The Villainous Film Empress (11)
A little rich girl dedicated to saving the world X A paranoid, dark, and vengeful film empress
After the fan meeting ended, Zhao Qingyu, ever the expert at winning people over, sent autographed postcards to Song Xuyi’s roommates. The roommates went wild with joy and instantly became Zhao Qingyu’s die-hard fans.1 For the rest of the semester, they were chattering about Zhao Qingyu next to Song Xuyi almost every day.
It was also from that day on that Song Xuyi noticed Zhao Qingyu had started calling her “kid” on WeChat.
Song Xuyi had protested the nickname. After all, Zhao Qingyu was only three years older than her, and the term felt far too awkward. But her weak protests were useless against Zhao Qingyu; the female villain was one to insist on having her own way,2 and Song Xuyi was completely unable to change her mind.
After a while, Song Xuyi calmed down about it.
During this time, she had more or less figured out the female villain’s temperament: Zhao Qingyu was often deliberately teasing her. The more she resisted, the happier Zhao Qingyu became. It was better to just stay calm and let her do as she pleased. Once she lost interest, she would stop her antics.
As long as she didn’t have to face that face that could bewitch all living beings, Song Xuyi felt she had the ability to handle just sending WeChat messages.
For now, everything was still in the first half of the plot summary: Zhao Qingyu had released two blockbuster movies this year. Her debut film was submitted for the “Best Actress” category at a national-level awards ceremony, and her future was looking bright. A big fan in her Super Topic revealed that countless scripts3 had already been sent to Zhao Qingyu, including works from famous directors.
However, perhaps because she had been working around the clock filming two movies back-to-back, Zhao Qingyu didn’t seem to have accepted a new role recently. She shot a few commercials and appeared on a variety show to maintain her media exposure, but for the rest of the time, her fans had no idea what she was doing.
Song Xuyi probed indirectly, but Zhao Qingyu turned the tables on her.4
“Why are you asking about my schedule? Do you want to see me?”
Song Xuyi jumped in fright and quickly changed the subject.
But with a precedent already set, Song Xuyi spent the following days on edge, trembling with anxiety that Zhao Qingyu would suddenly appear before her at the slightest disagreement.
As it turned out, Song Xuyi’s worries were a bit excessive. She didn’t see Zhao Qingyu again all the way until summer vacation began.
And with the arrival of summer vacation, the number of replies from Zhao Qingyu dwindled. She explained that the signal was poor where she was, which was why she wasn’t receiving messages properly.
This explanation revealed one piece of information: Zhao Qingyu was probably not abroad.
Song Xuyi, who had been worried that Zhao Qingyu would secretly go overseas to cause trouble for the male lead, finally set her mind at ease and began to focus on arranging her own summer schedule.
Song Xuyi planned to follow the Old TCM Doctor to provide free clinics in the countryside and collect medicinal herbs at the same time.
The old gentleman came from a poor family and was raised on the charity of the whole village.5 Every year in July and August, he would go to the countryside to hold free clinics.
People said the old gentleman loved money—for instance, he often treated the rich and powerful, and he charged the Song family a hefty tuition fee to take Song Xuyi on as an apprentice. But Song Xuyi knew that for decades, the old gentleman wouldn’t even splurge on a new set of clothes for himself, donating most of his money to impoverished mountain villages.
To solve the problem of unemployment for the farmers, the old gentleman taught the people in the mountains how to grow medicinal herbs and then purchased them at the most favorable prices. He was the benefactor of the entire village.
This time, Song Xuyi and the old gentleman were heading to the medicinal herb base he sponsored to hold a free clinic and purchase herbs.
Father Song and Mother Song initially disagreed with Song Xuyi going to a mountain village. In the end, they couldn’t win against Song Xuyi’s relentless pestering. They assigned two trusted bodyguards to her, brought along a huge pile of donated supplies, and only then did they allow Song Xuyi to travel with the old gentleman.
The destination for this trip was a mountain village in the northwest.
This village was located deep in the mountains at a high altitude, and it cultivated cold-resistant medicinal herbs like ginseng, Codonopsis, and Gastrodia. A road had only been built to the village a few years ago.
Song Xuyi entered the village on a tractor used for market runs. The ride was bumpy, and Song Xuyi felt dizzy and nauseous. Not wanting to trouble anyone, she could only force herself to endure it, her small face growing paler and paler.
“You’ve been wronged. Most people who come here for the first time aren’t used to it. You’ll get used to it after a few trips…”
The people around her had been keeping an eye on Song Xuyi, so they were naturally aware of her discomfort.
Just in case, the old gentleman took Song Xuyi’s pulse and told the two bodyguards that she was fine. Then, perhaps to distract her, the old gentleman began to tell a story.
“Don’t look down on this place for being remote. In ancient times, an extremely famous person came from here. Can you guess who?” The old gentleman piqued everyone’s interest before slowly stroking his beard and continuing, “This is the hometown of Emperor Su Qing. It’s a famous nest of beauties,6 and has produced many beauties throughout history. It’s a pity this place is just too remote…”
Emperor Su Qing was a household name in this world. Even the original owner of the body, who was ignorant and incompetent, had heard of her—she was the only female emperor in history.
Emperor Su Qing’s life was the stuff of legends: born into poverty, she disguised herself as a man to take the place of her sickly older brother in the army. With her outstanding military talent, she was enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed prime minister.7 In the end, she overthrew the corrupt and decrepit old dynasty, saved the people from fire and water, and ushered in a golden age.
Song Xuyi never expected this place to be Emperor Su Qing’s hometown.
The old gentleman went on to tell many more anecdotes. After about two more hours, as night was approaching, the group finally arrived at the village. The mountain climate changed rapidly, and the temperature dropped noticeably as evening fell.
The old gentleman had everyone put on the down jackets they had brought in their luggage, repeatedly reminding them, “The altitude is quite high here, and the weather changes drastically. You absolutely must not wander out of the village…”
The old gentleman had already arranged for their accommodations. For the next month or so, they would all be staying at the Village Head’s house.
Most of the houses here were still old-fashioned stone houses, with only a few red brick houses in the entire village. Even so, the conditions at the Village Head’s house seemed rather harsh: the tables and chairs looked like they had been used for many years, a color TV that was nearly obsolete a decade ago sat on a cabinet, and the clothes worn by the children were still patched…
However, the Village Head’s family was extremely diligent. The house was swept clean, and the bedding smelled of sunshine, clearly having been recently washed and dried.
Rooms were limited, so the Village Head had only set aside a separate room for Song Xuyi upstairs. Everyone else had to squeeze in together.
“I was originally planning to have some people stay at Shuanzi’s house,” the Village Head said, rubbing his hands together in embarrassment as he glanced next door. “But Shuanzi’s family has had some guests recently. It seems they’re working on some big project. The township is taking it very seriously; the town mayor himself even escorted them over…”
After putting down their luggage, everyone had dinner at the Village Head’s house: boneless fish from a deep pool, local wild vegetables, and a delicious big bone soup…
The food left a lingering fragrance on her teeth and cheeks,8 its taste unexpectedly good.
After eating and washing up, Song Xuyi went upstairs.
Perhaps afraid that Song Xuyi wouldn’t be used to the accommodations, the Village Head’s family had specially burned some fragrant herbs in the room. After a full day of it, the scent in the room was a bit strong. Song Xuyi pushed open the window to air it out, only to see a figure wrapped in a down jacket standing in the yard of Shuanzi’s house next door.
This must be the guest the Village Head mentioned, right?
Under the swaying porch light, Song Xuyi couldn’t make out the person’s features. She could only see them holding a phone and moving to several different spots in the yard, as if searching for a signal…
Song Xuyi glanced at the person again. Even though she couldn’t see their face clearly in the night, she had a strange feeling: she seemed to have seen this person somewhere before.
Yet, after thinking for a long time, Song Xuyi couldn’t think of anyone she knew who would come to such a poor, remote place…
Before long, the fragrance in the room dissipated. The night wind was cold, and Song Xuyi couldn’t help but shiver. The moment she closed the window, the person in the neighboring yard seemed to still be searching for a signal…
So persistent.
Song Xuyi yawned and took out her phone. Sure enough, there was only one bar of signal. The message she had sent that morning—”I’m going to the mountains with my master for a free clinic. The signal isn’t great, so I might not be able to send messages”—had not received a reply.
Song Xuyi fought off her sleepiness and sent another message:
“I’ve arrived in the mountains. Everything is fine. The villagers are very welcoming.”
A spinning circle appeared next to the sent message. Song Xuyi wasn’t sure if it would go through, but she was simply too exhausted after a full day of travel. She just put her phone on the bedside table and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when Song Xuyi woke up, she found a glaring red exclamation mark next to the message she had sent. As expected, it had failed to send.
And shortly after she had fallen asleep, she had received a WeChat message from Zhao Qingyu: “Where did you go?”
How spooky!
Song Xuyi was in a bind. Over the past year, the two had gotten used to chatting on WeChat and had never saved each other’s numbers. Now that she was in the mountains where the signal was poor, communication had truly become a problem.
Song Xuyi had originally thought of using this opportunity to cut off contact between them. After all, to maintain her “fan” identity, it was usually Song Xuyi who initiated topics of conversation. However, the mere thought of Zhao Qingyu’s reaction to her unilaterally cutting off contact made Song Xuyi’s scalp tingle. In the end, she reluctantly called the Old Housekeeper and asked him to send Zhao Qingyu’s phone number.
The Old Housekeeper was extremely efficient. In less than half an hour, he sent Zhao Qingyu’s number via text message.
Song Xuyi stared at the number but couldn’t bring herself to dial it.
She dawdled, slowly brushing her teeth and washing her face. She walked two laps around the yard. Finally, she took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and walked to the courtyard gate, planning to just get it over with9—to make her “check-in” call.
The door to Shuanzi’s house next door opened, and someone seemed to be coming out.
Song Xuyi paid it no mind. She squatted by the gate with a frown, her face a mask of deep-seated bitterness and hatred as she dialed the number.
The sound of ring, ring… came from the phone, and Song Xuyi’s frown deepened.
“—Pfft!“
A light laugh suddenly came from beside her, and at that exact moment, the call connected.
A familiar female voice, laced with amusement, came from above her head and from the earpiece at the same time: “Are you looking for me, Xuyi?”
Song Xuyi looked up in astonishment—Zhao Qingyu’s devastatingly beautiful face was right above her. She was holding her phone, bent over, and smiling down at her!
She… what is she doing here?
Song Xuyi froze. Seeing that brilliant smile, she felt a chill run down her spine. She subconsciously tried to shrink back, but she forgot her posture, and her legs gave way…
—THUD!
The author has something to say:
Zhihu-esque question:10 What’s it like to have your worst nightmare appear right in front of you?
Song Xuyi: Thanks for the invite.11 It’s probably what I’m feeling right now~ T_T
LP: Re-translated on December 21, 2023
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