The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 14

The next morning, after packing his things, Tang Jingran planned to head back to L City early to visit the injured kitten at the pet hospital.

“Leaving so soon?” Mei Run sat in the room, watching Tang Jingran pack his luggage.

“Yeah, I have some things to take care of back there.” Tang Jingran sat down beside Mei Run and leaned against her. “Director Mama, I’ll come back often whenever I don’t have any announcements.”

Mei Run gently patted Tang Jingran’s back. “Mm, I’ll be waiting for you.”

When Tang Jingran arrived at the cat cafe variety show set, he was startled by a figure inside the door.

He saw Qin Ze talking to a man wearing a black baseball cap. Upon seeing Tang Jingran, Qin Ze’s expression turned visibly flustered, but it was immediately replaced by a look of ridicule.

“Yo, back so early?” Qin Ze patted the man’s shoulder, signaling him to leave, and proactively struck up a conversation with Tang Jingran.

Tang Jingran glanced at the departing figure of the man, then turned to see Qin Ze leaning against the bar counter with his arms crossed, staring at him.

“Mm.”

This person had a massive prejudice against him—they both knew it—and Tang Jingran wasn’t in the mood to play pretend with him.

Hearing Tang Jingran’s cold response, Qin Ze became a bit irritated. “Is this the attitude you use when a senior speaks to you?”

Tang Jingran replied, “My attitude depends on yours.”

“You!” Qin Ze huffed. Hmph, let’s see how much longer you can stay in the spotlight.

Tang Jingran carried his suitcase to the dormitory, quickly tidied up, and took the bus to the pet hospital.

“This cat seems to really like you. Do you want to take it home and raise it?” the veterinarian asked Tang Jingran, observing the cat’s reaction.

After a period of treatment, the Siamese cat had fully recovered. Perhaps identifying Tang Jingran’s scent and knowing he was the one who saved it, the Siamese cat now had its tail held high, circling and rubbing against Tang Jingran’s legs while purring loudly.

Because of his work, Tang Jingran never kept pets. He felt that if he couldn’t provide enough companionship and had to lock a cat in the house, it was better to let the cat live independently. Kindness without the capacity to be responsible can sometimes be a disaster for small animals.

“No.” Tang Jingran shook his head gently, stroking the kitten under his hand. “Maybe another time when I have more flexibility.”

“Right.” The vet slapped his forehead. “I forgot about your line of work.”

Saying this, he awkwardly pulled a phone from his pocket. “Um, Mr. Tang, would it be okay to take a photo with you?”

“Of course.” Tang Jingran crouched down slightly next to the vet.

“Thank you, Mr. Tang!” The vet was clearly excited. “My daughter likes you very much. Our whole family supports you.”

“Thank you.” Tang Jingran took out a pen and paper he carried with him to write. “May I ask how old your daughter is?”

“She just turned ten this year,” the vet said.

“Alright. I didn’t bring anything with me, so I can only write a few words for the little one.” Tang Jingran handed the paper to the vet.

“Thank you so much! My daughter will be thrilled!”

[Cat Cafe Variety Show Broadcasting Now]

[Ahhh, it’s finally started!!]

[My daily must-watch ‘electronic kitten’ program!!]

[Speaking of which, this is the first time I’ve wished for a 24/7 variety show.]

[Same here, me too.]

This was the first time the two had met since that day. Tang Jingran thought it would be awkward, but unexpectedly, it didn’t feel that way. Instead, there was a sense of newfound closeness.

“Haha, thank you, everyone, for joining! Our cat cafe variety show is on air again. What interesting scenes will we see this time? Let’s keep watching,” Zhang Song continued hosting. “Next, the gameplay for this segment will change a bit. Teachers, please listen carefully to the rules.”

“The production team has expanded the venue. We have placed different themed small houses all around, and inside them, we’ve placed food that cats love.”

“Teachers need to lure the cats inside and successfully bring the food out.”

“The group that finds the most food within the time limit wins~”

“Good luck, teachers. Let the competition begin.”

[This game is a bit difficult.]

[My own ‘rebellious son’ at home won’t come over no matter how I lure him.]

[Looking forward to the teachers’ performances.]

The cats provided by the production team were the ones everyone had worked with before, so they were familiar and easier to direct.

“Teacher Gong, I’ll take the cat to find a house first,” Tang Jingran said to Gong Yingxiao, holding the recovered Siamese cat in his arms.

Gong Yingxiao nodded slightly and said with a smile, “Mm, be careful. We’ll meet up later.”

Tang Jingran turned and walked toward a direction where no one else had gone. The Siamese cat seemed to know what they were doing and lay quietly in his arms.

Before walking far, Tang Jingran spotted a themed cottage. The exterior was designed to look like a cat, which was very cute. However, there was one issue: the inside was pitch black without any lights.

Tang Jingran frowned slightly but didn’t think much of it. At least it was bright outside.

He walked to the front of the cottage, placed the Siamese cat on the ground, patted its head reassuringly, and whispered, “Let’s go. Let’s go inside together and get the food.”

The Siamese cat seemed to understand. It padded toward the cottage, and Tang Jingran followed.

Inside, there was no light source. Tang Jingran suppressed his racing heart and trembling legs, groping his way forward. After a moment, the Siamese cat meowed nearby. Just as Tang Jingran touched a plate and prepared to take the food and the cat outside, the door slammed shut.

Bang.

When Qin Ze blocked Gong Yingxiao’s path for the third time, Gong Yingxiao finally looked at him directly.

“Teacher Gong, are you going to act in a movie after this show ends?” Qin Ze didn’t notice Gong Yingxiao’s gaze and kept babbling. “Actually, on our side, we have—”

“You’re very noisy.” Gong Yingxiao interrupted him, looking around for Tang Jingran. But after scanning the area, Tang Jingran was nowhere to be seen.

Before his mind could process it, his body reacted first. Gong Yingxiao pushed Qin Ze aside and strode off to find Tang Jingran.

Tang Jingran felt as if the darkness were a giant hand strangling his throat, making it extremely difficult to breathe. Beads of painful sweat broke out on his fair forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor.

His consciousness felt as though it had been struck; a splitting headache surged. The panicked cries of the Siamese cat nearby dragged his thoughts back to that ‘little black room’ where he had been maliciously excluded and locked away as a child.

“Lock him in the room!”

“Who told him not to listen to us? People who don’t listen get locked in the dark room!

“Hahaha, he looks just like a little dog!”

“A little dog that nobody wants!”

“It’s all because of him that Director Mama doesn’t think about us!”

“Lock him up and teach him a lesson!”

The children laughed as they cornered the young Tang Jingran in the dark room. To the young Jingran, those laughing faces looked like demons, their eyes filled with resentment toward him.

Fear and despair submerged him like a tide. He curled up in a corner, hugging his knees, his eyes filled with terror, not knowing why he had to suffer this.

The light vanished. Outside, the sounds of the children’s happy, retreating footsteps faded away.

Terrified, little Jingran pounded on the door, his voice full of fear and helplessness: “Mom, Director Mama!”

However, he received no response until his voice was hoarse and weak. No one heard his cry for help. A cold chill slowly crawled toward his feet. His survival instinct made him continue whispering toward the door.

“Mom…”

Tang Jingran seemed to be dreaming. In the dream, he was leaning happily into Director Mama’s warm embrace.

However, in the next second, he was dragged toward a black abyss. He wanted to call for help but couldn’t make a sound.

Just as Tang Jingran was about to give up, a crack was torn into his prison of consciousness, and light shone through. He fell into a broad, warm embrace. A large hand constantly soothed him. Tang Jingran’s consciousness finally relaxed, and he leaned longingly into that person’s arms.

[WTF, what happened?!]

[Why did Teacher Tang Jingran faint?]

[What’s wrong with the production team?]

[They didn’t notice someone had been gone for so long?]

As the online comments grew more intense, the production team had to issue an emergency notice.

“Everyone, the live broadcast is temporarily ending. Please do not post excessive comments. We will provide an explanation once Teacher Tang wakes up,” Zhang Song rushed over to the host and calmed the audience.

The cameras were turned off.

“Acute shock symptoms triggered by claustrophobia.” The doctor glanced at Gong Yingxiao, who was standing nearby. “What is your relationship with the patient?”

“Friends for now. Not in the future,” Gong Yingxiao replied in a deep voice, his eyes still fixed on the pale person on the hospital bed.

The doctor: “…”

The doctor nodded and continued, “The patient must have had a similar experience before. This sudden stimulus triggered these symptoms. Fortunately, he was brought here in time, so there’s no major issue now, but he needs to stay for observation.”

“You need to pay special attention tonight.”

Looking at the person lying quietly on the bed, Gong Yingxiao felt a pang of sharp pain in his heart.

“What is the cause?” Gong Yingxiao pressed.

The doctor sighed and shook his head. “I’m not sure about that. You’ll have to ask the patient himself when he wakes up.”

Gong Yingxiao was silent for a long moment before saying, “Alright. Thank you, doctor.”

Tang Jingran, who had been unconscious, suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Heartbroken, Gong Yingxiao gently wiped away the sweat with a towel and spoke softly.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Gong Yingxiao tried to withdraw his hand, but Tang Jingran suddenly grabbed it, murmuring incoherently.

“Don’t… don’t go…”

“Don’t… don’t leave me…”

Gong Yingxiao originally wanted to reason with Tang Jingran, but he realized the other person couldn’t hear anything. So, he simply took Tang Jingran into a face-to-face embrace—a very soothing gesture. He patted Tang Jingran’s back rhythmically.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t leave.”

The person who had been trembling gradually calmed down under Gong Yingxiao’s comfort, eventually leaning against his shoulder with steady breathing.

Jiang Guo opened the door and walked in. Seeing this scene, his eyes widened in shock. “You! You, you, you!”

“Let go of him already!”

Gong Yingxiao frowned at Jiang Guo. “Be quiet.”

Be quiet? This is outrageous! I take my eyes off you for a second, and you’re hugging someone in bed!

“Get out of here. I have something to tell you,” Jiang Guo lowered his voice, casting a look of utter disdain at Gong Yingxiao.

Gong Yingxiao ignored Jiang Guo’s look. He carefully tucked Tang Jingran under the covers. His hand was once again grabbed tightly by Tang Jingran and placed beside his face; the younger man leaned trustingly against his palm before finding a comfortable position and quieting down.

Gong Yingxiao’s heart instantly melted from Tang Jingran’s unconscious action, and his furrowed brows relaxed. He affectionately touched Tang Jingran’s fair cheek.

“Rest well. I’ll be back in a moment.”