Chapter 9

Receiving a phone call, Tang Wenbin was lying in bed with a hangover, unable to move. The ringing suddenly interrupted his half-drunken state and a surge of anger washed away the remaining alcohol.

"Who is this?" Tang Wenbin sat up on the bed, squinting his eyes at the sunlight shining through the window.

Guan Xinrui, filled with concern and fury, couldn't control her words, "Tang Wenbin, don't pretend to be clueless. It's all the lies you told me. I trusted you and recommended you, but you're just a scammer! A white-eyed wolf!"

Being scolded so early in the morning wasn't something Tang Wenbin could tolerate. Annoyed, he muttered impatiently into the phone, "Who the hell are you? Are you crazy?"

Guan Xinrui's anger soared, fueled by the realization that it was all Tang Wenbin's words that led her to this situation. If not for him, she wouldn't be in this mess. Trembling with rage, she muttered, "Who do you think I am? Tang Wenbin, how dare you deceive even me? Believe me, I'll make you... Hey?"

Her voice abruptly stopped, and Guan Xinrui stared at her phone in disbelief. She whispered to herself, "He actually hung up on me? He... it must be Zuoming Ran! It must be Zuoming Ran playing tricks on me!"

The assistant, frightened by her frenzied appearance and fearing she might do something reckless, timidly grabbed her arm and said, "It may not be her..."

"How could it not be her!" Guan Xinrui rudely interrupted, becoming even more certain of her speculation. "It's definitely Zuoming Ran. She made Tang Wenbin give me false information on purpose. It's all her doing!"

"But what would be her purpose for doing this?"

Guan Xinrui glared at her assistant, "Of course, it's to suppress me. We're not in the same company, she's afraid that I'll steal her limelight."

As Guan Xinrui continued, she became more convinced, almost accepting her own statements as facts.

The assistant, being an outsider, could clearly see that what Guan Xinrui was saying couldn't possibly be true. Aside from the fact that Zuoming Ran, with her status, had no reason to target Guan Xinrui, today, if it weren't for Guan Xinrui approaching her, Zuoming Ran probably wouldn't have paid any attention to her at all.

But all of this was clearly beyond the comprehension of Guan Xinrui, who had lost her rationality.

After much hesitation, the assistant finally suggested in a low voice, "Maybe... Maybe we should call Wang Ge. He must have a way to resolve this."

"What can he do?" Guan Xinrui shrugged off the assistant's hand, angrily declaring, "All he does is make me wait. Is waiting the only way for me to become famous?"

The assistant didn't agree with Guan Xinrui's statement, but she couldn't say anything because Guan Xinrui wouldn't listen to her advice. Furthermore, Guan Xinrui would accuse her of being a spy for Wang Ge and would verbally attack and insult her.

"What's wrong, Xinrui?" Wen Feifei, waiting in the dressing room but finding only Zuoming Ran instead, felt worried and came out to check the situation. "Xinrui, are you in there?"

After knocking a few times without receiving a response, just as Wen Feifei was about to push the door open, Guan Xinrui's voice came from inside. "I... I'm fine, Feifei. I'm changing clothes, just give me a moment."

Wen Feifei's voice helped Guan Xinrui regain some composure. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at her assistant who had fallen to the ground and whispered in a stern tone, "What are you standing there for? Help me up!"

The assistant hurriedly got up from the ground, helped Guan Xinrui up, and tidied her clothes to make sure nothing was amiss before opening the dressing room door and inviting Wen Feifei inside.

In the dressing room, Guan Xinrui sat on a chair, bending down to put on her shoes. When she saw Wen Feifei enter, she immediately looked up and smiled at her. "Feifei."

Apart from the slight marks on her skirt and the slightly messy makeup on her face from falling earlier, Guan Xinrui now appeared as a gentle and friendly older sister, with no trace of her previous crazed appearance.

The assistant, who had witnessed the entire process, couldn't help but rub her arms. No wonder they had to sign a confidentiality agreement during the interview. Who could have imagined that the always pure and innocent school beauty Guan Xinrui had this side to her behind the scenes?

***

After seeing Yan Yunyang off, Zuoming Ran finally had a chance to look at the messages on her phone.

The messages were all from Shi Shuangxia, and the lock screen showed that there were over a dozen or twenty messages.

Knowing Shi Shuangxia's calm demeanor, it was clear that she had been provoked to the point of sending out so many messages in rapid succession.

Opening her phone, Zuoming Ran quickly read through all the messages. She remained silent for half a minute and, just before Shi Shuangxia could send another accusation, she sent back a series of ellipses.

Almost immediately after the messages were delivered, Shi Shuangxia called Zuoming Ran. Zuoming Ran answered the call but wisely kept the phone away from her ear. As expected, Shi Shuangxia's furious shout came through the receiver. "What does this mean? You're sending me ellipses? Look at the mess you've caused!"

Zuoming Ran honestly admitted her mistake. "Things have changed, and this was an unexpected incident."

Shi Shuangxia was furious. "You told me just the other day not to market our happy couple image, and now you're planning to do it yourself? Or are you aiming for both popularity and trending topics?"

Zuo Mingran: "His mother is coming back."

Shi Shuangxia couldn't believe it, "Why are you still cursing at people?"

Zuo Mingran sighed, "No, I mean Yan Yunyang's mother, who is also my mother-in-law."

Shi Shuangxia realized her mistake and calmed down, asking, "What do you mean? His mother... I mean, your mother-in-law doesn't know about your arrangement?"

"Of course not, it's our agreement, so I have to abide by it."

"...What if she asks you to have children?"

Zuo Mingran was shocked, "It won't come to that, I have professional ethics. But with Yan Yunyang, I think I can."

Shi Shuangxia couldn't help but laugh, "Get out, all you do is talk nonsense."

Upon hearing her words, Zuo Mingran finally relaxed, "Don't worry, his mother won't stay in the country for long. Once she leaves, we can take action."

Shi Shuangxia said angrily, "Next time, tell me in advance if something like this happens, or I'll be frustrated by you one day."

Zuo Mingran laughed heartily, "Sister Xia, you still want to have a next time?"

Shi Shuangxia: "..."

After hanging up the phone, Zuo Mingran returned to the dressing room, where the costume assistant and makeup artist were passionately discussing her makeup for tomorrow.

The makeup artist held a makeup brush and firmly said, "Ranran's appearance is stunning. I've been her makeup artist for three years, and I can do her makeup with my eyes closed. This is the most suitable look for her!"

The costume assistant argued with reason, "Since that's the case, we should change the style even more. Moreover, this dress is not suitable for her previous look."

The two went back and forth, with one defending one side and the other defending the other, leaving Zuo Mingran sitting in the middle chair, feeling like two buzzing bees around her ears, quite hypnotic.

The makeup artist and the costume assistant debated for a while, but neither could convince the other. They had no choice but to leave the final decision to Zuo Mingran.

The makeup artist angrily slammed the foundation on the table, "Ranran, you tell us, what kind of makeup do you want this time!"

"Yes, Ranjie, you make the decision."

"What?" It was early, and Zuo Mingran, who was accustomed to staying up late and waking up late, was propping up her chin and dozing off. Startled by the sudden interruption, she became more alert. "What decision? Lunch? There seems to be a Sichuan cuisine restaurant next door."

The costume assistant widened her eyes in disbelief and said with a pained expression, "Sichuan cuisine? Ranjie, didn't you say you only eat vegetable leaves and don't even drink water?"

Zuo Mingran quickly backtracked, "No, no, I meant to ask if you guys want to have Sichuan cuisine."

Although Sichuan cuisine was out of the question, they still needed to finalize the makeup look. In the previous dress fittings, the makeup had always been done according to the makeup artist's ideas. However, the costume assistant had a different opinion after seeing the photos.

"While it's true that you've always been a sexy goddess and the most suitable style for you is bold and vibrant, this time the dress is in a cool blue tone, and the style of the dress leans towards gentle elegance. If we choose the same makeup look, it will clash with the dress. The coordination will be off, and both the dress and the makeup will lose their aesthetic appeal."

Making last-minute changes to the makeup was not uncommon, as nobody knew what unexpected situations might arise before the official appearance. If the dress and makeup were prematurely exposed, especially for female celebrities, they might have to change their entire look at the last minute.

Zuo Mingran rested her chin on her hand and tapped her index finger on the table a few times before saying slowly, "Do we have the previous photos?"

"We do." Mao Mao quickly handed her phone over and opened the album, finding the previous set of promotional photos.

Zuo Mingran flipped through the photos one by one, and after a while, she said, "Do you all remember the character I played in the drama?"

The others were taken aback, and Mao Mao nodded, saying, "Yes, we remember. What's the matter?"

This drama was actually directed by Zuo Mingran, but she had inherited some memories of her character, so she also had some understanding of the script. In the drama, Zuo Mingran played a gentle and restrained woman, which aligned with the temperament expressed by the dress. However, on the other hand, this woman also carried a secret, which added a sense of mystery to her identity. Both aspects needed to be reflected in this character, and one couldn't be missing.

Zuo Mingran touched her chin and shared her thoughts, "If we can be both gentle and mysterious, what kind of effect would that create?"

The makeup artist's eyes lit up, "Exactly, why didn't I think of that?"

The costume assistant rolled her eyes at him, "What can you think of with your tiny brain?"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Zuo Mingran quickly said, "Stop it, if you keep arguing, I'll fall asleep again."

The makeup artist worked quickly, and before long, a perfect makeup look was presented on Zuo Mingran's face.

The upward arched eyebrows softened due to the eye makeup, and both the blush and lip color were light, enhancing the overall perfection of her face. Zuo Mingran looked at herself in the mirror, and a gentle smile curved her lips. The makeup artist, in awe, took a sharp breath and quickly said, "Keep that expression, yes, wait."

Saying that, the makeup artist picked up a brush and added a few strokes on Zuo Mingran's eyes, saying, "It's absolutely perfect."

Unlike previous styles, the delicate and gentle eye makeup added a touch of tenderness to her face when she smiled, without completely hiding the brightness and sharpness in her brows and eyes. Although her gaze was gentle, it made people unable to resist exploring the source of that brightness. These two styles were very different, but strangely fused together. When her lips curled up slightly, there was a gentle hint of laughter mixed with mockery.

"The hairstyle should also be changed." The makeup artist picked up a comb, eager to try it on Zuo Mingran's hair. "I think we can put it all up."

Zuo Mingran's hair was the envy of the bald-headed girl, who always stayed up late. Not only was there a lot of hair, but it was also jet black and shiny, very smooth. The previous hairstyle had the hair down, with the ends curled, complementing the glamorous makeup, sexy yet elegant.

Hair styling was much more difficult than makeup, and before Zuo Mingran fell asleep again, the makeup artist suddenly slapped her thigh in excitement. "It's done!"

After putting her hair up, her slender neck was completely exposed, forming a perfect curve with her straight shoulders. Zuo Mingran looked satisfied at herself in the mirror and raised an eyebrow at Mao Mao. "What do you think?"

Mao Mao had somehow brought a thermos over and immediately looked amazed at Zuo Mingran's finished makeup. "It looks really good!"

Zuo Mingran smiled proudly, and Mao Mao opened the thermos' lid and handed it to her. "Sister Ziran, do you want to drink some water?"

Zuo Mingran took a sip, realizing it wasn't plain water. She glanced inside and asked, "What kind of tea is this?"

Mao Mao smiled mischievously. "Flower tea, it helps with digestion... no, it helps reduce water retention."

Zuo Mingran: "..."

The warm water in the thermos was just right, and thinking about Mao Mao secretly adjusting the temperature for her, Zuo Mingran held the thermos and suddenly spoke, "Mao Mao, how do you feel about being a manager?"

Author's message: Ah, today, I'm still in the form of a typing machine!