After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 3

Yu Youqing hadn’t said something like that in a long time. Before Gu Ruolan could react, the assistant, Xiao Yan, nervously bit her lip.

Xiao Yan had been by Gu Ruolan’s side for nearly six years, almost since Sister Lan’s debut. Yu Youqing had been around even longer; she was the one who had practically led Gu Ruolan into the industry. As Gu Ruolan’s status rose, the attitudes of those speaking to her shifted noticeably, but these two were the only ones who didn’t have to mince words in front of her.

People called Gu Ruolan cold and aloof, but that was a superficial understanding. In private, while she wasn’t exactly “fiery,” she was a sincere and loyal person. She kept small gifts fans had given her years ago, remembered those who had helped her, and genuinely assisted those in need. But she never spoke of these things publicly, nor did she allow her PR team to use them for hype.

However, the “aloof” label wasn’t entirely wrong. In the hedonistic entertainment industry, Gu Ruolan was an anomaly. She could immerse herself instantly in a role, doing her best to make every character realistic, but once the cameras stopped and she returned to being herself, she consciously maintained a distance from the circle.

Many coveted her beauty—executives, bosses, seniors, and peers alike. Gu Ruolan never gave them room for fantasy, refused to get deeply entangled with them, and was unwilling to waste energy on hypocritical socializing.

At some point, rumors began to spread that she didn’t like to smile and was always “cold-faced.” Those who had been rebuffed by her naturally found an excuse to save face, adding plenty of “oil and vinegar” to the rumors.

In this day and age, good resources have to be fought for. You either have a big shot backing you, you’re a social butterfly who knows how to work a room, or your professional ability is so peerless that your replaceability is at zero.

Gu Ruolan had undoubtedly chosen the hardest path, spending all her time honing her acting. Combined with her God-given talent, she actually managed to carve out a path for herself.

No matter how much people criticized her personality, they couldn’t argue with her results. For scripts aimed at winning awards, who wouldn’t think of Gu Ruolan first?

Yu Youqing eventually stopped trying to persuade her, letting her be happy as long as she didn’t offend people to an unsalvageable degree.

But tonight, she had advised her to smile more, just like when she had first debuted. It was unusual.

Xiao Yan was nervous, fearing Sister Lan would get angry. Tonight was the highlight of her career—winning an international Best Actress award. Surely nothing should make her unhappy now.

Yu Youqing likely knew this, which is why she only said that one sentence.

Gu Ruolan looked at her, the emotions in her eyes not changing much, simply returning to the present from her earlier daze.

“I understand.”

Both Xiao Yan and Yu Youqing were surprised. Why was Gu Ruolan so easy to talk to tonight? Or rather, she had an uncharacteristic “softness” that almost gave the illusion she could be easily manipulated.

After years of working together, Yu Youqing knew Gu Ruolan was smart. Since she had agreed so readily, she clearly understood the implication behind those words and didn’t push further.

Their hotel was not far from the Delon and was only two blocks away from the Lindo Hotel, where the banquet would be held tomorrow. Demi’s group was staying there.

Just as Gu Ruolan entered the lobby, she ran into Su Yunzi and her assistant, who seemed to have just returned as well.

During the ceremony, they had sat in front and behind each other. Su Yunzi had spent the entire night staring at the back of Gu Ruolan’s head with complicated feelings. This was her first time being nominated for the Silver Glow, as it was for Gu Ruolan, but it wasn’t the first time they had competed for Best Actress.

Over the past three years, they had practically monopolized the domestic films with the best reputations and box office results, forming a “neck-and-neck” situation. But Su Yunzi simply couldn’t beat Gu Ruolan when it came to awards. She had won the Golden Plum Best Actress award, but it was a “double yolk” win—shared with Gu Ruolan.

At the time, the media discussed it heavily; many felt the judges had only shared the award to save face for the production companies backing Su Yunzi.

For this trip to Berlin, Su Yunzi’s PR team had been gearing up, releasing countless press releases before the ceremony. The number of red carpet photos alone was staggering. With the lavish support of her backers, Su Yunzi’s momentum in public opinion far surpassed Gu Ruolan’s.

And yet, tonight, she had lost again.

She was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She just couldn’t win.

However, her PR team had already prepared a backup plan. They would intentionally ignore how strong Gu Ruolan was and instead focus on Su Yunzi’s “narrow loss” alongside Demi and two other famous European actresses. In their logic, this rounded up Su Yunzi’s status to be equal to Demi’s.

In front of the cameras earlier, Su Yunzi had graciously offered her congratulations and given Gu Ruolan a warm hug, every pore on her face radiating sincere admiration.

But the moment she got into her car, her face turned cold.

Her assistant, following her, didn’t even dare to speak. Now, meeting on a narrow path in the lobby, the assistant simply closed her eyes in dread.

As a fellow assistant, Xiao Yan wasn’t calm either, but she wasn’t afraid of what Sister Lan would do; she was worried about the media. If they were photographed, no matter what they said, it would invite too much speculation.

She leaned closer to Gu Ruolan: “Sister Lan, let’s go up quickly.”

Su Yunzi, however, walked over with a smile. Glancing at the trophy in Gu Ruolan’s hand, she laughed: “Ruolan, why are you still carrying it yourself? It must be so tiring.”

For stars of their caliber, they rarely did any physical labor; there was always someone specialized to handle everything.

She glanced at Xiao Yan, then turned her gaze back to Gu Ruolan, her pent-up frustration having nowhere to go.

Gu Ruolan’s lips curled slightly, her tone as usual: “I want to take a closer look at the trophy.”

She showed no intention of handing it to Xiao Yan. On the contrary, she intentionally or otherwise lifted it slightly, as if letting Su Yunzi see it more clearly.

Su Yunzi feigned envy: “It is indeed exquisite; no wonder so many people like it.” She swallowed her resentment, maintaining her smile. “Congratulations.”

Gu Ruolan nodded slightly: “Thank you.”

Su Yunzi and her assistant entered one elevator first, while Gu Ruolan’s group took another. They were on the sixth floor, and Su Yunzi was on the eighth; they likely wouldn’t meet again tonight.

As soon as Su Yunzi returned to her room, she flung her coat onto the floor, her anger so great that her high heels dug pits into the thick, soft carpet.

“I’m so mad! Did you see her expression just now? What was that supposed to mean?” She paced by the window with her arms crossed, in no mood to enjoy the night view.

Her assistant, Xiao Yu, picked up the coat and put it away, following her but not daring to respond.

The more Su Yunzi thought about it, the more anxious she became: “Now that she’s won the Silver Glow, it’ll be even harder to catch up.” She thought for a moment and grabbed her phone to call several big shots she had good relationships with. “I need to secure them first, otherwise all the good scripts will go to Gu Ruolan.”

When her manager, Yao Yao, came in, Su Yunzi was still on the phone. After asking Xiao Yu about the situation, she frowned and waited.

Once Su Yunzi finished the call, Yao Yao advised: “Yunzi, relax. It’s just one Silver Glow; it won’t have a massive impact.”

Su Yunzi sank onto the sofa, drained of energy. She raised an eyebrow at Yao Yao: “Just a Silver Glow… only?”

Yao Yao pursed her lips, not wanting to argue. She changed the subject: “The victory banquet tomorrow at the Lindo Hotel—do you plan on going?”

Su Yunzi huffed, then said quietly after a pause: “I want to, but it’s for Gu Ruolan. If I go, won’t I just be a foil for her?”

The star of tomorrow night was indeed Gu Ruolan, but many overseas distributors would be attending. It was a rare opportunity.

Yao Yao persuaded her: “Since you’ve already lost the competition, you have to bring something back with you, otherwise you’ll truly be returning empty-handed.”

Su Yunzi sighed and nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yan followed Gu Ruolan back to her room. As soon as they entered, she was handed Sister Lan’s coat.

“I was really worried Sister Su wouldn’t leave just now.” Xiao Yan could feel the tension from the sidelines.

Gu Ruolan carefully placed the trophy on the cabinet, unbothered: “That’s just her personality. You get used to it.”

Indeed, it wasn’t their first time competing, and this wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

Gu Ruolan was an easy artist to serve, especially during periods without filming duties; she was no different from an ordinary person. After confirming the outfit details and schedule for tomorrow’s banquet with Xiao Yan, Gu Ruolan let her go back to her room to rest.

When she came out after her shower, she received a new email. News of her win had spread hours ago, and people had been sending congratulations through various channels; her email notifications hadn’t stopped.

However, this one was different.

The sender was Jiang Sinian. Gu Ruolan’s sleepiness vanished instantly.

Jiang Sinian congratulated her and asked to meet.

The time was tomorrow night; the location was near the Lindo Hotel.

This was the first time in three years she had received a message from Jiang Sinian. Gu Ruolan’s mind wandered for a moment, followed by an expression of joy she couldn’t hide.

She was finally going to see Jiang Sinian again. She instinctively glanced at the Silver Glow trophy on the cabinet.

**

Meng Qiuran went to the bar on time the next day and saw David listlessly wiping glasses at the bar. She found it a bit funny, thinking that the saying “fandom makes you crazy” was no exaggeration. A 1.9-meter-tall hulking man acting as a fanboy was no different from the young girls at the table yesterday.

“Why didn’t you take the day off to rest?” Meng Qiuran walked over and began her pre-shift preparations.

David pursed his lips: “Making money is important, otherwise I won’t even have the money for movie tickets.”

Seeing him in the mood to joke, Meng Qiuran figured he was fine.

There weren’t many customers today, and with David there, Meng Qiuran had more time to slack off.

She slipped into the staff restroom and took out her phone, planning to scroll through some news to relax.

Gu Ruolan winning the Silver Glow had caused quite a stir both in Berlin and back home. Numerous headlines with her name were popping up.

Meng Qiuran had seen photos of Gu Ruolan receiving the award last night. Her impression was completely different from David’s praise. David said she was cold, glamorous, and sexy, with a gaze like a soul-stealing abyss, and that her pinned-up hair and form-fitting black gown were unforgettable.

However, Meng Qiuran felt Gu Ruolan had a transcendent, ethereal detachment. Even under the spotlight, she maintained her individuality, her eyes firm and bright, a small smile radiating elegance and restraint.

It was a classic, subtle Eastern beauty.

She was certainly better looking than in the previous photos—at least, that’s what Meng Qiuran thought.

But today’s news contained many photos and stories from after the ceremony. Out of curiosity, Meng Qiuran clicked on a featured topic.

Just then, someone came in.

The staff restroom had two stalls, and the one next to her was empty; the person who entered wouldn’t be fighting her for a spot.

Nevertheless, Meng Qiuran prepared to leave; the boss would have something to say if she slacked off for too long.

She waited a moment. Hearing the movement outside stop, followed by a low sound of dry-heaving from the next stall, she finally opened her door to leave.

She shook her head, thinking it was probably a drunk customer who had wandered into the wrong place. But at a time like this, it wasn’t a good idea to go in, disturb them, and drag them out.

As Meng Qiuran washed her hands, she considered whether she should stay to check on the “customer.”

The stall door suddenly opened. A tall, graceful figure appeared in the mirror. Meng Qiuran’s hand shook, splashing water onto the counter.

Long hair obscured the face, the person was dressed low-key, and they were holding a pair of sunglasses.

What kind of outfit was this? Meng Qiuran couldn’t help her curiosity and stole a few more glances in the mirror.

Wait… she looks familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen her.

Was it a customer from a few days ago? Meng Qiuran was deep in thought until the woman walked over next to her and turned on the faucet to wash her hands.

Recalling the noise from earlier, Meng Qiuran asked: “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

The other woman kept her head down, her long hair hiding her profile, making it impossible to see her expression. But from that low-voiced reply, Meng Qiuran heard a thick sense of wariness.

She felt a bit annoyed—offering kindness only to be met with coldness.

Meng Qiuran didn’t bother further. She dried her hands and picked up her phone to leave.

The other woman seemed to catch a glimpse of the content on her screen and visibly shuddered.

“Wait a moment.”

A low voice rang out. Meng Qiuran turned around, and the woman lifted her head.

She finally saw that face clearly. It was small and delicate, the features absolutely perfect, but the look in her eyes was far from gentle.

The feeling of familiarity deepened.

As Meng Qiuran was about to lock her screen and shove the phone back into her pocket, she glanced at the photo of Gu Ruolan on the display. She finally realized where the familiarity came from.

The person in front of her bore about an eighty percent resemblance to the photo on her phone, but the real person looked better—and much… colder.