Eating Vinegar1
President Luo is very chi xiang2
The Old Boss enthusiastically led them around. One could tell the company had spent a large price on renovations: dance practice rooms, recording studios, and even an auditorium-style performance stage.
“With this kind of scale, the cost wasn’t small, right?” Lin Sifei walked onto the stage, picked up a folding fan from the table, and with a shua, snapped it open, masking half her face as she lowered her eyes slightly.
She took mincing steps toward Luo Ke. The folding fan slowly closed, and following the movement of the fan, she lifted her eyes, looking at Luo Ke with a shy and timid expression.
Luo Ke couldn’t help but take a step forward. Lin Sifei spun her body, dodging her, and the folding fan raised again to block her face.
“This young lady looks so familiar.” She walked forward again, step by step, like a cat peeking its head out; there was cat food in front, but it was too afraid to approach.
Luo Ke smiled. “You like it here very much?”
“I had thought about performing in stage plays before.” This place reminded her of the times she used to practice. Lin Sifei raised her head, looking at the curtain at the top of the stage.
It was a pity. Back then, she was still very naive. She was pitted3 by someone and fell, breaking her leg, making it impossible to go on stage. In the end, she never even found the person who laid the heavy hand on her.
Later, she shifted her battle to films and didn’t encounter any good theatrical scripts, so it was shelved until the accident.
“If possible, I want to try performing in a play.” Lin Sifei tossed the fan up, watching it spin a circle before falling back into her palm.
Luo Ke looked at her, tilted her head slightly, and smiled. “Okay.”
She turned back to look at the Old Boss. “Let’s end the viewing here. Feifei, let’s go wait.”
“Okay~” Lin Sifei put down the fan and pounced toward her, hugging her arm and biting her ear4. “Not bad this time, knowing to call me Feifei and not Xiaoxiao.”
The Old Boss followed behind them. Seeing the intimate actions of the two, a sudden expression of realization dawned on his face. So it was that kind of relationship. But to think she could make President Luo personally accompany her—it seemed this one’s methods were very high.
He couldn’t help but recall the segment she just performed with the fan—desiring to refuse yet welcoming, desiring to speak yet pausing. No wonder she attracted people’s fondness.
He tsk-tsk‘ed twice in his heart, setting down a bit of his worry, now knowing how to treat these two. Just wanting to hold up5 a little lover; this operation was still very simple. He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to the manager he had just contacted.
Lin Sifei turned her head, saw his movement, and slightly furrowed her brows.
“Is there something wrong with his brain? Asking me to play a supporting role for a little lover? Is she worthy?” Feng Xiao6 rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “I thought I could get some good resources. Turn the car around, go back.”
The manager patted her. “What do you understand? This director is Director Chen. Even if that person is rotten, with Director Chen propping it up, no problems will come out. Director Chen’s resources—relying on yourself, this is a pie falling from the sky7.”
“I still won’t play support.” Feng Xiao turned her head to look out the car window.
“Are you stupid? As long as you act well, what resources won’t you get later? Especially if President Luo is happy—this company’s position of First Sister8 will definitely be yours. What does that Li Yiyan9 count for? You think clearly.”
Feng Xiao wavered slightly. She wasn’t old, still a university student studying, but her ambition wasn’t small. Initially, she chose to come to the entertainment company under the Luo Corporation because she fancied the company’s strong backing. Although resources from old brands were hard to get, they had the financial power to self-produce movies and TV dramas; she wouldn’t worry about exposure and remuneration.
“Fine, I agree.” She raised an eyebrow. “Besides, I actually quite want to see just how beautiful this little lover is, that she could even take down President Luo.”
The manager, afraid she would regret it, hurriedly sent a message and casually replied, “Not as beautiful as you.”
Her eyes flashed as she looked at the manager, her heart’s little schemes beginning to turn. For a second-tier star who had accumulated some fame to want Director Chen’s movie, that was a toad wanting to eat swan meat10. Yet she, a newcomer with zero experience, could easily obtain it. This was President Luo’s capability.
She picked up the water bottle in the car and drank the slimming tea inside, her face iron-green. Perhaps, she could do it too. Anyone can walk a shortcut; this circle is just like this—those who don’t walk them act dead.
She took out a mirror and touched up her makeup.
Lin Sifei stayed in the conference room until she was bored. Luo Ke was busy handling official business, and the man beside her only knew how to blindly smile apologetically.
She sighed and nudged Luo Ke’s leg with her foot. “I’m going to stay in the restroom for a while.”
She blinked. Luo Ke understood her meaning; she was afraid her time before turning into a cat wasn’t enough.
“Go ahead. When the people arrive in a bit, I’ll call you.”
Thus, Lin Sifei kept “catting”11 in the restroom, lying on the freshly wiped toilet lid playing games.
Ding-dong~ She saw the message Luo Ke sent; the other party had arrived.
Lin Sifei immediately turned back into a human, tidied up, and walked out with slow, elegant steps. Just reaching the door, she heard a voice, soft and glutinous. “Hello President Luo. My name is Feng Xiao, you can call me Ah Xiao.”
The radar on Lin Sifei’s forehead instantly lit up with a red light. What was this person doing? Asking a superior to call her so intimately—was she not afraid of the hidden rules12?
She arranged her hair, revealed a perfect smile, and lifted her foot to walk in. “Luo Ke, I’m back.”
Luo Ke smiled. Her hand habitually pressed on the spot beside her; this was an indication for her to sit by her side.
Lin Sifei immediately flew over, planted her butt right next to her, hugged her arm, and rubbed against it.
Feng Xiao’s facial nerves twitched, maintaining her persona of a well-behaved girl. “Hello, Feifei-jie13.”
Lin Sifei shivered. Being called that was so weird. She aimed a glance at Feng Xiao’s face. Indeed, she was a meimei14, younger than her. She couldn’t use the move she used to rebuke Yan Yafei.
She smiled and lifted her hand. “Meimei doesn’t need to be so polite, it makes jiejie look stingy.”
She pinched her throat to speak, and even raised a hand to cover her lips while fake laughing twice.
Luo Ke’s fine hairs stood on end from her laugh, looking at her as if she had seen a ghost.
Lin Sifei pouted and smacked her. “What are you doing? People just watched a Qing Palace drama starring Xiao-meimei two days ago. The moment she called me jiejie, I remembered it. Was the acting not similar? Don’t people in the dramas all speak with this yin-yang eccentricity15?”
She cast a glance at Feng Xiao. “Right, Xiao-meimei?”
Feng Xiao smiled awkwardly, twisting her fingers and lowering her head, as if she didn’t dare to refute.
Lin Sifei rolled her eyes in her heart, pouting as she leaned on Luo Ke’s shoulder. “Luo Ke, is the script in your bag?”
“Seems I put them together.” One of Luo Ke’s hands was being hugged by her, so she could only flip through the bag single-handedly. She took out a stack of papers and handed them to Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao’s face was slightly red. As she accepted the script, she happened to lift her eyes, meeting Luo Ke’s line of sight. Her face turned even redder, and she abruptly lowered her head again, whispering a very small “Thank you.”
Lin Sifei watched her movements, her eyes gradually narrowing. “Need me to interpret the character for you?”
“Thank you, I can do it.” Feng Xiao smiled shyly, sat on the adjacent sofa, and began flipping through the script.
Lin Sifei glanced at her sideways, discovering her scheming. Currently, the sofas were arranged in a “Hui” (回)16 shape. A table in the middle, three sides with long sofas, and only one side with a single-person sofa, which was directly opposite Luo Ke.
She was the person about to audition. She was already the focal point, causing people to involuntarily look at her. If she sat right in the middle, it would be four people staring at her, creating a lot of pressure.
Sitting on the Old Boss’s side would create a beauty-and-ugliness contrast, but sitting on the same side as the boss and manager was too “official business.” Only the long sofa on Lin Sifei’s side was empty. It allowed her to avoid Lin Sifei’s direct line of sight, yet Luo Ke only needed to tilt her head slightly to see her.
Even if Lin Sifei bit Luo Ke’s ear right now, she would still appear in Luo Ke’s peripheral vision.
Lin Sifei curled her lip. She looked up at Luo Ke and, sure enough, saw her looking at Feng Xiao. She instantly became breath-knotted17. She reached out and pinched Luo Ke’s chin. “President Luo, have you finished handling your official business? Accompanying me out today wasted a lot of time, right? The audition is just a small matter; you hurrying to handle business is the most important.”
The Old Boss at the side heard this and hurriedly chimed in, “Right, right, right, President Luo attends to ten thousand affairs18 a day. Will acting here be too noisy? Does President Luo want to change to a separate room?”
“No need, just do it here.” Luo Ke politely refused, reaching out to rub Lin Sifei’s hair. “Then let go of my right hand. I type very slowly with my left hand.”
Hearing this, Lin Sifei unhappily hugged it even tighter. “If it’s slow, then you need to concentrate even more. Handle it quickly.”
Luo Ke raised an eyebrow, persuaded by her unreasonable trouble-making, and seriously began looking at the reports, not lifting her head at all.
Lin Sifei’s eyes glanced toward Feng Xiao’s direction. She didn’t miss the girl’s eyeballs hurriedly shifting downward, and she gave a cold humph.
“I’ve looked it over.” Feng Xiao kept her legs together, hands placed obediently on her knees, looking like a very introverted child.
She looked toward Luo Ke. Seeing that she didn’t look up, she was a bit disappointed. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. “Then I’ll begin.”
Luo Ke still didn’t look up. She grit her teeth and retracted her gaze.
Lin Sifei nodded, signaling for her to start.
Feng Xiao performed a segment where Xiao Xing applies makeup for Xiao Yue. This is the first time the movie reveals the cracks in the sisters’ relationship. While applying makeup, Xiao Xing deliberately draws the eyebrows crooked, applies the blush too heavily, and chooses an unsuitable bright red lipstick. That was her lipstick, a gift Song Qi gave her.
The entire scene only had a few simple lines of sisterly chatter. Xiao Xing, while deliberately making her sister ugly, laughed and chatted with her sister.
Feng Xiao’s performance was excellent. The expression carrying resentment and madness, the flat and warm tone, and even the fear in Xiao Xing’s eyes were all expressed. This was completely different from her shyness just now, like a dusty gray girl suddenly lighting up all her brilliance.
Lin Sifei had to admit, to have such a performance at a young age, she was very talented.
However, compared to her, she was still lacking just a tiny bit.
Lin Sifei proudly raised her chin. “Do you like this script?”
“Like it very much.” Feng Xiao reverted to her shy appearance.
Lin Sifei propped up her chin. She had long seen through that under this shy skin was also her acting. Acting shy so well—it was different approaches but equally satisfactory results19 to Xiao Xing’s outward introversion.
“You should have also seen it. Compared to the female lead, this female second’s character design is actually more brilliant, with complex psychological changes and inner struggles. I hope you bring a wonderful performance. I will confirm with Director Chen; we should be able to sign the contract.”
Feng Xiao’s manager was so excited his face lit up. “No need to let Director Chen see it one more time?”
Lin Sifei smiled and nodded. “I have obtained Director Chen’s recognition. If I take a fancy to it, he will also be clear on the strength.”
The manager was all smiles, standing up gratefully to shake her hand. “Then, happy cooperation.”
Feng Xiao watched the manager trying to get close to her, her fingers clenching tight. Just because she had President Luo backing her, Director Chen even handed over the casting to her? Then what guarantee did this movie have?
And she was just a monkey being played, still performing with all her might.
She smiled. “Feifei-jie, can I read lines with you once? I feel my feeling for Xiao Xing is still not quite right.”
Lin Sifei smiled as she looked at her. Seeing the fire in the depths of her eyes, she hooked her lips in a smile. “Okay. This is also a guarantee test for the movie’s quality, yes?”
“Yes.”
Lin Sifei walked toward her, lowering her voice. “I hope that after seeing my strength, you can correct your attitude.”
Feng Xiao lifted her eyes and glared at her.
Lin Sifei flashed a big smile at her, the kind that needed a beating.
The author has something to say:
President Luo: I am very chi xiang, did you see? 【Frantically hinting: hurry up and treat me better, arrange the next surprise!】
Feifei: Pui! They all say they are plotting for your money. You sober up a bit for me. 【Extends claws to draw a chessboard】
Discussion on how to fall in love with different brain circuits: can only hurt each other.
Regarding the issue of six thousand words a chapter, this… FLAG20 exists exactly for this reason!
Didn’t expect that during the second update there would also be little cuties throwing mines and nutrient solution21. Hugs.
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