Chapter 9: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (9)
[She likes you.]
The system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly reappeared, making its presence known.
Su Mingxiu’s expression remained calm, as if she didn’t hear the sincerity in Yu Yinglan’s words. The system, unable to bear the silence, added: “You should give her a response.”
[Oh? What kind of response?]
She picked up the red wine glass beside her, swirling the crimson liquid inside, her eyes fixed on the shimmering reflection on the rim of the glass. As the mellow aroma of the wine wafted into her nostrils, she heard the system’s urging: “Be with her.”
Su Mingxiu glanced at the protagonist, who was sitting across from her, having dinner, and stealing glances in her direction, thinking she was being discreet. She quickly responded: “I’ve noticed that you’re very interested in getting us together.”
System: “I’m just helping the host complete the mission better.”
That’s not right.
Su Mingxiu narrowed her eyes, recalling that when she first transmigrated, the system had only given her brief reminders about supporting the protagonist’s career. Later, when it appeared more frequently, it was mostly urging her to do something with the protagonist.
First, it hinted that she could have an intimate relationship with the protagonist, and now it was eager for them to be together.
Compared to career setbacks, the system seemed…
More eager to see Yu Yinglan being played by her emotionally.
Why?
Su Mingxiu put down her glass, feeling that the heating in the room was too high. She got up and walked to the window. The Su residence’s architecture was traditional, with exquisite gardens and layout, full of ancient charm. The window lattice design was a mix of wood and glass. As she pushed it open, she saw a potted red crabapple tree with several flower buds on its emerald green branches.
Yu Yinglan’s voice came from behind: “Is the food not to your liking? I’ll tell the housekeeper—”
“No need.” Su Mingxiu replied without turning her head.
The cold wind from outside blew in, lowering the lingering heat in the room. She stood there for a while, then walked to the door and instructed the Su family’s housekeeper: “Move the crabapple tree outside my room to another place.”
“It’s not the season for it to bloom.”
In the room, Yu Yinglan, who heard her voice, tightened her grip on her chopsticks, subconsciously thinking, was this Su Mingxiu’s controlling nature acting up, even wanting to control the flowers? Or… was it a subtle reminder directed at her?
The New Year holidays passed in a blink of an eye.
Yu Yinglan gave Su Mingxiu another New Year’s gift and returned to the set of “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers.” Filming, wrapping up, promotion, release…
Under Su Mingxiu’s busy work arrangements, she went from one project to another, her free time filled with charity work and various endorsements.
By the time she finally found a moment to breathe in the year, the release of “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers” had completely made her famous. She was so busy that she couldn’t even spare the time to return to the villa.
Fortunately, Su Mingxiu would appear at her workplaces every now and then.
Just like now.
The woman, dressed in a silk spliced shirt, was flipping through a current magazine on a dark red leather chair. Hearing the movement from the dressing room, she looked up and saw Yu Yinglan gracefully emerging in a silver-blue gradient long dress, Assistant Lu helping her with the train behind her.
Silver threads were interwoven on the long dress, dotted with countless sparkling lights, like a galaxy falling down, the night sky splashed on her skirt, forming the deepest blue.
The front of the dress gathered the fabric from bottom to top at the neckline, the back adorned with glittering silver ornaments that cascaded down her spine, perfectly showcasing her butterfly bones and slender waist.
Yu Yinglan stood in front of Su Mingxiu and twirled, the pendants on the silver ornaments on her back clinking together, making a crisp sound that, along with the dazzling expanse of her fair skin, crashed into Su Mingxiu’s senses.
As if that wasn’t enough, she took two steps forward, leaned down, and rested her hand on Su Mingxiu’s leg, asking in a low voice: “Can I wear this to the awards ceremony tonight?”
Assistant Lu had quietly retreated at some point, even closing the door behind her.
The person sitting on the chair with her legs crossed continued to observe her calmly. Thinking about how Yu Yinglan’s ranking on the Superstar List had been steadily rising since the broadcast of “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers,” she guessed that if Yu Yinglan won the Best Actress award tonight, she would definitely enter the top ten. And with the New Year’s film being released at the end of the year…
If the box office results were good, she would definitely be the top star next year—it was difficult to climb to the top, but easier to maintain the position.
Yu Yinglan saw her own beautiful reflection in those dark eyes. Apart from the initial amazement, there was no trace of emotion or desire. She felt a little dissatisfied, and her thoughts began to stir again.
Suddenly, a weight pressed down on her leg.
Su Mingxiu came back to her senses and realized that the distance between them had become very close. This person also had a legitimate excuse, her finger resting on Su Mingxiu’s second button, leaning in with a focused whisper: “Your button is loose.”
Her slender waist brushed against Su Mingxiu’s fingertips, as if Su Mingxiu only needed to beckon, and she would slip herself between the white silk and the luxurious fabric, grasping the soft and warm skin beneath.
Even the hand resting on the shirt was causing trouble.
Pretending to button the second button, she only half-inserted it into the buttonhole before pulling it out again. Back and forth, the button wasn’t fastened, but the heat transmitted through the thin shirt intensified.
The second button, above it was the neck, below it was the unspoken territory of intimacy. Yu Yinglan was dancing on this dangerous red line, making Su Mingxiu recall how, in her previous life, a woman with the same appearance had seduced her in this way.
Were all people who looked like this natural-born seductresses?
She suddenly chuckled.
Yu Yinglan, her palm resting on the shirt, timidly looked up.
In the past six months, although Su Mingxiu’s favoritism towards her had remained unchanged, her responses to her advances were still minimal. More often than not, Su Mingxiu would teach her a lesson.
Hearing her laugh now, Yu Yinglan’s entire spine tingled. Unsure if it was a sweet reward or a whip-like warning, the mixture of anticipation and tension made her unable to decide whether to stay or leave.
Su Mingxiu grabbed her restless hand, leaned back into the chair, lowered her eyelids, and looked at her with gentle eyes: “You want to help me that much?”
After Yu Yinglan, lost in her gentle voice, nodded absentmindedly, Su Mingxiu grabbed her other hand, clasped both wrists together, and pressed them behind Yu Yinglan’s back, forcing her to fall deeper into her embrace. Only then did she hear a slow and deliberate voice from above: “But your hands are too clumsy.”
Yu Yinglan raised her neck again, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Until Su Mingxiu’s thumb pressed against her lips: “Is the makeup artist still here?”
The 37th Bailing Awards ceremony was in full swing.
The audience was vast, watching as the holographic projection equipment played each nominated work one by one. With the organizers’ ingenuity, the characters from the dramas would occasionally break free from the screen and surprise the audience.
When it was “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers’” turn, the bewitching demon who had broken the protagonist’s bones summoned her Xueji longsword. The sword hummed, flicking off countless blood droplets. As the blood droplets seemed to splatter towards the audience, they gasped and raised their hands to block—
The next moment.
The blood-red droplets swayed, transforming into ice crystals, slowing down their momentum. When they reached the audience, they had condensed into red snowflakes.
Someone reached out to catch one, and the red snowflake landed gently on their palm, gradually fading in color, becoming jade-white and clear. The six-pointed ice crystal was pure, and the voice of the character from the drama followed: “I am covered in sin, I dare not let you see me like this.”
“Look at the snow I send you, is it clean?”
The female audience member holding the snowflake projection suddenly screamed. Then, the whole venue erupted, the audience who had watched “Celebrating the Mountains and Rivers” chanting the character’s name.
And the person who played the ruthless yet deeply affectionate villain was currently in a separate dressing room, her elegant demeanor nowhere to be seen. Instead, her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was pitifully held in another person’s arms. The color on her lips had been wiped away by something, leaving them pale and slightly swollen.
As if they had been thoroughly used.
And the other person still wasn’t satisfied, asking with a chuckle: “Your mouth is clumsy too?”
Yu Yinglan couldn’t speak, her tongue numb. She looked at Su Mingxiu’s shirt, which was no longer in its previous state. It was stained with suspicious lipstick and damp marks.
But the round button still stubbornly stood outside the buttonhole, the tears in her eyes welling up even more.
She wanted to retreat, weakly acting coquettishly: “Su Su…”
But her neck was pinched. Su Mingxiu pressed her head closer to her own, her smile undiminished, her voice slow and deliberate: “Help me all the way, Teacher Yu. You’re running out of time.”
Yu Yinglan was reminded by her words and, thinking about the upcoming awards ceremony, could only hold back her tears. She leaned forward resentfully and, amidst the other party’s light perfume scent, bit down on the small button.
The silver edge of the button was already covered in tiny teeth marks.
It was unclear how many were from restraint and how many were from desire.
[You did that on purpose.]
Half an hour later.
Su Mingxiu sat in the star-studded audience, waiting for the awards ceremony to proceed, but the system’s voice appeared in her mind, unusually tinged with anger.
“What did I do on purpose?” she asked innocently. After thinking for a moment, she said as if realizing something: “You think I’m deliberately tormenting her? I’m not. I’m strictly following the mission requirements, fulfilling all the protagonist’s wishes.”
The system analyzed her interactions with Yu Yinglan over the past six months. Seeing the results, its program almost crashed in anger.
[You know exactly what she wants, and it’s not this!]
“Really?” Su Mingxiu, under the confused gazes of others, wrapped her down jacket tightly around herself. Compared to her usual stunning appearance, she was dressed very low-key today. No one knew the secret hidden under her down jacket, assuming she was just afraid of the cold: “She hasn’t even said what she wants herself, but you seem to know her better than she does.”
System: “…”
Seeing that the Best Actress award was about to be announced, Su Mingxiu looked away and saw Yu Yinglan, bathed in the spotlight, radiant like the moon in the sky. Yu Yinglan looked at her immediately, noticing Su Mingxiu’s fingers fiddling with the zipper of her collar, a playful smile on her face. Yu Yinglan seemed to guess something and blushed even harder.
—Could it be that Su Mingxiu hadn’t changed out of that shirt?
And the person she was looking at enjoyed her anxiety with a clear conscience, even starting a conversation with the system, which had fallen silent:
[You know, the way you’re acting, like you can’t wait to wash her clean and send her to my bed, is very much like those evil stepmothers in TV dramas who mistreat the protagonist and send them to other people’s homes as servants to earn money.]
System: [?]
The host’s voice on stage echoed through the venue at this moment:
“I announce that the winner of the 37th Bailing Award for Best Actress is—”
The system was about to say something, but Su Mingxiu interrupted it:
[Shh.]
[Get ready to applaud, stepmother.]
System: “…”
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