Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 15: Unbelievably Stupid

Wen Xiuxiu, who had been enjoying the show from the sidelines, couldn’t sit still any longer. She retorted, "I brought this braised pork specifically for Brother Fei! Who knew you’d be so greedy, Sister-in-law Qingya, and eat more than half the plate!"

The room instantly fell silent.

All eyes were on the two of them.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment; no one made a sound.

Song Qingya couldn’t suppress a smirk.

She thought to herself.

’This idiot. I was kind enough to give her a way out, and she was too stupid to take it.’

Yuan Wei, however, understood what was happening. Her expression immediately soured. "You must be Wen Xiuxiu, right?" she asked. "The country girl who works for Zhou Huaihua?"

"That’s right!"

Wen Xiuxiu, thinking she had found an ally, quickly replied, "You know me?"

Yuan Wei did more than just know of her.

On the few occasions Zhou Huaihua had run into Yuan Wei before, she had complained about her nephew’s wife being weak and lazy—not a good wife at all.

At the time, Yuan Wei had also held a poor opinion of Song Qingya.

The two had hit it off immediately, plotting to help Fei Jin find a more suitable partner.

And Zhou Huaihua had directly recommended her own distant relative from the countryside, Wen Xiuxiu.

Yuan Wei had thought at the time that anyone would be better than Song Qingya.

So, she had readily agreed.

If Fei Jin really did get a divorce, she would have definitely persuaded him to marry Wen Xiuxiu.

She believed that at least Wen Xiuxiu wouldn’t be as much of a headache as Song Qingya.

But after meeting Wen Xiuxiu in person today, she’d made a very bad impression.

Yuan Wei’s voice was ice-cold, making Wen Xiuxiu shiver.

"That married couple is doing just fine, yet you come running over to deliver food. What is that supposed to mean?"

Yuan Wei questioned her coldly.

The usually sharp-tongued Song Qingya had actually helped Wen Xiuxiu cover for herself by saying the food was for her. And yet Wen Xiuxiu didn’t know when to quit, insisting on giving herself away. She was a complete idiot!

But Yuan Wei had no intention of praising Song Qingya for her actions.

Therefore, she could only cut off Wen Xiuxiu’s explanation and continue her harsh reprimand. "Don’t you ever do something so disgraceful again! If word of this gets out, you’ll be a laughingstock!"

"I..."

Wen Xiuxiu hadn’t expected such a reaction from Yuan Wei at all.

Stunned, her first instinct was to burst into tears and lament.

"It was actually Aunt Zhou who told me to come. I really didn’t know things would turn out this way. Director Yuan, you’ve really misunderstood me."

Wen Xiuxiu desperately tried to defend herself.

"Alright, that’s enough. If Zhou Huaihua sent you, then she’s a completely tactless aunt. I’ll have a good talk with her about this later!"

Yuan Wei’s words were merciless, criticizing both Zhou Huaihua and Wen Xiuxiu at once.

In her youth, Yuan Wei had been known for her decisiveness and determination. Although she had later taken a backseat role at the neighborhood committee due to an injury, she still retained that swift and resolute manner.

When Yuan Wei mentioned going back to teach Zhou Huaihua a lesson, Wen Xiuxiu was completely dumbfounded.

In truth, Zhou Huaihua had indeed told her to keep an eye on Fei Jin.

But her perspective was far too limited; she completely failed to grasp the importance of making small sacrifices for a larger gain.

Wen Xiuxiu had once mentioned that she was going to bring food to Fei Jin, only to be harshly scolded for it.

"You silly girl! If you give all this food away, what will our family eat? Our Fei Jun is a growing boy! If you stunt his growth, can you take responsibility for that?"

Zhou Huaihua wouldn’t even let her give Fei Jin the steamed buns.

If Zhou Huaihua knew she had secretly cut off such a large piece of meat, she would have definitely beaten her soundly!

Seeing Wen Xiuxiu’s pale face, Yuan Wei knew she was lying.

She was a young girl, with a pretty, almost pitiful-looking face. But she lied without batting an eye.

’Even if the couple’s relationship wasn’t great, they were still married. And here she was, dressed so gaudily and bringing him food. Wasn’t she deliberately trying to wreck their marriage?’

At this thought, Yuan Wei gave a direct order for Wen Xiuxiu to go home immediately.

Wen Xiuxiu was stunned for a moment. In the past, she could always get her way by crying, but this time, it had no effect whatsoever.

After being thrown out, the gazes from the people around her were filled with contempt and ridicule.

Wen Xiuxiu quickly wiped her tears, covered her face, and ran off.

However, just as she reached the edge of town, she was surrounded by a crowd of people who started questioning her.

"Hey, Xiu Xiu, didn’t you say you were bringing food to someone? How come you’re back already, and in tears?"

Another person added sarcastically, "Looks to me like she got kicked out!"

"And Song Qingya went too. She must have pulled out all the stops to make a good meal. To do something like that in public, without a thought for what others might say or think..."

Usually, this was the kind of gossip that circulated about Song Qingya. Hearing it, Wen Xiuxiu was actually quite pleased. But now, all of it was being directed at her.

And when those words were aimed at her, she was so angry she wanted to rip their mouths apart.

Her frail and delicate act from before was gone.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a girl before, you bunch of country bumpkins!"

She wished she could rush forward and teach these people a lesson right then and there.

As her eyes darted, a new idea formed.

The plan quietly took shape in her mind.

’Brother Fei will be mine soon.’

At this thought, a smug smile appeared on her face.

「Meanwhile.」

The door was closed.

Facing the couple, Fei Jin and Song Qingya, Yuan Wei was clearly annoyed.

"What are you looking at? Weren’t you two just waiting for me to help you get rid of her?"

Song Qingya stuck out her tongue and replied playfully, "You saw right through us."

From their very first meeting, Song Qingya had felt that Yuan Wei was a straightforward person.

She would always act on things she disapproved of and wouldn’t beat around the bush.

’Wen Xiuxiu wanted us to fight so she could watch the show from the sidelines,’ she thought. ’What a miscalculation.’

But with just one little trick, Song Qingya had made her rival expose her own weakness.

The table wasn’t large, but it was covered in so many dishes it seemed impossible to finish them all.

Each dish was arranged neatly, looking, smelling, and tasting superb.

Song Qingya brought over a warm, damp towel for her hands and said with a sweet smile, "Director Yuan, please sit and eat with us."

Her eyes were full of sincerity.

Yuan Wei took the towel and glanced at the food Song Qingya had brought.

The scrambled eggs with tomato were brightly colored, with a rich sauce.

Although it was a simple home-cooked dish, one look was enough to tell a lot of effort had gone into it. It was even more refined than the food from the state-run restaurant.

’Song Qingya actually has skills like this?’

Yuan Wei felt a surge of surprise.

Yuan Wei actually really wanted to try it, but she deliberately said, "Did you really make this? I think we should just eat my food. I specially made fish soup."

As she spoke, she pointed to the insulated lunch box she had brought.

Inside was a milky-white fish soup, looking as rich as milk, sprinkled with chopped green onions and giving off the faint aroma of white pepper.

Fei Jin was already used to eating the packed lunches Yuan Wei brought him every day.