Chapter 2: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (2)
The words “scared” carried Su Mingxiu’s usual lukewarm tone, making it hard to fathom her true intentions, but sending chills down Yu Yinglan’s spine due to her unpredictable methods. Yu Yinglan nodded instinctively, almost without thinking.
Then, she suddenly realized something and shook her head vigorously.
However, Su Mingxiu didn’t pursue it further. The moment Yu Yinglan nodded, she casually placed the long ruler on the corner of the table and said to her: “If you’re scared, don’t try to fool me with such a performance. I’ll check again tomorrow morning. I hope the ‘Pass’ on your report card wasn’t a clerical error by the teacher.”
Yu Yinglan bit her lower lip, wanting to apologize, but saw Su Mingxiu wave her hand dismissively. Only when she safely walked out of the room did she come back to her senses—
She was let off so easily?
After all, even the teacher, when he heard that her learning outcomes would be checked by Su Mingxiu at the end of the class in the afternoon, had given her a sympathetic look. Everyone knew that Su Mingxiu’s repeated success in creating stars was inseparable from her strict methods of training artists.
Yu Yinglan had originally prepared herself to be severely punished before returning to her room. Now that she had come out unscathed, she didn’t feel relieved at all.
Instead, she felt even more uneasy, unsure whether she was too incompetent or… Su Mingxiu treated her differently?
The moment the latter bold guess surfaced, she couldn’t help but hold her breath.
In the study.
Su Mingxiu took advantage of the time before dinner to contact the director of the crew she had just chosen. Glancing at the several work email notifications that popped up in the computer window, she originally wanted to ignore them, but the system jumped out again:
[Star Entertainment will become the protagonist’s property in the future. Before that, you must work hard to ensure the normal operation of Star Entertainment.]
“Hmm?” Su Mingxiu raised her eyebrows, unexpectedly, she, the tool sharpener, would be utilized so thoroughly.
Not only did she have to help the protagonist grow in the early stages and give her the final test, but she also had to put away the reward for clearing the stage herself.
The emails on the desktop were opened, the computer screen reflecting her dark eyes. The person sitting at the desk suddenly responded: “Alright.”
Su Mingxiu picked up her phone from the table and called her lawyer, mentioning that she needed to revise her will and making an appointment to meet.
The person on the other end of the phone teased her: “Weren’t you planning to donate everything? Could it be that some young one has caught your fancy?”
She only smiled without saying a word.
The system, which had been listening to her arrangements the whole time, hesitated for a moment. Of course, it knew that when Su Mingxiu pushed Yu Yinglan into the abyss again and the protagonist rose again, she would definitely not let Su Mingxiu go. Not only would she take everything Su Mingxiu had in Star Entertainment, but she would also return the humiliation she had suffered a hundredfold.
However, it felt that Su Mingxiu’s method of setting up a will to plan her assets for Yu Yinglan in advance was a bit strange?
Unfortunately, the Tempering System ultimately didn’t understand the intricacies of human emotions. After confirming that Su Mingxiu’s current actions didn’t affect the plot, it acquiesced.
The next day.
Su Mingxiu sat at the breakfast table, carefully spreading butter evenly on the bread before taking the time to look at Yu Yinglan opposite her. Today, she had temporarily assigned her the task of performing fake eating. Facing her obsessive table manners, Yu Yinglan had to act as a child escaping famine, with only an empty bowl in front of her. The pressure was immense.
After Su Mingxiu slowly finished eating the bread and called “stop,” Yu Yinglan looked over with bright eyes, filled with an inexplicable expectation.
Su Mingxiu wiped her hands with a napkin, took a sip of milk, and then said to her: “Assistant Lu will take you to the W company headquarters at seven o’clock. This is your first luxury endorsement. They will have you try out a commercial. As long as you perform normally, it won’t be a problem to get a one-year contract.”
Yu Yinglan didn’t get the performance review she was expecting, only her schedule for the day. Seeing that Su Mingxiu had even arranged her evening business banquet, she finally couldn’t help but ask: “You…”
“Hmm?” Su Mingxiu raised her eyelids slightly, her jet-black pupils staring at her as if asking what her doubts were.
The little girl being stared at was still too young. Her cheeks puffed up slightly, and she finally deflated, asking in a small voice: “Do you have other plans today?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to bite her tongue.
What she really wanted to ask was why the other party wasn’t going with her today?
Sure enough, the person being asked smiled even wider. Although it was a gentle expression, it bloomed with a dazzling brilliance, attracting attention. At the same time, a cold voice that contrasted with this gentle facade came:
“I don’t think I’ve ever given you the right to control me?”
Even when she sat in the assistant’s car and arrived at the W company, Yu Yinglan hadn’t recovered from this sentence.
A senior who had worked with her before told her that Su Mingxiu’s actions always carried an indescribable charm that made people uncontrollably want to get closer. Once they got closer, they would have the urge to submit. She was born to be a ruler standing in the clouds.
The word “control” still echoed in her mind. She suddenly remembered her gambler father. The man never held back when hitting her, only because her eyes never changed when she was beaten.
So he became more and more ruthless each time, even pulling her hair and asking her slurredly if she had been subdued yet?
Even the neighbors nearby advised her not to be stubborn, as if her unyielding spirit was also a mistake.
Later, she learned to restrain herself, pretending to be weak, obedient, and helpless. Sure enough, her situation improved a little, but the flame in her heart burned even brighter.
She longed for the man’s death more than ever, and she wanted to be the one to deliver it.
The book said that some people were born rebellious. Yu Yinglan deeply agreed. Whoever wanted to control her would regret it. Su Mingxiu was the most controlling person she had ever seen in her life. Even her father would tremble at Su Mingxiu’s status—
Yu Yinglan was also afraid of her, but the more afraid she was, the more she wanted to get closer.
Because when the bones trembled to the extreme, they would boil.
“Teacher Yu?” The W brand manager who came to meet her was holding the design concept of the new product. He was halfway through his explanation when he saw her staring blankly and couldn’t help but remind her.
Yu Yinglan immediately blushed and apologized. Her appearance fell into the eyes of others. The design director in the corner had an even bigger headache. He sat in the corner with his arms crossed and complained to the advertising director beside him: “Even if you’re looking for a celebrity endorsement, you should find someone with more aura… The muse of my design is Su. Only she can be the owner of this watch. Even if you couldn’t convince her, where did you pick up this little white rabbit? Do you think this is an advertisement for a children’s watch?”
The advertising director thought of the person he mentioned and nodded approvingly. Everyone who had met Su Mingxiu would be impressed by her temperament. Many people in the industry had jokingly advised her that instead of painstakingly packaging others to debut, she should step out from behind the scenes and onto the screen. She would be the only king on the stage.
After a moment of emotion, he replied soberly: “This is a newcomer under Su, the great agent. The people she fancies are never simple, you know.”
“Oh?” Hearing him say this, the brand director looked at Yu Yinglan again.
At this moment, the rising star in the industry had already entered the fitting room.
Not long after, the curtain was pulled open, and a woman in a black and white striped professional suit walked out. Her previously weak temperament disappeared, as if she had changed into a different person. Her fair fingertips slowly buttoned the last button of her collar, and her gaze turned to the brand manager: “To become its master, not its bearer, is that right?”
Yu Yinglan recalled the irregular dial, cold tones, and sharp edges of the watch design on the design drawing. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, which made her tone and pauses different, as if everything in front of her was quietly waiting, waiting for her bestowal.
The person in charge of communicating with her was stunned.
Suddenly, sporadic applause sounded from not far away. The design director stood up and looked at her with some surprise. Then, as if remembering something, he praised: “You’re great.”
“You remind me of my initial muse… I almost thought I saw her just now.”
How could Yu Yinglan imitate her so well?
At this moment, the “person” being mentioned was at a private racecourse in the suburbs.
After fastening the buckle at the top of her riding boots, Su Mingxiu straightened up, tall and straight like a pine tree, yet sharp like a blade. When she reached the wall, she casually picked a long riding whip woven with red and black, but didn’t hang it on her waist. Instead, she rubbed the metal snake head on the handle of the whip, stroked the patterns on the whip inch by inch, and slowly walked out.
Before reaching the stable, she met the person she had an appointment with. Seeing her attire, the visitor couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes. After a while, he finally found his words: “I heard that there’s a newcomer you like very much recently. Did you invite me today because of her?”
There was a highly anticipated big-budget production in the industry called “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers.” The cast was very luxurious, and the investors were also quite powerful. Although Star Entertainment also had capital invested, it was still not easy to influence the choices of the producers and director in important casting decisions.
The person Su Mingxiu invited today was the director of this drama, Ying Song. He and Su Mingxiu were in the same circle and were relatively familiar with each other.
Su Mingxiu nodded and walked towards the stable with him. Normally, the person in charge should lead their horses out, but Su Mingxiu’s horse was special. It was a golden, fiery mare with Akhal-Teke blood, with a temper like its owner, uncontrollable by anyone. Even when feeding and walking it, the people serving it had to be extremely careful.
The first time Su Mingxiu saw this horse, her eyes lit up. Every strand of the horse’s mane seemed to be condensed from sunlight, smooth and shiny, more dazzling than gold.
“‘Yun Jin’ is still so beautiful.” Ying Song praised beside her, a hint of envy in his eyes, and then smiled at Su Mingxiu: “You’re very stingy with your treasures. You’re willing to let me see this horse again today, let me guess—the casting for ‘Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers’ has already ended, you wouldn’t want me to make an exception, would you?”
Su Mingxiu finally put down the riding whip and picked up the brush beside her, carefully brushing the fur of the little darling in front of her.
She didn’t say anything, which surprised Ying Song even more. He leaned closer and his voice became a few degrees louder: “No way? Sister Su, Ancestor Su, this matter has already been decided. You know who the female lead is. When that Mr. Song from Bai Yao Media wanted to push his lover into the position, he invested a lot of money. Didn’t Star Entertainment avoid the conflict at that time? Why are you changing your mind now?”
“Just for the newcomer under you? I saw her on the way here. She does have potential and is very malleable. But how big is the production team of ‘Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers’? I need actors who are stable and don’t cause trouble. Her? At this stage, even the fifth female lead is better than her. You’re trying to make something grow faster than it naturally would!”
Amidst the nagging complaints, Su Mingxiu put down the brush and stroked the horse’s neck as she looked at him: “I don’t need the female lead.”
“I want that villain role. You hold another internal audition. I only want this opportunity. Whether it works or not is up to you.”
After a pause, the woman added: “Haven’t you always coveted Yun Jin? One month, if you can tame her, she’s yours. This exchange isn’t a bad deal, right?”
After settling things with Director Ying and accompanying him for a few laps around the racecourse, Su Mingxiu met with her lawyer who had just finished afternoon tea. After revising her will with him and preparing to go home, the system became restless again.
[The protagonist encountered ill-intentioned people at the banquet. Please proceed to the location as soon as possible.]
Su Mingxiu, who had been running around all day, laughed in anger: “Am I the villain or the lackey?”
The system calmly replied: “A stepping stone, of course, is both an obstacle and a boost—both a villain and a lackey.”
But when Su Mingxiu arrived, she found that Yu Yinglan happened to be walking out of the hotel with her assistant. The other party was originally walking in the other direction.
But somehow, she glanced over here. The next second, she recognized Su Mingxiu’s license plate and actually trotted towards them.
When the car door opened, those exceptionally bright eyes caught Su Mingxiu’s attention. “Agent Su… Are you here to pick me up?”
Su Mingxiu’s gaze swept over her, finding nothing amiss. Guessing that the problem had been solved, she noncommittally moved inwards, seemingly acquiescing to the other party getting into the car. At the same time, she peeled a mint candy and put it in her mouth as a substitute for a meal.
Yu Yinglan, with an inexplicable burst of excitement, lost her footing when getting into the car. Her high heels tilted, and she fell straight into Su Mingxiu’s arms. The smell of alcohol, along with her fragrance, drifted into Su Mingxiu’s nose.
She raised her eyebrows, lowered her eyes to look at the person in her arms, and patiently waited for her to leave.
But Yu Yinglan, emboldened by alcohol, not only didn’t sense the danger, but instead boldly moved closer, her face as red as an apple, her breath falling near Su Mingxiu’s jaw: “I… I got the W brand contract…”
Just to say this?
Su Mingxiu bit the candy, wanting to push her away and respond, but heard her blurt out another sentence: “Will you give me a reward?”
Su Mingxiu carefully looked at the drunkard in her arms, seeing the blush on her cheeks from the alcohol, her whole being seemingly drunk and teary-eyed. Her fingertips couldn’t help but caress her cheek when a mechanical voice popped up again: “Reward her!”
Yu Yinglan’s throat moved slightly, feeling Su Mingxiu grasp her wrist. Her gaze unconsciously fixed on a small mole under Su Mingxiu’s left eye.
That mole was incredibly sexy.
But the person who possessed it was so dangerous.
Just as the other party’s long hair fell over her shoulder, brushing against Yu Yinglan’s collarbone, sending shivers down her spine, a sweet mark was left on her lips.
Along with the other party’s perfunctory sentence: “A candy as a reward.”
Too close.
Yu Yinglan felt that she only needed to slightly open her lips, and the sweet candy would fall into her mouth. That’s what she thought, and that’s what she did.
Her red lips parted slightly. Just as she was about to claim her reward, her wrist suddenly tightened, and then it was lifted—
The dazed girl looked subconsciously and saw that her hands were tied with a long red and black whip that appeared out of nowhere, locked to the support frame of the seat beside her.
“Swish.”
A soft sound, it was the sound of Su Mingxiu pressing down the window on the other side. As the car sped through the night, the cold wind whipped against Yu Yinglan’s face, unable to dodge.
She saw Su Mingxiu lean back comfortably, close her eyes, and throw a sentence at her: “However, you should sober up from being so drunk and lacking self-control.”
Reward and punishment, like the fire burning from the alcohol in her body and the wind blowing in from outside the window, Yu Yinglan was suffering in this ordeal, but she looked at Su Mingxiu’s lips and thought somewhat aggrievedly:
The candy, she hadn’t even tasted it yet.
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