Chapter 10
That year, Yuan Chengyin was studying for a master's degree in directing at Jinan Film Academy. When he was looking for actors for the film, he took a liking to Ran Long, who had just entered the campus.
At that time, Ranlong was full of spirit, lively, cheerful, sunny and lovely. Anyway, what is now, is the opposite of what it was in the past.
Yuan Chengyin exuded an artistic aura and the aura of a senior sister, and she quickly became familiar with Ranlong.
Ranlong shot many low-budget short films for Yuan Chengyin, who was not well-known at the time. Qiu An was busy with work and study, so she would only occasionally appear in the short films to help out.
At that time, Ranlong always pestered Yuan Chengyin, asking her to find a good script and get good investment after graduation, and then invite her to be her heroine, so that they could enter the film market together in a high-profile manner.
Perhaps thanks to Ranlong's good wishes, Yuan Chengyin got such an opportunity shortly after graduation.
That opportunity was the once-famous "Half a Lifelong Life".
The success of Half a Lifelong Life made Yuan Chengyin the best new director of the Golden Hong Awards that year, and also made Qiu An the best actress.
All these awards, achievements and fame have passed Ranlong by.
This opportunity shouldn't have been Qiu An's.
The protagonist position in "Half Life" should have belonged to Ran Long.
If Qiu An hadn't used every possible means, even selling her body to seduce Yuan Chengyin, how could the situation that was only a matter of a contract change suddenly?
Ranlong had evidence. She didn't believe the explanations Yuan Chengyin and Qiu An gave her later.
She had witnessed those explicit chats and seen the sexy lingerie in Qiu An's purchase history. She still remembered the feeling of nausea when she saw those things. She vomited all the dumplings Qiu An had brought her for breakfast.
-Let's do it tonight.
- I'm busy. I'll be there in two days.
-Does this dress look good on you?
-Photo withdrawn
-You also bought this?
-Um.
-Then tonight. Come to my place or go to Xiaoran's?
-Let's get a room outside.
Seeing that Qiu An was struggling, Ranlong rented a two-bedroom apartment off campus and asked her to live with him. He was worried that Qiu An would feel like she owed him a favor and wouldn't want to stay, so he said he didn't want to sleep in the dormitory and felt it would be too lonely living alone, so he begged her to come with him.
She was so kind-hearted, but Qiu An was such an ungrateful person. He knew clearly that she was secretly in love with Yuan Chengyin at that time, so he could seduce anyone else to get a room with him, but he had to seduce his own lover.
It’s because Yuan Chengyin graduated, signed a contract with a film and television company, and has resources at hand.
Even more infuriating was the fact that the portfolio Yuan Chengyin submitted to the company featured numerous films starring Ran Long. Yuan Chengyin's signing was largely due to Ran Long's support. Unfortunately, after all his hard work, he ended up helping Qiu An.
That's ridiculous.
After the release of Half a Lifelong, critical acclaim swelled, yet box office sales plummeted. Feeling dejected, Ran Long invited Qiu An and Yuan Chengyin to a Western restaurant in the name of congratulations.
As soon as the appetizer was served, Ranlong lost his temper and threw the wine glass all over Qiu An's face.
She laughed and apologized, and when she asked the two to get up and clean up, she slapped Qiu An with her front hand and then slapped Yuan Chengyin with her back hand.
This wicked act of revenge was secretly filmed and went viral shortly after Qiu An was named Best Actress. The public was buzzing with it, and fans were clamoring for it. Ironically, by the time the video was released, it had become even more popular than the film itself.
Soon, the direction of public opinion was manipulated by Qiu An's team, and the people seeking the truth disappeared overnight, replaced by overwhelming condemnation and abuse of Ranlong.
Ranlong became infamous from then on.
She didn't care about the insults. From beginning to end, she only regretted why she didn't slap Qiu An a few more times.
Shivering with cold air.
"Xiao Ran, are you cold? Is the air conditioner turned down too low? I brought an extra layer of clothes to keep you warm."
Seeing Ranlong's trembling hands and feet, Qiu An picked up the thin jacket draped over the back of the chair, walked over Yuan Chengyin, and wanted to hand it to Ranlong.
"Who wants to wear your clothes? Take them away!"
Ranlong had just emerged from his memories and subconsciously yelled at Qiu An.
The whole audience was stunned.
No one in the crew knew about the uproar that happened back then. Seeing the three of them reunited to film again, one would really think that the hatred from the past had been put aside.
No one expected that Ranlong would lose face in public with Qiu An, who was kind enough to take care of her.
For a moment, everyone present forgot their manners and stared at the two of them without caring about anything.
Yuan Chengyin was also stunned between the two of them, not knowing how to move forward or who to help.
Ranlong looked at Qiu An with a furious expression, her eyes filled with disgust and rejection. She had no intention of backing down, crossing her arms to see how Qiu An would respond.
She thought, "I think it should be very clear. He is such a scheming person, why don't you show it to everyone?"
Ranlong guessed right, Qiu An is indeed very capable.
After being snubbed by Ran Long in front of so many people, Qiu An wasn't embarrassed, annoyed, or mortified. He calmly put his clothes back on the chair and said to Yuan Chengyin's assistant, "Then turn up the air conditioner two degrees."
The assistant responded and went to find the remote control.
A farce was resolved so easily, and everyone's impression of Qiu Anren as a kind-hearted person and her as a vicious and aggressive person was deepened.
It’s so annoying. Sooner or later, she will tear off Qiu An’s hypocritical mask.
Halfway through reading the script, Yuan Chengyin and producer Sister Wang started arguing endlessly about some review matters. As they talked, a thin layer of sweat appeared on their foreheads.
The sole floor-standing air conditioner in the conference room was a damaged antique, yellowed and creaking. It had relapsed: if I turned it down a degree, it would cool, but if I turned it up a degree, it would shut down.
The doors and windows of the conference room were tightly closed, making it airtight. Twenty or thirty people sat around in a circle, and the room soon became as hot and stuffy as an alchemy furnace, with everyone sweating profusely.
The assistant was the only one present whose movements were unrestricted. Unable to bear the blast, she stood under the vent, using the air conditioner as a fan. She clutched the remote, waiting for the order to rescue everyone.
But Ranlong didn't say anything, so no one dared to say anything.
Ranlong was also hot, but she was distracted.
In her memory, Qiu An was a cold-blooded person who would do anything to get any opportunity, and in her eyes, all friendships were nothing more than exchanges of interests.
Sometimes it’s not necessarily an exchange, but rather a one-way request on her part.
The love Qiu An expressed for Yuan Chengyin couldn't possibly be genuine. They hadn't developed any romantic feelings at school, so how could they suddenly become so passionate and affectionate once Yuan Chengyin had the resources?
But if it was just an exchange of interests back then, why would Qiu An be jealous now because she touched Yuan Chengyin?
If it were acting, would it be too much?
Besides, what good was her jealousy? Not to mention that she had disliked Yuan Chengyin for a long time, Yuan Chengyin had only treated her as a younger sister from the beginning to the end.
Could it be that the fake play turned into reality over time?
It's so weird.
Since you love your Director Yuan so much, why did you agree to bring her along to make a movie?
It couldn't be a change of heart. If this woman had a conscience, she would have realized it long ago.
A drop of sweat slid down the dyed jawline and dripped into the script, between two dialogues, on the names of painter Yu Youxuan and office worker Shen Zixin.
"Oh my god, Qiu An! Who are you trying to overheat? Um, Director Yuan's little follower, quickly turn down the temperature!"
There were a few dripping sounds, and sighs of survivors echoed in the conference room.
Yuan Chengyin and Sister Wang regained their fighting spirit and continued to argue with each other.
Ranlong's gaze shifted between Yuan Chengyin and Qiu An. She decided to test it again to see if the glare that just flashed across her eyes was just an illusion.
Many people took advantage of the time when Yuan Chengyin and Sister Wang were arguing to go to the toilet, smoke, or stand up and stretch their hands and feet.
Ranlong also took advantage of the chaos to stand up, walked to where the mineral water was piled, and took out a bottle. Then, seemingly nonchalantly, he walked over to Yuan Chengyin and handed the mineral water to her.
Sure enough, her actions immediately attracted Qiu An's attention.
But just as Ranlong raised his head to look at her, she turned away.
Yuan Chengyin was so engrossed in the argument that he took the bottle of mineral water and stopped moving, holding it in his hand and waving it around like a weapon.
"You can't make a movie just to pass the censorship. The movie hasn't even been made yet. Why would you want to castrate yourself?"
"Haven't you already changed your mind and are determined to make money? If you continue to film something that won't pass the censorship, wouldn't that be a complete waste of money? If it doesn't pass the review, you won't be able to change it, and the entire investment in the film will be wasted. Do you still want to keep your job?"
"If it can't be shown here, we can still get it shown somewhere else!"
"How many theaters can the film you shoot here be shown in? How many screenings can it get?"
"Don't assume the current plot won't pass censorship! We need to have more of it first, so they'll know that something like this can exist and be broadcast!"
"I'm talking to you about investment and returns, and you're talking to me about art and ideals, huh?"
The conversation went on and on, and no matter how hard they tried, people with different perspectives couldn't reach an agreement. After just a few sentences, Ranlong grew bored and, seizing the opportunity, plucked the water bottle from Yuan Chengyin's hand.
She unscrewed the lid and handed it to Yuan Chengyin's mouth, hoping that Yuan Chengyin would be so engrossed in the quarrel that she would feed him a mouthful.
Here it comes. Flying glares. Ranlong gritted his teeth and endured the vicious gaze, determined to feed the water to Yuan Chengyin.
Yuan Chengyin was about to drink subconsciously, but when he realized that the hands in front of him belonged to Ran Long, his alarm bells rang.
She didn't understand what Ranlong was up to, but the hairs on her body stood up and she quickly said, "Thank you, Xiaoran! I can do it myself!"
Yuan Chengyin immediately shrunk her neck away from her mouth and reached out to take the water from Ranlong's hand. As luck would have it, in her haste, she didn't notice that her four fingers had landed on the back of Ranlong's hand.
Ranlong: Huh?
Yuan Chengyin: Someone please save me.
Qiu An jumped up from her chair. The script on her lap fell to the ground with a thud. Ran Long's hand loosened, and Yuan Chengyin didn't dare to catch it. The water bottle also fell to the ground.
The bottle rolled to Qiu An's feet, and the splashing water soaked the shoes and trouser legs of the four people. Qiu An's script was soaked through by the water flowing out of the bottle...
Yuan Chengyin's assistant saw this and felt a pang of despair. What were these people doing all day long, and none of them had any experience with housework? They'd made a mess, and she was the one who had to clean it up.
Ranlong sat back in the chair, assuming a "well-behaved" attitude, but in her heart she was secretly recalling Qiu An's actions just now.
Look at Qiu An's jealous expression. Look at Yuan Chengyin's nagging expression.
Are these two people really having a secret relationship?
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