Reborn! Entangled with the Obsessive Best Actress - Chapter 36

So that’s how it is.

Seeing that her Gold Sponsor wasn’t angry, Song Qingxing quickly put the matter out of her mind. She never dwelled on things unnecessarily; overthinking every detail would only exhaust her.

“I’ll wear a mask next time,” she promised.

The truth was, she’d spent so long as an obscure actress in her previous life that she’d grown unaccustomed to being hounded by paparazzi. She hadn’t quite adjusted to this new reality.

“I’ll try to keep them from bothering me, okay?”

Song Qingxing tilted her head, pressing her cheek against Xie Jingcheng’s. The faint, elegant fragrance surrounding them made Xie Jingcheng’s heart race.

Despite having played countless roles, those moments of infatuation and affection had only been performances. Now that she was experiencing it for real, she understood what it meant to be truly captivated—to want to pin someone against the car seat and kiss them senseless.

But these were just thoughts.

If she revealed such desires, she’d likely frighten the little rabbit.

As they drove back, Xie Jingcheng had plenty on her mind. At her age, she had company matters to oversee and numerous acting offers from directors she knew.

Yet her thoughts were elsewhere.

She finally understood what her friends meant by “old trees blossoming anew.” Well, I don’t consider myself an old tree yet, she thought.

Now that Song Qingxing was by her side, a few more strategic moves would ensure the younger woman never escaped the circle Xie Jingcheng had drawn around her.

With her plan decided, Xie Jingcheng resolved to decline her upcoming acting role and accompany Song Qingxing to school instead.

But she wouldn’t simply follow her there. Instead, she planned a surprise.

Song Qingxing met the male actor, who appeared to be a rising star being promoted by the company. He was exceedingly polite, bowing and nodding repeatedly upon their introduction.

He even offered her a bottle of water.

“No, thank you. I don’t drink ice water,” Song Qingxing replied, shaking her head. Consuming too much ice water was bad for her digestive system, and she needed to take better care of her health now. She didn’t want to end up like in her previous life, where work had consumed her, leaving no time for self-care, which eventually led to her body’s functions collapsing.

“Oh, I see,” the actor said. “Then I’ll have someone bring you a glass of room-temperature water.”

The male actor’s excessive attentiveness drew curious glances from the crew, leaving Song Qingxing speechless.

She had no desire to be the subject of rumors or gossip, especially given the vast difference in their status. If any rumors were to spread, it would only allow him to ride her coattails and gain undeserved attention. Even though they were from the same company, she had no obligation to “nurture” him.

Song Qingxing instinctively maintained her distance from the male lead.

A lingering fear gnawed at her—the fear of Xie Jingcheng showing up unannounced.

But sometimes, unexpected events unfold faster than anticipated. After just a few days on set, Song Qingxing began receiving messages from Xie Jingcheng at irregular intervals.

She replied to each message earnestly, not daring to neglect a single one.

At that moment, Song Qingxing finally empathized with the imperial concubines in the palace. Even if they sometimes wished to ignore the emperor, they were often forced to bow to his authority.

They even had to flatter His Majesty.

Of course, Song Qingxing wasn’t flattering the emperor, but her Gold Sponsor.

Today’s shoot included a night scene. Song Qingxing leaned against a bench, the summer breeze caressing her face. The new male lead stumbled through his lines, often requiring the director to coach him repeatedly before he could deliver a single line correctly.

Song Qingxing and the others were so bored they started dozing off.

Just as her head was about to hit the tree, Yu Zhi frantically reached out to stop her, but another hand moved even faster.

The man’s hand was veined, his fingers slender as bamboo, and his skin pale. A leather wristwatch adorned his wrist, its jade and diamond accents gleaming.

It was clearly an expensive piece.

Yu Zhi looked up, unsurprised to see Xie Jingcheng.

Xie Jingcheng gently supported the back of Song Qingxing’s head, watching her curled eyelashes flutter as she seemed to have drifted off to dreamland.

Still filming at this late hour, Song Qingxing was truly working hard.

Unlike before, when she would throw tantrums at the slightest provocation. How strange—how could someone change so quickly?

And she was sleeping quite soundly.

The male lead, clearly hearing the commotion around him, looked up to see a delicate and flawless profile. The other person’s expression was gentle, almost as if he were cradling Song Qingxing in his arms.

As artists from the same company, the male lead had naturally heard plenty about Song Qingxing, especially the recent rumors about her and Xie Jingcheng, which had been flying everywhere.

Instead of launching an emergency PR campaign, the company had fanned the flames, figuring they might as well capitalize on the buzz.

Song Qingxing had never had any dedicated “couple” fans since her debut, but the potential for attracting them was enormous.

The man had always assumed it was just publicity for the film. But now that the movie was finished and Song Qingxing had already moved on to filming her next TV drama, Xie Jingcheng had personally come to visit.

The unspoken intimacy was undeniable.

Perhaps the rumors were true after all!

Distracted by these thoughts, the man flubbed his scene again. The basketball slipped from his hand and struck another actor.

The injured actor clutched his head and cried out, his head ringing with genuine pain.

“Cut!”

The director stormed over, furious. This rookie playing the male lead had already wasted so much time!

The sharp “Cut!” startled Song Qingxing awake.

Groggy, Song Qingxing rubbed her eyes and reflexively apologized, “I’m sorry, Director. I’ll do it again… Please give me another chance…”

She had perfected this line in her previous life, honed through countless rehearsals. Her acting skills had been subpar, and directors had constantly nitpicked her performances. Over time, she had mastered this particular skill.