chapter 22

Zuo Mingran's voice was loud enough for everyone around, including Angel, to hear clearly. They all paused and looked over. The director behind the camera continued to urge them loudly, while the crew members looked at each other in silence. They didn't dare to speak, ask, or move. Both of these individuals, whether it was the highest-ranking female star in the entire crew or the rising male idol, brought with them millions or even tens of millions of fans. No matter who they were, no one wanted to provoke them. The atmosphere around them immediately turned frosty. Zuo Mingran and Ren Luning sat and stood facing each other, their gazes meeting in mid-air, almost sparking visible fire. The entertainment industry was neither big nor small. Every day, countless people risked everything to try and enter, but in the end, only a few made it. As the saying goes, "Leave a way out, and we'll meet again in the future." The circle was small, with everyone looking up and seeing each other. Even if they didn't get along behind the scenes, they wouldn't bring it out into the open.

Just like Wen Feifei and Zuo Mingran, even if everyone knows they have conflicts, other than the incident where they almost fought at the celebration party, there has been zero interaction and communication between them. They have never said a word against each other publicly.

After all, words can cause trouble, and no one knows how an unintentional remark can be blown out of proportion and what consequences it may bring.

There was silence in the surroundings for about four to five seconds before gradually returning to normal. Several staff members who were very perceptive left the vicinity of the two, hiding in a corner to watch the drama unfold.

Most of the crew members are temporary workers, among them are those who have worked with Zuo Mingran before and have heard of her bad temper.

But after spending time with her recently, everyone realized that Zuo Mingran's attitude towards them was not bad-tempered, though it couldn't be called friendly. If anything, it could be described as polite with a sense of distance. She could be considered one of the better-tempered artists.

They were initially surprised by Zuo Mingran's sudden change in attitude, but considering what Ren Luning had done, it was completely understandable for Zuo Mingran to get angry and lose face in public.

Strangely, because of Ren Luning's particularly negative behavior, everyone actually started to have a good impression of Zuo Mingran, who had always had a poor reputation.

Zuo Mingran's mood was really not good. Even though she was acting, she cried for more than half an hour for real. At first, she used some eye drops to make it seem like she was crying, but later on, she genuinely felt miserable and wished she could embrace the director and sympathize with him. Why did they have to encounter such a male lead?

Zuo Mingran couldn't help but wonder what kind of strange person Ren Luning was. Did heaven see that she was too happy and deliberately send him to torment her?

Not to mention her makeup, despite having Zhan Bo, who was ready with a cushion foundation brush to touch up her makeup at any time, she still couldn't escape the consequences of smeared makeup. Her eyes were especially red, swollen from crying, and her double eyelids almost turned into single eyelids. Zuo Mingran held an ice pack prepared by Angel in her hand, wishing she could directly throw it at Ren Luning's face, making him feel the coldness of midsummer.

Zuo Mingran sat in the chair, slightly lifting her chin to look at Ren Luning. Her back was straight, and she tied up her hair when she left the scene, revealing her delicate neck and straight shoulders. Due to anger, her lips were tightly pursed into a straight line, the lip line elongated, combined with her striking eyebrows and eyes, giving off an air of indifference.

She was sitting in a position of weakness, but still managed to emit an aura that could be felt even ten meters away.

In comparison, Ren Luning, who was originally standing, seemed somewhat vulnerable.

After three years in the industry, except for being mocked in the beginning for having no background or connections, Ren Luning had almost forgotten about his initial appearance.

In the age of popularity, his rapid rise to fame is the best example.

When someone is willing to spend money, the company naturally invests in him. With popular talent shows, fan-centered variety shows, and trending topics on Weibo, he has managed to gain public attention and attract a large number of fans. Releasing a few albums effortlessly triggers the fan effect, propelling him to the pinnacle of popularity.

Unlike Guanxian Rui's anxiousness, Ren Luning quickly adjusts his state. He was originally standing with his hands in his pockets in front of Zuo Mingran, but now he pauses and directly meets Zuo Mingran's gaze, who is seated in the chair.

There are quite a few young girls among the crew members, and Zuo Mingran swears that she heard more than one gasp when Ren Luning awkwardly squatted down.

"Senior." As if completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Zuo Mingran's words, Ren Luning steadied himself with one hand on the chair, his eyes sparkling with starlight as referred to by his fans. The curve of his lips, seemingly calculated to perfection, lifted upwards. "I know I was wrong, I will definitely change in the future. Ruanrui, please don't be angry, okay?"

Inside her mind, Zuo Mingran cursed. If the space in the chair wasn't so limited, she would have stormed off three miles away.

Originally, she didn't find Yan Yunyang particularly good-looking after seeing him for a long time. But now, being compared to Ren Luning face-to-face, the difference was starkly apparent.

Ren Luning's public image is that of a cute puppy. He used to be seen constantly displaying his cute gestures on various variety shows, and his fans loved it. He has gained quite a following among young mothers and older sisters.

But obviously, Zuo Mingran is not a fan of either type.

She frowned as she looked at Ren Luning in front of her, as well as the throat lozenges that were delivered to her. Angel noticed her expression and remembered the reminder from Shuangxia and Mao Mao. She discreetly tugged at Zuo Mingran's clothes, reminding her to be mindful.

Zuo Mingran lowered the corners of her eyes and gave a sarcastic smile. "Did your assistant buy these for you? Or did your fans give them to you?"

Ren Luning remained silent with a smile. Zuo Mingran didn't say anything further. She took the throat lozenges and examined them. Just as Ren Luning thought the matter would end there and was about to stand up, Zuo Mingran suddenly raised her hand and pressed it on his shoulder.

Being in a crouched position already made it difficult to exert force, and Zuo Mingran's unexpected move caught Ren Luning off guard. He was pressed back down, even lower than Zuo Mingran who was sitting in the chair.

The hand on his shoulder seemed to possess an enormous strength. Shocked, Ren Luning struggled slightly, but he was firmly pressed down. He had to grab the leg of the chair with one hand to prevent himself from sitting on the ground.

"Do you want to rely on your looks for a living?" Zuo Mingran raised an eyebrow, looking at Ren Luning with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "To show this side of yourself in front of me, isn't it a bit too arrogant?"

Ren Luning's face changed, he is not bad-looking, otherwise he wouldn't have been praised so much and gained so many fans.

But Zuo Mingran is a unique existence in the entertainment circle, where beautiful women are aplenty. With just her face alone, she can pave her way to success, which proves how remarkable her face is.

Even if others can't stand Zuo Mingran, they have to admit that she outshines everyone else. If anyone's entertainment news says that someone outshines Zuo Mingran, not only her fans, even ordinary people will mock that person for days.

It is true that no one can surpass Zuo Mingran when it comes to relying on her looks for a living.

Ren Luning forced a smile and said, "Ranran, what are you saying?"

Zuo Mingran clicked her tongue impatiently and leaned closer to him, saying, "I'm saying, does bone reduction surgery hurt?"

Ren Luning's expression immediately darkened. Zuo Mingran looked at the subtle change in his face and chuckled softly, "And your nose, don't you think the lights on set are too bright? What if they shine on something they shouldn't..."

Zuo Mingran hesitated to continue speaking. She lowered her eyes, staring at Ren Luning's eyes and said, "Your fans love you so much, they must watch every episode, right?"

Ren Luning suddenly stood up, and Zuo Mingran timely let go of his hand. They had been talking here for so long, the director couldn't possibly not notice. Perhaps he would come to arrest them soon.

"Take your medicine with you," Ren Luning called out to him as he turned to leave. Zuo Mingran supported her chin with one hand and threw him the throat lozenges with the other, smiling gently, "Since your fans have given you so many things, make good use of them and let them see your face for even longer."

"You!" Ren Luning suddenly took a step forward, but was firmly held back by his assistant, so he could only take a deep breath and smile at Zuo Mingran, "Senior is right, I should indeed learn from you."

Everyone knows that Zuo Mingran's acting skills have become the target of mocking by haters. What Ren Luning said was simply a way to stab her back.

Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that Zuo Mingran had already changed completely inside her shell. This small stab couldn't touch her at all.

Zuo Mingran casually lay back on the recliner, not caring at all, and said slowly, word by word, "Senior's advice is to eat more walnuts. At such a young age, you should pay attention to your memory, so it doesn't get worse in the future."

Watching Ren Luning being dragged away by the assistant director who ran over, Zuo Mingran was in a great mood. She placed an ice pack on her eyes to cool them down.

As the female lead, she had a lot of scenes every day, and they weren't shot in chronological order. She could be crying her heart out in one scene and then transform into a fierce woman in high heels, completely splitting her character.

She had no experience, no skills, and no so-called talent. She could only rely on her instincts to get into character, completely immersing herself as the female lead, He Jiangna, in order to perform. So much so that she had to chat with someone after each day of shooting to recover. Sometimes she was An Qi, sometimes she was Mao Mao, and even Yan Yunyang had been caught by her twice.

Thinking of Yan Yunyang, Zuo Mingran pursed her lips. Since their talk that day, Yan Yunyang's assistant, Wen Mo, brought her the contract the next day. Zuo Mingran had her lawyer go over it and once there were no issues, she promptly signed the documents, waiting for the day she would become a wealthy woman.

But Yan Yunyang seemed to suddenly become very busy. Not only did he not come to the set casually anymore, but sometimes she would come home and not find him there. She didn't know if he was off on some business trip again.

The weather was getting colder each day. Zuo Mingran thought for a moment, removed the ice pack from her eyes, and took out her phone to compose a message and send it out.

After waiting for two minutes with no response, Zuo Mingran expressionlessly turned off her phone, intending to continue lying there like a corpse. But then, a chubby boy came over from the opposite side holding something.

The boy was Wen Feifei's assistant, Xiao Fei. Both his personality and appearance were soft and likable.

"Ranran," Xiao Fei walked up to Zuo Mingran and felt a bit embarrassed, knowing about the conflict between his artist and Zuo Mingran, "Feifei asked me to bring you something. It's an eye mask for reducing puffiness. It's really good for reducing swelling. Feifei has a tendency to water retention, so she uses it every morning."

Zuo Mingran was quite surprised as she took the eye mask and glanced over at Wen Feifei's resting place not far away.

Wen Feifei was currently acting in a scene with others, but she was also paying attention to this side. When Zuo Mingran looked up, their eyes met.

The distance between the two was not close, but Zuo Mingran still smiled and waved the eye mask in her hand toward her, indicating that she had received it. Wen Feifei seemed surprised that she was caught, her face showing a bit of awkwardness, and she immediately turned back to continue with her lines.

Zuo Mingran then smiled brightly at Xiao Fei, "Tell Feifei thank you for the eye mask."

*

At the same time, Yan Yunyang was sitting across from Liu Qinghe in a café.

The weather outside was not good, with dark clouds looming, as if there was going to be a heavy rain. Yan Yunyang's phone on the table buzzed twice, displaying a WeChat message.

He glanced down and saw who the message was from. A slight smile unconsciously appeared in his usually deep eyes.

Liu Qinghe sensed his change and picked up his coffee to take a sip, "Is it a message from Ranran?"

"Um." Yan Yunyang turned his phone upside down on the table, clearly not interested in discussing the topic.

Liu Qinghe didn't say anything and took out a contract from her bag, placing it between them.

Yan Yunyang: "What is this?"

Liu Qinghe looked somewhat embarrassed and whispered, "This is the contract prepared by your uncle and the others."

Yan Yunyang looked at her expressionlessly, and Liu Qinghe instinctively avoided his gaze. "After all, it is related to the company's development. We still need to be careful. Your uncle and the others specifically prepared this contract for the cooperation."

"I know." Before she could finish her sentence, Yan Yunyang interrupted her and picked up the contract to skim through it. Yan Yunyang said, "I will take it back to have the lawyer review it before giving you an answer."

Upon hearing him say that, Liu Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how many years she had spent in the business world, she always felt guilty in front of her one and only son. If she hadn't made the heartless decision to leave back then...

Unlike their previous meeting at the airport, there seemed to be a barrier between the two this time. After a while, Yan Yunyang stood up and said to Liu Qinghe, "I'll head back to the company first. I'll have the driver take you home later."

Liu Qinghe quickly replied, "It's alright, I'll call someone to come and pick me up later."

Yan Yunyang nodded and left without saying anything.

Outside, the wind blew strong. Yan Yunyang pushed open the door and was hit by a gust of wind, which blew across his face. He stood at the doorway for a moment, then took out his mobile phone from his pocket and opened the WeChat app. He sent a message to the person he had just been chatting with.

--- "Okay, let's have hotpot tonight."