Xue Molin and Li Lingmeng stared at the man clutching his stomach and lying on the ground. They watched him tremble on the ground in pain with his head facing the floor. If it weren't for the fact they couldn't see his face because of his helmet, they believed they would be seeing a suffering expression on his face and maybe even some retching. Once again, they were able to witness Wen Jiexi's powerful and terrifying fighting abilities.
Wen Jiexi wrenched the purse out of his arms and then stood up to kick his knife far away from his reach. Although she would've stopped the man even without the mission, helping people and getting points while doing so naturally made her happier.
"Huff…T-thank…huff….thank you." The middle-aged woman ran over panting, her face pale and her hands on her knees as she thanked
"This is yours, right? Here you go?" Wen Jiexi handed the purse over to the woman and then glanced back down at the man. She asked,
"Do you want to call the police?"
"This…yes, call the police." The woman nodded and reached to pull out her phone.
"I've already called them." Xue Molin came over and said while shaking the phone in her hand.
"Little Xi! Behind you!" Li Lingmeng exclaimed and Wen Jiexi turned to see the man shakily stand back up. He was ready to tackle her and when she bent down quickly, grabbed his arm, and then flipped the man over her shoulder. The man crashed heavily against the ground and groaned. Tsh, tsk, this man's skill is much worse than the three I fought earlier. She didn't even feel like she moved at all and he had robbed someone with only a helmet and a fruit knife.
"Uh…is he still alive…" Xue Molin looked at the man lying on the ground and watched as he twitched. She seemed to have heard a crisp and solid sound just now. He couldn't have broken a bone or something unimaginable, right?
"He's fine, I know how to control myself. His arm just got dislocated when I flipped him over." Wen Jiexi explained and patted the man's shoulder. Then she lifted his arm and then there was another loud noise. She stood up and clapped her hands,
"Alright, it should be fine now."
Not used to the crisp sounds of bones moving in and out of place, the three other people present shivered a little. The man woke up and then fainted again when his arm got put in place, but of course, no one was looking at his face and so they didn't know….
The police came soon after. The robbery cases from this shopping mall were endless and the policemen in charge didn't pay much attention. However, when he heard the criminal was knocked down by Wen Jiexi, there was a surprise in his eyes. Wen Jiexi only smiled dryly in reply.
After watching the police leave with the criminal, they said goodbye to the woman who thanked her again and the three of them walked into the main square.
"Jiexi, I think if you didn't become an artist, you would've been a very promising bodyguard or something." Xue Molin rubbed her chin and smiled.
"Sister Xue, please don't make fun of me. I'm still a long way from being as good as a bodyguard." Wen Jiexi waved her hands helplessly.
"Hey, Little Xi, how about teaching me a move or two? You were so cool just now!" Li Lingemgn looked at Wen Jiexi with bright eyes.
"Hah, if you want to learn even one move you need to be in good shape. Otherwise, with how you don't even work out usually, you'll be just learning the motions." Wen Jiexi replied hotly. She always asked if Li Lingmeng wanted to work out together but Li Lingmeng would always give up after half an hour.
"Forget it then, that's too scary. You can just protect me in the future, Little Xi." Li Lingmeng thought about Wen Jiexi's exercise routine and shivered. That's just going to kill me, ok?
The three laughed and then arrived at the food corner of the main square. While they were having lunch and discussing which shop to start with, a forum post appeared on the internet.
# Saw a super awesome young woman! #(Picture)
The Forum Creator: I went out to the shopping center today with a friend and saw a person get robbed, but then the robber was knocked down by a super pretty young lady. The criminal was unwilling to quit and even tried to take advantage of the young lady's inattention when her back was turned, but then the young lady just flipped him over her shoulder!
"What the forum creator said is true! Here is a video my friend took on their phone: (video)"
"Damn, are all girls this awesome nowadays?"
"To have finished the fight in one move, I step down gracefully."
"Although the picture is a little small and too far away, I can tell the little lady is really pretty!"
"Is this photoshopped or CGI? Do women have such good fighting skills nowadays?"
"Hey, the comment above me! Are you discriminating against women?"
There were all kinds of comments on the Internet and who knew who dug it up, but they found that she was the girl who was newly signed on with Xingle. As they dug up more, they realized this pretty lady was actually the artist under a legendary top-tier artist and she was also the girl who was liked by Goddess Su!
Suddenly, Wen Jeixi's official Weibo account flooded with a large number of people and her follower count increased dramatically.
「Ding! Congrats, contractor, for reaching one million fans. The reward is 5,000 points.」
"Huh?" Wen Jiexi who was currently changing her clothes moved her hand and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
How did it reach one million? I didn't even do anything though?
"I don't know either." Dango floated over to Wen Jiexi and scratched its head puzzledly. Dango took out its personal phone and searched a little before exclaiming,
"Oh, oh, oh! Jiexi! Someone recorded your actions and then posted it on the internet. It's trending right now!"
Is that so?
"Yeah, and ah, there are a lot of people leaving you comments, but…some still have their doubts. Hmph. Jiexi, you clearly flipped the person over and many people saw it, why do they still doubt you?" Dango pursed its lips in dissatisfaction.
That's just how it is. Computer technology is very developed nowadays and it's quite easy to make a film that seems realistic. Wen Jiexi shrugged and grabbed a hook to hang her clothes.
"But it's real! Real!" Dango said angrily, smoke coming out of its head.
Yes, yes. Wen Jiexi could only helplessly pat Dango's head.
"Ah, Jiexi! You have a new name!' Dango shouted like it found a treasure.
Eh?
"You're now called, 「A Master in Sheep's Clothing」!"
????!!!!! What!!!
What is this?!! From being a The Cute Little Sheep to being A Little Sheep Foodie and now she was some Master in Sheep's Clothing?!! What the hell?! Couldn't they have come up with a nicer sounding title? QAQ
Wen Jiexi brushed open the curtain and saw Li Lingmeng scrolling through her phone and Xue Molin looking at her own tablet with a smile from time to time. When she saw Wen Jiexi come out, she gave her a thumbs up.
"Aiya, Jiexi, your fans are really awesome! They're calling you a 'Master in Sheep's Clothing!' Hahaha! Leave it to them to come up with something like this! Hahaha!"
Wen Jiexi: "…." I feel so unloved!
During her next three days of vacation, other than studying the scripts or hitting the gym, Wen Jiexi also took the time to go home. After all, she has been so busy for the past month that she didn't even go home once.
As soon as she arrived home, her parents prepared a big meal for her. Tan Yashi (her mother) sat her down on the sofa and almost had her daughter sit in her lap. She asked about this and that, what has she been doing and whether or not she was getting bullied. She almost wanted to tie her daughter to her so her precious daughter would never leave her side!
Wen Shan who also wanted to hug his daughter: QAQ
The Wen Linshu who gets scolded by his parents every day constantly suffered by their questions asking why he won't let Little Xi go home, why he was giving her so much work and when he would finally get to return to his precious baby sister: QAQ
It's unfortunate that the two men were facing the good-tempered Tan Yashi. They didn't dare to reach out and snatch Wen Jiexi from her arms because…when my wife/mom stops smiling, then we will die! They could only bite their handkerchief and quench their longing from afar.
At the gym, during one of her workouts, Wen Jiexi was running the treadmill…
"Huff…."
BANG!
The door crashed open and the loud noise almost caused Wen Jiexi to faceplant on her treadmill. Fortunately she reacted quickly or else not only would her face be disfigured, but her body would also be injured too.
"What's wrong, Little Meng? What's with all the panicking?" Wen Jiexi asked Li Lingmeng and picked up the towel next to her.
"Why bother asking, don't you already know that they're going to announce the results today? Sister Xue that the results seemed to have come out as is on her way here." Li Lingmeng said sullenly.
"That's not something to be anxious about. The results aren't even here yet, right? No matter what result it is, you still have to improve yourself afterward." Wen Jiexi shrugged nonchalantly.
"Hey, hey, hey! You're acting like this is too ordinary! Hurry up and wash up! You don't want to talk with Sister Xue all sweaty like that, do you?" Li Lingmegn stopped forward and ripped both Wen Jiexi's towel and the water bottle out of her hands.
"Go, go, go! Why are you still standing here?"
Uh….Little Meng is becoming more and more overbearing. Wen Jiexi looked down at her empty hands but turned the machine off anyways. It was just a blue mission so she could do it later.
Once Wen Jiexi had tidied herself and came out to the bathroom, Xue Molin had arrived. She and Li Lingmeng were sitting on the sofa, eating snacks, and gossiping about the latest in the entertainment circle.
Previously when Li Lingmeng talked with Xue Molin, she could only respond with one sentence out of ten. Now she can talk with her eloquently and it was obvious she made a lot of effort.
"Sister Xue." Wen Jiexi greeted.
"Oh, Jiexi, just finished working out I see. You really are something. It's rare for you to get a vacation and yet you still work so earnestly." Xue Molin threw a small cookie into her mouth and then patted the sofa beside her,
"Come, sit."
After Wen Jiexi sat disown, Xue Molin drank a sip of water, cleared her throat and then slowly said,
"I got good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng shared a look and then Wen Jiexi hesitantly said,
"Bad news…."
"The bad news is…you might have to prepare to ask the school for a month off of school. During this process, if you have any problems with your classes you have to solve them yourself." Xue Molin said with a crooked smile.
"Huh? Why?" Li Lingmeng exclaimed, "Are we doing something? Isn't one month too long?"
"Hehe, it's just one month. It's considered short, ok?" Xue Molin's smile grew wider and she clapped her hands as she said in a cheerful tone,
"Next, I'm going to announce the good news for today! Congratulations to our Jiexi successfully obtained the role of Right Protector!"
The room was silent and then Li Lingmeng jumped up and directly tackled Wen Jiexi on the sofa as she yelled,
"Woohoo! Jiexi, Jiexi, you made it! You were chosen! You were chosen!"
Wen Jiexi felt like it was a little unbelievable as she lay there on the sofa. She never expected the first role she fought for was actually a success.
"Ahem…" Xue Molin cleared her throat and attracted their attention.
"I am quite satisfied that Jiexi succeeded at her first time. The other party said that although her acting still needs to be improved, on the whole, you were the best one out of all the auditioners. So they gave you the role of the Right Protector. I hope you will continue to work hard and interpret the role in your own unique way."
"En, I will." Wen Jiexi nodded seriously.
"As for why I told you to take a month off….strictly speaking since you are still students, I did ask the crew to arrange the filming times for Jiexi so that filming would not conflict with your classes. However, since we are filming a Xianxia film, that means we do have to move to different locations for the filming. Two months is usually the conservative timeframe but the crew said they already have the places selected and ready to go. There are probably three locations they will use that need you to travel out of the city. In order to have the crew and actors/actresses stay together, they asked for people to cooperate with their timeframe. Most people said they can do it and now it depends on whether you can as well. Just because the role played by Jiexi doesn't have many lines doesn't mean she won't have a lot of screen time. Therefore, you are required to go to all three locations if you agree. If you can't do it, well there are a lot of people waiting to take your spot. Think about it, alright?" Xue Molin shook the spicy strips in her hand and then stuffed them in her mouth.
Choose my studies or acting? I can only choose one? Wen Jiexi fidgeted her fingers and pursed her lips. She raised her head and said,
"I don't want to give up this rare opportunity….I want to give it a try!"
"If Little Xi says it's okay then I will follow her!" Li Lingmeng added. However, she was only an assistant so her agreement was basically ceremonial. After all, she was not the one acting. With Wen Jiexi agreeing, she quickly agreed as well.
"Good, then tell your parents about your current situation with your family. If your school needs proof, I will ask the company and crew to vouch for you. The sooner you get things arranged, the better. We can't let the crew wait for you. They expect to leave in a week and have given us three days to get things done on our side. If we can't then they will have to choose someone else." Xue Molin said seriously.
"Ok."
"I understand."
And so, Wen Jiexi who just returned home yesterday, ran home again today. The person who opened the door was Wang Ma (the housekeeper) and she was a little surprised to see Wen Jiexi,
"Young Miss, why did you come back now? Did something happen? Did you forget something?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to discuss something with my parents." Wen Jiexi scratched her head sheepishly and put on her indoor slippers as she walked in.
"But Master and Madam haven't come back yet, would you like to call them back now?" Wan Ma asked.
"No need, no need. I can just wait at home for them." Wen Jiexi waved her hand.
"Then Young Miss, would you like me to prepare some food? There are cookies and pudding in the fridge as well as some freshly squeezed orange juice." Wang Ma set down the vroom and said.
"Then…I'll be troubling Wang Ma." Wen Jeix nodded to Wang Ma and watched as she entered the kitchen. She sat down on the sofa and opened her copy of the script that was full of notes which she continued to study.
"Young Miss is working hard, I see." Wang Ma carried a tray over and couldn't help chuckling as Wen Jiexi made a sad expression and then a happy one.
"Being an actor is interesting and challenging. Wang Ma, you can just set it down here, I'll do the rest myself. You should go back to your work, I don't want to prevent you from your tasks." Wen Jiexi stood up and stopped Wang Ma from serving her.
"Ok, if you say so, Young Miss. I'll be cheering for you." Wang Ma nodded and picked up the broom as she began to clean her house again.
A long time later…..
"Wuuu…." Wen Jiexi opened her eyes. Huh? When did she fall asleep? A blanket slid down her thigh as she slowly sat up.
"You're awake?" Tan Yashi looked up from her magazine when she noticed Wen Jiexi's movements and asked softly.
"Mom, you're back. Is Dad and big brother back yet?" Wen Jiexi looked around dazedly. Tan Yashi looked at Wen Jiexi's silly expression and chuckled as she reached out to smooth her daughter's crumpled and messy hair. She explained softly,
"The two of them said they have their own arrangements today and may come back later than usual. They'll probably eat out today too."
"Is that so…" Wen Jiexi deflated a little.
"Eh, if there is something you have to say, you can tell Mom. Mom will help you solve your problem. Your father and brother only care about their work, how can they be as reliable as your mother? So tell your mom what difficulties you have encountered." Tan Yashi said beside her, her expression soft despite the fact she just smeared her husband and son's reputation.
"So the situation is like this…" Wen Jiexi then gave Tan Yashi a detailed description of what happened this morning.
"So you want….you want to ask the school for a month-long vacation?" Tan Yashi rubbed her chin, she didn't expect her daughter to make this kind of request.
"En, I don't want to give this up." Wen Jiexi nodded earnestly and looked at her mother with hope in her eyes.
"As long as you can guarantee to me that your grades and schoolwork are maintained at the same level as they are now, I have no criticisms on the matter." This time, Tan Yashi did not immediately agree to Wen Jiexi's request. It was inevitable for her to spoil her own daughter, but academic achievement was still important. One can pursue their hobbies if they want to, but they should also maintain a certain standard. After all, Wen Jiexi is still a student, and learning was her duty.
Wen Jiexi shivered a little at the request but nodded in agreement without thinking too much.
"No problem." For her, schoolwork wasn't something she had to work on every day. As long as she sorted out most of the information, she could self-study most stuff as well. Also, the computer is so advanced nowadays that she can use it as a tool to check her work. Besides, it was only one month. After the month was up, there was still another month before any big exams.
"Alright, Little Xi, remember your promise to your mother. If you don't uphold your end, we can only suspend your profession as an actress until you graduate from college. Do you understand?" Tan Yashi said half-seriously and helplessly.
"I understand," Wen Jiexi nodded seriously.
"Then it's decided. I will tell your father about this and he will do everything for you." Tan Yashi nodded.
"Then…what if Dad doesn't agree…" Wen Jiexi asked cautiously.
"If I made a promise, how dare he try to have an opinion on it?' Tan Yashi raised her eyebrows and asked.
That seems about right. As long as Mom nods her head, then it's a done deal on Dad's side. Wen Jiexi did not expect this matter to be resolved so quickly and she happily leaned to Tan Yashi's side to give her mother a light peck on the cheek.
"Thank you, Mom!"
OHOHOH! My daughter kissed me! I'm so happy!
"Come come, today I asked Wang Ma to stew you some chicken soup. You're so thin so I have to make up for it with some hearty food." Tan Yashi said cheerfully and walked toward the dining table.
After dinner, the mother and daughter pair conversed for a while before Wen Jiexi had to go back to the cottage. Originally, Tan Yashi had hoped her daughter would stay over for the night and then leave tomorrow, but Wen Jiexi politely refused as she still had a lot of things to prepare.
Wen Shand & Wen Linshu who came back after working all day to hear from Tan Yashi that Little Xi came to visit but they had missed it: !!!!!! QAQWhat did we do to suffer such punishment?
Wen Jiexi returned to the cottage and found that Li Lingmeng was still calling her parents. Li Lingmeng did not personally go home to persuade her parents because her home was more than an hour's drive away. Furthermore, her parents had a completely opposite opinion compared to Wen Jiexi's….
"Older Sister, please help me persuade our parents!" As soon as she opened the door, she heard Li Lingmeng begging someone at the top of her voice. Li Lingmeng's eyes shifted over to her when the door opened and she watched as her friend smiled bitterly and then signaled that she was having trouble. She then pointed at Wen Jiexi and Wen Jiexi replied by giving her a thumbs up and mouthing the words 'All Done.'
Li Lingmeng's eyes lit up and then she began to plead harder with the other party on the phone. The scene of her throwing a tantrum caused Wen Jiexi to look away. She wondered if the other woman who Li Lingmeng called sister was pulling a face right now….
Wen Jiexi didn't know that her words were the truth. Currently, a woman in a certain office was wearily rubbing her furrowed eyebrows as her head pounded with a headache. The green veins popped on her forehead and although her voice was still gentle, she kept glaring at the secretary beside her.
Secretary: QAQ I'm getting shot even when lying down! [1]
And so, Wen Jiexi had no idea how long Li Lingmeng talked with her older sister but watched as Li Lingmeng came in six or seven times to pour herself to refill her glass of water. In the end, with the combined might of both Li Lingmeng and her older sister, they were able to persuade their parents in the end. They relayed the news to Xue Molin and received a reply not long after that said that the production crew was informed and now they will wait for everyone to gather at the first destination.
"Huh? You want us to go by ourselves?" Li Lingmeng asked puzzledly.
"Even if they are on the same team as you, they have a fixed budget. It's good enough that they are providing tickets for tens of people, alright? We will go by plane by ourselves and since we are staying there for a month, necessary transportation will be needed. I had asked Old Wang to leave two days before our own departure so he could get there on time. Rest assured, the plane fare will be covered by the company so you don't need to pay any of it." Xue Molin's voice sounded from the other side of the phone.
"Do we need to do anything else besides bringing our luggage?" Wen Jiexi asked.
"No need, I mean what else can you do? Just make sure to study the script, improve your fitness and keep up your spirits. Do not become mentally or physically exhausted. Overexhausting yourself and mental fatigue is a taboo in acting! If you're tired, you might make mistakes and do things you didn't mean to! So recuperatie and conserve your energy! I will book the plane tickets, so wait for me before you do anything." Xue Molin hung up afte saying so.
Although Xue Molin's personality was fiery and energetic, she was extremely efficient and was able to send over their tickets within a mere hour.
"Three first-class tickets? Why is the company being so generous? I have never even been on an airplane before and now for my first time I'm flying first-class?! I heard the service for first class is top notch!" Li Lingmeng exclaimed as she looked at the photo Xue Molin sent them.
"Is this okay? First-class seats are quite expensive." Wen Jiexi said hesitantly.
"What are you so afraid of? If you ask Sister Xue, she will definitely reply that it would be settled by the company's money. If we're going to use the company's money, might as well fly first class. Who would want to take economy class?" Li Lingmeng placed her hands on her waist, puffed her chest, and then looked down her nose as she laughed proudly. All in all, she was making a perfect imitation of Sister Xue.
"Yes, yes, you're right. I bet Sister Xue would find it interesting to see you imitate her like this." Wen Jiexi snapped a photo of Li Lingmeng and smiled.
"WAHHHH! No, Little Xi, stop! You've become so evil! Delete it right now!" Li Lingmeng's expression changed and she tackled Wen Jiexi with a yell.
T/N note:
[1] to get shot even when lying down: to get unjustly ridiculed, attacked, implicated in something even though they have nothing to do with the scene.