The Salted-Fish Alpha and the Actress Got Their Marriage Certificate - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The morning mist cloaked the wide road, but car lights flickered faintly through the haze. The occasional honk of a tricycle mingled with the excited chatter of the sisters, far too lively for the early hour. Ye Cike’s plan to catch a nap on the ride was thoroughly ruined by the noise.

She began to wonder how things had spiraled into this.

Everything had started smoothly enough. They’d found a kind old man who let them hitch a ride on his cargo tricycle. But they hadn’t gone far when they spotted two girls struggling along the roadside, weighed down by their loads.

Xu Chaochao and Xu Mumu lit up like travelers stumbling upon an oasis in a barren desert.

They flagged down the tricycle with a wave, and after a quick exchange, they squeezed into the cart and settled beside Ye Cike.

“Thank goodness! I thought we’d have to walk the whole way,” Xu Chaochao said, clasping her hands together and thanking Ye Cike earnestly.

“We’re so lucky to run into you guys,” Xu Mumu added with a sigh.

Ye Cike didn’t respond, and Xi Ling, sitting nearby, just smiled without a word. It quickly became clear that the sisters could carry a conversation all on their own, even if Ye Cike stayed silent.

Xu Chaochao started, “I watched that movie where Teacher Xi won her award. Her movements and expressions were so smooth, and her line delivery was incredible.”

Xu Mumu sat up straight, her face alight with excitement. “Ye Cike’s acting doesn’t pull you out of the story either! Her heroine role was so cool!”

The two were like human praise machines, their lips churning out a stream of compliments without pause.

Ye Cike offered a couple of half-hearted “mms” in response, then let out a lazy yawn.

“Teacher Xi, can you teach us? Ye Cike, share some of your experience too!” Xu Mumu asked, her eyes full of hope.

Xi Ling smiled politely and kept it brief. “Practice a lot. Hard work makes up for lack of talent.”

The sisters nodded in agreement, then turned to Ye Cike like sunflowers chasing the sun.

Ye Cike: “…”

She felt a faint headache coming on. Truth be told, her acting was often criticized. Countless “well-known film bloggers” had said she could only play cold, expressionless roles, showing no growth and acting with technique but no emotion.

Ye Cike thought for a moment, then said earnestly, “Pick roles that match your personality. That way, you’re just being yourself, and at least you won’t break the audience’s immersion.”

As long as you stayed in your comfort zone, you’d always be comfortable.

Xu Chaochao hadn’t expected such a candid answer, and the praise she’d been about to offer got stuck in her throat. One sister’s smile froze, the other scratched her head, and the moment turned painfully awkward.

Xi Ling let out a soft “heh,” her eyes clear and bright as she looked at Ye Cike. “What kind of role do you think I’m suited for?”

“Anything works,” Ye Cike replied vaguely, then raised her hand to yawn again.

Maybe a refined young lady from a scholarly family, leaning against a doorframe, catching the scent of plum blossoms. Or a pampered princess, adored by all. Or even a sly cat demon who’d let you feed her and pet her, then slip away before you could touch her again.

Xi Ling tilted her head, her smile cryptic. “You seem really tired today?”

“Yeah, didn’t sleep well?” Xu Chaochao chimed in, slipping back into her praise-machine mode.

“Strange bed,” Ye Cike mumbled, lowering her eyes and spouting nonsense with a straight face.

“Want to listen to some music to perk up?” Xi Ling suggested gently.

Ye Cike frowned, puzzled. Hadn’t they already turned in their phones? Where would the music come from? She was about to ask when Xi Ling cleared her throat, looking entirely matter-of-fact.

“I’ll sing for you.”

Her smile was radiant, her voice lilting upward at the end, like a cat’s tail brushing against your palm—ticklish and impossible to ignore.

Ye Cike didn’t say anything, so Xi Ling took it as agreement.

She began to hum a cheerful little tune, one Ye Cike knew all too well, the lyrics etched in her memory.

“In a happy pond, we plant our dreams, and they bloom into the sun…”

Ye Cike’s heart stirred. It was “Little Frog,” the song she’d played the other day. Xi Ling had only heard it twice and already learned it. Was it raw talent or sheer dedication?

Her sweet voice flowed like a cool, lively stream, but it couldn’t wash away the lingering exhaustion weighing on Ye Cike.

As the morning sun rose, the mist cleared, and a breeze slipped through their sleeves. In the calm atmosphere, Ye Cike’s breathing slowed, and she felt even sleepier.

But when Xi Ling finished her song and asked with sparkling eyes how it was, Ye Cike hid her drowsiness and answered seriously.

“It was great. Thank you.”

The moment she spoke, Xu Chaochao and Xu Mumu nodded eagerly, showering Xi Ling with over-the-top praise. Xi Ling opened her mouth a few times but ended up saying nothing.

The tricycle rumbled toward the town in this lively, noisy chaos.

It was market day, and the town was buzzing, rivaling the city’s commercial streets.

Vendors’ calls filled the air, selling everything from fruits and vegetables to handmade bamboo baskets and embroidered cloth.

Ye Cike was pleased. She was already looking forward to selling their goods and using the money to buy oranges for Xi Ling.

The four found an empty spot at the market’s edge. The sisters had brought porcelain, but when they unpacked their baskets, two pieces were broken, and several others were chipped.

The broken shards were set aside, and Xu Mumu pouted, complaining, “This is so hard. I even lined the basket with cloth.”

“You didn’t pad it right. You need to fill the gaps,” Xi Ling said, glancing over as she deftly unpacked her basket of eggs.

Every single one was intact, not a crack in sight.

Looking at the neatly arranged eggs, Ye Cike frowned. “Don’t we need to set a price?”

She bought groceries herself sometimes but never paid much attention to prices, and town prices were different from the city’s anyway.

She was about to check other stalls when Xi Ling said, “I checked prices on the way here. Don’t worry.”

She spoke with confidence, lifting her chin with a hint of pride.

Ye Cike’s lips curved into a faint smile. Xi Ling had thought of everything. Unlike herself, who was always slacking off.

The sisters, hearing this, went off to check prices at other stalls.

Then Xi Ling gently shooed the cameraman away. “Don’t stand so close to the stall. Move the camera back. It’s fine if the shot’s a bit blurry.”

“Some people won’t come if they see a camera,” she explained patiently.

Ye Cike nodded. She didn’t care if her face was filmed. All she cared about was making money.

With the stall set up and prices decided, everything was ready. All they needed was to start selling.

Ye Cike was still mentally piecing together a pitch when Xi Ling, with her bright, beautiful eyes, called out confidently to passersby.

“Hey, folks, come check out our eggs! Fresh, local eggs, great quality, great price. Buy three pounds, and we’ll throw in three extra eggs!”

Maybe it was Xi Ling’s sweet, approachable look or her clear, ringing voice, but she seemed like the kind of person elders would adore.

Soon enough, people started coming over to ask about prices. Xi Ling greeted them with a smile, weighed the eggs quickly on an electronic scale, and handed them over to paying customers.

She even added a kind reminder: “Careful not to break them.”

She could even haggle with seasoned market aunties and uncles in her sweet voice, holding her ground through a battle of wits without giving up much.

Ye Cike stood by, completely unable to get a word in. She was genuinely shocked.

Wasn’t Xi Ling from a well-off family? How did a sheltered girl know so much about the ways of the world?

Unable to figure it out, she just asked, “I didn’t expect you to know all this. Did you study it?”

While the stall was empty, Xi Ling wiped her hands with a tissue. Her long hair was tied up in a bun, an omega pheromone-blocking patch visible on the back of her neck.

Her eyes lowered, lashes fluttering like butterfly wings in the sunlight.

“I played a role once—a struggling orphan girl in a film.”

Ye Cike thought back and recalled that role. It was a niche arthouse film with a stellar reputation.

Even now, critics analyzed its depth and raved about Xi Ling’s phenomenal acting.

“You’re so good at this. Did you actually go out and live that life for a bit?”

Xi Ling winked playfully at Ye Cike. “Haven’t you heard the saying? Life is like a play, and a play is like life.”

“Sounds… kind of true?” Ye Cike admitted, swayed.

Soon, more customers came to ask about prices, and Ye Cike dropped the topic, focusing instead on helping Xi Ling.

Before long, Xu Chaochao and Xu Mumu returned, having figured out their prices, and joined Xi Ling in calling out to customers.

After two hours in the sun, they’d sold most of the eggs and a few porcelain pieces. Xi Ling held a stack of bills in various denominations and used a phone to tally their earnings.

Most of it had to be handed over to the show’s crew. The sisters’ heartache was practically written on their faces, but Xi Ling didn’t seem to mind.

She leaned close to Ye Cike and whispered, “We’ve still got a few dozen bucks. Take it to buy ingredients.”

“No, oranges.”

Xi Ling burst out laughing, then put on a mock-serious face, scolding gently, “I was just kidding. How could you take me seriously? You know I was emotionally unstable back then. If we spend all the money, the crew will punish us on the last day.”

Ye Cike lazily stuffed her hands in her pockets, staring at Xi Ling without blinking. “Do I look like I care?”