The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 8

Tang Jingran stood outside with his usual smiling mask, but his eyes remained cold.

“What is it?”

A flash of malice darted through Tao Shuiyuan’s eyes before his expression shifted into one of pitiful fragility. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tang Jingran cut him off before he could utter more than a syllable. “I—”

“One moment.” Tang Jingran raised his palm in a ‘stop’ gesture.

He took out his phone and tapped on it a few times. “Sorry, just replying to a message.” He looked up. “Go ahead.”

Tao Shuiyuan clenched his fists, forcing his performance to continue. “I’m so sorry, Teacher Tang. I only came here to offer you an apology.”

Tao Shuiyuan pinched his palm with his fingernails to maintain a trembling, choked-up voice. “I’ve reflected deeply over the past few days. Perhaps I was simply too eager to be close to you and used the wrong approach. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

Suddenly, Tao Shuiyuan lunged forward, attempting to grab Tang Jingran’s wrist, but the latter pivoted gracefully, avoiding the touch with ease.

Tao Shuiyuan looked at Tang Jingran with a wounded expression. “Teacher Tang…”

Tang Jingran interrupted him impatiently. “Teacher Tao, I accept your apology. That’s all. I have things to do.”

Seeing him about to leave, Tao Shuiyuan hurried to grab his sleeve. “Wait, I haven’t finished.”

Tang Jingran shook him off and looked at him quietly. “Speak.”

“To make amends, I’ve prepared a special gift for you. I’d like to give it to you at seven tonight in the shed behind the dorms. I hope you’ll come.” After speaking, Tao Shuiyuan stared intently at Tang Jingran.

Behind their dormitory was a storage shed used for miscellaneous junk; people rarely went there. A normal person wouldn’t choose such a place to deliver an apology gift.

Tang Jingran locked eyes with him for several seconds, staring until Tao Shuiyuan began to look uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke slowly: “Fine.”

As Tang Jingran headed upstairs, he ran into Gong Yingxiao and the Dean’s group. Tang Jingran greeted Zhang Song, who nodded with a chuckle before leaving.

“Where did you go just now?” Gong Yingxiao had intended to go downstairs, but upon seeing Tang Jingran, he immediately changed his mind and followed in his footsteps.

“Just a private matter.” Tang Jingran stood at his door and looked back at the man tailing him. “If I remember correctly, Teacher, weren’t you just heading downstairs?”

“How observant.”

Tang Jingran opened his door and turned around, leaning against the doorframe to block the man who clearly wanted to enter. He said, “You can go back to your business now.”

“I’m not busy.” Gong Yingxiao was half a head taller than Tang Jingran. From this angle, he could see the slight curve of Tang Jingran’s collarbone dipping into his shirt. Gong Yingxiao narrowed his eyes. “I just realized I haven’t toured your room yet.”

“I’m sorry, but now isn’t a very convenient time.”

Tang Jingran’s eyes were exceptionally beautiful. At this moment, because he was relaxed, the corners of his eyes tilted upward slightly. His voice was soft and slow, giving him a languid air. To others, he looked somewhat seductive, yet the man himself seemed entirely unaware of the effect he was having, staring straight back at Gong Yingxiao.

Gong Yingxiao’s breathing deepened, and his voice involuntarily dropped an octave. “Why is it inconvenient?”

Tang Jingran couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Because… I’m going to take a shower.”

Gong Yingxiao’s gaze swept over the other man’s features, but he found no hint of flirtatious intent in those eyes—they were clear and steady, as if he truly were just stating a fact.

Gong Yingxiao mentally scolded himself for a second for his dark thoughts, while maintaining a calm exterior. “I think…” He took half a step forward, his clean, refreshing scent drifting toward the other man. “I can wait for you in the living room.”

“Not just anyone is allowed to wait for me in my living room.” Smelling the scent, Tang Jingran took half a step back, the smile fading from his lips.

Gong Yingxiao leaned closer. “Tell me then. What are the requirements?”

Tang Jingran placed two fingers against Gong Yingxiao’s chest and slowly pushed him backward. “First: be a proper gentleman.”

Then, with a click, the door was shut.

Staring at the closed door, Gong Yingxiao was stunned for a moment before letting out a low chuckle.

In Room 1, Tao Shuiyuan was looking at Xu Sheng with an earnest expression.

“Xu Sheng, could you come with me to the storage shed behind the dorms tonight?”

Xu Sheng was lying on his bed playing games. He asked without looking up, “What are we doing there in the middle of the night? Crap! Look at the map! I’m your teammate, do you even know how to play?!”

“Actually, Teacher Tang Jingran asked to meet me there. I’m not sure what for,” Tao Shuiyuan continued. “Xu Sheng, can you please come with me? I’m a bit scared to go alone.”

Deep in the heat of his game, Xu Sheng didn’t think twice. “Fine, fine, fine. Just call me when you’re going.”

“Thank you, Xu Sheng.”

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Tao Shuiyuan backed out of the room. “I’ll leave you to it then. I’m going.” Xu Sheng just waved a hand at him while his other hand stayed glued to the controls.

After showering, Tang Jingran received a call from Yan Jun.

“Uncle Yan.”

“In your room?”

“Yeah, just finished showering.” Tang Jingran walked toward the sofa, drying his hair with a towel. “What’s up? Any instructions?”

“Nothing major. I’ll talk to you about your Weibo presence when I get back,” Yan Jun said. “For now, you can log in and see how many followers you’ve gained.”

Excited, Tang Jingran tossed the towel aside and opened the Weibo app. His follower count had already broken 50,000.

Hearing the commotion on the other end, Yan Jun chuckled and advised, “Take a look for yourself. Don’t go running off; wait for me to get back so we can talk details.”

This was the first time Tang Jingran had felt so liked by so many people. In his excitement, his yellow-and-gray ears and tail popped out. His ears twitched incessantly, and his fluffy tail stood straight up.

The next second, Tang Jingran threw his phone onto the sofa and curled into a ball, hugging his tail and secretly thumping the cushions in joy. After a while, he reached out from his tail-embrace to grab his phone, continuing to scroll through Weibo while hidden behind his own fur.

Because he had just entered the entertainment industry, he didn’t have many close friends. The only person he really wanted to share this with—aside from “Orphanage Mama”—was no one else. But Mama didn’t know how to use a smartphone.

As the initial excitement faded, Tang Jingran hugged his tail blankly. Looking at the screen full of praise, a sudden sense of hollow aimlessness washed over him. His ears drooped listlessly.

For a few seconds, Gong Yingxiao’s handsome face flashed in his mind. He wanted to share the news, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to press the green ‘send’ button.

I’m fine on my own, he thought. Besides, Uncle Yan will be back to celebrate with me.

Checking his emotions, Tang Jingran retracted his ears and tail. He changed his clothes and headed for the storage shed.

The storage shed wasn’t particularly dilapidated, and the area was well-lit by streetlamps, so it wasn’t frightening. Tang Jingran pushed the door open with a creak, sending dust flying. He felt for the switch and turned on the light.

The shed was mostly filled with cat toys and used litter boxes. Tang Jingran scanned the room and was about to leave when he heard a weak, agonized cat cry.

Tang Jingran frowned and leaned down to lift a plastic sheet on the floor.

He froze.

Before he could react, a scream erupted from behind him. “Aaahhh!”

Tang Jingran turned to see Xu Sheng looking at him—or rather, at what was in front of him—with an expression of pure horror.

It was a tortured cat. Its mouth was full of blood, and half its tail had been severed. Tang Jingran recognized it instantly—it was the Siamese cat he had been paired with that afternoon.

“What’s wrong, Xu Sheng?” Tao Shuiyuan, who was following behind, paled at the sight. He grabbed Xu Sheng’s arm, looking at Tang Jingran with disbelief. “Teacher Tang… you…”

The others in the building, having heard the scream, rushed over. Seeing the scene and hearing Tao Shuiyuan’s words, they looked at Tang Jingran with varying expressions of shock and suspicion.

Tang Jingran ignored their stares. As he realized what had likely happened, a cold fury washed over him. This was the first time in his twenty-three years of living as a human that he felt genuine hatred.

“Stop screaming.” Tang Jingran was terrifyingly calm. His lips were pressed into a thin, tight line. “Go get clean gauze immediately and take the cat to the vet.”

Seeing everyone frozen in place, Tang Jingran lost control of his volume for the first time. “Hurry up and do it!”

The crowd snapped out of their stupor. Some ran for gauze; others went to get a car. In an unnoticed corner, someone captured the entire scene with a camera.

At the hospital, the vet managed to stabilize the cat. Because it was brought in quickly, it was out of immediate danger, though its heart had been slightly stressed, and it would need a long recovery. As long as it survived the night, it would be okay.

The injuries were clearly the result of malicious external force. Dean Zhang Song arranged for someone to stay and care for the cat, while the others returned to find the culprit.

“Um, Teacher Tang… may I ask why you went to the storage shed tonight?” Back in the dormitory lobby, Zhang Song asked cautiously, his eyes fixed on Tang Jingran’s cold face.

The implication was clear: he suspected Tang Jingran.

Bai Wensheng, who had gotten a sense of Tang Jingran’s character, couldn’t help but speak up. “Shouldn’t we be looking for evidence first?”

After Bai Wensheng spoke, Ying Chen looked at the expressionless Tang Jingran and added, “Wensheng is right.” Two female teachers also spoke up in his defense.

However, everyone else remained silent. From the expressions in the room, it was clear most had already convicted Tang Jingran in their minds.

Gong Yingxiao hadn’t been upstairs when the scream happened, but he had caught up on the details. He was certain Tang Jingran wasn’t the culprit.

“Does the Dean mean to say I did it?” Tang Jingran stared at Zhang Song with a mirthless smile.

Zhang Song felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly said, “No, no, Teacher Tang. I’m just asking why you went there.”

It was the same thing—he didn’t believe him.

Tang Jingran’s gaze swept across every face in the room. When his eyes met Gong Yingxiao’s, he saw the man silently mouth two words: Don’t fear.

Tang Jingran’s eyes flickered, a trace of warmth blooming in his heart, but he suppressed it. He turned his sharp gaze toward Tao Shuiyuan, who was hiding behind Xu Sheng’s arm.

Tang Jingran crossed his legs naturally and leaned back against his chair. He propped his head with one hand and made a mocking ‘after you’ gesture toward Tao Shuiyuan with the other.

His voice was devoid of warmth. “I think Teacher Tao Shuiyuan should have some clues about this.”

“Right, Teacher Tao?”