I Conquer the Entertainment Industry with My Medical Skills - Chapter 6

An Ningqing’s rival was Qian Lingling from Kaiyu Entertainment Company. Originally, the Queen character in the hit drama The Sovereign’s Reign had been offered to Qian Lingling. However, she rejected it, deeming the production team’s compensation too low. At the time, another well-funded production team had offered her a script, directed by a renowned director, and she accepted it without hesitation.

An Ningqing unexpectedly landed the role. The company had initially intended to promote another young actress, but the actress’s busy schedule, scandalous rumors of diva-like behavior, decadent nightlife, and a messy affair led to her contract being terminated in anger.

In short, An Ningqing was thrust into the role as a replacement.

To everyone’s surprise, The Sovereign’s Reign became a massive hit, and An Ningqing, who played the lead, reaped the benefits.

Meanwhile, the xianxia drama Qian Lingling had favored flopped spectacularly—high investment, low returns. The two dramas aired almost simultaneously, creating a stark contrast. The more netizens praised An Ningqing’s performance, the more Qian Lingling seethed with resentment.

Had she known how things would turn out, she would have been better off accepting the role in The Sovereign’s Reign.

Someone then posted about Qian Lingling’s earlier rejection of the role, claiming she was destined for obscurity and had only paved the way for An Ningqing’s success. When Qian Lingling saw the post, she noticed the user was an An Ningqing fan and concluded that An Ningqing was using her to climb higher despite already being famous.

Thus, the feud began.

Qian Lingling had already prepared the story about An Ningqing sleeping with a fan while drunk. She even arranged for the news to be leaked in stages. The first wave showed An Ningqing entering a hotel, arm in arm with someone, late at night.

A hotel room tryst was implied.

The second wave dug up old blog posts from a girl named Cai, all about An Ningqing. Cai was a fan, and the scandal of an idol and fan entering a hotel room drunk together caused a massive uproar by dawn. The plan was to catch them red-handed the next morning.

By then, An Ningqing would be branded as a disgusting celebrity who slept with fans.

But then—

The whole world learned that An Ningqing’s fiancée was Third Miss Xie.

Qian Lingling nearly had a heart attack.

“What happened? I told that person to get close to her that night. How did it end up being Third Miss Xie?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Apparently, she just went to the restroom, and when she turned around, An Ningqing was gone.”

“Idiot.”

It couldn’t be that Xie Anran and An Ningqing both went to the restroom at the same time, caught each other’s eye, and then eloped to a hotel room together, could it?

The whole situation reeked of absurdity. Only the two involved parties knew the truth; everyone else was left in the dark.

Qian Lingling felt like she had shot herself in the foot. She had been waiting anxiously for days, only for Xie Anran to neither confirm nor deny the relationship. This meant An Ningqing had snagged a wealthy and influential patron—no, even more legitimate than a patron, since she was Xie Anran’s fiancée. She might even marry into a powerful family someday.

Qian Lingling desperately wanted to know how An Ningqing had managed to turn such a terrible hand into a royal flush.

Such good fortune was truly enviable.

Meanwhile, the Third Miss Xie, the subject of their gossip, sneezed violently three times. She immediately stood up, picked up her phone, and reread the message on the screen.

The cute little sister at the birthday party… Could they be talking about Zhuang Yanxin?

“No way.”

“That’s impossible.”

“This is utter nonsense.”

Xie Anran and Zhuang Qingxin were classmates, and their families had business ties. They had grown up together since childhood. Later, Xie Anran’s family moved, but their friendship remained strong. Zhuang Yanxin, Zhuang Qingxin’s younger sister, was five years younger than Xie Anran and had always been their little tagalong.

Xie Anran’s most ingrained impression of Zhuang Yanxin was that of a crybaby. When they were children, Zhuang Yanxin would get whatever she wanted from Zhuang Qingxin, or she’d cry until her throat was raw.

From that moment on, Xie Anran developed a deep-seated aversion to crying children. They were too noisy, so loud they made her want to explode.

Zhuang Qingxin, having long understood her younger sister’s temperament, always indulged her. As Zhuang Yanxin grew older, she changed considerably, becoming docile and obedient. The only constant was her habit of trailing after them.

Another reason Xie Anran found this impossible was that just two days prior, Zhuang Yanxin had suffered a heartbreak. She’d dragged Xie Anran to a bar to drink, making her promise not to tell Zhuang Qingxin. Wait a minute… wasn’t that the same night Xie Anran had been fooling around with An Ningqing?

Xie Anran: “!!!”

After returning home, she’d been half-mad with rage over the scandalous news reports, her mind consumed by thoughts of that detestable woman, An Ningqing. She hadn’t given the matter any further thought at the time, but now, the more she pondered, the more suspicious it seemed.

She immediately leaped out of bed and dialed a familiar number. “Investigate Zhuang Yanxin,” she ordered. “Find out if she’s been seeing anyone lately—a boyfriend, girlfriend, or anything else. The more details, the better.”

The waiting was the hardest part.

Xie Anran, never one for patience, decided to watch the drama starring An Ningqing that everyone was raving about online. They claimed An Ningqing was beautiful and a brilliant actress, and Xie Anran wanted to see if the hype was justified.

She clicked on the most popular series, The Sovereign’s Reign, and watched for a while. The first episode was nothing but the male and female leads making out. Frustrated, she fast-forwarded through the rest of the episode, only to find An Ningqing hadn’t even appeared. “What trash show is this? How did this become a hit?” she snapped, slamming her laptop shut in anger.

Before long, the investigation report arrived.

Zhuang Qingxin was well-behaved at school, with many admirers but no boyfriend or girlfriend.

Xie Anran sneered. “So the whole ‘heartbreak’ act was just a lie?”

Scrolling further, she found Zhuang Yanxin’s recent online shopping history: aphrodisiacs. You can buy that stuff online? Is that even legal? Are the ingredients safe? Xie Anran was incredulous.

But then she remembered this might have been used on her…

Burning with rage, Xie Anran immediately called Zhuang Qingxin.

“Half an hour. Our usual bar.”

“Ah, but the bar isn’t open yet. Whoever pissed off Third Miss Xie needs to cool down first.”

“Then—”

Xie Anran impatiently ran her fingers through her hair. “Then my place. Half an hour. Don’t make me wait. You know how much I hate waiting.”

She hung up abruptly.

Zhuang Qingxin frowned. Xie Anran rarely called her this early. Still, she went upstairs to change. Zhuang Yanxin followed her, having overheard Xie Anran’s voice. “What does Sister Anran want, Sis? I want to go too!”

Zhuang Qingxin stopped in her tracks, turning to give Zhuang Yanxin a stern look. “You’re staying home. No going anywhere.”

“But Sis—”

For once, Zhuang Qingxin didn’t soften. She hurried to the garage, picked a car, and drove straight to Xie Anran’s residential complex. The security guards recognized her and waved her through.

“Anran, why are you up so early today?”

“Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”

Xie Anran narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her friend. Zhuang Yanxin’s betrayal and the hotel surveillance footage were solid evidence, but she couldn’t be sure if Zhuang Qingxin was involved. After decades of friendship, she didn’t want to sever ties unless absolutely necessary. “The day I checked into the hotel with An Ningqing, Zhuang Yanxin texted me, saying you wanted to meet for drinks.”

The smile on Zhuang Qingxin’s face froze for a moment before her expression darkened.

Xie Anran continued, “When I arrived at the agreed-upon location, I found only her there. I asked where you were, and she started crying bitterly, clinging to me. She said she’d just broken up with someone and begged me not to tell you. She just wanted someone to talk to, so she tricked me into coming out to keep her company.”

“You know how I am—I never guard myself around friends. She’s your sister, and I’ve always treated her like my own.”

Zhuang Qingxin understood. She lowered her gaze. “Anran, I’m so sorry. I had no idea about any of this.”

“I believe you,” Xie Anran replied.

She trimmed the document on her phone, removing the header and footer, and forwarded the crucial information to Zhuang Qingxin. “But this can’t end here. Zhuang Yanxin—don’t let her show her face in front of me again.” She wasn’t generous enough to remain friends, let alone treat her like a sister, after being manipulated like this.

The fact that she wasn’t taking immediate action against Yanxin was already a concession to the years of friendship between the Xie and Zhuang families.

When Zhuang Qingxin saw Yanxin’s purchase history, she felt dizzy. Gripping her phone tightly, she said, “Okay, I promise you. I’ll handle this.”

“And… thank you.”

After seeing the person off, Xie Anran still felt a ball of anger simmering in her chest.

She had treated her like a younger sister, only to have her drug her with an aphrodisiac. An aphrodisiac! No wonder she had gotten so strangely drunk that day. Just a few drinks, and her consciousness had blurred, leaving her with only hazy memories of stumbling into a room with someone. After that, her memory went blank.

Could that drug have any lingering side effects?

The thought made her face pale. No, I need to get checked at the hospital. What if that drug has some adverse reactions? I can’t let it affect my health.

She grabbed her car keys, but as she stepped out the door, she hesitated and turned back.

No, no. What if someone sees me? They’ll think I’m sick.

Should I call the family doctor?

That won’t work either. If the family doctor finds anything, my brother will definitely hear about it, and then my parents—the whole family—will know.

Xie Anran couldn’t bear the humiliation. She sat on the sofa for a long time, lost in thought, until An Ningqing suddenly came to mind.

An Ningqing brewed herself a cup of ginger and jujube tea, then leaned back on the sofa, scrolling through medical videos and educational content posted by various accounts. She had recently become fascinated with modern medicine, particularly surgery, and found herself engrossed in videos of reattached limbs and open-chest procedures.

However, she knew some of it was exaggerated, like the scenes in dramas.

Knock, knock, knock.

Assuming it was Su Guo, An Ningqing opened the door without looking. Standing outside was Xie Anran. Xie Anran tilted her head, peering into the room. “You really do live here. I almost thought I had the wrong place.”

“Third Miss?” An Ningqing asked, her tranquil face showing a rare hint of confusion. She had hoped the adorable little girl would have distracted Xie Anran. “Third Miss Xie, what brings you here?”

Xie Anran felt this embarrassing matter couldn’t be discussed at the doorway and gestured inside.

An Ningqing stepped aside to let her in.

Once inside, Xie Anran beat around the bush, subtly probing An Ningqing with various questions before finally feigning casual curiosity. “Isn’t it inconvenient for celebrities to go to hospitals for checkups? How do you usually see doctors? Who do you consult? Do you have a trusted physician?”

Hearing this, An Ningqing looked up, her gaze intense, her eyes burning with a fervent devotion that seemed to convey an unparalleled depth of affection.

As if Xie Anran were the only person in her world.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Xie Anran asked, feeling as if the other woman wanted to devour her whole.