Being a "Golden Finger" for my Movie Queen Love-Rival (GL) - Chapter 6

He Xilan went to the restroom; there weren’t many people inside.

As she took out her lipstick to touch up her makeup in the mirror, she heard the sound of a toilet flushing from a stall, followed by a phone ringing.

The woman inside stomped her feet but answered anyway.

“Yes, yes, Director Bei, please go ahead.”

“I remember the audition matter, right, right… The script? Elder Hu said he only gave it to some friends over at Star Universe. Oh, right, Ming Xu from Westward has a great look; she fits Elder Hu’s definition of the female lead perfectly. He asked me to notify her to come for an audition.”

The restroom was very quiet, and He Xilan heard every word clearly. At the mention of “Ming Xu,” her hand rotating the silver lipstick tube paused.

“Nothing else, mm-hmm, alright.”

The sound of the call ended, and a woman stepped out of the stall. She was wearing a short cocktail dress with a sharp, short haircut. She began washing her hands next to He Xilan.

He Xilan looked at her through the mirror. It was Yang Liu, a directed assistant whom Director Bei often worked with.

Yang Liu looked up, and their gazes met in the mirror. He Xilan greeted her with a smile: “Director Yang, long time no see.”

Yang Liu also smiled. “Xilan, you look beautiful tonight.”

He Xilan put the lipstick back into her clutch and clicked it shut. “You’re just saying that to give me face.”

“Not at all. In my opinion, among the actresses of the last two years, only you and Ming Xu are at the very top.”

…With Ming Xu?

He Xilan’s smile was like a spring breeze. She naturally tucked her arm into Yang Liu’s as they walked out together, whispering, “I didn’t mean to, but I accidentally overheard a bit of your call just now. I really must apologize.”

Yang Liu waved it off. “How can I blame you? The call just came at a bad time!”

He Xilan lowered her voice. “But ever since I heard it, my heart has been itching with curiosity. I’ll be bold and ask: is this Elder Hu… Teacher Hu Fan?”

“I love Teacher Hu Fan’s works so much. As soon as I heard it might be his movie, I couldn’t sit still.”

Yang Liu’s footsteps faltered. Leaking news early was a major industry taboo, but seeing the expectation on He Xilan’s soft, beautiful face—and considering this was a coincidental slip-up—she felt conflicted.

While Yang Liu was still hesitating, He Xilan pursed her lips and smiled. “I’ve put Director Yang in a difficult spot.”

She then gracefully switched to a lighter topic. Yang Liu followed suit, her expression unchanged, though she knew full well that He Xilan had guessed the truth from her silence.

But being guessed and actually admitting it are, after all, two different things.

He Xilan returned to her seat with a composed expression. She was also in the fourth row, a few seats away from Chen Yuanning. A camera from the left swept over, framing her and Ming Xu in the same shot.

The bullet comments had more to say.

“Why is my Xilan sitting behind Ming Xu? What is the organizer doing?”

“Ming Xu has a nominated work, thank you.”

“A reminder to Chen Yuanning’s fans: He Xilan just ditched your idol to enter with President Wei. Hehe.”

“??? It’s that young idol shamelessly clinging to a rich socialite, our Lan Lan only reluctantly joined the President, okay!”

“Who’s badmouthing my son! Where’s my knife!!”

The live-stream chat instantly became a bloodbath. Other fans sat back with their popcorn, spamming: [Let them fight.jpg]

Ming Xu and He Xilan had debuted in the same year under different companies, both being the next generation of top stars pushed by their respective agencies. Since their debut, they had been at odds, competing for endorsements, publicity, and roles. Organizers loved placing them together to generate buzz—they were the ultimate “frenemies.” Their fans would roll up their sleeves and start a flame war the moment they saw each other.

For this gala, Ming Xu had a nominated work, whereas He Xilan’s new drama, The One I Love, had not made the cut. He Xilan’s fans had already caused a stir online, and now it was even worse.

Song Jianzhi sat in the middle of the first row with no acquaintances around her, and the idiot Wei Xiao sitting right next to her.

Every so often, a jib camera would sweep past. She had to maintain a smile until her face felt stiff, leaving her to vent to the system in her head: I’m so tired, ugh.

System: “Host is performing great tonight! You didn’t even flinch facing the reporters on the red carpet. Just hang in there a bit longer and we can go home!”

Seeing that there were no cameras nearby for the moment, Song Jianzhi propped her arm on the armrest and rested her cheek on her hand. “Oh, I was actually panicking, but then I thought—if even Wei Xiao can act like a CEO in front of them without being caught…”

“Thinking of that, even my hair follicles are oozing confidence.”

The system was once again convinced. “Fair enough.”

Song Jianzhi thought it wasn’t enough; she hadn’t come here tonight just to suffer. She had to do something.

Where is Ming Xu?

She wanted to turn around and look for her, but seeing everyone around her looking like successful entrepreneurs, she felt embarrassed to be looking around restlessly.

She decided to pull out her phone and message her newly-met little cousin: Where are you sitting?

Chen Yuanning replied quickly; it was clear he was just as bored as she was.

Chen Yuanning: Fourth row, toward the right!

Peng Zhou’s fingers were flying across his screen: “Bot lane is about to blow! Chen Yuanning, hurry up!”

Chen Yuanning turned his phone horizontally and opened Honor of Kings: “Hold on! My cousin just asked where I’m sitting, I have to tell her.”

Peng Zhou immediately said, “Cousin’s message definitely needs a reply. Why don’t you exit the game and draw her a seating chart? Maybe she wants to come find you.”

“Get out of here,” Chen Yuanning laughed. “Why would you be happy if she came to find me? Hey, come back, don’t let Diao Chan outplay you!”

Peng Zhou didn’t listen and was promptly slaughtered by Diao Chan’s second skill. As he leaned over to watch Chen Yuanning’s Zhao Yun harvest kills, he saw a WeChat notification pop up:

Little Cousin: Then where is Ming Xu sitting?

Peng Zhou scratched his head. “Sister Ming Xu is right in front of us. Your cousin can see her just by looking back; why is she asking specifically?”

“No idea.” Chen Yuanning was immersed in the thrill of the kills. After getting a quadra-kill, he teleported back to the crystal and exited to reply.

Song Jianzhi checked her WeChat and then, as if casually, looked back. Sure enough, she saw Ming Xu two rows behind.

Ming Xu was sitting with her crew. The director and male actors around her were all in formal suits, making her stand out like a rose in full bloom amidst a pile of dry leaves—even if she was a “cool-toned” rose.

Song Jianzhi used her life’s worth of acting skills to play the part of a cousin looking back for her brother, while secretly observing her service target. This was her future “client,” the only customer she needed to serve well.

And yet, she had slept with the client without ever having looked at her closely.

Song Jianzhi felt a moment of deep self-reflection. Taking advantage of the gala, she took a good look at Ming Xu’s face.

Ming Xu was talking to the person next to her. Her profile was smooth, her red lips moving as she spoke. The curve of her forehead and nose was particularly beautiful, possessing a delicacy and radiance that exceeded her official studio photos.

Song Jianzhi: As expected of my client; this level of beauty is the only thing worthy of a female lead.

She was happily admiring the view when Ming Xu suddenly nodded to the director and turned her head forward. Caught off guard, Song Jianzhi locked eyes with her in mid-air.

Across two rows of dark red seats and a few scattered guests, Song Jianzhi stared blankly at Ming Xu. The overhead lights shone down, making Ming Xu’s light brown pupils look like they were filled with starlight—she was so beautiful she didn’t seem real.

Crap, I got caught.

She subconsciously gave a “civilized and polite” smile.

As expected, Ming Xu stopped looking at her.

In the back row, Chen Yuanning finally pushed the enemy crystal. Amidst the “Victory” sound effect, he put down his phone and looked up. Seeing Song Jianzhi twisted around and looking in his direction, he hurriedly waved his arm at her.

Song Jianzhi also gave a small wave, her smile becoming more genuine. She even called out “Yuanning!”—a classic “no-one-here-but-us-chickens” move to show she was definitely looking for him.

Now Ming Xu will understand I was looking at Chen Yuanning! Nice!

Song Jianzhi turned back and sat properly in her seat, earning a dissatisfied look from the idiot Wei Xiao next to her.

Ming Xu sat with her eyes lowered, her gaze resting on her meticulously manicured nails.

The conversation from the seat behind her started up again.

“Your cousin looks even prettier when she smiles. Her voice is so sweet.”

“To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve heard my cousin call me that sweetly.”

Ming Xu recalled the sound.

It was very sweet.