Chapter 13: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (13)
The night before the third year’s Superstar List was announced, the system started urging Su Mingxiu: “Congratulations to the host for completing the mission ‘Help the female lead hold the top spot on the Superstar List for three consecutive years.’ Please complete the remaining parts as soon as possible: let her reach the peak of stardom, then devise a scheme to make her indebted, taking away everything she has.”
At that moment, Su Mingxiu was choosing a gift for Yu Yinglan.
Various brands had sent their latest product catalogs to the villa, but she looked through them all, and the luxury jewelry and watches were either already endorsed by Yu Yinglan or were in the process of negotiating contracts. Brand ambassadors, brand friends, global spokespersons… she had all the titles, and the products in the catalogs would eventually end up in Yu Yinglan’s hands anyway.
Not to mention haute couture clothing and limited edition bags.
If she wanted to give something special, she either had to look for something unearthed or create it herself.
Su Mingxiu was hesitating when she heard the system’s reminder and responded lazily: “I haven’t even had time to ask you, what happens to me in this world after I complete the mission?”
[As a whetstone, you witnessed the female lead’s downfall, lifted her to the top, and then let her fall. Naturally, you have to live until she rises again—after the female lead repays her debts and takes revenge on you, you will first lose all your wealth, then your health, and finally your life.]
After a pause, the system comforted her: “Don’t worry, even if you die naturally according to the world’s laws, as a special consideration for task performers, the process is generally painless. You only need to hold on for another three months.”
Thinking about Yu Yinglan, who had already fallen for her, Su Mingxiu thoughtfully stroked her chin.
The system added at this moment: “Are you sure you don’t want to start a relationship with her now? Once the plot progresses to the point where the protagonist is in debt and loses everything, your identity will change to the villain who needs to be defeated. By then, even if you want to be with her, you won’t be able to.”
Su Mingxiu asked back with a smile: “Really?”
System: [?]
It became slightly wary, but remembering that since entering this world, Su Mingxiu’s greatest act of defiance was refusing to start a relationship with Yu Yinglan as arranged, it relaxed a bit.
After all, she still needed its help. So it said: “What, have you changed your mind? It’s not too late to agree to be with her now.”
“Here’s fifty cents,” Su Mingxiu coaxed, using the tone one would use with a pet. “Go find a movie to watch and stop thinking about my real-life version.”
System: [!]
Ignoring it, Su Mingxiu put down the catalog and went to rest.
The next day, she received a notice from her secretary that there was a shareholder meeting at Star Entertainment and she needed to attend on time. In the office, the CEO’s report reached her ears: “As we all know, a few days ago, we discovered signs of life in the Z star system. With the advancement of energy technology, wealthy individuals are now turning their attention to space.
Once we establish contact with the new civilization, cultural and entertainment exports… Star Entertainment has already secured advertising space on spaceships… To quickly tap into this market, I suggest promoting a cultural representative—”
Everyone present smelled the enormous business opportunities behind this. But what Su Mingxiu thought of was, is this the moment for Yu Yinglan to reach the pinnacle of her life?
How could an international superstar compare to a universal superstar?
Thinking of this, her mood brightened even more. Perhaps it was because good things bring good spirits, but when she returned home and continued browsing through the jewelry catalogs, she happened to see a few sapphires with high clarity. They were clear and pure, just like Yu Yinglan’s clean and beautiful eyes, captivating.
She immediately instructed someone to order those sapphires.
Yu Yinglan tore off another page from the calendar.
Her schedule was extremely busy now, and it was difficult to even squeeze out a full day of free time. To make matters worse, Su Mingxiu was being heartless and hadn’t come to visit her on set recently. If the mountain wouldn’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.
She asked Assistant Lu to compress her schedule, finally squeezing out half a month of free time. She decided to use this time to properly spend time with Su Mingxiu and try to make her acknowledge her feelings.
She waited eagerly for her break, packing her things even more enthusiastically than Assistant Lu. As she folded the last piece of clothing into her suitcase, she suddenly heard Assistant Lu knock on the door. Turning around, she saw the other party’s troubled expression.
“Teacher Yu…”
“What’s wrong?” Yu Yinglan guessed that there must have been a change in her schedule and frowned. “Didn’t I tell you to inform the publicity department that any changes to my work arrangements need to be communicated in advance? What’s the problem now?”
Having worked with her for a long time, Assistant Lu knew that she wasn’t as innocent and harmless as she appeared to be at first glance. She knew when she was easy to talk to and when she was difficult to deal with. Clearly, this was the latter.
But she still had to bite the bullet and explain: “It’s… Agent Su’s arrangement.”
Yu Yinglan’s eyes widened slightly.
Assistant Lu closed her eyes, ready to face her fate as she explained: “Star Entertainment has a promotional event on a new planet this time, and they’ve chosen you as the cultural ambassador. Agent Su booked a spaceship for you a month ago. They just informed us that you must attend this promotional event. She said that considering your recent work pressure, the event will be relaxed, so you can treat it as a space vacation.”
“Ugh…” Yu Yinglan said through gritted teeth: “Is she that afraid of being alone with me?”
The oblivious Assistant Lu didn’t understand what she meant: “Huh?”
Yu Yinglan stood still for a few seconds, let out a breath, and lowered her head to pick up her phone, sending a message to Su Mingxiu: “I can change my plans, but this doesn’t count as a vacation. When I come back, I still get my break.”
The reply came quickly: “Okay.”
Still feeling angry, Yu Yinglan typed another message: “By then, shouldn’t you give me an answer about that matter?”
She waited for five minutes.
No reply came.
Yu Yinglan clenched her phone, thinking that no matter what Su Mingxiu did then, she would insist on getting an answer.
Thinking of this, she rubbed her inexplicably flushed cheeks.
“Cute.”
Su Mingxiu put her phone aside, adding the final stroke to the red peach she had painted on a branch. Her voice carried a hint of affectionate laughter, unsure if she was praising the peach or something else.
While waiting for the painting to dry, she went to her computer and saw the contract she had tailored for Yu Yinglan to fall into debt. She carefully checked the terms and nodded with satisfaction, feeling that she was one step closer to completing the mission.
Then, she put down her brush and walked to the other side of the room.
Only half of the study remained as it was. The other half had been completely transformed. An expensive diamond cutting machine had been brought in, along with various polishing tools. Su Mingxiu walked over to her work chair, picked up a piece of pure white lace, and compared it to a sapphire in the glass cabinet, nodding with satisfaction.
Seven days later.
Yu Yinglan finished her promotional activities and landed at night. The skyscrapers and billboards along the coast of the port city were covered with her promotional materials, congratulating her on becoming the cultural ambassador between the two planets, and playing her brand endorsements.
The night sky became colorful, but her gaze went beyond the glitz and glamour, towards the forest villa.
A few hours later.
She stepped into the villa, exhausted, handing her luggage to the servant, and headed straight for the brightly lit bedroom on the second floor.
As she entered the room.
The usually aloof woman was standing by the balcony. She was wearing a burgundy nightgown that didn’t reach her knees, revealing her long, slender legs. Hearing the movement, she turned her head, the moonlight still lingering in her eyes, making them sparkle: “You’re back?”
Yu Yinglan nodded and gathered her courage to walk towards her.
She had only taken one step when Su Mingxiu said: “There are two things on the table for you.”
Yu Yinglan looked over and saw a flat, rectangular wooden box, made of luxurious yet understated material. Beside it lay a thick stack of paper that looked like a contract.
She walked over and picked up the contract first, realizing it was a project, with the script inside.
Su Mingxiu leaned against the railing, her long hair cascading over her shoulders and collarbone, exuding a casual charm: “You’ve reached the peak in front of the screen, do you want to try being a queen behind the scenes?”
“What is this?”
“A project I really like,” Su Mingxiu said, looking at her intently. “Although it has a good cast, it hasn’t found the right investors and director. If someone can make it happen, I would be very happy.”
Yu Yinglan’s heart pounded under her gaze.
She was like a traveler in the desert, parched with thirst, and the mirage of an oasis appeared before her eyes. For a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was a deceitful illusion.
But the reward at the end was too tempting. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance that it was real, she would go for it without hesitation.
Su Mingxiu slowly walked up to her, gently placing her hand on the jewelry box, smiling as she kissed the corner of her lips, her voice more intimate than ever: “It’s okay if you fail—”
“Just open this box, put on what’s inside, and come find me.”
Yu Yinglan was sent away in a daze.
When she came back to her senses, she realized that she had already left the villa, holding the box and the project proposal.
Under the moonlight, she gazed at the balcony where Su Mingxiu had been standing, her eyes fixed on it for a long time, as if imagining the view from below when Su Mingxiu was standing there.
After a long while, she turned and left the villa, tucking a fallen green leaf into her pocket.
She thought she would be back soon.
However, when she poured all her savings into the project, contacted the actors, and was ready to start filming, Yi Jia rushed over with a pile of information: “This is impossible to film!”
“This theme is taboo. Even if it’s adapted and filmed, it’s unlikely to pass censorship. This is a movie, who would be stupid enough to invest billions only to see it disappear without a trace? Besides, have you checked the backgrounds of these actors? I spent half a month investigating them, and guess what?”
Yu Yinglan was discussing script revisions with the screenwriter. Hearing this, she only glanced at Yi Jia: “Tell me.”
Yi Jia looked at her with a sneer: “I wouldn’t say they’re all scum, but let’s just say they’re a complete mess—even if your script is revised, miraculously passes censorship, and somehow gets released, these actors are all ticking time bombs. If even one of them gets exposed, this movie will definitely be taken down.”
“Who on earth brainwashed you into taking on such a money-losing project?”
“You’re a successful superstar, why would you suddenly want to become a director? Are you living too comfortably? Are you going for a retro style? Do you want to go back to the days when you couldn’t even afford to eat?”
Hearing her words, Yu Yinglan’s expression remained unchanged, but she carefully looked through the information Yi Jia had given her.
At a glance.
The scandals surrounding the lead actors were so numerous that they couldn’t be written down on a single A4 sheet of paper.
She put away the information and smiled at Yi Jia: “Thank you for your help, I’ll be careful.”
Seeing that Yu Yinglan was determined to jump into the trap, Yi Jia crossed her arms and stared at her for a long time, her thoughts suddenly finding the truth: “This can’t be a trap set by Su Mingxiu, can it?”
“What did she promise you that made you lose your mind?”
As expected, Yi Jia received no answer.
Seeing that Yu Yinglan was wholeheartedly devoted to this project, even willing to invest her own money and become the director herself, Yi Jia gave up on trying to persuade her and decided to wait and see how long it would take for her to hit a wall.
Since the owner of the house wasn’t entertaining her, she found her own amusement.
There were a few holographic game keys on the bookshelf. Remembering the prices of these games, Yi Jia was tempted. She stood on her tiptoes, stretching out her arm to reach for the game box—
“Thud,” “Clang.”
The item she wanted fell to the floor.
Along with it, a long wooden box also fell.
Yu Yinglan, who heard the sound, glanced over. She was about to look away when her eyes landed on the wooden box. She suddenly said: “Don’t touch it.”
Yi Jia: “!”
She immediately raised her hands in surrender, knowing that she had touched something important.
Only when Yu Yinglan put down her work and walked over to her, picking up the box, did Yi Jia curiously crane her neck: “What’s so precious? Let me see?”
Yu Yinglan originally intended to open this box on the day of her victory.
But now that it had been dropped, she wasn’t sure if the contents were damaged, so she opened it to check.
Several clear sapphires were nestled on a delicate white lace.
She picked up the ornament and, as if by instinct, knew where it should be worn. Walking to the full-length mirror in the room, she raised it to her neck—
It fit perfectly.
Yi Jia’s question came at this moment:
“This is a necklace?”
Yu Yinglan, looking at the fragile and precious necklace in the mirror, thought of the disastrous cast lineup in the information her friend had just brought, and the project that all investors had avoided.
Su Mingxiu’s smiling words still echoed in her ears: “It’s okay if you fail, just open the box, put on what’s inside, and come find me.”
Her fingers suddenly tightened.
The question that had been lingering in her mind finally had an answer.
So…
That person wasn’t unaware of her feelings.
It was just that, if she wanted to stand by her side, she had to change her identity.
Yu Yinglan closed her eyes, as if she couldn’t feel the pain of the sharp-edged sapphires digging into her palm. Her voice, suppressed by her emotions, became a little hoarse. She let out a short, abrupt laugh and answered Yi Jia’s question: “It’s a collar.”
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