How To Deal With Being Transmigrated As The Scumbag Ex-Wife - Chapter 13

13: That Devoted Supporting Actress

Yu Qingjia hadn’t even reached home when her agent, Chen Ruo, called.

“Who were you eating with?”

It took Yu Qingjia a second to process. “Was it photographed?”

Even tucked away in a corner, she’d been caught. Feeling exasperated, she suddenly remembered the little milk bun and asked, “The kid wasn’t in the shot, was she?”

Chen Ruo nearly choked. At a time like this, she was worried about the child’s exposure? Still, it reassured her slightly. “No, her face was buried in her bowl. No one could see it.”

“Pfft…” Yu Qingjia couldn’t help but laugh.

No wonder the little milk bun had sauce all over her face, she was practically diving into her bowl.

“You’re still laughing?” Chen Ruo said helplessly. “I’m not saying you can’t have a social life, but you and Pan Xing just divorced. Everyone’s still watching you two. You should avoid being alone with other women, especially in public.”

Yu Qingjia lowered the car window, letting cool air slip inside. Rubbing her temple, she said, “Sorry, I’ll be more careful. But she had her kid with her. If I were dating a single mom, would she bring her child along?”

“Netizens don’t care about logic. Even if you’re at a hotel with a kid, they’d think you’ve got some weird fetish, not that there’s a reason.” Chen Ruo’s tone was sarcastic. “Ask the woman if she’s willing to play along for publicity. Your movie just wrapped, some buzz wouldn’t hurt.”

Thinking of those deep, inky eyes, Yu Qingjia took a deep breath, the chilly air filling her lungs. She closed the window. “No need. Let’s keep her out of it to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

Chen Ruo wanted to argue, but knowing Yu Qingjia’s stubbornness, she relented. “Fine, I’ll have PR shift the focus away from her.”

“…So, can you tell me who she is?”

“The CEO of the Ming Group, Ming Yin.”

“!”

“Got it.”

Chen Ruo hung up abruptly, leaving Yu Qingjia puzzled. Got what?

By the time she got home and checked Weibo, netizens’ attention had shifted from her “new flame” to her “homework.”

“Wrapped filming and went on a date right after. A movie shot in two months? ‘Director Yu’ must be the star of Chinese filmmakers!”

“I’m not watching. Go ahead if you want. Fans, don’t bother replying—I’m sensitive, and if you argue, I’ll block you /smile.”

“You guys are so weird. Who brings a kid on a date? It’s obviously just friends meeting. Do you not use logic when dragging people?”

“Stop with the sarcasm. Star Making Plan hasn’t even been released yet. Isn’t this just prejudice?”

“Hey, if it’s obviously crap, do I need to taste it to call it crap?”

“Star Making Plan hasn’t set a release date, and it’s already got a 1.2 rating on Douzi. Interesting.”

Yu Qingjia felt relieved. Without Chen Ruo’s reminder, she wouldn’t have realized the trolls attacking her were hired by her own PR team. With all this chaos, who cared about the mystery woman? The focus had shifted entirely.

As for the Douzi rating—

Could it boost box office or win awards?

Meaningless things like that never concerned Yu Qingjia. Deciding between porridge or noodles for breakfast mattered more.

Meanwhile, at Lanyuan Villa

After tucking a freshly bathed, sweet-smelling Zhizhi into bed, Ming Yin opened her laptop to handle emails. A webpage notification popped up—

“Yu Qingjia Dines with Mystery Woman, Possibly New Love Interest”

Ming Yin: !

Realizing the “mystery woman” was likely her, Ming Yin didn’t get angry, she felt regret. Regret for letting Zhizhi get too close to Yu Qingjia. As a celebrity, Yu Qingjia was bound to be hounded by paparazzi, and Ming Yin had let Zhizhi approach her, potentially exposing her to danger.

The thought of Zhizhi’s face being splashed across the internet filled Ming Yin with worry. Frowning, she clicked the link, only to see a little red beret with most of her face buried in a bowl.

Ming Yin: …

“?”

Zhizhi, rolling around with her stuffed toy, paused and met Ming Yin’s barely contained amusement. Confused, she asked, “Yinyin, did you not wash me clean?”

Why was she laughing at her?

Ming Yin couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Let Zhizhi be a kid a bit longer. Manners could wait until she was older. For now, this seemed just fine.

No matter how heated the online debates were, they were only boosting Star Making Plan’s buzz. The core team doubled down, eager to get the film approved and scheduled for release.

After post-production wrapped, the production department saw the final cut and was thoroughly convinced, silencing any whispers about handing editing duties to Director Liu Wu.

With the film submitted for review, Yu Qingjia’s work paused briefly, but she didn’t rest. She dove into a new film project.

She knew she couldn’t revert to “Xiao Yu’s” path after transitioning. She needed a solid achievement to prove herself.

Other directors might need time to create, but not Yu Qingjia. With her vast experience, she could adapt her past works to succeed in this transition, then focus on new creations.

Unskilled in corporate battles, her best move was to warn Yu Qingyi and her father about Shenji’s Shen Ru. If Shen Ru wanted a piece of the entertainment industry, Yu Qingjia would make herself Tianyue’s irreplaceable golden signboard.

After days holed up writing a script, Mrs. Yu dragged her out of the study.

“The movie’s already submitted for review. Why are you so busy again? Can’t you rest for a few days?” Mrs. Yu was heartbroken. Her daughter had gone from a lazy fish to a workaholic, an extreme shift no mother could ignore.

Forced outside to “get some sun,” Yu Qingjia clutched her script, tweaking it. She couldn’t just copy her old scripts; the two worlds had differences, requiring adjustments.

“I’m fine, I won’t overwork,” Yu Qingjia said, giving her mother a reassuring look. “I’m doing great, am I?”

Mrs. Yu ruffled her hair. “Are you? Sister Lin said your pillow’s been covered in hair lately.”

“!”

Yu Qingjia calmly saved her draft, closed her laptop, and smiled at her pleased mother. “I’m going out to have fun. I’ll be back for dinner.”

Mrs. Yu’s gaze softened. “No need to come back for dinner. Just enjoy yourself.”

Yu Qingjia: …

Mothers were the same everywhere.

With nowhere to go, Yu Qingjia considered sneaking to Yu Qingyi’s apartment to work. But a cold breeze ruffled her hair—

It was chilly.

She abandoned the idea of editing her script. As a semi-public figure, wandering aimlessly wasn’t wise. After a moment’s thought, she decided to catch a movie to relax.

Then she realized—

Why not watch a movie at home? They had a screening room. Why go out?

But already kicked out, Yu Qingjia stared at the vine-covered iron gate, resignedly heading to the garage.

If she didn’t know where to go, she’d head to Xinghui Media.

Xinghui Media Building

As the daughter of the parent company’s chairman and sister of Xinghui’s president, Yu Qingjia had free rein at Xinghui.

“Morning, Sister Xiao Yu!”

“Hey, Sister Xiao Yu!”

“Morning, Sister Xiao Yu.”

In the lobby, people greeted her warmly, many older than her, still calling her “Sister Xiao Yu” with smiles.

In this industry, fame trumped all. Being a flop was a sin. Even those old enough to be her father had to call the popular Yu Qingjia “Sister Xiao Yu.”

She nodded back, stepping into the elevator and pressing the 34th floor.

As the doors began to close, she saw someone rushing toward the elevator and held the door open. A man in a crisp suit, around thirty, hurried in, sweating from the rush.

“Thanks, really, thank you! We’d have missed the audition otherwise,” he said, smiling gratefully. Recognizing her, his expression shifted to surprise but said nothing, turning with a helpless look. “Can you hurry up? This is our last shot.”

Yu Qingjia noticed another person a few meters away—a girl with short, flaxen, wavy hair. Her features weren’t delicate but had a wild beauty. Slim yet not frail, she wore a dark green leather jacket and nude heels, accentuating her cool, untamed aura.

Stepping into the elevator with long strides, the girl said nonchalantly, “Twenty minutes until the audition. What’s the rush?”

Her suit-clad agent looked exasperated. “Please, take this seriously! The company’s about to shelve you, and you’re still so carefree? You’re killing me!”

The girl tilted her chin toward the panel. “You didn’t press the button.”

Snapping out of it, the agent fumbled to press the 17th floor. The elevator was only on the 8th.

Yu Qingjia knew the 17th floor housed the film and TV department, where Star Making Plan’s auditions were held.

The girl’s striking profile seemed familiar, but Yu Qingjia couldn’t place her.

Noticing her stare, the girl raised an eyebrow, her gaze carrying a hint of disdain and hostility.

Yu Qingjia was taken aback, wondering why she was being glared at, when the elevator dinged—

17th floor.

The agent yanked the girl out as the doors opened.

As they closed, Yu Qingjia overheard him whisper, “That was the president’s sister. Don’t mess with her.”

She didn’t take it to heart and headed to the 34th floor’s president’s office.

Yu Qingyi was in a meeting, leaving only the secretary in the spacious office.

When the secretary offered her a cup of hand-ground coffee, Yu Qingjia clenched her jaw. “Thanks, I’m fine. You do your thing.”

The secretary smiled and returned to her desk.

Hand-ground coffee was Yu Qingjia’s favorite, but her least favorite. She loved sweet, hated bitter, and avoided coffee, opting for tea if she needed a boost.

The coffee’s aroma gave her a headache. Pretending to wander casually, she moved to Yu Qingyi’s desk to escape it, spotting a resume with a photo—the girl from the elevator.

Recalling her, Yu Qingjia picked up the resume—

Si Lingyou, a Huayue artist, debuted three years ago, and has played supporting roles in Clues, Love Manual, and Empire and Beauty…

Seeing the name, it clicked.

No wonder the hostile look, she was the devoted supporting actress from the original story!