After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 18

The conversation about the Meng siblings came to an end, and a heavy silence once again filled the van. Gu Ruolan appeared tired, or perhaps she had something on her mind; even as she gazed out the window, she didn’t look entirely relaxed.

Yu Youqing’s fingers tapped lightly against her knee. She watched the vibrant city lights reflected on Gu Ruolan’s face, which did nothing to diminish her perfect features. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: this was the most naturally gifted artist she had ever managed, but also the most stubborn.

“Ruolan, regarding Director Lin’s script from last time—what are your thoughts?”

Yu Youqing had cautioned her before, but Gu Ruolan had only said she would decide after reading it. Now, with no follow-up project selected, Yu Youqing was worried she might actually pick Director Lin’s script.

Gu Ruolan frowned slightly, her expression quite serious. When her mind wandered, she was a detached, ethereal beauty; when she thought deeply, she became a profound, focused professional.

“I’m not planning to take it for now.”

Yu Youqing raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a slight smile. “I don’t think it’s necessary either.”

But a second later, Gu Ruolan added: “There’s a slight issue with the script. If certain changes could be made, it would make the story much more compelling.”

Yu Youqing’s smile froze. “Are you saying you’re waiting for script revisions before accepting?”

Gu Ruolan shook her head slowly. “I don’t know if the script can be changed to what I want yet. We’ll see.”

She rarely reached conclusions about things she wasn’t certain of. Yu Youqing breathed a temporary sigh of relief; at least she wouldn’t have to worry about this in the near future.

“What about the contract renewal? President Xin has asked me twice now. I keep telling him you’ve been busy filming.”

Gu Ruolan’s contract wasn’t set to expire until next year, but Xin Qi had wanted to lock it down at the beginning of this year. Now that Gu Ruolan had won the Silver Glow award, more agencies were trying to headhunt her, making Xin Qi anxious.

Gu Ruolan looked more conflicted now than when discussing the script. She admitted frankly, “Sister Qing, it’s not that I don’t want to keep working with President Xin, but I don’t want to continue under the current format.”

Yu Youqing knew what she was hesitating about and tried to persuade her: “Ruolan, you certainly have more bargaining chips now, but you know this industry is in a slump. Resources aren’t split among the same fixed group of people anymore. Ever since the ‘coal boss’ investors fell, the internet giants of recent years prefer ‘traffic’ stars. You see how many waves of young people are pouring in.” Seeing Gu Ruolan remain silent, she patted her leg gently. “Without stable, continuous resources to consolidate your position, even a Movie Queen can be quickly forgotten.”

Gu Ruolan pursed her lips. What Yu Youqing said was true, and she understood the logic perfectly. However, the new contract President Xin offered was very restrictive, essentially locking down the next ten years of her career. The terms weren’t bad, but it meant very little room for a breakthrough. In ten years, she would be 37. She knew she could still work at that age, but without growth in the preceding decade, she would likely stagnate.

“I’ll find time to talk to President Xin personally,” Gu Ruolan said with a smile, not wanting Yu Youqing to be caught in the middle.

Yu Youqing sighed. Gu Ruolan appeared indifferent and casual on the surface, but she was stubborn to the bone.

They arrived back at the film set quite late, so Yu Youqing decided to stay the night. Her other two artists didn’t have major events, and her new trainees hadn’t arrived yet, so she could afford to breathe a little.

Gu Ruolan woke up early the next morning for makeup. She didn’t have many scenes today, but Yu Yimeng and Xu Anying had several scenes together. Before filming started, Xu Anying had successfully pressured the director to fire the younger actress originally cast for the teenage role so she could play it herself—which was why she had gotten the thread lift.

This was a case of adding scenes on a whim and delaying her entry to the set; she was clearly a troublemaker. Yet, no one on the crew dared to complain because Xu Anying’s current boyfriend was one of the film’s producers.

She was already a “resource hire,” but recently the largest investor had pulled out due to a cash flow crisis. Xu Anying’s boyfriend had stepped in with additional funding, becoming the primary investor. Consequently, her arrogance reached a new peak.

She was still bitter about the director personally seeking out Gu Ruolan and hadn’t found a way to vent. Seeing Gu Ruolan taking care of Yu Yimeng, she took her frustration out on the newcomer instead.

“Cut!” the director shouted, walking over to Yu Yimeng. He looked down at her face. “What’s the matter with you? You can’t even keep your eyes open while saying your lines.”

Yu Yimeng was terrified of Xu Anying’s gaze and kept her head lowered. “The lights are too bright; it’s a bit blinding.”

The director turned to the lighting technician, preparing to make adjustments.

Xu Anying wouldn’t have it. If the lights were moved, her face would look swollen on camera, completely losing the “youthful” look. She was already at an age disadvantage compared to Yu Yimeng; if the lighting wasn’t helpful, wouldn’t it just shove her flaws in front of the audience for ridicule?

“Don’t change it. This position is fine.” Xu Anying looked at Yu Yimeng with impatience. “So young, yet so many demands. Your acting isn’t much to look at for a debut, but you’re great at blaming everything else.”

This happened on other sets too; some actors loved to pass the buck. Yu Yimeng looked up, rubbed her eyes, and apologized to the director: “I’m sorry. I’ll go wash my face and be right back.”

After she left, the director looked at the arm-crossing Xu Anying and hesitated. “Anying, a slight adjustment to the lights isn’t a big deal. If she can’t open her eyes, you’ll be the one stuck doing NGs (No Goods) over and over.”

Xu Anying tilted her chin, huffing and refusing to budge.

“I can have the post-production team touch it up for you; it won’t affect the look on screen.”

If not for the change in investors, the director wouldn’t be this conciliatory. In this day and age, money is the master.

Yu Yimeng returned. The director had the lighting technician move to a new position. Her eyes were fine now, but the shadows were off. The resulting shot significantly diminished Yu Yimeng’s youthful charm and vivid facial expressions.

Gu Ruolan watched from the side, her expression growing increasingly stern. After the scene ended, during the break, she went to find the director.

“The lighting position is wrong. If Yu Yimeng’s scenes continue to be shot like this, her performance will be ruined.”

The director was looking at the playback. There was an impact, but it could be salvaged with some editing.

Xu Anying walked over with a fake smile. “Aren’t you being a bit too nitpicky?”

Gu Ruolan turned. Xu Anying was still in her makeup, looking slightly younger and more innocent than her actual age, but her expression and tone remained sharp.

“I am doing this to make the effect of the entire film more complete.”

Xu Anying’s mouth twitched. “As long as your scenes aren’t affected, it’s fine. Why are you sticking your neck out for an unknown newcomer?” She was exhausted from rushing the schedule lately, and since her “younger self” scenes were almost entirely with Yu Yimeng, she was frustrated to death by this “rookie.”

Gu Ruolan had been paying close attention to Yu Yimeng’s acting. She admitted that Yu Yimeng was stiff at first, but she was improving, and in the last two scenes, she hadn’t been outshined by her co-star.

“Your evaluation should be as objective as possible. In terms of seniority, she is indeed lacking, but in terms of the shot’s effect, I think that last scene was quite good.”

The Starlight is Like You was strictly an ensemble drama. it told the story of a group of girls who grew up in the countryside, went to the big city through education, and made different choices after witnessing the prosperity. Gu Ruolan’s character, Ding Xiaoyu, chose to return home to be a teacher, while Xu Anying’s character, Lian Haiqiao, chose to stay in the city to start a business.

Gu Ruolan had accepted the script for its public service nature and its focus on rural women. She didn’t care about the billing order; the posters often featured several actors together. But after she won the Silver Glow award, the production side had intentionally highlighted her status. Many press releases used her as a gimmick, leading some casual viewers to mistake her for the sole female lead.

Xu Anying hadn’t thought of herself as her equal before, but now that her boyfriend was putting in more money, she felt empowered. Since the publicity had already misled people into thinking it was a “heroine-centric” drama, she felt like fighting Gu Ruolan for it.

The two stood in a standoff on set, tension rising. Both the director and screenwriter came over to mediate.

Meng Qiuran was still focused on her futures investment, and lately, she had begun to reap massive rewards—faster than she had anticipated.

“Sister Qiu, look at this!” Yuan Yi knocked and entered, looking anxious.

“What’s wrong?” Meng Qiuran looked down at the phone handed to her.

There were two photos. There were many people in the shot; the environment looked like a film set. The most obvious protagonists were Gu Ruolan and another woman. They stood facing each other, both with their arms crossed. Although only their profiles were visible, they certainly weren’t joking around. Body language doesn’t lie.

Meng Qiuran pointed to the person standing opposite Gu Ruolan. “Who’s this?”

“Tsk, it’s Xu Anying!” Yuan Yi suspected her boss was truly face-blind. How could she not recognize her just because she changed her styling?

“Oh.” Meng Qiuran was indifferent, her attention returning to Gu Ruolan. When she had interacted with Gu Ruolan before, she only felt her detachment and coldness; she hadn’t seen her being proactive and assertive.

It was inexplicably attractive. She couldn’t help but look at the photos a few more times, wishing there were more. “Are there more?”

“No. Sister Lin sent them; she said someone she knows is on the crew and sent them secretly.”

Meng Qiuran gave her a meaningful look. “You guys have a lot of spies.”

Yuan Yi wasn’t exactly relaxed. “Gu Ruolan rarely gets into arguments with people. I don’t know what happened this time.” Her sense of powerlessness and worry made her look quite pained.

Meng Qiuran was also thinking about this issue. Before she could come up with anything, Yuan Yi lightly nudged her arm. “Sister Qiu, go for another set visit.”

“Why would I go?”

Yuan Yi looked pleading. “Go see what exactly is happening and if there’s any way we can help her.” Before Meng Qiuran could answer, Yuan Yi added worriedly: “She doesn’t usually like ‘operating’ her fans, so she doesn’t have a horde of mindless followers to protect her. She also hates explaining things; I’m really afraid Xu Anying will ruin her reputation with the general public.”

“Is public reputation more important than fans?” Meng Qiuran was more familiar with the industry than before, but not as knowledgeable as Yuan Yi.

“For a true actor, they rely on ‘passerby fans’ (the general public). Public recognition is the only true recognition.”

Meng Qiuran thought for a moment and stood up. “I’ll go to the film city this afternoon. You can clock out.”

Yuan Yi’s heart instantly bloomed with joy. Meng Qiuran, having learned from last time, took a few steps back. “Don’t hug me. I’ll suffocate.”