The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Standing across from Shen Luoyan, Su Cancan ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say the words: I feel dirty.

She saw the hurt and confusion in Shen Luoyan’s eyes, but she no longer cared. She was beginning to agree with the veterans’ assessment of Shen Luoyan: a born actress. As for her, how much was real and how much was fake? She was too inexperienced and slow-witted to tell the difference.

The waiter served the food and retreated to another area. There was no one else in the small restaurant besides them. The stalemate felt meaningless to Su Cancan. She walked around Shen Luoyan and sat down at the dining table.

The dishes Shen Luoyan had arranged for were all served. Perhaps to taste several different flavors without waste, the portion size of each dish was very small, or maybe the restaurant’s serving size was small to begin with; Su Cancan couldn’t tell.

Sitting down, closer to the food, the unique aroma of each dish mixed together and permeated her nasal cavity along with the rising steam. Su Cancan looked at the dishes on the table—all of them were things she loved and frequently ate in Ning City.

It was once jokingly said that no duck could leave Ning City alive. This was true. Ning City people had countless ways to prepare duck, from roasting and braising to making soup—there was always one method you would instantly fall in love with. A plate of salted duck was placed on the right side of the small square table. Half of the square plate held fresh, tender, and smooth breast meat, and the other half was salty, chewy leg meat. The slices were thin, looking bland but tasting savory, crispy, and delicious.

Next to the salted duck was a miniature version of a regional chicken stew ($Diguoji$). A small iron pot was placed over an alcohol burner to keep it warm, and flatbreads were attached to the inner wall of the iron pot, releasing a strong, savory sauce aroma.

Sweet osmanthus lotus root and chicken soup dumplings were arranged in small portions around the steaming $Diguoji$. The only green leafy vegetable on the table briefly caught Su Cancan’s attention.

Chrysanthemum greens—a green vegetable with a unique flavor profile. Although its nutritional value was high, the initial bitterness and slight fishiness would deter many. Connoisseurs claimed that careful chewing could release a refreshing fragrance, but this was all subject to personal taste and required personal tasting for judgment.

Su Cancan moved her finger, which collided with the small bowl beside her, making a clear sound. Her gaze moved down and found a bowl of sweet taro paste ($Tangyumiao$) next to her.

Salted duck, sweet lotus root, soup dumplings, sweet taro paste…

If Shen Luoyan wasn’t sincere about her or only saw her as a tool, why would the private dinner, unfilmed by cameras, be filled with all the dishes she loved? Was she truly so meticulous that she could handle everything flawlessly?

Su Cancan raised her head to look in that direction. Shen Luoyan was still in the same spot, half-hidden around the corner. From that distance, she could only see her entire body slumped, as if all her energy had been drained, her head drooping dejectedly.

Her shiny hair concealed all her expressions. Su Cancan couldn’t see or guess what she was thinking.

In a momentary blur, Shen Luoyan had composed herself and slowly walked over. Not wanting to make eye contact, Su Cancan turned her face away, pretending to observe the crimson floor tiles without a care.

The wooden chair legs scraped against the floor tiles, making a sound that sent chills down her spine. The sound soon stopped, then moved a little again.

She sat down.

“I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I ordered randomly. Pick what you like to eat.”

Shen Luoyan’s voice was still husky, lacking its usual cool calmness. Instead, it sounded like the thin ice that forms on the water’s surface when the winter temperature first drops below zero—it would shatter and melt with the slightest touch or warmth.

No matter how much she loved a food, it tasted like chewing wax when she had no appetite. Su Cancan gave a noncommittal “Mhm” to show she understood. Her hand holding the chopsticks hovered for a while before casually landing above a soup dumpling. She gently lowered her chopsticks and carefully picked it up.

The outer skin was thin enough that the soup inside was clearly visible under the light. She held the dumpling with chopsticks, supported by a porcelain spoon underneath. Biting a small hole, she waited for the overly hot soup to cool down slightly, then quickly sipped it while it was warm. The extreme deliciousness filled her mouth.

Unfortunately, Su Cancan had no intention of savoring the food. She ate the dumpling in three quick bites, as if only to fill her stomach, then picked up another dish, chewing and swallowing silently.

Shen Luoyan hadn’t touched her chopsticks. She drank half a bowl of red bean sticky rice balls ($chìdòu yuánxiāo$), then left the table to get herself a bowl of small wontons. The temperature of the freshly cooked hot soup was obviously high, yet she swallowed them one after another with a blank expression, as if punishing herself.

No one tasted the food, or found any comfort in the meal.

Leaving the small courtyard, the sky was completely dark. Clouds covered the bright moon, and a heavy mist pressed down on the earth. On the way back to the Love Cabin, the two were even quieter. Su Cancan didn’t even connect her phone, just stared out the window.

Streetlights were sparse on the suburban road. Outside the window was boundless darkness, mysterious and intimidating. The usually lively cicadas sensed the wrong atmosphere and fell silent.

Shen Luoyan’s car was parked in the same old spot. After stopping, Su Cancan got out first, not waiting, and walked straight toward their small love nest further inside.

Following behind, watching Su Cancan’s slender back, Shen Luoyan stuffed her hands into her coat pockets. After feeling around for a moment, she remembered that she didn’t smoke and wouldn’t carry a lighter or cigarettes. She slowly relaxed her hands.

She hadn’t turned off the cameras in the cabin before leaving. In the darkness, seeing the red dots flickering everywhere, Su Cancan didn’t turn on the lights. She silently fumbled her way to the bedroom, covered the few cameras in the room, expressionlessly grabbed a change of clothes, and walked into the bathroom.

The warm steam and running water could wash away the fatigue from her body, but the weariness in her heart remained. With her hair wet, she closed her eyes, feeling the warm water flow over every inch of her skin, and suddenly laughed out loud.

How ridiculous. She had been prepared, had convinced herself to let go of her grudges and peacefully coexist with this sworn enemy who had hurt her deeply.

She had even decided that if they got along well, she would be willing to forget the past and be friends with her.

The shift was sudden and caught her off guard. She was slapped in the face again. Apart from her family, she couldn’t maintain any relationship without a transactional benefit in this big dyeing vat.

“Snap out of it, Su Cancan. In this big, corrupt world, who can truly see anyone clearly?” She opened her eyes, her eye sockets slightly red.

Coming out of the bathroom, Su Cancan went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. Without Shen Luoyan’s thoughtful care, even the water in the kettle was cold. She poured the cold water into the sink, pressed the switch to boil water, and sat on the sofa to browse her phone while waiting.

Shen Luoyan was nowhere to be seen in the house, even though Su Cancan had finished her shower and it had been over half an hour since they got out of the car.

Su Cancan couldn’t stop her mind from imagining the scene of Shen Luoyan and Viky meeting. Her phone screen was lit up, pressed by her fingers, but her eyes were empty.

The electric kettle heated up quickly. As the steam rose and the air column vibrated, a whistling sound occurred. Su Cancan snapped out of it and dimmed her phone screen. Just as she was about to leave, she felt an odd object pressing against the small of her back.

Reaching back to touch it, it was a lipstick with Viky’s name engraved on the casing.

Oh, they met here.

Su Cancan quickly let go of it. The lipstick bounced a few times on the sofa and settled. She walked straight to the kitchen, unplugged the kettle, turned on the faucet, and repeatedly scrubbed the skin that had touched the lipstick.

It was just a tube of lipstick, yet she scrubbed the area so hard, as if she had touched a terrible virus. Normally delicate, her skin quickly developed tiny specks of blood.

She didn’t want to drink water, nor did she care where Shen Luoyan had gone or who she had met. Su Cancan clutched her phone and returned to the bedroom.

She lifted the covers on her side of the bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling. She then quietly turned to face the edge of the bed and curled up her body, trying to avoid her usual expansive sleeping posture and tightly controlling herself from falling into a deep sleep.

In her state of high tension, she slept very restlessly, half-dreaming and half-awake. Her short dreams were filled with vulgar things. She vaguely heard Shen Luoyan open the door and enter the bedroom, and vaguely heard the sound of running water in the bathroom.

When Shen Luoyan lifted the covers and the mattress dipped, Su Cancan was wide awake—so awake that she could clearly hear the subtle sound of fabric rubbing against the bedsheet.

The light in the room went out. In the silence, only their differing breathing rhythms alternated. Su Cancan was awake but desperately hiding it, and so was Shen Luoyan.

On the small bed, they slept together but dreamed separately. Time blurred. Just as Su Cancan was about to break, Shen Luoyan suddenly spoke.

The silence of the night was broken by her voice: “Go ahead and sleep. I’ll go to the study.”

Hearing this, Su Cancan’s body instinctively stiffened. Before she could react, she heard the sound of shoes being put on and the door opening and closing.

The string finally snapped. She lay straight on the bed, opening her eyes to pitch darkness.

The long night passed. Su Cancan woke up uncharacteristically early. She hadn’t formed any habits after two days of sharing a bed with Shen Luoyan, so she fell asleep quickly after Shen Luoyan left.

When she emerged from the bedroom after washing up, Su Cancan was prepared to face Shen Luoyan. Seeing her leaning back on the sofa, eyes closed, her emotions briefly fluctuated before settling down as Shen Luoyan raised her eyes and met her gaze.

Shen Luoyan must have sat up all night. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes were bloodshot, alarmingly crimson from a distance.

Seeing Su Cancan, Shen Luoyan was momentarily incredulous. She narrowed her eyes to confirm it was her, then stood up, swaying slightly.

“You’re up. What do you want to eat? I’ll go make it.”

Shen Luoyan’s voice sounded like it had been scraped by coarse sandpaper, incredibly hoarse. If the recording was broadcast, fans would collectively attack the production team.

Su Cancan’s brow twitched: “No need. You sit down. I have something to discuss with you.”

A few meters away, Su Cancan’s face was frosty. Her cold tone completely washed away Shen Luoyan’s sleepiness. Her thin body swayed precariously, yet she stubbornly remained standing, afraid that if she sat down, all her previous efforts would be wasted.

“Say it. I’ll listen standing.”

Su Cancan’s eyes darkened slightly: “It’s still about the program recording and personal schedule. I’ve seriously thought about it. When there are no specific activities, our lives in the house won’t change. We’ll repeat the same content every day. The filming duration is sufficient, but there’s no substantial content to edit.”

She paused, avoiding Shen Luoyan’s gaze: “Also, I need to go to the recording studio frequently now. Commuting back and forth to the city every day wastes time and is very troublesome.”

“So…”

The next words would truly reduce their relationship to mere colleagues. She paused again, preparing herself mentally and allowing Shen Luoyan time to prepare as well.

After a long moment, she continued: “So, I’ve decided to rent a place in the city. I’ll live in the city normally, and I’ll come over in advance to cooperate with the filming if FOR U needs to record or in case of any other emergency.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t short you a minute of the ten days we agreed upon,” she added when Shen Luoyan looked completely dumbfounded.

Shen Luoyan was surprised: “You’re moving out?”

The summary was accurate; that was indeed her intention.

“You’ve already made up your mind?”

Su Cancan nodded. Shen Luoyan’s tone held no trace of blame, which made Su Cancan feel a surge of inexplicable guilt. But a change of thought reminded her that every effect has a cause. Her decision was based on Shen Luoyan’s actions, and that negligible guilt quickly dissipated.

The production team staff opened their monitoring screens as usual to check the status of each group. Normally by this time, Shen Luoyan would be up reading or making breakfast. Today, all the cameras in their cabin were black. The staff member was suspicious.

CameraIsMyEye: Ms. Su, Ms. Shen, did the cabin trip a fuse? Should we send someone to repair it?

The message he sent to the group chat sank without a trace. After a long time, an answer appeared on the left side of the screen.

Su Cancan: Sorry, I need to move out for work. The cameras will likely be off during non-recording periods. They will be turned back on for filming. Thank you for your understanding.