I’m the Moonlight White That the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loved 2

Chapter 2:

Even after hanging up the phone, Shu Ran didn’t receive an offer from Qi Sijia to come pick her up.

By now, the dark clouds that had been gathering in the sky finally burst into a downpour. Shu Ran stood outside the film studio, and before she could even open her umbrella, she was drenched.

The bone-chilling rain extinguished the last embers of Shu Ran’s sexual fantasies about Qi Sijia.

Thinking about her lack of attentiveness, combined with yesterday’s rejection, Shu Ran suddenly realized she might have been deceived by Qi Sijia’s appearance.

“Tell me,” Shu Ran said, her face dark. She spun around and tossed her bag at her assistant. “Do you think she knows who I am?”

“Of course, sis,” the assistant said, stumbling back several steps and hopping to avoid splashing puddle water onto Shu Ran’s shoes.

She held an umbrella high with her left hand while clutching the expensive designer bag Shu Ran had just thrown at her with her right. The bag was a limited edition piece borrowed from a brand for a show, pricey and needing to be returned.

“With The Billionaire’s Little Dainty Wife blowing up, you’re way more popular than you think. Otherwise, Sister Lin wouldn’t have gotten you a spot on a reality acting show with Best Actress Meng Jiang as a mentor.”

The assistant’s flattery hit home, but it also deepened Shu Ran’s suspicion of Qi Sijia.

If she was this famous, what did it mean that Qi Sijia seemed completely uninterested in her career?

That bitch probably knew who I was all along, that’s why she never asked.

She hadn’t thought about it this way before, but now that the rose-colored glasses were off, the more she considered it, the more a chill ran down her spine.

Just as her assistant said, Shu Ran had been incredibly lucky recently. The short drama she starred in, The Billionaire’s Little Dainty Wife, had become a surprise hit. In just one month, she had gone from an unknown 18th-tier stand-in to a rising newcomer in the entertainment industry.

First, she signed with Huace Pictures and was assigned an assistant, a clear sign that the company saw her potential and was ready to promote her. As for Qi Sijia…

Her manager had been urging her to break up for a while, but Shu Ran had been dragging her feet.

It wasn’t that Shu Ran was particularly devoted. It was just that in the small world of lesbian circles, a top-tier, ascetic, long-haired butch like Qi Sijia—who could captivate both men and women—was hard to find. Especially with those incredibly beautiful long hands. The thought of being looked down upon by Qi Sijia in bed, of her red lips holding gold-rimmed glasses, her shirt half-undone… it promised double the pleasure.

Shu Ran had played the field quite a bit in the past, her flirting almost always successful. Qi Sijia was the only one whose hand she hadn’t even managed to hold.

So when her manager told her to break up, Shu Ran’s first reaction was reluctance. She had to at least see that top-tier ascetic butch panting on top of her.

And so she had dragged it out until yesterday.

But thinking about it now, her mindset was all wrong!

Between love and career, only a fool would choose the former. She wasn’t some love-struck idiot. Why had she been so completely captivated by Qi Sijia, as if under a spell?

If it weren’t for yesterday’s rejection… if Qi Sijia hadn’t been so impossibly hard to win over, she wouldn’t have made up her mind to break up.

A wave of fear washed over Shu Ran. It wasn’t that Qi Sijia was a gentleman who could resist temptation; it was a clear case of playing hard to get, of being hot and cold to keep her hooked.

They had been dating for almost a month, and she was the one being led by the nose the entire time.

They met on a lesbian dating site, where a photo of Qi Sijia had been voted to the top of a post titled, “When it comes to the pinnacle of long-haired ascetic butches, I bow to her.”

Coincidentally, Shu Ran had an irresistible sexual preference for ascetic butches, so she always clicked on similar posts.

The photo was a candid shot from a supermarket. Qi Sijia wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and had long, straight hair. Her black mask was pulled down to her chin, seemingly as she paid with facial recognition. The cool, aloof vibe of her features, paired with the glasses, was captivating. The camera had magnified her long hands, a small red mole on the pad of one finger standing out against her pale skin—ascetic and sexy.

Shu Ran fell in love at first sight, thinking she was a goddess. She even pulled strings to find the supermarket from the photo and waited for a long time before finally spotting Qi Sijia.

She thought such a top-tier ascetic butch would be hard to pursue, but surprisingly, she succeeded on the first try. But after that, nothing happened.

Shu Ran tried to recall the details. She didn’t even know Qi Sijia’s family background, social circle, or career plans. All she knew was her name was Qi Sijia, she was a freelancer, a homebody, and a woman of few words, which made her seem cold. In the entire time they had been “dating,” they had met only twice. They usually chatted online, and if Shu Ran didn’t initiate, Qi Sijia could go three days without replying.

All the flirty talk came from Shu Ran; Qi Sijia would just send an emoji in response.

She hadn’t thought much of it before. That’s how cool, ascetic butches were—they had personality. Nothing wrong with that.

But they were supposed to be dating!

Thinking it over, Shu Ran felt as if she had swallowed a fly. This past month, Qi Sijia hadn’t been dating her; it was more like she was completing a task, stringing Shu Ran along, making her itch with desire, fall deeper and deeper.

The thought was terrifying.

It was like a piece of meat dangled in front of her mouth, but she was never allowed to eat it, not even a crumb. Of course Shu Ran was reluctant to let go. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so forward yesterday, hinting that they should sleep together for a decent breakup.

But it seemed the other woman wasn’t interested in women at all, which was why she couldn’t keep up the pretense and wouldn’t even let her hold her hand, disgusted.

Connecting the dots, Shu Ran’s eyelid twitched. She was somewhat famous now. What did Qi Sijia’s stringing her along mean?

A straight woman pretending to be a lesbian, or even worse, was she just occupying the “girlfriend” spot so she could blackmail her later?

“Fuck!” Shu Ran narrowed her eyes and spun around, startling her assistant.

“Get me a car,” Shu Ran said, her expression sinister. After a thought, she added, “A car that’s worthy of Huaqing Garden.”

Manager Lin was at the “New Star Era” set, there to treat the directing team to a meal.

But then, Best Actress Meng Jiang arrived, and Sister Lin found herself squeezed in a dense crowd.

When Shu Ran’s call came through, it took her a while to find her footing.

“What?”

“…I want to borrow a G-Wagon from you.”

Meng Jiang’s arrival had caused a commotion in the studio, and Sister Lin had only caught the last part of the sentence.

“A G-Wagon?” Her gaze swept over the sea of heads in front of her. Sister Lin was impatient. This is the problem with newcomers, she thought. They start coveting things that don’t belong to them before they’ve even made it.

She looked past the crowd at the radiant woman who seemed to glow even when she walked. “Do you know who Meng Jiang is? If you were half as famous as her, I’d get you not just a G-Wagon, but a Super-G.”

As she said this, Sister Lin glanced enviously at Chen Cheng, Meng Jiang’s top-tier agent. She envied her luck, finding such a promising talent and securing her position as the number one agent in the industry within five years.

Thinking of her own situation was just infuriating.

Just as Sister Lin was lamenting, a path cleared in front of her. The director of the TV station had come to greet Meng Jiang personally.

The stunningly beautiful woman in the crowd curved her lips into a faint smile. Though the smile didn’t reach her eyes, it was still bewitchingly charming.

The screams in the studio grew louder. The station director stepped forward to shake her hand, his eyes crinkling into a smile. It was no wonder the station staff was almost uncontrollably enthusiastic.

This was Meng Jiang’s first time at Lan Tai.

Everyone in the industry knew that since her debut, Meng Jiang had an unwritten rule: she would not accept any events in Ningcheng. Even for new movie promotions, she would have to take a detour. Over the years, she had been to Apple TV, to CCTV, to Hollywood, and even to Korea to promote her new drama.

But she never set foot in Ningcheng.

Even though Meng Jiang had attended Ningcheng University, giving her a connection to the city as a second hometown, no one knew why. It was as if the city had offended her in some way, or she was deliberately avoiding someone. In any case, her flights never landed in Ningcheng.

So her appearance at Lan Tai now was nothing short of epic.

From the top executives to the behind-the-scenes staff, everyone looked incredibly excited and incredulous.

Security guards formed a human wall, protecting the graceful woman. Sister Lin tried to squeeze through but couldn’t. With Shu Ran’s incessant calls, she finally turned and walked to the restroom. “What do you need a car for?” she asked.

“I mentioned this to you before…”

A newcomer’s relationship couldn’t be hidden. Sister Lin had some impression of Shu Ran’s current girlfriend. “That civilian—Qi Sijia?”

Shu Ran feigned an honest “Mmm.”

“It’s her.”

Sister Lin: “Didn’t I tell you to break up as soon as possible? What does this have to do with borrowing a car?”

Shu Ran sniffled. “Sis, it’s not that I don’t want to.”

“It’s her…”

“What about her?”

Shu Ran wasn’t stupid. At her current level, it was a stretch for the company to arrange a luxury car for her. It could even give her a reputation for being arrogant before she was even famous.

“Sis, I… she… she has ulterior motives. What if she won’t break up with me easily?” Shu Ran hadn’t gotten this far by being a pure, naive girl. Her words left plenty of room for imagination, planting a seed of suspicion without explicitly stating it.

“It’s all my fault for being stupid. We started dating right when The Billionaire’s Little Dainty Wife started airing.” The lie rolled off her tongue smoothly. Shu Ran emphasized, “She pursued me.”

“You know my orientation, it’s hard to find a partner, so I agreed.”

“We’ve been dating for a month, and I’ve given her so many gifts.” Game skins, WeChat stickers.

Of course, Shu Ran wouldn’t mention being rejected after her thirsty advances. That would make her look like a desperate simp, and it was too demeaning.

Besides, Sister Lin wouldn’t actually verify it. As long as she painted Qi Sijia as a scheming bitch with ulterior motives, Sister Lin wouldn’t let it go.

The lies came easily. “Then a few days ago, for my birthday, she bought me a hundred-yuan game skin, but today she wants to meet at a place like Huaqing Garden for tea to break up.”

“We’ve been dating for so long, and she won’t even let me hold her hand.”

“I’m somewhat famous now,” Shu Ran sobbed. “Could Qi Sijia be a straight woman pretending to be a lesbian, waiting for me to get famous to blackmail me with this…?”

…

“Pfft—”

Before Sister Lin could analyze what kind of scheming green-tea bitch her client’s girlfriend was, a soft laugh came from the doorway.

Turning her head, Sister Lin nearly dropped her phone.

Meng Jiang had entered the restroom at some point. She was now leaning against the vanity by the door, touching up her makeup. Her champagne-colored trench coat was draped over her arm. Through the reflection in the glass wall, her phoenix eyes were curved in a smile as she met Sister Lin’s gaze.

She showed no embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping.

Meng Jiang’s lips were curved, a rare hint of a real smile in her eyes, making her already stunning features even more beautiful, like starlight had fallen into her eyes. She pointed a finger toward the restroom. “This is a public area. It’s better not to use speakerphone.”

Sister Lin froze in embarrassment. She instinctively covered the receiver, frantically trying to turn off the speakerphone, only to realize it wasn’t on.

It was Shu Ran’s voice, too loud, disturbing others.

“Sorry,” Sister Lin said, her head bowed, feeling for the first time like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Fortunately, Meng Jiang didn’t make things difficult. She just nodded with an “Mmm” and went back to applying her lipstick in the mirror.

On the other end of the line, Shu Ran, of course, had no idea that her manager was experiencing a mortifying social death in front of her goddess.

Fearing her grievances wouldn’t be heard, her sniffling turned into full-blown sobs. “Qi Sijia’s intentions are so obvious. I’m afraid she won’t agree to a peaceful breakup. What should I do now?”

Sister Lin glanced at the goddess Meng, who showed no signs of leaving but also didn’t spare her another glance. She seemed completely uninterested in the phone call, as long as it didn’t disturb her.

“Can’t you lower your voice?” Sister Lin hissed into the phone. Then, clutching the phone and worried about reporters lurking outside, she awkwardly found the innermost stall, hoping to reduce the noise.

Lan Tai was wealthy. The public restrooms were decorated to the standard of a five-star hotel, with reflective glass on all four sides. From the corner of her eye, Meng Jiang could easily see the last closed stall on her right. She raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

Her agent Chen Cheng’s voice came from outside. “They’re gone.”

“Jiang-Jiang.”

“Jiang-Jiang?” Chen Cheng called twice.

“Got it,” Meng Jiang replied casually, but she didn’t move.

She slowly took out her phone from her handbag and expertly opened a certain yellow-river-lily reading app.

The moment she logged in, a banner scrolled across the entire site, announcing the arrival of a top-spending reader: “Author Ji Liu’s Invincible Overlord, the Wealthy Peony, is online.”

Meng Jiang’s favorites list was filled with Ji Liu’s works. She skillfully tapped into the comment section of the latest serialized novel, Sinking, and casually dropped a “deep-water torpedo,” her usual prompt for an update: [When’s the next update?]

A comment from a diamond-level reader triggered a system notification for the author.

Ji Liu happened to be online and replied quickly: [Honey, don’t wait up. I have a date with my girlfriend tonight, taking a day off.]

Meng Jiang’s beautifully manicured nail traced over the word “girlfriend” a couple of times, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes, not quite forming: [Made up that fast? Did you buy the house?]

Ji Liu was clearly in a good mood. Her reply was exceptionally fast and noticeably more talkative: [Yep, and thanks for your advice yesterday on how to appease her. We’ve almost made up. No wedding candy for you, but I’ll send you a red envelope.]

Meng Jiang laughed in exasperation: […]