Chapter 137
Chapter 137
“Look at you, acting like some diva with a tiny little role.” Ning Xi was practically laughing from anger.
“Hey, hey, hey! Ow!” Fu Zhi dodged Ning Xi’s broom while howling at the top of his lungs.
“Fine, fine! No matter how many lines it is, I’m willing to act, okay?!-Ow! Stop hitting me! I won’t make any more demands! Stop! Hitting! Me!”
“Too late.” Ning Xi tossed the broom aside with crisp efficiency. “You only get one chance. If you can’t grab it, there won’t be a second.”
No matter how Fu Zhi begged and wheedled after that-even trying to bribe her with money-Ning Xi refused to agree.
In the end, he could only leave, reluctant and resentful.
Before he left, he made a solemn vow: “If I ever let you trick me again, I’m a dog!”
Jiang Sheshe watched Fu Zhi’s furious retreating back, her smile especially gleeful. “Serves him right! He brought it on himself! Hahahahaha!”
Without anyone teaching her, she had perfectly performed the smug little villain kicking someone while they were down.
But the moment she turned around, she saw Ning Xi holding a small stack of bills that had appeared from who knew where, her eyes shining as she counted the money.
“? Where did that money come from?” Jiang Sheshe was shocked.
Ning Xi looked in the direction Fu Zhi had left and said mysteriously, “After Fu Zhi left, I found a thousand yuan in the place where he’d been standing…”
Jiang Sheshe was even more shocked. “So Fu Zhi left you money? Does the United Nations know about something this huge? Fu Zhi actually didn’t grab a megaphone and make sure the whole world found out?”
No matter how she looked at him, Fu Zhi did not seem like the kind of person to give in silent devotion…
Ning Xi shook her head at Jiang Sheshe with deliberate mystery, then revealed an extremely happy smile.
“Actually, I noticed he had money in his pocket, so I secretly took it from his pocket!!!”
Jiang Sheshe: “…”
That answer rendered even Jiang Sheshe speechless.
Ning Xi, however, excitedly waved a hand. “Everyone worked hard preparing for the performance today, so we’ll treat this money as our team-building fund. I’m buying everyone milk tea!”
Jiang Sheshe’s expression changed instantly. She coughed and said in a slightly awkward tone, “You’re treating me? I mean, I don’t really feel like drinking that fattening stuff today, but if you’re the one buying, I guess I can drink it. But I don’t want that Mixue or whatever-”
Ning Xi promptly covered Jiang Sheshe’s mouth before she could offend every loyal Mixue customer. “Then we’ll get something else.”
Anyway, only a fool wouldn’t spend money when they had it.
And so, Ning Xi ordered milk tea and little cakes for herself, Jiang Sheshe, Xie Lanchen, and the staff members who had been following her around filming during this period, treating it as afternoon tea.
After she paid, the thousand yuan was spent down to the last cent.
[??? I don’t care who you are, get out of Ning Xi’s body! Ning Xi could never be this generous!]
[Exactly. Isn’t Ning Xi usually obsessed with money? How could she possibly bear to spend this much treating other people, especially so many staff members…]
[Hahahaha, Puppy Ning just loves money. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have money. Ning Xi has actually always been really generous to staff. In the past, staff members often revealed that Ning Xi would buy them drinks or afternoon tea.]
[And haven’t you guys noticed while watching the livestream lately? Ning Xi always sounds stingy, but in reality, she’s spent a lot of money.]
[I remember now. Back when Ning Xi was still in a girl group, Wen Lu, who had the best relationship with her, once “complained” that Ning Xi couldn’t save money at all. She was forever repeating the cycle of “has money-buys random inexplicable things until it’s all gone-has no money-has money.” ]
[Why is that exactly like me? [blank stare]]
And sure enough, Ning Xi proceeded to play out the entire process the Danmaku had exposed.
At first: she tossed her brain aside and spent a thousand yuan treating everyone to afternoon tea.
Then: after looking at her empty wallet, she said to Jiang Sheshe, “The weather’s getting cold. My hands really want to warm up inside your wallet.”
Finally: she acted like nothing had happened and went right back to eating and drinking.
“Why isn’t Xiao Xie back yet? He’s been gone for ages.” Ning Xi had just scooped up a bite of cheesecake and was about to eat it when she suddenly paused and asked.
Jiang Sheshe finally realized it too. “Now that you mention it, yeah. I didn’t even notice he’d been gone so long.”
“It’s been almost half an hour.” Ning Xi looked at the time and murmured.
“Has it…” Jiang Sheshe nodded along, then suddenly shot Ning Xi a sharp look. “How do you remember it so clearly?”
Under Jiang Sheshe’s stare, Ning Xi’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
It was as if some secret she didn’t want anyone to know had been discovered.
Ning Xi laughed twice and used the motion of scratching her head to avoid Jiang Sheshe’s gaze. “Of course I remember. Xie Lanchen is my partner, after all. We still have to rehearse later.”
The reason was perfectly reasonable.
The moment Ning Xi said it, she instantly felt justified.
Exactly. What was wrong with caring about her own partner? What was wrong with her naturally good memory allowing her to remember how long Xie Lanchen had been out?
This was clearly a very normal thing!
Ning Xi looked at Jiang Sheshe with righteous confidence.
“Okay.” Jiang Sheshe took a bite of the little cake on her fork, clearly not overthinking it at all.
Ning Xi, who had prepared a whole pile of explanations: “…”
It felt like punching cotton.
Ning Xi angrily took a huge bite of cake to “vent.”
She wanted to end this inexplicable emotional fluctuation as quickly as possible.
But she remained a little distracted.
Ning Xi herself was completely unaware of the look on her face, but the shipping scholars analyzed it with perfect clarity.
[Earlier, when Ning Xi was unconsciously worried, she called him “Xiao Xie.” Later, when she felt guilty and wanted to distance herself, she called him “Xie Lanchen.” If this isn’t a crush, I’ll do a headstand and shit]
[Also, since when did Ning Xi ever pay attention to how long someone had been gone? Especially when there are little cakes and milk tea around. Her first priority actually wasn’t food, but Xie Lanchen!]
[She really, really pays attention to Xie Lanchen]
[Mom, the CP I’m shipping might actually be becoming real]
[First line: Ning Xi’s iron tree finally blooms; second line: Xiao Xie finally sees the light after all his suffering; horizontal scroll: Xi-Lan Flower is real]
The CP fans started celebrating like it was New Year’s.
After Ning Xi finished her cake, she discussed Jiang Sheshe’s role and lines with her.
There were only three lines, with no difficulty whatsoever. Jiang Sheshe only needed to play herself.
However-
After watching Jiang Sheshe repeatedly misremember her lines, plus do a runway walk comparable to Haiwa sleepwalking, Ning Xi fell silent for three seconds before exclaiming from the bottom of her heart:
“Great, it’s Jiang Sheshe. We’re doomed!”
Jiang Sheshe, completely unaware, spun, leaped, closed her eyes, and struck what she believed was a beautiful ending pose.
Ning Xi: “…”
Ning Xi pressed the index finger of her right hand to the bridge of her nose, covering her face. Suddenly, she understood exactly how Lin Suqing had felt back when she watched Ning Xi use the back of her own hand to stand in for the male and female leads’ kiss during her audition.
What a noisy farce…