Chapter 9

The next day, when Xia Xi regained her composure, she recalled how foolish she had acted, fawning over Lu Yisheng the previous night, and felt an overwhelming urge to slap herself silly.
He's just a man, two eyes and one mouth! Just because he smiled at me a few times and said a few words, I got so bewitched I lost all sense of direction. How utterly embarrassing!
At this thought, Xia Xi let out a frustrated groan and buried her face in her pillow.
"Sister Xia Xi, Sister Xia Xi"
Just as she was rolling around miserably in bed, a series of knocks sounded at the door, followed by an unfamiliar voice calling from outside.
Huh? Who’s looking for me so early?
Slightly puzzled by the voice outside, Xia Xi quickly got out of bed, tidied herself up, and opened the door.
Standing there was a young woman with delicate features, smiling at her. "Sister Xia Xi, hello. I was referred by Brother He. My name is Song Yuan,"
Hearing this, Xia Xi immediately realized that this girl, Song Yuan, must be the assistant Da He had found for her. She scrutinized Song Yuan carefully, taking in her youthful appearance, and couldn't help but wonder inwardly:
This girl looks even younger than me. Can she really handle the job?
Despite her doubts about the girl's capabilities, Xia Xi showed none of it on her face. When it came to matters unrelated to romance, Xia Xi was quite sharp.
"Sister Xia Xi, have you had breakfast yet? I happened to buy some from the morning market. Would you like to share some?" Song Yuan, of course, had no idea what Xia Xi was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have minded.
Song Yuan knew that words alone were useless, only through her actions could she earn others' trust.
"Breakfast?" Xia Xi hesitantly took the assortment of food from Song Yuan, glanced over it briefly, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. Impressive, these are all my favorites.
It seems this girl did her homework.
Xia Xi raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly. "Thank you."
"No need to be so polite, Sister Xia Xi. This is what I should do. Brother He specifically instructed me."
Da He instructed her?
Xia Xi doubted that someone as careless as him would think of such details, but she kept her thoughts to herself, merely smiling faintly in silence.
Today was the crew's opening ceremony, mainly for everyone to get acquainted over a meal, so Xia Xi wasn’t in a hurry to head to the set. After finishing breakfast, she went back to bed for a nap, only making her way to the set leisurely once she felt fully rested. By the time she arrived, the entire crew had already gathered, and the opening ceremony was about to begin.
As luck would have it, the moment Xia Xi stepped inside, she spotted Lu Yisheng standing beside the director. At the same time, he happened to turn his head in her direction, and their eyes met instantly. Xia Xi froze for a moment, then awkwardly averted her gaze, pretending not to care as she made her way to a corner.
Although every TV drama has a launch ceremony, the procedures are mostly the same. For newcomers acting for the first time, it might be exciting, but for seasoned veterans like Xia Xi, who had already filmed over a dozen dramas, such formalities had long lost their appeal. Bored, she stood in the corner, fighting off drowsiness.
After the incense-offering ritual, the director invited everyone to a meal to get acquainted. Xia Xi, who had been half-asleep, instantly perked up at the sight of the lavish spread on the table. She secretly swallowed her saliva, her eyes darting toward the delicious dishes. But since the director hadn’t finished speaking, she could only look on longingly.
So, when Xia Xi heard Li Wen conclude with, "May our drama achieve soaring ratings!" she stood up and applauded with great enthusiasm, then eagerly picked up her chopsticks to grab a piece of sweet and sour mandarin fish, tasty. Next, she tried a bite of mapo tofu, also delicious.
Not bad, the food at this restaurant was quite delightful.
"Xia Xi, Xia Xi, stop eating! Hurry and go toast Senior Lu Yisheng and Senior Ye Xin," Song Yuan, noticing her artist’s complete lack of social awareness, nudged her several times. When Xia Xi remained unmoved, Song Yuan sighed helplessly and snatched her chopsticks away.
"Song Yuan," Xia Xi pleaded pitifully, looking at the culprit who had taken her chopsticks, "I haven’t finished eating yet. Let me fill up first, okay?"
"Fill up later." Although brother He had prepared Song Yuan mentally before they came, she still felt a bit exasperated by the situation. Speaking as if coaxing a child, she said, "Go toast them first, then you can eat afterward. Be good."
Seeing Song Yuan’s determined expression, Xia Xi pressed her lips together. Knowing it was part of the dining etiquette in their country and that she had no reason to refuse, she picked up her glass and headed toward Lu Yisheng and Ye Xin.
One was the female lead of Fate of Immortals, a popular rising star; the other was the male lead, an actor of award-winning caliber. Watching Xia Xi, an unknown minor actress, approach with her glass, hastily say "Please take care of me," down her drink, and hurry back to her seat to continue eating earnestly, it was clear her toast had been exceptionally swift and to the point, no fuss, no lingering.
Song Yuan: “...”
Initially, Song Yuan hadn’t given up hope, wanting Xia Xi to chat with others, get familiar, and expand her network. But to her surprise, when she made the suggestion, Xia Xi just looked at her with pitiful, accusing eyes, as if to say, "You’re bullying me,"
"Forget it, I can't handle this."
Song Yuan sighed with a complicated expression and decided to let Xia Xi do as she pleased. She stopped insisting that Xia Xi socialize with others, allowing her to eat in peace while she herself picked up a wine glass to help Xia Xi get acquainted with the others.
Watching Song Yuan walk toward the crowd with her glass, Xia Xi’s eyes flickered with surprise, but her hand never stopped picking up food with her chopsticks.
Truth be told, Xia Xi had always loathed such social gatherings, even in her past life. They were bothersome and tedious. Seeing others wear fake smiles and chat cheerfully with strangers made her feel utterly disgusted.
Call her willful, call her pretentious, or say she suffered from extreme insecurity, whatever the label, she simply couldn’t bring herself to do it. Even though Xia Xi no longer had the luxury of being willful in this life, she refused to force herself into doing things that made her unhappy.
In her previous life, her agent had once pressured her to socialize at events like this. But it soon became clear that Xia Xi had a sharp tongue and ended up offending quite a few artists. Because of this, she went through several agents, and everyone believed that with a personality like hers, she would never make it in the entertainment industry.
To everyone’s astonishment, however, Xia Xi rose to fame through an obscure web drama. As a newcomer, her acting skills were remarkably impressive, earning high praise from many sharp-tongued film critics.
It went without saying, Xia Xi had a natural talent for acting.
Later, when the company saw the profits she could bring in, they assigned her another agent. Though this agent was constantly frustrated by her quirks, there was little he could do about it. His only solution was to advise her to speak less in public.
From then on, Xia Xi felt completely at ease. She avoided social events whenever possible, and when she couldn’t escape them, she focused on eating her fill. While others used these dinners to build connections and drink to their hearts’ content, Xia Xi made sure she left well-fed.
Looking back now, Xia Xi couldn’t help but feel that her rise to become a highly acclaimed actress in her past life was nothing short of a stroke of incredible luck.

The walk back to the hotel was quiet. Warm streetlights cast their glow on the ground as Xia Xi and Song Yuan strolled leisurely.
"Xia Xi," Song Yuan called out softly, turning her head to look at her. "I chatted with quite a few actors at the banquet and got a general sense of their personalities. Let me tell you about them so you won’t feel as nervous next time you meet. Ye Xin is a popular rising star in China, a bit spoiled, and she likes to hear sweet compliments. Actor Lu may seem aloof, but he’s actually the most down-to-earth,"
Xia Xi listened quietly to Song Yuan’s chattering, unconsciously lowering her head. She watched their shadows stretch long under the streetlights. Though the breeze carried a slight chill, a wave of warmth spread through her heart.
She didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling. Song Yuan was practically a stranger she had only met a few times, yet she had gone out of her way to do this for her,
Her previous agent had never patiently explained how to interact with others. On the surface, the agent would smile and praise her, but behind her back, she would complain to other agents about how difficult and arrogant Xia Xi was, lamenting how much she had to endure while managing her.
That agent was taking the salary she gave her while telling others how harshly she was treated, it was actually quite pitiful, wasn’t it?
Xia Xi blinked, then tilted her head to glance at Song Yuan, who was still chattering beside her, and the irritable Da He. A sudden sense of contentment welled up inside her.
Things were pretty good now.
The person walking beside her continued to speak unhurriedly, and the road ahead grew increasingly smooth and broad.