Chapter 15

Xia Xi furrowed her brows and stewed over the issue a bit more, feeling she still couldn’t figure it out. Maybe Ye Xin had simply sprained her ankle and suggested she film first, while she was here overthinking it unnecessarily.
There was no need, absolutely no need!
She narrowed her eyes and cheerfully decided that since she couldn’t figure it out, she’d stop thinking about it. It wasn’t like the sky was falling, so why torment herself?
"Sister Xia Xi, you," Song Yuan, who had originally intended to persuade Xia Xi to stop dwelling on it, noticed that Xia Xi’s expression had visibly brightened. Her words of advice got stuck in her throat, leaving her feeling unsettled.
She should have known long ago, was Xia Xi someone who needed consolation? Song Yuan felt that she herself was the one most in need of reassurance.
"Oh, right." Xia Xi glanced at Song Yuan, who was sitting beside her with an unusually expressive face, and felt a flicker of confusion. But she didn’t dwell on it, instead asking in a calm tone about the gossip she’d been curious about, "Why was the scene scheduled for this afternoon pushed to tomorrow?"
"Funny you should ask, it’s because of Ye Xin again." Song Yuan immediately snapped out of her wandering thoughts. "During filming this afternoon, for some reason, Ye Xin just wasn’t in the right state. That scene where she first meets Lu Yisheng, she NG’d dozens of times. Either she suddenly forgot her lines, or she messed up her positioning. It’s like she went through every mistake a newcomer could possibly make."
"The director must have been furious." Xia Xi imagined the scene and shuddered inwardly. Even though Li Wen seemed young and even-tempered, Xia Xi had a feeling that when she lost her temper, it would be truly terrifying.
"Exactly. The director was already a bit unhappy with her after the ankle incident this morning. And then with her performance this afternoon, the director’s expression was downright scary. When I left, she was still stomping around and yelling. Who knows how late they’ll have to film to finish that scene."
Hearing this, Xia Xi froze for several seconds before asking, "Then Lu, I mean, the director and the others, won’t they be busy until very late?"
Song Yuan nodded. "Most likely."
Xia Xi glanced at the pastries on the table and suddenly said something completely unrelated to their previous conversation. "Song Yuan, I feel like having seafood congee from Yuqin Yuan tonight. Could you go buy me a bowl?"
Although Song Yuan was a little puzzled as to why Xia Xi suddenly wanted congee, her excitement overshadowed that doubt. After all, this was the first time since joining the crew with Xia Xi that she had been asked to run an errand. She stood up and said, "Sister Xia Xi, I’ll go get it for you right now."
“...”
Just as Song Yuan was cheerfully heading toward the door, Xia Xi suddenly called her back. After a moment of hesitation, Xia Xi reminded her with a conflicted expression, "Don’t forget to buy some for the director and the others too."
Seeing Xia Xi’s expression, Song Yuan paused, then nodded. "No problem."
A thought crossed her mind, maybe Sister Xia Xi didn’t actually want the congee for herself, but wanted to send some to the director and the crew. Could it be, just her imagination?
"Alright, hurry along. Be careful on the road, and come back soon."
Watching Song Yuan leave, Xia Xi let out a soft sigh, all her unspoken words dissolving into that breath. She felt like she was worrying over nothing, a classic case of meddling in others’ affairs. What did it matter to her whether Lu Yisheng was doing well or had eaten? Why was she so unnecessarily concerned?
Pursing her lips, she helplessly realized that she just couldn’t stop worrying.
What on earth is going on?
"System," Xia Xi, slumped listlessly in her chair, felt a bit bored and decided to chat idly with the system. She also voiced her confusion, "Why did Ye Xin intentionally twist her ankle to let me film first? What good does that do her?"
"She didn’t do it on purpose," the system’s voice remained emotionless. "Her ankle really was twisted, but she did intentionally let you film first."
So it really was twisted.
After spending so long in the entertainment industry, everyone seemed to overcomplicate simple matters, even someone like Xia Xi was no exception. She was stunned for a long while before saying, "So she really didn’t do it on purpose. I actually thought she was setting me up behind my back."
"You’re not wrong about that," the system’s tone was indifferent.
“...” Xia Xi was left speechless by the system and decided not to overthink it anymore. She asked directly, "What did she do?"
"Do you remember that director’s assistant who treated you so badly? Ye Xin was the one who told him to act rudely toward you. Her intention was probably just to provoke you into arguing with him, tarnishing your image, and maybe even making you storm off in anger."
Storm off in anger?
Xia Xi scoffed at the system’s explanation. "Even if I argued with the director’s assistant, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to storm off. At most, I’d just lose my temper."
The more she spoke, the less confident she became, as she suddenly remembered that she had actually considered storming off at the time,
"Really? Although Ye Xin’s tactic wasn’t particularly clever, it was very effective against the original host. She’d fallen for it many times before, and every time, she’d get so angry that she’d storm off. It worked like a charm every time. And based on my detection of your emotional fluctuations at the time, didn’t you also think about storming off?"
"Em," Xia Xi was left speechless again by the system’s remark.
"But don’t worry too much about it. Your emotions were mainly influenced by the original host’s personality, which made you so impulsive. The original host was very willful, a spoiled child who didn’t know any better. To be honest, with her infuriating personality, if it weren’t for Luo Chu’an and Da He’s protection in the entertainment industry, she would’ve been torn to shreds by others long ago. But she never realized that reality."
I feel like the system is talking about me, Xia Xi silently covered her face.
The system paused for a moment before explaining further to Xia Xi, "The drama 'Fate of Immortals' isn’t just a hugely popular IP, it also stars Lu Yisheng as the male lead. It’s the most anticipated TV series this year, and everyone is scrambling to be a part of it. The original host only got a role in this drama not because of her own abilities, but because of Da He’s connections. Da He has a good relationship with the investors, which is how Xia Xi was forced into the crew. And yet, she didn’t even appreciate it."
At this point, the system let out a surprisingly human-like sigh. Before Xia Xi could express her surprise at its unusual behavior, it continued, "Forcing someone into a production is pretty common in the entertainment industry, but the problem is that the original host’s acting skills were just too terrible. She basically ruined every drama she was in."
"Ruined every drama?" Xia Xi’s eyes widened involuntarily.
"Exactly. So when everyone found out she was going to act in this drama, they were all in despair, afraid she would ruin the TV series 'Fate of the Immortals.' That's why many people in the crew dislike you. In their eyes, your image is terrible, and they're eager for you to make a mistake and leave. Even the director was prepared to replace you from the very beginning."
Xia Xi: “...” Alright.
"It's only natural for Ye Xin to try every means to drive you away. If you leave, someone more suitable and with better acting skills will take your place, like the director's assistant's cousin, Lin Wei."
After hearing the system's words, Xia Xi felt a sudden clarity. She finally understood that she wasn't being targeted by just one person but by the entire crew, everyone was hoping she would leave the set.
No wonder Ye Xin's actions had a strange sense of coincidence, it was because it was the collective wish. Everyone tacitly allowed or even pushed for it to happen.
Her initial anger instantly dissipated. When she thought about the original host's acting skills, she even felt a bit understanding of Ye Xin's choice.
But is the name Lin Wei really that common in this world? Why does it keep coming up?
"Then why did Ye Xin try so hard to make me act first?" Although the system had given her some explanations, this point still puzzled her. "Is there any difference between acting first and acting later?"
"Yes," the system replied firmly. "Everyone knows Lu Yisheng's acting skills are exceptional, so Ye Xin understood that acting opposite him would make her own skills look terrible in comparison. That's why she wanted you to act with Lu Yisheng first. With the original host's acting skills, she wouldn't be the worst at least. She just didn't expect-"
"She just didn't expect me to perform exceptionally well. So now I understand why she kept NG this afternoon, she was under too much pressure." Xia Xi continued the system's train of thought. "Am I right?"
"Mm."