Chapter 100
Forced into silence, Xie Mi was quiet as a chicken on stage. Whenever a situation arose, she simply formed hand seals, playing the role of an excellent ninja to perfection.
Xiao Jingxi was slightly surprised.
Actors dreaded having their lines cut. He thought Xie Mi would argue with him over it, but unexpectedly, she didn’t utter a single complaint.
She must still have feelings for him.
After her scenes ended, Xie Mi went off stage and resumed snacking on sunflower seeds.
Suddenly, Xiao Jingxi sat down beside her, “First time rehearsing a stage play—are you getting used to it?”
“?”
Xie Mi slowly moved the sunflower seeds to the other side, watching him warily, “If you want to eat, buy your own.”
“Don’t joke around.”
Xiao Jingxi wasn’t angry, looking at her as if he could see right through her, “I cut your lines, yet you didn’t complain. That means you don’t actually dislike me, right?”
“I really don’t dislike you.”
Xiao Jingxi smiled.
“I just want to kill you.”
Xiao Jingxi: “?”
At some point, Shen Yanqing sat down on Xie Mi’s other side and naturally grabbed a handful of seeds, “Film Emperor Xiao’s self-awareness is still pretty shallow.”
“Exactly.” Xie Mi agreed.
The two of them ate seeds without a care, munching happily.
The muscles on Xiao Jingxi’s face twitched.
Whenever he approached, Xie Mi would guard the seeds like treasure, but Shen Yanqing could eat freely?
He didn’t believe it. He reached out to grab some.
Xie Mi instantly picked up the whole pack, and Shen Yanqing slapped his hand away. The two of them teamed up like pros to guard their food.
Xiao Jingxi: “?”
But he would grab some!
On stage, Lai Bingxuan frowned, “What are they fighting over? Sunflower seeds? Are those really that tasty?”
“There’s nothing special about them.”
Qiu Chengye was dismissive, “Last time I saw Xie Mi eating sunflower seeds, I tried one too. The next second, I couldn’t breathe, like someone was choking me.”
Suspicious, Lai Bingxuan asked, “Exaggerating much?”
Qiu Chengye: “Not exaggerating. When I came back to my senses, it was Xie Mi with her hand around my neck, asking why I ate her seeds.”
Lai Bingxuan: “?”
[Hahahahaha, I’m dying— I was there that day too. Qiu bro stole Xie Jie’s seeds and got a chokehold on the spot.]
[How come it’s even funnier when Kitty retells it?]
[Xie Mi: Touch my seeds, and perish!]
[Wait, wait, but Old Shen can eat her seeds.]
[So maybe it’s because Shen bought those seeds for her.]
[The one upstairs nailed it.]
The director had the authority to change the script as he pleased.
In the original script, Xiao Jingxi was the director, and he added plenty of ambiguous scenes between himself and Xu Shuangrong.
Netizens often teased that his motives weren’t pure—these were just his “wife-chasing” tactics.
He and Xu Shuangrong enjoyed it, dishing out sweet fanservice to their CP fans.
But this time, Xiao Jingxi didn’t add to his and Xu Shuangrong’s storyline. Instead, he inserted new scenes elsewhere.
“To increase dramatic conflict and tension, I added a few new bits. You all can take a look.”
He handed out the revised scripts.
Xie Mi just glanced once, then smiled like a saint.
Good, good, good.
Turns out, the mute maid had actually fallen for the Crown Prince at first sight. Every time she saw him with the heroine, she secretly grieved.
She even went behind the heroine’s back to find the Crown Prince, claiming she wanted to be his bedchamber maid.
After being rejected, the maid hugged the Crown Prince from behind, crying bitterly, only to be stabbed to death by his guard?
“Excuse me??”
Facing Xie Mi’s questioning, Xiao Jingxi put on a righteous face, “Adding conflict between the heroine and the maid will enrich the emotional arc. This scene is necessary.”
Shen Yanqing read further and laughed, “When the rich merchant gives the heroine a gift, the maid happens to witness it, and then slaps the merchant ten times?”
Xiao Jingxi explained, “This shows the maid’s passionate and fearless side, making the role more layered. Dramatically, this is also necessary.”
He said it all without a shred of guilt.
In his eyes, he was the only film emperor present, his mastery of acting something the others could never reach.
To avoid looking like he was targeting Xie Mi and Shen Yanqing, he tweaked other people’s storylines too.
The others had complaints, but whenever they raised them, he argued them down one by one.
He was too professional, so everyone had to listen to him.
[Brother Jing is so dedicated. Even just for a stage play, he works this hard, carefully refining everyone’s script. He’s incredible, I’m crying.]
[Seriously—so professional and so dedicated. Worthy of a film emperor, his charisma in his craft is unmatched.]
[I’ve said it a thousand times: Film Emperor Xiao is the most handsome!]
[These people should stop being ungrateful. He kindly fixed their scripts and they still complain.]
Xiao Jingxi’s livestream was flooded with rainbow farts.
But inside the livestream, Xie Mi slowly set down the script, stood up, stretched, and—under everyone’s shocked gaze—
Flipped the table over!
“The serfs are rising, singing songs of freedom! I’ve only got one lousy life, and I’ll damn well fight with it!”
The six guests were nearly deafened by her sudden roar. Only Shen Yanqing calmly covered his ears—he’d expected it.
“If you won’t listen to our input, then quit directing! Brothers, rise with me! Let’s overthrow this evil capitalist!”
Xie Mi was impassioned, filled with righteous fury.
Xiao Jingxi was stunned for two seconds, then quickly calmed down, looking at her dismissively.
Xu Shuangrong was the first to defend him, “Teacher Xie, Jingxi is a film emperor. His professionalism is absolute. I also respect your acting skills, but… questioning Jingxi isn’t really appropriate.”
A polite way of saying that Xie Mi’s acting wasn’t even worth mentioning compared to Xiao Jingxi’s.
Clearly, Xiao Jingxi enjoyed hearing that—his lips curled upward.
But he soon couldn’t smile anymore.
Because the “fan leader” appeared.
“Teacher Xie must have her reasons for doing this.”
Liu Woxing looked seriously at Xiao Jingxi and calmly explained, “I may know nothing about acting, but as a director in my own company, I know a little about management. And I do know this: in any situation, we must respect democracy and cannot absolutely silence the voices from the bottom.”
She was tactful. By contrast, Lai Bingxuan was much more direct.
She jabbed a finger at Xiao Jingxi’s nose and cursed, “You’re nothing! Why the hell did you add a scene where I get poisoned by the Emperor? You’re lucky I didn’t smack you!”
Qiu Chengye immediately flared up, “Getting poisoned is letting you off easy! Don’t like it? Fine, Xiao Jingxi, change it so I strangle her with white silk!”
“You dare!”
No one expected things to spiral this far out of control. Just moments ago, Xiao Jingxi had been calm and collected. Now he couldn’t sit still, trying to suppress them with “professionalism,” but he couldn’t get a word in.
Right then, Yu Jinzhe threw in a moral shackle, “Film Emperor Xiao, could you remove the part where I cross-dress? I’m thin-skinned—it’ll scar me emotionally…”
Xiao Jingxi’s mouth twitched violently.
Only Xie Mi smiled silently.
The evil capitalist.
Never underestimate the bond between serfs!!
