Chapter 44

Thank you Universe TV, thank you Weibo TV. Thank you to my mom and dad!

After a night of romance, Pei Ying slept until noon the next day.

When she woke up, Song Nanchuan was already up and browsing on his computer. When he noticed Pei Ying stirring, he got up from his desk and walked over to her. He bent over and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re awake?”

“Mmh…” Pei Ying responded softly, her voice carrying a hint of drowsiness.

Song Nanchuan shot her a smile and asked, “You hungry?”

“Yeah.” Pei Ying responded much more crisply this time.

Song Nanchuan helped her up, his eyes sweeping over the marks on her body. “I called for breakfast to be delivered. When you’re done washing up, it should be here and you can eat.”

“Great.” Pei Ying wrapped herself in a blanket and sat up. She looked at Song Nanchuan and said, “Help me get some clothes.”

Song Nanchuan’s eyes swept over her again. Feigning ignorance, he asked, “Aren’t you already dressed?”

“…I don’t want to wear this. Help me get something else.”

Song Nanchuan’s eyes expressed something akin to “Watch what I’ll do with you.” [t/n: slight play on words with previous sentence] He went over to the dresser to find another set of sleepwear.

Pei Ying pursed her lips. Hey, just because I gave in a bit, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be obedient all the time, got it Mr Song?! No, that should be Song Savage!

Song Nanchuan found a normal nightgown for her and Pei Ying quickly changed. She went to the bathroom to wash her face, and when she returned, Song Nanchuan called to her, “The results of the police investigation on Xie Han are already out.”

Pei Ying was slightly taken aback. She walked over to the computer. “What’s the result?”

“Xie Han admitted to being the instigator of something, but she continues to insist that it was simply to delay you. She wants to settle with us, but I refused. The police will deal with things at their discretion.”

“Oh…” Pei Ying nodded as she glanced over the day’s headlines on Weibo. Then, she unintentionally saw the trending searches.

“Xie Han’s succession of financial backers?” Pei Ying’s eyes widened. That was a pretty explosive topic.

Song Nanchuan chuckled. He told her, “Some paparazzi released photos of her going into hotels with several different men. It was as thrilling as a movie.”

As he spoke, he clicked open the article. Pei Ying was stunned once more. “That’s the paparazzi who helped catch my stalker before.”

“Mmh, he seems to have become your fanboy. He was one of the main players in taking down Xie Han.”

Pei Ying, “….”

She pressed the keyboard to scroll down a bit, revealing a large photo.

This paparazzi must have followed Xie Han in the past as well. Everything in the article was actually just recycled goods. However, though there had been more than a few articles about Xie Han’s affairs in the past, this was definitely the first time that someone had neatly summed up everything in a single post.

The photos were all of Xie Han, each time with a different male lead. There was a director, a producer, a screenwriter, set director… To put it succinctly, the entire crew.

Weibo exploded. Fans, antifans, and passersby all threw a kick.

“Xie Han sure did… go all out (laughing to tears)”

“My heart aches. She slept with all those people and she’s still not popular (doge) This is a reminder not to spend all day sleeping. You have to practice and hone your acting skills as well (doge)”

“I just want to remind you guys to apologize to Pei :)”

“She wanted to sleep with CEO Song too. What confidence (laughing to tears) Pei Ying”

“She’s already been caught, so you guys can scold her less. Everyone will forget soon anyway (doge)”

“Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting! Her acting sucks and her character’s a failure too! She deserves all that’s coming to her!”

“Where are the brainwashed fanboys/girls now? Come out and face us. (smile)”

“Goodness, was Xie Han collecting stamps or something? (laughing to tears) On the other side of things, I hope my Pei Pei can sue her until she can’t support herself (doge)”

“The entertainment industry is too scary. CEO Song, please take care of our Pei Pei ah (pitiful) (pitiful) (pitiful)”

Aside from those, some comments scolded Xie Han with words too horrendous. After Pei Ying saw a few of those, she couldn’t read on.

Song Nanchuan watched as she exited Weibo, and then he held her hand as they walked downstairs. “Let’s have breakfast first.”

“Mmh.”

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Before they left the bedroom though, Pei Ying’s phone started ringing.

“Wait, let me answer that.” Pei Ying ran over for a look and then nervously held her breath.

“What is it?” Song Nanchuan asked.

“It’s GM Chen. The results of the audition might be out.”

“Oh…” Song Nanchuan nodded his head slightly. He’d asked Xiao Zhang to look into it as well. Universe said that Pei Ying had the best chances. “Answer your phone.”

“Mmh…” Pei Ying took a deep breath and then answered the phone, “GM Chen, hello.”

“Xiao Pei, congratulations! Universe just contacted me to say that they decided to have you play Zhao Yue in the film!” It was rare for Chen Sheng to be so excited that he shouted on the phone. His voice was overflowing with happiness.

Pei Ying froze for a moment, and as the happiness overwhelmed her, she nearly jumped up. “Really? You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. They already sent over the filming schedule. You’ll have to go in for your character posters shoot tomorrow!”

“Thank you, GM Chen. I’m really overjoyed!”

“I’m the one who should thank you! I’m overjoyed too!”

After five minutes of the two of them exchanging their excitement, they finally hung up. Pei Ying tossed aside her phone and ran over to Song Nanchuan. “Chuan Chuan, I was picked! I’ll be playing Zhao Yue!”

Song Nanchuan smiled as he hugged her. He kissed her on the lips. “Congratulations.”

“Hahaha,” Pei Ying laughed. She jumped up again. “Oh yeah, I have to let my fans know on Weibo! They’re waiting for the news!”

Seeing Pei Ying really run over to the computer, Song Nanchuan grabbed onto her. “Wait. Don’t say anything yet. I’ll have Universe wait a few days to post the news as well.”

Pei Ying grew still, not understanding his meaning. “Why?”

Song Nanchuan said, “So that Xie Han can burn for a few more days.” If the results of the audition for The Performer were released now, everyone would move on to that news. Then wouldn’t Xie Han have escaped unscathed?

Pei Ying thought about it and then understood his plan. She bit her lip and said, “You’re really too petty.”

“This counts as being petty? She had someone crash into your car. I just want her to get scolded for a few more days. I’m already being merciful.” He’d originally prepared for an even fiercer move. That is, a video about Xie Han and her financial backers. Unexpectedly, that paparazzi was a step ahead of him in posting the photos. The effect wasn’t bad, so he didn’t have the video posted in the end. Let’s just say he was leaving her a way to survive.

“After two days, Universe will post the results of the audition. Xie Han will slowly disappear from everyone’s sight, and then no one else will ever remember her again.” He simply wanted for Xie Han to quietly vanish from the entertainment world.

And so, things progressed according to Song Nanchuan’s plans. Three days later, Universe made an official announcement about Pei Ying landing the lead role in The Performer. They started to release her official character stills for Zhao Yue, and the netizens immediately forgot all about Xie Han.

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The role of Zhao Yue was a major piece of news in the industry, but other people had taken notice of it as well. Fans all around had been following the matter. Now that the results were out, Pei Ying’s fans were rejoicing, and all that was missing was the music and dance-filled celebration.

“Pei Ying’s awesome! My Pei’s the most beautiful! My Pei’s legs are the longest!”

“Thank you Universe TV, thank you Weibo TV. Thank you to my mom and dad! Pei Pei’s going to be Zhao Yue! qaaaaq”

“My Pei’s really going to be famous this time. I can already see your shining star path. As an old fan, I suddenly feel a bit sentimental (tears)”

“Wait a sec. Pei Ying’s fans need to stop busying themselves with thanking whoever and crying! Have you guys seen the character stills?! Explosive beauty!!!!”

Pei Ying’s character stills had her wearing a red qipao, but this time, it was a long dress. The skirt reached down to her ankles, and the top embroidery was a much more exquisite. Pei Ying’s long hair was draped across her, and a pair of red heels adorned her feet. Her hands were folded across her chest, and her left leg was slightly extended, slipping out of the qipao‘s slit, looking slender and sexy.

The Performer‘s logo was printed on the top right corner of the photo, and beside it in black print—Zhao Yue (played by Pei Ying).

Pei Ying’s thankful fans all directed their attention to the character poster, and then, like fireworks, they all exploded again.

“Pei Ying’s legs squad, Captain of Team 1 reporting in!”

“Damn, I could play with those legs for a lifetime! Good on you, CEO Song!”

“A passing fan that just wants to say, I really envy CEO Song (laughing to tears) There must be a musical song every night (laughing to tears)”

“God! This is exactly how I pictured Zhao Yue! My Pei’s talent and attractiveness are explosive. Will you accept it if I call you Empress?!”

“Ah ah ah ah! I’ve just come back to my senses! I can look through a hundred shots of this, I’m serious. (smile)”

“Teacher Xing Xin, have you seen the character poster yet?! It feels like Zhao Yue stepped out from the books! Pei Ying’s expression is perfect! I’m a new fan!”

Ever since Universe released the character stills, Pei Ying’s fans continued increasing. In the blink of an eye, she suddenly had nearly 100k fans. Xing Xin also reblogged the photos and expressed that she was the Zhao Yue that he’d wanted. After Pei Ying saw that, she was so happy that she went to re-read The Performer again.

Unexpected to her though, Ni Bai also reblogged the photos and praised her.

[Ni Bai] (Official)
So beautiful~ I was stunned by your skills at the audition. Indeed, it’s true; the new generation will surpass us in time. An old woman like me has to work hard too. (smile)

Pei Ying was completely overwhelmed and humbled. Ni Bai had debuted many years ago, and she’d received many awards. She was an ultra-senior in the industry. Although she didn’t end up passing this audition, the main reason was that Xin Xin didn’t think her age matched with Zhao Yue. If she were a few years younger, who knew who’d have gotten the role.

She suddenly recalled how Xie Han hadn’t even hesitated to break the law in order to stop her from getting to the audition. And Ni Bai was actually able to graciously congratulate her for landing the role. That was the elegance of an award-winning actress!

She reblogged Ni Bai’s post and expressed her thanks. “Thank you, Ms Ni Bai. You’ll forever remain in my heart as 17. (cute) I hope to be able to learn from you in the future. (cute)”