Reborn! Entangled with the Obsessive Best Actress - Chapter 2

The heavy wooden door of the luxury hotel suite closed, leaving only two figures in the quiet room. Song Qingxing settled onto the plush leather sofa.

Her thin nightgown barely concealed her alluring figure.

“Tell me,” she said, propping her cheek with one hand, “why do you want to be with me?”

After years of being a has-been, Song Qingxing had grown weary of the boredom of staying home, picking her toes, and enduring her manager’s disdainful glances.

Now, she was Niohuru Qingxing.

What use was so-called love? It was far more practical to worship the God of Wealth.

But Song Qingxing’s God of Wealth wasn’t in a temple; it was Xie Jingcheng, both distant as the heavens and as close as the person before her. With Xie Jingcheng’s unparalleled family background, a little flattery and a few major resources could keep Song Qingxing from fading into obscurity so quickly.

Instead, she could maintain her position as a top-tier trending young star.

“I like your type,” Xie Jingcheng said, her voice cool yet tinged with shyness. “Your lips… they look very kissable.”

Midway through her sentence, Xie Jingcheng paused to adjust her glasses before continuing.

She sat down, her gaze sweeping over the wine bottle on the table. After a moment of hesitation, as if unable to bear the sight, she grabbed a hotel tissue and began wiping the bottle clean.

She began wiping slowly.

Oh, this guy’s a neat freak.

Though she secretly looked down on these aristocratic young masters who thought they could solve everything with money, Song Qingxing now had to swallow her pride for the sake of survival.

“I’ll consider your proposal,” she said slowly, inwardly surprised. She hadn’t expected Xie Jingcheng, who projected such an arrogant aura in public, to speak so politely in private.

“You’re really agreeing?” Xie Jingcheng asked, surprised. She glanced at the small leather watch on her wrist, astonished that someone who had been so stubbornly resistant just days ago had suddenly changed her tune.

“Why wouldn’t I? But I have conditions,” Song Qingxing said, fixing her gaze on Xie Jingcheng. After a moment’s thought, she added, “You can’t play those perverted games.”

Xie Jingcheng tossed the tissue into the trash can. The vibrant red wine, diluted by the tissue, now stained it a pale pink.

“Song Qingxing, do I look like that kind of person?” Xie Jingcheng chuckled, but nodded nonetheless.

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, a knock came at the door.

“Miss, you can’t come in here!”

The bodyguard was struggling to restrain a petite woman who was desperately trying to force her way into the room. Armed with a spare keycard, she swiped it through the reader, instantly unlocking the door.

The bodyguard froze, stunned that his efforts had failed. No amount of brute force could overcome a keycard that opened the door.

“Sister Song, there are over a dozen paparazzi squatting outside, all here to photograph you!” the assistant cried out, her voice frantic. Her eyes darted around the room until she spotted Xie Jingcheng sitting at the table, meticulously wiping the lingering red wine from between her fingers with a tissue.

Having just wiped the table, some of the wine had inevitably clung to her fingers and the crevices between them.

Yu Zhi’s eyes widened in horror, her hand trembling on the door.

No way…

That Xie Jingcheng wouldn’t have forced herself on Song Qingxing, pinning her to the bed and… you know, right?!

Yu Zhi vividly recalled Song Qingxing’s complaints from the previous night: Xie Jingcheng’s gaze had been like a hungry wolf eyeing a rabbit.

And then there was her shameless proposal to trade resources for a secret affair.

“Yu Zhi, I can’t take this anymore! I’m moving out of the hotel tomorrow!”

“I thought only rich men were lecherous, but Xie Jingcheng is just as bad! If she’s so desperate, she should just kiss herself in the mirror twice.”

“She’s not even ugly! Why does she keep bothering me?”

Yu Zhi, the junior assistant, thrived by flattering Song Qingxing.

“Sister Song, you’re absolutely right! Xie Jingcheng is shameless, daring to make moves on you. She’s a washed-up former Best Actress—nowhere near as popular as you!”

“If it weren’t for her family’s connections, she’d have faded into obscurity long ago.”

The two had spent hours yesterday gossiping about Xie Jingcheng until well past midnight, when Song Qingxing needed her beauty sleep and Yu Zhi finally left the hotel.

This morning, Yu Zhi arrived early and took only a few steps before noticing disturbed grass near the hotel. She went to investigate.

Good heavens!

A dense row of paparazzi lay hidden in the bushes, each clad in camouflage gear and armed with long-lens cameras, all aimed at the hotel rooms.

They were clearly trying to catch someone in the act.

Only one celebrity was staying at the hotel, so it was obvious the paparazzi were targeting Song Qingxing. The former idol had transitioned into acting, starring in several wildly popular historical romance dramas.

She had already become a top-tier流量小花.

High-end endorsements poured in, and even renowned directors shamelessly begged for collaborations.

Yu Zhi hastily put on her mask and rushed to Song Qingxing’s hotel room. But when she arrived at the VIP suite, she was met by a burly bodyguard.

Her heart sank.

She remembered the rumors she had seen online:

#Xie Jingcheng: Ultra-Dominant Gangster Heiress#

#Do you know Xie Jingcheng’s background? You can’t afford to cross her!#

Panic surged through her. Fearing Song Qingxing was being coerced, Yu Zhi frantically forced her way into the room, only to witness this scene.

Song Qingxing’s clothes were disheveled, while Xie Jingcheng casually wiped her fingers with a tissue. Yu Zhi’s pupils dilated in shock as her gaze drifted downward, spotting a trash can overflowing with crumpled tissues, some stained pink.

Her heart turned to ash.

No way…

Sister Song couldn’t have been violated by that beast Xie Jingcheng, could she?

“Your assistant?” Xie Jingcheng asked, her memory for faces notoriously poor—not due to face blindness, but because she simply couldn’t be bothered to remember.

“Uh… cough cough,” Song Qingxing replied awkwardly, clearing her throat.

“So what if there are paparazzi? Why are you so worked up? I haven’t done anything illegal or immoral. If they get a picture, they get a picture.”

Yu Zhi blinked, her eyes wide.

“Sister Song, do you really want to trend on social media?”

Trend?

In her previous life, Song Qingxing had never bothered with trending topics, confident in her ability to generate buzz at will.

But after being reborn, she understood that trending topics were like shooting stars—fleeting and ephemeral. Anything that could maintain her relevance was worth seizing.

Without money, she couldn’t afford her mother’s medical bills or pay off her father’s mountain of debt.

It was precisely to avoid being harassed by debt collectors that she had taken on the role of the wicked stepmother, a part she would never have considered before.

“What’s this about trending? Did I commit murder or arson?”

Yu Zhi couldn’t understand Song Qingxing’s sudden change in attitude, but she dared not be disrespectful in front of Xie Jingcheng.

After all, she was just an employee.

Praising the boss to his face, feigning ignorance around capital, and working diligently—these were the secrets to her job security as an assistant.

“Of course there will be rumors, Sister Song. You know how wild fans are these days. The whole male-female pairing thing is outdated. Now it’s all about male-male, female-female, and everything in between.”

Yu Zhi glanced awkwardly at Xie Jingcheng after saying this.