The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After standing at the door for a while, Su Cancan shook off the distracting thoughts in her mind, took two deep breaths, and pushed the door open.

It was a standard small-to-medium-sized conference room, with only the wall lamps turned on. Shen Luoyan was seated directly facing the door. In the dim light, she had been leaning back in the chair with her eyes closed, but sensing the other’s arrival, she suddenly opened her eyes.

Their eyes met. Su Cancan’s fingers curled into her palm, leaving a few shallow imprints.

Click, she flipped the light switch by the door frame.

The entire conference room was instantly lit up with a cool white light. Shen Luoyan’s face became clear from the blur. Su Cancan’s gaze swept over her, observing without betraying any emotion.

She was wearing a hoodie again, a loose black hoodie that made her look both thin and pale. Her medium-length black hair hung loosely, giving off an air of keeping people at a distance.

Su Cancan restrained an impulse, withdrew her gaze, walked to the seat furthest from Shen Luoyan, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat, organizing the words for negotiation in her mind.

Shen Luoyan glanced at her, sensing the signal of resistance coming from the other person.

“I called you here to—”

“Would you like some water?”

The two spoke at the same time. Su Cancan frowned slightly, looking at the cup of water extended toward her but not reaching for it, a hint of aversion suddenly rising in her heart.

She truly was worthy of being the most talented new-generation actor—what a performance!

“I’m not thirsty, thank you.”

Su Cancan’s refusal was decisive, but the other person did not withdraw her hand, instead leaning forward slightly to place the water cup by Su Cancan’s hand, then sitting back in her original spot to continue listening.

Su Cancan glanced down. Wisps of steam rose from the oval rim of the cup. Subconsciously, she pushed it away slightly: “You’re not angry that I’m late?”

Shen Luoyan noticed her small movement, pursed her lips into a line, and shook her head.

The content wasn’t particularly amusing, but Su Cancan suddenly burst out laughing. The contempt in her eyes, as she looked at Shen Luoyan, was no longer concealed, revealing itself clearly.

“It’s just the two of us here; you don’t have to pretend.” She leaned lazily against the back of the chair, extending her hand to examine her newly done nails. “Then again, Film Empress Shen has always been good-tempered. How could she possibly get angry over such a small matter?”

She was unhappy. No, she was extremely unhappy. $downarrow$

Shen Luoyan bent her long finger and tapped the tabletop, attempting to capture her attention. She succeeded. Su Cancan lowered her hand, changing to an arms-crossed posture to look at her, still with a mix of defensiveness and hostility.

“I’m not angry,” Shen Luoyan explained.

Pretend. Keep pretending.

Su Cancan sighed, feeling even less inclined to be in the same space as her.

“I’m really not,” Shen Luoyan added.

After this sentence, the conference room fell into silence, quiet enough that there was no other sound. The two were locked in a stalemate. Su Cancan had a knot in her heart that she couldn’t get over and found it difficult to speak. Shen Luoyan, on the other hand, was afraid of saying too much and making a mistake, struggling to maintain her composed expression, her eyebrows knitted.

An undercurrent surged between the two. Once the tug-of-war began, it was difficult to stop.

She had drunk intensely and heavily earlier in the evening. Su Cancan initially maintained her composure, but as time passed, the alcohol circulated in her body, affecting her mind, taking over her soul, and making her drowsy.

Just then, rustling sounds came from the corridor. She cleared her throat lightly: “Whether you’re angry or indifferent, it makes no difference to me.”

“I can’t drag this out anymore, so I’ll be brief with you.”

Su Cancan paused, smoothed her long hair back, and rubbed her cheeks a few times to focus. Her short top rode up with the movement, revealing a segment of her fair, slender waist. She was concentrating on staying awake and didn’t notice the person opposite secretly blushing.

Having finished these actions as if no one else was present, Su Cancan continued: “I don’t know why you agreed to this variety show, but I’ll make it clear to you here: I was forced. Joining this show was not my personal wish, and forming a CP with you even less so. As you can see, I dislike you.”

Feeling somewhat parched, Su Cancan looked at Shen Luoyan. A sudden surge of competitive spirit made her suppress the thought of drinking the water beside her: “But dislike is dislike. Since we have work in common, I won’t ruin my own reputation, and I certainly won’t embarrass you on the show.”

“I asked you here to lay down some ground rules.” She thought for a few seconds. “Calling them ‘ground rules’ is too formal. Think of it as an early heads-up. These are a few of my red flags, and I hope you and your team won’t cross them. After I’m done, you can tell me yours.”

“Alright.” Shen Luoyan didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“First, we are on a dating reality show, but I personally don’t like physical contact. Therefore, absolutely no sharing a bed. I will maintain distance from you unless absolutely necessary. I don’t care what external media or public accounts write about this, but I don’t want your team to spread rumors. Second, related to the first point, I can cooperate with the publicity required by the show, but excessive CP hype or using me for gossip is out of the question…”

Su Cancan took this opportunity to state all her demands. It was a reminder and a warning shot. She intended to use this to make it clear to Shen Luoyan that she was no longer someone the other could manipulate and control at will.

She had expected Shen Luoyan to get angry or refuse, and was prepared for a counter-attack. Who knew that after a moment of contemplation, Shen Luoyan would only say:

“I accept all of it. And, if you have any further requests in the future, just let me know anytime.”

Actors, actors! She took this as a profession, yet the other person had fully integrated it into her blood. She was still acting even without cameras. Amazing!

Su Cancan internally rolled her eyes after a moment of reflection, feeling that her personal quality had vastly improved. She gave a forced smile and said, “What about you? Is there anything you need to note? Tell me in advance.”

Shen Luoyan naturally understood the hidden meaning in her words. As if remembering something, a smile churned in her chest. She pursed her lips and shook her head.

Su Cancan didn’t understand what was so funny. Since she was given a chance and chose not to say anything, Su Cancan wasn’t going to be polite: “Fine, I’ll be generous too. I’ll tell you if I think of anything later.”

“But, whether I follow it then will be a different matter.” She said this last sentence very softly, almost like a whisper, and quickly switched to the next one, afraid Shen Luoyan had heard.

“That’s all for the discussion. It will facilitate better cooperation.” Having worked in the entertainment industry for so many years, she could spout high-sounding words effortlessly. Catching Shen Luoyan’s gaze, she guessed the other hadn’t heard her, and a flicker of joy crossed her heart. “Our crew’s dinner hasn’t ended yet. It wouldn’t be convenient to explain why Teacher Shen left, so perhaps you should head back first.”

Su Cancan had joked in interviews that she was a ‘delicate egoist.’ At the time, everyone thought she was just kidding or being self-deprecating. In fact, it wasn’t true; she was being sincere. She threw her flaws out for everyone to judge, and if they didn’t believe her, she couldn’t force them to agree.

See? Mission accomplished, and now she was trying to hurry the other person out.

Shen Luoyan understood. She was silently calculating. This meeting with Su Cancan was a full half hour. Excluding the time they spent in silence, their actual conversation was only about four or five minutes. She wasn’t being insatiable, it was just that…

Fine, she admitted it, she was being insatiable.

“Are you still going to drink?” Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a reason to linger. Shen Luoyan stood up, the chair scraping against the wooden floor with a harsh friction sound.

Su Cancan’s first reaction was that it was none of her business, but thinking that it would be impolite and not fitting her image as a proper young lady, she swallowed the words and rephrased: “Perhaps. Maybe. Teacher Shen doesn’t need to worry. Just take care of yourself before filming starts.”

Shen Luoyan was rarely left speechless. The ink-like color in her pupils deepened, and her expression wasn’t very pleasant.

“Is there anything else?” Su Cancan didn’t consider herself a fan or staff member, and she wasn’t willing to waste effort reading Shen Luoyan’s micro-expressions. Even though she could tell the other was displeased, her first choice wasn’t to explain; she wanted to provoke her a little more.

After speaking, she covered her mouth and elegantly yawned, like a lazy long-haired cat. “Do you need me to walk you out?”

Shen Luoyan shook her head, helpless. “No need.” She took two steps toward the door.

Su Cancan stood up as well. She was genuinely drunk. Even wearing flat shoes, she felt unsteady on her feet. She stumbled, moving not forward but backward, hitting the chair, and her whole body swayed precariously.

Since Shen Luoyan was there, she didn’t want to lose face. She exerted all her strength to steady herself. Not only did this fail, but she didn’t realize that the person who was leaving had turned back. In the blink of an eye, Shen Luoyan was beside her, grasping her shoulder firmly.

“Didn’t I say I don’t like physical contact?” Su Cancan instinctively twisted her body to evade the slight pressure applied to her shoulder. That force wasn’t heavy, but she couldn’t shake off the restraint, so she twisted even more.

However, stepping outside of her drunken state, this perceived resistance, intended to protect herself, actually looked more like an invitation.

Su Cancan struggled weakly, attempting to break free from Shen Luoyan’s hold. Their bodies collided. A mix of sweet fruity fragrance and woody notes mingled. The genuine collision, even through thick clothing, ignited sparks on Shen Luoyan’s skin, tiny clusters of fire.

The temperature in the small conference room rapidly rose. Shen Luoyan, this bundle of dry wood, was burning fiercely. Faced with the passionate invitation, she nearly accepted, but the vibrating phone in her pocket pulled her back to reality.

She couldn’t. At least, not now.

Coming back to her senses, Shen Luoyan steadied Su Cancan and helped her sit down.

In their previous meetings, they had both been seated, and Shen Luoyan’s thick clothes obscured her height. With the distance closed, Su Cancan was sitting while Shen Luoyan was standing, making Su Cancan significantly shorter in front of her. Su Cancan didn’t like the feeling of being inferior. Without thinking, she grabbed Shen Luoyan’s collar.

The powerless lamb from moments ago vanished, replaced by a planned leopard. With lightning speed, Shen Luoyan couldn’t dodge. With great force, their noses collided directly.

A sharp pain spread from a small area. Su Cancan stared with wide eyes at Shen Luoyan, who was now within zero social distance of her. Her large eyes fluttered twice, gathering a ring of tears.

“How can you be like this? Bullying me in real life, and bullying me in my dreams too! You took the roles and endorsements, earned a good reputation, and now you even hit me, sob sob sob, you’re so mean…”

Shen Luoyan rarely drank and never attended social gatherings. This was the first time she had seen a drunk person, and the first time she had seen one so adorable and heart-wrenching. She tried to straighten up to get her some water and contact her manager, but the hand on her chest showed no sign of letting go.

“Can you let go, please?” After being stared at for so long, Shen Luoyan asked with a flushed face.

Su Cancan briefly stopped crying and shook her head very seriously. The force in her hand didn’t decrease, but rather increased. The two heads that had just separated collided again.

A sudden softness touched Shen Luoyan’s lips. Before she could process it, a metallic, sweet scent stained her tongue.