The Movie Queen And Her Rival Just Went Public! - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

She had once been a small boat sailing alone through rivers and seas, but she was fortunate to have met other vessels in this harbor with whom she could travel.

Su Cancan carefully read through the comments everyone had made about her. Some mentioned her bold and straightforward nature upon first meeting; others talked about her heroic performance in the drag racing segment during this filming. While Viky was trying every trick in the book to ruin her public image, everyone else was helping her. Although some questioned if she had bribed the other guests, she still gained a massive wave of new fans, causing Viky’s plan to fall flat.

Liu Yimin sniffled, the carbonated gas from her soda bubbling up. “Sleeping early was for the best. You didn’t have to stay up and be anxious with us.”

“What! You didn’t even call me to watch such a huge event? Not allowed next time!” Su Cancan protested as she handed the phone back to Xiao Ke.

Xiao Ke took the phone and scanned the entertainment section of the trending list once more. Liu Yimin made it sound easy, but the “bloodbath” last night was nowhere near as calm as this moment. Aside from Youyou, the other guests of FOR U appeared only during the final stages of the livestream. Since Su Cancan’s stream ended abruptly, doubts had begun flooding the public forums shortly after she returned to her room.

With Viky fanning the flames and acting like a victim bullied by Su Cancan in her own stream, her fans completely lost their minds, attacking anyone who spoke up for Su Cancan.

Qian Weiyi was angry with Su Cancan, but since her contract hadn’t expired, he sent out the PR team to suppress the noise. Those “straw bags” were incredibly clumsy; they decided to buy a trending hashtag for the Su Cancan/Shen Luoyan CP. This reverse operation didn’t calm the storm; instead, it incited a war between the solo fans of both sides.

Just as Liu Yimin and Xiao Ke were at their wits’ end, the situation took a turn.

Somehow, word leaked that Shen Luoyan was about to join a film crew. Her solo fans withdrew in large numbers to focus on her upcoming project, leaving Su Cancan’s combatant fans and the CP fans to present a united front. Soon, the antis were driven back, and the battle was won by Su Cancan’s fandom.

The victory didn’t linger long. That same day, a male idol from a survival show was exposed for private contact with fans and defrauding/indecently assaulting a minor. The public’s firepower shifted to him, and the hashtags regarding the girls dropped further and further until they exited the public eye.

Su Cancan took it lightly. This was the entertainment industry; it never lacked news or attention. She gathered herself and returned to normal life, heading to the studio for dubbing and waiting for the crew’s notice for the next shoot.

Notably, after ten days of communication, her relationship with Shen Luoyan had shifted from “awkward acquaintances” to “ordinary friends.” They occasionally shared their daily lives with each other and chatted whenever they were free.

The third recording session arrived quietly. It happened to be the first day of June—Children’s Day.

Learning from the second recording, the production crew no longer forced the couples to travel together. The four pairs were given separate cars, and a driver was provided for Youyou and Zhouzhou, who had lesser driving skills.

There was no set departure point. Su Cancan’s dubbing work was in its final sprint, requiring frequent overtime, so she didn’t have time to go to the “Love Cottage.” After a private discussion, they agreed that Shen Luoyan would drive through the city to pick her up and take her to the seaside for the shoot.

June 1st was a radiant day, with a clear sky and not a single cloud to block the sun’s brilliance.

When Shen Luoyan parked the car at the entrance of the apartment building, she received a message from Su Cancan saying she was on her way out. Replying that she had just arrived and there was no rush, Shen Luoyan spotted a figure in the rearview mirror that was both strange and familiar—Su Cancan’s landlady, Grandma Luo.

The old lady seemed to be exercising, walking lap after lap around the path in front of the building. Su Cancan emerged from the entrance and greeted her. Thus far, the old lady had no special reaction, until Shen Luoyan stepped out of the car to help with the luggage. The grandmother froze in place, unable to move for a long time.

“Grandma, are you looking for me?” Shen Luoyan closed the trunk, and both of them turned toward the old lady.

Snapping back to reality, the grandmother stepped awkwardly in place before slowly walking toward them.

She was still elegant and fashionable, her silver hair tied meticulously behind her head, shimmering in the sun. Stopping before them, she folded her hands in front of her. “No, I’m just out for a walk.”

Do you live here? Su Cancan asked curiously.

The old lady rubbed her hands together and explained, “The lease on my other apartment in this neighborhood expired. My daughter thought living in the city center would be more convenient, so she helped me move here.”

Looking at the old lady’s attire, one could guess she came from a wealthy background. When she mentioned owning more than one apartment in this community, Su Cancan wasn’t shocked, just slightly impressed.

Shen Luoyan, who had no financial ties to the lady and wasn’t well-acquainted with her, stood by and listened. However, she felt the old woman’s gaze drifting toward her intentionally or otherwise, which she found strange.

Seeing passersby walking their way, Su Cancan hurriedly said to the grandmother, “You keep walking. we have to go record today. I’ll come visit you once we’re done.”

“Mm, come play when you’re free.” The old lady’s veiny hands finally dropped. Her gaze traveled between the two before she said to Shen Luoyan, “You too.”

Shen Luoyan had her doubts but hummed an acknowledgment, following Su Cancan to say goodbye.

“The crew left a gift box for us in the back seat.”

The car doors closed. While Su Cancan buckled her seatbelt, Shen Luoyan turned to reach for the box. Through the rear windshield, she saw the grandmother still standing in the same spot, watching them. Shen Luoyan’s suspicion deepened.

“Really? Let’s see it.” Su Cancan waited for her to bring the box forward.

With over a dozen camera positions pointed at them inside the car, Shen Luoyan buried her doubts for now and presented the box to Su Cancan.

Su Cancan placed the box on her lap. “Let’s go! I’ll reveal the secret!”

Perhaps because the cameras were rolling, or because they had spent ten days letting their guard down, Shen Luoyan noticed Su Cancan was relaxed. For the seaside shoot, she wore a cotton floral dress that reached her knees and a baseball cap matching the dress. The brim of the hat and her smiling eyes curved at similar angles. Receiving the command, Shen Luoyan cleared her thoughts and focused on driving.

In the passenger seat, Su Cancan slowly lifted the lid. The bottom layer of the box held two sets of sunscreen products with a cartoon theme. Resting on top were two cards.

Couple’s Q&A. Please answer the questions on the card with your partner during the trip. Your answers may serve as a reference for the general public regarding relationships. Please answer seriously.

Su Cancan read the small print carelessly. After finishing, she took a sharp breath, looked at the nearest camera, and said solemnly: “Viewers, to my knowledge, both Teacher Shen and I are single-from-birth (virgin singles).” She paused and looked at Shen Luoyan. “I’m not wrong, right?”

Shen Luoyan had just started the car. The road ahead was clear. she tilted her head to glance at Su Cancan, the corners of her mouth turning up. “Mm, you’re not.”

Su Cancan nodded and continued: “So, Teacher Shen and I have, at most, a superficial understanding of love. Our answers only represent our personal views. As for reference value… you should analyze it based on your own relationship status.”

While Su Cancan gave sincere advice to the audience, Shen Luoyan focused on driving, merging into the main road traffic after passing the community gate.

“First question: During a quarrel, do both parties prefer active communication or the cold treatment? Why?”

The moment she saw the words, Su Cancan’s mind rapidly assembled an answer. A second after reading it, she began outputting her view: “Of course, it should be resolved immediately. Not just in a romantic relationship—any conflict with anyone should be handled with active communication to clear up misunderstandings and understand the other person.

Happening to be at a red light, Shen Luoyan tapped her fingers on the steering wheel while listening to Su Cancan’s sincere speech. The “terrifying” cold war between them from days ago was still fresh in her mind. If it were anyone else whose words didn’t match their actions, she would certainly feel disgusted and avoid them. But with Su Cancan, she didn’t feel like the girl was just building a persona for the cameras. Even she couldn’t explain why her level of tolerance for Su Cancan was so high.

Beep beep beep! The car in front started moving, and the car behind honked impatiently. Shen Luoyan shifted into gear. Su Cancan threw the question to her: “What about you, Teacher Shen? Any insights?”

She stepped lightly on the gas. “I also choose communication. Many so-called conflicts, once laid out, turn out to be small cognitive biases or guesses based on a lack of security. ‘Painting over the cracks’ only hides things in a corner, and a cold war only hurts the feelings of both people.”

Su Cancan’s eyes met Shen Luoyan’s in the rearview mirror. Shen Luoyan, juggling the answer and the road conditions, didn’t notice, leaving only her calm, cool voice lingering in Su Cancan’s ears.

Su Cancan dazed for a few seconds. Suddenly realizing the inconsistency between her previous behavior and her current words, she wanted to add something, but Shen Luoyan spoke first.

However, these are the ideal solutions we give while in a calm state. When things actually happen, no one can guarantee how they will act or what they will say in that moment. We aren’t cold-blooded animals. If we want a long-lasting relationship, I think we should try to see things from the other person’s perspective—more tolerance, more care.

Understanding, care.

Shen Luoyan had truly practiced what she preached.

“Mm, Teacher Shen is right. In the future, I will also restrain myself more and reflect more.” Su Cancan’s face felt slightly warm; her words sounded almost like a promise.

“No need.”

“I think the way you are right now is perfectly fine.”

No need to be too smooth, no need to hide her edges. A princess should be free and uninhibited; she will naturally attract people to be captivated by her.

When Shen Luoyan said those words, Su Cancan’s heart rate suddenly accelerated, becoming as intense as a drumbeat. Her fans were clearly better at “rainbow farts” (extravagant flattery) and supported her more mindlessly, yet no moment could compare to this one.

Feeling that she would fall into a “weird loop” if she dwelled on this, Su Cancan’s internal alarm went off. She hurriedly switched to the second question.

“Let’s look at the next one!”

She scanned down the lines, finally finding Question Two in her fluster. She braced herself.

What trait in the other person attracts you the most?