Everyone is Crazy - Chapter 10

Tao Qi’an is back?

Tan Muxi leaned against the car seat, silently gazing out the window. Others might not be familiar with that name, but she knew it well because of Liu Shuyun.

The Tao and Liu families had been close for generations, and the three of them had grown up together since childhood. Childhood friends paired with childhood friends. It was no surprise that Liu Shuyun had fallen for Tao Qi’an. Tao Qi’an was also a child star, but unlike Meng Xingci’s acting career, hers was more of a casual endeavor. She would occasionally make cameo appearances until high school, when she starred as the female lead in a popular idol drama. Her stunning looks made her an overnight sensation, ushering in a brief period of career success.

Why brief? Because she only filmed three productions. In her senior year of college, she went abroad.

As for the reason she left, opinions varied. The official explanation was, of course, that she went abroad to further study acting, hoping to return in better form to meet her fans. But according to rumors, many believed it had to do with Liu Shuyun’s pursuit of her.

After that kidnapping incident, Liu Shuyun had launched an intense courtship. Sending flowers and gifts, declaring her affection in front of Tao Qi’an’s classmates, expressing her desire to be with her. Though Tao Qi’an had always gotten along well with the Liu sisters, during those years, she constantly avoided Liu Shuyun. It wasn’t until she went abroad that Liu Shuyun finally quieted down.

Later,

Tan Muxi came into the picture.

Although several years had passed between these events, some people were aware that Liu Shuyun had once pursued Tao Qi’an. When Liu Shuyun and Tan Muxi made their first public appearance together in front of the media, this past was dug up. To this day, Tan Muxi is still harassed by anti-fans with comments like: “No self-respect. Willing to throw herself at the rich with just a beckon, acting as a stand-in.”

Some even claimed that Tan Muxi’s face was surgically altered to resemble Tao Qi’an’s, all to seduce Liu Shuyun.

It suddenly occurred to her. Her previous assistant had said something similar, and Liu Shuyun had fired her for it. But Liu Shuyun never refuted the claims.

Tan Muxi lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes curving delicately, trembling slightly. Shan Yingfeng, sitting beside her, somehow sensed that Tan Muxi seemed unhappy and softly asked, “Ms. Tan, are we heading home?”

Tan Muxi’s eyelashes dipped, then lifted again like butterfly wings. Her pupils were pitch-black, blending into the night. She replied, “Back to the set.”

Shan Yingfeng murmured an acknowledgment.

Silence filled the car again.

An old song played on the car stereo. Shan Yingfeng glanced at Tan Muxi’s profile. It seemed much colder than usual.

As they neared the set, Tan Muxi leaned back and took out her phone. Seeing the jokes Qi Yu had sent her, her expression softened slightly. Shan Yingfeng got out first and walked around to open the car door. Tan Muxi looked up, her demeanor somewhat restored, and said, “You can clock out.”

Shan Yingfeng asked, “Me? Ms. Tan, don’t you need me to escort you back to the hotel?”

Tan Muxi replied, “The hotel is right next door. I’ll go back on my own in a bit.”

Shan Yingfeng said, “Alright.”

She then signaled the driver to step out, handed the car keys to Tan Muxi, and left with the driver. The area was occupied by the film crew and the hotel they had booked, with tight security and staff coming and going, so Shan Yingfeng felt relatively at ease.

After the two had left, Tan Muxi sent a message to Qi Yu: “What are you doing?”

Qi Yu replied instantly: “Just playing on my phone. What about you?”

Tan Muxi: “Just got back from the hospital. Want to meet up?”

Qi Yu: “Sure!”

After finishing the conversation, a video call came through. Qi Yu was in her room, and as she held her phone and walked to the living room, the lighting finally brightened a bit. The TV was on, and a few empty beer cans were scattered on the coffee table. Tan Muxi asked, “Drinking again?”

Qi Yu chuckled, “What are you up to? Why aren’t you filming? Oh, what did you say about Teacher Meng? Did something happen?”

Tan Muxi replied, “Not her, it’s her younger sister who ran into some trouble.”

Qi Yu didn’t know whether to worry or feel relieved. She asked, “Have you gone to see her?”

Tan Muxi said, “Yeah, I just got back from the hospital.”

Qi Yu still didn’t know the details and assumed it was an accident. She asked, “Is it serious?”

Tan Muxi said, “Not serious.”

Only then did Qi Yu truly relax. “That’s good. Otherwise, Teacher Meng would be heartbroken again.”

Tan Muxi clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Didn’t you say you stopped being her fan? Yet you keep calling her ‘Teacher Meng’ this and ‘Teacher Meng’ that.”

Qi Yu rolled her eyes upward, pretending the signal was bad. “What? What did you say? I can’t hear you clearly. Ugh, this stupid phone needs to be replaced.”

Seeing her act so shamelessly, Tan Muxi couldn’t help but laugh, and her bad mood lifted a little. Noticing her improved spirits, Qi Yu smiled too. “So, where are you now?”

“At the set,” Tan Muxi said as she got out of the car. She kept the video call on and gave Qi Yu a tour of the set before finally settling into her usual spot on the lounge chair. The crew members were surprised to see her back and hurried over to ask, “Teacher Tan, why are you back?”

Tan Muxi came up with a lofty excuse: “There’s a part of the script I don’t quite understand, so I came back to get into the mood.”

The staff were practically ready to buy her a trending hashtag for her dedication.

Qi Yu remarked, “You’ve moved them again.”

Tan Muxi asked, “Are you moved?”

Qi Yu whispered, “I dare to be moved, but do you dare to come?”

Tan Muxi said, “Alright, I’ll come over right now.”

“No, no, no, no!” Qi Yu, who was all talk and no courage, protested, “What if Liu Shuyun finds out? I don’t want to lose my job.”

Tan Muxi said, “You’re scared of her?”

Qi Yu replied, “She’s so twisted. Aren’t you scared?”

Tan Muxi stared at the chat screen but was reminded of that night. She had sat alone at a deserted intersection for a long, long time. The cold wind brushed past her, tightening and stinging the exposed skin on her face. Her body felt like an ice sculpture, frozen solid, emitting not warmth but a chilling cold. She held a long-cold coffee cup, her knuckles red and slightly itchy from frostbite. She sat there until midnight, until dawn.

It was Liu Shuyun who got out of her car and asked, “My place is just ahead. Want to come?”

Tan Muxi said, “I’m not scared.”

Qi Yu retorted, “You’re just talking tough. Weren’t you the one who called her a freak last time?”

Tan Muxi chuckled, a laugh escaping her lips. Her reflection on the screen showed her eyes tinged with red. She said, “I’m heading back now. I’m hanging up.”

Qi Yu said, “Alright, call me if anything comes up.”

Tan Muxi put down her phone, tilted her head back slightly, and closed her eyes. The dim yellow streetlight brushed against her profile, casting a perfect arc, like a beautiful painting where every stroke was exquisite, radiant, and dazzling.

She took two deep breaths before picking up her phone again.

Liu Shuyun hadn’t called her.

She hadn’t even sent a message.

Thinking back to what Liu Yunsheng had said that evening, Tan Muxi brushed her hair aside.

What awful luck.

She never should have run into Liu Yunsheng tonight.

Tan Muxi was feeling secretly displeased. Just as she was about to return to the hotel, Shi Tong called. Her voice lacked the energy it had when she was speaking to Qi Yu earlier, sounding listless.

Shi Tong asked, “Did you run into Liu Yunsheng tonight?”

Tan Muxi replied, “Yeah. Did Liu Yunsheng complain to you?”

“Why would she complain to me?” Shi Tong said. “She gave me a script and asked if you’d be interested.”

Tan Muxi said, “I…”

Shi Tong cut in, “I know, you turned it down, right?”

Tan Muxi answered absentmindedly, “Mm.”

Shi Tong said, “She’s really strange. She dislikes President Liu so much, yet she’s always trying to collaborate with you.”

And every time, she gets rejected, but she still keeps trying to warm up to a cold reception.

Shi Tong didn’t understand.

Tan Muxi said, “Just think of her as not being right in the head.”

Shi Tong: …

She wouldn’t dare say that.

Although it did seem a bit off.

Tan Muxi said, “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

Shi Tong said, “Oh, there’s a crew interview the day after tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

Tan Muxi said, “Got it.”

After hanging up, she reached the hotel entrance. She fished her key card out of her bag and took the elevator. With the recent late-night shoots, the hotel had been booked by the crew for a week. Tan Muxi had only registered for three days. It had been a long time since she’d stayed in a hotel while filming. Liu Shuyun didn’t like hotels. So every time Tan Muxi was on set somewhere, Liu Shuyun would buy an apartment there. Tan Muxi thought she seemed less like someone in the entertainment industry and more like a real estate mogul.

The thought amused her a little.

Her room was on the 23rd floor, room 2304. Next door was Meng Xingci’s room, 2302. The rest were occupied by other main cast members and guest actors. When Tan Muxi got off the elevator, she thought she might run into someone she knew, but it was eerily quiet not a soul in sight, even the hallway was excessively hushed.

The atmosphere was perfect for a horror movie set in a hotel.

Especially the muffled sound of shoes stepping on the red carpet.

Tan Muxi wasn’t scared, though. She walked straight to room 2304, swiped her key card, opened the door, and inserted the card into the slot. A familiar beep sounded, and the lights in the entire living room and bedroom instantly brightened, revealing everything in clear view.

Including the person sitting on the sofa.

Tan Muxi looked over. Liu Shuyun was wearing a light purple professional suit, one hand resting on the arm of the sofa, the other hanging at her side. Her body was sunk into the cushions, and it was unclear how long she had been sitting in that position. The lines of her profile were tense. Liu Shuyun turned her head, her long hair cascading over her shoulder, some strands falling in front of her. Her gaze fixed on Tan Muxi, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

Tan Muxi stood at the doorway, listening as the door clicked shut behind her like a pendulum striking her chest. Her body stiffened for a moment.

Liu Shuyun’s tone was gloomy: “Where have you been?”