Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 13

“So, what if I splashed water on Su Yuchen today? Who’s going to do anything about it?”

[Holy shit, Liu Ruomeng is this arrogant?]

[I heard rumors before that she bullied a co-star into quitting, but I thought it was just haters spreading lies. Turns out she really is this awful!]

[So, her sweet, sunny girl persona was all an act!]

[What’s wrong with Liu Ruomeng? She’s barely even a fourth-tier actress, how dare she bully someone on set in front of everyone!]

[Her acting sucks, and she’s even worse as a person. Did she buy her way into this production? I’m not watching this show if she’s in it!]

[Unfollowed! I’ll hate her for life!]

Liu Ruomeng’s face appeared on the livestream screen, and the barrage of comments exploded with outrage, nearly all condemning her for bullying others.

Unbeknownst to her, reporters from Group A had slipped over, and several self-media influencers, eager for drama, had started livestreaming the whole scene.

Victors love to press their advantage.

As if she hadn’t done enough, Liu Ruomeng, adorned in jingling accessories and lavish jewelry that swayed with her every step, strode over to Su Yuchen. Arms crossed, she eyed that fair face with a sidelong glance.

Before she could speak, her male assistant pushed forward, offering a smarmy smile.

“Weren’t you all about professionalism? Weren’t you preaching about labor contracts? How’s that working out for you now? Did labor laws protect you?”

Liu Ruomeng shot the assistant a glare and shoved him aside.

“Back off. What’s a man like you doing standing so close to her?”

Then, tilting her chin up, she sneered at Su Yuchen,

“Well? Still think you can challenge me?”

“Still think you can steal what’s not yours?!”

“What, you’re not happy? Want to go another round?”

[Damn, she’s out of control! [Angry]]

[This woman reminds me of that senior who bullied me and stole my first-author credit! So mad!]

[I’m flashing back to my boss and their lackeys who bullied me, they deserve to be dragged out and beaten!]

“Another round? And you’ll just do whatever you want, ignoring the script again?”

Su Yuchen’s face was still wet, droplets clinging to her long lashes. Through them, her furious gaze burned into Liu Ruomeng.

That look made Liu Ruomeng falter slightly, but she squared her shoulders and jutted out her hip defiantly. “So, what if I ignore the script? What can you do about it?”

The male assistant chimed in, leading the jeers, “Yeah, what’s an extra like you gonna do? Replace our Xiao Meng?”

The moment the words left his mouth, a voice cut in from behind:

“She can’t replace her, but I can. Does that work?”

A collective gasp swept through the room as all eyes turned to the imposing older man.

It was, of course, Director Gao. His mouth naturally curved downward, and the furrow between his brows deepened when displeased.

Now, hands clasped behind his back, his stern expression made it clear he was in no mood for nonsense.

“D-Director Gao!”

Liu Ruomeng spun around, her face draining of color as she froze in shock.

The lanky assistant forced a smile and hurried forward. “N-no, we were just joking with Su Yuchen! They were rehearsing a scene, getting into character!”

As he spoke, the assistant flashed a fawning, ingratiating smile at Su Yuchen. “Right, Sister Su?”

One of the female assistants stepped forward, clinging to Su Yuchen’s arm and shaking it gently. “Those two have such a close relationship.”

A drop of water still clung to the tip of Su Yuchen’s chin as she coldly stared at her for two seconds before decisively pulling her arm away.

Silent, slow, but resolute.

Liu Ruomeng’s face turned deathly pale.

The assistant hastily explained, “See, Sister Su is still immersed in her role, don’t blame her, everyone!”

He was blatantly shifting responsibility.

The crew members on set couldn’t help but roll their eyes at the assistant.

“Oh, is that so?”

Seeing the involved team refuse to acknowledge the situation, Director Gao turned and scanned the crowd briefly. “This reporter friend, you’ve been secretly livestreaming for quite a while now. Show them the screen.”

The person, who had been filming covertly, flushed bright red with embarrassment.

Reluctantly, they handed over their phone.

“Group B’s set is secluded, I wasn’t aware you all had wandered over here. Today isn’t even a press day, yet you’ve scattered yourselves everywhere. Quite the honor for this old man.”

When Director Gao got angry, his words dripped with sarcasm. The reporter broke out in a cold sweat.

However, the mastermind behind the livestream incident, Fu Mozheng, remained far on the outskirts, watching without approaching.

Holding her mother’s arm, she stood behind the overlapping figures, her brows slightly furrowed.

“How could the methods be so underhanded.”

Ruan Mengqing, still in costume, glanced sideways at her daughter, unable to suppress a note of reproach in her tone.

“Mozheng, why did you bring so many reporters?”

Hearing this, Fu Mozheng immediately turned back, hugging her mother with a sweet, coquettish smile.

“Mom, I missed you! Second Uncle said if I came to visit you on set, I could bring some reporter friends, it’d be a chance to get familiar with the industry and also help promote you.”

“Why would I need promotion?”

Ruan Mengqing’s surname might mean “soft,” but her personality was anything but.

Had anyone else spoken to her like this, she would have scolded them outright. But today, despite the blatantly fame-seeking remarks, she couldn’t bring herself to shake off Fu Mozheng’s hand. Her hard-won daughter softened her heart, and her tone gentled slightly.

“Mozheng, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to engage with the media or learn about related industries. But you shouldn’t have brought so many reporters without the crew’s permission. Director Gao has strict filming requirements; this only disrupts the production schedule.”

“Mom, I won’t do it again.”, Then, deploying her tried-and-true coquetry tactics, she clung to her mother’s arm, nuzzling affectionately.” “Second Uncle said Director Gao is your good friend, he wouldn’t mind. Who knows, this might even give his drama a little pre-release buzz!”

Ruan Mengqing frowned disapprovingly at her daughter’s words.

It had been over half a year since she last saw her, and Mozheng seemed to have grown up even more. Then again, she was already 22, a young woman now.

And a strikingly beautiful one at that, the kind who could easily stand out even in the entertainment industry.

But why did her eyes seem increasingly sharp, the upward tilt at the corners growing more pronounced?

Her double eyelids were slightly hooded, making them appear narrower, paired with somewhat high cheekbones. If not for the youthful fullness of collagen in her face, she might have come across as rather sharp.

No one in the family seemed to have such upturned outer corners of the eyes or such high cheekbones.

“Mom, Mom, don’t be mad at me~”

Ruan Mengqing’s thoughts were interrupted as Fu Mozheng shook her arm, coquettishly pleading. She snapped back to reality and gently stroked her daughter’s soft cheek.

“Alright, I won’t be angry. But in the future, if you have any plans, you must tell me in advance or at least inform your brothers. Don’t act so recklessly like today.”

Fu Mozheng pouted and let out a “hmph.” “Mom, you’re biased. My brothers always side with you. Even if I tell them, they’ll ask you first, and you’ll definitely say no.”

“Second Uncle and Aunt are much nicer. When I asked them for media contacts, they reached out to so many big names for me!”

Ruan Mengqing sighed helplessly as she ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair.

“Yes, your second uncle and aunt truly dote on you, almost to the point of spoiling you.”

“Of course! Doesn’t everyone adore me?” Fu Mozheng smiled smugly. “Even Cousin Zhaodi said I’m more like their real daughter.”

“That’s enough nonsense.”

Ruan Mengqing’s expression finally turned icy as she pulled her wide sleeve free from Fu Mozheng’s grasp. “How can you speak so spitefully at your age? Not only do you gossip behind people’s backs, but you also give your cousin nicknames. Who taught you this? Or have you picked up bad habits from studying abroad all these years? If you can’t tell right from wrong, fine. Since you’ve lost your manners, I’ll teach you myself. Forget about going back to school or stepping into the entertainment industry.”

Seeing her mother’s anger, Fu Mozheng realized she had gone too far. She quickly straightened up, bowing her head in apology.

“Mom, I was wrong. Please don’t be angry.”

She knew all too well how unyielding Ruan Mengqing could be and that she always followed through on her words so her apology was swift and sincere.

Ruan Mengqing’s tone remained cold. “I haven’t had the chance to ask you yet, was your second uncle transferring media resources to stir up rumors between you and Shen Wu also part of your publicity stunt?”

How did she even know about that?

It really was impossible to hide anything from the family, especially her mother.

Fu Mozheng pressed her lips together, not daring to speak.

Ruan Mengqing’s detached voice sounded above her. “If you genuinely like Shen Wu, you can approach her through proper channels. I’d be happy for you to find someone you truly care about. But if you’re using romance for attention, that’s something I’ve always despised. I don’t know what your second uncle’s intentions are, but by going along with it, you’re making yourself look scheming.”

Fu Mozheng’s fingers turned cold under the reprimand. “That’s not it, but Shen Wu seems… she seems to hold a grudge over something from when we were kids. I can’t get close to her…”

Ruan Mengqing cut in. “And she’s already announced she’ll be appearing on a dating show with another girl, isn’t that right?”

Of course. Ruan Mengqing knew everything.

That sharp gaze bore into her, sending a chill straight to Fu Mozheng’s core.

But she slowly raised her head anyway. “Mom, I can’t lie to you, so I’ll be honest. When I was young and foolish, I missed my chance with Shen Wu once. Now I want to try my own way to see if I can… if I can make her notice me again.”

“I want her.”

“I want her to like me.”

“Everyone else always likes me, so why doesn’t she?”

“I have to have her. If she falls for someone else, I’ll lose my mind.”

…

Liu Ruomeng’s face turned ashen, her entire body trembling slightly. It wasn’t until her assistants took the phone from her that she saw the barrage of comments still scrolling across the screen.

[Haha, guess you thought you could get away with all the bad things you did before since no one caught you, huh?]

[This time the evidence is ironclad, how are you going to weasel out of this? The livestream is saved! I even screen-recorded it!]

[All this time I actually liked you, and you were bullying and harassing a junior colleague? Disgusting!]

[Where’s the director? I demand Liu Ruomeng be replaced, or I’m boycotting this show!]

“Uh, my phone,” The self-media reporter stepped forward, pulling his phone back from the male assistant’s hand and waving at the camera. “We’re cutting the livestream for now, cutting it.”

Just as he was about to end the broadcast, Director Gao suddenly spoke up.

“No need. Don’t turn it off. Since everyone’s watching, I’d like to say a few words too.”

The reporter had no choice but to reluctantly point the camera back at Director Gao.

“Hello everyone, I’m Gao Xisheng. I’ve been directing films and TV shows for decades, some of you might know me, some might not. That doesn’t matter. In short, I’m just an ordinary filmmaker. I respect this industry, and I hope everyone else in this production respects the work they’re doing too. Today’s incident caught me by surprise, but if someone keeps acting this arrogantly, sooner or later they’ll be exposed, and it could lead to even worse consequences. Fortunately, I caught it in time today, and I owe it to the concerned netizens to address this.”

The comments continued to flood in rapidly as Director Gao went on. “I may not be some all-powerful figure, but in my own production, this old man still has some say.”

“So today, I’m announcing to everyone that Liu Ruomeng will no longer be suitable for the role of ‘Princess Minglu’ in Chronicles of the Dynasty. The production team will have our legal department handle the termination of our collaboration with her.”

A collective gasp rippled through the room.

The announcement sent shockwaves through both the on-site crew and the live audience, quickly followed by waves of admiration.

Among the comments, some troublemakers kept spamming:

[Liu Ruomeng, your luck is yet to come [dog emoji]]

Others asked: [Then who’s going to play Princess Minglu?]

The chatter continued until Director Gao pulled someone into the frame who had been standing just outside.

“‘Princess Minglu’ will be played by her.”

Su Yuchen was tugged in by the arm, her face still damp with tears.

Strands of hair clung to her pale cheeks, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Director Gao said gently, “You’ve suffered, child. Consider this role as compensation.”

“Will you accept it?”