The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“You lied to me.”

Outside the carved wooden window, dark clouds gathered thickly, the sky suddenly turning dark, with signs of imminent rain. The warm, faint yellow light from the glass lamp indoors cast a shallow golden glow around the two people by the window.

The two stood opposite each other. The slightly shorter woman was dressed in an emerald green diagonally buttoned Qipao. The pearl on the collar’s knot button was as round and clean as the one on her plump earlobe.

Slightly contrasting with her elegant attire was the bright and beautiful face on her slender neck. When her red lips curved up, the smile in her eyes and brows scattered, like a splash of color in a thorn bush—seductive yet radiating a sense of danger.

Her smile was alluring, but it shouldn’t be.

The taller woman was provoked by this smile, pinching her chin and pushing her back against the window frame. The gun in her other hand was already pressed against the shorter woman’s forehead, the cool touch of the metal strikingly clear.

“Stop smiling! Answer me!”

The other person’s fury seemed more entertaining than a circus acrobat’s trick. At this moment of life and death, she forgot her fear and panic, instead letting out a giggle, allowing the sharp, piercing laughter to echo in the room.

The taller woman’s neck veins bulged, her index finger clutching the trigger: “Liar, do you believe I won’t kill you right now?”

“Oh?” She let out a soft snort, the smile on her face instantly vanishing. When she looked at the taller woman again, her deep, dark pupils concealed all emotion.

Impossible, this pair of eyes of hers was the most expressive and best at speaking sweet nothings. The woman widened her eyes, scrutinizing her, as if she were being provoked.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and immediately, raindrops began to loudly lash down. The glass fogged up with water vapor, blurring the woman’s face, blurring the scene in the room, blurring everything she once held in her heart.

Her red lips parted and closed, she said with pity, “So foolish, to only find out now.”

The woman followed her gaze to the medicine on the desk; everything became concrete, and her heart sank.

She hadn’t changed, still so considerate, still explaining when the other was confused: “It’s not just the nutritional soup I served you daily; even the medicine sent to the hospital was poisoned, some more, some less.”

Thunder boomed. The taller woman felt as if her soul had been drained, her entire body losing strength. The hand that had been restraining her dropped to her side with a whoosh. After a moment, her throat was painful and dry: “Why? Haven’t I been good enough to you?”

“Shut up!” She was disgusted to the point of nausea, glaring at the woman. “Good to me? Killing my teachers and classmates is good to me? Bombing my home is good to me? Invading me and forcing me… is also good to me? You are nothing but bandits, robbers, only capable of burning, killing, looting, and harming the weak. In this world, only you are allowed to rule and dominate, while others are like ants and weeds? A mere small nation, a pirate state, dreaming of world domination is utterly ridiculous!”

After speaking, she produced a kerosene lighter from somewhere, and her slender fingers flicked it open. The flame frantically darted about, quickly engulfing the entire room. Seeing this, the woman grabbed her wrist and ran outside.

With a loud bang, the explosives in the dark detonated, setting the area ablaze in a fiery red.

The rain outside lessened, and the dawn’s light tore through the long sky. The moment of courtesy belonging to the people of the nation was imminent.

In the fierce blaze, she seemed to smile again. This time, it was a smile of relief…

…

“Cut!”

In front of the monitor, Director Chen’s eyes were slightly red. As the two actors stepped out of the set, applause and shouts of “Wrap party wishes!” erupted all around. People gathered to present flowers and offer blessings.

Director Chen stood in the center, handing out two clean towels: “Cuncan, Xiao He, thank you for your hard work.”

Su Cancan took a towel and wiped off the gunpowder residue that had just splattered on her cheeks and arms.

The day before, after signing the contract with the FOR U program team, she received an urgent notice from the director and rushed back to the set non-stop to film the final scenes.

This drama was the first serious drama she had taken on in her six years since debut, and it was a lead female role. Before filming, the comments under the official casting announcement on Weibo were filled with criticism. Two out of the three trending black hot topics that day were related to her. No one believed she could play the role of a proud and refined young lady from the Republic of China era, who endured humiliation yet remained resilient. Even her fans were labeled as brainless for liking a “pretty face.”

To date, she had received tens of thousands of negative comments on her various public social media platforms. Some mocked her as a “flowery pillow” (a term for someone with a good appearance but no substance), and even more abusive, unsightly comments were rampant.

She put all her effort into it, enduring the pressure, and immersed herself in the three months of filming for the drama. It was now over, just like that.

Su Cancan blinked, feeling a sense of loss. Xiao Ke noticed and immediately jumped in, using a wet wipe to help her clean off the marks and deal with the director.

“Director Chen, there’s a celebration banquet tonight. How about letting the actors change and rest before discussing further?”

Xiao Ke had a long, innocent baby face and spoke softly.

The refusal that was on the tip of Director Chen’s tongue was stopped when He Wei chimed in: “That’s right, look at me, all covered in ash. Even beggars in the next set would find me too dirty. Please wait for us; we can have a good talk at the celebration banquet.”

To refuse again would make it seem like he was intentionally making things difficult for the actors. Director Chen nodded: “Alright, we’ll go first. Don’t be late.”

After the director agreed, Su Cancan said goodbye and walked toward the parking lot with her head lowered. The misty rain of Jiangnan permeated and moistened every inch of the land. She navigated around small puddles, her emotions gradually building up, finally breaking down when she received a text message from her grandmother reminding her to cool down.

It had been a long time since she had cried so freely and wholeheartedly, not stopping even with the remnants of makeup streaking her face.

Liu Yimin and Xiao Ke didn’t try to stop her. After she released her emotions, she was too exhausted to move. They quietly helped her remove her makeup and supported her to the bed to rest.

Perhaps because of the emotional outburst, her dreams were particularly sweet. When she woke up, the sky was already dark, close to the time set for the celebration banquet.

The investors had chosen a spacious and private manor in the suburbs for the celebration banquet. After two urging phone calls, Su Cancan quickly changed into casual clothes and got into the nanny van to rush to the manor.

Liu Yimin had instructed the driver to drive steadily before getting into the car. Su Cancan leaned against the backrest with her eyes closed, not saying a word, resting. The inside of the car was so quiet that only her gentle breathing could be heard.

The nanny van sped along the country road, slowing down and stopping steadily after a continuous right turn.

Outside the window, large patches of green loudly proclaimed life and vitality. Liu Yimin turned around and patted Su Cancan’s long legs, which were outlined by her jeans.

“We’re here. Do you need a little more rest?”

“No need.” Su Cancan slowly opened her eyes. The freshness of the greenery made her mind clearer. She yawned, lazily saying, “You have Shen Luoyan’s team’s contact information, right? Help me set up a time. I need to meet her before the recording.”

The rear car door automatically slid open. Without waiting for Liu Yimin’s response, Su Cancan put on her social expression and got out of the car, walking toward the banquet hall near the bonfire not far away.

The crew of “Nian Qing” had all arrived, only waiting for Su Cancan. As soon as she stepped in, jokes and teasing comments started pouring out.

“The female lead is something else, arriving fashionably late.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. She’s about to pair up with the Film Empress in a dating reality show; that’s when she’ll be truly out of our league!”

“Late and not punishing yourself with two drinks? We’ve waited so long, you should at least show some sincerity.”

Facing the crowd’s teasing, Su Cancan remained unruffled. Her gaze swept the room, and her fair, flawless hand picked up the high-stemmed glass from the top of the champagne tower, shaking it twice. Under everyone’s watch, she tilted her head back and downed the wine in the glass.

The purplish-red liquid flowed over her lips, staining her with a touch of seductiveness. She didn’t stop, picking up two more glasses and drinking them before setting them down.

“I’m truly sorry for keeping everyone waiting. These three drinks are my apology. I hope I haven’t spoiled anyone’s mood. It’s a great day, so let’s all eat and drink well.”

Self-punishing with three drinks for being late was an unwritten rule. Seeing the beauty drink so freely, the atmosphere was pushed to a climax. Everyone was busy cheering and no one suggested she stop. Who knew that as soon as Su Cancan finished speaking, she picked up another glass, drank it cleanly and quickly, and then another.

Drinking five glasses on an empty stomach is obviously harmful to the body. Before people realized something was wrong and the director was about to call a halt, Su Cancan curved her lips and spoke with her red lips slightly parted.

“The remaining two glasses are a toast to everyone. I know I have many shortcomings. Thank you to the director for choosing me despite the pressure, and thank you all for your care over the past few months. I also wish our ‘Nian Qing’ great ratings and many awards!”

She seemed fine and capable of lighthearted banter, so everyone’s concerns were dispelled, and they quickly switched to celebration mode.

When Liu Yimin and Xiao Ke entered, Su Cancan was sitting next to Director Chen, her full lips parting and closing, laughing sweetly. She must have had quite a bit to drink; her small, palm-sized face was flushed pink, radiating a mixture of charm and shyness.

He Wei and a few of the props team girls were chatting together. As the center of attention, Su Cancan was naturally one of the main topics of discussion. The gossip about the dating reality show was baseless, which Liu Yimin ignored, but when they mentioned her practically pouring alcohol down her throat, Liu Yimin’s eyelids twitched. He strode over to her side.

“Cancan.” Xiao Ke followed Liu Yimin, squeezing in next to Su Cancan.

Their conversation interrupted, Su Cancan gestured to Director Chen, who understood and raised his glass to exchange toasts with others.

Having drunk quickly, Su Cancan only now felt the alcohol hitting her. Propping her head up, she gently massaged her temples with her fingertips. Liu Yimin cautiously leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear while glancing around the room.

After he finished speaking and stood up straight, Su Cancan stopped moving. Without changing her expression, she downed a flask of white wine.

“Cancan!”

In the noisy environment, no one noticed Liu Yimin’s cry of surprise. Su Cancan smiled faintly: “I have a sense of proportion.”

With one sentence, she dismissed the two of them and started a new round of socializing. Familiar and unfamiliar faces came forward, and she refused no one. The clinking of glasses was crisp, and after drinking a large round, she showed no sign of stopping.

Outside the window, the night deepened. The occasional sound of cicadas in the countryside signaled the arrival of early summer.

Inside the banquet hall, glasses clinked everywhere. On the country road, there were no garish neon lights. In the silence, a beam of light cut through the darkness, speeding toward the distance.

Director Chen, who was typically bad at drinking but loved it, was unsteady on his feet and mentally unclear, but still refused to leave. His assistant nervously tried to coax him to his room to rest, fearing he would make a fool of himself. After being fiercely scolded, the assistant was annoyed and sat aside, no longer bothering with him.

Su Cancan was only slightly tipsy. Having grown up socializing with her elders, this amount of alcohol was nothing to her. As she scanned the room for people to toast with, Liu Yimin walked in from outside.

“She’s here. Waiting for you in the second-floor conference room.” The sentence was out of the blue, but she didn’t need to be told who “she” was.

Su Cancan arched an eyebrow, her gaze fixed on the table next to her: “Okay.”

It was unclear whether she truly meant “okay” or not. She certainly didn’t leave right away, instead picking up a high-stemmed glass and a bottle of red wine and walking straight away. Liu Yimin, who was left behind, gently shook his head, sighing inwardly.

After leaving half a table of people tipsy, Su Cancan judged the time was right and feigned drunkenness as she walked out of the banquet hall.

The evening breeze was cool, blowing away what little tipsiness she had. Su Cancan hugged her arms and walked through the parking lot toward the conference room. “Nian Qing” was a large production, and a large number of people attended the wrap party. The parking lot was filled with nanny vans and luxury cars.

Luxury cars were not enough to make her stop, but just as she was about to exit the parking lot, a black Lamborghini Urus flashed into her sight.

Recalling seeing this car the day before at the office building, she walked backward two steps, and angrily kicked a car wheel hub.

…

The resting area was in stark contrast to the banquet hall, so quiet that Su Cancan couldn’t help but lighten her steps. Following the route Liu Yimin had given her—up to the second floor, turn left to the end—she stood before the vermilion wooden door.

Having kept the other person waiting for two hours, Su Cancan felt a fleeting moment of guilt, but only a moment.