Chapter 56: A Punch on Cotton Ning Xi was going to shoot in a dance scene today, so her costume would be lighter than the palace costume from yesterday, which was a relief. When she entered the dressing room, she was surprised to see Jia Qingqing. She had thought Jia Qingqing would no longer be coming. Jia Qingqing had failed the audition for the second female lead, but the director had invited her to play the third female lead Princess Xian. While the third female lead would also bring disaster to the country, it was a smaller role than Ning Xi’s. Furthermore, she would be tortured terribly by Ning Xi in the movie. Although her manager had accepted the invitation on Jia Qingqing’s behalf, she was very unsatisfied and had not attended the opening ceremony. It had even been rumored that she would refuse the role. Ning Xi guessed that she had come obediently after hearing that the movie had received a large additional investment. It was a huge project of one hundred million after all. Jia Qingqing was getting her makeup done when she saw Ning Xi in the mirror. She stared at her with cold contempt and undisguised hatred. Like Ning Xueluo, she had a rich father, so she always behaved arrogantly and was unpopular on set. But her water army was very skilled and had remade her image into an outspoken and straightforward person. They even gave her the title of No. 1 Beauty in the entertainment industry. So of course she deeply hated Ning Xi, who had robbed both her role and fame. "Hm, isn’t this our No. 1 Beauty in the entertainment industry? With so many rich sponsors supporting you, you still hang out in the dressing room with small fry like us?" Jia Qingqing sneered. Ning Xi leisurely found a chair to sit on and began to read her script, completely unaffected. She was the type of person who would wholeheartedly focus on work as soon as she arrived on set, and wouldn’t be affected by anything or anyone. "Ning Xi, are you ignoring me?" Jia Qingqing dropped her comb with a clatter. Ning Xi continued reading her script as if she hadn’t heard. At that moment, the makeup artist next to her couldn’t hold it in any longer, and coughed. "Ning Xi is wearing earphones, so she may not have heard you!" Only then did Jia Qingqing see the two little white earbuds in Ning Xi’s ears. She felt like she had just been punching cotton. B****! Who knew whether she was doing it on purpose?! Of course Ning Xi was doing it on purpose. The moment she saw Jia Qingqing, she had taken out her earphones and put them in so that she could pretend she couldn’t hear her. Because in this case, no matter who was right or wrong, as long as there was conflict, it wouldn’t be good for her. It was better to just avoid trouble altogether! "Miss Jia, it’s done. Are you happy with it?" The makeup artist spoke cautiously, obviously aware that she was dealing with a difficult client. "No! Do it again!" Jia Qingqing said without even one look. "Which part are you dissatisfied with?" The makeup artist asked. "Everything!" The makeup artist’s face was stiff with anger, but she could only remove the makeup and start again. Seeing how Ning Xi completely ignored her, Jia Qingqing became angrier, and continued to find fault with everything the makeup artist did. The makeup artist dared not show her attitude, so she could only glare resentfully at Ning Xi sitting in the corner. She also knew that Jia Qingqing’s aim was Ning Xi and she had just been dragged into it. Apart from the male lead and female lead who had their own dressing rooms, everyone else shared one room, so if Jia Qingqing wasn’t finished with her makeup, Ning Xi would have to wait interminably. At last, it was only when Jia Qingqing’s manager came in to get her that she left reluctantly, not forgetting to throw Ning Xi another angry glare as she did. Literal translation of 水军, which is Internet slang for individuals or groups who are paid to post online comments to help shape or sway public opinion on an issue. In this context, ‘to punch cotton’ is to do something that is a useless gesture, i.e. doesn’t have any real effect.