The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The eight people around the round table each harbored their own thoughts. During the meal, Su Cancan kept her head down to eat, while Shen Luoyan maintained her usual cold expression, occasionally picking up a few bites. Viky was the busiest; taking advantage of the lack of interaction between guests—knowing the crew wouldn’t edit such useless footage into the main show—her fingers flew across her phone screen.

While reaching for a dish, Su Cancan caught a glimpse of Viky’s movements. She initially thought Viky was venting to a friend or her benefactor, but to her surprise, the staff member who had announced the afternoon itinerary returned to the private room after lunch.

“The journey we’ve prepared for you officially begins this afternoon! The production team has prepared three competitive projects. The couple that ranks first overall tonight can stay in our park’s Luxury Starry Sky Suite, while the other three groups will spend the night in the park’s camping area~”

Just like before, she smiled and displayed photos of the Starry Sky Suite and the campsite.

There had been no mention of competitive projects before the recording. Su Cancan narrowed her eyes at the two pictures. Before long, she realized the “vixen” next to her had made a move.

They were participants in the game, yet Viky was the one dictating the rules?

She sneered inwardly. Since Viky wanted to play, she would play along.

Fearing that intense exercise immediately after a meal might cause issues, the crew prepared rest areas for each couple, agreeing to transfer to the afternoon activity site by bus in one hour.

The silence in Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan’s suite was terrifying. On the velvet sofa, each occupied one end. Both were scrolling through Weibo to see netizens’ comments on their pre-lunch dispute.

“How should we handle this?” Shen Luoyan’s thumb hovered over her phone screen.

Su Cancan scrolled through the comments. Over the years, the attacks against her had always been more or less the same. Having grown used to them, she didn’t feel any substantial hurt. They didn’t know her, and they certainly didn’t know the truth; she couldn’t stand up and respond to every biased comment.

Su Cancan swiped the page again and looked down at the screen: “Cold treatment.”

Shen Luoyan hesitated. “But you won’t—”

“I know what you want to say. This is exactly the outcome I predicted before. Some of their points are correct: I used your fame to hype a CP and touched a ‘cake’ I shouldn’t have. These insults are the punishment I deserve.”

Shen Luoyan tried to object, but Su Cancan cut her off: “Things have come to this; we can’t control the internet’s judgment. Let’s just finish recording the show properly. Let me ‘suck your blood’ with a clear conscience, and then let’s end this cleanly.”

Before it had even begun, the ending was already planned. Shen Luoyan stubbornly turned her head away to look at the scenery outside. The hotel, situated within the Lake-Island scenic area, offered a view of nothing but dense, lush greenery.

Seeing that Shen Luoyan was silent, Su Cancan happened to receive an inquiry from Liu Yimin. She patiently explained everything that had happened that morning.

Liu Yimin: Sigh, the show hasn’t aired yet. At this stage, we can only follow your ‘cold treatment’ plan. Qian Weiyi will probably look for you; don’t answer the phone. If you see messages, just forward them to me. I’ll handle it.

Liu Yimin agreed with Su Cancan’s approach. Bypassing the public relations team that took money but did nothing, they set this solution in stone. The “Typing…” indicator flickered at the top of the screen for a while before her concern arrived as expected.

Liu Yimin: Forgive me for asking, but why won’t you listen to her explanation? Do you really not want to know the truth, or have you already let it go and don’t intend to bring it up again?

Su Cancan frowned and replied.

Su Cancan: I’ll find out the truth eventually, but I don’t want to know it at this moment or during the show. it would affect my mood for the rest of the recording. Who knows if there’s some shocking reversal? I might not be able to take it and might just announce my retirement on the spot. Then you won’t even be able to find me.

She tried to sound lighthearted, and Liu Yimin fell silent on the other end, not pressing further.

An hour passed in a flash. The staff notified them in the group chat to gather downstairs. Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan quickly touched up their makeup and hair. Having researched the scenic area beforehand, both wore casual clothes and sneakers; the only thing to adjust was their hair.

Shen Luoyan secured her shoulder-length hair with a claw clip at the back of her head, fully revealing her long, elegant neckline.

Su Cancan knew Viky and Miky were coming in aggressive, and the afternoon challenge wouldn’t be easy. She quickly twisted her waist-length hair into a bun, securing it firmly. With no hair in the way, the diamond studs on her earlobes sparkled.

“Do you want to stay in the Starry Sky Suite?” Shen Luoyan asked as she gripped the door handle, her first words after a long silence.

Su Cancan paused and shook her head. “No. You can stay in a hotel anywhere. It’s boring to come out and not go camping.”

Shen Luoyan hummed in agreement and opened the door.

Seeing her look so certain of victory, Su Cancan couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s this? Is Teacher Shen so powerful she can even manipulate our ranking?”

Su Cancan was only joking, but after the previous incident, Shen Luoyan’s attitude was exceptionally serious: “No, I never play dirty. It’s just that if you wanted to be first to stay in that room, I would work a little harder to fulfill your wish.”

“Mm, that attitude is good. Let’s just do our best and leave the rest to time.” Su Cancan smiled genuinely. The invisible boulder pressing on her felt smaller and lighter, and the sunlight outside seemed brighter.

The gathering spot featured the “Three Missing One” scenario again. After the crew urged them repeatedly, the last couple finally arrived after ten minutes.

As they queued to board the transfer bus, Xia Yue and Cheng Lewei brought up the rear. A staff member heard Xia Yue’s soft lament through the earpiece:

“Phew, it’s good to be young. To manage to complete a session of ‘Great Life Harmony’ in just one hour…”

A few seconds later, strange snickering came through the earpiece. The staff member turned red, thinking to themselves that this was definitely not a typical “commute to the recording site.”

…

The entire recording didn’t have a host to interfere. Upon arriving at the site, the crew handed the prepared task cards to the youngest guest, Youyou. She imitated what she had seen on TV, reading the game rules obediently.

“Couple Challenge One: Glass Skywalk Pursuit. The four couples will take turns completing a high-altitude walk. If no one can finish, the group that walks the furthest wins; otherwise, rankings are based on actual time.”

Following Youyou’s introduction, the cameraman turned the lens toward the nearby U-shaped glass skywalk. The wind at that height was colder than elsewhere. Su Cancan was somewhat afraid of heights; after a quick glance, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she quickly looked away.

“By the way, since we’re competing, do we need to come up with couple team names?” Youyou asked. The staff behind the cameras gave her a thumbs-up. This girl in her early twenties was sharp; she didn’t need guidance to push the process forward.

“Oh, I like that! It feels like picking a name and slogan for a class during a school sports meet.” Su Cancan truly was the “Fan-Catering Queen.”

Viky muttered sarcastically, “So old-fashioned. Who shouts slogans for a sports meet nowadays?”

It was unclear if Shen Luoyan heard her and intentionally decided to shut her down, or if she simply wanted to support the idea, but she chimed in: “I think it sounds fun too.”

Since the Best Actress had spoken, none of the juniors dared to object. Viky’s face twitched but she didn’t dare talk back. Shen Luoyan gave her a fleeting glance before looking at Xia Yue and Cheng Lewei at the far end for their answer. Both nodded in agreement, and the naming segment officially began.

“What should we call ours? I thought the one prepared for the last shoot was quite good.” Su Cancan rubbed her chin, accidentally smudging her lipstick. “Let’s not make it complicated. Let’s just call it DoubleS, yeah?”

Shen Luoyan’s thumb brushed against the skin below Su Cancan’s lip. The brief contact made Su Cancan’s scalp tingle. Her focus fixed on that one spot as she gave a blurred agreement, watching as Shen Luoyan wiped away the red smudge and rubbed her fingertips together.

Su Cancan unnaturally touched the patch of skin that felt faint heat from the touch. “Uh, okay, it’s decided.”

A few minutes later, the discussions died down, and the four groups shared their names in turn.

“We are called KIYOMI~” Viky giggled, clutching Miky’s arm. Her sweetness was no less than drinking two pounds of pure syrup.

The atmosphere turned a bit cold. Youyou stepped up: “It really fits Sister’s sweet-girl image.”

Sweet girl? Su Cancan raised an eyebrow. She didn’t find it sweet; upon closer inspection, it had the pungent sting of industrial-grade chili extract.

Viky chuckled. Cheng Lewei cleared her throat: “Roommate Team.”

Even the usually steady and self-contained Shen Luoyan couldn’t help but turn to look. Xia Yue’s hand was wrapped in Cheng Lewei’s palm; she explained softly with a red face: “Roleplay. Today we want to be roommates.”

“Sister Xia Yue, you guys are so interesting.” This interpretation was so unique that no one had guessed it. Youyou said happily, “We are Youyou’s Team. Zhouzhou listens to me, and I’m always right!” (Note: A pun on “Youyou is always right” in Chinese).

Only Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan were left. They exchanged a look, and Shen Luoyan spoke: “DoubleS.”

When Shen Luoyan announced their name, Youyou was stunned for a moment, her expression full of surprise and hidden delight. Only when Zhouzhou nudged her did she manage to suppress her smile and praise it as a great name.

As people chatted in small groups, the neglected Viky couldn’t hold back and raised her voice: “What order are we going in?”

The conversation was interrupted. Su Cancan shot her a side-glance and acted thoughtful: “Since it’s all random anyway, why don’t we just follow the order we introduced our team names in~”

Viky wasn’t prepared yet, but everyone else had already started cheering. Her face turned from red to white and back again. She had no choice but to clench her fists and grit her teeth as she walked onto the glass skywalk with Miky.

Su Cancan watched them take cautious, trembling steps. The sense of dread wouldn’t dissipate. When the two of them ignored each other and rushed back to the starting point separately, her face turned a shade paler.

Zhouzhou and Youyou, though young, were brave. They strolled around as if they were window shopping and walked back steadily.

Xia Yue and Cheng Lewei had no obsession with the Starry Sky Suite. Adhering to the principle of “health first,” they forfeited the challenge.

When it was Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan’s turn at the starting line, the cool mountain breeze slapped Su Cancan’s face. She wore an expression of “ready to die on the battlefield.”

Beside her, Shen Luoyan looked around, her eyes darkening.

“It’s okay. We can forfeit too.”