Reborn! Entangled with the Obsessive Best Actress - Chapter 6

The theater staff dumped basket after basket of ice onto the ground, and the snow machine roared to life.

Snowflakes began to fall in a swirling blizzard.

Snowflakes clung to Song Qingxing’s hair as she took a deep breath. She was wearing the prop shoes the costume designer had prepared earlier—shoes with soles stitched with only a thin layer of adhesive. A few forceful scuffs during her run would easily tear them off.

Song Qingxing had always used stunt doubles whenever possible in her roles. This sudden shift in style drew curious onlookers.

She began to sprint wildly. Over the years, she had mostly played minor roles with limited screen time and meager pay. This had given her ample time to delve into her characters’ motivations.

Her acting skills had improved, though only marginally. After all, once an actor’s style is established, learning new techniques becomes challenging.

But now, reborn seven or eight years in the past, she had a chance to start anew.

For this chase scene, Song Qingxing filmed take after take, running back and forth over a dozen times. Her toes were numb with cold, but she finally achieved the perfect shot.

She stared at her reflection on the screen, inwardly relieved that this might salvage some of her reputation.

Of course, salvaging her reputation came at a painful price.

Yu Zhi retrieved some medicine from the pharmacy, all for treating frostbite. She knelt down and carefully applied ointment to Song Qingxing’s feet, which were purple from the cold.

“Sister Song, you don’t have to push yourself so hard. Look at your feet—they’re completely purple!” Yu Zhi said, her gloved hands moving with focused precision.

Song Qingxing shook her head. “If I want to reinvent myself, I can’t rely on stand-ins for everything like I used to in idol dramas. You can’t convey genuine emotion that way.”

Hearing these words, Yu Zhi’s eyes widened like an owl’s, staring at Song Qingxing in disbelief.

This is unbelievable!

Sister Song, who used to avoid doing anything herself if a stand-in was available, is actually saying something so inspiring?

Could she have been influenced by Xie Jingcheng? After all, Actress Xie is renowned for her dedication to her craft.

Filming that day felt surprisingly easy for Song Qingxing. Before her rebirth, she had been working at an intense pace, so suddenly returning to a lead role felt like a breeze.

Back at the hotel, after applying ointment to her feet, the pain had subsided considerably.

Lying on the bed, Song Qingxing realized she hadn’t stayed in such a luxurious hotel since her career had faded in her previous life.

The mattress was soft and springy, like sleeping on a giant cloud. Her eyelashes fluttered gently as sleepiness gradually returned.

She let out a small yawn.

Just as she was about to get up for a shower, a thought struck her.

Wait… I think I lost my sugar daddy.

Before boarding the plane, Xie Jingcheng had specifically told Song Qingxing that she would come find her. If Song Qingxing wasn’t waiting at the film set, wouldn’t she be leaving her sugar daddy hanging?

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Song Qingxing quickly began to dress, intending to rush to the set before it got too dark and pretend she had been waiting all along.

However, she had only just put on her outer robe when…

The doorbell rang. Song Qingxing assumed it was Yu Zhi, thinking, Perfect timing! I can drag her back to the set with me.

Without even looking, she reached for the door and called out, “Yu Zhi, you’re just in time! Hurry and pack your things—we’re heading back to the set together. I need to pretend I’ve been waiting for Xie Jingcheng all this time.”

Song Qingxing rattled off several sentences before finally looking up at the person standing at the door. She was about to scold Yu Zhi for being so lazy—Why hasn’t she followed my orders yet?—when she saw a face as perfect as a masterpiece sculpted by a master artist. The woman’s aura was cool and aloof, and she carried the lingering scent of a high-end hotel.

“I’ve been waiting for you at the set for a long time,” Xie Jingcheng said, her tone slightly displeased. The only people who dared to make her wait this long were her parents, grandparents, and younger sister.

Not exactly a small group, she thought, but Song Qingxing was the only non-family member among them.

“Sorry, I forgot,” Song Qingxing said, though her apology sounded perfunctory and insincere.

After all, it was her first time being someone’s lover, and she was terribly inexperienced, her “professional skills” utterly lacking.

“It’s nothing.”

“I heard you got frostbite.”

Xie Jingcheng’s slender fingers held up a plastic bag. Song Qingxing glanced down and saw it contained some medications, their packaging covered in English names she couldn’t even read.

“I had the family doctor bring these over. They’re a newly developed frostbite treatment from abroad.”

Song Qingxing froze, stunned.

She hadn’t expected him to be so well-informed, especially since he was working in another city. How had he even noticed her injury?

“Take off your shoes. I’ll apply the ointment for you.”

Xie Jingcheng’s tone was somewhat commanding, which irked Song Qingxing. Still, she knew he meant well.

Now that they were in a lover-patron relationship, she couldn’t afford to act like a diva. She needed to remember her place.

Song Qingxing sat on the edge of the bed, her foot wrapped in gauze to prevent the ointment from sticking to her shoes and socks.

Xie Jingcheng’s expression was serious as he first wiped away the ointment Song Qingxing had previously applied. Then, he unscrewed the cap of the new medication and dabbed a small amount onto a cotton swab.

He began to gently wipe her foot.

“I’ve already fired the Assistant Director,” Xie Jingcheng said.

Song Qingxing had expected him to scold her for being ungrateful, for daring to make the esteemed benefactor wait so long.

Instead, Xie Jingcheng had already dealt with that damned lecherous Director.

“You don’t actually need to do so much for me. My agreement to your conditions comes with its own price.”

Song Qingxing paused, stunned, before replying.

Her feet were small, almost entirely fitting within Xie Jingcheng’s palm. His long fingers meant his hands were slightly larger than average, making the contrast even more pronounced.

The arch of her foot tensed slightly, her ankle delicate like fine white porcelain fired in an imperial kiln.

A faint blush tinted her skin, like a rain-soaked crabapple blossom, its petals tinged with pink, exquisitely tender and dewy.

“I know,” Song Qingxing said.

“But someone like him, abusing his family connections to harass actresses everywhere, doesn’t deserve to be an Assistant Director.”

Xie Jingcheng’s tone carried a sharp edge. The man had always feigned innocence in her presence, but his true nature was exposed when he preyed on other actresses.

“He won’t be filming anymore.”

Xie Jingcheng finally stood up, pulled a tissue from her pocket, and slowly wiped the residue between her fingers.

“Xie Jingcheng, are you staying here tonight?” Song Qingxing asked, glancing down at her foot, which was wrapped like a dumpling. This woman’s bandaging skills are terrible, she thought.

Just moments ago, Song Qingxing had genuinely believed Xie Jingcheng was a gentle, meticulous woman with some medical knowledge.

But now it was clear: this was just a classic Mary Sue scene playing out.

Still, Song Qingxing felt fortunate that the wealthy benefactor had deigned to treat her injury personally, so she naturally wouldn’t complain.

“No, I’m not staying,” Xie Jingcheng replied. “I don’t have a habit of sleeping with others.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she added, fearing misunderstanding, “This isn’t about you. My younger sister used to cling to me in bed, and I accidentally kicked her off once.”

From then on, Xie Little Bean never dared to ask her sister to sleep with her again, instead running to their parents’ room during thunderstorms and rain, rudely interrupting their intimate moments.