The Villainous Film Empress (3)
A little rich girl dedicated to saving the world X A paranoid, dark, and vengeful film empress
“Xuyi, Dad knows you like her a lot,” Father Song patted Song Xuyi’s shoulder. “And she is indeed quite good—ambitious, hardworking, and knows her place. To see you becoming more and more outstanding because of your celebrity-chasing makes your dad very gratified…”
As the head of the Song family, Father Song had met countless people in his life. His words about Zhao Qingyu were already extremely high praise. He had originally disliked Song Xuyi’s celebrity-chasing, fearing she would be dazzled by the chaos of the entertainment industry and have her character corrupted. It wasn’t until Song Xuyi’s recent transformation and proactive efforts, combined with an investigation revealing that Zhao Qingyu was well-behaved and kept to herself on set, that Father Song decided to continue letting the two of them interact.
Hearing Father Song’s assessment of Zhao Qingyu, Song Xuyi had no idea how to respond. Even Father Song, who had judged countless people, had misread her. It could only be said that Zhao Qingyu was truly skilled at hiding her true self.
Now that Zhao Qingyu had arrived, even though Song Xuyi was completely unprepared to interact with her, she could only brace herself and greet her…
“Long time no see, Qingyu.”
Song Xuyi really couldn’t replicate the infatuated expression her original self would have when seeing Zhao Qingyu. She could only try her best to feign a look of pleasant surprise as she looked up at her. “I didn’t expect Dad to invite you over…”
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if you guessed it,” Zhao Qingyu said, her lips curving into a gentle smile.
Even though she knew this woman was no good, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but blush again when she met Zhao Qingyu’s smile.
“This child,” Father Song looked at Song Xuyi, who was like a little quail,1 feeling a sense of frustration at her lack of promise.2 “You seemed so composed in the living room just now, but you get shy the moment you’re in front of her…”
“You two chat,” Father Song gave Song Xuyi a little push forward, then turned and went back into the living room, thinking he was being considerate. “You worked so hard to get a good test score. Aren’t you going to go share the good news with your little idol?”
Song Xuyi was speechless.
Once Father Song left, the surroundings became visibly quieter.
Aside from the driver in the nanny van and the security guards in the distance, only Song Xuyi and Zhao Qingyu were left outside.
The streetlights cast a soft, orange-yellow glow. The sky was filled with twinkling stars. Accompanied by the ever-quickening beat of her own heart, Song Xuyi watched as Zhao Qingyu walked closer, step by step—
Song Xuyi pressed her lips together, wanting to look away, but her eyes seemed to be beyond her control. She stared blankly at Zhao Qingyu, only realizing in a daze that when a person was beautiful to the extreme, they were like a natural magnet, capable of attracting everyone’s gaze…
Song Xuyi bit her lower lip, a little annoyed at herself for having designs on someone just because of their looks.3
And while Song Xuyi was once again lost in Zhao Qingyu’s beauty, Zhao Qingyu was also observing her without a trace:
Tonight, Song Xuyi was wearing a pink, strapless formal dress. The exposed skin was as white and tender as a shelled egg. Light makeup accentuated the girl’s delicate and fine features. If one ignored the obvious blush on her face, Song Xuyi looked like a standard, elegant heiress from a prestigious family. But the way Song Xuyi was now, face flushed red and eyes looking over with a moist sheen…
Zhao Qingyu’s mind drifted. She was suddenly reminded of a little kitten she once had.
Zhao Qingyu had to admit: after washing off the heavy makeup, the Song family’s spoiled and brainless little princess was… a little cute.
In the short span of three months, she had changed so completely it was as if she were a different person, to the point that Zhao Qingyu almost didn’t recognize her at first glance…
And the way Song Xuyi was looking at her—
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes, a playful smile gracing her lips. The way Song Xuyi looked at her had lost its former obsessive fanaticism, and now even carried a hint of vigilance and caution…
Had she discovered something?
…
Song Xuyi didn’t know why, but it was probably because she knew Zhao Qingyu’s true face—so intelligent as to be almost demonic4—that she was particularly flustered when facing her. She waited until Zhao Qingyu was nearly in front of her before finally picking up where Father Song had left off, speaking with a voice as faint as a gnat’s buzz.5 “I… I got into X University’s School of Medicine…”
The moment the words left her mouth, Song Xuyi hung her head in regret, her face flushing red all the way to the tips of her ears. That tone, like a primary school student begging for praise, was just too humiliating!
“Tsk—”
As expected, a soft laugh came from above her. Zhao Qingyu seemed not to have expected Song Xuyi to speak that way. It was a moment before she replied, “Then Xuyi is really amazing…”
Zhao Qingyu still had that same pleasant and gentle voice. If Song Xuyi didn’t know this person’s true nature, she might have really thought she was being praised. But hearing those words now, Song Xuyi felt that something was off about every part of it.
“Xuyi, is she… praising you or mocking you?” the System, who had been observing, asked in confusion. “She’s still smiling at you. Do you want to raise your head and see?”
After getting familiar with Song Xuyi during this period, the System’s form of address for her had also changed from ‘Task-doer’ to ‘Xuyi.’
Song Xuyi pressed her lips together. Privately, she didn’t dare look at Zhao Qingyu’s bewitching face, but she also knew she couldn’t keep avoiding it. If I don’t even have the courage to talk to Zhao Qingyu now, how will I get closer to her and uncover her secrets later?
Song Xuyi took a deep breath, bit her lower lip, slowly straightened her spine, and raised her eyes as if she were facing death itself.6
A fair, slender hand, like a drooping tuberose blossom, landed gently on Song Xuyi’s head.
—Zhao Qingyu was ruffling Song Xuyi’s hair with a completely natural expression.
Only then did Song Xuyi realize that Zhao Qingyu was half a head taller than her. The expression and movement as she ruffled her hair were incredibly natural, and her eyes, as they looked down at her, even held a hint of a smile, as if stars had been mixed into her pupils…
Song Xuyi froze on the spot, and the heat that she had just managed to suppress began to spread across her cheeks again—
In the original host’s memory, Zhao Qingyu had never once initiated physical contact.
“You…”
The courage she had mustered vanished in an instant. Song Xuyi wanted to pull away, but Zhao Qingyu’s movement was faster. By the time Song Xuyi looked up with wide eyes, Zhao Qingyu had already withdrawn her hand with a natural air and turned to look toward the hall. “Isn’t Xuyi going to invite me in for something to eat?”
Song Xuyi clenched her fists.
To have her head patted by her idol—if the original host were here, she would probably go crazy with joy.
But Song Xuyi was not the original host.
She felt a profound sense of frustration and defeat. When facing Zhao Qingyu, she seemed to have no power to resist at all. Zhao Qingyu’s attitude was impeccable;7 she appeared intimate, but in reality, she maintained a perfect sense of propriety, leaving no room for criticism…
“The villain is full of tricks,” the System spoke up again, indignant. “Xuyi, you mustn’t fall for her beauty trap!”8
“The very first rule in the Task-doer’s Code is that you cannot fall in love in a small world—”
This was the first time Song Xuyi had heard this rule. She paused for a second but didn’t take it to heart. Still, the System’s words served as a wake-up call. She deeply reflected on her weakness for pretty faces,9 her fighting spirit reignited, and she followed after Zhao Qingyu.
“Qingyu-jiejie,” Song Xuyi caught up to Zhao Qingyu in two steps. Seeing Zhao Qingyu raise an eyebrow at her, she realized that perhaps she had already adapted to Zhao Qingyu’s beauty assault, as she didn’t blush this time. Her heart steadied, and she decided to press on in one breath.10 She looked up at Zhao Qingyu. “I’m already eighteen, you can’t—”
However, before she could finish the words “pat my head like a child again,” a warmth spread over her arm—Zhao Qingyu had linked her arm with Song Xuyi’s, giving her a look that was half a smile and half not. “Little Xuyi, then can this jiejie link arms with you?”
?!
Song Xuyi’s first instinct was to shake her off.
But in a flash, something sparked in her mind, and Song Xuyi came to a sudden realization: Zhao Qingyu was very likely testing her!
—Zhao Qingyu had never been this close to the original host before. The original host had wanted to invite Zhao Qingyu to her eighteenth birthday, but Zhao Qingyu had declined at the time, citing training. Now, not only had she come to her school entrance banquet, but she was also being so intimate…
“I’m so happy I could die,” Song Xuyi said, her body stiffening as she linked arms with Zhao Qingyu, a chill crawling up her spine the more she thought about it. “It feels like a dream. Why is Qingyu-jiejie suddenly being so nice to me?”
Where on earth did I expose myself?
“Because Little Xuyi is cute!” Zhao Qingyu looked at Song Xuyi’s forced smile, the amusement in her eyes deepening, though her voice sounded utterly sincere and gentle. “A cute and hardworking little girl, who wouldn’t like you…”
The little girl’s clumsy attempts to hide her true thoughts were truly delightful…
Song Xuyi felt a headache coming on.
Zhao Qingyu was like a slippery loach. Song Xuyi had used every trick she knew but failed to get a single piece of useful information out of her. On top of that, she had to constantly be on guard against Zhao Qingyu turning the tables and extracting information from her. To any outsider, however, their conversation was a testament to their excellent relationship.
Therefore, when Song Xuyi was called over by Mother Song to meet a few elders and Zhao Qingyu was left alone sipping red wine by the counter, although people would occasionally cast probing glances her way, no one approached her.
After all, most of the people qualified to be at this banquet were clear-headed.11 The Song family’s Little Princess, Song Xuyi, had a volatile temper, and the Song family doted on their youngest daughter to an extreme. This Zhao Qingyu was her guest. If anyone rashly struck up a conversation and earned Song Xuyi’s displeasure, their future with the Song family would be over…
Zhao Qingyu, however, acted as if she didn’t see the various gazes around her. She showed no anxiety at being in a crowd of strangers, seemingly observing the people in the hall with some curiosity. No one knew that her gaze lingered for a moment on a middle-aged woman in a qipao12 before she nonchalantly looked away.
The hall was spacious enough to accommodate a hundred people. The murals on the four walls were intricate and magnificent. All sorts of delicacies and fine wines were laid out. It was a scene of fragrant clothes and shimmering hairpins, of crisscrossing goblets and lively chatter.13 The glazed glass chandeliers overhead refracted a splendid light… A banquet like this was merely the tip of the iceberg of the century-old Song family’s heritage.
No wonder some people would risk their lives just to squeeze their way into the Song family…
And Song Jun was not at the banquet.
Zhao Qingyu slowly narrowed her eyes.
It seemed the rumors were true—Song Jun had indeed gone abroad.
But so what if he went abroad?
The trace of amusement that had arisen because of Song Xuyi completely vanished after seeing that woman in the qipao. A familiar hatred began to creep through her entire heart. Zhao Qingyu sneered inwardly, her red lips curving up as she lowered her head and took a slow, deliberate sip of the red wine in her glass.
—The days to come are long.14 There will come a time for them to pay their debts.
LP: Re-translated on November 30, 2023
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