the cover: “Ji Junxin Withdraws.”

Mi Hongdou was shocked. In her previous life, Ji Junxin starred in this movie. The film had a high investment and a good script, making Ji Junxin even more famous. Why was there news of her withdrawal now?

Something that didn’t happen in her previous life was happening now. Mi Hongdou’s inner turmoil couldn’t be calmed by any amount of braised pork.

Chapter 2: Red Bean Soup

After falling from the wires, Mi Hongdou opened her eyes and found herself ten years in the past, at the moment she woke up after being knocked unconscious while saving Yang Miemie. From comforting the frightened little meat bun to being questioned by security, meeting Yang Lianyi, and then giving a statement at the police station, the flurry of events left Mi Hongdou with no time to process the shocking fact that she had fallen back ten years in time. Even after leaving the police station and being taken away by Yang Lianyi, Mi Hongdou still felt dazed, wondering if this was all a dream she was having while severely injured after falling from the wires.

Following Yang Lianyi into a quaint alley and sitting down in a private dessert shop, Mi Hongdou took a spoonful of the coconut milk, peanut, and almond paste that Yang Lianyi had recommended. The delicate and soft paste, filled with the fragrance of coconut milk, was paired with shredded coconut and sliced almonds that further enhanced the rich flavors of coconut and nuts. As the warm and slightly sweet paste went down, Mi Hongdou felt her heart gradually calm down, as if it had found solid ground.

“By the way, I still don’t know your name?” Yang Lianyi wiped Yang Miemie’s face and hands clean, watched her start eating obediently, and then sat down, giving Mi Hongdou what she thought was a very amiable smile but actually looked like a seductive gaze.

Mi Hongdou glanced at the small bowl in front of Yang Lianyi and sighed inwardly, “Mi Hongdou…”

“Mi Hongdou(Rice Red Bean)…” Yang Lianyi was taken aback for a moment, then looked down at the glutinous rice and red bean soup she was stirring.

Her head remained lowered for a long time, and Mi Hongdou knew she was suppressing her laughter. It was the same in her previous life. Yang Lianyi, of all things, ordered a bowl of glutinous rice and red bean soup, making her already somewhat amusing name even more so, now at seventy to eighty percent. She remembered that after she became famous in her previous life, people would often post pictures of glutinous rice and red bean soup, glutinous rice and red bean rice, glutinous rice and red bean cakes, glutinous rice and red bean ice cream… always remembering to @Mi Hongdou, making it hard for her to tell who were her true fans and who were just making fun.

Having gone through this experience, Yang Lianyi’s suppressed laughter no longer made Mi Hongdou blush like it did in her previous life.

“Ahem… So, let me tell you about this script. There’s a role in it that I think is very suitable for you, no, I should say it’s extremely suitable for you!” Yang Lianyi finally remembered the business at hand, cleared her throat, and began to introduce the script she had just received.

Compared to Yang Lianyi’s full dedication to attracting Mi Hongdou to Mengguan, Mi Hongdou was a bit distracted. The script Yang Lianyi was introducing was the first TV series she signed with Mengguan in her previous life, “Divorce, So Be It.” She played Lin Qiao, the grown-up daughter of the male and female leads. Her scenes were mostly in the last third of the series, not a lot of screen time, but the drama was good, and she acted well, leaving a deep impression on the audience. Childhood sweethearts, going through thick and thin together, family trivia, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts, mistresses, midlife crises – the drama, a stew of popular elements, had a great response. Halfway through its airing, a sequel was already planned, “Divorce, So Be It 2,” which told the story of Lin Qiao, after experiencing the various changes in her parents’ marriage, finally embarking on her own marriage journey. It was once again inexplicably popular. With these two dramas, Mi Hongdou went from a supporting role to the female lead, and in popular dramas at that, it was rare to become famous with such luck.

Speaking of which, Mi Hongdou really did get lucky. A college graduate in fine arts for less than two months, with zero acting experience, if she hadn’t encountered such a suitable script, she probably wouldn’t have had such a smooth journey. It wasn’t just suitable; it was relatable. In the first drama, Lin Qiao’s parents were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love, but ever since she was born, there was no peace. She had a grandmother who favored boys, and gradually, a father who also wanted a son. They argued and fought, and five years later, they had a second child, a boy, and everyone was happy. The grandmother, who had never cared for Lin Qiao, traveled a long way from the countryside to the city to take care of her grandson, and there were inevitably scenes of conflicts between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Just as Lin Qiao’s mother was about to succeed in winning over her mother-in-law with her sincerity and hard work, Lin Qiao’s father got involved with a suspected mistress. At this time, the grown-up Lin Qiao, played by Mi Hongdou, could enter the scene. She had a grandmother who only cared about her younger brother, a father who only cared about his mistress, an increasingly despondent and shrewish mother, and a younger brother who was a spoiled brat. What a lively family.

In her previous life, Mi Hongdou didn’t find it difficult to play Lin Qiao at all. Lin Qiao, who was heartbroken by her family’s neglect, longed for affection but could only be strong on her own, was almost a replica of the real Mi Hongdou.

Mi Hongdou’s father, Mi Hongcai, used to run a snack shop. He fell in love with Wang Linyue, who applied to be a pastry chef at the shop. They worked hard together, expanded the business, got married, and had a child. At that time, they were the talk of the neighborhood. But only the family knew that when Mi Hongcai found out that Wang Linyue had given birth to a daughter, he ignored them both and went straight home, without any of the tenderness and care he had shown during Wang Linyue’s pregnancy.

Mi Hongdou later thought that it was a good thing they didn’t check the gender during the pregnancy, otherwise she probably wouldn’t have existed. After giving birth, weak and powerless, without even a bowl of hot soup, Wang Linyue felt like she had been blind all these years. She was so disheartened that she didn’t even care when the nurse brought the baby to her. It was the auntie in the next bed who shared a bowl of hot red bean soup with her and talked to her, warming Wang Linyue’s heart a little and making her willing to care for the child. Interestingly, a few days later, Mi Hongcai, either because he came to his senses or because someone talked to him, reappeared. He took all the scolding and didn’t fight back, speaking softly and tenderly, and managed to win back his wife.

So, the child couldn’t be named Wang Hongdou, and was instead named the more interesting-sounding Mi Hongdou. Red bean, red bean, was it to remember the kindness of that bowl of soup, or to remember someone’s heartlessness that day? A broken mirror is hard to make whole. Mi’s parents struggled on for another two years, but eventually divorced because Mi’s mother refused to have another child. Mi Hongdou stayed with her mother. Mi’s father quickly remarried and had a daughter the next year, whom he named Mi Yu.

The funny thing was that Mi’s father truly treated his second daughter like a jewel, as her name suggested, and never mentioned having another child. Because of this, Mi’s mother felt that Mi’s father had long been bewitched, otherwise why would he treat the daughter she gave birth to like dirt and the one someone else gave birth to like a treasure? Her temper became increasingly volatile. The mess of the Mi family was almost on par with Lin Qiao’s.

Therefore, even without acting skills, Mi Hongdou could bring Lin Qiao to life just by immersing herself in the role. Thinking about it, Yang Lianyi’s eyes were really sharp, seeing the connection between Mi Hongdou and Lin Qiao at a glance.

However, if she had to do it all over again, should she still sign with Mengguan? Ji Junxin had always been signed with Qiao Rubai’s Qiong Yu Entertainment. If she signed with Qiong Yu, could she meet her earlier and avoid that incident… Mi Hongdou thought of the incident that almost changed Ji Junxin’s life not long after, and her heart couldn’t help but tighten. She couldn’t describe the feeling, it just felt like a knot in her chest.

Mengguan Agency, the name sounded cute, but once you signed with them, you would find that only a portion of those signed were graduates of film and television schools. Most were like Mi Hongdou, ordinary people with no acting experience who Yang Lianyi had spotted elsewhere. Of course, their only common characteristic was that Yang Lianyi found them cute…

However, although the reason for being signed was rather ridiculous, it had to be said that Yang Lianyi’s vision was truly excellent. This company, which seemed like a joke to normal people, signing people just because they were deemed cute, gradually grew in the following years until it occupied a not-so-small territory in the entertainment industry. Mengguan and Qiong Yu Entertainment, owned by Qiao Rubai, where Mi Hongdou later moved after her contract with Mengguan expired, were known as the two oddball companies in the entertainment industry at that time. Mengguan, needless to say, had only one criterion for signing people.

Even if someone was already quite famous in the industry, if Yang Lianyi didn’t find them cute, she wouldn’t sign them. If Yang Lianyi found someone cute, even if they were a beggar on the street, she would bring them to Mengguan, provide food, housing, salary, and even make them famous. It was truly bizarre. Compared to Mengguan, which only occupied a small part of the industry, Qiong Yu Entertainment, one of the leading companies in the entertainment industry, advocated for good acting and real performances. Lip-syncing was completely out of the question, and artists were not allowed to collude on variety shows.

The most bizarre thing was that the company’s actors never used stunt doubles. They did all the flying, sword fighting, jumping off buildings, jumping into rivers, and wire stunts themselves. Fortunately, their safety measures were top-notch in the industry. There were no major accidents, but minor injuries were inevitable, so the company had money and connections, but not a very large number of artists. The two companies were each bizarre in their own way, but they had one thing in common: they were very protective of their artists, willing to spend money and promote them, and the decision-makers had good vision. Those who could get in had plenty of opportunities.

The doors of Qiong Yu were not easy to enter. She couldn’t just go and perform something to prove herself, but that incident was about to happen… Mi Hongdou frowned, calculating in her heart. It seemed she still had to join Mengguan first, at least she had to take on these two “Divorce” dramas. At this moment, thinking of Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou had forgotten that she had fallen from Qiong Yu’s wires and was still bravely thinking of joining Qiong Yu.

Once she made up her mind, the rest was easy to discuss. In her previous life, she signed a five-year contract with Mengguan and later renewed for another five years. If it weren’t for the later collaboration between Qiao Rubai and Yang Lianyi, and Mi Hongdou’s transfer for strategic reasons, she would have stayed with Mengguan for at least ten years in her previous life. But this time, Mi Hongdou, thinking of getting closer to Ji Junxin sooner, only agreed to sign for two years. If it weren’t for the fact that the two dramas would take more than a year to film, Mi Hongdou would have only signed for one year. Yang Lianyi was always generous and easy to talk to with those she found cute. Moreover, she was very confident in Mengguan’s renewal rate, so she readily agreed.

With the matter settled, everything was perfect. Yang Lianyi and Mi Hongdou agreed to sign the contract the next day. She wiped the little meat bun’s face clean, picked her up, and smiled at Mi Hongdou, “See you tomorrow then~”

Perhaps because things went smoothly, Yang Lianyi blinked, her eyes curving into a smile, not realizing that she looked extremely charming, as if she was flirting. Having worked with Yang Lianyi for so long after signing with Mengguan in her previous life, Mi Hongdou had seen Mengguan sign artists one by one and grow. She was no stranger to what kind of person Yang Lianyi was. However, Mengguan was still newly established at this time, and Yang Lianyi was only twenty-six years old. She was still trying to show her friendly, harmless, and approachable side, trying to sign artists like a normal boss, not like later when she discovered that she had a naturally charming aura, and no matter how she tried to suppress it, every move was full of allure, so she gave up and went down the path of charm.

Fortunately, the artists signed by Mengguan in the early days were all cute girls. In another two years, Yang Lianyi would no longer want to suppress herself and pretend to be approachable. When she saw someone she found cute, she would just smile and blink, using her own charm to sign them. Poaching was also easy this way, which made other entertainment companies very unhappy and caused some trouble for Mengguan. It wasn’t until five or six years later that Yang Lianyi accidentally found Qiong Yu’s boss, Qiao Rubai, cute and couldn’t sign him, hitting a wall, that she became more restrained. I really hope Qiao Rubai appears sooner to restrain Yang Lianyi, and also save a poor little fatty, Mi Hongdou thought with a hint of sympathy as she looked at Yang Miemie, who was being stuffed with another piece of cake by Yang Lianyi as they were leaving, still smiling foolishly and adorably.

Little did she know, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and sometimes wishes do come true…

Chapter 1: Little Meat Bun

“Sister… don’t die… sob… don’t die… sob sob sob…”

Falling from a wire suspended more than twenty meters high, it would be better to just die! Qiao Rubai, you’re something else. The entertainment company with the most integrity in the industry, who never fakes anything and never lets actors use stunt doubles, how about making the wires a little sturdier! Mi Hongdou felt sore all over, her internal organs felt displaced, and her chest felt like it had a huge rolling stone pressing on it. Was there not a single kind soul on this set? Could someone please move the equipment that was crushing her after she fell!

Struggling to open her eyes amidst the wailing cries that sounded like someone calling back a soul, Mi Hongdou’s plea for help got stuck in her throat, leaving only a stunned expression with her mouth half open.

A noisy and bustling shopping mall, with onlookers forming a circle around Mi Hongdou who was lying on the ground, whispering and pointing, but no one came forward to help. The bright incandescent light shone on Mi Hongdou’s face, making her feel a little dizzy. This scene was so familiar. Shifting her gaze away from the strangers around her, Mi Hongdou looked at the culprit who was squirming on top of her, almost crushing her.

Dressed in a fluffy white rabbit onesie, crying so hard she was about to run out of breath, was Yang Miemie, who had just turned three months old a few months ago…

What the hell is going on! Mi Hongdou gritted her teeth and moved her aching limbs. It seemed the situation wasn’t as bad as she felt. She grabbed the little meat bun who was crying and rolling on top of her, completely unaware that she had woken up, and placed her on the ground beside her. Mi Hongdou finally caught her breath and sat up. Ignoring the onlookers who were still surrounding her, Mi Hongdou grabbed Yang Miemie, who had stopped crying and was now looking dazed. She pulled off her little rabbit hat, looked left and right, and pinched her. Okay, it wasn’t fake.

So, could someone please tell her why, after falling from the wires, she didn’t land on the film set but landed ten years in the past, at such a mortifying point in time! And she almost got crushed to death by a little meat bun again!

“When I was in the restroom, I heard a child crying in the stall next to me. It sounded like they were crying really hard, so I knocked on the stall door and asked if they needed any help. As soon as I asked, the crying stopped. Although an adult answered and said no, I felt the crying stopped too suddenly. I was a bit suspicious, so after I came out, I stood outside the restroom for a while longer. Not long after, I saw a woman dressed in dark clothes, wearing a baseball cap, carrying a child dressed in a rabbit costume. The child was wriggling in her arms and making strange muffled sounds. After she came out, she kept her head down and ran forward. The child’s face was completely covered. I thought she was the person who was in the stall next to me earlier. It’s also thanks to this child’s own efforts. I was watching them and thought maybe it was just a child having a tantrum with their parent, and I was just being overly suspicious. I was about to leave when the child started wriggling more violently. I happened to be walking behind the woman at that time, and I saw the child’s face was full of tears, and it seemed like something was stuffed in their mouth. That’s when I realized something was wrong and went up to stop her.” It was a good thing that this incident had a profound impact on Mi Hongdou. Even after ten years, she could still recall the situation at that time and recount it to the security guard who arrived late, helped her up, and took her to the security room. She would have to tell the story again when the police arrived later…

“And then?” A woman’s voice suddenly came from the door of the security room. It was calm and unhurried, with a hint of allure, not at all like a parent who had just lost and found their child.

Mi Hongdou rubbed her temples and slowly turned around. She saw a woman leaning against the doorframe, dressed in a leather jacket and long boots, with waist-length chestnut hair curled in large waves. She wore light makeup, but it couldn’t hide her natural charm, except, of course, for the one thing that broke the harmony of the picture: a lollipop sticking out of her mouth.

“Then, then I went to stop her and said the child didn’t seem well, could I take a look. She didn’t say anything, just tried to push me away. I couldn’t be completely sure if she had kidnapped the child, but I felt more and more that something was wrong, so I wanted to pull down the child’s hood to let the people around see what was going on. But she got anxious and pushed me several times.

More and more people were gathering around to watch. I guess she saw that the situation wasn’t in her favor and she couldn’t push me away, so she just threw the child at me and ran away.” At this point, Mi Hongdou paused and finally said what she wanted to say ten years ago but didn’t: “I don’t know how the parents raised her, this child is so fat. I think even if I hadn’t exposed her, she wouldn’t have been able to carry her very far. And a child who is too fat isn’t easy to sell, they eat too much.”

Just as Mi Hongdou expected, the woman who had been standing leisurely by the door earlier was now like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She grabbed Yang Miemie, who had been standing behind the door, lifted her up, took three steps in two to reach Mi Hongdou, and shook the little meat bun in her hand, angrily saying: “This isn’t fat! This is cute! Cute, do you understand?”

The small and round Yang Miemie, with her fair skin and chubby face, her eyes red from crying, dressed in a little rabbit onesie, looked just like a confused little white rabbit. Okay, it was cute… but if she kept growing like this, did she know how much effort the little girl would have to put in to lose weight in the future! Mi Hongdou felt sorry for Yang Miemie ten years later and didn’t want to engage with Yang Lianyi’s words.

Yang Lianyi kneaded the adorable Yang Miemie all over. Seeing that Mi Hongdou was surprisingly one of the rare creatures not instantly charmed by Yang Miemie’s cuteness, she couldn’t help but feel a little more interested in her. Looking closer, the girl who saved her niece had fair skin, delicate features, a ponytail, and a slender, tall figure. She looked like a student, but she also had a subtle air of resilience… Yang Lianyi suddenly thought of something the company had been considering recently. Her mind turned, and she no longer cared about Mi Hongdou’s earlier criticism of her.

“Hello, my name is Yang Lianyi, I work in the entertainment industry. This is my business card.” Yang Lianyi put down the little meat bun, took out a business card from her pocket, and handed it over. “Thank you for saving my niece today. By the way, my company has a TV script on hand recently, and there’s a role in it that I think would be quite suitable for you. How about we find a place to talk?” The transition between personal and business matters was so natural and seamless!

Mi Hongdou stared at the business card in front of her that read “Yang Lianyi, General Manager of Mengguan Agency” for a long time before finally reaching out to take it. Just a second ago, she was worried that her criticism of Yang Lianyi’s weak spot might have displeased her and changed the course of her previous life. The next second, looking at the business card, she felt a little hesitant about whether she should still walk that path. A difficult, but brilliant path to stardom…

In her previous life, as Mi Hongdou gradually ascended towards the position of film queen, she had also wondered, if on that day, she hadn’t gone shopping at the mall, hadn’t rashly saved Yang Miemie, hadn’t been noticed by Yang Lianyi, hadn’t signed with Mengguan, what would her life have been like? Perhaps, after graduating, she would have found a stable job, gotten married, and although she wouldn’t have had the glory of a star-studded career, she also wouldn’t have had the many frustrations of being a public figure. That kind of life might have had a different kind of charm.

However, when life really returned to the crucial node where she could make a choice again, Mi Hongdou found that she involuntarily chose the same path. Because of her love for acting, and also because of that inexplicable obsession in her heart, a thread that even experiencing death and returning to ten years ago couldn’t break.

“Recently learned to make ice cream flavored cream cake, not greasy nor cold. When it’s noon, someone will appear to visit the set~”

That was the last text message Mi Hongdou received on her thirtieth birthday, before she was hoisted up on the wires. It was from Ji Junxin, who had already retired from acting for four years. Then… she fell from the wires, so what happened after that?

Ji Junxin, she’s already quite famous now… Mi Hongdou took Yang Lianyi’s business card. Indeed, if she wanted to meet her again, she had to walk this path again. But, she absolutely couldn’t fall from the wires again!