Being famous and good-looking really made a difference. For the same amount of effort, she received so much more in return.
This feeling of reaping bountiful rewards just by working hard was truly intoxicating for a working stiff. So, while on set, she was exceptionally proactive. Her performance was so good, in fact, that the director thought she wanted to get more scenes for her character!
It was a show funded by her own company, so it was common for actors to have their own ideas. People pulled this kind of stunt all the time, so it was natural for the director to misunderstand.
As an acquaintance who was signed to the same company and had worked with her before, Director Xu Liangyu knew a thing or two about her having some backing. So, the moment he saw the first signs of this, he pulled her aside and earnestly advised her:
"I know, I know. Whether we're talking experience or raw talent, having you play this minor supporting role is a bit of a waste. But you got here late, you know? If you'd come a bit sooner, I can't make any promises, but I could have at least gotten you the third female lead role!
"And you have to be considerate of this old man, too. You add a scene, someone else adds a scene, and before you know it, a forty-five-episode series gets stretched into sixty! You tell me, does that make any sense?
"The budget goes over, and the big boss will chew me out. We butcher the plot, and the fans of the original novel will chew me out. Then, if the ratings don't climb, I won't be able to get new projects, and your auntie—my wife—will chew me out!
"Tell me, haven't I been good to you? Do you really have the heart to do this to me and make my life so miserable?"
Seeing his comically tragic expression and how he launched into a whole spiel before she could even speak, Ni Bingyan almost burst out laughing. She casually replied, "Oh, so it's a big IP, huh!"
The mischievous glint in her eyes must have been too obvious, because the director thought she was genuinely going to stir up trouble and immediately offered her a different project.
He was a firm believer in "better them than me." She could go make trouble for someone else!
All he wanted was to direct his show in peace. To that end, he worked tirelessly every day to nip any and all potential problems in the bud, giving them no chance to hatch.
"No matter how big of a primetime IP this show is, it's still a far cry from the big screen. Let me tell you a little secret: Chen Zhiwen is prepping a new film. The news isn't out yet. I'll give him a call later. I can't guarantee you'll get the part, but I can definitely get you an audition. You have great range, I'm sure there's a suitable role for you!"
Having worked with her twice, Xu Liangyu had a good impression of her. Besides, the news would get out soon enough, so this was just an easy favor that cost him nothing.
If she landed the role, she would owe him for helping launch her career. Then, once she became an A-lister, it would be easier for him to ask her to be in one of his shows.
It was perfectly normal for a company's own director to use company funds to cast company actors. This was a classic case of the company dividing up the pie internally.
A well-connected agent would get the news early and push their artists for the role. As long as the actor met the character's requirements, it was a matter of first come, first served.
Their company had a pretty good atmosphere and had always discouraged infighting. It was nearly impossible for a latecomer to push out someone who was already in line.
The original owner of her body had been a total couch potato, and her agent had a family to feed. Seeing that she was a hopeless case, he had long since given up on her and switched to developing her junior colleague instead.
She didn't want to just hire any random agent who would only hold her back. For now, she just wanted to film a few good projects to prove herself. That way, she could find a good partner later, and they could help each other succeed.
She was finding all her opportunities by herself these days, so this kind of help was incredibly valuable. She would be sure to remember the favor Xu Liangyu had done for her.
Director Chen was also a veteran director at the company. After receiving Xu Liangyu's recommendation and seeing that her schedule was open, he took a quick look at her past work and cast her as the second female lead.
It was a romance movie slated for a Valentine's Day release. The second female lead was the protagonist's best friend. While the main character often lost her head over love, the best friend was the walking voice of reason.
Ni Bingyan was very pleased with the role and accepted it immediately.
By her calculations, after she finished shooting the arthouse film, she could take a short break before joining the new production. Filming would wrap up just in time for the New Year.
Perfect!
When she got home, Ni Bingyan was in such a wonderful mood that she didn't even feel tired from the long journey.
She looked at the wilted flowerbeds in the front yard and the decaying petals scattered across the ground. Realizing she had no idea how to tend a garden, and that she preferred fruit trees to flowers anyway, she left her suitcase in the car and drove straight to a plant nursery. She planned to buy the peach and cherry trees she had her heart set on.
The grapes in the yard were already ripe. It was a Kyoho vine, and since the fruit was large and tasted decent enough, she decided not to replace it.
The owner of the nursery really knew his stuff and was a great talker, so he gave her a lot of expert advice.
By the time she was ready to head home, the delivery truck following her contained not only the peach and cherry trees she'd originally wanted, but also apple trees, winter-ripening jujube trees, apricot trees said to live for a hundred years, and a persimmon tree, which symbolized good fortune in all things.
'Ah, this is the joy of being a financially independent adult,' she thought. 'Whenever you're undecided, just choose "all of the above." Problem solved.'
The owner rarely encountered such a gullible—oh, no—such a fine customer so receptive to constructive advice. When she mentioned she might not have enough space in her front yard, he immediately had a thought: didn't she have a backyard, too?
'Could someone who loves fruit trees this much really bear to leave her backyard empty?'
'Of course not!'
'He was a professional! He could definitely provide the optimal solution for his client!'
So he quickly snatched up a few blueberry saplings, ran after the delivery truck, and grabbed onto it to stop it from leaving.
"These are dwarf blueberries! Plant them in a corner, and they'll grow into a lovely little shrub. The flowers are super cute, and they smell wonderful. And when they're ripe, you get so many berries! If you can't eat them all, you can give them to friends and family!
"They're also packed with anthocyanins! Super powerful antioxidants! Make a juice with them in the morning—it's the perfect delicious, anti-aging treat! My wife drinks it and can't stop raving about it!
"If you're worried about not having enough space in the yard, you can plant them in pots on your balcony. That works great, too!
"Here, take a few! On the house! No charge! Plant them when you get back, and you'll see this old-timer isn't pulling your leg!"
The owner was panting as he ran after the truck, insisting on giving her the blueberry saplings. His enthusiastic offer was hard to refuse. Thinking they really wouldn't take up much space, she thanked him and accepted his kind gesture.
Then another thought struck her. She was trying to build her career now, which meant she'd be on set for most of the year. Growing vegetables in the backyard would be too hard to manage. She might as well fill it with fruit bushes. They wouldn't need daily watering and wouldn't block the sunlight.
And so, the owner cheerfully sold another batch of blueberry and raspberry bushes. If things like lemon and kumquat trees had been more cold-hardy, and if sea buckthorn hadn't been out of stock, he definitely could have worked even more of his sales magic.
Seeing how much she bought, the owner thoughtfully recommended a landscaping company to plant everything for her.
"It's always best to leave the professional work to the professionals, right?"
Ni Bingyan thought that made perfect sense.
So when Jiang Sheng arrived, he could see from a distance that a major project was underway in her yard.
The previous owner had mostly grown common, fast-blooming annuals, not any particularly valuable varieties, so it was no great loss to dig them up.
After clearing the flowerbeds, the workers filled them with nutrient-rich soil. Once the fruit trees were planted, the landscaping company would also thoughtfully sweep the stone paths and add a few decorative touches to improve the ambiance.
It was quite the undertaking.
Luckily, the house was far from the city center where land wasn't too expensive. The yard was large, and there was a decent distance between her and the neighbors. Otherwise, she would have been mortified to cause such a disturbance.
The nursery owner had said these were mature saplings that would bear fruit within two years of being planted. Ni Bingyan was so excited that she even grabbed a shovel to help dig the holes. She was worried that if they planted one too late, it might get jealous of its peers getting into the ground first, and its bad mood would make the fruit turn sour.
Jiang Sheng waited outside the gate for a long time, but no one came out. He couldn't get in touch with her, so he had no choice but to walk up and ring the doorbell.
The community didn't have an underground parking garage; cars entered via driveways that led to the backyards. Ni Bingyan was busy in the front yard, so it took some time for a worker to hear the doorbell and come get her.
As a result, Jiang Sheng had to wait quite a while before the person he hadn't seen in so long finally appeared.
Her hair was in a simple braid with a dry leaf stuck in it. Her face was smudged with dirt, and her overalls and white T-shirt were covered in dust. She was a complete mess, yet the smile that lit up her eyes held a vibrancy he had never seen in her before.
She looked so happy.
"What have you been so busy with?"
'He was handsome, and his voice was pleasant. They had been close, and even after not seeing each other for so long, his gaze was respectful, landing on her face and not wandering elsewhere. He really was a true gentleman.'
She couldn't help but recall how the two of them had met. It was at a reception where the original owner of her body, in her naivete, had been set up. She was about to be groped when Jiang Sheng, who was just passing by, noticed her distress and led her away.
It was probably a minor act of kindness for Jiang Sheng, but the original owner had fallen for him in that instant.
Through a series of coincidences, they started interacting more. Jiang Sheng assumed she had no connections and was sticking close to him out of fear of being bullied, while the original owner thought he might actually like her a little…
Sigh.
Ni Bingyan concealed the joy in her eyes, replacing it with a polite yet distant smile.
"I am! I'm planning to plant some fruit trees. By next year, I'll be able to eat sweet fruit!"
Jiang Sheng smiled indulgently, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Have you ever seen anyone plant so many fruit trees in their yard? They'll just get bigger and bigger, and eventually, they'll block all the sunlight from the house. You can't be so greedy. Wouldn't it be just as good to buy fruit from a store?"
Though he probably didn't mean any harm, the word "greedy" coming from him still sounded jarring to her ears.
'The original owner may have liked him, but I don't. I'm not going to just endlessly indulge him.'
"I just feel like the ones you grow yourself will taste sweeter."
'And so what if I am greedy? It's not like I'm coveting something that belongs to someone else!'
'If he had gotten married early on or had an official girlfriend, the original owner would never have been entangled with him for so many years.'
'Leading her on without treating her properly... that's pretty classless, actually.'
'From the memories, she knew the original owner had been a truly wonderful girl.'
Still, her rational side prevailed, and she resisted the urge to snap back at him. After that one passive-aggressive remark, she smiled and gestured for him to come inside.
"You must be tired from the trip. Come in and have some tea."
Jiang Sheng felt there was a hidden meaning in her words, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. The yard was noisy, and the workers were stealing glances at them, so it was indeed better to go inside. He followed her into the house.