Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 83

by Little Panda

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Manager 20

Queen

Xin Lan gave a perfunctory encouragement to Qin Yuyan, patting her shoulder.

Even though it was just a shoulder pat for encouragement, Qin Yuyan felt very happy about it.

When they met Zhang Haishan and Song Qing, Xin Lan went up to greet them.

Zhang Haishan and Song Qing’s attitude was much warmer than during their first dinner meeting. After all, though twenty million wasn’t much for a film, it had helped them out of their urgent predicament, preventing them from being strapped for resources.

“Director Zhang, this is our Qin Yuyan. Please take good care of her.”

Xin Lan stepped aside slightly, and Qin Yuyan immediately greeted them.

Zhang Haishan looked her up and down, thinking that extremely beautiful girls often weren’t good at acting, but he wasn’t one to judge by appearances – whether it’s a mule or a horse, you have to take it for a run to know [是騾子是馬得拉出來溜溜才知道 | shì luó zi shì mǎ dé lā chū lái liū liū cái zhī dào | Chinese idiom meaning true ability is revealed through testing].

“Of course I’ll take care of her, but you know what I said before…”

Zhang Haishan trailed off hesitantly.

“Yes, I remember. How could I put you in a difficult position? If you think she’s suitable, keep her. If not, we’ll pack up and leave. The money can stay with you as my investment; I won’t take it back.”

Xin Lan said with a bright smile, making Zhang Haishan sigh in relief.

He had been worried that if he wasn’t satisfied with the person Xin Lan brought, she might take the money back. But Xin Lan was so understanding. Twenty million wasn’t a small sum for a talent agent, and he had asked around in the industry – Xin Lan’s family wasn’t one of those wealthy elite families.

Listening to their conversation, Qin Yuyan felt confused.

What money? What investment?

Had Xin Lan invested in this film?

It felt like Xin Lan had used money to secure an audition opportunity for her.

Qin Yuyan encouraged herself, feeling confident about the role. She absolutely wouldn’t disappoint Xin Lan’s expectations or waste her money.

Qin Yuyan went in for the audition while Xin Lan waited at the door.

She replied to some messages on her phone, arranged schedules with her assistant, checked on how things were going with Cheng Zhi, and just as she was finishing up, the audition room door opened, and Qin Yuyan walked out with Zhang Haishan.

“As expected of Manager Xin, everyone under your management is top-notch.”

Zhang Haishan gave a thumbs up, showing his complete satisfaction.

He was amazed at how Qin Yuyan transformed once she began performing. Nowadays, it was rare to find such a young actor with such spiritual presence [靈氣 | líng qì | artistic aura/talent], and even rarer to find one who wouldn’t just rely on their looks but actually focus on acting well.

Xin Lan hadn’t been worried to begin with, and Zhang Haishan’s words confirmed it was a done deal.

Qin Yuyan, standing beside Zhang Haishan, winked at Xin Lan, momentarily captivating her heart.

“Since you’re satisfied, let’s have a pleasant cooperation. When do we start filming?”

“In two days.”

“That soon?”

“Yes, almost all roles have been cast. We just needed to carefully consider the female lead, but now there’s no need for further competition, so the sooner we start, the better.”

“Alright, where will we film?”

“Liucheng [柳城 | liǔ chéng].”

Liucheng was a county-level city under this municipality, about sixty kilometers away from here.

“Alright, I’ll give Yuyan your contact information later. Please notify her about the specific time.”

“Sure, see you later.”

Zhang Haishan could barely hide his joy, almost wanting to summon everyone to the set and start filming immediately. But his rationality prevailed, knowing he needed to properly prepare the location first. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He waved at Xin Lan and Qin Yuyan before turning back into the room they’d just left.

“Since filming starts in two days, we won’t go back, right?”

Qin Yuyan said while matching Xin Lan’s pace, cleverly emphasizing the word ‘we.’

Xin Lan hadn’t planned to leave so soon anyway. This was Qin Yuyan’s first time joining a production since signing the contract, so she naturally needed to stay through the whole process, only leaving after Qin Yuyan was settled into the crew.

Besides, it wasn’t time for Shen Yun’s audition yet, so there was no rush.

Seeing Xin Lan nod, Qin Yuyan felt a little excited.

“Let’s have Tuzi [兔子 | tù zi | literally “rabbit”] book you a room next to mine.”

Tuzi was Qin Yuyan’s assistant, whom Xin Lan had introduced to her yesterday – an efficient and cheerful young woman.

Qin Yuyan didn’t have the courage to suggest sharing a room with Xin Lan. Anyone could tell that Xin Lan would never agree to that, and it would be awkward to even mention it.

“Okay,” Xin Lan nodded in agreement. “Do you want to go back to the hotel and rest, or shall we go out for a while?”

Xin Lan had no urgent matters to attend to and had some free time, naturally arranging her schedule according to her artist’s preferences.

“Let’s go out for a while and then have lunch. This city should have some attractions – I’ll look up some travel guides.”

Qin Yuyan made this suggestion, and Xin Lan naturally agreed to accompany her.

The city had quite a few attractions, but the closest and most famous was a temple that was said to be particularly efficacious [靈 | líng | spiritually powerful].

Perhaps because it was holiday season, the number of tourists had increased, making public transportation especially crowded.

Many people were queuing in front of the subway, and Xin Lan and Qin Yuyan were practically pushed onto the train by the people behind them.

When the doors closed, the subway car was packed completely full, without even a sliver of space remaining.

Xin Lan held onto the handrail in front of her to maintain her balance, while Qin Yuyan was behind her, reaching for the same rail.

From the side, it looked as if Qin Yuyan was half-embracing Xin Lan.

Initially, Qin Yuyan had been worried about how uncomfortable the crowded transportation would be, but now she was completely delighted. Fortunately, Xin Lan was in front of her, otherwise her secret smile would have been visible.

Such a natural, legitimate, and unavoidable opportunity for intimacy – she really wouldn’t mind having more of these.

Xin Lan, being so perceptive, was naturally aware that her back was pressed against Qin Yuyan’s chest, appearing as if she was being half-embraced due to the crowd’s pressure.

She knew Qin Yuyan was secretly pleased, but there was nothing to be done in this situation. Even if she tried to lean forward to create some space, the crowd would just push them together again.

So the best response was to pretend not to notice, preventing the atmosphere from becoming too ambiguous.

Moreover, the subway’s air quality wasn’t great. During this hot summer, in such crowded conditions, everyone was inevitably sweating profusely. The sealed compartment had no wind flowing through from outside to circulate the air, so it was filled with the strong smell of sweat.

Most troublesome was that Xin Lan couldn’t identify which person in the crowd had body odor, that faint yet persistent smell near her nose. In comparison, Qin Yuyan’s fresh fragrance became particularly pleasant.

In this situation of one’s secret joy and the other’s tacit permission, Xin Lan and Qin Yuyan arrived at their destination station.

After leaving the crowded train car, Xin Lan finally felt much better.

Qin Yuyan, on the other hand, was somewhat reluctant to part, though she didn’t dare show it on her face.

Being one of the more famous attractions, the temple had very prosperous incense offerings.

The crowds coming and going included men and women, old and young, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Not far from the temple entrance, there were many street food vendors, making Qin Yuyan’s mouth water.

“There are too many people now. Why don’t we visit the temple later and check out the food stalls first?”

Xin Lan naturally went along with her suggestion, following her to a candy figurine [糖人 | táng rén | traditional handmade sugar candy art] stand.

The vendor was an elderly man who was concentrating intently on the piece in his hands. Seeing customers approach, he looked up and smiled at them.

“These are ten yuan each, these are fifteen. I can make custom ones too. Would you young ladies like to take a look?”

The candy figurines included shapes of small animals, and characters like Sun Wukong [孫悟空 | sūn wù kōng | Monkey King] and Zhu Bajie [豬八戒 | zhū bā jiè | Pig Demon], all looking remarkably lifelike.

“Can you make human figures? Of me and her?”

Qin Yuyan pointed to herself and Xin Lan.

“Sure.”

“Then please make both of us.”

Qin Yuyan’s eyes sparkled with happiness.

Since candy figurines couldn’t be made instantly, Qin Yuyan paid and placed the order, then took Xin Lan to look around at other stalls.

After browsing all the surrounding stalls, they returned to the original stand to collect their candy figurines.

The elderly vendor had made them in a cute chibi style [Q萌版 | qiū méng bǎn | cute and adorable cartoon style]. Though not exactly identical, one could still see the resemblance.

Qin Yuyan happily accepted them, handing her candy figure to Xin Lan while keeping Xin Lan’s chibi version for herself.

“It would be cruel to eat oneself. Why don’t I eat yours, and you eat mine?”

Qin Yuyan said with a straight face, thinking she had hidden her little scheme well.

Xin Lan, who had already seen through everything, paused briefly before nodding.

After all, as a twenty-eight-year-old adult, she could hardly say “I want to eat the candy figure of myself, so let’s switch back.”

While eating their candy figures, they entered the temple. People were kneeling and offering incense inside. The magnificent temple appeared solemn and dignified, with the central deity statue radiating an awe-inspiring presence that naturally commanded reverence.

Qin Yuyan threw their trash in the garbage bin and tilted her chin toward Xin Lan.

“Shall we pray together and throw the jiao [筊 | jiǎo | divination blocks]?”

Throwing jiao means divination [問蔔 | wèn bǔ | seeking divine guidance]. People here believed they could communicate with deities through throwing jiao to receive divine instructions. They would come to throw jiao when undecided about matters or seeking answers. This temple’s reputation for efficacy grew because the divination results were quite accurate.

Xin Lan initially wanted to say she didn’t believe in such things, but facing Qin Yuyan’s gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

How strange – when meeting this person’s eyes, it became difficult to refuse things.

Throwing jiao requires sincerity – one must first light candles and offer incense while kneeling, then explain to the deity the reason for divination, and finally, with hands clasped in prayer, throw the blocks to the ground.

When throwing jiao, one raised and one flat is called sheng jiao [聖筊 | shèng jiǎo | sacred blocks], indicating the deity’s approval or affirmation. Two flat blocks are xiao jiao [笑筊 | xiào jiǎo | laughing blocks], suggesting the matter needs further consideration. Two raised blocks are nu jiao [怒筊 | nù jiǎo | angry blocks], indicating the deity’s disapproval. Important matters should be asked three times.

After following the steps, Xin Lan cleared her mind and asked a question.

Will I find someone to walk through life with?

She threw the blocks – the answer was sheng jiao.

Xin Lan was somewhat surprised, thinking it might be coincidence. Though she herself thought it impossible, despite such thoughts, she still held a glimmer of hope and threw them two more times.

The results were all sheng jiao.

LP: Re-translated on March 03, 2025

Amusing Ourselves to Death

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