SASCTC Ch 3 — What. On. Earth. Is. He. Up. To. This. Time?!

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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During the latter half of the meeting, Xu Qingli noticed Shui Miao’s phone beside her continuously vibrating, likely flooded with messages asking for advice.

Shui Miao’s gaze toward her had also subtly grown stranger.

Though socially anxious, Xu Qingli wasn’t stupid. She knew Wen Qiaozhou’s attention had now made her the center of everyone’s focus.

But she was utterly helpless and had no words that could possibly express how pained she was now.

Who could’ve guessed that despite keeping such a low profile, she’d still be singled out by Wen Qiaozhou?

Had she accidentally overplayed her hand and piqued his interest?

Or was he perhaps reprimanding her for tarnishing the image of the company’s artists?

When she asked Shui Miao, the latter looked surprised. “If even you don’t know, how would I?”

Shui Miao was already skeptical and clearly unwilling to open up to her.

Xu Qingli had anticipated this. Given the stark contrast between her personality and the original owner’s as well as Shui Miao’s incredibly sharp instincts, the discrepancies would inevitably surface. She had prepared several explanations for her sudden personality shift, and flimsy as they might be, any excuse would do. After all, their body remained the same, and no one could provide evidence of a soul swap.

But she never expected that her worries had actually been misplaced. Shui Miao not only wasn’t doubting her identity, but had now already rationalized the reason for her change instead. She seemed to think that Xu Qingli was deliberately trying to catch Wen Qiaozhou’s attention, and that she’d succeeded spectacularly.

Now even if she jumped into the Yellow River, Xu Qingli would never be able clear herself of the guilt. Too socially drained to bother explaining, she simply gave up.

Screw it. It’s already a mess now. Whatever.

As the meeting ended, the room erupted into chatter.

Xu Qingli’s sharp ears picked out discussions about her amid the noise, accurately catching words like “master manipulator,” “sea king,” “bound to backfire,” and “not necessarily a good thing.”

The situation had already diverged from the novel’s plot.

In the original novel, Wen Qiaozhou had confirmed Shu Ruan as the promotional film’s lead during the meeting. But tonight, no decision had been made, only that Xu Qingli was to be summoned for a discussion. To everyone else, this signaled that she was the most likely choice.

With a bitter sigh, Xu Qingli followed Shui Miao to meet Wen Qiaozhou.

Perhaps that sigh had caused her trouble. Just then, Wen Xiangxiang, who was seated in the row in front of her, suddenly stood, turning to glare at her before striding off with her chin raised.

Xu Qingli: “…”

The young heiress had always looked down on most people in the entertainment industry despite being a part of it. Sharing the Wen surname, it was only natural that she had assumed the promotional lead was hers by default.

In the novel, losing to Shu Ruan had infuriated her, and she’d later made trouble for the latter.

Now, Xu Qingli was probably the new target of her resentment.

This only deepened Xu Qingli’s depression. Unlike the female lead, she had a pile of scandals and no plot armor to shield her from Wen Xiangxiang’s wrath. She was afraid she had no way to deal with Wen Xiangxiang

What a nightmare.

Wanting to avoid any possible interaction with her, Xu Qingli stayed put, waiting for Wen Xiangxiang to leave first.

But as soon as Wen Xiangxiang left, Shu Ruan then also stood up.

Her figure and outfit made her impossible to miss, let alone Xu Qingli, who as a looks fanatic and despite her troubles, couldn’t help stealing a glance. Unexpectedly, Shu Ruan was looking right back at her. When their eyes met, Xu Qingli forced an awkward smile.

Shu Ruan smiled back, then leaned in and whispered, “What Wen Qiaozhou asked earlier was: ‘What are your thoughts on the promotional film?’”

With that, she walked away.

Xu Qingli froze for a moment. Was this considered a gesture of goodwill? Was the aloof female lead actively extending an olive branch toward her?

She turned to ask Shui Miao, who didn’t understand why she found it strange. “She’s just a nobody. Is it weird for her to show you goodwill?”

Xu Qingli: “…”

She had only been thinking of Shu Ruan as the female lead, forgetting that at this point, the female lead was still just a pearl covered in dust.

“Let’s go,” Shui Miao said flatly, seeming to be in a bad mood.

Xu Qingli had no choice but to follow her.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

The Wen Group had never placed much emphasis on the film and entertainment sector. Wen Qiaozhou rarely visited and didn’t have a dedicated office, temporarily settling for borrowing the space of Gao Xuan, the head of the artist department.

Gao Xuan was a chubby middle-aged man who loved to smile and appeared amiable, but in reality, was ruthless. Behind his back, everyone called him the “Smiling Tiger”—the friendlier his smile appeared, the harsher his methods.

However, at this moment, Gao Xuan’s smile toward Xu Qingli was absolutely genuine.

Earlier, Wen Qiaozhou had come from the conference room and immediately asked for Xu Qingli’s file, which he had been scrutinizing meticulously the entire time. Though his expression remained unreadable, just who was Wen Qiaozhou? Could anyone he personally took the time to investigate be someone simple?

So, regardless of their relationship, this girl Xu Qingli was not someone to be trifled with.

But to Xu Qingli, Gao Xuan was clearly the more terrifying one. After just one glance at him, she quickly averted her gaze and greeted softly, “Hello, President Wen. Hello, President Gao.”

“Hello, Miss Xu.” Gao Xuan beamed as he handed her a glass of water.

Xu Qingli thanked him and sat on the sofa, sipping the water quietly with her head down, pretending to be preoccupied with something.

After all, Shui Miao was here. She excelled at social interactions and would handle anything that came up. Xu Qingli just had to play dead.

Shui Miao hadn’t expected Xu Qingli to still be putting on such an act at this point. She secretly labelled her as a “dog,” but at the same time, couldn’t help but admire her. This level of acting was truly masterful, far surpassing her performances in front of other suitors. Her potential was indeed limitless.

If only she applied this acting skill to films and dramas, she would have long risen to become the company’s top star. Why then would she need to juggle so many admirers?

But she just wouldn’t listen. When it came to real acting, she was half-hearted, yet in daily life, she was a master performer.

Still, no matter how much she complained internally, as Xu Qingli’s agent—or more accurately, for their shared interests—Shui Miao had to step in. Just as she was about to speak up, Wen Qiaozhou beat her to it, addressing Xu Qingli directly, “Have you come up with an answer to the question I asked you earlier?”

Xu Qingli hadn’t expected that this big-shot CEO would be so fixated on that question that he’d actually ask again. Mentally thanking Shu Ruan profusely, she steeled herself and replied, “The greatest truths are the simplest ones. I think the simpler, the better.”

She lifted her head slightly as a courtesy, but her gaze only reached the tip of Wen Qiaozhou’s nose before she quickly lowered it again.

As for the answer itself, it was pure nonsense. She was sure Wen Qiaozhou wouldn’t be satisfied with it.

To her surprise, Wen Qiaozhou nodded. “Well said. In that case, you’ll be the female lead for this promotional film.”

“What?” Xu Qingli was so shocked that she forgot all about his intimidating gaze. Her head snapped up as she stared into his eyes, disbelief written all over her face. “You’re saying I’ll be the female lead?”

Wen Qiaozhou watched as the chibi version of her in his mind had already frozen in shock, her eyes turning into dizzying spirals like mosquito coils, with a giant line of text floating above her head: [Is he insane?!]

“Yes.” Wen Qiaozhou asked with great interest, “What? You think it’s beneath you?”

“It’s definitely not that,” Xu Qingli hurriedly waved her hands and shook her head. “I just feel… that someone else would be a better fit than me!”

“Who would be a better fit?” Wen Qiaozhou inquired.

Xu Qingli quickly replied, “Shu Ruan! Shu Ruan would be perfect!”

As the name “Shu Ruan” was mentioned, the little girl above her head took a few quick steps to the side with her short legs, and in the spot where she had been standing, another tiny figure appeared. This time, it wasn’t a chibi version of a person but a miniature model of a real person. Though small, the figure clearly had an enviable figure and striking, beautiful features. She was an undeniably stunning woman, with even a halo of colorful light surrounding her.

Meanwhile, the original chibi girl had her fists pressed against her lips, gazing at “Shu Ruan” with starry-eyed admiration, sending little stars and hearts flying toward her with each biubiubiu from her eyes.

Wen Qiaozhou strongly suspected that the little girl’s drool might have already dripped out if she hadn’t used her hands to block her mouth.

“…”

For a moment, Wen Qiaozhou truly didn’t know what to say. Xu Qingli belatedly noticed the intensity of his gaze and immediately lowered her head.

Beside them, Shui Miao and Gao Xuan exchanged glances, neither daring to speak. What was going on now? Would President Wen get angry?

The office fell into an eerie silence.

Finally, Wen Qiaozhou turned to Gao Xuan. “Director Gao, do you have any information on Miss Shu Ruan?”

“Yes,” Gao Xuan replied, quietly breathing a sigh of relief as he quickly handed over the documents. “Miss Shu is also very outstanding.”

Since Wen Qiaozhou was coming, he had made preparations in advance. Just like in the original novel, he had been the most optimistic about Shu Ruan and Wen Xiangxiang, so their files had already been readily available for inspection.

Wen Qiaozhou took the documents and skimmed through them quickly.

Gao Xuan compared the speed at which he had reviewed the files of Xu Qingli earlier and could tell Wen Qiaozhou had little interest in Shu Ruan.

“Fine,” Wen Qiaozhou closed the file and turned to Xu Qingli. “Then it’ll be the both of you.”

Xu Qingli: “…”

She glanced up at Wen Qiaozhou briefly before quickly looking away again.

In that split second, Wen Qiaozhou saw the little girl above her head playing rock-paper-scissors with herself. She obviously still had something to say but wasn’t sure whether to voice it.

“Still have objections?” Wen Qiaozhou asked flatly, his tone neutral.

Even Gao Xuan couldn’t help but worry for Xu Qingli. When he himself used that tone, it usually meant his patience was running thin and he was already getting angry.

Xu Qingli was also afraid, but she really didn’t want to participate in this promotional video. Gritting her teeth, she whispered, “If you need two female leads, I think Wen Xiangxiang would also be… a great choice.”

After speaking, she cautiously peeked at Wen Qiaozhou’s expression.

Wen Qiaozhou actually did know Wen Xiangxiang, though not very well, and his impression of her was rather mediocre. He’d heard she was arrogant and had a princess syndrome.

Yet, the image he saw above Xu Qingli’s head was vastly different from his impression. It was a young girl in ancient Chinese attire with only her profile visible while even her facial features remained indistinct. Just a few simple strokes outlined her silhouette, yet the overall impression she gave was one of grace and dignity, like that of a genuine princess.

Wen Qiaozhou suddenly grew curious about what kind of image he had in Xu Qingli’s mind.

“Including Wen Xiangxiang is fine too,” Wen Qiaozhou agreed readily after a brief consideration. “Then it’ll be the three of you together.

To be honest, he had other purposes for coming this time. The casting for the promotional video had just been incidental and wasn’t of much importance to him. If he had to personally oversee every single one of these trivial matters, he would have been exhausted long ago.

So, although he made an appearance, he hadn’t actually planned to select anyone himself, and had originally intended to leave this task to Gao Xuan.

The appearance of Xu Qingli had been an accident and was something completely unexpected

He chose Xu Qingli as the female lead to further observe her and understand why she was different from others. Perhaps through her uniqueness, he could find the reason behind his own supernatural abilities.

But now, the three distinct character images in Xu Qingli’s mind had genuinely given him some ideas for the promotional video.

As soon as he said this, the remaining people were completely stunned.

Gao Xuan wondered if President Wen was possibly being too indulgent with her. Did he agree to everything, just like that? This Xu Qingli seemed to be even more extraordinary than he imagined.

Shui Miao wondered what kind of game Xu Qingli was playing now. Didn’t she used to despise Shu Ruan and Wen Xiangxiang? Why would she possibly recommend those two?

Xu Qingli, on the other hand, had only one thought: I give up, just let the world end already!

She didn’t want to speak anymore and couldn’t even be bothered to look at Wen Qiaozhou.

Wen Qiaozhou seemed to read Xu Qingli’s mind and leisurely asked, “Is there a fourth person you’d like to recommend?”

Xu Qingli was innately timid, and no matter what thoughts she had in her heart, she didn’t dare to confront Wen Qiaozhou directly. She replied softly, “No, there’s no more.”

Wen Qiaozhou’s intention was already very clear: he would accept everyone she recommended, but she herself wouldn’t be able to escape either.

Xu Qingli didn’t know why he was doing this, but she didn’t want to make her interpersonal relationships any more difficult.

“Alright then,” Wen Qiaozhou didn’t say anything more. “You can go back now. President Gao will contact you when it’s time to film.”

Xu Qingli sighed in relief and quickly stood up to leave.

Just as she reached the door, she heard Wen Qiaozhou call from behind, “Xu Qingli.”

Xu Qingli instinctively turned around and met his gaze.

Wen Qiaozhou just wanted to see what image he had in her mind.

But when she turned back, no image of him appeared above her head. Instead, the adorable chibi version of her suddenly knelt down with a thud, shedding two thick streams of noodle-like tears, while a line of speech bubbles slowly popped up above her simultaneously: What. On. Earth. Is. He. Up. To. This. Time?!

Wen Qiaozhou: “…”

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i’ll be on hiatus starting from the 10th of nov until the end of the month TAT i’ll be on vacay so won’t have time to update any of my series except for rhrpaw which i have a phat backlog for! so this series will return on the 26th of november! thanks for understanding ◡̈

anyways, i just love when the WQZ can’t get what he wants from the XQL AHHHH MY DAUGHTER OTZ

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