After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 13

It hadn’t occurred to Meng Qiuran that a half-drunk Meng Xiayan would proactively bring this up; it clearly wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thought. Last time, she had decided to keep this playboy brother away from Gu Ruolan, and her stance remained unchanged.

Based on her observations tonight, the online fire was gradually dying down and was already on its way to being extinguished. There was no need for Meng Xiayan to intervene. Besides, if Gu Ruolan were forced to owe him a favor, there was no telling what kind of “repayment” her brother would demand.

He wasn’t short on money; anyone with a brain could guess what he was really after.

Meng Qiuran thought for a moment. “Brother, this really isn’t a huge deal in the entertainment industry. She has a professional team helping her; you shouldn’t jump into the fray.”

Meng Xiayan did feel a bit of regret. “I just wanted to make a good showing.”

He had a servant bring him a cup of tea to sober up a bit. “It’s been so long since that dinner, and there hasn’t been a peep from her side.”

Meng Qiuran joked half-seriously, “Have the other ones been proactively messaging you?”

Meng Xiayan curled his lips and took a sip of tea without committing to an answer, the old disdain lingering in his eyes. Those who delivered themselves to his door were too “cheap”; he had grown tired of them long ago.

“Compared to them, Gu Ruolan indeed has a lot of poise.”

Meng Qiuran wanted to change the subject. If her brother kept fantasizing like this, he might eventually drop a massive sum of money on her, which would undoubtedly cause quite a stir.

“By the way, are you free tomorrow?”

The shift in topic was abrupt. Meng Qiuran recalled her schedule. “The Investment Department has a meeting in the afternoon.”

Meng Xiayan took another sip of tea. “Go to Qujiang Film City tomorrow.”

“For what?”

“A set visit. See if Gu Ruolan needs any help over there.”

“I have a meeting.”

“That meeting isn’t important; it’s just a formality.” Meng Xiayan seemed to have made up his mind. “Gu Ruolan is in trouble, and I can’t just sit by and watch.”

Meng Qiuran actually felt the same way; after all, this was her mission. The reason she had chosen to stay on the sidelines so far was that she wasn’t familiar with the industry rules and lacked resources. Rushing in blindly would only startle people and make future progress difficult.

She also wanted to gauge the strength of Gu Ruolan’s own camp first. By knowing both herself and her “opponent,” she could formulate a more perfect plan.

Seeing her silence, Meng Xiayan guessed she wasn’t willing, so he coaxed her gently, “Just take this as a favor to your brother. It’s not convenient for me to appear in person.”

“Are you worried?”

Meng Xiayan was startled by how easily she saw through him. He gave a dry laugh and admitted, “The final outcome of this matter isn’t out yet. I’m afraid that if I get too deeply involved, it might affect the stock price or my image with the Board of Directors.”

Early the next morning, Meng Qiuran went to the office and personally instructed Yuan Yi to pay close attention to the afternoon meeting and take comprehensive minutes.

“Don’t worry, I’m a pro at this,” Yuan Yi gave an “OK” gesture.

“I’ll bring you something good tomorrow.”

Yuan Yi was curious. “What is it?”

“You’ll find out then.”

Meng Qiuran didn’t go straight from the office to Qujiang Film City. Instead, she went home to change into low-key casual wear and swapped her car for a less conspicuous model.

Meng Xiayan had already notified the crew. The director knew Meng Qiuran was visiting today—specifically to see Gu Ruolan.

Gu Ruolan had very few scenes today, only a bit in the morning. The rest of the day was mainly for filming Yu Yimeng and Xu Anying. Xu Anying had taken a leave of absence earlier and joined the set a week late, so to catch up on the schedule, almost the entire day consisted of her scenes.

As usual, Gu Ruolan wanted to stay and watch Yu Yimeng’s performance. The director walked over personally. “Ruolan, Yimeng doesn’t have many scenes today either. Go back and get some rest.”

Since Meng Qiuran had requested a low-profile visit, only the director and one assistant director knew she was coming. Even Gu Ruolan was in the dark. Meng Qiuran did this for no other reason than to avoid the awkwardness of Gu Ruolan finding an excuse to vanish beforehand.

Gu Ruolan felt the director was acting a bit strange today. Since filming started, this was the first time he had proactively urged her to go back. Usually, he just asked if she was tired or discussed the newcomers’ performances.

Returning to her room, Gu Ruolan didn’t have much to do, so she prepared to study tomorrow’s scenes, even though the script was already etched into her heart.

Xiao Yan was busy with other matters outside the suite when she suddenly received a call saying someone was coming for a set visit and was almost at the door. She was completely bewildered.

After hearing the gist, she hurried into the room. “Sister Lan, someone is here to visit you.”

Gu Ruolan demanded absolute focus while filming, and her fans understood this, so they rarely disturbed her during production. She really hadn’t expected anyone.

“Who?”

“Meng Qiuran.”

Gu Ruolan’s brow twitched. This was a name she didn’t want to think about intentionally, yet it had been brought up again last night because of the photo scandal. Since this person was coming proactively today, it was likely regarding the same matter.

Seeing her silence, Xiao Yan was frantic but had to wait for Gu Ruolan to speak.

“Sister Lan, should I let her come over?”

“Go meet her.”

Gu Ruolan stood up to wash her face, evidently preparing to touch up her makeup.

Meng Qiuran didn’t bring many people—just her driver and herself. After getting out of the car, she handed some flowers to Xiao Yan, exchanged a few pleasantries, and followed her to where Gu Ruolan was staying.

The studio was in front, so she circled around from the back, having no intention of making an appearance before the director or staff. Xiao Yan noted privately: She really is here for Sister Lan.

Xiao Yan had no direct contact with Meng Qiuran, but she knew a bit about the socialite’s reputation after the Qidu Mansion dinner. Leading the way with the flowers, she was nervous, fearing Meng Qiuran might ask questions she wasn’t at liberty to answer.

Fortunately, Meng Qiuran had no such intention. She was very quiet throughout the walk and even said “thank you” to her at the door.

“I’ll go in and tell Sister Lan first. Please wait a moment.”

Gu Ruolan had already changed her clothes and touched up her makeup. In her view, regardless of Meng Qiuran’s purpose, she couldn’t be too casual.

Xiao Yan placed the flowers on the coffee table, nodded toward the door, and whispered, “Sister Lan, she’s at the door.”

“Please, bring her in.”

When Meng Qiuran entered, Gu Ruolan was already standing. Separated by the coffee table, the distance between them was neither too close nor too far—much more comfortable than their last encounter at Qidu Mansion.

After serving tea, Xiao Yan tactfully withdrew, leaving only Meng Qiuran and Gu Ruolan in the room.

The Gu Ruolan of today was different from the previous two times. She had her hair in a sleek ponytail without any complex ornaments, and her small, translucent earlobes were bare. A pair of deep blue slim-fit jeans accentuated her long, straight, and slender legs in a way that would spark both envy and jealousy.

A white cotton T-shirt paired with a thin black cashmere knit sweater highlighted her slender neck and perfect collarbones. Her face went without saying—it was still flawlessly exquisite. In fact, because she had been focused solely on filming since joining the set, she looked even more spirited than last time.

Meng Qiuran couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: movie stars really are different. Even without any deliberate dressing up, the combination of posture, temperament, and features created an endless sense of narrative. However, she also noticed that Gu Ruolan was much thinner than she appeared on screen—dangerously thin.

After quietly finishing her observation, she explained her presence with a smile.

“I’m mainly curious about filmmaking, plus the Meng family might consider investing in movies, so I came to learn and observe.”

She had just formally handed over her business card: Deputy Group Lead of Investment Group One at the Meng Corporation. This reason was plausible enough.

However, Gu Ruolan didn’t entirely believe her. In this circle, she had seen too many people who were inconsistent.

Meng Qiuran was also different from their previous meetings. Gone was the laziness and wanderlust of the bartender, and gone was the arrogance of the socialite from the dinner party. Though she wore light gray casual clothes, she radiated a sharp professional aura. Whether it was an act or not, Gu Ruolan had to admit that some people were born with a special presence, and Meng Qiuran clearly belonged to that category.

“Then, what aspects would you like to learn about?”

Meng Qiuran casually mentioned a few points—all at a layman’s level, consistent with the image of a first-timer. Gu Ruolan was cautious, answering each one while consistently emphasizing that she was just an actor and could only answer from an actor’s perspective.

After half an hour of chatting, the atmosphere grew slightly more lively. Seeing that Gu Ruolan’s expression was more relaxed than before, Meng Qiuran probed, “You saw the news online yesterday, right?”

Gu Ruolan was drinking tea; her hand shook slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

“I saw it. The company is handling it.” Gu Ruolan thought for a moment and added proactively, “Rest assured, this matter won’t have any impact on you, nor will it involve you.”

Gu Ruolan had assumed this was the real reason for the visit. All that talk about “understanding film investment” was just an excuse; she had never seen an investor go about things this way.

Meng Qiuran curled her lips, appearing unconcerned and not at all worried.

“Then… do you need any help from me?” she proactively offered again.

The memory of that night at the bar was triggered, and Gu Ruolan’s initial impression of her was awakened. However, as she recalled Meng Qiuran’s subsequent performances, she unconsciously frowned.

“No need, the company can handle it.” She paused, her voice carrying a clear sense of distance and politeness. “It’s a kind thought.”

Meng Qiuran also frowned inwardly. What was with that sudden surge of defensiveness from Gu Ruolan?

Am I really that scary?