Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 145: Lingering Ghost

Song Qingya was dressed in a blue uniform, her long, glossy black hair braided over one shoulder. Her skin was fair, and her features were delicate and pretty.

She carried a basket filled with freshly bought vegetables and meat, planning to go home and cook.

’Tonight, I’ll make a pot of braised meat for Fei Jin and stir-fry some vegetables,’ she thought. ’It’ll be a light yet nutritious meal, perfect for my current condition.’

Suddenly, she noticed a familiar figure.

The figure flashed past, but it was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping quickly through the crowd. Sure enough, in the shadows at the corner of the supply and marketing cooperative, she saw an all-too-familiar face.p>

It was Song Chenglu.

Song Chenglu was wearing a green jacket that had faded to a grayish color, its hem somewhat frayed. Her hair was loosely tied in a bun.

Standing next to Song Chenglu was Yang Meiling.

Yang Meiling was short and chubby, wearing a dark blue woolen overcoat with a bronze Chairman Mao pin fastened to the collar.

One of her hands was braced against the wall, while the other tightly gripped Song Chenglu’s sleeve as she chattered on about something.

The two of them were hiding to the side, secretly glancing in her direction and whispering to each other.

They huddled in the shadows of the cooperative’s outer wall, their heads close together, voices hushed so low that only they could hear each other.

Song Chenglu would occasionally look up to glance at Song Qingya, her lips barely moving, her eyes filled with resentment and jealousy.

Yang Meiling, on the other hand, had a smile on her face. She nodded as she spoke, as if she were either egging someone on or plotting something.

Song Qingya felt that something was off, but she didn’t dwell on it and continued walking.

She frowned slightly as a sliver of doubt crossed her mind. ’What are they doing here?’

’And being so sneaky about it...’

’But on second thought, maybe it’s just a coincidence. Maybe they’re here to shop, too.’

Unwilling to stir up trouble, she averted her gaze and continued walking with her basket.

A gentle breeze rustled her hair, carrying a hint of early spring warmth.

Seeing Song Qingya’s serene appearance, Song Chenglu’s heart filled with bitter jealousy.

She stared at Song Qingya’s straight back, especially at her slightly rounded belly, and a burning hatred instantly flared in her eyes.

’By what right?’

’By what right does Song Qingya have everything?’

’She’s good-looking, has a good personality, married a good husband, and now she even has a child!’

’And what about me?’

’I have no prospects, people look down on me, and I can’t even hold down a job!’

’Why is her life so easy?’

’Not only did she marry Fei Jin, but she’s also pregnant. She even looks smug just buying groceries!’

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her fists clenched, and she wished she could rush over and slap her.

"Lu Lu, look! Song Qingya is right there!"

Yang Meiling had sharp eyes. She gave Song Chenglu a shove forward. "Here’s your chance. Do it!"

Though her voice was low, it was laced with incitement, and her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"What are you waiting for? She’s alone right now, and she’s pregnant. Who would suspect anything if she fell? Who knows, maybe the fall will even make her lose the baby!"

Song Chenglu hesitated. "There are so many people here... What if someone sees? That wouldn’t be good, would it?"

She subconsciously glanced around. People were coming and going on the street, but no one was paying them any attention.

But she was still afraid—afraid of being exposed, of people pointing and whispering, and of ending up in an even worse state herself.

Her lips were dry, her voice trembled slightly, and she unconsciously took half a step back.

Seeing her shrink back, Yang Meiling immediately provoked her. "Oh, scared now? Don’t you always say you want her to suffer some bad luck? She’s right in front of you, so why are you chickening out? I guess you’re all talk!"

She sneered, her eyes disdainful and her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"If you don’t have the guts, you might as well go home and do some embroidery! What are you doing here, pretending to be so tough?"

Provoked by her words, Song Chenglu’s temper flared.

She couldn’t stand it when people said she had no guts, especially when they called her "all talk" to her face.

She snapped her head up and shot Yang Meiling a vicious glare. "Who’s scared?! I just don’t want to cause a scene here!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Go on, hurry up!"

Yang Meiling urged, her voice laced with pressure.

She gave her a push forward, and Song Chenglu stumbled, nearly crashing into the wall.

But that push seemed to shatter her final line of defense.

Song Chenglu gritted her teeth and, steeling herself, walked toward Song Qingya.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down as she drew closer step by step.

Her heart pounded like a drum and her palms were slick with sweat, but only a single thought remained in her mind:

’Make her suffer. Let her know what it feels like to be trampled underfoot!’

"This will teach you to walk all over me."

She muttered under her breath as she walked, her voice nearly inaudible but dripping with venom.

She crept up behind Song Qingya. The soft sound of her soles on the stone slabs was masked by the noise of the street.

Suddenly, she thrust out her hand and pushed.

Song Qingya was walking when she suddenly felt a rush of air from behind. She instinctively dodged to the side and turned to see Song Chenglu’s hand frozen in mid-air.

In that instant, she tensed up, a chill running down her spine.

The force of the push rushed past her, and the basket nearly slipped from her grasp. She quickly steadied herself, her gaze locking onto the figure before her.

She saw Song Chenglu standing there, her right hand still hanging in the air, her expression a mixture of shock and embarrassment, like a thief caught in the act.

"Lu Lu, what are you doing?"

Her gaze turned cold, her brow furrowed slightly, and her eyes were as sharp as daggers.

Song Chenglu’s eyes darted away, not daring to look directly at her. "I... I didn’t do it on purpose. I just wanted to say hi to you, really. I was just trying to get a little closer..."

"Say hi?"

Song Qingya sneered, the corner of her lip curling up. "You call this saying hi? Sneaking up behind me and pushing me, almost making me fall to the ground? Is that your way of ’saying hi’?"

Stared down by her, Song Chenglu grew flustered and stammered out an explanation, "I, I... I really didn’t mean to hurt you. I just... I just..."

"Yang Meiling put you up to this, didn’t she?"

Song Qingya’s eyes suddenly narrowed and her tone grew heavy. The image of the two of them hiding and whispering at the corner flashed through her mind, and everything suddenly became clear.

Song Chenglu didn’t react in time and blurted out, "How did you know it was Meiling..."

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had let it slip. Her face contorted, and she hastily raised a hand to clamp over her mouth, her eyes filled with regret and terror.

A slight smile touched Song Qingya’s lips, but her gaze was icy.

’So it was her!’

’That woman is like a persistent ghost, always plotting, always setting traps!’

"Yang Meiling, get over here!"

Song Qingya raised her voice, her gaze shooting directly toward the figure not far away.

Hearing that the plot was exposed, Yang Meiling’s expression faltered. She inwardly cursed Song Chenglu for being a complete idiot.

’What an idiot! Can’t even keep her mouth shut. She exposed everything so quickly!’

"Qingya, why are you calling for me? I didn’t do anything!"

She suppressed her inner panic and forced a smile.

Song Qingya couldn’t be bothered to beat around the bush with her and asked coldly, "Did you or did you not tell Song Chenglu to push me? Don’t deny it. She’s already confessed. What else is there for you to argue about?"

"That’s nonsense!"

Yang Meiling immediately shook her head. "I just happened to run into Lu Lu and we chatted for a bit. How was I supposed to know she would do something like that? Don’t you go throwing accusations around and trying to frame me!"