Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 202: Freezing Point

Yu Xia paused.

"Oh, are there any other guests waiting to pair up?"

He Ci frantically looked for people to inquire about it and told her the known guests: "Not clear yet. Apart from you, there’s already a couple and a pair of athletes. I heard the program is planning an elimination format, there should be five to seven pairs of guests."

There are still many slots left, so it’s not impossible for other "unassembled" guests to appear.

"If there are other guests waiting to pair up, try not to end up with Xie Qingci."

He Ci paused in surprise and asked her, "Why?"

She said matter-of-factly, "As long as it’s a man and a woman, there could be a chance of being paired as a CP. Idols naturally have many girlfriend fans, making it easy for me to be criticized. Pairing up with someone else would be less stressful."

"That’s true, but you weren’t like this before. What happened? Did your brother discipline you when you went home, and you decided to shut out love and ambition?"

"...Yes." She admitted promptly with a confidence that her future career map would cross the Arctic Ocean.

"If I don’t focus on work and earning money now, how will I have the face to see my elder brother in the future?"

He Ci: "Nice rhyme, I could get you into a rap variety show."

"No, no, no, no need! I can’t handle it!"

There was still a joyful atmosphere on the film set, but Yu Xia was feeling unwell. During breaks, she sat by the stove to roast chestnuts, curling up without moving.

The actor playing the male lead laughed at her, "You’re like Lin Daiyu now, maybe you should take on such a role in your next movie, the contrast might even make you popular."

Yu Xia stubbornly stretched out a finger from her thick clothing and shook it.

"You overestimate me. Don’t think Lin Daiyu is easy to play, maybe when my acting skills improve a bit. Hey, hey, hey, that chestnut is mine."

She stretched the finger to hook the warm chestnut with effort, her fair fingertip poking and scraping, rolling the chestnut bit by bit into her fire range.

Beneath her nail art sticker-free nails was a healthy pink, contrasted against the deep brown of the chestnut. Her index finger looked like a peach petal on a white jade rice cake.

The male actor couldn’t help but watch for a moment, only reacting with a bit of a flushed face when someone nearby coughed.

He Ci saw it all clearly and looked at Yu Xia herself, who was focused on peeling the chestnuts.

The falling flower has intentions, but the flowing water is heartless.

With chestnuts and the night, the first day of filming in the New Year was finally completed, and the group headed back to the hotel.

Yu Xia moved slowly, walking a bit behind and following everyone upstairs, when she suddenly heard someone shout:

"Xie is back?"

"Weren’t you sick? It’s not necessary to rush like this."

"Your face looks pale, make sure to get some rest."

Then came Xie Qingci’s calm and cold voice.

"Luo, Cai..."

"It’s okay, I’m much better now, coming back early not to delay everyone’s progress."

"Thank you all for your concern."

After exchanging greetings, everyone was about to go their own ways, but he still stood there, gazing directly at the crowd behind.

Someone sensibly made way, and everyone tacitly looked toward Yu Xia at the back.

"Yu Xia." Xie Qingci called to her, with a hint of hesitation and probing.

Yu Xia politely nodded, then put on her hat and, under the escort of He Ci and Mei, went straight back to her room.

Without speaking, looking at him, or smiling.

He looked down at the ground, looking desolate.

That night, everyone in the crew knew—Xie Qingci liked Yu Xia, but Yu Xia was starting to shun him.

Whereas before, Yu Xia might have only respected his feelings without responding, now she didn’t want to be associated with him at all, intentionally avoiding him.

Even if no one knew what exactly happened, it seemed normal upon reflection.

After all, Yu Xia was famous for kicking boyfriends aside for her career, let alone a mere admirer.

Yu Xia guessed what everyone was thinking, but she had no intention of paying attention.

She hadn’t responded to the calls and messages from Xie Qingci these days, and today, even with He Ci and Mr. Yang around, Xie Qingci, dragging his sick body here, couldn’t meet her alone.

Allowing her to remain sober.

Thus, as others would see the next day, her relationship with Xie Qingci had plummeted to freezing point.

In the morning on set, they ran into each other. While Xie Qingci greeted everyone, even specifically calling her, Yu Xia was occupied talking to others, not even turning her head.

During the walk-throughs, they were far apart. She seriously rehearsed her lines while eating chestnuts, leaving Xie Qingci with no chance to say anything beyond script.

Until the director moved their scene up to shoot first.

The clapperboard was struck, and the first take of scene 160 in "Burning Spring" began.

...

First Month of the Tenth Year of Yuanhe, the emperor passed away, and the Eleventh Prince seized control of the court, strictly banning extravagant practices within the palace, canceling the half-completed selection process, and punishing reckless royal offspring, struggling to stabilize the court.

Coinciding with a major victory at the border, the Eleventh Prince commanded Marquis Yongcheng, Ji Jin Yu, to return to the capital with his troops.

The journey from the border to the capital took two months, and the army’s return coincided perfectly with the blooming of peach blossoms.

The maids in the Marquis Mansion were already eagerly tending to the peach tree in the courtyard, thinking that once the Marquis returned, everything in the estate would surely improve.

Inside, Song Zhuozhi sat at the mirror while a maid drew her brows.

The paintbrush lightly traced a beautiful shape, but on the last stroke, it shook, and she slapped the wooden comb onto the table with a bang.

The maids and old servants in the room immediately knelt down.

With a sullen face, she flipped over the box containing jewelry.

"Get out!"

The maids, heads lowered, crawled out on their knees as Lu Jiu emerged from the corner, silently beginning to pick up the jewelry on the floor, putting them back into the box.

But Song Zhuozhi wasn’t concerned about this. She looked coldly at Lu Jiu and furiously questioned, "I told you to kill the emperor to pave the way for me! How did an Eleventh Prince suddenly appear?!"

In her plan, she should have supported a young puppet prince, manipulating the court from behind.

But the Eleventh Prince was already seventeen, cunning with tactics and justified in taking charge. How could she control him now?!

Lu Jiu remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Eleventh Prince is courageous and resourceful and will purify the court, managing it well."

"So what if he’s courageous and resourceful, am I then cowardly and foolish?!" She kicked him in the chest, angrily saying, "Or do you think it’s a grave disrespect for a hen to crow? Do you, like those pedantic stubborn people, believe women are naturally inferior to men?!"

Normally, her kick wouldn’t have affected Lu Jiu at all, but this time it knocked him over.

Lu Jiu fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Song Zhuozhi was stunned.

"You’re hurt?"

Only after saying it did she realize that killing the emperor wasn’t an easy task; there were so many Imperial Guards in the palace, all skilled, not to mention the emperor himself had Shadow Guards.

But the feeling of guilt never appeared in this "she."

"Come, get up, let me see."