Chapter 3457: Diva, Diva (14)

Qiao Ling’er glared at Ning Shu, who still had her face buried in her hands. She was fuming. This woman was definitely doing this on purpose.

She had staged this scene intentionally.

Now, Yue Wenlun’s affection for her was dropping.

Once it started falling, it would be difficult to build it back up again.

Moreover, the secret was out.

To try and farm affection now would be nothing short of awkward.

Ning Shu looked up. "If you really love Yue Wenlun and he loves you, then just be together. Stop playing around with this 'friendship' or 'mentor and apprentice' nonsense. I can tell he loves you and you love him. Otherwise, why would you two be inseparable?

"I am willing to step aside for the two of you."

Qiao Ling’er was livid.

Who the hell wants you to ‘step aside’?

Since she’d been reborn, Qiao Ling’er intended to be a winner in life. If she didn't, she would be failing her second chance and the system she was bound to.

How could she possibly tie herself down to just one man?

If she couldn't capture other men and complete the system’s tasks, she would lose everything she currently possessed.

She would end up like her previous life: a mediocre, tacky actress who never made it big, bullied by directors for small roles and harassed by any random crew member on set.

She had a great starting point now and could never go back to those days.

She had to grit her teeth and move forward. Qiao Ling’er felt lucky to have this opportunity.

She didn't need to be groped by directors or assistants. She had been chosen by a Best Actor award winner and was now the female lead in a drama.

She was going to use this role to become a superstar. She absolutely could not go back to the way things were.

Qiao Ling’er really didn't want to bicker with Ning Shu anymore, fearing the woman might say something even more embarrassing for her.

Ning Shu used her finger to wipe away non-existent tears from her face. A makeup artist came over to touch up her look.

"You really are…" The makeup artist, Sister Li, couldn't help but say something. "You’re just too blunt."

“Ah…” Ning Shu sighed. "I just didn't want to see Yue Wenlun treated that way. At the very least, I’m still his girlfriend for now."

Sister Li took out her phone and opened a video. "Look, I recorded everything you guys said. I’ll send it to you."

"Huh? Sister Li, I didn't know you were such a gossip," Ning Shu said.

Ning Shu got along well with the crew. She wasn't arrogant and stayed quite grounded.

She didn't complain and was always happy to chat with the staff.

"I’m only giving it to you because I think you’re being a fool. Actually, this kind of gossip could earn a bit of money from magazines. Don't go telling people I gave it to you," Sister Li said.

"I won't blab. You don't need to send it to me. If you want to sell it to the paparazzi, go ahead. I don't care. After this scene, Yue Wenlun and I are definitely breaking up anyway."

Sister Li curled her lip. "You’re just too easy to bully. If it were anyone else, they would have given that Qiao Ling’er two good slaps across the face. Still, a woman with grace is the most charming.

"You’re much better than Qiao Ling’er. Vixens are only good at using their looks to deceive people.

"We women see things differently than men do. The kind of woman that makes other women grit their teeth in disdain is exactly the kind that men love."

Ning Shu laughed. "I don't care about men or women right now. In a little while, my scenes will wrap up and I can finally get some rest."

"True."

Ning Shu’s character was eventually killed by the male lead—stabbed to death with great resentment.

Meanwhile, the video of Ning Shu, Qiao Ling’er, and Yue Wenlun leaked onto the internet. In fact, several videos were uploaded, all from different angles.

It seemed that more than one person had been filming at the time.

Ning Shu saw it as a form of hype. When the female lead and the second female lead of a drama were involved in a scandal with a Best Actor award winner, the drama’s popularity naturally skyrocketed.

Qiao Ling’er couldn't help but scratch her head in frustration. These videos were a stain on her reputation.

In the future, whenever people mentioned her, this stain would be brought up. It was maddening.

Furthermore, the system had alerted her that her favorability level with Yue Wenlun had dropped another five points.

Yue Wenlun was the type who hated scandals. Now, he was dissatisfied with both her and Mu Shuyao.

That woman Mu Shuyao was truly someone who harmed others without even benefiting herself.

She was a brainless idiot. Did she really think she could coerce a man that way?

It would only push him further away.

To win a man's heart, the low-tier method was total obedience, the mid-tier method was playing hard to get, and the high-tier method was becoming the thing he could never quite have.

She had to find a way to build Yue Wenlun’s affection back up and make herself his unattainable desire.

She really didn't know how Mu Shuyao had been so lucky in her previous life. It must have been entirely due to Yue Wenlun.

She wasn't so lucky in this life. Once the mask was peeled away, she was nothing more than an incompetent woman.

Today was Ning Shu’s final scene: the moment her chest was pierced by the male lead.

It was meant to be her most explosive bit of acting—full of pain and resentment, cursing people even as she died.

It was rare to see a character so thoroughly evil. The role existed solely to make the heroine look better.

Ning Shu felt she was perfectly suited to play this kind of villain. Within seconds, she had the male lead looking terrified.

How could there be a woman with such a wicked heart in this world?

Then the director shouted, "Cut!"

Ning Shu immediately bounced up, wiped her tears, and pulled the prop sword from her body. "I’m ‘collecting my lunch box’!"1Chinese internet and film slang. When a character dies or their role is finished, they are said to receive their lunch box and are free to leave the set.

Without the second female lead to drive the storyline, there wasn't much story left to tell. It was mostly just the male lead and female lead living happily ever after.

With her scenes finished, Ning Shu spent her days in the hotel, doing face masks.

After all the time spent in the sun and wind, wearing heavy makeup every day, her skin was starting to suffer.

Her face was very important. Otherwise, when the camera zoomed in, it’d show a face full of large pores, and she would definitely be mocked.

She had to protect her face.

Finally, when the entire production wrapped, everyone had a meal together.

Ning Shu scanned the table and asked, "Why isn't Qiao Ling’er here?"

"Her? She left the moment she finished her scenes. Who knows what she’s up to," Sister Li scoffed. "Weren't you finished a long time ago? Why are you still here?"

"I don't have any other bookings, so I figured I’d wait and have a meal with everyone," Ning Shu said.

"You’re certainly thoughtful. But some people have probably gone off to find someone else," Sister Li said, shaking her head.

Ning Shu just smiled, though there was a hint of bitterness in it.

While Ning Shu was eating at the wrap party, Qiao Ling’er had indeed gone to find Yue Wenlun.

Yue Wenlun was being somewhat cold toward her.

Qiao Ling’er was speechless, but she knew that men needed to be coaxed and sometimes humored.

She had no choice. To capture him, she had to endure.

Qiao Ling’er looked at Yue Wenlun helplessly. "I’m sorry. I know you’re angry."

"I’m not angry," Yue Wenlun said coldly.

But he was. Based on the system’s prompts, Qiao Ling’er knew his favorability for her had dropped again.

Unbelievable.

Favorability was easy to build up—the points could soar quickly—but when it fell, it was like an elevator with a snapped cable.

Did she really have to resort to sleeping with him to bring it back up?

But if they actually had sex, she would be branded with his mark. She would become his property.

What Qiao Ling’er wanted was to be a man’s forever unattainable spiritual desire. Without physical entanglement, she wouldn't belong to any single man.

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