MGG - 17

Chapter 17: The Bell

After parting ways with Qin Xiao on bad terms, Su Ling spent the entire night plagued by nightmares.

It was the second August after she broke her leg.

The first time she met Qin Xiao’s mother, Madam Wen Xian, she had been napping in the villa while Qin Xiao and Wen Xian were having a conversation.

Madam Wen said, “Are you still keeping that woman? This one has lasted too long. I heard her leg is ruined. Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for her?”

Qin Xiao chuckled lightly. “She’s still young—only twenty-two, right? Have you seen anyone prettier than her? If so, send her over, and I’ll replace her immediately.”

“Nonsense!”

Qin Xiao didn’t care. He lounged on the sofa with his legs crossed, appearing completely nonchalant.

Madam Wen continued, “What will Xiaoya think about this?”

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow. “What can she think? She’s Mrs. Qin. So what if I keep a mistress? If she doesn’t like it, she can get herself one too.”

Madam Wen became so angry her chest hurt, and she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Su Ling stood at the corner of the second-floor landing, quietly observing from above.

Qin Xiao looked up and caught sight of the hem of her white dress. His expression immediately changed, and he rushed upstairs, visibly flustered. “Lingling, did you hear anything?”

Sunlight poured down, giving her a peaceful, lazy look as though she had just woken up.

She was barefoot, not wearing any shoes, and a string of purple gemstones adorned her ankle. That leg—the one she had broken—could walk but only slowly. It occasionally ached when it rained.

She smiled at him. “Is something wrong? I just woke up.”

He exhaled in relief, pressing her head against his chest. She could hear his rapid heartbeat—he truly had been nervous.

Her expression remained calm.

There was no sadness or sorrow. She simply hated how young she was, only twenty-two.

But it didn’t matter much. A woman’s prime years were fleeting; in a few years, she wouldn’t be beautiful anymore.

This was also the first time Su Ling realized she could act. Qin Xiao fell for her performance hook, line, and sinker.

Unfortunately, she never got to see how things would unfold.

As she died, she reflected on whether his feelings were genuine or false, which words were true and which were lies. She had grown tired of living that way. If given another chance, she vowed never to repeat the same mistakes.

Never again.

She wouldn’t break her leg, lose her only friend Yun Bu, endure being pointed at and whispered about on the streets, or die alone in the dark.

________________________________________

When Su Ling arrived at the set the next day, her spirits were low. But she knew this was her first acting role, and she hadn’t yet fully grasped the character of Jiuli. Today was crucial for her.

Summoning her strength, she politely greeted everyone she encountered on set.

The crew greeted her warmly in return.

A woman who had sat beside her during dinner the previous night hesitated before pulling her aside. “Su Ling.”

“Senior Liu.”

“Just call me Sister Liu.”

“Alright, Sister Liu.”

In the drama, Liu played the instructor for all the characters in the Yuenü Pavilion. Leaning close to Su Ling, she whispered, “Be careful when you’re acting opposite Ren Bingxue today. Try not to provoke her.”

Ren Bingxue was the current actress cast as Ruan Dai.

Su Ling nodded quickly. “I understand. She’s my senior, and I’ll learn from her.”

“Oh, child,” Sister Liu sighed. Her own daughter was around Su Ling’s age, and she feared Su Ling might end up at a disadvantage later. Lowering her voice conspiratorially, she said, “Ren Bingxue has powerful backing. Do you know Young Master Qin of Qingyu Entertainment?”

Su Ling’s eyes widened.

Sister Liu thought she had scared her and couldn’t resist indulging in some gossip. “They say Young Master Qin came to the set specifically to see her. Early this morning, Ren Bingxue disappeared, and people are saying she went to have breakfast with him. But no one dares to say anything.” Sister Liu snorted. “These youngsters—they don’t take the right path. If they want to go far, it’ll be tough.”

Su Ling glanced around. Sure enough, many people were whispering, likely discussing how Ren Bingxue had secured powerful backing.

She felt speechless. Was this fate reversing roles? In her past life, she had probably been at the center of such rumors. She thanked Sister Liu and made a mental note of the warning.

True to expectation, Ren Bingxue arrived in the afternoon, accompanied by someone holding an umbrella for her and an assistant carrying her bag. She carried herself like a top-tier star despite being a third-tier actress.

Wan Baibai sneered faintly, finally embodying her icy beauty persona.

Su Ling was memorizing her lines under the eaves when Wan Baibai approached her. “Do you have scenes with her today?”

Su Ling looked up, her porcelain-like face breaking into a smile when she saw Wan Baibai. “Yes.”

Wan Baibai skimmed the script and furrowed her brows. “This scene is where Jiuli confronts Ruan Dai, right?” The story began before the female lead’s reincarnation. In her past life, the female lead was a concubine-born daughter of a noble family, and Ruan Dai had played a role in her death.

Thus, the female lead’s junior sister, Jiuli, directly abducted Ruan Dai to avenge her.

In this scene, it was inevitable that Ruan Dai would suffer. With today’s events, Ren Bingxue’s status suddenly became untouchable. Once someone grew arrogant, it would be easy to offend her during their scenes.

Wan Baibai advised, “Be careful during the fight choreography. Don’t accidentally hit her.”

“Thank you, Shadow Empress Wan. I’ll be careful.”

Wan Baibai pouted. “What Shadow Empress? Just call me Baibai. And don’t call me Sister Wan—it makes me sound old.”

Su Ling smiled softly, feeling warmth and peace in her heart. “Baibai.”

“Aww~ I’ve got your back~”

Su Ling went to change into her costume. Jiuli wore flowing white ancient-style robes, even her shoes were snow-white, and a red string tied bells to her ankles. The outfit radiated ethereal charm.

The only thing that made Su Ling uncomfortable was the lack of socks.

Jiuli had grown up in the mountains under Master Qingxuanzi, unfamiliar with societal norms. Her character was someone who had run barefoot through the mountains as a child.

Su Ling sighed. At least she had shoes—it wasn’t a big issue.

She had spent the entire morning memorizing her lines, committing all of Jiuli’s dialogue for this scene to memory. Su Ling was excited to play Jiuli. The character was endearing, with a stark contrast between her immense martial prowess and innocent personality. If she could pull it off, she could pay off her debts and take better care of her grandmother.

Once the lights and props were ready, Director Wen gave the signal: “Action!”

________________________________________

Jiuli crept into the Chancellor’s residence, sneaking in through a dog hole. Ruan Dai sat in her room reading a letter, a cold smirk on her face. “Finally dead.”

Jiuli crouched on the roof, her face filled with anger as she glared at Ruan Dai. “So you really are a villain. Good. You’ll be the first.” With agile movements, she leapt down from the roof and struck Ruan Dai with a swift chop.

Ruan Dai immediately fainted, and Jiuli dragged her to a mountain stream.

Beside the stream was a small waterfall. Jiuli sat in a tree, waiting for Ruan Dai to wake up and interrogate her about the truth behind her senior sister’s death.

At just fifteen years old, Jiuli’s expression was indignant as she munched on a fruit, her feet swinging back and forth.

When Ruan Dai opened her eyes, her gaze swept across a certain point and froze.

Director Wen quickly called, “Cut!”

Ren Bingxue hurriedly apologized. “Sorry, I wasn’t in the right state earlier.”

Director Wen wasn’t sure whether the rumors from the morning were true or false, so he refrained from reprimanding her and simply waved his hand. “Let’s try again. Is everything alright?”

Su Ling, perched on the tree, nodded. Ren Bingxue also nodded, her gaze wandering until it landed on a man sitting casually beside the crew.

Young Master Qin had arrived!

His gaze was cold as he looked toward them.

But Su Ling, with her back to him, didn’t see.

Ren Bingxue was thrilled. I must perform well! Young Master Qin is watching me!

Qin Xiao was seated nearby. Despite his disdain for studying, his vision was impeccable. His gaze passed over Ruan Dai, who lay sprawled on the ground, and landed on the girl in the tree munching on a fruit.

It was nearing July, and the mountain stream was shrouded in mist, the waterfall tinkling melodiously.

Her white gauze dress flowed down, revealing her delicate, exquisite ankles adorned with two bells.

As the wind blew, the bells chimed softly.