A ten-thousand-character self-criticism!
In all the years since graduation, I haven't written that many words with all my hands and feet combined!
And today, I've penned a full ten thousand characters, stroke by stroke! The worst part is, I wasn't even allowed to look up characters I didn't know on my phone, so I had to rely on pinyin…
The most agonizing part was when I handed it to Director Zhou, and he actually read the whole thing meticulously, even circling typos and misplaced punctuation?!
Xia Weiliang and Chu Qiao were stunned. Has the bar for actresses gotten this high now? They have to excel in both acting and academics?
After correcting the typos, Director Zhou then demanded that the two of them read each other's self-criticisms aloud in front of him, requiring them to embody the other's role, filled with remorse and deep guilt…
Emerging from Director Zhou's studio, both felt their energy reserves depleted. They exchanged a glance, snorted, and turned to leave.
They were both thinking the same thing: if they spoke another word to each other, they'd be pigs!!
Chu Qiao never dreamed that on her first day joining the cast, before doing anything else, she'd end up writing ten thousand characters, her wrist aching from the effort.
Qichi wasn't around, so she planned to head back to her room to rest.
As she passed the temporarily constructed prop room, she vaguely heard muffled sounds from within.
Then, came deliberately lowered curses.
“Heh heh, tough luck for you… These were originally meant for that b*tch Xia Weiliang! Since she's not here, you’ll take it for her!”
Upon hearing the name “Xia Weiliang,” Chu Qiao's steps faltered, and her expression tensed. She couldn't help but press her ear to the door.
Someone inside was sobbing, their voice trembling heartbreakingly, interspersed with rustling sounds of struggle.
“She got me fired from the crew, ruined my reputation in this industry, and even my master avoids me… Heh heh, if I’m not doing well, Xia Weiliang won’t have an easy time either! I’ve got nothing to lose now, I want to kill her!”
Without a second thought, Chu Qiao turned and ran back.
Not far away, Xia Weiliang was searching everywhere for her little Nuomi, asking everyone, “Has anyone seen my silly girl?”
“Xiao Xia!”
Chu Qiao had long forgotten her vow about being a pig if she spoke to her again. She grabbed her and said, “Nuomi is in danger right now!”
Hearing that Nuomi was in danger, Xia Weiliang turned and grasped her arm, “Where is she?”
After confirming the location, she surveyed her surroundings, casually picked up a wooden stick, and said, “Before we figure things out, let's not make a big scene. Help me find Song Yuan! She's in the stunt team!”
“Got it!”
Chu Qiao didn't ask further and turned to leave.
After a couple of steps, she stopped again, “Hey, be careful.”
Xia Weiliang hefted the stick in her hand, her eyes about to spew fire, “Dare to touch my little Nuomi, and I’ll send them to their grave right now!”
At that moment, inside the prop room, Nuomi was cowering in a corner, her mouth sealed with tape, her limbs bound. She shivered fearfully, her big round eyes fixed on the snake slithering around her feet…
Wuuu—
Nuomi was so scared she forgot to cry, her face ashen, large beads of sweat on her forehead.
Across from her, Yao Qian sneered, holding her phone up to capture a close-up of her terrified face, “That’s right, just like that…”
For her, who was now like a rat crossing the street, only their fear provided the greatest comfort.
Heh, this was the consequence of ruining her!
Xia Weiliang had the luck of the devil, being kept by Director Zhou to write a self-criticism, so this little assistant who walked into a trap would have to suffer in her stead!
The snake was over a meter long, flicking its tongue intermittently, and it slowly crawled onto Nuomi's feet, then began to slide up her pant leg…
“Mmm—”
Nuomi’s tears burst forth from fear.
“Hahaha…”
Yao Qian laughed even harder, “That’s right, just like that… My darling! Bite her! Bite her quickly!”
Bang—
The door was kicked open at that moment.
Yao Qian was startled. Upon seeing the person standing at the door, she first panicked, then her face contorted with ferocity.
“Xia Weiliang! You finally showed up!”
Xia Weiliang ignored her completely, her gaze immediately falling on little Nuomi in the corner, and the snake creeping towards her pant leg…
Xia Weiliang was most afraid of these crawling, soft-bodied creatures, but seeing this scene, her head buzzed and exploded. She completely disregarded her fear, all reason thrown to the wind!
She strode over, grabbed the snake by its tail, and yanked it out. The snake, quite agile, felt threatened and turned to bite her hand. Xia Weiliang gritted her teeth and hurled it violently against the wall!
“Nuomi, are you okay?”
She rushed over and tore the tape off Nuomi's mouth. The little girl immediately burst into wails, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Okay, okay, don’t cry, I’m here!”
Nuomi was truly terrified and just kept crying, unable to utter a single word.
Yao Qian knew the matter would be exposed sooner or later, so she decided to go all out. She took a bottle from her bag, “Xia Weiliang! Go die!”
She raised it and aimed it at Xia Weiliang, about to spray—
Suddenly, her wrist was fiercely grabbed. Before she could press the nozzle, the glass bottle fell to the ground and shattered, releasing a pungent odor that quickly spread through the room!
“Yi Ge!”
Yan Zhi rushed in and saw his company's film emperor holding the woman’s hand, with what looked like sulfuric acid on the floor, emitting a terrifying hissing sound as it corroded the plastic props.
Xiao Yi’s face was ashen. This time, he was truly enraged!
He flung Yao Qian away, “Call the police!”
“Yes!”
Yan Zhi held Yao Qian down while pulling out his phone to make a call. Yao Qian cried and ranted, vehemently denying everything, even falsely accusing Xiao Yi of attempting to assault her!
Xiao Yi walked up to Xia Weiliang and was about to speak when he suddenly froze.
Xia Weiliang's hand was bleeding, clearly showing two blood holes from snake fangs.
His expression darkened further. He grabbed her wrist and was about to leave, “I’ll take you to the hospital!”
Xia Weiliang abruptly broke free, “It’s fine, the snake isn't venomous!”
She had once been a guest on a popular science program about snakes, and had learned how to distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes.
She got up, picked up the stick at her feet, and said, “Yan Zhi, close the door!”
“Got it!”
Yan Zhi understood her intention and directly pushed Yao Qian inside. The door slammed shut. He stood guard at the entrance, claiming they were practicing a fight scene inside to anyone who asked!
“I can overlook anything you do to me! But, you made a mistake by touching my people!”
Her words were measured, her fair cheeks flushed with fierce determination.
This was the first time Xiao Yi had ever seen Xia Weiliang like this: focused and dangerous.
He didn't stop her, but stepped back, allowing her to vent her anger.
Screams from Yao Qian echoed from the prop room, “She’s hitting me… A movie star is hitting someone! Help… Call the police, I want to call the police…”
Yan Zhi stood by the door, silently cheering for his empress in his heart:
Go Empress! Go Empress!
Suddenly, something slid past his feet. He looked down, startled.
“What the heck! A snake!!”
Just then, Song Yuan ran over. Upon seeing the snake, she reacted quickly, decisively gripping it by its seven inches and lifting it. “It’s fine, it’s just a grass snake. By the way, where’s Nuomi?”
“She’s inside…”
Yan Zhi suddenly realized, “Damn it! No way? Using a snake to scare little Nuomi? This woman is too wicked!”
Song Yuan's face changed upon hearing this. She raised her foot and kicked the door open, entering with the snake!
Yan Zhi was about to follow when the door slammed shut again—
Song Yuan said, word by word, “Second Brother, please stand guard outside!”
Yan Zhi instantly grasped the implication.
“No problem!”