After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 8

One or two hundred million… that was certainly generous. If she were to play matchmaker for Meng Xiayan and Gu Ruolan, the Meng family’s resources could potentially secure both a Best Actress title and true love for her.

However, Meng Qiuran quickly dismissed the idea. How many girlfriends had Meng Xiayan cycled through? Would his attitude of treating actresses as playthings truly undergo a fundamental shift just because of Gu Ruolan’s performance tonight? Not to mention there was still Meng Qining, who held the entertainment industry in utter contempt; he’d likely swoop in and break them up the moment he was discharged from the hospital.

Not only should she avoid matchmaking, but she also needed to ensure Gu Ruolan stayed far away from Meng Xiayan’s entanglements, lest it derail both her career and her actual destiny.

Meng Qiuran’s mind had already raced through all of this, yet her face remained draped in a lazy expression.

“Brother, people who throw money at actresses these days are usually called ‘suckers.'”

Seeing the smile fade from Meng Xiayan’s face, she took the opportunity to add: “Besides, you saw how sycophantic Xie Zixuan was tonight. Is someone who can be so easily moved by capital really the kind of person you want?”

Meng Xiayan indeed disliked Xie Zixuan’s fawning behavior; it was painfully tacky. Despite being the youngest of the actresses present, she was the least attractive. To put it bluntly, she was the type of person you’d dally with for a physical fling and nothing more.

Seeing his look of disgust, Meng Qiuran hid a smile but reminded him with a straight face: “You can’t rush these things. It’s more meaningful for you to think about the Return on Investment (ROI) first.”

Interrupted by her logic, Meng Xiayan’s restless impulse to immediately pull Gu Ruolan into his arms subsided a bit.

“You even know about ROI?”

The eldest Miss Meng usually spent money without blinking, guided entirely by her own whims. Hearing such words from her mouth was a bit of a novelty.

“I am a business graduate, after all, okay?” These words were half in character for the original host and half a genuine cry from Meng Qiuran herself. She truly loathed people questioning her professional expertise; she just lacked the opportunity to display it right now.

Meng Xiayan didn’t suspect a thing. As the alcohol kicked in, he started feeling tired.

“Then how about putting you in the company’s investment department?” He had been considering where best to station his sister. He feared if she was too idle, she’d run off, but if the work was too exhausting, she’d claim incompetence and leave anyway.

“Sure.” Meng Qiuran actually had some interest in that department.

Emerging from Qidu Mansion, Gu Ruolan and Yu Youqing did not go home. Instead, they headed to another location: Yisheng Tea House.

This was a prime spot for private discussions, a favorite for many in the industry. The owner and staff were discerning, tight-lipped, and minded their own business, making it the top choice for serious private talks.

Director Lin Chuyu had asked to meet them there, clearly regarding tonight’s dinner party. Gu Ruolan always gave Director Lin a lot of “face,” so she had agreed without much hesitation. To avoid being noticed by others, their cars took different routes.

In the car, Gu Ruolan finally allowed herself to relax. It had been an exhausting day; this was her first real moment of solitude. Yu Youqing was busy sorting the business cards collected tonight, saving them into her phone with a joy she couldn’t suppress.

“Ruolan, tonight’s harvest was much better than we expected.”

Gu Ruolan rested with her eyes closed but gave a soft “Mm” in agreement.

“The Meng and Xie families are both dipping their toes into film investment for the first time. If we can cooperate with them, the projects will definitely be high-budget.” Yu Youqing weighed the possibilities but had to consider Gu Ruolan’s feelings. “Even though Xie Yuzong’s attitude was poor tonight, I think he genuinely wants to collaborate.”

Gu Ruolan opened her eyes and thought seriously for a moment. “We’ll see.”

Yu Youqing was silent for a while before asking: “What… actually happened between you and Meng Qiuran in Berlin?”

Gu Ruolan’s eyes were bright. Despite the obvious fatigue, her spirit returned quickly after a short rest. “It was just like I told you.”

A chance encounter. They were complete strangers—a hundred percent meeting by chance. And then, Meng Qiuran had helped her.

“You really didn’t know her identity beforehand?”

Gu Ruolan shook her head. Even now, she found it hard to fully connect the image of the bartender with the eldest Miss Meng.

Yu Youqing frowned, puzzled. “Then why target you? She picked quite a few fights tonight.”

Gu Ruolan shook her head again; she knew nothing about this Miss Meng. The reason she was wary of the name was because she’d heard others mention her a few times—she was the type of person whose name made listeners’ brows twitch.

Comparatively speaking, Miss Meng had been somewhat polite and restrained tonight. However, it was undeniable that she was still no saint.

But there were many people in this circle who harbored hostility toward her; Gu Ruolan had to get used to it. “I’ll just try to avoid her in the future. There’s no conflict of interest between us.”

Yu Youqing looked at Meng Xiayan’s newly saved phone number and sighed. “Let’s hope so.”

At the tea house, Lin Chuyu hadn’t arrived yet, but he had booked a private room in advance. After the waiter served tea and left, Yu Youqing laughed. “I thought I’d have to drink a lot of wine tonight, but I ended up a tea barrel instead.”

Lin Chuyu arrived a few minutes late, his hands balled into apologetic fists. “Sorry, I took a call on the way.”

Gu Ruolan was very polite and stood up to greet him. Lin Chuyu gestured for them to sit. He intended to pour the tea himself as an apology, but Gu Ruolan had already filled his cup.

He sighed and smiled. “Ruolan, you really… you’re making me feel ashamed.”

He took a few sips of tea and gathered his thoughts. Setting the cup down, he said solemnly, “Ruolan, the main reason I asked you here is to apologize.” His tone was deeply sincere.

Gu Ruolan’s fingertips tapped twice against her leg, her face unreadable. She knew exactly what he was apologizing for. When he originally invited her, he had repeatedly guaranteed it would be a professional meeting with investors, free from the usual foul atmosphere of such gatherings. He had promised to be there so she wouldn’t be embarrassed.

Yet tonight, because of a simple delay, things had spiraled. Between Xie Yuzong’s aggression, Meng Qiuran’s provocations, and the subtle sniping from Su Yunzi’s group, Gu Ruolan had truly become the target of the night. Even if Lin Chuyu wanted to help, he carried little weight in front of people like Xie Yuzong and Meng Qiuran. He had effectively failed his word.

“Director Lin, don’t blame yourself,” Gu Ruolan said softly, refilling his tea. “It was mainly my fault for being late. It was my responsibility.”

Lin Chuyu frowned. “Ruolan…”

Seeing the atmosphere turn heavy, Yu Youqing jumped in to save the day. “Director Lin, we were indeed in the wrong, so please stop blaming yourself.”

Lin Chuyu nodded, knowing they were giving him a graceful way out. “However, those big bosses should be familiar to you now. Before I left, they told me they had a very good impression of you and hope for a chance to collaborate.”

Yu Youqing was delighted. Any of those big shots could fund a major production. “That’s great. If there’s a suitable script, we can certainly consider it.” She turned to Gu Ruolan.

For Gu Ruolan, the primary requirement was always the quality of the script. If the script was good, everything else was negotiable. If it wasn’t, it was a no-go.

Lin Chuyu knew her principles. “I happened to acquire a good script that I’d like you to look at.” He pulled a script from his bag and handed it over.

Gu Ruolan took it with both hands. The title on the cover was “Obsession.”

“This is a ‘Double Female Lead’ story. If filmed well, it could capture the dividend of an entire untapped market.”

Double female lead?

Gu Ruolan flipped through the first few pages. it was a workplace story about a university graduate and a female corporate executive, with an underlying theme of a subtle, nuanced same-sex romance.

“The domestic attitude toward same-sex themes is ambiguous right now—not as conservative as the past, but the authorities won’t openly encourage it,” Lin Chuyu sipped his tea. “But the audience interested in this genre is growing, and there’s a huge gap in the market. Whether in terms of award potential or box office reputation, there is a lot of room for a breakthrough.”

Gu Ruolan tapped her fingers lightly and tucked the script away. “I will give you an answer after I’ve finished reading it thoroughly.”