Chapter 478: The Social Butterfly and the Little Devil

"Hello, is this Liu Yifei? It's Yang Mi."

"I just got a call from the Harry Potter crew—they told me I got the role of Cho Chang. What happened? Did you give it up?"

"Oh, I see. That's really a shame."

"Alright, I wish you success too. Goodbye."

After hanging up, Liu Yifei looked up to see her mother watching her, and an uneasy feeling rose in her heart. Sometimes, her mother was just too controlling.

But habits are hard to break. Despite feeling a slight sense of rebellion, Liu Yifei still dutifully relayed the conversation to her mother.

"It was Yang Mi, the girl who auditioned for Cho Chang with me. She called to tell me she got the role."

"Yang Mi? That slick little girl? Ha! She got lucky this time—if Xixi hadn't turned it down, she wouldn't have stood a chance!"

"Mom, don't say that. She's actually quite nice."

"Xixi, you're still too naïve. Trust me, that girl is not someone you can truly be friends with."

Though Liu Xiaoli spoke as if Yang Mi had just stumbled into a golden opportunity, a bit of uncertainty still gnawed at her. What if that girl actually becomes a big star from this role? What if The Return of the Condor Heroes doesn't do well? Was choosing Xiaolongnu really the right decision?

Liu Yifei, however, remained calm. She had made her choice and wasn't going to dwell on it.

She was used to her mother making decisions for her.

"Hello! I'm Yang Mi, playing Cho Chang. You can call me Mimi!"

"Hello! You must be Hermione, right? Wow, you're even prettier in person! I'm Yang Mi, playing Cho Chang. You can call me Mimi!"

"Hello, Harry Potter! Where are your glasses? You look so different without them! I'm Yang Mi, playing Cho Chang. You can call me Mimi!"

"Hello, Ron! Is your red hair natural, or do you dye it? I'm Yang Mi, playing Cho Chang. You can call me Mimi!"

From the moment she entered the set, Yang Mi went full social butterfly mode, energetically introducing herself to everyone she met. Columbus, who had brought her in, couldn't help but chuckle.

Martin was right—this girl was a natural at making connections.

Liu Yifei could never have pulled this off. She had been too well-protected growing up, too proud to lower herself like this.

The "Golden Trio" had just finished their promotional tour and returned to set, only to find a new East Asian girl among them.

Emma Watson's natural "mean girl" instincts kicked in. She started scheming about what prank she could pull on the newcomer for fun.

But before she could act, she saw Martin stride over. In an instant, she switched to her sweetest, most well-behaved expression.

"Hi, Mimi! You're so pretty!"

"No, you're the pretty one! You actually remind me of Audrey Hepburn. Your features have a similar elegance."

"Really?"

"Of course! Hasn't anyone told you that before?"

Emma Watson beamed, instinctively touching her face. This new Chinese girl wasn't so bad—maybe she'd make a good sidekick.

"She's Chinese?" Rupert Grint whispered to Daniel Radcliffe. "She said Emma looks like Hepburn, but don't you think she actually looks more like Hepburn?"

Daniel glanced at Yang Mi and was pleased. He'd have to do romantic scenes with her, after all, and she was definitely beautiful.

He nodded. "She does resemble her a bit. But she was just flattering Emma. Emma looks happy, so I guess we won't get to see any drama today."

As time passed, Emma Watson's "little devil" nature became more obvious. Plenty of people on set—both adults and kids—had fallen victim to her pranks.

Sometimes, Daniel even wondered if Martin's frequent visits were the only reason Emma hadn't crossed the line from pranks into full-blown bullying.

Just then, Martin walked over. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

Emma's face immediately flushed.

She was almost fourteen now—old enough to have a crush.

With puberty hitting hard, her feelings for Martin were getting harder to control.

Yang Mi quickly picked up on it. Wow, Western girls mature fast! She's already got a crush? She's only a few years younger than me, but she looks almost the same age.

She hesitated. Should I keep my distance from Martin? If this little brat gets jealous, I could be in trouble!

Before she could decide, Martin reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Yang Mi, are you settling in okay? Your English tutor will be here soon—study hard! I picked you personally, so don't embarrass me."

For some reason, as soon as Martin's hand touched her head, Yang Mi felt a strange, electric-like sensation—pleasant, almost intoxicating.

She instinctively squinted, an expression of pure enjoyment appearing on her face.

Hearing Martin's words, she realized that he had personally chosen her for the role. A surge of gratitude welled up in her heart.

But then she snapped back to reality. Crap!

Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Emma Watson.

She must be furious right now, right?

For a moment, she worried.

Then… a tiny bit of smugness crept in.

Sure enough, Emma Watson's expression had darkened.

But then Martin turned to her, gave her a brief hug, and—just like that—her icy expression melted into pure bliss. She scrunched up her little nose like a kitten being petted by its owner.

Yang Mi froze.

Wait… was that my face just now too?!

She instinctively looked at Daniel and Rupert.

The two boys, as if reading her mind, immediately nodded.

Yang Mi's face burned.

Nearby, Martin was chatting with Emma, who was laughing joyfully, patting her still-growing chest.

"Don't worry, Martin! I'll take good care of our new friend!"