Chapter 38 p1
“Sister Xin Yao, are you really not in pain anymore?”
“I’m not.”
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Really and truly okay?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Xin Yao laughed, pinching the little assistant’s nose.
Xin Yao was in a private hospital room, preparing to be discharged. Chen Jia was helping her pack.
Xin Yao had wanted to leave immediately after her wounds were treated, eager to get back to her mission.
But Chen Jia had insisted she stay for observation, her face streaked with tears.
Seeing her assistant’s worried expression, Xin Yao had relented.
Several days later, the doctor finally declared her fit to be discharged, much to Chen Jia’s relief.
Xin Yao, wearing a hat and a mask, followed Chen Jia out of the hospital.
As they reached the entrance, a large, black car pulled up, its window rolling down, and a woman waved enthusiastically, her voice booming across the street.
“Yaoyao! Over here!”
Chen Jia, her arms laden with bags, also waved excitedly.
“Auntie!”
Xin Yao got into the car, observing the woman in the driver’s seat.
She had dyed blonde hair, sunglasses perched on her head, and a round face like Chen Jia’s, her smile cheerful and boisterous.
She was also thoughtful, subtly shielding Xin Yao’s head as she got into the car, preventing her from bumping it.
Xin Yao searched her memories, recalling the woman’s identity.
She was Chen Jia’s aunt, and Xin Yao’s boss.
A generous and outgoing woman from Northeast China, whom the original Xin Yao had affectionately called “Sister Wang.”
Sister Wang was quite wealthy, having started an entertainment company after a failed attempt to become an actress.
The company, however, hadn’t been successful. Its artists had come and gone, some returning to their hometowns to farm, others taking civil service exams, and some simply inheriting their family businesses.
The most famous artist on her roster had been the original Xin Yao, a fourth- or fifth-tier actress.
Currently, the company’s only actress.
In fact, including the cleaning lady, the entire company consisted of only four people.
The original Xin Yao had signed with Sister Wang’s company for a simple reason: she craved affection and had been drawn to Sister Wang’s warmth and the family-like atmosphere of the small company.
And as Sister Wang had said, she would be the top star, the undisputed “Number One.”
Xin Yao chuckled. Indeed, with only one artist, she was definitely the top star.
Seeing Xin Yao lost in thought, Sister Wang grinned, her voice boisterous.
“Yaoyao, what do you want to eat tonight? Dinner’s on me!”
Xin Yao wasn’t easily intimidated.
She was a social butterfly, able to strike up a conversation with anyone.
“Really? Then I’m ordering the most expensive thing on the menu!”
Sister Wang paused, glancing back at Xin Yao, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. The usually timid and withdrawn girl seemed different.
Then, she laughed.
“Order whatever you want! I’m rich!”
Chen Jia, sitting beside Xin Yao, raised her hand excitedly.
“Me too! Me too!”
Her sudden movement accidentally brushed against Xin Yao’s injured wrist.
Xin Yao, wincing, clutched her wrist.
Sister Wang, about to start the car, glared at Chen Jia. “Be careful!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Xin Yao said, patting Chen Jia’s head reassuringly. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”
A brief silence filled the car.
Then, Sister Wang spoke, her voice filled with concern.
“Yaoyao, why were you so foolish? He’s not worth it.”
Sister Wang and Chen Jia had known about Xin Yao’s long-term boyfriend, but they hadn’t realized it was the rising star Li Xu until recently, when the scandal broke.
And they hadn’t expected him to be so cruel, so quick to deny their relationship.
While they didn’t know the details, having known Xin Yao for so long, they believed her without question.
Sister Wang’s voice was filled with anguish. “Why would you do something so drastic? The thought of you bleeding like that… it breaks my heart!”
Her words, rapid-fire and almost overwhelming, were filled with genuine concern and affection.
Xin Yao looked down, then up at Sister Wang, her voice sincere.
“You’re right, Sister Wang.”
“I guess the pain last night… it woke me up. I won’t let him hurt me again.”
Sister Wang and Chen Jia, knowing how deeply in love Xin Yao had been, were stunned.
“Really?” they asked in unison.
Xin Yao smiled and nodded.
“Yes!”
“That’s great!” Sister Wang, relieved by her positive attitude, beamed. “We have to celebrate!”
That night, Sister Wang treated Xin Yao to a lavish dinner, celebrating her newfound freedom.
After dinner, Chen Jia wanted to stay with Xin Yao, worried about her and wanting to take care of her.
But Xin Yao, smiling, had sent her away, saying she wasn’t a child and didn’t need a babysitter.
After Chen Jia left, the apartment fell silent.
Xin Yao stood in the doorway, finally having a chance to properly examine the original owner’s apartment.
Sister Wang, always generous, had rented a spacious and comfortable apartment for her.
But it was sparsely furnished, almost empty, as if the original owner, despite having lived here for years, hadn’t truly made it her own.
The sight made Xin Yao’s heart ache.
She couldn’t bear to wallow in sadness alone.
She slapped her cheeks, trying to shake off the melancholy, then started searching the apartment.
Li Xu, the scumbag, had been cautious.
He had insisted on keeping their relationship a secret, not wanting to jeopardize his career.
They had avoided being seen together in public, and he had made sure Xin Yao deleted all their messages, leaving no trace of their relationship.
But no one was perfect. Even the most careful person made mistakes.
They had been together for years, and there had to be something, some evidence of their relationship.
After searching through the original owner’s memories, Xin Yao finally found something.
It was from their first year together, shortly after he had confessed his feelings for her.
It had been Xin Yao’s birthday, and he had bought her a cake.
It had been a special occasion for her, the first birthday cake she had received since her parents’ death, a rare moment of happiness in her otherwise bleak life with her uncaring relatives.
She had taken out her parents’ old camera, a cherished memento filled with memories of happier times, to document her birthday, and their love.
Li Xu, still in the early stages of their relationship, and eager to use her connections to advance his career, hadn’t stopped her.
But a few weeks later, he had “accidentally” broken the camera.
The camera that held the last images of her family had been destroyed.
Xin Yao had been heartbroken, but she hadn’t suspected anything, believing it to be a genuine accident.
Now, however, it seemed clear that he had done it on purpose, having already decided to use her and discard her, not wanting to leave any evidence of their relationship.
Xin Yao, her injured wrist making the task more difficult, searched the apartment, rummaging through drawers and boxes.
Fortunately, the original owner hadn’t owned much, and she had been sentimental, keeping everything.
Finally, in a box at the bottom of a closet in the bedroom, she found the broken camera.
She looked at it, a small smile playing on her lips.
Humans might be helpless against broken objects, but the system wasn’t.
With a few points, she could restore the old camera, even with its missing parts.
And it would reveal its secrets:
The video of Li Xu confessing his love for her on her birthday.
And the date: April 2017.
Six years ago.
Li Xu had claimed that Xin Yao was the one trying to sabotage his relationship, the one with ulterior motives.
Xin Yao wondered what his reaction would be when this video surfaced, when everyone knew they had been together for six years.
How would he explain himself?
It would be a sight to behold.
The next morning, Xin Yao woke up in a good mood, having found the evidence she needed to expose Li Xu.
But after washing up, the throbbing pain in her wrist returned, darkening her mood.
She was about to put her plan in motion when the doorbell rang.
She opened the door to see Chen Jia’s cheerful smile.
“Ta-da! Sister Xin Yao, I brought you breakfast!”
Her cheerful demeanor was infectious, and Xin Yao couldn’t help but smile.
“Come in.”
As they sat on the sofa, eating breakfast, Chen Jia, seeing Xin Yao’s injured wrist, thoughtfully opened the soy milk carton and handed it to her.
Her kindness, and Sister Wang’s generosity, made Xin Yao’s eyes flicker with emotion.
See, Xin Yao? There are people who care about you.
After handing Xin Yao her breakfast, Chen Jia sat down beside her, fidgeting nervously, as if wanting to say something.
Xin Yao took a sip of soy milk, looking at her with a gentle smile.
“What’s wrong? Just say it.”
Her words gave Chen Jia the courage she needed. This was part of her job, after all. She looked at Xin Yao’s kind face and took a deep breath.
“It’s about… the movie ‘Unseen Spring.’ The production team contacted me last night. They want you to audition tomorrow.”
“Director Gao Ge was very impressed with you. She wanted you for the role of Lu Duanjing. But after what happened, I thought they…”
“Sister Xin Yao, do you… want to go?”
Chen Jia’s hesitation was understandable.
The online hate directed at Xin Yao had been relentless, the insults and accusations cutting deep.
Especially Li Xu’s fans, their attacks vicious and unrelenting.
Even some of Xin Yao’s own fans had expressed their disappointment, some even turning against her.
Sister Wang and Chen Jia had been shielding her from the online attacks, knowing that the constant barrage of hate would be devastating, especially after her recent suicide attempt.
Chen Jia still shuddered at the memory of the blood in the bathroom. She wasn’t sure if Xin Yao was in the right state of mind to audition.
Unseen Spring…
The name sounded familiar.
Xin Yao thought for a moment, then remembered.
The world she was in now followed a similar historical trajectory to her own world, the main difference being its more diverse and accepting culture.
Same-sex romances, while not mainstream, were accepted and even celebrated in the film industry.
“Unseen Spring” was such a film, a critical and commercial success, having won numerous awards.
It told the tragic love story of two women, Lu Duanjing and Wen Sigu, set in the Republican era.
The two lead actresses had become overnight sensations.
The director had been impressed with Xin Yao and had expressed her interest in casting her long before the scandal broke.
Xin Yao had been eager for the opportunity, but the incident with Li Xu had derailed her plans.
She had been too distraught to audition, and the production team, for various reasons, hadn’t contacted her again. She had missed her chance.
And now, the opportunity had presented itself again.
Xin Yao wouldn’t refuse.
The wisher had paid a heavy price, and Xin Yao was determined to fulfill her wish, to make her sacrifice worthwhile.
She wouldn’t just punish Li Xu, she would also live the life the original owner had deserved.
After a moment’s thought, she looked at Chen Jia.
“Yes, I’ll go.”
Not only would she go, but she would also get the role of Lu Duanjing.
The next day, at the audition…
Xin Yao, wearing a mask and sunglasses, sat quietly, waiting for her turn.
Director Gao Ge was a renowned art-house film director, and this project, with its prestigious cast and crew, was clearly aimed at awards. The competition was fierce.
Even with her disguise, some people recognized her.
Two young actresses sitting across from her whispered to each other, their voices barely audible.
“Isn’t that…?”
“It is her.”
“My god, how can she even show her face here?”
“Tsk. You have to be shameless to do what she did.”
Xin Yao glanced at them, and they quickly fell silent.
But she could feel the stares of others, their gazes like needles, piercing her skin.
Public opinion was a powerful weapon.
She stood up and walked towards the restroom, wanting to escape the judging eyes.
It wasn’t that she was afraid or intimidated, she simply didn’t want to cause a scene.
A headline like “Actress Involved in Brawl at Audition” wouldn’t be good for her image.
As she walked, she chatted with the system.
“I’m really famous now. People recognize me everywhere I go.”
[Give me some autographs.]
“What, are you finally charmed by my irresistible beauty?”
[No, I’ll sell them when you’re famous. If you don’t become famous, I’ll sell them to your rivals, so they can use them for voodoo dolls. I’ll make a fortune.]
“You shameless dog!”
[Sixty-forty split.]
“Hmm, not bad…”
She reached the restroom.
Perhaps because of the importance of the audition, it was empty.
Just as she was leaving, she encountered another person.
They were standing at the sink, washing their hands.
Their attire was strange, considering the warm weather: a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants, a long black coat, a black baseball cap, a black mask, and black gloves.
Their long black hair was tied back, revealing only their eyes.
Xin Yao thought: Wow, that’s weird! They’re practically covered from head to toe!
Was it another actress auditioning?
A big star, perhaps?
But looking at her own reflection in the mirror, also wearing a hat and a mask, Xin Yao realized it wasn’t that unusual.
In this industry, disguises were common.
As Xin Yao bent down to wash her hands, the other person removed their gloves.
Under the bright lights, their hands were revealed: long, slender, and flawlessly beautiful.
Their skin, as if rarely exposed to sunlight, was pale, almost translucent, the blue veins beneath the surface visible, a strangely alluring sight.
Xin Yao, momentarily captivated, was reminded of Pei Yu’s equally beautiful hands…
Just as her fingers brushed against the sink, she realized her thoughts were inappropriate and quickly looked away, drying her hands and turning to leave.
In her haste, she accidentally knocked the other person’s gloves off the counter.
Mortified, she quickly bent down to pick them up, apologizing profusely.
“I’m so sorry!”
The person in the black outfit, Xu Jingyu, turned around.
Having both been bent over, Xin Yao hadn’t realized how tall the other person was.
She had to crane her neck to see their face.
And then she saw their eyes, sharp and piercing, their dark pupils almost black, their gaze intense and intimidating.
Even without saying a word, their presence was overwhelming.
Wow, such a powerful aura, almost rivaling Pei Yu’s.
Xin Yao’s heart pounded.
She couldn’t handle people like this!
She quickly averted her gaze, offering the gloves to the other person.
“I’m really sorry.”
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