Chapter 43

Gu Ruolan didn’t object, which served as a silent agreement. The atmosphere was pleasant; there was no need to force conversation to feel comfortable. The two began to consider what to eat.

Since it was late afternoon, they opted for afternoon tea. Instead of the set meal they usually had, they chose the matcha mousse Meng Qiuran had picked last time.

Gu Ruolan couldn’t eat too much of the sweet, rich dessert, but knowing Meng Qiuran likely enjoyed it, she didn’t spoil the mood and only tasted a little.

“The effect of last night’s show was even better than the previous one. I guessed as much when I was watching,” Meng Qiuran said, gesturing toward the phone on the table. “When I checked it this morning, sure enough.”

Gu Ruolan was in a better mood than last time and gave a slight smile. “It was indeed quite good. I was a bit worried before that the audience wouldn’t like the demonstration segment, but it seems fine now.”

“Anyone with an eye for quality would like that segment—except for a certain person’s fans.” Meng Qiuran didn’t name names, but they both knew exactly who “certain person” referred to.

Gu Ruolan lowered her head to sip her tea, offering no direct comment on those people.

Meng Qiuran tilted her head, asking curiously, “They were ‘acting out’ again yesterday. It didn’t affect you, did it?”

Perhaps because she didn’t expect Meng Qiuran to use such a blunt term, Gu Ruolan almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. But she controlled herself, and not only did she keep her composure, she gave Meng Qiuran a deep look. “A fan’s love for their idol is often beyond reason. They want to protect their idol and don’t feel there’s anything wrong with their behavior.”

“To slander and hurt someone else’s idol just for the sake of your bailiantales.comown… calling them ‘acting out’ is putting it lightly. Strictly speaking, it’s being a jerk.” Meng Qiuran seemed genuinely indignant, her tone inadvertently sharpening.

The thought of hiding in the restroom last night to arrange for Yuan Yi to put out the fires made her feel irritable. If these people could just grow a brain and use some logic, she wouldn’t have to worry about these things.

Gu Ruolan was somewhat surprised, not quite understanding why Meng Qiuran seemed to loathe Xie Zixuan’s fans even more than she did. But once she heard her mention “other people’s idols,” she figured it out.

Meng Qiuran was likely standing up for her assistant, Yuan Yi. After all, she herself certainly wasn’t Meng Qiuran’s idol, but Yuan Yi was definitely her own fan. Last episode, Meng had stepped in to help Yuan Yi; she wasn’t sure if this time was also proactive or at Yuan Yi’s request. Regardless, Gu Ruolan remained grateful for what they had done for her.

“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Meng Qiuran didn’t think there was anything amiss; she was the one who gave the order, but Yuan Yi was the one who did the actual work.

“By the way, how are you considering the movie matter?” Although Gu Ruolan had promised to inform her in a timely manner last time, there had been no news. Meng Qiuran disliked waiting passively and took the opportunity to test the waters.

“The script is very good. It’s just as Manager Li said; the second lead role has a lot of room for performance.”

Actors despise flat or stereotypical characters. A role with depth is incredibly attractive, especially to a skilled actor; it’s like a fish back in water. Seeing her expression, Meng Qiuran figured she was leaning toward taking the role.

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart—a bit of disappointment, but at the same time, she was happy for Gu Ruolan. Gu had prepared for the last movie for a long time, only for it to end in failure because of Xu Anying’s antics. Now that Xinghe was offering good terms and the lead was Lin Mengjia—whom Gu Ruolan deeply admired—she would likely be very happy even if the salary and billing weren’t at the top.

“So you plan to take it?”

Gu Ruolan didn’t deny it. “The official process has to wait for the company to give the nod.”

“You said before that the renewal wasn’t going smoothly. Will the company agree to this movie?”

Gu Ruolan sighed lightly. “What isn’t going smoothly is the management contract. I don’t think they would oppose this.” But there was a faint trace of worry in her voice, indicating she wasn’t entirely certain.

Meng Qiuran didn’t know how best to comfort her. A contract renewal inevitably involved the transfer of interests between two parties. As an outsider, anything she said would be futile.

“If you change companies, will you take your staff with you?”

Gu Ruolan looked puzzled. “For example?”

Meng Qiuran wanted to ask about Xiao Yan, but to be less obvious, she intentionally included others. “Like Yu Youqing, your makeup artist, or that assistant of yours… I think her name is Xiao Yan.”

Gu Ruolan shook her head with a smile. “Sister Qing has been with President Xin for many years; she wouldn’t easily jump ship with me. The makeup artist is also a company employee.” She paused when she thought of Xiao Yan. “If Xiao Yan is willing to come with me, it would be feasible, but I don’t know what her thoughts are.”

Meng Qiuran teased, “You can’t even handle your own assistant?”

“She’s had a lot of family matters lately. Perhaps she doesn’t want any major changes.”

“Is that why you’re always giving her time off?”

“It’s not that I ‘always’ give her time off. When I don’t have work scheduled, I’m at home most of the time. I don’t need her to be with me constantly, so I let her go about her business.”

Meng Qiuran decided to test if Gu Ruolan knew about Xiao Yan’s whereabouts today. She leaned back lazily into the cushions, casually tossing out a question: “So what did she do today? She didn’t drop you off when you came out?”

Gu Ruolan didn’t see that it was a deliberate question and answered as usual: “She’s off today. She probably went to spend time with her family.”

Meng Qiuran let out a short laugh and didn’t ask further.

Several questions in a row had been initiated by Meng Qiuran, and now that it had suddenly gone quiet, the atmosphere threatened to turn somber again. Gu Ruolan pursed her lips and took the initiative to speak.

“How is your company doing?” Gu Ruolan had never asked about this before, and Meng Qiuran couldn’t help but be taken aback. She instinctively sat up straighter, even debating how best to answer.

Gu Ruolan looked down, her lashes flickering slightly before she looked up again. ” I was just curious because I saw your advertisements. If it’s inconvenient to say, just act like I never asked.”

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. It’s just a small investment company I started for fun.”

A small company? For fun? Then unauthorized copy was it necessary to spend tens of millions on ads and buy the title sponsorship? Although Gu Ruolan didn’t understand business, Meng Qiuran’s words didn’t sound very credible.

“My brother hated that I was always arguing with him at the company, so he told me to go solo. It gives me freedom to do whatever I want.”

Just then, Meng Qiuran’s phone rang. When Gu Ruolan saw the name “Meng Xiayan” on the screen, she was stunned. First, she thought the call came at quite a coincidence, and then she was surprised by how Meng Qiuran had her brother saved in her contacts. Using the full name wasn’t bad, but it lacked a sense of intimacy.

“Brother.” Meng Qiuran made no attempt to hide. Instead, she offered a silent apology to Gu Ruolan and answered directly.

“You went to the hospital today?” On the other end, Meng Xiayan’s voice sounded tired. There were noisy discussions in the background, as if he were in a meeting.

“Yeah, I went. Dad’s doing alright—he was very energetic while he was lecturing me,” Meng Qiuran joked, able to imagine her brother’s expression.

“And where are you now?”

Meng Qiuran’s smile faded as she quickly analyzed why he was asking. She instinctively glanced at Gu Ruolan across from her. Gu was looking down, drinking her tea. While she hadn’t left, she was clearly trying not to look like she was eavesdropping.

“Drinking tea and chatting with a friend. What else would I be doing?”

Meng Xiayan was talkative today. “Which friends?”

Meng Qiuran found it strange. He usually wasn’t this nosy. Was he asking because someone had seen them? Regardless of whether they were seen or not, she couldn’t tell the truth.

“Friends who like to buy watches. You don’t know them, don’t worry about it.”

After she said this, Gu Ruolan looked up at her quite clearly. Then, she glanced at Meng Qiuran’s wrist. It was fair, delicate, and smooth, but she wasn’t wearing a watch.

“Alright, I’ll stop talking to you now. my friends are waiting for me. We’ll talk about it when I get home.” Meng Qiuran acted very impatient, her tone souring.

After hanging up, she proactively explained to Gu Ruolan, “My brother was away on business recently and hasn’t been home. He’s been incredibly naggy these last two days, asking about everything.”

Gu Ruolan wasn’t actually curious about the siblings’ business, but she wasn’t entirely indifferent either. After all, Meng Xiayan’s invisible harassment hadn’t fully dissipated. Every time before recording, Xiao Mi would bring a large bouquet of flowers to the dressing room, saying they were from President Meng. However, those flowers were always left in the dressing room; Meng Qiuran had never seen them, and Gu Ruolan had never mentioned them.

Gu Ruolan had no interest in the purpose of the call, but she was curious about Meng Qiuran’s answer. “Why… why didn’t you tell your brother you were having a drink with me?”

“Let him know? That would be a disaster.” She looked at Gu Ruolan with a half-smile. “Aren’t you afraid he’d rush over here immediately?”

Gu Ruolan pursed her lips. Of course she was afraid—she was practically ready to leave right now.

Meng Qiuran dropped the joke and said solemnly, “Even though he’s my brother, I will strictly honor the promise I made to you.”

Gu Ruolan looked at her.

“I said I wouldn’t let my brother get too close to you.”

Gu Ruolan looked down and gave a small laugh. When Meng Qiuran first said those words, she hadn’t fully believed her; she had maintained a “wait and see” attitude. “Thank you.”

“Oh, stop being so polite.”

Gu Ruolan hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, “Then, can I ask one more favor of you?”

“What?”

“Tell your brother to stop sending flowers to Penguin TV. I don’t want so many staff members to see it; it’s easy to cause misunderstandings.”

Meng Qiuran practically bounced in her seat, a look of total shock on her face. “He’s still sending you flowers?”

Gu Ruolan nodded. “He says it’s to wish me a smooth recording.”

Meng Qiuran hadn’t expected that even with her brother not showing up, he was still doing so much behind her back. She had thought once he got busy with work, he wouldn’t be able to spare the time.

“So how do you handle the flowers?” Returning them was unrealistic, and throwing them away would be inappropriate.

Gu Ruolan looked a bit embarrassed. “I leave them in the dressing room. Every time, I act like I’m in too much of a hurry and forgot to take them.”

Meng Qiuran thought for a moment and said, “If he sends them again next time, just give the flowers to me.”

“To you?”

“I’ll bring them home and give them back to him. That way, it’s a perfect closed loop.”

Gu Ruolan laughed quite visibly this time. It was hard to tell if she believed her or thought she was joking. The atmosphere grew lighter and lighter, and they stayed until evening. Gu Ruolan had an appointment with her fitness trainer, and Meng Qiuran didn’t try to force her to stay.

“Are you going to the gym by yourself?”

“It’s very close to my house.”

“Aren’t you going to have your assistant accompany you?”

Gu Ruolan shook her head, feeling it was entirely unnecessary. “My workout isn’t that intense; I can handle it alone.”

Meng Qiuran pretended to look around the parking lot. “What color is the [bailiantales.com]nanny van you usually take? I remember it being black.”

“Yes, black. I’m usually in that one. But I drove my own car today.”

Today, Xiao Yan had gotten into a gray nanny van, and the license plate was different from the one Gu Ruolan usually used.

Meng Qiuran wanted to mention it, but she felt like Gu Ruolan didn’t know anything about it.

If it was just a misunderstanding, she would look like a petty gossip. If it wasn’t a misunderstanding, then if Gu Ruolan went to ask, it would alert the target.