The Movie Queen's Beloved Crybaby Alpha - Chapter 64

The venue buzzed with whispers, yet Ye Qinglan wore a blank, confused expression.

Hadn’t Bai Qian already been blacklisted? Why was she still being mentioned?

Wei Youning quietly leaned in and whispered, “Actually, Sister Du’s original casting choice for that role was Bai Qian. Given the circumstances that day, you’d know.”

Ye Qinglan’s face registered shock.

She had to admit she hadn’t paid much attention to the cast list at the time, her mind preoccupied with training and script preparations. But Wei Youning’s reminder brought back Jiang Ying’s angry phone call so Bai Qian had been the one throwing her weight around back then!

Xu Su raised a hand to quiet the crowd. “Which reporter asked that question just now? Please step forward.”

Yet as his words faded, not a single person came forward.

Xu Su let out a cold laugh. “Only brave enough to hide in the crowd? Too scared to face me directly just like your master. Let me make this clear: the only reason I’m not taking action is because Bai Qian’s already been blacklisted. Otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate to deal with any artist lacking basic professional standards.”

“If you disagree, then ask her: where was she on the first day of our training? What was she doing then?”

Xu Su’s unrelenting demeanor sent a chill through the crowd. This was the first time Ye Qinglan had seen him lose his temper outside the set, and before so many reporters at that, with no regard for saving face.

The room fell silent until a host stepped in to smooth things over, allowing the press conference to continue.

After the event, everyone returned exhausted to their hotel. Ye Qinglan had just sent Ning Yunshu a message when a video call came through.

“You’ve worked hard, sister. How did the press conference go? Everything go smoothly?” Ning Yunshu asked with a smile.

“It was alright,” Ye Qinglan paused, then added, “Though there was some trouble.”

“What happened? Are you okay?” Ning Yunshu immediately tensed.

Ye Qinglan shook her head. “No, not me. It was Director Xu and Bai Qian.”

“Director Xu and Bai Qian?” Ning Yunshu frowned. “What’s going on? Can you tell me about it?”

Ye Qinglan recounted the entire incident from start to finish.

After a moment of silence, Ning Yunshu scoffed lightly. “She’s just looking for trouble can’t accept her own failure and wants to drag others down with her.”

Suddenly anxious, Ning Yunshu added, “Bai Qian has always been jealous of you, sister. You need to be extra careful these next few days. Who knows what she might do if she acts without thinking?”

Ye Qinglan’s expression softened. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

Ning Yunshu couldn’t help muttering, “I wish I could be by your side. That way, if anything happens, I could help you right away.”

Ye Qinglan chuckled. “Alright, silly girl, don’t overthink it. I’m not someone who can be easily bullied, and there are plenty of people around Tiantian, Sister Wei, Teacher Du, what could she possibly do?”

Ning Yunshu pouted. “Fine. I’ll come find you after my meeting tomorrow.”

Ye Qinglan laughed softly. “Too bad, we’ll have moved locations by then.”

Ning Yunshu couldn’t hide a smug expression. “No problem, I already know your schedule anyway. I can visit Sister anytime I want.”

Ye Qinglan had no choice but to concede. “Alright, alright. But make sure to message me before coming.”

“I got it,” Ning Yunshu replied obediently.

“Then I’ll go shower now,” Ye Qinglan said, preparing to hang up. “You should rest early too. Goodnight.”

“Mmm, goodnight.”

After ending the call, Ning Yunshu leaned back in her chair, her gaze darkening.

Finally, she picked up her phone and made another call.

“What’s up, Gracia?” Yan Yao’s voice came through amidst loud background noise clearly from either a bar or nightclub.

Ye Qinglan instinctively held the phone away from her ear. “Yan Yao, can you find somewhere quieter?”

“Ugh, fine. Wait a sec, boss,” Yan Yao sighed before moving to the restroom after a long detour.

“Okay, shoot,” Yan Yao said.

Hearing the background noise fade, Ning Yunshu massaged her temples. “Help me investigate what Bai Qian’s been up to lately.”

“Her again? Didn’t your industry already blacklist her?” Yan Yao sounded surprised.

“That’s right, but she’s stirring up trouble again,” Ning Yunshu said coldly.

Yan Yao found it amusing. “Is she insane? Why does she keep provoking you guys? Does she have a death wish or something?”

“Who knows? Just look into it for me. You’ll be well compensated,” Ning Yunshu replied.

“At this point, it’s not about the money. I’m genuinely curious what she’s thinking,” Yan Yao said, clearly entertained by the drama.

Ning Yunshu sighed. “You’re not in Australia anymore. Don’t go overboard.”

“Relax, I won’t do anything illegal,” Yan Yao assured her. “I’m a model citizen.”

Ning Yunshu chuckled. “Then I’ll wait for your findings, model citizen. Also, arrange some discreet protection for the ‘Ten Days Action’ crew.”

“Aren’t you being a bit paranoid, Gracia? How much worse could she possibly get?” Yan Yao thought she was overreacting.

“No, Yan Yao. I can’t take that risk,” Ning Yunshu’s tone turned icy. “I won’t let anyone hurt her.”

Yan Yao sighed. “Fine, since you put it that way, I’ll look into it and get back to you ASAP.”

“Thanks for your help,” Ning Yunshu said with a smile.

“No problem, but I’m starting tomorrow,” Yan Yao suddenly added.

“Huh? Why?” Ning Yunshu asked instinctively.

“Met a gorgeous woman. Gonna go chat her up now. All you guys are taken, can’t let me stay single forever, right? Don’t worry, I won’t delay your request,” Yan Yao laughed.

Ning Yunshu: “…”

She had nothing to say to that.

After settling the matter, Ning Yunshu hung up and got ready for bed. She had an early meeting the next day.

The following morning, Ye Qinglan and the team headed to the airport for their next promotional stop in another city. There wasn’t even time to catch their breath makeup artists touched them up during takeoff and landing, and they rushed straight to events after disembarking.

Busy nonstop, not even having time to take a sip of water.

Fortunately, this time the audience was very enthusiastic, and there were no incidents like last time among the reporters.

Amid laughter and chatter, the promotional work was smoothly completed.

Returning to the hotel in the evening, Ye Qinglan updated Ning Yunshu as usual.

Hearing that no one had caused trouble this time, Ning Yunshu sighed in relief: “That’s good.”

Truthfully, she didn’t want any issues with Ye Qinglan’s promotional activities either.

It would be best if everything went smoothly that would be good for everyone.

“So, which city are you planning to meet me in?” Ye Qinglan asked with a smile.

Ning Yunshu, sitting in the airport’s VIP lounge, grinned and replied, “Guess, sis?”

Just as Ye Qinglan was about to answer, a boarding announcement echoed from Ning Yunshu’s side.

“Passengers of Flight 7164 to City M, please proceed to the boarding gate for check-in.”

Ning Yunshu: “…”

Ye Qinglan: “Pfft.”

Ning Yunshu pouted. “No fun. The announcement had terrible timing.”

Ye Qinglan chuckled. “Alright, alright. Rest at the hotel once you arrive. I’ll probably get there tomorrow afternoon.”

Ning Yunshu obediently replied, “Okay~”

“Good girl.”

After coaxing Ning Yunshu to board her flight, Ye Qinglan got up and headed to the bathroom. She ran a hot bath and sank comfortably into the tub.

Her exhausted body finally relaxed. Humming softly, she idly played with the water when her phone suddenly vibrated beside her.

Thinking someone had messaged her, she picked it up, only to find an email notification.

Opening it, her brows furrowed. It was a set of photos featuring her and Ning Yunshu. Judging by the location, it was taken in her apartment’s underground parking lot, the night she got drunk and Ning Yunshu carried her home.

But the angle was deliberately misleading, making it look like they were passionately kissing.

Below the photos was a single line:

I know you two haven’t been in contact for seven years.

That was it. No further details, no sender information.

Ye Qinglan was baffled. Was this blackmail? A threat for money?

Blackmail? Honestly, she wasn’t too worried. At worst, she and Ning Yunshu could just come clean earlier.

A threat? But there was no ransom demand or any other request. What was the point?

Unable to make sense of it, she forwarded the email to Ke Ying before quickly washing up. Wrapped in a bathrobe, she returned to the bedroom and called Ke Ying.

“Ke-jie, did you see what I sent you?” Ye Qinglan asked.

Ke Ying’s rapid keyboard clicks sounded from the other end. “I saw it. Someone already checked the sender’s email, it was just deactivated. Have you two offended anyone recently?”

“If I had to name someone, it’d only be Bai Qian. Remember the first press conference?” Ye Qinglan said.

Ke Ying hummed in acknowledgment. “Does President Ning know yet?”

“She’s on a flight today, so I haven’t told her,” Ye Qinglan replied.

“Got it. I’ll contact Assistant Qin’s team since President Ning is also in the photos. We’ll need to coordinate with them,” Ke Ying said.

“I’ll keep investigating on my end. Be careful when you go out these next couple days. I’ll remind Tiantian to stay alert to her surroundings too. If you receive any more messages, contact me immediately.”

“Got it, Sister Ke,” Ye Qinglan replied.

“Get some rest for now. We’ll keep digging on our side.” Ke Ying let out a cold laugh.

“Let’s see who’s bold enough to try this.”

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