The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 27

Tang Jingran’s movement to pick up his phone paused for a moment. He wanted to look up and ask Yan Jun a question, but he abruptly held his tongue.

Yan Jun, who was steering the wheel with one hand, caught the movement and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Tang Jingran replied. “Just thinking you look handsome while driving.”

Yan Jun let out a couple of chuckles.

Tang Jingran turned off his phone screen to rest his eyes. Regardless, he had already said everything that needed to be said clearly.

However, a certain someone was still relentlessly sending messages.

Gong Yingxiao: You shouldn’t have any scenes today.

Gong Yingxiao: The photo looks good.

Gong Yingxiao: The person next to you is alright, too.

The notifications kept chiming incessantly; clearly, the person on the other end intended to keep sending messages until he got a reply.

Tang Jingran frowned at the continuous stream of messages and began editing a reply.

Tang Jingran: Mr. Gong, I believe I have made myself very clear. I do not wish to have any further contact with you.

Tang Jingran: So, please do not send me any more messages in the future.

On the other side, Gong Yingxiao looked at the incoming message, his eyes narrowing slightly and his thin lips pressed thin.

Gong Yingxiao: Fine.

Gong Yingxiao: Then I will tell you in person.

Tang Jingran looked at the reply in disbelief.

He was truly a madman.

His original intention was to block the man, but in the end, he simply exited the chat and turned off the screen.

Out of sight, out of mind.

By the time Tang Jingran arrived at the hotel, it was still early. After taking a shower, he stayed in his room to continue reviewing his script and lines for the next day. Because he had filming scheduled, he studied for about two hours before tidying up and heading to bed.

The next morning, Tang Jingran arrived at the set around eight o’clock. After watching others perform for a while, he held his feline co-star and found a spot to continue reading his script.

The scene he was filming today involved punishing a traitor who had leaked information to the immortal sects. The character was a bird demon, and Tang Jingran’s character, Mao Ling, would use his whip weapon to beat the traitor.

Coincidentally, the actor playing the bird demon traitor was Qin Ze.

Tang Jingran tapped the script with his slender fingers, raising an eyebrow slightly. However, Tang Jingran was never one to let himself be bullied; he met every challenge as it came—he wouldn’t provoke others, but he wouldn’t let others provoke him either. Besides, he had done nothing wrong.

As he was thinking, a small shadow fell over him, followed by a familiar voice.

“Teacher Jingran, right?”

Hearing the voice, Tang Jingran looked up and met Qin Ze’s smiling face. Only, the smile was a bit unnatural.

Tang Jingran leaned back against the table behind him, a trace of a smile hooking his lips as he watched the man. He waited until Qin Ze’s expression stiffened before speaking.

“It’s me,” Tang Jingran said. “Does Teacher Qin need something from me?”

Seeing him like this, Qin Ze’s teeth itched with rage. He wanted nothing more than to tear that face apart and trample him underfoot. But remembering his purpose for coming over, he tried his best to adjust his facial expression to look appropriate.

It had to be said that Qin Ze’s current success was largely due to his family’s support and his own acting skills; otherwise, he wouldn’t have so many fans. It was just that his character was flawed, making it easy for him to stray onto the wrong path.

“It’s like this—I thought about it after I went back. What I said that day might have been a bit inappropriate. I hope Jingran can let bygones be bygones.” Qin Ze’s gaze crawled over Tang Jingran’s exquisite face like a venomous snake’s tongue, but his tone was incredibly soft. “After all, we have to work together in the future. I hope you can understand.”

The first half of the sentence actually sounded like an apology, but starting from the second half, the flavor changed. Although he appeared to be apologizing, his heart was still full of a lecturing tone.

Tang Jingran looked directly into the other man’s eyes and then laughed. “Of course, I can understand.”

“However, what I want to tell Teacher Qin is that I treat others the way they treat me. I’m sure Teacher Qin understands this logic, so I hope you can understand as well.”

As he spoke, Tang Jingran put on a sincere expression. “Of course, I still really like Teacher Qin’s acting.”

Having been countered once more, Qin Ze almost lost control of his expression. The hand hidden behind his back pinched his thigh hard.

“…I understand.” Qin Ze took a deep breath. “Then I won’t disturb Jingran further. I also need to prepare for the scene we’re filming this afternoon.”

Without waiting for Tang Jingran’s reply, he turned and strode away, his face as dark as a storm.

Tang Jingran watched the man’s retreat for two seconds before looking back down at his script.

Mm, these words are much more pleasant to look at than that person.

“Action!”

With the staff’s command, Mao Ling swung the whip through the air toward the traitor. Since it was Tang Jingran’s first time wielding a whip, he was very careful with his strength.

But in the next second, Qin Ze unexpectedly lunged to the ground, clutching his cheek in pain.

“Cut, cut, cut!”

A collective gasp filled the set. The directors sitting in front of the monitors all stood up to check on Qin Ze’s injury.

“What happened? Where are you hurt?” “Is it serious?” “Call the medic over to take a look!”

The director frowned as he helped Qin Ze up. “What’s wrong? Where did you get hit?”

“It’s nothing big.” Qin Ze waved his hand dismissively, pretending not to care, and began his verbal attack on Tang Jingran.

“Jingran is a newcomer; it’s unavoidable to be nervous during a first performance. I feel like I wasn’t hit too hard.”

As he spoke, he removed the hand covering his face. There was indeed a red mark on it, but the skin wasn’t broken.

“I’m fine, everyone, don’t worry.” Qin Ze looked like he had a good temperament. “It’s so hot today; I don’t want to cause trouble for everyone. I’m okay, let’s just continue filming.”

The sun in the sky was like a giant furnace, and the heat waves were visible in the air.

Originally, the crew hadn’t felt much, but once he said that, they all turned to look at Tang Jingran. Although everyone was supposedly equal on set, those with high traffic and fame were naturally more liked. Moreover, Qin Ze’s public persona was that of a gentle and kind person. In contrast, Tang Jingran was a newcomer; though he was handsome, he appeared cold when not speaking, and he hadn’t interacted much with the crew, so they weren’t familiar with him.

People instinctively side with those they know. Almost instantly, an invisible door slammed shut in front of Tang Jingran, isolating him. Across that door were familiar gazes: disdain, annoyance, and curiosity.

Fortunately, Tang Jingran had already experienced similar looks countless times; they could no longer stir any waves in his heart.

Xue Kai turned the corner and saw the situation. He rushed toward Tang Jingran, but Tang Jingran acted faster than him.

A crisp jingling sound rang out as the owner moved. Tang Jingran walked through the crowd, came to Qin Ze, and slowly knelt down to look at the wound on his face.

“The prop whip given to me by the crew is made of soft material; the body is flexible and has no decorations on it.” Tang Jingran’s purple eyes looked at the other man. “But Teacher Qin’s mark has obvious uneven protrusions.”

The crowd was confused about what he was trying to say. Then, something happened that left everyone dumbfounded.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone could see Tang Jingran’s movement clearly, a heart-stopping sound echoed.

Tang Jingran suddenly stood up, pulled back his sleeve to reveal his fair, lean arm, and with a “snap,” he whipped his own wrist.

A few seconds later, a red swelling rose on his fair arm—the pattern was perfectly smooth.

Tang Jingran held his arm up in front of Qin Ze, a smile still on his face.

“Teacher Qin, if I had actually used force just now, your face wouldn’t be in this condition.”

Qin Ze was frightened by Tang Jingran’s crazy action and quickly grabbed the director’s clothes next to him.

“Of course, this only looks serious, but it doesn’t actually hurt at all.”

After saying that, Tang Jingran turned to the crowd. “Does anyone else want to try?”

Everyone instinctively took a step back, their faces flushed with embarrassment. They had been too worried just now and had forgotten about the safety of the movie props. To ensure the safety of the actors during performances, the props on set were all safety-checked; they wouldn’t cause injuries. Furthermore, as Tang Jingran said, the whip he used only looked sharp on the outside. Even if swung hard, it wouldn’t cause an injury—at most, it would leave a red mark. This mark was like an itch; although it looked scary, it wasn’t a real injury.

The director, having filmed for so many years, understood the situation the moment Tang Jingran acted.

“Then Qin Ze, tidy yourself up and let’s continue filming.” The director let go of Qin Ze’s arm, stood up, and patted Tang Jingran’s shoulder. “Your eye acting just now was very accurate. Keep up the hard work.”

The most important part of that scene, besides the action, was the eye acting. There should be anger when discovering a traitor in the tribe, but beneath that anger, there should be a layer of disbelief and heartache. As a companion living together in the same tribe, the traitor had betrayed their family just to increase their own power.

Tang Jingran’s eye acting in that second was very on point. The director had to admit he was genuinely stunned for a moment when he saw that look.

He was a promising talent.

Behind them, Qin Ze watched the director’s movements, a thick hatred swirling in his eyes.

You just wait, Tang Jingran.

After this small interlude, the scene finished filming smoothly.

Xue Kai had been waiting nearby. Seeing the filming end, he immediately stepped forward.

“What’s wrong with you? Why were you so ruthless to yourself?” Xue Kai held an electric fan to blow air on Tang Jingran. “How is your arm? Let me see.”

As Xue Kai spoke, he wanted to reach out and pull the sleeve up himself, but he was brushed away by Tang Jingran with light force. He looked up and caught the other man’s half-smiling gaze.

Xue Kai suddenly felt a bit nervous. He opened his mouth. “W-what is it?”

“It’s nothing. No need to look.” Tang Jingran took the fan from him. “Do you have any more scenes to film? Do you have time tonight?”

“I’m done for today. Nothing else,” Xue Kai asked. “Why?”

The wind blew Tang Jingran’s hair lightly, creating beautiful arcs in the air.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to eat together?”

“I’m treating you to dinner tonight.”