The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Su Cancan nodded then shook her head.

To be honest, her high school life was boring. The school had two different management models for regular students and art students. Various grade-level meetings were held separately, and they rarely had the chance to interact with each other.

She had caused an unpleasant argument at home when she decided to study art, and only after promising her parents that she would accept an arrangement to study abroad if she failed to get into the top drama school did they relent. For three whole years, she was immersed in the practice room and classroom, never stepping foot on the regular students’ floor, not even once.

So, while she had heard Shen Luoyan’s name, it could only be a “possible” mention.

She only truly realized they were schoolmates in the same grade when Shen Luoyan first debuted. Numerous promotional articles used her as a comparison, which was when she learned she had such a classmate in high school.

Now, hearing Shen Luoyan say that she was both responsible for the family’s three meals a day and diligently studying, she was genuinely surprised. This top-scorer was indeed different.

“That’s normal. Back then, you didn’t have to do morning exercises, and the flag-raising ceremony wasn’t with us. It’s completely normal not to know each other.”

Shen Luoyan wore a faint smile, her neatly trimmed fingernails tracing the tissue repeatedly.

Usually, talking about being schoolmates could spark discussion and draw attention from netizens. Since they were completely different, they inevitably missed this opportunity for a hot topic. Su Cancan thought she was feeling disappointed, so she quickly racked her brain for a new subject.

“Was that because your parents were too busy to take care of you?”

“No,” Shen Luoyan put down the tissue and looked at her. “Not really. I’m from a single-parent family.”

She paused.

Su Cancan was surprised again. Just hearing Shen Luoyan’s answer, she could already imagine how Shen Luoyan’s fans would attack her once the episode aired.

But this time, it really wasn’t her scheming to provoke or poke Shen Luoyan’s wounds, nor was it a lack of research on her co-star. She had memorized Shen Luoyan’s Baidu Baike entry, and these details were not there, nor had they been mentioned in previous interviews.

Su Cancan: “…”

Okay, she admitted it. She deserved to be scolded this time.

“My grandmother told me that my parents had me when they had no plans to marry, but they reached a consensus to have me first. Later, something went wrong between them, and they separated. She wanted to pursue her career and left me with my father and grandmother. When I was in middle school, my grandmother got seriously ill, and my father was busy with work, so the family’s three meals became my responsibility.”

Shen Luoyan didn’t notice Su Cancan’s internal turmoil. She spoke about her family matters lightly, and finally gave a soft “hmm,” unsure if it was a sign to stop reminiscing or a summary of that period of her life.

The more Su Cancan listened, the more she felt guilty. Just moments ago, she was preparing to expose Shen Luoyan’s pretense; now, only endless remorse remained. She might even shed two lines of penitent tears before bed.

Empathizing and contemplating sharing her enemy, Su Cancan spoke: “Then, your mother…”

“Her? I’ve never met her. There are no pictures of her at home, and I don’t even know her name.”

Su Cancan fell silent again. Having asked two fatal questions in a row, she lowered her head, not daring to look at Shen Luoyan.

Great. She stabbed Shen Luoyan twice today. Vengeance plan achieved. Merit points reset to zero.

“Are you blaming yourself?” Shen Luoyan finally noticed.

“Ha.”

She suddenly let out a laugh. Fearing she might have driven her crazy with her questions, Su Cancan looked up with a face full of surprise.

Shen Luoyan looked especially beautiful when she smiled. The years of ice and snow accumulated between her eyebrows melted away, and her curved eyes made her appear much more youthful. She had no dimples or lǐwō (small dimples near the corner of the mouth), but a small indentation appeared on one cheek, making her even sweeter than the so-called “sweet girls” online.

In Su Cancan’s stereotype, Shen Luoyan was a robot constantly wearing a mask. This was the first time she had seen her smile so genuinely and happily, and she couldn’t help but be stunned.

“It’s okay.” The hand she had restrained herself from moving in the afternoon finally gave in. Shen Luoyan’s hand gently rested on top of Su Cancan’s head. “Thank you for caring about me. I’m really fine.”

The hand was very light and gentle, resting on her head almost without any pressure. Seizing the moment while Su Cancan didn’t flinch, she gave her a little rub, though she didn’t mess up her hairstyle.

“Don’t touch me!”

Su Cancan realized she was being treated like a child and pouted as she moved away.

She wasn’t genuinely angry; she simply didn’t like physical contact with strangers and instinctively retreated.

She didn’t even realize how adorable the two patches of blush on her cheeks were as she shifted her body.

“Alright, alright, I know you can cook. From now on, you’ll be in charge of everything. You can rest wherever you want; I’m going to do the dishes.”

Feeling awkward facing Shen Luoyan, Su Cancan picked up the dishes and chopsticks to clear the table, avoiding Shen Luoyan’s gaze as she tried to leave.

Shen Luoyan stood up and intercepted her: “I’ll do the dishes, you wipe the table.”

Su Cancan opened her mouth but didn’t refuse, handing the dirty dishes and chopsticks to Shen Luoyan.

The sound of running water started in the sink. Su Cancan held a wet wipe and meticulously cleaned every corner of the table. Both of them ate very elegantly; no soup or food residue had dropped onto the table throughout the meal, and the wipe was as clean as when she first pulled it out.

“I also mentioned in the contract that I don’t want any information about my family to be broadcast, so please don’t edit the content we just discussed into the show,” Su Cancan heard Shen Luoyan say to the staff while rinsing off the soap.

Shen Luoyan seemed to genuinely care about her family. Su Cancan believed Shen Luoyan wasn’t lying.

But if, as she said, her family couldn’t help her career, then who was the powerful backer behind her?

Su Cancan was utterly confused for a moment. She shook her head, looking at Shen Luoyan’s back, which had become tense again.

“I’m going out for a walk.” She needed to clear her head.

Hearing this, Shen Luoyan turned off the faucet, and the rubber gloves, still covered in soap, were taken off and placed by the sink.

She opened one of the cabinets: “Take this with you. It’s dark outside; don’t go too far. It’s not safe.”

Su Cancan looked at the flashlight in her palm, then at the window outside.

It was indeed pitch black, just as she said.

“Never mind, I’ll just walk around the yard,” she pulled her shoulders in.

Shen Luoyan put down the flashlight: “Okay.”

Stepping out from indoors, Su Cancan felt a cold wind hit her face. She had come straight out after putting away her luggage and hadn’t worn a jacket. It was a bit chilly in early May with just a single layer of clothing.

Not wanting to bother, she turned on the flashlight on her phone and walked to the wooden double swing on the empty lawn.

The production team had hung many fairy lights. She found the power switch and turned them on, the small, flickering lights adding atmosphere to the yard.

Shen Luoyan was still a mystery to her.

She needed more time to solve her.

Liu Yimin hadn’t contacted her all day. Sitting back on the swing, she unlocked her phone.

There wasn’t much work information recently. She scrolled down a few times and found Liu Yimin. Regardless of what she was doing, she sent a message.

Su Cancan: It’s only the first day!

A row of “The other party is typing” appeared at the top of the screen. Before the message came through, an astonishing howl sounded from next door.