The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Shen Luoyan’s hands, clasped behind her back, were neither raised nor lowered.

Su Cancan didn’t notice the stiffness in her body. She grasped the overlapping straps, tightened them, tied a beautiful bow, and then walked straight to the reception hall, pulled the suitcase, and headed to the bedroom to organize her belongings.

“What do you want to eat tonight?”

Shen Luoyan’s belated, airy question, along with the sweetness, was shut out by the door, remaining in the kitchen.

Closing the door, Su Cancan surveyed the bedroom. The room was fully equipped with a dressing table, washroom, and an open closet, but the bed placed in the center felt a little strange.

It was strangely narrow, only about $1.5$ meters wide.

Su Cancan sat on the stool in front of the bed, propped up her long legs, and pondered.

The bed was too narrow. One person sleeping was just barely okay, but two would have to be pressed skin-to-skin. There was no meal plan included, and as a novice in the kitchen, it would be difficult for her to live without cooking skills.

After thinking it over, she began to regret it. Just as she was about to contact Liu Yimin to pack meals for her, a prompt came through her earphone from the production team.

“Teacher Su, when you organize your luggage, you can appropriately explain the use of the items and your personal living habits.”

“Oh, okay.” Su Cancan was not surprised, knowing that the staff in the monitoring room would be immediately watching everything that happened in the room.

After responding, she stared at one of the cameras and asked sweetly: “Um, I heard we can’t order takeout here, but I’m not very good at cooking. Will the production team provide meals? Or can my assistant be allowed to deliver them?”

The other end was silent for a few seconds, and the response they tossed back to her startled her.

“Teacher Su, we communicated with your and Teacher Shen’s teams in advance, and the reply we received was that Teacher Shen will be responsible for your meals during the filming period…”

The staff member obviously didn’t realize Su Cancan was unaware of this decision. Their voice grew softer and softer, even sounding like they doubted their memory and had given the wrong answer.

The staff member in the monitoring room quickly reviewed the group chat history. After confirming, they stated affirmatively: “Yes, Teacher Shen agreed to take responsibility. We apologize for not coordinating this with you. The dinner for our staff on site is already being delivered. If you need it, we can arrange for a driver to deliver a meal to you now.”

Su Cancan’s eyelids suddenly twitched.

Shen Luoyan is responsible for her meals?

What is she up to?

She wasn’t afraid of being poisoned. Since there were only the two of them in the house, a murderer would be easy to find if something happened. She was afraid Shen Luoyan would deliberately cook food she hated just to embarrass her.

“Teacher Su, what would you like us to do?”

“Hmm.” Su Cancan frowned and hardened her heart. “I understand. I’ll communicate with Teacher Shen again. You don’t need to trouble yourselves to send me a meal. I suppose Teacher Shen won’t let me starve.”

She said this while biting her back teeth. Starring in a romance reality show with a completely estranged attitude would be unacceptable to the audience, and she herself felt it was wrong. She wanted to taste whatever Shen Luoyan was cooking up. If they ended up having a conflict later, she would have evidence.

The staff seemed relieved: “Good, good. Then please continue. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through the microphone or group chat.”

Su Cancan held the suitcase and stood up: “Thank you for the trouble.”

“You’re welcome, it’s our job.”

Ending the conversation, Su Cancan pulled the heavy suitcase into the walk-in closet and laid it down. Avoiding the camera, she applied pressure with her slender index finger, rotating the gear card to the correct position, and unlocked the combination lock.

The suitcase, which was complete a second ago, had its upper half spring up and crash onto the floor with a loud bang the next second.

Su Cancan completely forgot she had forcibly stuffed things in before leaving. She stared blankly at the nearest camera and stuck out her tongue.

“Hehe, when I was packing, A-Min said I brought half my home with me. I thought she was exaggerating then, but when I opened it, it really is…”

The latter half of her sentence was still in her throat when a “bang” sound, no quieter than the previous crash, shook the house.

Su Cancan’s smile froze on her face. She looked up in the direction of the sound and saw Shen Luoyan standing two steps away, clutching a bunch of green vegetables. Her hair was messy around her shoulders from her hurried run, with a few playful strands sticking to her slightly parted lips, lifting and falling with her breath.

She really commits to the role. Su Cancan gave Shen Luoyan high marks for this performance in her heart.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Seeing Shen Luoyan was more invested than herself, Su Cancan, a fellow actress, refused to be outdone. “I just made you worry.”

Shen Luoyan was too nervous to judge whether her words were sincere or fake, and her gaze circled around her.

She was squatting, her pants rolled up to expose a small section of her fair, slender calf. To make it easier to take off her jacket, the collarbone line of her inner shirt was clearly visible. The suitcase next to her lay open on the floor, both sides packed with dark storage bags. Though numerous, they were tidy. It looked like the person was fine.

“That’s good, that’s good,” Shen Luoyan muttered repeatedly after confirming.

Su Cancan rolled her eyes internally. The previous scene was fine, but this one was a bit over-acted.

Mindful of the cameras covering every angle, she smiled, her eyes twinkling: “Thank you for your concern. I’ll take good care of myself.”

Shen Luoyan pursed her lips, her breathing much steadier now: “Still, be careful.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

Su Cancan nodded repeatedly, looking so obedient that it made one want to pinch her cheek or ruffle her hair. Shen Luoyan reached out a hand mid-air, saw the vegetables, whispered a small, startled “Oops,” and walked out.

This person came and went like the wind. Su Cancan found her intentions hard to fathom. She murmured a few complaints internally and continued tidying her luggage peacefully.

“These two bags contain the clothes I prepared. The weather is fluctuating greatly with the changing seasons, so I packed a mix of thick and thin items.”

Saying this, Su Cancan opened the large storage bags and took out and hung the neatly folded clothes one by one. Shen Luoyan had left her plenty of space, and coincidentally, the clothes she brought filled the remaining area perfectly.

After removing the clothes, the suitcase was half empty. She took out another package and brought it closer to the camera: “Intimate apparel, no display here.”

“I usually prefer to wear sneakers. They’re light and convenient, though the break-in period is tough.”

“Storing cables and such like this makes them easy to access.”

“Makeup bag. I’ve posted a video before. Search the keywords on Weibo to unlock it.”

“Allergy sufferers are truly tormented by pollen and dust mites. This spray literally saved my life! But don’t buy it just because I did. Everyone’s situation is different. Please see a doctor and use it according to prescription!”

…

Bag after bag was transferred from the suitcase. The room slowly filled up and gained a lived-in atmosphere. After locking the suitcase and standing it upright, fatigue suddenly struck. Su Cancan stretched with a big yawn.

Staring into the distance through the sheer curtain, she saw an endless expanse of flowers and plants in the twilight.

A flying bird passed, leaving a long cry, and her stomach rumbled in response.

Su Cancan rubbed her empty stomach, opened the door, and headed toward the kitchen. The living room lights were off. In the gloom, she saw two people by the doorway. The one inside was Shen Luoyan; the unfamiliar back outside, covered by long, light-colored wavy hair, was striding away from their small yard.

“Who was that?”

Su Cancan walked closer. Shen Luoyan turned toward her upon hearing her voice.

“I don’t know her,” Shen Luoyan instinctively distanced herself from the connection. “A neighbor came by to say hello.”

Su Cancan hadn’t noticed from afar, but as she got closer, a strong, unfamiliar fragrance drilled into her nostrils, aggressively teasing her nasal cavity. She opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word, erupting instead into a long string of sneezes.

Shen Luoyan quickly pulled out a tissue, intending to help her blow her nose.

Su Cancan covered the lower half of her face, stepping back, and mumbled: “No need, I’ll do it myself.”