Reborn! Entangled with the Obsessive Best Actress - Chapter 13

Faced with her manager’s wild and unrestrained words, Song Qingxing was speechless, though she couldn’t deny the truth in his statement.

However, she and Xie Jingcheng had already agreed that they didn’t need to sleep together. Song Qingxing simply needed to be someone Xie Jingcheng could kiss and vent his desires on whenever and wherever he pleased.

“Brother Chen, I didn’t call to discuss this.”

Song Qingxing stood in the hospital corridor. Even in the dead of night, the corridor was crowded with people, their faces etched with sorrow as they stared at the medical records in their hands and sighed.

Because Xie Jingcheng was in the burn unit, which occupied an entire wing of the hospital, given the long treatment periods required for severe burn injuries.

Although the filming location was in the middle of nowhere, the medical facilities in this small county were surprisingly advanced. After all, filming often involved risks, so the hospital had invested heavily in its equipment.

“I wanted to say… remember that idol drama I took on? I want to withdraw from it.”

“Why?”

Brother Chen sat up and showed his wife the caller ID on his phone. It was the big boss he had to serve at work.

His wife fell silent and quietly went to soothe their child.

After all, whether her husband could earn big money and afford a high-end school district apartment depended entirely on Song Qingxing’s career.

“That drama is a major IP with a huge production budget,” Brother Chen said. “The author has a massive fanbase. If you take the role, you’ll definitely get a lot of attention. Let’s not worry about whether it’s good or bad publicity—as long as we maintain the buzz.”

In the past, Song Qingxing had been willing to take on even negative publicity to stay relevant. But now she knew that chasing attention this way would only burn out her acting career faster.

“No need,” she replied. “I have a better project lined up.”

“Besides, the male lead is too ugly.”

Only now did Song Qingxing reveal her true feelings. During filming, the male lead had even insisted on kissing her directly, without a stunt double.

Song Qingxing had retorted with venomous sarcasm: “Sorry, I don’t make a habit of kissing sewer rats.”

Her words had made the male lead’s face flush with anger, and he’d repeatedly urged the wealthy female producer to punish Song Qingxing.

Song Qingxing could only thank her lucky stars that Xie Jingcheng’s taste was relatively normal, allowing her to appreciate Song Qingxing’s great beauty rather than, like those wealthy older women, settling for any rat-like creature.

It turned out that a genuine fetish for ugliness existed in this world.

“What script?”

“Qingxing, you have to tell me. It wouldn’t be right for me to reject your lead role outright like this.”

“I need to give the company executives a reason, otherwise how am I supposed to explain this?”

In her previous life, Song Qingxing had also treated her manager poorly, but since he controlled her resources, she had restrained herself somewhat.

As a result, their relationship hadn’t completely collapsed.

However, this also meant Old Chen was pragmatic. When her popularity waned, he chose to manage other promising newcomers at the company.

“I want to take a role in a web drama,” Song Qingxing said slowly. “The director is a rising star with great potential. I’ve got my eye on him.”

The director had graduated from the cinematography department. Though he was working outside his field, the visuals he captured were stunningly beautiful.

The drama itself was only a minor hit, but the characters were well-written and highly appealing, attracting a large fanbase despite being played by two unknown actors.

Their acting skills weren’t particularly impressive, but the characters themselves were visually captivating.

Song Qingxing felt a pang of guilt for having taken another actress’s role, resolving to compensate her later.

She planned to recommend the actress for supporting roles in several blockbuster dramas, a move that would quickly boost her popularity.

“A rookie director? That’s quite a risk,” Old Chen protested.

He knew better than to argue with his headstrong client. If she wanted a role, she’d take it; if she didn’t, no amount of persuasion would change her mind.

“It’s a career transition anyway. What’s there to fear?” Song Qingxing lowered her brows, realizing that even in this second life, she couldn’t afford to be all sweetness and light. Sometimes, a touch of sternness was necessary to command obedience.

After finishing the call with her manager, she returned to the room.

Xie Jingcheng lay awake, her eyes wide.

“Where did you go?”

The hospital was brightly lit around the clock, prepared for any emergency. Song Qingxing startled so badly she stumbled backward, pressing herself against the wall.

“Nowhere. I just needed to call my manager.”

“Really?”

“I have a…”

Xie Jingcheng trailed off, finding it difficult to voice her request. She had never asked anyone for help in her life, and she struggled to explain herself clearly to Song Qingxing.

They were merely lip lovers.

“What’s wrong?” Song Qingxing asked gently, mindful of her patient. She sat on a chair beside the bed, her voice soft and maternal. “If you want water, I’ll get you some.”

Song Qingxing had never stayed up all night before. Faint dark circles shadowed her eyes, but her voice remained soothing as she coaxed the other woman.

“No,” Xie Jingcheng replied.

It turned out that when Xie Jingcheng had gotten out of bed earlier, she’d discovered a blister on her waist, likely from a more severe burn in that area. She hadn’t paid much attention to it at first, but when she moved slightly, the blister burst. It wasn’t a serious issue.

However.

Xie Jingcheng didn’t want to bother the nurses. She disliked having others touch her body unnecessarily. Besides, dealing with a blister and reapplying some ointment seemed like such a trivial matter.

That’s why she wanted Song Qingxing to help.

But for the aloof and proud Xie Jingcheng, this request carried a hint of embarrassment. Her pearly white teeth nearly left marks on her lips from biting down so hard.

Maybe I should just call a nurse after all, she thought.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Song Qingxing asked, her hand instinctively reaching out. Her cool hand, chilled from the night air, brushed against Xie Jingcheng’s feverishly hot forehead.

“Your forehead is burning! Do you have a fever?”

Song Qingxing jumped in alarm, thinking Xie Jingcheng had a fever. She rushed to call for a nurse, but Xie Jingcheng grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t call a nurse. I’m just embarrassed.”

As a seasoned actress, Xie Jingcheng had weathered far more awkward situations and quickly regained her composure.

“The blister on my waist burst. Could you help me change the dressing? I don’t want a nurse.”

Song Qingxing: …

Was this part of the lover’s agreement?

Fine, fine.

Since she had agreed to Xie Jingcheng’s terms and the actress would provide her with resources, bending over to do these maid-like tasks wasn’t such a big deal.

Song Qingxing found a clean, sterilized cotton ball—the pungent smell of disinfectant filled the air—and gently wiped the area around the ruptured blister dry.

Then, she carefully applied a fresh layer of burn ointment.

Xie Jingcheng had braced herself for the clumsy pain of Song Qingxing’s touch.

But nothing came. The other woman’s movements were feather-light, like a cloud drifting across her skin.

How strange.

When had this girl developed such a gentle touch?

Back on set, she was always accidentally breaking things, leaving the director sighing and clutching his forehead in exasperation.