The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Su Cancan couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this uninhibited. Since entering the entertainment industry, every day and every step had been like walking on thin ice. Between the mountain of work and the tidal waves of online criticism, she had hidden her true self very well.

Today, she finally had a chance to let it all out.

She felt the crisp, cool mountain breeze. As her speed increased, the scenery in her eyes became a blur of rapidly switching slides, unable to leave a lasting impression. Scene after scene flashed by, and the chill on her face grew sharper and clearer.

On the 4km track, she was a bird set free, spreading her wings and diving toward the furthest point at maximum speed.

In a collision of speed and passion, she pushed her vehicle to the limit. In less than ten minutes, her scooter came to a halt at the foot of the mountain.

She didn’t manage to catch the “Sunset Flyer” Youyou had mentioned. Looking up, the sun was gradually dipping toward the west. The clouds across half the sky looked as if they had been ignited by a raging fire—vibrant, bold, and red.

A moment later, the remaining guests arrived one after another.

Su Cancan used her personal phone to film the sunset. Viky took off her helmet and approached. “Sister Cancan, I didn’t expect your driving skills to be so good.”

The little vixen never initiated conversation with good intentions. If she wasn’t trying to cause trouble, she was at least trying to use her “charms” to make others uncomfortable.

“Could you please step aside? You’re blocking my shot,” Su Cancan turned in the opposite direction.

“Can—” Viky wanted to say more, but a sudden surge of pride made her shut her mouth. She huffed an angry breath, adjusted her chest with a haughty air, and strutted away.

Youyou was exhilarated after following Su Cancan the whole way. The excitement in her system was jumping wildly; she desperately needed an outlet. Before she could approach Su Cancan, a staff member stuffed several task cards into her hands.

The GoPros set up for them were taken back by the crew, and the professional cameras officially took over.

“The intense competition of the afternoon ends here,” Youyou muttered. Her voice was flat and her expression blank as she read the cards.

Seeing this, the staff frantically gestured behind the cameras, reminding her to smile.

Youyou was young, just past her rebellious teenage phase; she felt a natural resistance to the constraints adults forced upon her. Since they wanted her to smile, she gave a thin, fake one: “According to the statistics, the rankings for the four groups are in my hands. I’m sure everyone is excited.”

The card instructed her to pause for five seconds. She counted them silently in her head. She knew the other sisters didn’t care about this, and that the so-called competition was likely just a setup for Viky and Miky to stay in the hotel. Therefore, she wasn’t curious about the result at all.

After five awkward seconds, she maintained her posture: “First, we will reveal third and fourth place. Will it be the ‘Roommate Team’ who gave up on the first round, or ‘Youyou’s Team’ who made a mistake in the second?”

“The rankings are revealed! Let’s congratulate both teams for achieving the same score and tied for third place!”

The tie for third was a surprise, but it didn’t affect the overnight arrangements. Everyone cheered and clapped.

Youyou clapped perfunctorily: “Finally, let’s reveal which group is the ultimate winner of the day.”

It was just a game, yet it was being treated like an awards ceremony. The cameraman panned the lens from Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan over to Viky and Miky.

The reactions of the two groups were vastly different. Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan were aloof and indifferent, while Viky and Miky couldn’t hide their excitement.

Just as everyone—including Viky and Miky—was convinced the “KIYOMI” team would take the crown, Youyou slowly flipped the card to the last page.

The winner was indeed an English name.

But it started with a D.

Youyou’s features suddenly sharpened. She blinked rapidly in disbelief, immediately turning to find Zhouzhou.

Receiving the distress signal, Zhouzhou walked to her side, took her hand, and grabbed the card. “The first place goes to the DoubleS team, with Sister Cancan and Sister Luoyan.” Even she was startled, but her steady personality allowed her to read the name without betraying her emotion.

It was a bolt from the blue. Viky couldn’t believe her behind-the-scenes manipulation had only resulted in second place, meaning she’d have to squeeze into a tent and feed mosquitoes all night.

Su Cancan was even more shocked. They hadn’t pulled any strings or even given their full effort, yet they had defeated everyone through “strength.”

She nudged Shen Luoyan with the back of her hand. “Be honest. Did you go behind my back and find someone? Who is it? Their backing must be incredibly strong.”

Though she knew Su Cancan was teasing, the phrase “strong backing” didn’t make Shen Luoyan happy. She gazed at the red clouds on the horizon, her expression melancholy. “I didn’t find anyone. It was you.”

“Me?” Su Cancan waved her off. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t care about some luxury hotel room.”

The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive. What Su Cancan dismissed with a sneer was exactly what Viky dreamed of. Already fuming over losing the hotel, Viky rolled her eyes hard at Su Cancan’s words.

Su Cancan’s volume increased. The staff opposite might not have heard clearly, but the surrounding guests heard every word.

Shen Luoyan had to explain: “Cancan is just excited and can’t believe we got first. I think she forgot that the last round provided double points, ranked from highest to lowest, with points decreasing from 8 down to 1. She took first place, so thanks to her, our total score is number one.”

Everyone had entered the games with a “just for fun” attitude and hadn’t kept the rules in mind. After Shen Luoyan reiterated them, Viky’s frustrated face turned even gloomier, as if someone owed her 3 million. Fuming, she began to curse at Miky. Miky took it silently at first, but it eventually devolved into a mutual shouting match.

In full fan-girl mode, Youyou hopped over to Su Cancan. “Sister Cancan, you are truly, incredibly amazing! I want to learn to drive like you and gallop across the track!”

Just as Su Cancan was about to offer encouragement, Youyou’s face was lightly pinched by Zhouzhou. Her soft, fair cheeks were kneaded like dough. “It’s dangerous. Not allowed.”

Su Cancan rubbed her nose. “It is very dangerous. When driving normally, never seek speed. Follow traffic laws. Safety for you, me, and everyone, got it?”

Realizing her status as an idol, Su Cancan immediately took on a stern tone to educate her blind little follower. Youyou rebelled against Zhouzhou’s nagging, but she nodded repeatedly at Su Cancan’s lecture.

Shen Luoyan also wanted to tell Su Cancan that speeding was dangerous, but she couldn’t find her place to speak. The words were chewed over in her mouth and then swallowed.

Xia Yue and Cheng Lewei had long since retreated to the side to take photos and walk, waiting for the next part of the itinerary. Under pressure from higher-ups, the crew watched Viky and Miky arguing on camera and helplessly approached Su Cancan and Shen Luoyan to negotiate privately.

“Teacher Shen, Teacher Su.” It was the same staff member from lunch. The girl’s round eyes darted around; she looked very troubled.

Su Cancan guessed what she was going to say and cut to the chase: “Didn’t expect my driving to be that good, huh?”

“Indeed. The project was set by Manager Li. He said Viky claimed she was good at it and would definitely win…” The staff member followed Su Cancan’s lead but realized she had let a secret slip. She quickly covered her mouth, her face a mix of embarrassment and terror.

“Which Manager Li?” Shen Luoyan stood with her arms crossed, backlit. Her expressionless face looked incredibly dark.

Su Cancan bumped into Shen Luoyan, and the “dog’s tail” immediately started wagging again. “Fine. I don’t care if it’s Manager Li, Manager Zhang, or Manager Wang behind her. She just wants to stay in the hotel, right? I can give it to her. However, please have the people above pass on a message: I’ll endure it this time, but I hate petty tricks and ‘sleeping your way up’ more than anything. If there is a next time in this show, I won’t save her any face.”

The “arch-rival” rumor had circulated for a long time. Having received Su Cancan’s permission, the staff member looked timidly at Shen Luoyan, fearing a rejection.

She peeked at Shen Luoyan and found her devoid of anger, the corners of her mouth curving up. “Mm. A second time must never be permitted.”

“Then could I trouble you to announce that you’re giving the room to them when you go back out? Actually, compared to the hotel, the campsite is the best place for stargazing. Early summer has fewer mosquitoes and it’s not too hot. It’s very comfortable at night~” The staff member sighed in relief, sharing what they had learned from their site survey.

If she had said this to Viky, Viky would think she was being scammed. But because it was Su Cancan, she believed it.

Before returning to the scene, Su Cancan went behind Shen Luoyan and mysteriously whispered a few things to the staff member. Afterward, she announced the news of giving up the room in front of the cameras according to the “script.”

Viky and Miky were sent alone to the hotel in a car. Thinking there were no cameras without Shen Luoyan, Viky threw another unreasonable tantrum. This time, Miky simply kept a cold face and put on headphones to block out her madness.

Only three couples remained on the bus, but the atmosphere was more harmonious than ever. Upon learning they had to pitch their own tents, gather wood, and BBQ, they quickly assigned tasks.

Youyou’s team, in their peak physical state, took on tent-pitching. Shen Luoyan volunteered to gather firewood. The “Roommate Team,” being the eldest and most experienced, took charge of cooking to feed the “children.”

Su Cancan didn’t understand. Shen Luoyan was physically weak, and cooking was one of her strengths; staying at the base was the best plan. Yet she chose heavy labor. But when they shook off the camera crew and walked into the woods with a GoPro, Su Cancan realized why.

In late spring/early summer, there wasn’t much deadwood on the ground. The two searched with their heads down.

Su Cancan looked around and suddenly saw red marks on Shen Luoyan’s palms. She stopped Shen Luoyan, searched her pockets for a cartoon band-aid, and carefully placed it over the startling, bleeding wound.

“Doesn’t it hurt when the wound opens?” She frowned. “When did you do this? While carrying me or while paddling?” Su Cancan didn’t even notice that she was speaking words of genuine concern to her arch-rival.

Shen Luoyan remained silent. Su Cancan glared at her in annoyance.

…

“Look.”

Following Shen Luoyan’s gaze toward the distance, Su Cancan’s brow gradually relaxed.

A gentle breeze pushed ripples across the calm lake. Mountains rose in layers, and the lingering glow of the setting sun bathed the world in light.