The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 23

The distance between the two was so close that they could see their own reflections in each other’s eyes, and the air between them grew heavy with a breath that felt almost like an ambiguous spark.

Tang Jingran reached up and struck away the dry palm resting on the back of his neck.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Gong Yingxiao withdrew his hand and gave a faint nod.

“I suppose so.”

Tang Jingran didn’t want to stay a moment longer and turned to leave.

“Your particular symptom is quite novel, isn’t it?” Gong Yingxiao’s voice followed him in an unhurried cadence. “I imagine many people would find it interesting.”

Tang Jingran froze instantly. “Are you threatening me?”

“And what if I am?” Gong Yingxiao looked at the loathing in the other man’s eyes, and his heart felt a sharp pang.

Tang Jingran scanned the man’s flawless features over and over again, feeling a sense of tragedy for his past self who once thought this person was decent.

This was the man’s true face: cold-blooded, overbearing, and calculating.

Then again, it made sense. The man was a world-renowned Best Actor; his looks, status, and family background were beyond reproach.

Compared to him, Tang Jingran was like an ugly duckling in a flock of swans—no, perhaps he didn’t even qualify as an ugly duckling. After all, the ugly duckling was a swan from the start.

But he was just a common duckling.

There was simply no comparison.

As for their past relationship, it really wasn’t a big deal. It was like playing house as children. It wouldn’t have mattered who the partner was.

Tang Jingran felt nothing but contempt for his past distress and foolish behavior.

It was understandable that a man like this would feel he’d lost face by being rejected first by someone like Tang.

“Of course, I can’t do anything about it.” The emotions in Tang Jingran’s eyes shifted from pure loathing to something Gong Yingxiao couldn’t quite decipher—perhaps disappointment, or something else.

“Why don’t you tell me what you want, then?”

“After all, you hold the leverage over me.”

Gong Yingxiao sensed a misunderstanding, but in the current situation, explanation was impossible. Furthermore, that repeated, formal use of “sir” was nearly driving him insane.

“Be my lover.”

Tang Jingran felt a burning sensation on his face as if he’d been slapped; his body even swayed for a moment. He looked at the man in utter disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Seeing him like this hurt Gong Yingxiao, but the words that left his mouth remained cruel. “You decided you were tired of it whenever you pleased—who gave you that right?”

Tang Jingran was stung by those words, failing to grasp any deeper meaning behind the word “lover.”

“You want me to be your lover?” Tang Jingran reined in his emotions and actually looked at Gong Yingxiao with a full smile.

He leaned in close to the man’s ear, his breath brushing against that sensitive patch of skin.

“Mr. Gong, I take back what I just said.”

“Do as you please.”

Having said that, he turned and walked away gracefully, without a hint of lingering attachment.

Gong Yingxiao waited until the other’s figure disappeared around the corner of the wall before touching the tip of his ear, which was burning slightly.

“Tsk.”

When Tang Jingran returned to the private room, the group was excitedly discussing something.

“I don’t dare; his aura is too powerful,” Xue Kai said, half-covering his face. “Besides, I’m an ‘I’ (introvert)!”

Wen Xiaoqi laughed. “You’re too modest, Xiao Kai. If you’re an introvert, then there are no extroverts left in this world.”

Jiang Jianxian also laughed a bit and looked toward the door as she heard movement. “Oh, Jingran, you’re back. Come sit. Give us your opinion.”

Tang Jingran nodded slightly and sat in his seat, making sure he looked normal. “What opinion?”

“Everyone wants Mr. Gong’s signature,” Jiang Haomin said. “But no one dares to step forward.”

Shen Chenyang also weakly raised his hand. “I don’t dare either.”

“Oh, Jingran, I just remembered,” Wen Xiaoqi rested her chin on her hand. “Didn’t Mr. Gong go to that recent cat variety show too? Did you two interact at all?”

Xue Kai slapped his thigh. “Right! I thought you looked familiar when I first saw you today.”

“I’ve heard of that show, but I haven’t watched it yet.”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Tang Jingran. He wanted to refuse, but seeing their expectant gazes, he found it hard to speak.

After a pause, Tang Jingran said, “It was alright.”

“Actually, Mr. Gong is quite easy to talk to. Usually, if you approach him with a question, he will answer.”

Tang Jingran smiled and added, “You guys can try when he gets back. He isn’t as cold as the rumors say.”

As soon as he said it, Tang Jingran froze. He was actually giving this man a “good person” card. Realizing this, he immediately wiped the smile from his face.

Xue Kai rubbed his chin. “Hmm, I actually have seen quite a few news reports about how Teacher Gong replies to people who ask him questions.”

“I thought the news was fake. I didn’t expect him to actually be like that in person.”

“I’ve seen them too,” Jiang Jianxian said. “But since it’s all from news reports, I felt the credibility wasn’t very high.”

“Besides, seeing Mr. Gong in person today, his aura is even more powerful than in photos. I almost didn’t dare look him in the eye.”

Listening to Jiang Jianxian’s words, Tang Jingran suddenly remembered his first impression of Gong Yingxiao.

When he first saw the man’s back, he thought the man’s posture was as straight as unbending steel—unapproachable. But when the man stood before him, shaking hands and smiling, that feeling had diminished quite a bit.

Tang Jingran: “…”

Tsk. Why was he thinking about that man again?

“I’ve always heard rumors that Mr. Gong plans to move behind the scenes. I didn’t believe it at first, but today the lead investor invited him here to ask if he has plans to invest,” Jiang Haomin said, crossing his hands.

“The outcome isn’t clear yet.”

“I think the fact that he came here represents his attitude,” Wen Xiaoqi said, her eyes darting playfully. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t come all this way just for a meal, right?”

Shen Chenyang nodded silently in agreement. “I think so too.”

Wen Xiaoqi smiled at Shen Chenyang. “Right?”

Shen Chenyang lowered his head shyly.

The door opened, and Gong Yingxiao walked back to his seat with large strides.

Wang Quansheng spoke up. “Is Mr. Gong interested in investing in this drama?”

“This show fits the current market trends. With a bit of luck, it might become a great IP.”

“Furthermore, the two female screenwriters for this project are both excellent.”

Gong Yingxiao’s eyes swept over the actors opposite him, then he turned to reach out a hand to Wang Quansheng.

“I can do that.”

Gong Yingxiao didn’t decide to invest solely because Tang Jingran was in the cast; he had carefully reviewed the materials Jiang Guo organized several times before coming.

Besides, investing gave him a perfectly valid reason to visit the filming set.

“Great, thank you, Mr. Gong.” Wang Quansheng had a smile on his face. “It’s getting late. Everyone, finish up and head home to rest so we can prepare for the upcoming shoot.”

“Does anyone want to speak with Teacher Gong?” Wang Quansheng waved toward Tang Jingran’s side.

Jiang Jianxian and the others excitedly stood up and walked toward Gong Yingxiao.

“Teacher Gong, could you give us an autograph?” Jiang Jianxian excitedly gripped Wen Xiaoqi’s arm. “Of course, if it’s inconvenient, it’s no problem.”

Gong Yingxiao scanned the excited faces of the actors before him one by one, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on Tang Jingran, who was at the back, looking elsewhere.

He spoke.

“Sure.”

“Teacher Gong can use my pen.” Wen Xiaoqi handed her pen to Gong Yingxiao, and Jiang Haomin distributed the paper he had brought to everyone.

But after handing them out, he realized they were short one sheet for Tang Jingran.

“Jingran…”

Jiang Haomin wanted to offer his own autograph to him, but Gong Yingxiao had already signed those sheets, cutting him off.

Everyone watched as Gong Yingxiao bypassed the others and walked straight up to Tang Jingran.

“Stretch out your hand.”

Tang Jingran knew the man was doing this on purpose, but in front of so many people, he couldn’t easily refuse.

So, he braced himself and spoke. “It’s alright, Mr. Gong. Didn’t you already sign—”

Gong Yingxiao was brief. “Hand. Stretch it out.”

Surprised glances from everyone fell upon them. While it wasn’t unheard of to sign a hand when paper was lacking, the atmosphere between the two felt off.

Tang Jingran closed his eyes and resignedly raised his right hand.

Gong Yingxiao: “The left one.”

Tang Jingran: “…”

Gong Yingxiao gripped the other’s wrist with one hand and signed with the other.

The cool tip of the pen touching his palm sent a small shiver through him; a dense, tingling sensation traveled from his palm into his very bones, carrying a faint itch.

Time seemed to stretch and grow thick. The other man’s scent climbed up his skin, inch by inch.

Tang Jingran uncomfortably tried to pull his wrist away. Gong Yingxiao finished the final stroke and slowly let go.

He gave Tang Jingran a deep look before turning back to the group.

Tang Jingran looked down at the signature in his hand—strokes powerful and bold, much like the man himself.

“Yours is a unique one,” Xue Kai leaned in to look. “Though the shelf life is a bit short; it’ll be gone as soon as you wash it.”

“Do you want this ‘unique one’?” Tang Jingran held his hand up to Xue Kai.

“I’ll pass.” Xue Kai shuddered at the thought of Gong Yingxiao holding his hand to sign it. Too eerie.

Not far away, Yan Jun frowned slightly.

The banquet ended, and everyone went their separate ways. After seeing Tang Jingran off, Yan Jun’s gaze landed on Gong Yingxiao’s departing back.

“Mr. Gong, wait a moment.”

Gong Yingxiao stopped and turned, letting Jiang Guo go ahead. Jiang Guo and Yan Jun nodded to each other, and Yan Jun returned the greeting with a smile.

“Is something the matter?” Gong Yingxiao asked.

Yan Jun had originally wanted to ask about him and Tang Jingran, but now that he was actually facing Gong Yingxiao, he didn’t know what to say.

Yan Jun gave a dry laugh. “Shall we go to the terrace?”

Gong Yingxiao nodded.

Yan Jun leaned his arms on the railing, looking out at the night scene where neon lights flickered and traffic flowed like a river. “Jingran is a good kid, isn’t he?”

Gong Yingxiao’s brow twitched, but he didn’t speak.

“When I first started managing him, I thought he was a troublemaker. He has a handsome face, but when he’s expressionless, he looks like he has thorns—difficult to approach,” Yan Jun said, the night lights reflecting in his eyes. “But after spending time with him, I realized it was all an act.”

“The boy is incredibly soft-hearted.”

“About a year after I started managing him, something happened at my home and I needed money.” Yan Jun laughed. “But borrowing money is a sensitive issue, and in the end, I still didn’t have enough.”

“I was at my wit’s end. Can you guess what Jingran did?” Yan Jun turned to look at Gong Yingxiao.

“What did he do?”

“He gave me every cent he had beyond his basic living expenses.” Yan Jun closed his eyes, remembering the scene. “It was winter and snowing. I was sitting on a bench with my face in my hands. I looked up and saw his nose was red from the cold, and he was holding a thick stack of brown paper envelopes.”

“I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘You helped me find a place to live.’ I asked again, ‘What if I run away with your money?’ He said, ‘You’re not that kind of person.'”

“I wanted to cry then, but thinking that I had to manage him, I held the tears back.” Yan Jun exhaled. “I don’t know what happened between you two.”

“But, Mr. Gong, if you’re just looking for a fling, please don’t look for our Jingran.”

“He’s the type of person who will repay kindness a hundredfold, but when he’s hurt, he’ll just hide away.”

“That’s not because he’s cowardly; it’s just his way of protecting himself.”

“If I’m not mistaken, he was avoiding you tonight.”

Gong Yingxiao frowned. He didn’t know what had given everyone the impression that he was just playing around.

“I…”

“His mother just passed away.”

The muscles in Gong Yingxiao’s back tightened violently. He recalled the words he had said earlier and Tang Jingran’s hurt expression; he wished he could kick himself.

“Of course, she wasn’t his biological mother, but she might as well have been.” Yan Jun looked at Gong Yingxiao. “Though such things are common in the entertainment industry, I still want to say that now might not be a good time.”

Yan Jun checked his watch. “I won’t disturb you any longer, Mr. Gong.”