The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 24

Before going to bed that night, Tang Jingran received several messages.

Gong Yingxiao: I’m sorry.

Gong Yingxiao: I was impulsive with my words tonight

Gong Yingxiao: I absolutely did not mean to look down on you.

Gong Yingxiao: I actually wanted to call and tell you this personally, but I figured you probably wouldn’t pick up

Gong Yingxiao: Neither of us is emotionally stable or rational right now; nothing will be solved if we continue like this.

Gong Yingxiao: I will sort out my emotions properly before coming to find you.

Gong Yingxiao: Sorry, get some rest early.

Tang Jingran looked at the string of apology messages from Gong Yingxiao on the screen, his lip line pressing into a straight line.

He also had his faults; he shouldn’t have spoken to the other person that way.

The two of them were essentially even.

After thinking for a moment, he ultimately decided not to reply and turned off the screen.

There was nothing left for the two of them to say. Not disturbing each other was the best possible outcome.

Half a Month Later

The filming for The Legend of Gods and Demons officially began.

In the car, Yan Jun continued to lecture Tang Jingran.

“The filming location this time is in Z City. The temperature there isn’t low, and there are many days with high-temperature weather. Did you pack all the clothes and items I told you to bring?”

Yan Jun looked back to see Tang Jingran with his head down, focused on the script, circling and marking sections with a pen.

“Mhm, I brought everything,” Tang Jingran replied without looking up.

“Nervous again?” Yan Jun teased him.

“This is called accumulating steadily to break through,” Tang Jingran raised his head. “When an opportunity is handed to you, there’s no reason not to take it. Since it’s right in front of me, I definitely have to grasp it firmly.”

“Alright, then keep reading,” Yan Jun laughed.

Shortly after, the two arrived at the airport and boarded their flight to Z City.

The plane taxied down the runway and took off with a buzzing vibration. Tang Jingran turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window as it rapidly receded.

It was a new beginning.

When Tang Jingran arrived at the film set, many actors had already gathered. Among them, one person’s voice sounded particularly familiar.

“Teacher Qin, I didn’t expect to run into you here! I really love the dramas you act in!” A female actress’s voice sounded excited. “Teacher Qin, could you give me an autograph?”

Fearing a rejection, the actress hurried to add, “If it’s inconvenient, it’s okay.”

“Not at all.” Qin Ze smiled with a gentlemanly grace. However, when he lowered his head, a flash of impatience crossed his brow, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. “Give it to me.”

With a face that long, she actually came to be an actress, he thought.

“Here.”

Qin Ze’s warm and handsome eyes crinkled into a smile. Because she was excited, the female actress accidentally touched his finger. Qin Ze’s hand paused as he retracted it, his expression suddenly becoming unpleasant.

The actress carefully tucked away the autograph, but when she looked up, she noticed Qin Ze’s face didn’t look right. She asked with concern, “Teacher Qin, are you alright?”

Qin Ze’s mouth twitched a few times. He gritted his teeth and said, “I’m fine, just had something on my hand.”

After saying that, he picked up a wet wipe nearby and wiped his hand thoroughly.

The actress stood there at a loss, awkwardly scratching her palm.

Jiang Jianxian noticed this interlude and pulled the actress behind her. “I didn’t know Teacher Qin was joining this production as well. I wonder which character Teacher Qin is playing?”

Wen Xiaoqi walked over and patted the actress on the shoulder, giving her a smile.

“The character I’m playing this time is…” Qin Ze stopped mid-sentence, his gaze shifting behind the group.

Everyone followed his line of sight and saw Tang Jingran standing in the back, bathed in sunlight, wearing a simple white T-shirt and shorts.

“Oh, Jingran is here.” Jiang Jianxian and Wen Xiaoqi pulled the female actress along to greet Tang Jingran.

“Sister Jiang, Sister Qi,” Tang Jingran greeted the two of them and nodded toward the actress behind them.

The actress looked at Tang Jingran with surprise and nodded back.

“I didn’t expect you to be in this production too.” The words Jiang Jianxian wanted to say were interrupted by Qin Ze. He stood up from his chair and smoothed the sleeves of his clearly expensive and exquisite suit.

However, no one was paying attention to his suit; they all wanted to ask this Mr. Qin if he was hot.

“What role are you playing in this crew?” Qin Ze walked over and stood arrogantly in front of Tang Jingran. But because he was shorter than Tang Jingran, he secretly lifted his heels a bit.

“Probably playing a corpse—”

“Male Lead #3.”

Tang Jingran stood casually in the sunlight with his hands in his pockets. The warm light cast a faint glow over his cheeks, and the white T-shirt made him look as if he were glowing.

Tang Jingran took two steps forward, looking down at the other man with a trace of a smile in his clear, dark eyes.

“Playing the third male lead. What about you, Teacher Qin? What role are you playing?”

The production’s female lead, second female lead, male lead, and second and third male leads had all been finalized. The role Qin Ze was playing definitely wouldn’t surpass them.

There was one possibility: if he was playing the third female lead, then he would indeed be quite impressive.

Qin Ze’s mockery got stuck in his throat, making his face turn a flushed, gloomy red.

Qin Ze licked his lips and spoke dryly, “I… the one I’m playing is…”

In this drama, Qin Ze only had a small supporting role. Although he had a fair amount of screen time, he was certainly not a lead.

The surrounding people were as quiet as cicadas in winter. Originally, everyone had been very respectful and admired Qin Ze, as he was a senior in the industry who usually treated people kindly and had a higher status than anyone else present.

But the incident that just occurred gave everyone a small, inexplicable sense of repulsion toward Qin Ze, leading them to doubt his true nature.

The scene was too quiet, and it wasn’t good to leave such a big star hanging there. Xue Kai was just about to step in to break the awkwardness when Tang Jingran spoke first.

“It seems Teacher Qin is playing a hidden character in this drama. We look forward to it.”

After Tang Jingran finished speaking, he pulled his small suitcase and headed toward the area Yan Jun had mentioned.

“Haha, then we’ll get to work first, Teacher Qin.”

“Teacher Qin, my manager is calling me to the makeup room.”

“Teacher Qin, you go ahead and get busy.”

The crowd dispersed, everyone fleeing the scene.

As the female actress passed a trash can, she pulled out the autograph and quickly threw it inside.

“Sigh, Jingran, didn’t that Qin Ze participate in that variety show with you?”

Once they reached the makeup room, Xue Kai suddenly remembered this detail.

Tang Jingran took a water bottle out of his suitcase, filled it, and sat on a chair to the side.

“Mhm, he did.”

“Didn’t Teacher Qin miss the beginning of it?” Wen Xiaoqi thought for a moment. “I remember seeing a trending search back then about a celebrity being replaced on that show.”

“Yes, it was another artist at first,” Tang Jingran answered.

Jiang Haomin tapped the back of his hand. “For what reason?”

Everyone looked at Tang Jingran with eyes full of excitement.

In their spare time, everyone loved a bit of gossip to add some flavor to their dog-tired lives. They didn’t care if it was salty or bland; they wanted to taste it themselves.

Tang Jingran saw the “gossip light” projecting from all around him, and his hand holding the water bottle paused.

He took a few more seconds to look at everyone’s current expressions before speaking: “That artist had to go home to recover due to health reasons, so Teacher Qin was a temporary replacement.”

Everyone let out an “Oh,” and the gossip light in their eyes vanished instantly. Clearly, they weren’t satisfied with this answer.

Tang Jingran smiled a little; he knew they wanted the dirt. Although Tao Shuiyuan had done something stupid, he shouldn’t go around telling people who didn’t know him about what he had done.

“Yo, are you guys holding a grand assembly here?” Yan Jun walked in from the doorway. “Alright, don’t huddle here. Hurry up and get ready. The makeup artists will be here in a bit to do your makeup for the promotional photos.”

Everyone immediately followed orders, pushed their chairs back, and went about their business.

Yan Jun gestured to Tang Jingran with his chin. “You, sit down. I have something to tell you.”

Tang Jingran stopped mid-motion as he was getting up and glanced at Yan Jun.

“Uncle Yan, can you tell me a little earlier next time?”

“Hey, you’ve got so many demands.”

Next to an inconspicuous small building stood a tall man in a suit, his face darkened as he held a phone to his ear.

“What did you say, Cousin? That bitch Tang Jingran is actually in the same crew as you?” The voice coming from the phone was none other than Tao Shuiyuan—the one who had targeted Tang Jingran at the Cat Cafe variety show and was sent home by the company.

“That bitch really has good luck, actually landing a script.” Tao Shuiyuan sneered. “With his tiny amount of traffic, what kind of role could he possibly play?”

“He’s not playing a corpse in the drama, is he?”

After saying that, Tao Shuiyuan laughed loudly and recklessly.

The string of laughter made Qin Ze’s temples throb.

Tao Shuiyuan was his maternal uncle’s son. He had been pampered since childhood and was arrogant and overbearing. Some time ago, he had been sent home by the company to reflect because he targeted Tang Jingran on a variety show.

To be honest, Qin Ze actually quite liked this younger cousin; Tao Shuiyuan would do whatever he was told and was usually very obedient.

But for some reason, hearing his laughter now made Qin Ze want to beat him to death.

Tao Shuiyuan didn’t hear a response from Qin Ze and grew suspicious.

“Cousin? Cousin, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Qin Ze spoke with forced patience, “He’s playing the third male lead. I’m playing a supporting role.”

“Ha!” Tao Shuiyuan spoke in disbelief. “How is that possible, Cousin? Your status is countless times higher than his. Why should it be his turn to play the third lead?”

“It must be that shameless bitch Tang Jingran operating in the shadows!”

Hearing Tao Shuiyuan’s verbal abuse, the frustration in Qin Ze’s heart dissipated quite a bit. He spoke leisurely, “Well, what can be done? Who knows how he’s mocking me right now?”

After a moment of silence, Tao Shuiyuan spoke up. “Cousin, remember what I told you? This Tang Jingran relied on that face of his to get where he is today. Who knows if he climbed into someone’s bed and used that lowly body of his in exchange.”

“Cousin, as long as we ruin that face of his, let’s see how he continues to hang around in the entertainment industry!” Tao Shuiyuan’s tone was filled with malice.

Qin Ze frowned. Although he had joined the variety show to get revenge for his cousin and was dissatisfied with Tang Jingran, he had never thought about disfiguring someone.

“No way. If we’re caught, neither of us can expect to stay in this industry.”

“Cousin, have you forgotten?” Tao Shuiyuan on the other end of the phone coaxed him: “Don’t you know his weakness?”

“Just find a time to secretly drag him into a dark room and find someone to do the deed. It’s that simple.”

“He didn’t discover anything last time, so he won’t discover anything this time either.”