The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The sunlight had warmed the leather seats, so Su Cancan took off her heavy coat and obediently fastened her seatbelt after getting into the car.

Shen Luoyan started the engine. Once the Bluetooth connected, she leaned sideways to input the address. As the search box appeared, her fingertip paused on the touchscreen, leaving a small black mark.

“You drive toward the provincial highway first, and I’ll do it,” Su Cancan offered, sensing Shen Luoyan’s embarrassment.

Shen Luoyan straightened up and returned to her original position, simply replying “Okay.” She lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car smoothly moved forward.

Su Cancan took out her phone, found the address Liu Yimin had sent her that morning, and typed it character by character into the search box. When the destination popped up, she selected it and was about to settle back when she caught a glimpse of Shen Luoyan’s driver’s license spread out between the driver and passenger seats.

The initial issue date was June 15, 2015. Her own birthday was also June 15. The thought of them being quite fated crossed her mind, but didn’t leave a deep impression. She withdrew her gaze.

The traffic light at the intersection flickered from yellow to red. Shen Luoyan gently braked, and the car smoothly slid to a stop just before the white line: “Are you bored? You can connect your phone to play music.”

Su Cancan took a deep breath and looked out the window. The steps of early summer were hurried. The brightly colored flowers had yet to wither, and the vibrant green impatiently enveloped every piece of land. The warm sunlight caused a faint, fresh scent to evaporate. Although she couldn’t smell it through the metal car cabin, Shen Luoyan’s unique scent wafted into her nose.

Shen Luoyan glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, seeing her propping her cheek with one hand, her gaze fixed on the small, defined part of her profile that was visible.

Su Cancan’s double eyelids were wide but natural. Her seductive eyes were slightly lowered beneath her lashes. Her nose bridge was high and smooth. Black fans once spread rumors that she was an artificial beauty, but she never responded. Classmates and schoolmates from their time together vouched for her. Later, she posted a self-validating comment online, saying in jest that people could question her acting, but not her beauty. Below her nose were her full, luscious lips…

In a trance, the profile coincided with the memory in her mind. She let out an involuntary soft chuckle, which was covered by the honking of the car behind her. Su Cancan didn’t hear it.

Su Cancan stretched her arms over her head: “What did you say?”

The black beast reached the opposite lane and gradually picked up speed. Shen Luoyan looked at the rear-view mirror to prepare for a lane change, splitting her attention to answer: “I said if you’re bored, you can connect to the Bluetooth and play music.”

“Oh.” The cat princess shook her body and returned to her lazy demeanor. She sank into the seat. “No need. Playing music might distract you while driving. I’ll just sit and look at the scenery or play on my phone.”

Shen Luoyan signaled, confirmed the situation behind the car, turned the steering wheel to the left, and changed lanes. After the signal turned off, she thought for a moment: “Too much silence isn’t good for the driver either.”

Su Cancan was amused by her use of the word “driver.” Who would believe it? The film empress Shen Luoyan was her driver, and a self-proclaimed one at that.

“Please, I can’t bear that title. How dare I ask you to be my driver? I’ll arrange to rent a car from the production team or use one from my company for future recording schedules.” The three words “my driver” lingered in her mind. Imagining Shen Luoyan as a ride-share driver, she kept her expression straight. “If you don’t mind me practicing my lines, I’ll do that for a while.”

Shen Luoyan curled her lips, suppressing the word “progress“: “Not at all. Go ahead and practice. If you’re thirsty, there’s mineral water in the storage box.”

Su Cancan was a woman of action. She took out her tablet from her bag, found the electronic script, cleared her throat, and seriously began reciting her lines.

“I voluntarily join the organization, uphold the organization, abide by organizational discipline, and maintain all received intelligence with my blood and life…”

This was the first scene of Nian Qing, establishing the protagonist Nian Qing’s identity and the historical setting. Su Cancan scanned the script line by line. The filming scenes immediately appeared before her eyes: Nian Qing’s determination to join the Communist Party and her love for her country and compatriots. It was as if she had returned to that era and become that passionate and ambitious patriotic youth again.

A few minutes passed, and the lines for the first scene were run through. She was immersed in the emotion, unable to extricate herself, and continued practicing. Her fingers slid across the screen, turning the pages dozens of times. Time flew by inadvertently, and Shen Luoyan parked the car in an outdoor parking spot at their destination.

“For the organization, I am willing!”

This was the first minor climax of Nian Qing, where the protagonist, Nian Qing (played by Su Cancan), voluntarily approached Tanaka, the captain of the Koujun Huju squadron (played by He Wei), for the sake of the national cause, and swore an oath witnessed by the rest of the organization members.

Su Cancan’s emotionally rich and fervent “I am willing” ended. She suddenly realized that the scene outside the window was still, and tall buildings surrounded them everywhere. The city structures enclosed them.

“We’re here?” she asked, a little hesitantly.

Shen Luoyan nodded, picked up an unopened bottle of mineral water from her left, twisted the cap open, and handed it to Su Cancan. Su Cancan’s throat was dry, and she unceremoniously took it and took a large gulp.

“Thanks. I’m leaving now. If there are any problems with the FOR U recording or if you need anything, just text me.” Su Cancan looked at the time on the top right corner of the touchscreen, which was close to the time she had scheduled with the recording studio teacher. She handed the mineral water back to Shen Luoyan, quickly put on her jacket, grabbed her personal belongings, and pulled open the car door.

Just as her right foot touched the ground: “Oh, and thank you for today. If you ever need my help, just let me know.”

Shen Luoyan shook her head, her thumb rubbing the plastic seal on the bottle, as if her question still lingered.

“My time is almost up. I’ll take off now.” Fearing she would be late, Su Cancan leaped out of the car, closed the door, put on her full disguise, pulling her baseball cap low, and walked toward the building entrance.

Inside the car, Shen Luoyan’s gaze followed Su Cancan: watching her carefully avoid the eyes of passersby, watching her two long, shapely legs, encased in jeans, move faster, and watching her long hair wildly dance in the air, creating a dynamic image.

She had watched her move forward from behind for ten years, and even this brought contentment to her heart.

Su Cancan turned into the building, and her vibrant figure disappeared from sight. Shen Luoyan twisted the bottle cap back onto the mouth, tightening it. She didn’t put it down immediately but held it in her palm for a moment longer.

It wasn’t until her phone vibrated twice in her pocket that she reluctantly placed the water bottle in a spot where others wouldn’t touch it.

Two new WeChat messages popped up in the center of the screen—from Su Cancan.

Shen Luoyan’s eyebrows twitched twice, and the late-blooming happiness in her eyes blossomed wide open.

Su Cancan: Hey, I only practiced my lines next to you because I trust you! You can’t leak the plot beforehand!

Along with the text came an emoji of Su Cancan herself, taken from one of her drama roles as a CEO. In the picture, she was wearing a high-end, diamond-encrusted gown, one hand on her hip, the other clenched into a raised fist, with the large word “Threat” written on one side.

Shen Luoyan: I have the memory of a goldfish, only seven seconds. I’ve completely forgotten your lines and plot.

Shen Luoyan: I swear.

It was the first time she had searched for and used an emoji of herself. When the emoji made from her own photo appeared in their chat window, Shen Luoyan’s cheeks flushed pink.

After waiting a few minutes without a reply from Su Cancan, Shen Luoyan restarted the car. The Bluetooth connected to her phone, and with music set to auto-play, a familiar but slightly off-key voice amplified through the speakers.

Shen Luoyan’s eyelid twitched. She silently congratulated herself for not playing Su Cancan’s “black history” in front of her.

Having planned her afternoon routine, Shen Luoyan intended to first drive to a local acquaintance’s coffee shop to buy some coffee for Su Cancan’s support team. Just as her foot touched the gas pedal, her phone screen lit up again.

Adhering to the principle that Su Cancan was paramount, she instinctively put the car in neutral and took her foot off the accelerator pedal to unlock her phone and check the message.

Unexpectedly, the message was not from Su Cancan, but a very special friend request.

Su Cancan stepped into the recording studio and immediately began working intensely, pausing only for the first minute to exchange pleasantries with the staff.

Having practiced once in the car, she quickly got into character. The recording went more smoothly than expected. After achieving the preset amount, she recorded for an extra hour.

Su Cancan had thought about taking a short break, but remembering that Shen Luoyan was willing to let her complete personal work during the reality show filming and had personally driven her, she decided to finish the entire drama’s voice-over task quickly and efficiently as a way to reciprocate.

A dark color streaked across the sky, and the bright moon rose to the center. The faint light of the stars was hidden behind thin clouds. A voice in her headset calling out “Thank you for your hard work” signaled the end for Su Cancan.

After four hours of non-stop talking, Su Cancan’s voice felt slightly rough and hoarse when she relaxed. After exchanging thanks with the staff, Su Cancan sat on the single sofa in the recording studio, preparing to open the app to call a ride-share back to their Love Cabin.

She hadn’t touched her phone all afternoon, and as soon as she unlocked it, a flood of messages came in. She planned to order the car first, but as her finger scrolled down the contact list, she saw a red notification dot on the chat box with Shen Luoyan.

She inexplicably put the ride-share on the back burner and tapped open their chat.

The message had been sent an hour ago.

Shen Luoyan: How is it? Are you finished? My car is parked in the original spot. Just come down when you’re ready.

“Ms. Su, why don’t you join us for dinner before heading back? We can drive you then.” An enthusiastic staff member returned with pre-ordered boxed meals and rushed to ask when he saw Su Cancan still sitting. Su Cancan smiled and shook her head: “Someone is picking me up. I won’t steal your food. I ordered some fruit for you all. Thank you for your hard work today!”

“Thank you, Ms. Su! Ms. Su, you’re too generous!”

Su Cancan waved and left the recording studio. The staff member opened the lunch box and scratched his head in confusion.

Ms. Su seems to have changed. She’s radiating the cheesy stench of being in love!

In the industry, big stars don’t publicly announce their relationships, so everyone relies on speculation. However, Su Cancan had never had any major scandals since her debut. The staff member put a piece of glossy, fat-and-lean braised pork into his mouth, rationalizing that it was just an illusion caused by consecutive work days and little rest.

Su Cancan was fully disguised again. She walked down the stairs in quick, small steps. As the streetlights turned on, she spotted the black beast under the dense sycamore tree at a glance. She pouted. She hadn’t liked it at first sight, but now, it was barely acceptable.

She didn’t notice the change in her own thoughts. She happily walked to the car, looked around to ensure there were no paparazzi, and slid into the car.

Without the sun shining, the seat was cool. Her smile froze on her face as she sat down, and as her brows furrowed, she let out a huge sneeze.