The Scandalous Actress Needs to Strive GL - Chapter 7

Qingchen requests to add you as a friend. Remark: It’s me.

Qiu Wan was stunned. Who is this, so lacking in self-awareness? She looked at the unfamiliar profile picture and recalled the note left on the bathroom mirror before leaving that morning. It sounded like something that person would say.

• Do you like him?

The message came right after she accepted the friend request. Qiu Wan scrolled through the other person’s Moments, which had no selfies, and a seductive curve appeared on her lips. It must be her.

• Who might you be, Your Excellency?
• Mu Qingchen. Do you like him?

Mu Qingchen? Qiu Wan was momentarily taken aback again. It was a name she seemed to have heard somewhere, very familiar, so familiar it was on the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn’t recall where. She blinked, and since she couldn’t remember, she decided not to bother.

• Who is he?

Mu Qingchen sat by the bed, her brows knitted in a serious frown. Who is he? The male lead trending on the hot search, of course. Watching the other person’s evasive replies, she suddenly lost her patience and initiated a call.

The call connected, but the air was silent. Qiu Wan couldn’t hear the other person’s voice. She glanced at her phone to confirm the call was active, then lowered her gaze and smiled silently. She truly was aloof.

“Qingchen, there’s no one I particularly like. If there has to be one, in the future, it should be you.”

Soft and slightly husky, the voice made Mu Qingchen’s breathing tighten. She gripped her phone, secretly annoyed that this woman’s words could make her feel a flicker of nervousness. The words she originally intended to say about being bed partners were changed: “Be together.”

“Alright. Is Qingchen going to take responsibility for me?” The pleasant and charming voice carried a subtle, deliberate lilt, designed to stir the heart.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow night.” Mu Qingchen quickly said, then hit the disconnect button even faster. At that moment, she deeply felt the other person’s superior ‘game,’ and her usual composure and self-control had failed her.

The call was suddenly ended. Qiu Wan tapped on the profile picture, which was just a single tree, curved her lips, and quietly set the remark to two words: “Madam.”

At Mu’s Entertainment, Yu Baishu, Mu Qingchen’s assistant, witnessed her usually dedicated CEO space out during a meeting for the third time that day. She carefully observed; the CEO also seemed to be checking her phone an unusually high number of times.

After a day of busy work, Mu Qingchen sat in front of her computer, logged into her account, and pulled up Qiu Wan’s work schedule.

The female third lead’s role in The Grand Historian of Great Song was not substantial. Besides the initial scenes, she only appeared a few times in the female lead’s flashbacks. All in all, she would likely finish filming in two more weeks at most.

After that, apart from an interview about this web series, there were no other arrangements. She frowned. Was the company’s resource allocation for its third-tier artists so scarce?

Mu Qingchen compared Qiu Wan’s schedule with several other actresses at the same stage, and her frown deepened. As she suspected, the newcomers under Agent Liang had several supporting roles to act in, but Qiu Wan had none. The few audition opportunities she got relied entirely on her own abilities.

Scrolling further up, the roles she had played were mostly acquired through auditions. This agent was clearly prioritizing company resources for other artists, while Qiu Wan had to rely entirely on herself to secure roles. This differential treatment was too obvious.

• Waiting for you outside the set in an hour.

The reply was instantaneous, indicating she must have finished work. Mu Qingchen closed her computer. As she exited the elevator, she finally restrained her increasingly rapid steps. What was this inexplicable urgency? She touched her chest; unknown to her, a sense of anticipation for the upcoming meeting had quietly risen there.

On the way, she looked out the car window, slowly analyzing her feelings. Rather than emotional eagerness, it was more like physical anticipation. She was twenty six having needs was normal. She didn’t believe this was the feeling of falling in love. Furthermore, a promiscuous ‘central air conditioner’ (meaning someone who flirts with everyone) was not worth her affection. Oh no, now she had to add ‘hardworking’ to the list.

At least judging from the data she just reviewed, this woman Qiu Wan was not entirely without merit. From this perspective, the company had somewhat shortchanged her, but that could be remedied in the future.

Mu Qingchen felt much more relaxed after clarifying her thoughts and even indulged this anticipation. A person suddenly entering her unchanging life wasn’t a bad feeling. If Qiu Wan was sensible enough, she wouldn’t mind extending this period.

It was night. Qiu Wan, already in Mu Qingchen’s apartment, held a contract and fell into deep thought. After reading it, she couldn’t help but smile, though the smile was entirely underpinned by anger.

She was being treated as a casual, ‘kept’ actress. Look at this, was this even reasonable? The contract stipulated that Party B must not publicly disclose the relationship with Party A during the contract period, must not flirt outside, must not stay out all night, must not casually spread rumors with others a whole list of ‘must nots’ and then at the end, a line about being a qualified bed partner.

Qiu Wan tossed the contract onto the table, looking at the stone cold Mu Qingchen before her. She was sorry for being naive. She had originally thought this woman was just a bit boring, but now she had to add ‘mentally ill’ to the description.

“Are you sure you want me to sign?”

“You’re unwilling? If there’s something inappropriate, it can be amended.” Mu Qingchen did not miss the anger and dissatisfaction in Qiu Wan’s eyes. She pondered for a moment and continued, “Your current acting skills aren’t yet ready for some major female lead roles. I will arrange a teacher for you later. Resources will depend on your ability. As for other aspects, you are welcome to propose any requirements.”

She stopped just short of asking if Qiu Wan was dissatisfied with the price. If five million a year wasn’t enough, they could negotiate. She had only put out a probing figure; as long as they got along well, there was room for discussion.

Qiu Wan was amused again, utterly reluctant to waste time with this arrogant woman. She picked up her bag, stood up, and started to leave. At the door, she stopped. Had she come all the way here late at night just to get angry? Of course not.

“I’ll think about it and give you an answer tomorrow. As for tonight… Qingchen, the spring night is short.”

Putting everything else aside, with such a beauty standing before her and a beauty she had already been intimate with if she didn’t do something, wouldn’t she be violating the very reason she had followed her all this way?

Qiu Wan thought of something, and the anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by playfulness. Her bag was casually dropped, and her clothes followed. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around Mu Qingchen’s waist.

Mu Qingchen stood there bewildered, not understanding why the person who was about to leave suddenly changed her mind. She therefore didn’t dwell on the panic and disappointment that had flashed through her heart when Qiu Wan turned to leave moments ago.

Piece by piece, her clothes slid off. She was lightly bitten on the neck, and her face instantly flushed. She turned her head, feeling helpless, and her voice unconsciously softened: “I haven’t showered yet.”

“Shall we shower together?”

The coaxing voice, whispered near her earlobe, was accompanied by a mischievous chuckle, causing Mu Qingchen’s breathing to grow heavier. She nodded silently, her throat too dry to utter a simple “Yes.”

The distance from the bathroom to the bed was only ten meters, yet it took them over two hours to cover it.

Qiu Wan looked at the closed-eyed woman whose face was flushed with passion, and she remembered the contract. Her eyes darkened, flashing with a hint of malice.

The person who had been drowsily closing her eyes suddenly opened them wide at Qiu Wan’s unexpected movement. The heat that had just subsided flared up again, and she spoke two trembling words: “Qiu Wan…”

The woman, whose face was covered with a seductive blush, slowly moved closer. Her lips touched Mu Qingchen’s earlobe, dropping a husky and tempting whisper: “Qingchen, has no one ever told you that this… is never a matter that can be solved with just one finger?”

It wasn’t until the alarm clock sounded for the second time that Mu Qingchen woke up in a daze. The physical exhaustion reminded her of Qiu Wan’s excessive enthusiasm last night. Her face flushed, and she turned to look beside her but only saw an empty pillow.

She felt a flicker of inexplicable annoyance. She looked in the mirror at a familiar sight and helplessly rubbed her temple. She would have to tell this woman next time that some places shouldn’t be left with marks.

When she realized the living room was also empty, Mu Qingchen felt a moment of panic. She picked up the contract on the table that had been signed. Unfortunately, the signature wasn’t “Qiu Wan”; instead, it had a line of text: “Good performance last night. This is your reward. Farewell.”

A single hundred-yuan bill lay lightly on the table, as if to suggest that the madness of last night was merely a trick by the woman Qiu Wan, a way to express her dissatisfaction with the contract.

Mu Qingchen stood still by the table, the contract crumpled in her tightly clenched hand. She took two deep breaths, picked up her phone, tapped the profile picture, and deleted the friend all in one smooth, decisive motion without any hesitation. Only then did she feel slightly better.

“Ah ha ha…”

Meng Ranli took advantage of the lunch break to find Qiu Wan and was greeted by a burst of clearly hearty laughter, which sent a chill down her spine. The woman had been harassed all morning, but she wasn’t crying or complaining she was happy? And laughing?

Qiu Wan was indeed very happy. She imagined the scene of Mu Qingchen waking up and seeing the money and the words on the contract. It must be spectacular. She finally felt a surge of satisfaction.

She actually didn’t mind the conditions. Mutual loyalty after getting together was a matter of duty. Not flirting outside and coming home on time were the most basic forms of self-awareness.

What she resented was the blatant commodification of affection and companionship, even setting a time limit, turning a potentially sweet, self-aware understanding into restrictive contractual terms. This was not only a desecration of the emotional bond but also a great disrespect extreme disrespect to her entire person.

Qiu Wan finished laughing, still feeling unsatisfied. She simply blocked and deleted the other party. A person who doesn’t understand how to respect others is not worthy of the favor of a Prime Minister’s daughter, even in this materialistic world. Absolutely not.

At Mu’s Entertainment, during the internal meeting, Yu Baishu looked at Mu Qingchen, who was several degrees colder than usual, and wondered who had provoked the CEO this time.

She also recalled the scene she had witnessed that morning when she was suddenly called to deliver cosmetics. Was the CEO ‘climbed into bed’ by someone? Or had she been charmed by someone? She wondered which little slut could have captured their CEO, this ten thousand year old iceberg.

After the meeting, Yu Baishu looked at the instructions the CEO had just sent on her phone and suddenly had a moment of clarity, guessing which little slut had ‘climbed the bed.’ No way, no way, their CEO had been poisoned.