Blame the Villain – Chapter 5

The Villainous Film Empress (5)

A little rich girl bent on saving the world X A paranoid, dark, and vengeful Film Empress

When Zhao Qingyu woke up, her head still felt somewhat heavy.

            

A gentle pressure pressed against her temples. The faint, lingering fragrance of herbal medicine surrounded her. Someone was softly massaging her acupressure points, lowering their head to ask, “Feeling a little better?”

Zhao Qingyu recognized that voice.

Recalling everything that had happened before she fainted, Zhao Qingyu’s eyelashes fluttered. She gave a slight nod. “Much better! Thank you, Xuyi.”

            

Looking at Zhao Qingyu—whose pale face only added a touch of fragile beauty to her features—Song Xuyi pressed her lips together.

Even having been pushed to such a state, Zhao Qingyu still maintained the polite, gentle demeanor that Song Xuyi was so familiar with. This woman had already carved her disguise into her very bones.

Zhao Qingyu’s manager had already told Song Xuyi everything the actress had recently endured.

            

Listening to the manager’s account, even the System in her mind had fallen uncharacteristically silent.

The plot summary hadn’t explained any of this. The Zhao Qingyu in the summary was a Film Empress of boundless glory, a woman who rejected countless suitors, as elegant and noble as a black swan.

And yet, the Zhao Qingyu sitting before her…

            

Unlike the male lead, Song Jun—a favored son of heaven born into an outstanding family—Zhao Qingyu was destined to grow into a villain powerful enough to rival his company. One could only imagine just how much hardship she had to endure along the way.

And the director’s deliberate torment of Zhao Qingyu was, to some extent, connected to Song Xuyi’s recent neglect of her.

The host body’s infatuation with Zhao Qingyu had lasted for many years. For Zhao Qingyu, who was just starting out, the favor of the willful and capricious little princess of the Song family had indeed invisibly helped her avoid many conflicts.

            

After learning the whole story, a wave of guilt washed over Song Xuyi. She had been so busy with her studies lately that she had genuinely neglected Zhao Qingyu.

Fortunately, there was still a chance to make amends.

Song Xuyi sighed. After massaging Zhao Qingyu’s pressure points for a while longer, she took the bowl of millet porridge¹ that a head attendant handed over. She carefully scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Zhao Qingyu’s lips. “This is my first time making porridge. Tell me how it tastes?”

            

Despite asking, Song Xuyi knew her porridge should taste pretty good. Although the host body had never stepped foot in a kitchen, in the memories Song Xuyi had recovered, her original eighteen-year-old self had frequently cooked all kinds of porridge to care for her grandmother, who had a weak stomach.

This was also the only thing Song Xuyi felt she could do for Zhao Qingyu right now. She simply couldn’t muster the fanatical expression the host body used to wear whenever she saw the actress, but she could show her care for Zhao Qingyu through other actions.

Zhao Qingyu looked up at Song Xuyi.

            

Song Xuyi’s expression was incredibly calm. Stripped of her usual exaggerated nervousness and excitement, her eyes seemed to harbor a trace of guilt…

What is she guilty about?

Zhao Qingyu’s gaze swept past the attendant standing behind Song Xuyi—who was already failing to control their dumbfounded expression—and through the half-open hospital room door, she caught the director’s evasive stare from out in the hall…

            

“Thank you, Xuyi.”

Her eyes flashing briefly, Zhao Qingyu offered a smile, lowered her head, and took a sip of the porridge.

In her heart, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Song family. But when power delivered itself right to her doorstep, she would be a fool not to borrow it.

            

Only…

Zhao Qingyu raised her head and looked at the few red dates resting in the millet porridge. She pressed her lips together. The porridge cooked by the Song family’s little princess was actually unexpectedly sweet.

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After feeding Zhao Qingyu the porridge spoonful by spoonful, Song Xuyi breathed a sigh of relief.

            

While Zhao Qingyu was unconscious, Song Xuyi had figured things out: she had zero confidence in her ability to persuade Zhao Qingyu to give up attacking the male lead. But in order to successfully complete her mission, Song Xuyi decided to settle for the next best thing—get close to Zhao Qingyu and keep track of her movements.

Not to mention, the Zhao Qingyu who lowered her head to drink porridge looked far too well-behaved and harmless…

This version of Zhao Qingyu gave Song Xuyi courage.

            

“Qingyu-jie,” Song Xuyi said, squatting down in front of Zhao Qingyu. Bolstered by the System cheering ‘You can do it, Xuyi!’ in her mind, she bravely met the actress’s eyes. “We’ve met so many times already. Isn’t it about time we exchanged contact info?”

“Should I scan your QR code, or do you want to scan mine…?”

Zhao Qingyu looked up.

            

The girl’s voice was clear and bright. Her face still carried a trace of baby fat², and the gaze she directed at her was full of eager anticipation…

This child has certainly grown bold all of a sudden. What is she scheming now?

A hint of amusement flashed deep in Zhao Qingyu’s eyes. That beautiful pair of eyes sparkled with the fleeting smile, making the red mole at the corner of her eye seem to come alive. In that single instant, she was infinitely captivating…

            

The child’s face… seemed to have turned red again.

Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes.

In truth, the previous Song Xuyi had also asked for Zhao Qingyu’s contact information. However, for some unknown reason—perhaps because her mood was more relaxed after her illness—while the old Song Xuyi’s arrogant pestering had only filled her with annoyance, this time, Zhao Qingyu felt no disgust whatsoever…

            

“You can scan me,” Zhao Qingyu heard herself say softly. She took the phone her manager handed over and pulled up her QR code.

Song Xuyi took a deep breath, hurriedly scanned the code, and lowered her head, not daring to meet Zhao Qingyu’s eyes again. She tried desperately to cool the heat in her cheeks, but the blush simply refused to fade…

How can Zhao Qingyu’s smile be so bewitching?!

            

If Zhao Qingyu’s previous smiles had been like masks, Song Xuyi was absolutely certain that, just now, she had dropped her disguise. That had been a genuine smile…

That smile made Song Xuyi’s heart—which she thought had finally settled down—begin to hammer violently in her chest once again.

Song Xuyi silently cursed her own uselessness while forcing herself to rein in her thoughts. She cast her eyes down at Zhao Qingyu’s WeChat profile on her phone.

            

Only after asking did she remember that the host body had also asked for Zhao Qingyu’s WeChat before, but had hit a few soft nails³ and been rebuffed. She hadn’t expected to actually succeed in adding Zhao Qingyu this time.

Zhao Qingyu’s screen name was just a simple ‘Zhao’. Her profile picture was a photo of two figures from behind—a woman holding a little girl’s hand as they walked among flowers.

“Is this you when you were little?”

            

Song Xuyi’s eyes flickered. She tapped on the profile picture and pointed at the little girl’s back, probing smoothly, “This little girl looks so cute.”

The photo clearly had some years on it. Song Xuyi’s intuition told her it held special significance for Zhao Qingyu.

Zhao Qingyu looked at the photo on Song Xuyi’s screen and nodded. As if suddenly stung by something, the amusement in her eyes vanished instantly, though her voice still carried a laughing tone. “You can tell she’s ‘cute’ just from her back?”

            

Still, she had tacitly admitted that the little girl was her.

“Because you’re so pretty now, you must have been gorgeous when you were little,” Song Xuyi forced an explanation. She shot a glance at Zhao Qingyu. Seeing that the actress didn’t seem resistant, she pointed to the woman next to the girl and added, “Auntie⁴ must be a great beauty too!”

“I’d really love to see what Auntie looks like now, and who’s prettier between her and Qingyu-jiejie…”

            

“Some people say I look a lot like her.” Zhao Qingyu gazed at the slender silhouette on the phone. Her eyes darkened as she slipped that flawless, gentle mask back into place. “I’ve forgotten what she looks like too. She must have been quite beautiful back then…”

“…She has been dead for many years.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

            

Song Xuyi hadn’t expected this answer. Stunned for a moment, she couldn’t help but look up to observe Zhao Qingyu’s expression. The smile on Zhao Qingyu’s face had faded slightly. She lowered her slender neck, her eyes looking like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any ripples…

It was a disguise anyone could see through.

A sudden, uncomfortable pang went through Song Xuyi’s heart.

            

“What do you have to apologize for?” Song Xuyi heard Zhao Qingyu say softly. “All of this is simply my fate. Just like how you are the Song family’s beloved little princess in the spotlight. That is your fate…”

Song Xuyi froze. She hadn’t expected such words to come from Zhao Qingyu’s mouth. But on second thought, it didn’t seem surprising at all.

But could so-called fate truly not be overturned?

            

Remembering the secret the host body had buried deep in her heart, too afraid to ever speak aloud, Song Xuyi pressed her lips into a tight line.

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Because she had accompanied Zhao Qingyu to the hospital, Song Xuyi had flaked on Huang Juanjuan and a whole group of her classmates. Although she used getting lost in the Film City as an excuse, she naturally couldn’t skip out on the class gathering the next day. So, she spent the entire morning touring the small scenic spots around the Film City with them.

Because she got bus-sick, Song Xuyi didn’t travel back with her classmates. She set aside some time in the afternoon to visit Zhao Qingyu at the hospital. The actress’s complexion already looked much better.

            

Perhaps Song Xuyi’s presence had intimidated the director, or perhaps the director simply didn’t want to blow the matter out of proportion. Either way, he had given Zhao Qingyu three days off.

Zhao Qingyu had once again restored her gentle, considerate facade. In just a single day, the doctors and nurses in the ward had grown incredibly fond of her. Seeing this, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but marvel at how skilled Zhao Qingyu was at winning people over.

Although Zhao Qingyu still hadn’t dropped her guard, Song Xuyi felt that this trip hadn’t been entirely fruitless. At the very least, she had gotten her WeChat.

            

She said her goodbyes to Zhao Qingyu and then got into the car Mother Song had sent to take her back to university.

But Song Xuyi had no idea that shortly after she left, Zhao Qingyu was also discharged.

By the time Song Xuyi arrived on campus, Zhao Qingyu had reached the entrance of a different hospital.

            

She greeted the patrolling nurses along the way, walking through the wards with practiced familiarity, before finally stopping in front of a private room.

A woman sat inside.

The woman was nothing but a bag of bones⁵. She looked like a living skeleton; only her darting, yellowish-brown eyes proved she was still alive.

            

Zhao Qingyu pushed the door open and greeted the caregiver nearby before turning her gaze to the woman on the bed. “Mom. It’s Qingyu. I’ve come to see you.”

“Qingyu!” the woman cried. As if violently triggered, she shot to her feet. Trembling, she grabbed a plastic water cup from the bedside table and shakily held it to the lips of a ragdoll resting on the bed. “Be a good girl, Qingyu. Hurry and drink the water. Once you drink this, all your troubles will be gone…”

Then, just as suddenly, she threw the doll away. Clutching her head, she broke into loud sobs. “Why did you run? People like us… we should just accept our fate early on. I never should have given birth to you…”

            

“Qingyu,” the caregiver said, looking at the lingering smile on Zhao Qingyu’s face and sighing. “Don’t take it to heart. The doctor says… Madam might not last much longer…”

“I’m not taking it to heart.”

Zhao Qingyu shook her head. She watched the woman stand up once again. Her features twisted, abandoning their previous bitter sorrow to become sharp and vicious. “Zhao Fang, I’ve checked your family’s history going back five generations! The girls in your family, almost without exception, die of Sleeping Disease⁶ before the age of thirty! You doomed, short-lived slut, why did you have to come and ruin my son…”

            

Seeing that the caregiver seemed about to say something else, Zhao Qingyu finally dropped the smile from her face. Her eyes were unfathomably dark. “I have never blamed her…”

Her once beautiful, gentle mother had died at the age of thirty.

What survived was only a tormented soul trapped in the past, forever denied release. And her—an unscrupulous, vengeful ghost, about to unleash her retribution.

            

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