What Should I Do If the Aloof Movie Queen Is Too in Love With Me? - Chapter 12

At night, the roadside neon signs flickered through layers of grease, barely staying lit.

 

Down the street, a drunkard was in the middle of a fit, smashing a liquor bottle against the exterior wall of a building, followed by the sound of people shouting insults back and forth.

 

Ji Youyi was placed into the passenger seat, watching as Meng Xingzhu lowered her gaze to fasten her seatbelt.

 

The woman exuded a calm aura and a faint fragrance, looking completely out of place against this setting—and against her own alcohol-reeking self. It made Ji Youyi feel momentarily dazed.

 

Perhaps because the environment had quieted down, the nausea didn’t feel quite as heavy anymore.

 

She consciously lowered the car window to its limit and apologized: “Sorry, Sister Meng. I smell terrible. I’ve made you dirty.”

 

The air was thick with the smell of private-room food, cigarettes, and booze; it was disgusting, and even Ji Youyi detested herself.

 

Meng Xingzhu was driving and didn’t answer. She only spared Ji Youyi a glance and rolled the window up.

 

“Don’t close it.” Ji Youyi got anxious and lowered it again.

 

The car was moving fast, and the cold wind slapped her face like a palm. She grimaced, squeezing words through the gaps in her teeth: “Let it blow more to get rid of the smell.”

 

There was no emotion in Meng Xingzhu’s voice: “I’m afraid you’ll get lightheaded from the wind and vomit in my car.”

 

Fine.

 

Ji Youyi let Meng Xingzhu close the window until only a tiny crack remained, no longer making a fool of herself.

 

In Ji Youyi’s self-perception, she possessed an invincible, likable persona.

 

She loved to smile and knew how to act cute. No matter where she went—from elderly ladies and grandmothers to children and dogs—there wasn’t a single soul she couldn’t win over in one move.

 

Except for Meng Xingzhu.

 

This woman was difficult. She always kept a cold face, called her smile “fake,” and never played along with her prompts.

 

It would be fine if Ji Youyi could just hate her, but she happened to be beautiful, had a lovely voice, and smelled so good… and her embrace was just as soft and warm as her coat.

 

Ji Youyi had never met someone like this.

 

If interpersonal relationships were a series of solvable problems, then Meng Xingzhu was the hardest one she had ever encountered. She had thought about it for a long time but just couldn’t solve her.

 

The wind whistled through the crack. Ji Youyi leaned her head toward the window, watching the night wind stir her bangs like a swinging wind chime.

 

After playing like this for a while, she suddenly heard the person beside her speak.

 

“Did something happen? Why did you drink so much alone?”

 

“Nothing, just accompanying a set owner.” Ji Youyi wasn’t in great spirits, but hearing a work-related question made her perk up again. She briefly explained the situation.

 

“Then why were you alone? Where were the other crew members? The producer?”

 

“I’m the producer too.”

 

Meng Xingzhu paused: “The assistant director?”

 

“There is no assistant director.”

 

“Assistant?”

 

“How could I afford one?”

 

The words came out too fast, and Ji Youyi regretted it as soon as she answered.

 

She was trying to trick Sister Meng into joining the crew; showing off the crew’s destitution like this was truly inappropriate.

 

She hurried to fix it: “Sister Meng, our crew focuses on being ‘streamlined,’ you see? We don’t have those messy, redundant positions. By spending money where it counts, we can actually make the drama better. Since you’re driving, I won’t waste your time—let me tell you about the character…”

 

At a red light, the car stopped. Meng Xingzhu turned to look at her, interrupting: “Today is the fifth day.”

 

Ji Youyi was confused: “What fifth day?”

 

Meng Xingzhu looked at her, her eyes deep: “Four days ago you just had your stomach pumped. Two days ago you ate barbecue. Today, when they wanted you to go to a social dinner, did you ever stop to think that your body wasn’t in the condition for it? Why are you pushing yourself?”

 

What? Pushing herself… how was she pushing herself!

 

Having drunk too much, Ji Youyi’s emotions flared up instantly: “I’m the director! Planning for the crew is what I’m supposed to do. Besides, there’s no one else in the crew. My little screenwriter just graduated, and my female lead just turned eighteen—neither of them can speak a coherent sentence when meeting people. If I don’t go to the social, who will!”

 

Ji Youyi hated hearing people say she couldn’t do something.

 

You have to know, she was once the type of person who could break her leg in the morning, get a cast at noon, and return to the set to work in the afternoon. Anyone who saw her would praise her for being impressive.

 

Just a bit of drinking—what’s the big deal!

 

“Then did you tell anyone before you went?” Meng Xingzhu said. “The time, the location, who was there, what time it would normally end, or arrange for someone to pick you up? You go and come back alone—what if you get drunk? What if something happens? Your ‘little screenwriter’ and ‘female lead’—maybe they haven’t learned how to speak, but have they learned how to pick someone up?”

 

This… this person was actually being passive-aggressive with her!

 

Ji Youyi felt dizzy and closed her eyes, still trying to argue: “Nighttime is their off-duty time. I wouldn’t disturb them. Filming all day is exhausting, okay?”

 

The person beside her seemed to let out a very soft sigh: “…At the very least, find a reliable friend.”

 

Ji Youyi muttered: “I’ve only been here for how long? Where would I get friends?”

 

“What about Fang Ruohan?” Meng Xingzhu said expressionlessly. “Didn’t she tell you she’s been in D City these past few days?”

 

Usually calling each other “baby” this and “baby” that, making barbecue dates before the stomach is even healed, posting nine-grid photo collages, and liking each other’s social media posts every day—but at a time like this, she completely forgot about her.

 

Ji Youyi’s consciousness was drifting, but she didn’t forget to mumble an emphasis: “I know my limits. I can get home safely by myself.”

 

“And now?”

 

“Now… because you’re here…”

 

Ji Youyi curled into the seat, her words getting lighter and lighter until she fell asleep.

 

She tucked her neck in, burying herself from chin to nose in the collar of her jacket. The upper half of her face was pale and exhausted, her eyebrows tightly knit in pain even in sleep.

 

Meng Xingzhu watched her, recalling the first moment she saw Ji Youyi at the restaurant.

 

Bright red blood hanging from the corner of her mouth, trickling down to her chin. Her complexion was white as paper, her whole being like a thin sheet of paper, swaying as if she might break apart at any second.

 

It made one’s heart panic instantly.

 

After the panic, lingering fear slowly crept up, hovering in Meng Xingzhu’s heart and turning into a ball of frustration.

 

It had been too long since Meng Xingzhu had experienced such emotional fluctuations—so long that it felt a bit foreign. And before she could even identify it, that frustration vanished without a trace due to Ji Youyi’s light, five-word sentence: “Because you’re here.”

 

The red light ended. Meng Xingzhu withdrew her gaze, closed the window tight, and restarted the car.

 

D City’s medical facilities didn’t offer many great choices, so Meng Xingzhu went to a nearby hospital. There were few people at night, so she parked directly under the emergency building.

 

The ground in front of the building was empty and the wind was strong, brushing against the black hem of her clothes with a biting chill.

 

Meng Xingzhu took off her trench coat and covered Ji Youyi with it: “We’re here.”

 

The sleeping woman gave an unconscious hum, rubbing her cheek against the back of Meng Xingzhu’s hand, showing no signs of waking up.

 

The hand adjusting the collar hesitated for a moment. A warm, itchy sensation spread from the back of her hand all the way to her heart.

 

Meng Xingzhu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She withdrew her hand, picked the woman up, and turned to enter the hospital.

 

Li Zhulan couldn’t get a hold of Ji Youyi all night. She originally thought Ji Youyi had gone to sleep and didn’t take it to heart, staying up late to revise the script. However, in the middle of the night, she received annotations from Director Ji.

 

Ji Youyi: “The dialogue here is a bit redundant. Streamline it further.”

 

Li Zhulan immediately made a video call: “Xiao Ji baby, quick, save our main female lead! She’s been worrying all night… Eh, why are you in the hospital?”

 

Li Zhulan was stunned looking at the white hospital bed on the other end.

 

“Ate something bad, getting an IV drip.” Ji Youyi was still looking at the revised pages Li Zhulan had just written, scrolling through annotations while asking, “What’s wrong with Wen Yang?”

 

Ji Youyi’s previous evaluation of Wen Yang’s acting was subtle; if she were to be blunt, it could only be described in four words: “An absolute disaster.”

 

Before joining the crew, Yeye had signed Wen Yang up for an acting class, and Wen Yang had indeed completed it.

 

But the teacher’s level was likely terrible. All she had learned were formulaic acting templates, which instead stifled the natural spirit she had as a real young girl.

 

Therefore, Ji Youyi hadn’t scheduled any scenes for Wen Yang this afternoon, intending to let her fully grasp the character first and then teach her hand-in-hand tomorrow.

 

Wen Yang poked her head in anxiously: “Director Ji, I sent you the character biography—what did you mean by replying with ‘Rest well, good luck tomorrow’?”

 

Ji Youyi crinkled her eyes and waved at her, her tone gentle: “It means I want you to go to sleep early. Go and gather your strength; you’re going to suffer a lot tomorrow.”

 

It meant her work was a mess. Director Ji had a terrible headache and didn’t want to type another word; she could only teach her the hard way tomorrow.

 

Ji Youyi coaxed Wen Yang into going to sleep. While she was giving Li Zhulan revision suggestions, she heard Li Zhulan pestering to come to the hospital to find her.

 

“What are you coming for?” She refused without hesitation. “I’m perfectly fine. I’ll go back as soon as the drip is finished.”

 

“I’m staying up all night to revise the script anyway. Staying in the room will just affect Wen Yang’s rest; I might as well go find you. Besides, talking about the script face-to-face is more efficient.”

 

Ji Youyi thought about it. It just so happened she was waiting for Meng Xingzhu to return so she could use all her skills to trick her into joining.

 

Having a screenwriter there would make their makeshift stage look a bit more professional.

 

“Fine, come over then.” Ji Youyi sent the address and instructed, “My non-celebrity friend is here too. We’ll talk about signing the contract in a bit, so get ready and perform well.”

 

“Roger that!”

 

Li Zhulan grabbed her laptop and hailed a taxi straight to the hospital.

 

At 1:00 AM, the VIP ward area was very quiet. Li Zhulan stepped out of the elevator and tiptoed toward the nurse station, when she saw two people walking toward her.

 

One was wearing a white coat, clearly a doctor from the hospital.

 

The other was a young woman, tall, dressed in all black, wearing a black mask that only revealed a pair of perfectly shaped eyes.

 

The two were discussing some medical condition in low voices as they brushed past Li Zhulan.

 

Li Zhulan, however, seemed nailed to the spot, her gaze tightly following the woman in black—from the front to the back, until the silhouette disappeared at the end of the hallway.

 

Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds… Li Zhulan stared at the empty hallway, taking a long time to recover from the shock.

 

She quickly whipped out her phone and searched through Weibo, Douban, and various group chats.

 

M-Meng Xingzhu?

 

She actually saw Meng Xingzhu! Ahhhhh—she was going to go crazy! She’s even more beautiful in person!!

 

Recently, Meng Xingzhu had been accompanying CEO Lin to visit company projects, so fans knew she was in D City. But why was she here?

 

A new drama to film?

 

Heaven help us! A new drama!

 

It’s been two years!

 

Meng Xingzhu hasn’t filmed for two years! Do you know how her fans have lived these past two years!!

 

Li Zhulan practically floated into Ji Youyi’s ward. She was incoherent, her mind filled with Meng Xingzhu’s face: “Xiao-Xiao-Xiao Ji! Do you know who I just saw? Meng Xingzhu! Ahhhh it’s Meng Xingzhu! Wu-ahhhh!”

 

She was so excited she almost cried. “When I decided to enter the industry, I thought I might run into stars, but I never even dared to dream of her! Ahhh that’s Meng Xingzhu, my childhood goddess!! Ahhhh too beautiful, too beautiful, I’m dead!!!”

 

That name sounded a bit familiar.

 

Ji Youyi recalled carefully—wasn’t that the scumbag’s girlfriend? Some popular movie queen, the rich socialite who spent 800 million to build a love nest.

 

Born with a silver spoon and a peak career, but unfortunately her brain was water-logged and her eyes were blind.

 

Ji Youyi was curious: “How old is she that she’s become your ‘childhood goddess’?”

 

A famous movie queen getting her head turned by love as she got older—Ji Youyi had seen similar things in her original world.

 

“28, same age as me.” Li Zhulan clutched her chest, overwhelmed with emotion. “The first time I saw her movie, I was still in high school. She had just debuted then. To see the true ending, I even skipped evening self-study and ran to an internet cafe to teach myself how to bypass the firewall. I almost got caught by the dean.”

 

“Then why call her a childhood goddess?”

 

“You don’t understand! A woman is a youth until she dies!!”

 

Ji Youyi’s reaction was too flat. Li Zhulan, who was spinning and jumping in front of the hospital bed, desperately needed an emotional outlet.

 

She opened Weibo.

 

Because she didn’t want to expose Meng Xingzhu’s private itinerary, she could only use a full screen of “ah”s and a groundhog screaming emoji to express her inner excitement.

 

After venting, she looked up at Ji Youyi and suddenly remembered something.

 

As a veteran gossip harvester, Li Zhulan had heard rumors about Ji Youyi long before joining the crew.

 

Ji Youyi’s personality was so vivid that it often overshadowed her looks. In fact, she was quite beautiful.

 

Fair skin, a small face, and features as delicate as a doll’s—especially that small red mole on the tip of her nose, which highlighted her bright temperament.

 

Stereotypes are always somewhat hostile toward people with such looks. This led to her being dragged out and cursed by netizens back in February as soon as she appeared on that travel variety show, before she had even done anything.

 

Li Zhulan hadn’t believed the mistress rumors—after all, the “Copybooks” didn’t even believe the dating rumors between Meng Xingzhu and Zhou Wenchen.

 

No photos together, no personal admission. Clicking in, it was all according to an informed source. There wasn’t a shred of evidence. It was just a shameless flop man trying to puff himself up. Disgusting.

 

But when Li Zhulan was reading gossip, she had seen some variety show clips. Ji Youyi’s… well, let’s call it ‘goodwill’ toward Zhou Wenchen in those clips was indeed visible to the naked eye.

 

What a great Xiao Ji baby, how could she be so blind?

 

Li Zhulan used to just feel a bit of regret, but after getting to know Ji Youyi, she felt even more heartbroken.

 

She worried that Xiao Ji might have an issue with Meng Xingzhu because of the Zhou Wenchen situation, so she asked carefully: “Xiao Ji, do you… not really like Meng Xingzhu?”

 

“Not really, I don’t even know her.” At most, she thought the woman had bad taste, but she couldn’t say she disliked her.

 

Ji Youyi didn’t continue the topic; her mind was full of signing the second female lead. “My non-celebrity friend went to get my medicine; she’ll be back soon. In a bit, you talk to her about the script first, and then I’ll introduce the project. How about it?”

 

“Okay!” Li Zhulan was eager for the topic to change. She opened her laptop and noticed Ji Youyi was wearing a coat that clearly wasn’t her style.

 

Li Zhulan asked gossipily, “Is that trench coat you’re wearing your friend’s? Wow, it looks so expensive. Her family must be very well-off. Is she really willing to join our crew?”

 

Ji Youyi thought for a moment: “Should be no problem.”

 

Sister Meng looked very generous; she should be quite easy to trick… oh no, quite easy to cooperate with.

 

As they were speaking, there were two rhythmic “thump-thump” knocks on the door. The visitor pushed the door open and walked toward the bed.

 

Ji Youyi’s eyes lit up, and she waved at her: “Sister Meng, you’re back just in time. Our screenwriter just arrived.”

 

“Don’t move around. Aren’t you afraid the needle will slip?”

 

A voice so familiar it made Li Zhulan suspect someone had turned on the TV in the ward and it just happened to be playing a Meng Xingzhu movie.

 

The hand she was using to double-click the file turned to stone.

 

The woman in the black shirt walked around to the other side of the bed. Her trench coat was still draped over Ji Youyi’s shoulders, and the two shared the same scent of perfume.

 

She took off her mask, hanging it casually on her finger, leaned down to check Ji Youyi’s IV needle, then picked up the thermometer on the bedside table and scanned Ji Youyi’s forehead.

 

Looking at the number on the display, the woman’s brow furrowed slightly: “Why are you still running a fever?”

 

“Oh, it’s fine.” Ji Youyi waved her hand and began introducing them. “Sister Meng, this is our crew’s screenwriter, Li Zhulan, Teacher Li.”

 

“Teacher Li, this is my fri—Teacher Li? Hello, are you still there?”

 

Ji Youyi looked at Li Zhulan, whose mouth was wide open in an “O” shape. After calling twice without waking her up, she chuckled and tried to smooth things over. “Sister Meng, I actually told her to be prepared, but you’re just too good-looking. You’ve stunned our screenwriter.”

 

Li Zhulan’s finger unconsciously pressed the “A” key on her keyboard. In the heavy silence, the document had already been filled with a full screen of screams.

 

With immense difficulty, she moved her gaze from Meng Xingzhu to Ji Youyi, typing out a massive question mark with the most complicated look of her life.

 

—You didn’t say it was this kind of preparation?! Ah?? Ah!!!