Chapter 32: Biting Down
Jiang Mi and Shen Ruoxi were talking and laughing as they walked towards the break room. After leaving the set area, for some reason, Jiang Mi still felt a scorching gaze on her.
She reflexively touched the back of her neck, smiling as she answered Shen Ruoxi’s question, “Anything is fine. Let’s both think about it in a bit. Hot pot or stir-fry? Do you want Western food?”
Shen Ruoxi replied, “I haven’t decided.”
As they were talking, they were about to reach the break room. It was only then that the two of them noticed the sound of footsteps behind them. They turned their heads and saw Yan Wei about two meters behind them. When they stopped, the distance between them and Yan Wei began to shorten.
Jiang Mi only felt that pair of eyes sweep over her heavily, and her heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster. But her gaze didn’t retreat in the slightest. She looked straight back.
Only Shen Ruoxi awkwardly greeted her, “Teacher Yan is resting too.”
She received a cold response.
Yan Wei faintly averted her gaze, almost brushing past Jiang Mi’s shoulder. The lingering scent of brandy mixed with rose drifted into Jiang Mi’s breath. She wrinkled her nose, and all she could think of was the salty memories of last night.
She cleared her throat. “Then let’s think about it again.”
Shen Ruoxi said in a playful, singsong voice, “Okay, darling.”
Jiang Mi: “…”
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the figure in her peripheral vision seemed to pause slightly.
After walking a few more steps, when they reached the place where they would part, Shen Ruoxi saw that Yan Wei had already entered the room. She said to Jiang Mi in a low voice, “Don’t you think Teacher Yan is interested in me?”
Jiang Mi: “…?”
Huh? She squinted and leaned closer, wanting to get the full scoop. What does she mean? Could it be that in private, the Movie Queen has more than just her on the line?
Shen Ruoxi: “Every time I’m with you, she seems to be unhappy. It was especially obvious today. After filming, I looked up and caught her staring at me. I even suspect she has a hand fetish…”
Jiang Mi: “…Mmm…”
What a coincidence, we feel pretty much the same.
Jiang Mi breathed a sigh of relief. She kindly comforted her, “You’re probably overthinking it. Teacher Yan’s eyes have been bothering her recently.”
“Is that so?” Shen Ruoxi shrugged and smiled. “But I’m universally loved. A plot like ‘The Iceberg Movie Queen Falls for Me’ is also possible, right?”
Actually, Shen Ruoxi wasn’t being serious. She was just joking around. Looking at Jiang Mi’s expression, she scanned her from head to toe and said, “Don’t worry, it’s also possible that it could happen to you.”
“…Mmm-hmm.” She thought to herself: You don’t know this, but on me, it’s probably only “The Cold-Hearted Movie Queen Falls for My Body” or “The Cold-Hearted Movie Queen Gets on My Glands.”
Jiang Mi nodded. “Alright, alright, alright. Go change your clothes. Let your little mouth rest for a while too.”
“Alright then.”
Zhao Jia had been on the phone with the company the whole time. When Jiang Mi and Shen Ruoxi parted, her call also ended. She followed Jiang Mi into the break room. After the door closed, Zhao Jia went back to replying to WeChat messages, but her attention was on Jiang Mi.
“You’re a bit cold to your idol today.”
Jiang Mi was taken aback. Was it that obvious?
She said stubbornly, “No, I wasn’t. Where?”
Zhao Jia took a moment to look up at her. “You didn’t take the initiative to greet Teacher Yan when you saw her today, nor did you smile at her.”
“I did. You must not have seen it. I smiled. You must not have seen me.”
Jiang Mi picked up her water glass and chugged it down, spouting nonsense.
As she was talking, Zhao Jia answered another call. Jiang Mi sat on a chair with her water glass and looked at her phone. She rarely opened Weibo, but when she did, she found that her number of followers had increased by tens of thousands in the past two days.
In her inbox, in addition to praise, the number of people cursing at her had also increased.
She opened two private messages. Some of them included curses at Jiang Youshu, which made her feel a little sad.
Jiang Mi replied: I hope you can give birth to a child.
Actually, she didn’t feel wronged.
Although acting was a tough job, what industry wasn’t tough to make money in? No matter what, she earned more than many other professions.
Enough for her family to live a decent life.
So even when she encountered difficulties or was chased and cursed at by anti-fans, she never felt wronged.
Only when it involved her family was it something she couldn’t tolerate.
So Jiang Mi missed Jiang Youshu. She wanted to go home.
A few minutes later, Zhao Jia put down her phone and carefully observed Jiang Mi’s expression for a few seconds. “Is something on your mind? That little mouth is so sharp?”
“How can you see me cursing at people?”
“? You cursed at someone?”
“…” Jiang Mi shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Little Jiang, you’re a bit hostile today, aren’t you?”
Jiang Mi lowered her head. Hearing this, she actually reflected on it for a moment. Her flaws were sometimes quite obvious. For example—although she was an actress, she was often not good at hiding her emotions.
In the past, when she was wronged outside, no matter how well she thought she was pretending, both Jiang Youshu and Jiang Hu could tell.
Thinking of this, Jiang Mi let out a “tch” with little confidence. “Mind your own business. Stop bickering with me. Don’t forget who’s the boss of this family.”
Zhao Jia didn’t press further. She had something serious to say. “Alright, I won’t tease you. I’m in contact with Director Zhao. She has a dual-female-lead urban drama that’s missing a female lead. I want you to try out. But Director Zhao’s dramas have high requirements, so we’ll just give it a try and not get our hopes up. I’m just letting you know in advance, so you’re aware.”
Zhao Jia said as she put down her phone and walked to the clothes rack, handing Jiang Mi the costume she was to change into.
“So you’ve been busy with this lately. I see. Once the time is set, I’ll follow your arrangements.” Jiang Mi took it from Zhao Jia and said, “I remember you said a few days ago that there was also a variety show that contacted us?”
Zhao Jia said, “I’m still considering that one… Um, or are you interested in a dating variety show?”
The full name of the variety show was Trial Love.
It was a variety show where two celebrities pretended to be in a relationship. There would be about eight participants, forming four CPs, and then they would complete different tasks to give the audience a sugar rush. At the end, when they separated, they would make the audience cry and tell everyone that it was all fake.
This was the third season, and the show’s popularity was very high, especially for rising or stagnant celebrities.
This variety show was also very suitable for Jiang Mi. Zhao Jia’s hesitation was that Jiang Mi definitely wouldn’t like this kind of show. She was reluctant to let Jiang Mi do work she didn’t like for the sake of fame.
Plus, with Jiang Mi’s popularity gradually increasing recently, there were still opportunities to get good scripts, so this variety show was not a must.
“You don’t have to consider other things. I just think you might not like it, and your personality might not be suitable.” Zhao Jia was afraid that Jiang Mi would feel pressured and comforted her first.
Hearing this, Jiang Mi’s gaze lingered on Zhao Jia’s dark circles for a short time. She suddenly felt that she was very lucky to have met such a good manager.
She said, “It’s okay. If you think it’s a good thing, I can try it. It’s all fake anyway.”
She had seen that variety show. It was actually just like acting.
It was just that it might be a little unfair to the audience…
Zhao Jia looked at her and said, “We’ll talk about it then. For now, just focus on Spring.”
“How about…”
Before Jiang Mi could finish, a knock suddenly sounded at the break room door.
Zhao Jia opened the door and was surprised to see the person at the door. “Teacher Yan?”
Jiang Mi was looking down and tidying her clothes. Hearing this, her heart skipped a beat. She turned her head and saw that Yan Wei’s gaze was not on her, but on Zhao Jia. Even she could feel the pressure, and she couldn’t help but sweat for Zhao Jia.
She opened her mouth to break the atmosphere, and the next second, she heard Yan Wei’s cool voice come in, “I’m looking for Jiang Mi.”
Zhao Jia paused, then naturally took a step back. “Oh, okay. Teacher Yan, please come in.”
Jiang Mi: “…” Aren’t you giving way a little too quickly?
She braced herself and asked with a smile, “Is something the matter, Teacher Yan?”
Yan Wei stepped in with her high heels, her gaze lightly sweeping the room. “To run lines.”
“But we don’t seem to have any scenes together today.” Jiang Mi recalled for a moment. It should be said that their scene together today was supposed to be under the scorching sun, but because today was cloudy, it had been canceled.
Hearing this, Yan Wei looked at her for a few seconds, then turned to look at Zhao Jia. There was a smile in her eyes, but her tone was a bit gloomy. “Could I trouble you to step out for a moment?”
Zhao Jia looked at Jiang Mi, was silent for a moment, and then replied, “Then I’ll go out and make a call.”
Jiang Mi took a breath and glared at her traitorous teammate. Before leaving, Zhao Jia only gave Jiang Mi a look that said, “Don’t offend her.”
Yan Wei’s gaze shifted from her darting eyes. The dull sound of high heels echoed in the room. Yan Wei walked to the door, turned to stare at Jiang Mi, and put her hands behind her back.
The “click” of the door being locked from the inside, along with a gust of wind from the window, blew into Jiang Mi’s ears.
Jiang Mi swallowed, her face still calm. “Teacher Yan, we don’t need to lock the door to run lines, do we?”
Yan Wei didn’t speak. She walked to a wooden chair not far from Jiang Mi and sat down. The gloomy atmosphere lasted for a few seconds.
“Jiang Mi, what do you want?”
Jiang Mi was silent for a moment. Wouldn’t Yan Wei know what she wanted? Asking like this was more like asking her to beg for something. Was she some kind of puppy?
She said, “I don’t want anything.”
I don’t want anything.
What Yan Wei meant was that as long as it didn’t involve emotional entanglements, she could satisfy any other desire Jiang Mi had. She was very restless. Last night, she had only slept for a little while with the help of alcohol. There was always a needle in her heart, pricking her terribly.
Hearing the answer, Yan Wei took a deep breath without showing it. The milky pheromone scent was in her nostrils, on her glands, like something furry rubbing against her.
Suddenly, she figured it out.
“Alright.” Yan Wei looked at her and said, “Let’s give it a try.”
She wanted Jiang Mi to be in her line of sight right now. Anything was fine. She wanted Jiang Mi to throw away this attitude. She wanted Jiang Mi to nod at her.
Hearing this, Jiang Mi was silent for a moment. She put the clothes in her hand on the stool next to her, looked up at Yan Wei, and after two seconds, walked towards her.
Finally, standing in front of Yan Wei, she bent down slightly, lowered her head, and stared at Yan Wei’s eyes, as if only by doing so could she see the real reaction inside.
She asked seriously, “Try what?”
Whether it was dissatisfaction or the comfort of the Alpha’s scent approaching, Yan Wei narrowed her eyes slightly. Her fingers moved as if stimulated, and the wounds on her palm and ankle itched finely.
Her knees tightened and closed in reaction.
Yan Wei’s lips parted slightly. Suddenly, Shen Ruoxi’s clear voice, along with a knock on the door, came from outside, “Mimi, I’ve thought of what to eat tonight.”
Jiang Mi was taken aback. Before she could react, her waist tightened. With the downward momentum, she lunged towards Yan Wei. Afraid of hurting Yan Wei, she subconsciously supported herself on the back of the chair behind Yan Wei. The tip of her ear brushed against Yan Wei’s cheek. In the intimate position of their necks being close, her whole body seemed to be dyed with the rich scent of rose and brandy.
“Mimi? Hello? Darling Mimi?”
Shen Ruoxi was still calling her from outside the door.
“Hiss—”
Jiang Mi only felt a sharp pain in her glands, as if her glands were about to be bitten off in the next moment.
