She now resembles a sponge, hungrily absorbing all the nutrients. Perhaps she can’t use these nutrients immediately. Yet, this practice of building a solid foundation, as long as she keeps the faith and continuously exerts effort, will one day pay back into her acting career.

After practicing Peking Opera for a month, she truly received a movie offer. It was a dual-female lead film, where the investors wanted her to play the righteous lead, but she fancied the down-and-out, obsessively stubborn female antagonist. Xia Siyu had played antagonists before; she portrayed a drug lord in Director Ji’s "Yu Beauty." In Director Wang Ju’s "Overthrows the Country and the City," she was a femme fatale who brought disaster to a country. However, in "Yu Beauty," the drug lord she played, although in the antagonist camp, didn’t really commit many evil deeds. And in "Overthrows the Country and the City," rather than being a merely evil woman, she was more like a hero of chaos. However, this hero of chaos happened to be a woman. Especially when, in the end, she softened for the male lead, causing her plans to fail.

And when she got involved with this play, "Overthrows the Country and the City" was finally about to be released, just a few days away from its official premiere, with sneak peeks already showing.

In Xia Siyu’s previous historical costume roles, only "Divine Catcher" can be counted, where she appeared more handsome in a gender-neutral way rather than merely beautiful. Thus, many fans who had watched "Divine Catcher" called her "husband." But in "Overthrows the Country and the City," she truly was mesmerizing, living up to the title.

Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but her strength and cunning were enough to topple a kingdom. In short, those who saw the sneak peeks had eyes only for Xia Siyu. No matter her appearance, aura, or temperament, she undeniably stood out.

Now Xia Siyu was on an upward trajectory, especially with a film directed by Wang Ju, with promising previews. The presales already surpassed 100 million even though it was a few days from the official release.

Even if the film didn’t perform well in the end, based solely on Xia Siyu’s appearance and beauty, she would certainly appear in countless fan-made video edits focused on looks.

So when the investors approached her to play in the dual female lead movie, they genuinely hoped she would play the righteous side. Needless to say, with Xia Siyu’s name attached, the film would sell well. Moreover, her acting skills were now highly praised, so there was no worry about her not delivering. But she insisted on playing the antagonist.

This antagonist is evil for no particular reason. There are people described as having "antisocial personalities," with no traumatic past to justify their dark turn — she’s simply bad to the core, without any subplot of softening due to love for a man. She is a hidden psychotic killer in the urban jungle, seeming ordinary on the outside, while underneath lurks a demon. She kills with pleasure, treating law enforcement as playthings to toy with at will. Each case she handles is given an artistic touch. For her, every crime is a piece of art.

Xia Siyu decides to play this villain, causing great anxiety for the investors. If she plays the villain, who would play the righteous side? Today’s audience tends to side with beauty, and Xia Siyu is beautiful. Playing the villain might upset the film’s balance, overshadowing the righteous side.

At this moment, Xia Siyu unhesitatingly suggests: "Then how about Shang Feifei? She does give off the vibe of someone easy for me to toy with, like a fool."

What kind of talk is this! But truth be told, if anyone could go toe-to-toe with Xia Siyu, it would have to be Shang Feifei. She has that cold and noble demeanor. But having these two actresses would first cause the salary budget to go through the roof. How much would this cost! Secondly, wouldn’t they compete over billing order? Although Xia Siyu played a minor role in "Storm," times had changed, and she was now on par with Shang Feifei, or even slightly ahead. Would they both accept the same billing?

However, aside from Shang Feifei, it seemed there really was no one else to compare with Xia Siyu. Reluctantly, the investors indeed sought out Shang Feifei. She was available, but after reading the script, she also expressed: "I want to play the antagonist."

Both were at an impasse. The investors told her Xia Siyu already secured the role and mentioned that the lead actress suggestion was also from Xia Siyu. When she heard what Xia Siyu said, she wasn’t surprised, but there was a slight unexpectedness: "If that’s the case, then so be it."

Since "Storm," they had made brief cameo appearances in each other’s films but hadn’t collaborated much. This time was another collaboration post-"Storm."

But Shang Feifei still had demands: "You must revise the script to be better. I want a good script, without adding mindless, intelligence-lowering elements. I want quality."

The investors also said, "Xia too said the same thing. She asked not to write her well; she just wants to play a purely evil character." But other than Shang Feifei, there really didn’t seem to be anyone else to compare to. Reluctantly, the investors did indeed approach Shang Feifei. She was available, but after reading the script, she also expressed: "I want to play the antagonist."

Both were at an impasse. The investors told her Xia Siyu already secured the role and mentioned that the lead actress suggestion was also from Xia Siyu. When she heard what Xia Siyu said, she wasn’t surprised, but there was a slight unexpectedness: "If that’s the case, then so be it."

Since "Storm," they had made brief cameo appearances in each other’s films but hadn’t collaborated much. This time was another collaboration post-"Storm."

But Shang Feifei still had demands: "You must revise the script to be better. I want a good script, without adding mindless, intelligence-lowering elements. I want quality." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The investors also said, "Xia too said the same thing. She asked not to write her well; she just wants to play a purely evil character."