The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 22

The man was dressed in a sophisticated, well-tailored suit. His standard inverted-triangle physique showcased the golden ratio of broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Black suit trousers wrapped around his powerful, sturdy legs, and his entire being radiated a domineering, oppressive aura.

His hair was swept entirely back, revealing a smooth forehead and aggressive facial features; upon closer inspection, one could see he had even meticulously trimmed his sideburns.

His gaze swept toward the smile on Tang Jingran’s face that hadn’t yet been retracted.

He’s lost weight.

That was Gong Yingxiao’s first thought.

Since that day, this was the first time the two of them had met.

“Mr. Gong is here!”

“Mr. Gong, why didn’t you give us a heads-up? We would have gone down to greet you.”

“Mr. Gong, please, come sit, come sit.”

Everyone in the room stood up to welcome him at the door. Tang Jingran pulled back his smile, avoided eye contact, and stood up as well.

Beside him, Xue Kai was pinching his own thigh in excitement to keep himself from screaming. “Holy crap, holy crap, what’s the deal here?”

“I can’t believe we’re running into Film Emperor Gong here!”

“What kind of crazy luck did our crew stumble into?”

Tang Jingran gave a half-hearted reply, “Maybe.”

But he might have just stepped into some “dog shit” luck.

“Mr. Gong, please sit, please sit.” A man in his thirties wearing glasses stepped forward to receive Gong Yingxiao.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, the man followed his gaze toward Tang Jingran’s side.

“Does Mr. Gong know someone here?” There were several people standing scattered around Tang Jingran’s area, and the man couldn’t tell for a moment who he was looking at.

Ever since entering, Gong Yingxiao’s eyes hadn’t left Tang Jingran. The other party kept avoiding his gaze, talking to the man beside him.

The corners of Gong Yingxiao’s mouth pulled down, and his voice was cold.

“I don’t know him.”

Caught off guard by those three extremely cold words, Tang Jingran felt as if his heart had been thrown to the ground and ruthlessly trampled. A dense, stinging pain seeped from his bones, causing his breath to hitch for a moment.

His eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly suppressed his emotions.

“Alright, alright, Mr. Gong, please have a seat.” The man guided Gong Yingxiao to his chair.

After Gong Yingxiao’s arrival, the drinking session officially began.

Before starting, several of the actors present greeted Gong Yingxiao first.

The female lead this time was named Jiang Jianxian. She had a sharp, elegant look and had previously won a Best New Actress award. Having starred as the lead in several dramas, both her acting skills and appearance were top-tier.

The male lead was named Jiang Haomin. He looked refined with a scholarly air. Like Jiang Jianxian, he had also won a Best Newcomer award and had starred as the lead in two dramas so far.

The second female lead was Wen Xiaoqi. She had played the third female lead in two dramas before. She was quite a skilled actress who simply lacked the right roles.

The second male lead was Shen Chenyang, who had only played a second lead once before.

The third male leads were Tang Jingran and Xue Kai.

Tang Jingran didn’t have any notable roles to his name, but he spoke about it candidly to everyone present.

Xue Kai had acted in many dramas, though none had become particularly popular; fortunately, his acting skills were solid.

Currently, the main cast members had been invited to attend; the other actors would meet during the opening ceremony.

Once the basic introductions were over, there wasn’t much for the actors to do. Most of the conversation took place between the investors, the screenwriter, and Gong Yingxiao.

During this time, Tang Jingran and his group began getting to know each other.

Jiang Jianxian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why don’t we all add each other on WeChat?”

“Sure.”

“Okay.”

“No problem.”

Several of them scanned each other’s WeChat QR codes.

After adding each other, Jiang Jianxian took the initiative to speak.

“The script this time is very good. Has everyone read it?”

Jiang Haomin leaned back in his chair and said, “I’ve just read a general outline. I’m very interested in this genre.”

Wen Xiaoqi was very lively and chimed in, “I also really like fantasy works. It’s very cool.”

Shen Chenyang was a bit shy: “It’s alright for me.”

“I’ve read it, I’ve read it. I really like this character,” Xue Kai was clearly an extrovert. “I hope we can all become overnight hits! Haha.”

Tang Jingran retracted his gaze from the person across from him. “Yes, this is my first time having a role with lines. I hope you seniors won’t mind me; I will study hard.”

Hearing Tang Jingran’s words, Jiang Jianxian waved her hand quickly. “No, no, everyone starts somewhere. Just practice slowly.”

“No need to call us seniors, we’re all roughly the same age.”

“Yeah, no need to be so formal.”

As the conversation flowed, everyone gradually became more familiar, and the atmosphere grew much more relaxed.

After finishing the discussion about the script, they began to chat idly. Tang Jingran listened quietly, his thoughts gradually drifting to the expressionless, cold man sitting across from him.

The lights in the private room reflected off the man’s sharp bridge of his nose, casting a small shadow to the side and making his features look exceptionally three-dimensional.

The man had his long legs crossed, his slender fingers tapping against the arm of his chair as he leaned slightly to listen to the person beside him. Tang Jingran’s gaze moved in sync with the rhythm of the man’s tapping fingers.

Listening to the two different discussions on either side, Tang Jingran suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and a bit of breathlessness. He frowned slightly and said to those around him, “Excuse me, everyone, I’m going to the restroom. Please continue.”

“Mm-hmm, okay, go ahead.”

Tang Jingran gave a small smile, turned, and walked out.

Gong Yingxiao had been observing Tang Jingran’s movements the entire time. Seeing him leave, he immediately stood up to follow.

“I didn’t expect Mr. Gong to come. It seems Mr. Gong is interested in this script,” the man beside him said. “Then does Mr. Gong have any plans to…”

Gong Yingxiao raised his hand, cutting off the man’s speech. “One moment, I’m going to the restroom.”

The man nodded. “Of course.”

Gong Yingxiao gave a slight nod and turned to exit the room.

Sitting nearby, Yan Jun watched the two of them leave one after the other and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

In the restroom, Tang Jingran splashed his face with water. The cool temperature washed away much of his gloom, making him feel a bit lighter.

“Whew.”

Tang Jingran took a deep breath, propping his hands on both sides of the sink as he looked at himself in the mirror.

“Don’t think about it anymore. Let it be.”

A few seconds later, Tang Jingran cleaned up his face, turned, and walked out of the restroom.

Just as he turned the corner, his footsteps were suddenly nailed to the spot, as if a thousand pounds were hanging from his feet, making it impossible to lift them.

A few paces away, the man stood against the wall, his eyes staring straight at Tang Jingran.

Tang Jingran averted his gaze and walked straight ahead without looking.

Gong Yingxiao looked at the person he hadn’t seen for over a month and desperately wanted to pull him into a death grip of an embrace, making it impossible for him to move.

But on the surface, he maintained a gentlemanly composure.

“Long time no see.”

Tang Jingran didn’t stop.

Gong Yingxiao didn’t block him either.

“Do you prefer it when I use force?”

Tang Jingran stopped in his tracks, turned around, and frowned at the man.

Gong Yingxiao walked toward Tang Jingran, stopping an arm’s length away. His tone could be described as calm.

“Long time no see. How have you been lately?”

Tang Jingran took half a step back, his eyes flat.

“Mr. Gong, I don’t think we are close enough to ask about each other’s recent lives.”

Gong Yingxiao didn’t mind Tang Jingran’s movement; he simply traced the other’s features with his eyes over and over again.

“Not close?”

Gong Yingxiao let out a laugh, though there was a hint of mockery in it.

“We’ve slept in the same bed, and we’re still not close?”

“Then tell me, what counts as being close?” As he spoke, he leaned in toward Tang Jingran.

Stung by the man’s sarcastic tone, Tang Jingran felt waves of sharp pain in his heart, and his shoulders trembled slightly. This man was truly detestable—he was the one who had played the “good person” and fooled him completely, and now he was turning around to question him.

He didn’t dare to imagine what a huge joke it would have been if he had answered that night.

He should have believed the words of the orphanage Director Mom: no one is worth trusting.

“Mr. Gong, you really are a busy man with a short memory. Not long ago, you said you didn’t know me. Why are you coming here now to ask if we’re close?” Tang Jingran’s voice was cold and devoid of warmth as he looked up at the other. “If you don’t remember, I don’t mind going to pull the surveillance footage for you.”

Gong Yingxiao was pricked to the heart by Tang Jingran’s repeated use of the formal “You” (Nin), and the veins at his temples throbbed slightly. “Are you sure you want to keep talking to me like this?”

“Since you don’t want to hear me talk, then I’ll leave. Suit yourself.”

Tang Jingran turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.

Gong Yingxiao was quick to grab the other’s wrist.

He hadn’t come here to argue with Tang Jingran. His original plan was to have a calm and proper talk.

But as soon as he heard that indifferent and mocking tone, he couldn’t control his tongue, and he ended up saying things that were aggravating. Those formal “Yous” were especially poking at Gong Yingxiao’s nerves.

He really wanted to block that mouth and make it produce some sounds he liked to hear.

“I don’t want to fight with you.” Gong Yingxiao took a deep breath to suppress his emotions and stay calm. “I just want to know the reason. What happened?”

Some things, once the appropriate time has passed, are no longer worth mentioning; they serve no purpose.

Tang Jingran also took a deep breath to keep himself calm. He looked up at Gong Yingxiao.

“There is no reason. It’s just my personal issue.”

“That’s all.”

The fire in Gong Yingxiao’s heart flared up to his chest again. “That’s not what I want to hear.”

“Then what do you want to hear?” Tang Jingran countered.

Neither of them had explicitly stated their hazy relationship, neither had pierced that thin layer of window paper, and neither had taken a step further.

Now, with the two of them pulling at each other like this, it felt a bit ridiculous.

“Let’s just have a clean break and leave each other with a good impression.”

Tang Jingran forcefully broke free from Gong Yingxiao’s grip. “I’m leaving.”

“A clean break?” Gong Yingxiao’s eyes remained fixed on Tang Jingran’s back, as if he wanted to imprint the silhouette into his very bones.

Gong Yingxiao didn’t want to force Tang Jingran; that wasn’t his intention.

But now, he couldn’t find any method other than force to get Tang Jingran to speak to him again.

The leather soles of his shoes hit the marble floor with a “tap-tap-tap” sound. Tang Jingran heard the footsteps but didn’t turn back.

Then, the man’s calm yet terrifying voice rang in his ears.

“Why are the ears gone?”

Tang Jingran’s spine froze instantly, and even the muscles on his face twitched violently.

“What do you mean?” Tang Jingran looked at the other with a wary gaze.

“Who else have you shown your ears to?” Gong Yingxiao didn’t answer Tang Jingran’s question. Instead, he reached out and intimately grasped that fair neck, pressing him toward himself with undeniable force.

“Or is it… that you’ve only ever shown them to me?”