After Transmigrating into the Villain’s Cat, I Dominated the Entertainment Circle – Chapter 83

Pushed into the water

Who doesn’t know how to sell misery?

After rescuing Yan Yafei, Lin Sifei happily linked her arm with Luo Ke’s. The Village Chief checked the order and called for everyone to come in and eat.

With a casual wave from the Village Chief, a villager flipped on the floodlights, and the entire courtyard lit up.

“Sigh, you’re all friends. Come on, let’s all eat together.”

The villagers ushered them inside. They washed their hands and sat down to eat.

“Come and try our local specialty,” the Village Chief said. “This meat is deep-fried in a large wok until it’s perfectly crispy but not greasy. Give it a try.”

Lin Sifei sat next to Luo Ke. She smiled, held up her bowl to accept the food, took a bite, and nodded emphatically.

Cameras weaved through the gaps between the tables. The Village Chief waved at the production crew. “I’ve saved some food for you all! You can eat in a bit.”

The cameraman grinned broadly and made sure to get several shots of the chief.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the six of them waved goodbye.

The village road was dark at night, illuminated only by the lights spilling from the houses on either side. The cameraman was still dutifully trailing them, but Lin Sifei didn’t mind. She stayed close to Luo Ke, walking slowly and gazing up at the stars.

Feng Tingyun lagged a step behind, draping an arm over Lu Heng and mumbling as he leaned against his shoulder.

He was a little drunk, but Lu Heng didn’t push him away.

Xu You and Yan Yafei walked at the very back. Xu You glanced at the two couples ahead, his expression shifting several times before he leaned toward Yan Yafei. “Don’t you feel like the two of us are kind of out of place?”

Yan Yafei shot him a look, pouted, and jogged over to Feng Tingyun’s side. “Is Yun-ge drunk? Let me help you support him.”

She reached out, her hand hovering near Feng Tingyun’s arm as she looked at him with a worried expression.

Lu Heng’s brow furrowed slightly. He gave a polite smile. “It’s fine, we’re not far. He might throw a drunken fit in a bit, and I wouldn’t want you to get hit.”

He brushed her hand away, straightened up, and readjusted his grip on Feng Tingyun. “Sober up. We’ll be home soon.”

“Mmm,” Feng Tingyun hummed, smiling happily.

A small smile played on Lin Sifei’s lips as she watched the drama unfold, her arm still linked with Luo Ke’s.

Her stare was so intense that Yan Yafei felt it and turned to glare at her.

Lin Sifei spotted a dry twig on the side of the road, picked it up, and playfully poked at Yan Yafei with it. The twig caught for a moment in Yan Yafei’s hair.

Yan Yafei glared back at her, grabbed a twig of her own, and raised it as if to strike.

Lin Sifei laughed and dodged to the side.

The moment Yan Yafei turned, she saw the camera. She immediately plastered on a smile, pretended to roughhouse for a second, and then dropped the twig.

She stomped back to the guesthouse in a huff. When she entered, she found only Lu Heng inside.

“Where’s Yun-ge?”

“I took him back to his room to rest.” As soon as Lu Heng finished speaking, Yan Yafei pouted and ran upstairs.

Lu Heng spread his hands, raised an eyebrow slightly, and went back to looking at his laptop.

Lin Sifei came in, pulling Luo Ke along with her. She asked about Feng Tingyun as well before sitting on the sofa. “What are you watching?”

Lu Heng turned the laptop toward them. “I’m watching the footage of the Uncle’s chickens. That thing came back again. We have to figure this out for him.”

Lin Sifei leaned in for a closer look, but it was too dark. She could only make out the blurry silhouette of an animal.

“Can’t you set up a light to see it better?”

Lu Heng shook his head. “There are lights, but the animal avoids them. This was captured by a camera on the side.”

Lin Sifei looked at Luo Ke. “Do you know what it is?”

“This wasn’t designed by the production crew,” Luo Ke said, her brow furrowed. “The crew wouldn’t just let a villager’s chickens get dragged off.”

So it wasn’t one of the mysteries they were supposed to solve.

Lin Sifei’s cheeks puffed out. That meant they had to try even harder to find a solution, or the villager’s losses would be too great.

“Otherwise, we can go stake out the place ourselves tomorrow,” she said, then hesitated. “But I don’t know if there are any other villager mysteries left.”

Luo Ke chuckled. “You all forgot about the Grandma’s water vat.”

“Right, right, right.” Lin Sifei had her pull up the camera feed for that location. They saw that it was just a few young children, each carrying a bucket of water every day to fill the vat.

Lu Heng laughed. This really was a place of simple, honest customs.¹

Xu You walked in, wiping sweat from his brow, and collapsed onto the sofa to rest. The director raised a hand and waved at them. “That video you were just watching—everyone should watch it again tomorrow morning when you wake up. Try to get up early so you can catch those kids. It would be great if you could help out and interview them.”

Lin Sifei nodded, waved goodbye to the director, and they all headed to their rooms to rest.

Luo Ke followed her into the room, straightened the bed, and climbed in first.

Lin Sifei lay down beside her, wrapping her arms around Luo Ke’s waist and closing her eyes.

A moment later, she shifted. After another quiet moment, she shifted again. Luo Ke held her still. “What are you doing?”

Lin Sifei whimpered. “I’m thirsty.”

Luo Ke laughed helplessly, got up, turned on the light, and poured her a glass of water.

Lin Sifei sat up, holding the glass and gulping down the water. Luo Ke propped herself up beside her, her eyes fixed on Lin Sifei’s glistening lips.

Lin Sifei put the glass down and offered it to her. “Do you want some?”

Luo Ke took the glass, leaned over, and kissed her on the lips. “I’ve had some.”

Lin Sifei smiled, wrapped her arms around Luo Ke’s neck, and they shared a deep kiss.

Luo Ke caressed her face. “Hurry up and change back into a cat. If you wait any longer, you won’t be able to turn human tomorrow.”

Lin Sifei’s cheeks were flushed. “I want to go home, too. There’s no freedom here.”

“Then we’re in complete agreement.”

Under Luo Ke’s gaze, Lin Sifei transformed into a cat and curled up on her pillow.

The night passed without a dream. Early the next morning, Lin Sifei was woken by her alarm clock. The makeup artist was already on standby, ready to do her makeup.

Once she was ready, Lin Sifei sat on the sofa. Lu Heng came over, holding his laptop.

“The camera at the Auntie’s water vat caught them,” he said, placing the laptop on the table and hitting play.

They watched as the children, carrying buckets, ran into the old granny’s yard wearing their Red Scarves² and schoolbags.

“If we go now, we should be able to catch them,” Feng Tingyun said, standing up. “Let’s go together.”

They all went to the old granny’s house and, sure enough, saw three or four children approaching with buckets.

Yan Yafei was the first to go up, offering to help a child carry their bucket.

Seeing a stranger, the children immediately huddled together defensively. “What are you doing?!”

Yan Yafei smiled and crouched down. “Are you bringing water for the granny? Let big sister help you.”

Feng Tingyun also stepped forward. “We’re with the production crew. See? There’s a camera. You can trust us.”

The children remained wary. “We’re only going to the old granny’s house.”

Lin Sifei and the others went over to help carry the buckets and pour the water into the old granny’s vat.

“Where do the buckets go?”

A tall, skinny boy pointed to a corner, and they placed the buckets there.

“Won’t the old granny notice the extra buckets here?” Yan Yafei asked with a smile, thinking she had found a flaw in the show’s setup.

The boy shot her a disdainful look, picked up a colorful plastic sheet from nearby, and covered the buckets with it.

“Fourth Great-Aunt’s eyesight is poor; she won’t notice at all.”

Seeing Yan Yafei eat defeat³, Lin Sifei found it rather amusing. She looked at the boy. “The old granny is your Fourth Great-Aunt, huh? It’s good that you know how to take care of your elders. You’re a good kid.”

“Is it tiring for you all to carry water like this every day?” Feng Tingyun asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

The children all shook their heads. “It’s just one bucket of water.”

Lin Sifei and the others understood. These children had been helping with farm work since they were young; one bucket was nothing to them.

“You guys are amazing. You deserve a reward.” Lin Sifei crouched down, waved her hands back and forth, and with a pop, a handful of milk candies appeared.

“It’s milk candy! Here, one for each of you.”

As Lin Sifei handed out the candy, Luo Ke produced a large bag of it from behind her. Feng Tingyun and the others immediately swarmed over, each giving the children two more pieces.

The children pocketed their candy and ran off happily toward school.

Lin Sifei straightened up and stretched. “And with that, another mystery is solved.”

“Now all that’s left is the mystery of the old man’s disappearing chickens,” Lu Heng said, pinching his chin.

“We’ll need to stake that out at night, so for today, let’s go check out the orchard and vegetable fields,” Feng Tingyun said, putting on a hat and waving everyone over.

Seeing his brazen attitude, Lin Sifei offered a kind reminder. “Yun-ge, you’re really starting to let the self fly free⁴. Your gentle, warm-guy character design collapsed⁵!”

Feng Tingyun turned back with a smile and gave her a wink. “Don’t worry. Around here, you need a certain amount of cheerful frankness.”

The group trooped over to the orchard and vegetable fields. Because the Village Chief had already given them a heads-up, the villagers greeted them warmly and showed them around.

“Shouldn’t we transplant the fruit trees so they’re grouped by season?” Yan Yafei asked, looking at the scattered trees the villagers had planted. She felt it wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing.

“I don’t think so. The trees might die if we move them. Besides, that’s a huge project and would cost too much,” Xu You said, shaking his head and shooting down the idea with a dose of realism.

Lin Sifei walked around a fruit tree. “Isn’t it nice like this? You walk a little, turn a corner, and suddenly there’s a different kind of fruit tree. It’s a nice surprise.”

They came up with a rough plan to lay down some gravel to create small paths. There was also a greenhouse nearby, which they incorporated into their plans.

“I think the rice paddies are beautiful too, especially during the harvest when everything is a brilliant gold,” Lu Heng said, recalling a pastoral scene he had once witnessed.

Feng Tingyun ruffled his hair. “You’re too naive if you think that could be a tourist spot. At best, it’s just a nice country view.”

Lu Heng pushed his hand away in annoyance. “Stop touching me.”

A sour feeling washed over Yan Yafei as she watched them interact. She had been here for days, and Feng Tingyun hadn’t paid her any attention. It was clear that wasting time on him was not a wise move.

Yan Yafei was already preparing to find a new backup option, mentally scrolling through a list of impressive people she knew.

Lin Sifei found it strange to see her so quiet. When Yan Yafei wasn’t clinging to Feng Tingyun or trying to act up, she was actually quite peaceful.

But she wouldn’t forget how Yan Yafei had stirred up trouble behind her back, so she remained wary.

That evening, Yan Yafei found a screenwriter who was well-known in the industry. She’d heard this screenwriter was very mysterious, communicating with production crews only through electronic devices and never appearing in person.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if such a mysterious person made an appearance just for me? she thought. Besides, helping a shut-in⁶ person step into the real world would be a good deed.

Full of confidence, she began to inquire about the screenwriter’s next project, planning to get a role in it.

To her surprise, it was a sci-fi film with a massive budget. Yan Yafei immediately contacted the producer, only to be told that the director was interested in Lin Sifei for the female lead.

Yan Yafei’s expression changed. She muttered a thank you and put down her phone.

Meanwhile, Lin Sifei stepped out of the bathroom, opened her tablet, and began reading a script Li Tao had sent over.

【Li Tao: This script is excellent. The sci-fi market is wide open right now. The investment is huge, and the director is very reliable. It should be a sure thing.】

Lin Sifei knew of this director, but for a sci-fi film, the script and post-production special effects were just as important as the director.

She read the script and found it quite interesting. It was set in an age of artificial intelligence where robots were exterminating humanity. The protagonist and her robot companion, however, remained loyal to each other. The robot helped her escape, and along the way, the protagonist secretly developed feelings⁷ for it.

But the robot had no emotions; everything it did was still the result of programmatic deduction. In the end, the protagonist destroyed the central control terminal, and the robot that had accompanied her all along killed her, just as its program calculated it should.

“The script is pretty interesting,” Lin Sifei said with a smile. Feelings and love are all illusions. Only self-interest is eternal.

Luo Ke sat beside her, reading along. “Are you going to play the lead?”

“I wonder who they’ll get for the male lead robot,” Lin Sifei said, tapping her chin. “I’m not super interested in this, but I could do it.”

She was hesitating. Luo Ke patted her head. “Then just rest for now. Li Tao said they’ve given you plenty of time. Maybe another script will come along.”

Lin Sifei nodded at her words, yawned, and slipped under the covers.

Over the next few days, Lin Sifei clearly felt Yan Yafei’s hostility toward her. Before, they had at least maintained a friendly facade, but now, Yan Yafei was suddenly trying to compete with her over everything.

Lu Heng found her during a water break. “Did you offend her?”

Lin Sifei shook her head, baffled. “I didn’t do anything. Who knows what’s wrong with her.”

She rolled her eyes and took a sip of water.

Feng Tingyun came over to find Lu Heng and commented casually, “From the way she’s acting, it’s probably about a role. You must have snatched one from her.”

Lin Sifei immediately thought of the script from the other day. Her eyes darted around, and during the next break, she found a moment to ask Li Tao.

【Lin Sifei: Can you find out for me if Yan Yafei is also competing for the lead role?】

Li Tao’s reply came quickly. 【Yes, and it seems she has some connections. If the director wasn’t so set on you, she probably would have been chosen.】

【Lin Sifei: In that case, accept it for me.】

A smirk touched Lin Sifei’s lips. She had planned to consider it a bit longer, but since Yan Yafei wanted to fight for it so badly, then she would give her a fight.

At the same time, Yan Yafei received the news that Lin Sifei had accepted the script. It looked like her chance was gone.

Yan Yafei shot Lin Sifei a hateful look, her eyes filled with venom.

Lin Sifei turned and met her gaze without flinching, giving a cheerful wave. She had experienced plenty of jealous stares like that in her past life. It would take more than that to scare her.

For the construction of the final scenic spot, the director, afraid they wouldn’t be able to find it, gave them a hint: it was a small waterfall.

The waterfall wasn’t very large and seemed a bit ordinary for a tourist attraction. Everyone was puzzling over how to make it special.

Lin Sifei crouched on a large rock by the river, watching the fish swim below. “There are a lot of fish here.”

She smiled and turned her head, suddenly spotting a dark opening next to the waterfall not far away.

“What’s that over there?”

Everyone followed her finger. They made their way along the riverbank and discovered a small cave behind the waterfall.

“Hey, this would make a great attraction,” Feng Tingyun said. He shone his flashlight inside and found it was a complete grotto.

He turned back with a smile and saw the director gesturing for them to go in. He knew then that this had been prepared in advance; it was likely already slated for development and was very safe.

“Let’s be careful going in. It’s pretty dark, so everyone stick close to the walls. With all this water, it’s bound to be slippery. If you see any moss or puddles, give a shout-out to the others.”

After giving everyone a heads-up, Feng Tingyun led the way inside.

Lu Heng followed behind him, with Lin Sifei and Yan Yafei behind him, and Xu You bringing up the rear. Walking through the dark grotto, everyone was a little scared. “This is kind of creepy.”

Feng Tingyun walked slowly, stopping from time to time to let everyone admire the grotto’s scenery.

As they rounded a corner, a massive red rock appeared in the center of the cave. Illuminated by the water and their lights, it glowed with a dreamlike color.

“Wow! This is gorgeous.”

Feng Tingyun stared for a moment, then closed his eyes briefly. “The light reflecting off the water is making me a little dizzy. I’m going to stop for a second. Everyone should rest their eyes too. We’ll move on when the dizziness passes.”

Everyone nodded, lowering their flashlights to their feet so they wouldn’t shine on the water, and closed their eyes to rest.

Lin Sifei was rolling her eyes under her lids when she suddenly sensed movement behind her. She opened her eyes just as a hand shoved her arm.

“Ah!” Lin Sifei screamed, whipping her hand back to grab Yan Yafei’s clothes.

But somehow, Yan Yafei had already stepped back. Lin Sifei’s hand grasped at empty air, and she fell straight into the water.

The water in the grotto was flowing, and the current immediately began to carry her away.

Hearing the splash, the crew’s lights all swung toward the water’s surface. “What do we do?”

“Save her!”

“Who can swim?!”

In the midst of the chaos, a figure on the bank leaped into the water, wrapped an arm around Lin Sifei, and called out in a loud voice, “The water isn’t deep! Don’t be afraid!”

Lin Sifei flailed once more before finally calming down in Luo Ke’s embrace.

“It’s okay. The current isn’t strong,” Luo Ke said, holding her. She loosened her grip slightly, remembering that Lin Sifei knew how to swim.

Sure enough, once she calmed down, Lin Sifei floated steadily on the surface.

“It’s too narrow here. Let’s go back a bit where it’s wider. They can pull us up there.”

With that, Luo Ke and Lin Sifei let the current carry them downstream.

The crew immediately turned back and ran to the riverbank, having someone lower a rope.

“Here! Put the rope around you and take my hand,” a crew rescuer said, reaching out.

After they were both pulled up, the rescuer draped blankets over them and handed them hot tea.

“Sorry, I was behind you and couldn’t react in time,” the rescuer said. At that moment, all the crew’s lights had been on the water, and the reflection had been so blinding he couldn’t open his eyes. Before he could even locate where Lin Sifei had fallen, Luo Ke had already jumped in.

Luo Ke understood the situation and nodded. “I get it.”

The crew was calling for an ambulance, so he made a bit more small talk. “The light came on so suddenly. How did you know where she was?”

“I guessed, based on where she was standing when she fell and the sound of her splashing,” Luo Ke said, reaching out to wipe the water from Lin Sifei’s face.

The rescuer gave her an admiring thumbs-up. “That was pretty bold, jumping in just like that.”

Luo Ke looked at Lin Sifei and smiled.

Nearby, Feng Tingyun and the others had crowded around.

Lu Heng’s brow was tight with worry. “Are you okay? I couldn’t grab you in time.”

“How could anyone have reacted that fast?” Lin Sifei laughed. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Yan Yafei also sidled over. “I didn’t react in time either. You just suddenly fell.”

“It was sudden. After all, when you’re pushed, you’re never prepared,” Lin Sifei said with a smile, but the people around her fell silent at her words.

Lin Sifei wrapped the blanket tighter. “The hand that pushed me clearly came from behind, because the fingertips were in front. Yafei, did you feel a hand reach past your side toward me?”

Before Yan Yafei could speak, Xu You jumped up. “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! It’s so narrow there, how could my arm even fit through?”

He rolled up his sleeve to show everyone his thick arm.

Feng Tingyun gave him a look like he was an idiot, then silently turned back to Lin Sifei.

Lin Sifei put on a look of sudden realization. “I knew it. How could someone as simple as Xu You come up with such a sinister trick? What do you think, Yafei?”

It was a question on the surface, but in reality, she was calling Yan Yafei a schemer and accusing her of doing it.

Of course, Yan Yafei wasn’t about to admit it. Her face flushed red. “Sifei-jie, why would you say that? Why would I push you? I was the closest to you, but if I pushed you, you would have just pulled me down with you.”

“That’s right. If I pulled you, you would have gone down with me. So how come you didn’t fall? How come I couldn’t grab you? Did you predict it was going to happen and dodge ahead of time?”

Yan Yafei’s eyes reddened, and tears began to fall. “If you have a problem with me, just say it. Don’t resort to these kinds of dirty tricks.”

“Who has a problem with whom? Director Xu was already interested in me for the lead role. Are you just flying into a rage out of humiliation because your plan to pick up a bargain⁸ fell through?” Lin Sifei snorted. “No, that’s not right. If something had really happened to me this time, the role would have been yours. After all, you’ve already made all the arrangements.”

“You’re spitting blood at people⁹!” Yan Yafei started to cry softly, her body shaking with sobs, looking utterly pitiful.

In contrast, Lin Sifei came off as much more aggressive, like a bully.

Lin Sifei glanced at her, then suddenly her lips trembled, and she started to cry too, even more pitifully than Yan Yafei. She had just been pulled from the water and was already a chicken fallen in soup¹⁰, shivering and crying as she clutched her blanket.

The crew, drawn over by the argument, turned to see the person who had fallen in the water now sobbing.

The director and cameraman rushed to comfort her. Oh god, she just fell in the water, and now she’s crying. If she gets upset and posts about this online…

The director was about to cry himself. “Were you scared? The ambulance is almost here. We’ll get you checked out. It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”

But Lin Sifei kept crying, sobbing that someone had pushed her. The entertainment circle was too deep; people were willing to kill just to snatch a role.

Luo Ke put an arm around her shoulders, full of sympathy. “Don’t be afraid. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just leave the entertainment industry. This place is full of all kinds of people. We’ll expose them.”

When the gold master¹¹ spoke, the director panicked even more and blurted out, “Who pushed you? I’ll find them for you!”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake. The celebrities had been walking in a line. The person who pushed her had to be one of them.

The director’s head was spinning, but Lin Sifei wasn’t counting on him to catch anyone. She just wanted to use his loud voice to announce that she had been pushed.

Now the entire crew knew Lin Sifei had been pushed. The director himself had said it and was going to find the culprit. Even though he didn’t follow through, it was obvious he was afraid of retaliation from the celebrities.

The crew members thought back. Hey, wasn’t Yan Yafei walking behind her? Could it be…

“No, no, maybe Lu Heng turned around and pushed her.”

But then everyone saw Yan Yafei’s red, tear-stained eyes as she stood ostracized from the group.

A crew member made awkward eye contact with her.

Yan Yafei covered her face and ran off crying.

Crew Member: Is this what they call confessing without being beaten¹²? Crying out of guilt?

Yan Yafei, who was trying to sell misery¹³: …Everyone’s looking at me funny, but I have to keep crying. I have to look pathetic enough to earn their pity. Besides, Lin Sifei has no proof.

She started to ying, ying, ying¹⁴, wanting to follow them into the ambulance, but Lin Sifei flatly refused to let her.

And so Yan Yafei, left behind all alone, was subjected to even more suspicious stares from the crew, who gave her a wide berth, leaving a one-meter-radius vacuum around her.

Crew Member: She’s terrifying! Run!

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