Oh No, My Tail Has Been Seen! - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

◎Sudden Incident◎

“Sister Su Miao, wake up, we’re here,” Xu Qingqing said softly, gently patting Su Miao’s shoulder to wake her up slowly.

“Mmm,” Su Miao opened her eyes and tried to sit up. She realized that she had unconsciously leaned towards the empty seat next to her while she was sleeping. Her shoulder felt a little numb from being pressed down on the whole time.

“Hiss,” Su Miao gasped and rubbed her slightly stiff arm with her other hand. Wait a minute, why do I feel like someone is missing? Bai Jin was sitting next to her, but where was she now?

Even before Xu Qingqing could answer, Su Miao had a bad feeling. She didn’t leave, did she? There was an empty seat in the back, so there was no need for her to leave to make room for Su Miao to sleep.

“Oh, it’s like this. Sister Bai just got a call. Her other artist, Ning Yu, had an accident on set, and she had to rush over to handle it,” Xu Qingqing said, watching Su Miao’s expression change from confusion to disappointment. She was too afraid to say anything more. The Su Miao in front of her now looked like a child who had been abandoned. Her eyes were filled with shock and sadness, and her red lips were tightly pursed, as if she didn’t dare to show any more emotion.

Seeing such a beautiful face with that expression, Xu Qingqing’s hand twitched, wanting to comfort her. But the next moment, she was glad she held back.

“Mm, I see,” Su Miao said, putting on a polite smile. She knew that as an actress, she shouldn’t reveal her emotions and needs so easily. Perhaps this was the first lesson Bai Jin had taught her.

Su Miao checked her phone and saw a message from Bai Jin. She explained why she had to leave early, and the reason was the same as what Xu Qingqing had said. Ning Yu needed her more than she did. He had fallen and broken a bone while filming an action scene, and Bai Jin needed to go and help take care of him and coordinate the filming schedule with the production crew. Su Miao understood, but her heart ached a little.

Soon, the variety show staff came to meet with Xu Qingqing. When the car door opened, Su Miao felt a little cold in her spaghetti strap dress. She took a fringe shawl with a folk-style design from her bag and put it on before getting out.

After grabbing her luggage, Su Miao pushed her suitcase into the room provided by the production crew. As soon as she had settled down, she suddenly remembered that Bai Jin’s luggage was still in the car. Bai Jin must have left in a hurry and had the driver drop her off midway without time to grab her bags.

She decided to go out again and pushed Bai Jin’s two suitcases inside as well. Even if Bai Jin couldn’t make it now, she would eventually come after she was done with the other matters. Su Miao looked at the three suitcases lined up side by side, a little dazed.

But mermaids have a short memory for painful experiences, and she adjusted quickly. She opened her suitcase and started to unpack.

Xu Qingqing knocked and came in, seeing that Su Miao had already arranged her clothes in the closet. This was supposed to be her job. She had been an assistant for many artists, but this was only the second one who took the initiative to do this themselves.

“Sister Su Miao, you can let me do these things.” Xu Qingqing had been an assistant for so many artists, and this was only the second one who took the initiative to tidy up themselves.

“It’s okay, I can do it myself. Oh, what were you talking to them about just now?” Su Miao was a new artist and didn’t know that an artist’s assistant was also supposed to help with these chores, but she still felt that she should do them herself. Seeing Xu Qingqing look a little troubled, she quickly changed the subject.

“I just confirmed the schedule with the staff here. You can rest for a while. The official recording will start when you leave your room in the evening,” Xu Qingqing told Su Miao everything she had discussed with the director. This was originally something Sister Bai should have done, but she had been told to handle it.

“You’ll be living with everyone for these seven days. The rooms next door are for the other artists and agents. Since Sister Bai isn’t here, your room next door is currently empty. Assistants will be staying in another courtyard nearby, so you can call me anytime if you need anything.” After explaining the process, Xu Qingqing saw that Su Miao was listening carefully and occasionally nodding to show that she understood.

Since Su Miao was a new artist and so good-looking, and from their interaction, she seemed to have a good personality, Xu Qingqing couldn’t help but feel a little protective.

Before coming to this variety show, Su Miao had already thought about it. Since all the artists would be living together, they wouldn’t do anything to cross each other, as they would all be working in the entertainment industry in the future. If you offended someone and they became famous and came back for revenge, it would be a huge problem.

“I can take care of myself,” Su Miao said, trying to reassure her. “If there are any problems or small conflicts, I’ll ask for your help right away.”

“Besides, Bai Jin was just delayed by something. She’s not not coming. She’ll probably be here tomorrow after she’s done with her business.”

Seeing Su Miao so optimistic, Xu Qingqing also felt relieved. “Then I’ll go back to my place to tidy up. Sister Su Miao, get some more rest. The staff will come to get you when it’s time.”

“Okay.” After watching her leave, Su Miao went back to bed to catch up on some sleep. When the staff knocked on the door to deliver food, she declined. She was a little carsick from the long drive and would just have a few pieces of bread later.

She set an alarm for 5 PM. When it went off, she got up to wash her face and put on some light everyday makeup. She had a strong face, and light makeup made her look less aggressive.

Not long after she finished her makeup, the staff knocked on her door. As she had expected, the gathering and recording would begin at 6 PM sharp.

Su Miao opened the door and walked out. Pairs of people, all agents with their new artists, were standing in the hallway. Only Su Miao was standing alone at her door. It felt like a parent-teacher meeting, and Su Miao was the only child whose parent hadn’t shown up. She felt all alone.

Su Miao only thought about it for a moment before she adjusted her mindset. She was Bai Jin’s artist, and her every word and action reflected on Bai Jin. With such a great agent, she couldn’t let Bai Jin down.

She looked around the hallway and noticed a familiar face. Zhang Linyu was also there, with her agent, Ye Qian, standing next to her. Zhang Linyu noticed her gaze and smiled at her. Su Miao smiled back.

“Everyone, please come into the living room. You must be hungry. The sooner we finish the process, the sooner we can eat. We’ve prepared a delicious dinner for everyone,” the director’s voice called from the living room, urging everyone to come over.

When everyone entered the living room, they saw five two-person sofas. There were only nine people, and Su Miao found a seat on the end. Since Bai Jin wasn’t here, the spot next to her was empty. The others sat down in pairs, making Su Miao’s solo seating stand out.

“How come Bai Jin isn’t here?” Zhang Linyu said thoughtfully, her voice not too low. Her question caused everyone’s eyes to fall on Su Miao. Everyone in the entertainment industry knew that Bai Jin had chosen a new artist to be on the variety show with. Naturally, everyone present knew who Su Miao’s agent was. The reason for her absence was a bit of a mystery. Had she had a change of heart after signing the contract, or had Su Miao done something that made Bai Jin give up on her? Either way, Su Miao had to have a reason to save face under everyone’s gaze.

Su Miao also noticed that she was the center of attention. She didn’t rush, and after glancing at the people at the dinner table, she smiled. “It seems everyone is very interested in my agent and me. Actually, my senior, Ning Yu, had an accident on set, and Bai Jin had to go and handle it. She’ll be here after she’s done.” Although she hadn’t officially met Ning Yu, as an artist under Bai Jin and from the same company, it was fine to call him “senior.” She needed everyone to know that Bai Jin had not abandoned her.

Everyone nodded. Su Miao’s explanation was perfectly valid. Her hands and feet were all part of the same body, so it made sense for her to go help her other artist first.

“You’re in the same company, and you didn’t know Ning Yu had an accident on set?” one of the short-haired girls on the couch asked Zhang Linyu.

“Uh,” Zhang Linyu didn’t expect to be questioned and didn’t know how to answer.

“It happened so suddenly. I just got the news and didn’t have time to tell Linyu,” her agent, Ye Qian, responded quickly, helping her answer.

The short-haired girl wanted to say something more, but the male agent next to her patted her arm, gesturing for her to stop. The conversation about Su Miao quickly died down, and the dinner table became quiet.

“Everyone is here, so let’s introduce ourselves,” the host said, sitting on a single-person sofa and starting the process. She bent down to look at everyone and her gaze finally landed on Su Miao. “Let’s start with Su Miao.”

Seeing that she was the one being called on, Su Miao nodded slightly and turned to face the camera in the middle. She smiled gently at the camera, her eyes crinkling. Her calm and composed demeanor seemed to be completely unaffected by the absence of her agent.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Su Miao, an artist from Starry Entertainment. My agent is Bai Jin. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you here, and I hope we can have a good time for these seven days.” Su Miao didn’t say much, as she didn’t have much acting experience yet.

“I had prepared a few questions for Su Miao and her agent, but unfortunately, Bai Jin couldn’t make it. We’ll have to make up for the Q&A session next time.”

Hearing the host’s attempt to smooth things over, Su Miao held the microphone and said, “We will definitely.” Although she didn’t know how long Bai Jin would need to handle things, Su Miao was confident that Bai Jin would be there.

The host then looked at the next artist and agent pair, and it was Zhang Linyu’s turn.