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Chapter 20: Congratulations, Then I Will See You Soon With The Crew

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It had been so many years. It was natural that Lu Qingming understood Xi Mo’s personality.

However, he didn’t know that Xi Mo’s body had already changed owners. Ruan Yesheng’s acting was perfect. To Lu Qingming, she was Xi Mo. Even if she was behaving slightly abnormally recently by not going home, he would only suspect that it was Xi Mo herself that had met with some problems. How could he think of other ideas?

Who would actually guess the truth?

Hence, Lu Qingming felt more relieved when Ruan Yesheng replied coldly and a little arrogantly. When Xi Mo replied in this manner, It generally meant that there wasn’t a big deal and that the issue will be over on its own after a period of time. Xi Mo was throwing a tantrum. As for why she was throwing a tantrum, the tactful him wouldn’t ask. Afterall, women always have a few days every month when they are unhappy, and Xi Mo was always unhappy 30 days out of the month.

Lu Qingming said, “I asked because I was worried. It’s alright now, as long as you’re happy.”

Ruan Yesheng didn’t really like Lu Qingming, but she greatly admired his EQ. He knew how to handle things and was indeed a great manager who could handle Xi Mo. Ruan Yesheng’s tone eased and she asked, “Do you have anything else to say other than this?”

“The arrangements on Director Lin’s side are almost done. You will be entering the set very soon. You have the most scenes, so naturally it will be very tiring for you. Rest more for these few days and read your script. I have pushed aside your other activities.”

There was the previous incident at the hotel. Lu Qingming didn’t show anything on the surface, but he still had lingering fear in his heart. Therefore, he showed more concern for Xi Mo than before.

Ruan Yesheng nodded her head.

Lu Qingming was as dedicated and responsible as usual. He explained some of the relatively important matters. When approaching the end of the conversation, he added, “Promotional activity will start before you enter the set. The internet and media’s attention on you will definitely be more than usual. There will be all sorts of discussion on the internet, and it may go on for a long time. I will say the usual, don’t take it to heart.”

Ruan Yesheng’s expression didn’t change much as she replied, “It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

Lu Qingming put on a rare smile and said, “If it is really okay, then don’t go to Weibo or Tianya^[1] to look at the discussions regarding yourself. You clearly know that it is all nonsense, but you get angry after reading them.” 

Ruan Yesheng seemed to have heard an interesting little secret. A hint of interest flashed in her eyes, and she looked like a fox for that instance.

However, she spoke coldly, “Which eye of yours saw that I was angry.”

Lu Qingming’s smile deepened but also looked a little helpless. He paused for a moment before saying, “Go and rest, I’m taking off work.”

He turned and left without any hesitation. Ruan Yesheng watched him leave; the corner of her lips hooked up meaningfully. Then, she returned back to the room and closed the door.

The room was Xi Mo’s temporary resting area in the company. It was spacious and exquisite. In the past, Xi Mo didn’t stay there often, but it still contained the traces of her living there. There would be the presence of someone in the room as long as they had stayed there before. A table, a chair, a bed, and a wardrobe were all evidence of the room’s owner.

Hence, it was inevitable that the few days Ruan Yesheng had stayed here had caused a mix of flavour in the room as she thought of Xi Mo and the unimaginable thing that happened between them. She wandered about in the room and examined the traces of Xi Mo once again. Then, she finally glimpsed at the Sui Ting script that was left open on the sofa.

Deng Sui had the most lines and was also the most complex character. Out of her dedication as an actor, she decided to go through the script again and memorise the lines. It had been many years since she filmed something decent. Having sunk to the bottom, she sometimes wondered if she was already numb, as she forgot the feeling she should have as an actor. Now that she was holding a script, the enthusiasm that had become dormant  slowly woke up within her. She felt a real sense of happiness and hope that she could bring out this role perfectly, even if she was doing it with Xi Mo’s identity.

The phone was placed in the bedroom by Ruan Yesheng. She was focused on looking through the script and didn’t notice the message notification.

Xi Mo felt much more spirited after bathing. She was gradually getting used to Ruan Yesheng’s body after experiencing all the ups and downs the past few days. Out of habit, she was very particular with how she handled her body. Before she slept, she had to do her skincare routine without missing a single step.

She was always busy with work previously, where could she find the time to relax? After going through the earthshaking change, she suddenly had so much time. She had adapted physically, but she still hadn’t thought about how she would spend the time. The free time surged over like tides, catching Xi Mo, who was used to a busy schedule. off guard.

She was not in the mood to watch TV. She also felt irritated surfing the net. Xi Mo could only choose a book from the bookshelf to read.

The phone was placed not far away from her; the screen remained dark. She had sent Ruan Yesheng a message before taking a shower and switched off her phone.

After looking through a few pages, Xi Mo glanced at the phone through the corner of her eye.

She sneered and continued reading the book.

After a few minutes, she had flipped through a few pages. Xi Mo thought: I have sent a message, Ruan Yesheng should have at least replied. This is basic courtesy.

Hence, she decided to switch on her phone so that she could see whether Ruan Yesheng was a courteous person or not.

There was indeed a new message after she switched on her phone. She gave it a glance but realised that it was sent by Yan Tinghuan. Yan Tinghuan wasn’t that drunk. Her sending a message was probably just her looking for some fun.

Xi Mo had many complaints regarding Yan Tinghuan. Her expression worsened. Although the time they had interacted with each other was short, she had already understood Yan Tinghuan’s temperament somewhat. This person was the same as Ruan Yesheng, both flirtatious women. Ruan Yesheng still knew the meaning of shame sometimes, but Yan Tinghuan was someone who could cling onto you anytime as long as you caught her eyes. She was someone with no shame. If Xi Mo replied to her now, she would probably be bombarded by endless messages and wouldn’t be able to have peace of mind.

In order to nip the probable messaging bombardment from Yan Tinghuan in the bud, Xi Mo replied promptly, “I’m quite sleepy and am preparing to sleep. Goodnight. You drank so you should rest early too.”

She was about to send the text when she remembered the tone and format of Ruan Yesheng’s past messages. After thinking for a moment, she added an extra cute emoji at the end of the text before she was satisfied. She felt that this was Ruan Yesheng’s style. She had to learn it, no matter how disgusting it was, so that she wouldn’t be exposed.

After sending the message, Yan Tinghuan could only bid Xi Mo goodnight no matter how bored she was. The messaging had stopped.

By right, Xi Mo should feel more comfortable after dealing with Yan Tinghuan. However, she felt increasingly unhappy for some reason, as if she was blocked by something and unable to vent.

She had lowered herself to tell Ruan Yesheng the good news of her passing the audition, yet Ruan Yesheng didn’t respond at all.

It has been so long. Is Ruan Yesheng deaf or blind?

Wait, won’t I be cursing myself this way?

Pei pei^[2], that doesn’t count.

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became, to the point she held the book and walked a few rounds around the living room. When her gaze went back to the phone again, she realised that she was actually waiting for Ruan Yesheng’s reply. Her irritation slightly shot up, and she rushed over to switch off her phone again. She coldly sealed her concluding stamp, “She didn’t reply. I have never seen such an uncourteous person before. There’s no need to be bothered with her.”

Then, she went into the room unhappily to sleep.

Ruan Yesheng looked at the script and only stopped when she started feeling sleepy. She walked into the bedroom, took up the phone, and saw Xi Mo’s message. It was sent a few hours ago and there was only a simple word of “passed”.

She stood there with a smile as she read the message. She tried imagining what Xi Mo might be feeling when she sent the message, her eyes brightened as she smiled.

She keyed in a bunch of text, but deleted them in the end. After thinking for a moment, Ruan Yesheng replied with squinting eyes, “Congratulations, then I will see you soon with the crew. I’m looking forward to it.”

When Xi Mo woke up in the morning and saw Ruan Yesheng’s reply, she sneered and decided not to reply to her.

Sui Ting’s filming was officially revealed to the public. It had been kept a secret in the past. Now that it was revealed to the public, the more exposed it was the better. It was the digital age now, promotional methods were very different from the past. Before the shooting for the TV show or movie started, the promotion must be done strongly to attract people’s attention. As the filming progressed afterwards, the promotional activities also had to continuously keep up. By making use of the digital age’s trait, in which information spreads fast, they would start building the momentum before the filming and continue doing so until they started broadcasting. Promoting and hyping were both very important and could not be neglected.

Hence, the TV series, Sui Ting’s official account was created. Lin Qitang was very efficient. Xi Mo had brought funds for the crew, and there was also Xi Mo’s company working together, it was very easy to start the hype.

All the major and minor media companies introduced Sui Ting in their entertainment sections. Marketing companies received the advertising fees and started advertising about Sui Ting one after another. The first round of promotion did not reveal the male and female lead but revealed some of the important supporting characters. The actors for these supporting characters were all famous within the circle, each having quite a number of fans. The fans gave their strong support and the hype grew. The supporting cast was strong, and there was huge funding from the production company. The production company had filmed many well-known dramas with good reputations and outstanding ratings. This meant the show would most likely be a great production. Seeing this, the netizens’ attention on the show would naturally stay high, and topics about the show were at the top of the discussion board.

Then, the crew revealed their trump card. They made use of their male and female lead to gain fans.

Since the identity of the male and female lead were shrouded in mystery in the first round of promotion, it was inevitable that there would be violent waves of guesses. To hype it up, the various media companies exaggerated the description, seemingly or unseemingly implying certain people. Hence, some of the very famous male and female actors that were currently in the limelight were quickly shortlisted. On the female lead’s side, Xi Mo and Chen Qingbei were included. Their fans were naturally very excited. They stepped out one after another to show their support for their male and female idols. The crew didn’t even show any promotional photos of their actors, but the various fans were already having arguments about who got the role. The argument between Xi Mo and Chen Qingbei’s fans was the fiercest. Just by browsing the net randomly, one could see a topic regarding Sui Ting.

Xi Mo was already used to this kind of thing, so she couldn’t be bothered. She was either reading the script or following Yan Tinghuan to Lin Qitang’s place to discuss in preparation for the filming.

These days were different from the days in the past. There were many times she had to lower her proud self and act obedient to be able to achieve success. With the protection of Ruan Yesheng’s body, no one would know that she was Xi Mo. After acting as Ruan Yesheng so dedicatedly, she gradually got used to this flirtatious woman’s way of acting. She laughed on the surface while raging in her heart. From this, her acting as Ruan Yesheng improved and reached a new level.

Footnotes

[1]Weibo and Tianya are various social media platforms in China.

[2]Pei pei – Expressing contempt

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