After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 36

Meng Qiuran was never particularly good at handling sentimental scenes, but faced with Gu Ruolan’s rare softness and visible emotion, she couldn’t bring herself to act too indifferent.

She used her index finger to lightly scratch her neck a few times, leaving a small red mark on her fair skin, while her other hand unconsciously rubbed the tablecloth back and forth. Her voice was a bit tight, though she tried her best to maintain a steady tone: “If you keep being this polite, I won’t even know how to respond to you anymore.”

Fortunately, Gu Ruolan didn’t continue with the sentimentality. Her eyes didn’t turn red, and she didn’t look like she was going to cry; it was far more moderate than a typical scene in a drama.

Perhaps because Meng Qiuran’s reaction was different from usual, Gu Ruolan’s train of thought was actually diverted. She took in the small gestures—the neck-scratching and the tablecloth-rubbing—and felt as if she had discovered a secret about the young socialite.

So, even she has moments of awkwardness.

Since there was nothing that absolutely had to be said next, the two began to eat in tacit silence. Once Gu Ruolan had organized her thoughts and calmed her heart, she wanted to continue talking about the show, but the phone she had placed face-down on the table suddenly vibrated.

She had been chatting with Sister Lin for so long that, aside from a few messages, she hadn’t received any calls. The name “Yu Yimeng” was jumping on the screen—it was a voice call. They had added each other on WeChat back on the set of The Starlight is Like You, but they hadn’t chatted much; aside from initial greetings, most of their interaction involved discussions about acting.

To be precise, it was mostly Yu Yimeng asking for her advice. Once the crew disbanded, their contact had cut off. Gu Ruolan didn’t have the habit of deleting people proactively, so the chat log had sunk to the bottom, only to resurface suddenly today.

She didn’t know why Yu Yimeng was looking for her and considered whether it was urgent. If not, she could call back after she got home. Seeing her hesitation, Meng Qiuran assumed it was inconvenient for her to answer while she was present.

After all, it was just the two of them in the private room, sitting face-to-face. Not only what Gu Ruolan said, but even what the person on the other end said could likely be heard if one paid enough attention. This wasn’t like Qidu Mansion; there was no private bathroom in the room. If Gu Ruolan needed independent space for a call, one of them had to step out.

Outside was the hallway. Even if Sister Lin kept the private room area closed tonight, the other side of the hallway led to the restrooms, and there were many guests coming and going. It clearly wasn’t suitable for Gu Ruolan to go out and take the call.

Meng Qiuran suddenly stood up. Gu Ruolan instinctively looked up at her. Even though the call hadn’t been connected yet, Meng Qiuran’s voice was very low: “I’m going to use the restroom.” With that, she left quickly.

Gu Ruolan looked at her phone and answered.

“Teacher Gu!” Yu Yimeng’s slightly frantic voice came through.

“Yimeng, hello.” Gu Ruolan’s voice had returned to its steady, usual state.

Yu Yimeng faltered for a second, then rushed on: “Teacher Gu, I’m calling to apologize. I’m sorry.”

Gu Ruolan was a bit confused. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

“About last night… I didn’t stand up for you immediately, and I didn’t speak out for you… I wasn’t brave enough.”

Last night’s comments had included many attacks claiming Gu Ruolan was biased toward Yu Yimeng, and some people had even dug up rumors from the filming of The Starlight is Like You, claiming she had put on airs to defend Yu Yimeng. Since Yu Yimeng wasn’t famous, the focus of the attacks naturally landed on Gu Ruolan. Although it didn’t last long, it had affected her reputation.

Yu Yimeng had been watching last night and really wanted to post a statement on her Weibo explaining that Gu Ruolan wasn’t biased toward anyone, but her company had stopped her. She felt uneasy, feeling she had let Gu Ruolan down by not standing by her side in time. After thinking for a long time, she finally called. Sending a message seemed insincere and wouldn’t allow for a full explanation. Despite the intrusion, she really wanted to say “I’m sorry” to Gu Ruolan personally.

Gu Ruolan hadn’t expected Yu Yimeng to call for this. She never expected anyone to speak out for her while she was in a whirlwind of controversy, especially not a colleague. Most people in the industry avoided such things for fear of being dragged in themselves, which was why more and more artists chose silence over the years. She had almost no colleagues she could truly call close friends.

Gu Ruolan felt her interpersonal skills were poor, but she was unwilling to change herself to please or accommodate others. Aside from acting, she almost always wandered the fringes of the circle.

The emotions she had just stabilized began to ripple again. Gu Ruolan took a deep breath before continuing: “You don’t need to apologize for this; it has nothing to do with you.”

“But it’s because of me that you were attacked like that.”

Gu Ruolan smiled. “Attacking me was the main goal. Even without you, there would have been some other ‘Yimeng,’ wouldn’t there?”

Yu Yimeng was stunned. After a long pause, she gave a low “Mm.”

Gu Ruolan added: “I guided your acting because I felt you had potential and a future. I hoped you would find your direction soon. So, you aren’t wrong, and neither am I.”

Yu Yimeng felt a bit better but still felt apologetic: “But I didn’t help you…”

Gu Ruolan sensed her sincerity and suddenly thought of Meng Qiuran’s description of Yuan Yi’s anxiety versus the socialite’s own nonchalance. People are different. With different abilities come different things one can do.

“Your current influence isn’t enough to support doing those things, so your choice was correct. Don’t blame yourself.” She thought for a moment and emphasized seriously, “Yimeng, I wouldn’t be angry because of this, either.”

Her calmness and lack of resentment left Yu Yimeng unsure of what to say, but her uneasy heart finally settled. “Teacher Gu, I actually wanted to thank you too.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for giving me so much guidance and help. Even though I didn’t perform well in the first round, you still chose to support me.”

If Gu Ruolan’s attitude had been even slightly cold or resistant, Yu Yimeng wouldn’t have brought this up. It would have felt like rubbing salt in a wound.

“That was because you truly performed better than Xie Zixuan.” Gu Ruolan’s voice turned slightly deeper, carrying the strictness of a mentor: “But it was only slightly better—it didn’t live up to your performance back with the film crew.”

Yu Yimeng knew her own problem. “I get nervous easily on stage. I’m not relaxed like I am when I’m just facing a camera on set. And the moment my partner’s emotions change, I get nervous too. I don’t know why.”

“You lack practical experience. Act more, practice more, and think more. You’ll get used to it.”

Meng Qiuran didn’t go far after leaving the room. She lingered by the door for a while, and after confirming no one else was nearby, she wandered back to the cash register. Sister Lin was giving instructions to the staff and was startled by her sudden appearance.

“Leaving?” Sister Lin thought for a second and realized that wasn’t right—wasn’t Gu Ruolan treating?

Meng Qiuran leaned lazily against the counter, scanning the shop. There were quite a few guests. She kept an eye on the other side to make sure no one accidentally wandered into the private room area. “I ate too much. Came out to walk it off.”

Sister Lin didn’t quite believe her. If she walked out because she was full, was Gu Ruolan doing yoga in the room? But being full didn’t stop Sister Lin from wanting to send more good things to her idol. “Want a fruit platter?”

Meng Qiuran looked at the freshly cut fruit and licked her lips. It looked pretty good. But she wasn’t sure if Gu Ruolan would leave after that call, so she didn’t rush: “Maybe later.”

Estimating that enough time had passed, Meng Qiuran wandered back. When she entered, Gu Ruolan had finished the call and seemed to be in a good mood. Moreover, she was still sitting there firmly, her trench coat in the same spot, looking relaxed with no intention of leaving.

Meng Qiuran sat back down and pushed the crumpled tablecloth aside. “Want some fruit? Sister Lin prepared a fresh platter.”

Gu Ruolan had already eaten a main course tonight and shouldn’t eat much more. But Meng Qiuran seemed to really want it, so she nodded. Meng Qiuran went back out and soon returned with a fruit platter. It wasn’t particularly large, but the variety was rich and fresh. It was clearly prepared specifically for them.

“What do you want?” Meng Qiuran handed her a clean fork, gesturing for her to pick first. Gu Ruolan only picked a small piece of apple and didn’t choose anything else. Meng Qiuran thought she was being polite, but as she kept eating, she realized Gu Ruolan really only ate those two small pieces of apple.

“Is your appetite always this small?”

Gu Ruolan admitted: “Most of the time, yes.”

The atmosphere was much more relaxed than before, and Meng Qiuran spoke less stiffly: “No wonder you’re so thin.”

Gu Ruolan glanced at her, still thinking the dark green sweater looked exceptionally good on her. And Meng Qiuran ate without a single worry; it was truly enviable. But her tone remained flat: “You aren’t fat either.”

Meng Qiuran looked down at herself, then at her. “I hide my weight well.”

Seeing that Gu Ruolan was indeed in high spirits, Meng Qiuran asked the question she cared about: “Have you considered your next movie yet?”

Gu Ruolan’s hand paused, and she shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Is it because you’re planning to change companies?” This was something she had heard from Xing Qu. Word was that Gu Ruolan had been delaying her contract renewal, and Xin Qi was getting a bit anxious. Because of this, many companies wanted to take the opportunity to poach her. But Gu Ruolan hadn’t given a definitive answer, as if she were keeping everyone on the hook.

Gu Ruolan hadn’t expected her to know about this. “It’s spread that far already?”

“No, I just happened to hear about it.” Seeing Gu Ruolan remain silent, Meng Qiuran asked again: “Do you have a company in mind?”

She thought that if Gu Ruolan really planned to switch, the next movie would surely be a collaboration with the new company; she had to move fast to seize the initiative. She absolutely couldn’t repeat the mistake of another “dead” project like The Starlight is Like You; her money didn’t fall from the sky.

Gu Ruolan still shook her head but offered a bit of information: “A few have reached out, but none are the type I want to work with.” She thought for a moment and said cautiously, “Probably only Xinghe is worth considering.”

She didn’t know exactly how much Xie Yuzong had invested in Xinghe, but the scripts and new contracts Xinghe had offered lately were very attractive.

“What’s so good about Xinghe?”

Gu Ruolan guessed why Meng Qiuran was pressing—she was clearly still thinking about investing in a movie and was indeed following her lead. “They said their new drama might invite Lin Mengjia,” she paused and looked at Meng Qiuran. “Do you know who Lin Mengjia is? She is—”

Meng Qiuran pressed the bridge of her nose. “I know.”

She didn’t just know Lin Mengjia; she knew her manager. But she just couldn’t meet them.

“She hasn’t taken a role in a long time. I’ve always liked her; I used to regret that I wouldn’t have a chance to work with her.” It was obvious Gu Ruolan was quite looking forward to it.

“Then why not agree to Xinghe?”

Gu Ruolan’s expression shifted, showing both reluctance and helplessness, as if caught in a conflict of emotions. “After all, I’ve worked with President Xin for so long. I still want to consider renewing first.”

The fact that she hadn’t signed yet meant the terms President Xin offered didn’t meet her expectations. Meng Qiuran analyzed this without needing to ask further.

Just then, Gu Ruolan’s phone vibrated again. It was Xiang Jing. Meng Qiuran instinctively stood up, but her wrist was suddenly gripped by the hand resting on the table—only to be released quickly. She looked down and saw Gu Ruolan had already answered the phone, but her eyes signaled that she didn’t need to leave.

“Sister Jing.” Privately, she called Xiang Jing this way; it had started back when Jiang Sinian was still around.

“Ruolan, I have good news for you.” Gu Ruolan didn’t speak, just slightly pursing her lips. “The ratings for last night’s show were great, and the feedback from all channels today has been good.”

“That’s good.” Gu Ruolan’s voice didn’t show much joy.

Xiang Jing sighed softly. “I know there were some issues last night, but fortunately, they were controlled quickly. And the behind-the-scenes footage released this afternoon cleared up the previous misunderstandings. The data is very good.” It was clear Xiang Jing was very satisfied with the show’s results. “Regarding the extra recording sessions we discussed—how are you considering it? Now that the ratings are so good, we can talk about the price.”

Gu Ruolan’s interest was lukewarm. “I’m still considering it.”

Xiang Jing wasn’t annoyed, as if she understood her thoughts. “If Lin Mengjia comes as well, would you be interested?”

Gu Ruolan’s eyes visibly lit up.

Meng Qiuran hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but she still heard the name Lin Mengjia.