After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 9

Director Lin held a high reputation and status within the industry. He was in his forties, with a gentle, scholarly temperament. However, any actor who had worked with him knew that “Director Lin on set” was not a man to be trifled with. If a performance failed to meet his standards, his face became more agonizing than a walk-in freezer.

When Gu Ruolan debuted as a newcomer, she endured this treatment for the first half-month. Once she found her rhythm and the “feeling” of the role, she only remembered his kindness.

Leaving the tea house, Lin Chuyu mentioned the script again in a neutral tone: “I’m still looking for investment for this project. There’s no rush; take your time to consider it.”

Gu Ruolan nodded. After he left, she joined Yu Youqing in their car.

Yu Youqing hadn’t read the script, but she could guess the gist from Lin Chuyu’s introduction. She looked at Gu Ruolan, hesitated, and spoke up: “Ruolan, regarding this script… I think we should be cautious.”

Gu Ruolan wasn’t surprised; she had expected as much from her manager.

“A few ‘Double Male Lead’ dramas have gone viral in the last two years, but those were web series—either used to promote idol newcomers or to revive the careers of veteran ‘salted fish’ actors,” Yu Youqing said, sounding worried. She clearly didn’t want to chase this specific trend. “You just won an international Best Actress award. Your pay and resources are better than ever. There’s no need to take this risk.”

Gu Ruolan leaned back in the dim cabin, her bright eyes blinking as she considered the words.

Finally, Yu Youqing sighed: “President Xin at the company wouldn’t agree either.”

Xin Qi was the boss of Gu Ruolan’s management agency and had taken good care of her over the years.

Gu Ruolan comforted her: “I only promised to read the script first. I didn’t say I’d accept it.”

“The fact that you were willing to take it home shows that the story attracts you.” Having worked together for so long, how could she not know Gu Ruolan?

“I’ll consider everything you just said. Don’t worry.”

With Gu Ruolan putting it that way, Yu Youqing couldn’t force her to decline on the spot, especially since the script came from Director Lin himself.

“I’ll send Xiao Yan to your place tomorrow to see what you need for the next shoot so she can buy everything.”

“She rarely gets a break. Let’s extend her holiday for another two days.”

Yu Youqing deleted the draft of the message she was about to send to Xiao Yan. “You really are considerate.”

The day before yesterday, Xiao Yan had gone home to celebrate her mother’s birthday. She had requested this leave before the Berlin trip, and she was scheduled to return tomorrow. But Gu Ruolan figured since filming hadn’t started yet, she’d let Xiao Yan spend more time with her family.

Family… Gu Ruolan felt a pang of loneliness and looked out the window to distract herself.

Back home, Gu Ruolan took a hot bath and lay on the sofa with a face mask on.

A busy and chaotic day was nothing new to her, but some things felt fresh. She closed her eyes and thought of Meng Qiuran.

She had met this person twice. Once, the woman helped her; the other time, she made things difficult.

Even when they stood face-to-face tonight, she still found it hard to reconcile the “Miss Meng” of the dinner party with the person who had helped her that night in the alley.

In Berlin, that person was “A-Qiu.” Now, she was “Miss Meng.”

In Berlin, A-Qiu’s thick black hair was often a bit messy, shoulder-length with stray ends. Today, her hair was slightly shorter, clearly meticulously trimmed and styled, but lacked the vividness of that night.

In Berlin, A-Qiu’s narrow eyes were lazy, looking at her with a hint of playfulness that wasn’t repulsive. Today, Miss Meng looked at her with a smile, yet it made her feel incredibly stifled.

She’ll help a stranger, accept a hefty reward, and then target and tease her for no reason…

Why did the same person give her such vastly different impressions?

In Gu Ruolan’s memory, Meng Qiuran’s image became contradictory—one moment she was A-Qiu, the next she was Miss Meng.

Her alarm rang, cutting her thoughts short. She peeled off the mask, washed her face, and decided to push the name “Meng Qiuran” out of her mind before sleeping.

I’ll just avoid contact in the future. Who cares if she’s A-Qiu or Miss Meng.

Meng Qiuran didn’t realize her image was being 3D-reconstructed in Gu Ruolan’s head, but she did need to create a new image for herself.

Meng Xiayan had been a bit drunk that night, but he hadn’t forgotten his word. By the second week, he had his secretary process Meng Qiuran’s onboarding.

Tomorrow, she would officially start at the Investment Department. Right now, she was sitting in a barber’s chair.

“The ends are a bit frizzy. Should we do a treatment or a cut?” The stylist held a small lock of hair, letting Miss Meng decide.

“Cut it.”

The stylist gestured several times before starting. Miss Meng’s request today was different from before. In the past, she’d point at a trendy fashion look; today, she wanted something “sharp and professional.”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, but he was afraid of a misunderstanding—Miss Meng was known for being able to tear the place apart if she was unhappy.

Miss Meng looked at her new reflection with satisfaction and even left a generous tip.

The assistant came to sweep the floor and asked the stylist: “Miss Meng seems to be in a great mood. Is she going to work?”

The stylist glared at him: “Just do your job and mind your own business.”

On her first day, Meng Qiuran wore a light gray suit with very light makeup and a low-key watch. She looked vibrant and full of anticipation for the new job.

She followed Meng Xiayan into the Investment Department.

The news of the socialite’s “airdrop” into the department had spread last week. Seeing her in person today, she didn’t seem as exaggerated as the rumors suggested.

Zhang Hen’an, the head of the department, was exceedingly polite. He didn’t give her complex tasks, suggesting she spend the first month familiarizing herself with the files.

A month?

Meng Qiuran thought if the whole department worked at that pace, the Meng Corporation would have collapsed long ago.

“Manager Zhang, a month is too long. How about a week?”

She didn’t want to waste time slacking off; she needed to find where the resources she wanted were hidden.

Zhang Hen’an was caught between laughter and tears. “A week would be very exhausting.”

He had seen her HR file. Her grades were only average. To master the basic operations of the investment department in a week was too difficult—at least, for someone like Miss Meng.

But the company belonged to her family. President Meng had just said he hoped his sister would “grow” here.

What could he do?

He complied, sending the files to her office and assigning her an assistant.

Although she was an “airdrop,” she couldn’t start from the very bottom. She was now the Deputy Lead of Investment Group One.

Her assistant, Zhu Mingxi, was originally the assistant to the Group Lead, temporarily reassigned to help her get up to speed.

After three days of practice, Meng Qiuran was certain: Zhu Mingxi was helping her, but also keeping a secret eye on her. She wasn’t sure if Mingxi was reporting to Meng Xiayan or Zhang Hen’an, but those watchful eyes made her uncomfortable.

She was polite to Mingxi on the surface, but internally, she was already planning to find a new assistant. Preferably a newcomer—even someone with less experience was fine. She could handle the professional work herself; she just needed to replace Mingxi.

After one week, Meng Qiuran returned the files, stating she had a basic understanding.

Zhang Hen’an didn’t think she actually understood them; he assumed she was just saving face. He didn’t expose her and asked what she wanted to learn next.

“I want to see the recent investment plans.”

Zhang Hen’an’s face stiffened. The news reached Meng Xiayan.

At dinner that night, Meng Xiayan brought it up. Meng Qiuran nodded calmly. “I need to keep up with everyone’s pace. Otherwise, I won’t be able to contribute when people are discussing things.”

Realizing it was just about that, Meng Xiayan smiled. “New plans are reported every day. You can’t possibly read them all. If you’re interested in a project, just ask your assistant.”

Meng Qiuran bit her chopstick and thought. “Brother, I want to change my assistant.”

“Don’t like the current one?”

“Zhu Mingxi is the Group Lead’s assistant. She’s on loan and will have to go back eventually. I’d rather train someone of my own now so things run smoother later.”

Meng Xiayan remained silent, clearly weighing the request.

Fearing he’d refuse, she started acting spoiled again: “Brother, even a student-page grows up with their master. Suddenly giving me Zhu Mingxi—who is as strict as a teacher—I can’t take it.”

Seeing that her only concern was whether she was “happy” or not, he figured she wasn’t taking the job seriously anyway. He shook his head helplessly; he hadn’t expected much from her.

“Fine. Go to HR tomorrow and pick someone yourself.”

Meng Qiuran’s efficiency was unmatched. She went to HR the next morning. With the President’s personal approval, the staff was eager to cooperate.

Her requirements were clear: someone who had been with the company for less than six months—preferably a fresh recruit.

Yu Na from HR thought for a moment and pulled a file. “There actually is one like that.”

Meng Qiuran opened the file. The photo looked familiar.

Then she saw the name: Yuan Yi.

Yu Na explained: “She’s a fresh graduate hired this year. She was supposed to start late last month, but she called with an emergency and requested a delayed entry.”

Meng Qiuran checked the start date: she had only been working for two weeks.

“She’s quite excellent across the board,” Yu Na continued. “The leaders were very impressed during her interview. When she asked for a delay, I was actually worried the company wouldn’t approve it.”

Yuan Yi was currently working in the HR department. Once Meng Qiuran decided on her, Yu Na led her straight to the workstation.

Still short hair, but the blonde had been dyed completely black. When they approached, Yuan Yi was busy writing minutes for yesterday’s meeting.

Meng Qiuran didn’t want a formal introduction beforehand; she wanted to see Yuan Yi’s ability to handle the unexpected. If this girl was going to follow her, she couldn’t afford to crumble at a critical moment.

Yu Na tapped the partition lightly and smiled. “Yuan Yi, stop what you’re doing for a moment.”