The Scandalous Actress Needs to Strive GL - Chapter 21

This left only Lai Su, and the production team ultimately decided to let Lai Su choose her own teammate.

On the spot, Li He was all smiles, making for a pleasant interaction. Zhou Lanlan, however, was a proud, rude rich girl. Looking at the other two, Mu Qingchen was expressionless, but her abilities and influence lived up to her reputation. Qiu Wan… also seemed expressionless and useless, except for her decent pipa playing.

She hesitated for a moment, lifted her chin slightly, and walked towards Mu Qingchen, finally standing beside the formidable President Mu. Thus, for the next two filming locations, a total of four episodes, they would be a team of three.

Because the amateur guest had just arrived and they only had a brief meeting, the production team told everyone to rest, with filming starting the next day.

In Li He’s courtyard, the owner’s family of three still lived there, so there were no spare rooms. However, in the courtyard where Qiu Wan was staying, the owner, having received money from the production team, had consciously tidied up the rooms and vacated them.

Qiu Wan was in the master bedroom, and Mu Qingchen and Lai Su each had a secondary bedroom. Though simple, they were tidy. But the delicate Zhou Lanlan had a problem on her side. She initially thought the countryside scenery was alright, but upon entering the rooms, she found them unbearably messy. She was dissatisfied with nearly every home she saw and finally proposed moving into the same courtyard as Qiu Wan.

“Let that Lai Su share a room with Qiu Wan. If they refuse, I can share a room with Qingchen.”

The assistant director delivered Zhou Lanlan’s exact words. Lai Su paused, curled her lip, and, not bothering to address the matter, returned to her room. She truly was an inexplicable woman, making arrangements without even considering if others agreed. What was the point?

The assistant director looked distressed, his eyes pleading for help. For the sake of the sponsors, how easy was it for their production team? They definitely wouldn’t invite these difficult “gods” for the next season, if there even was a next season. He had a premonition that this season would be an incredibly difficult challenge.

Qiu Wan remained silent. Since they weren’t filming, they could be more casual in private, so she tossed the decision to Mu Qingchen: “I’ll listen to President Mu.”

“I’ll share a room with Miss Qiu, and this room is for her [Lai Su].” Mu Qingchen said before returning to her room. A hint of a smile flashed in Qiu Wan’s eyes. She slowly followed, and the two quickly moved their belongings into the master bedroom.

The assistant director breathed a sigh of relief. After relaying the message to the other side, he belatedly realized the interaction between those two seemed somewhat strange. They used formal, distant titles but their actions conveyed familiarity.

He didn’t truly relax until he had escorted Zhou Lanlan into the room and saw that the rich girl was no longer causing trouble. Finally, he could get some sleep tonight. Speaking of which, he didn’t know whether to thank the paparazzi or blame them. The rich girl had originally brought an assistant and a warm, comfortable RV, planning to just put on a show during the day and return to the car at night. But with so many paparazzi, if she had done so, it would certainly have been a guaranteed trending topic, and she would have been thoroughly criticized by the audience. That’s why she went to all this trouble.

As night fell, unlike the city filled with neon lights, the quiet countryside, apart from the sound of the wind blowing leaves, quickly settled into a pitch black night sky. Zhou Lanlan dressed up, changed into her sleepwear, and walked towards the smaller room next door.

“Knock-knock.”

A light knock sounded. The person inside seemed not to have heard. She flashed a smile in the dark night and said softly, “Qingchen, it’s me. I have something I want to talk to you about.”

The moment the voice faded, hurried footsteps came from inside, and the door was suddenly flung open. Before Zhou Lanlan could fully broaden her smile, it froze on her face.

“Miss Zhou, right? Disturbing someone’s sleep is very impolite. It’s late at night, and you’re knocking on someone’s door wearing so little. Don’t let your face freeze.” Lai Su’s eyes were filled with disdain. She had thought she was just a useless rich girl, but she didn’t expect her to be a woman who lacked decorum.

“Why is it you? Where is Qingchen? Is it because you didn’t want to share a room with that woman?” As soon as the question was asked, she answered it herself. Where else would Qingchen be? She must have gone to the master bedroom. Zhou Lanlan’s smile vanished, her face even turning a little ferocious, and her tone was full of accusation.

“Second Miss Zhou, I advise you to be sensible. If you bother me again, I don’t mind having more dealings with your Zhou family.” Lai Su closed the door. She entered this industry because she loved to sing. Although she was a bit blunt, she wasn’t a naive fool who knew nothing.

Moreover, she wasn’t a small-time character with no background. Not to mention her mother’s status in the business world, her grandfather’s influence in the political sphere alone was not something an average person could provoke. So, she wasn’t afraid of the Mu family or the Zhou family. They could try to blacklist her if they dared.

Zhou Lanlan stood in the cold wind for a while, her teeth chattering loudly, and her body shivering from the cold. She hardened her heart and turned to walk towards the master bedroom.

This time, before she could knock, she saw Qiu Wan returning from outside, holding her phone. She must have gone out to take a call, meaning Qingchen must be asleep.

“Miss Zhou, visiting late at night, what is the matter?” Qiu Wan looked at the person standing at the door and didn’t rush to enter the room. She recalled the slightly tired person inside, who had fallen asleep quickly leaning against the pillow, and she took a few steps back to avoid disturbing the person inside.

Zhou Lanlan was stunned for a moment. Why was this woman’s way of speaking so strange? She was only momentarily distracted before her anger flared up again, and she said without courtesy, “Why are you always clinging to Qingchen? Our Zhou family and the Mu family are a suitable match. What right do you have to stay by her side?”

This one sentence made Qiu Wan laugh. A suitable match? She was once the daughter of a prime minister! Of course, her current status truly offered no leverage, but matters of the heart weren’t about suitable family background and status; they were about two people being right for each other.

Because two words will always supersede suitable and that is like (love). So she replied, “But Qingchen likes me, and she seems to really dislike Miss Zhou.”

Zhou Lanlan was speechless with anger. She wanted to say that Mu Qingchen used to like her too, but that was in the past, and it couldn’t even be called ‘liking.’ It was just concern for a friend. That person had never had any other intentions.

Whether from the cold or the anger, her whole body was trembling, and she said intimidatingly but weakly, “As long as you leave Qingchen, I’ll give you whatever you want. Don’t you just want to be famous? Our Zhou corporation can promote you.” Her brother would probably agree if he knew. As long as they could marry Qingchen into the Zhou family, giving up some resources was nothing.

Qiu Wan let out a long sigh, her eyes holding both pity and disdain. She could probably understand the feeling of longing for something unobtainable, but she most despised the act of treating others as bargaining chips, especially when the person in question was President Mu.

She turned around, and at the moment she pushed the door open, she said lightly, “She is unmatched in this world.”

So there are no terms for exchange, and she will not become a bargaining chip. If the day truly comes for them to separate, it will either be because Mu Qingchen falls for someone else, or she herself falls for someone else.

Pushing the door open and looking at the person on the bed whose features were like a painting, Qiu Wan smiled silently. She didn’t know what the future held, but her heart was certain at this moment. It would probably only be the person before her. She would never love anyone else again. Perhaps a person only gets one chance for a heart to flutter in this lifetime, and a heart can only be given to one person.

If you have met her, how could you bear to give a heart full of sincerity to someone else?

“Why did you go out? It must be cold outside.” Mu Qingchen opened her eyes and looked at Qiu Wan, who was walking towards the bed, instinctively grasping her cold hands and even gently breathing warmth onto them.

Qiu Wan looked at the sleepy, somewhat groggy President Mu. She withdrew her hands, took off her jacket, and, carrying a gust of cold air, slipped under the warm duvet.

“It was Sister Jin’s call. I was afraid of waking you, so I went out to answer it. I’m freezing.” She wasn’t a deep, reserved person, especially with someone of Mu Qingchen’s personality. Whatever she did, she had to let the other person know to gradually soften this person who was accustomed to a cold face and cold heart.

“Don’t go out again. It’s too cold outside.” Mu Qingchen was silent for a moment. Ignoring the chill, she hugged Qiu Wan tightly. She roughly understood the woman’s little ploy, but President Mu, who was usually merciless in her work, couldn’t help but soften halfway.

The remaining half of her resolve quietly dissolved into disorder when the person in her arms warmed up a little and began fumbling and kissing her.

“Do you like me? Hmm?” Qiu Wan gently and lightly kissed the corner of Mu Qingchen’s lips, not forgetting to pull herself together to ask the question. She remembered that she had already said ‘like’ outside the door, but what about the person in front of her?

Mu Qingchen didn’t speak. The movements of the person in her arms grew more intense, as if protesting her silence, as if this woman would “drive straight in” if she remained silent.

Feeling the physical threat, President Mu hastily countered, “What about you? Do you like hmm me?” We clearly signed an agreement to be bed partners. Can we also say ‘like’? If so, are we still bed partners?

She didn’t know. Subconsciously, she felt that some things couldn’t be spoken aloud. As if once they were said, she would be completely defeated.

“Of course I like you. Otherwise, what do you think I am doing? Do you think I would do this with just anyone?” Qiu Wan frowned, a dark shade appearing in her eyes. Could it be that this person, like those who didn’t know the truth, held a prejudice against her former identity, believing she could be with anyone?

Although she had lived in a dynasty where a man could have three wives and four concubines, as a person with a sense of cleanliness, a person with both spiritual and psychological cleanliness, her best expectation for a partner was to only give her heart to one person, and only want one person.

Mu Qingchen turned her head away, struggling silently inside. Her twenty-plus years of asceticism seemed to be ruined by this woman. Saying ‘like’ so openly, and acting it out so passionately, seemed like a wonderful thing.

She turned her head back and looked seriously at Qiu Wan, seeing the greedy longing in her eyes and the hidden fierceness. Her somewhat firm notion began to waver again.