CHAPTER 11

"Speak up, are you mute? Who are you to her?" Ruan Qin confronted Tang Ruoyao, who remained silent with her head lowered, but her shoulders were held high with a hint of arrogance.

She was always like this, and Ruan Qin was fed up with it. A trace of disgust appeared in her eyes. It would have been fine if she had some backing, but even when she didn't have any support before, she always carried herself with an air of superiority, as if everyone beneath her was mud. Just a single glance from her icy and clear eyes would be tainted just by looking at them.

In theory, Ruan Qin was Tang Ruoyao's manager. Now that Tang Ruoyao had become a top actress and her value had skyrocketed, she shouldn't be behaving this way. But every time Ruan Qin saw Tang Ruoyao, she couldn't help but feel a burning rage. After all, Tang Ruoyao was just someone who sold herself. Who knew what she did behind closed doors and how she played around, yet she acted so pure and innocent in front of her?

"You seem so reluctant. Could it be that you miss Qin Yinong's skills in bed?" Ruan Qin stood up, walked over, and got close to Tang Ruoyao's ear, her voice cold and venomous, "Did it feel good?"

Tang Ruoyao's fists clenched tightly, and she lifted her head, looking at Ruan Qin with her jaw muscles twitching, showing her agitation.

"I hit the mark, didn't I? Are you getting angry because you're embarrassed?" Ruan Qin chuckled lightly, reaching out to slap Tang Ruoyao's face, but Tang Ruoyao evaded it, leaving her hand to strike the air.

"You—" Ruan Qin was furious, raising her hand high, but halfway through, she couldn't move anymore.

A fair hand firmly grasped her wrist.

Tang Ruoyao appeared slender, but due to her regular fitness routine, her grip strength was not to be underestimated. Moreover, Ruan Qin was already in her forties and worked in an office, lacking physical exercise. The difference in their physical strength was evident.

Ruan Qin struggled, but couldn't break free, glaring at Tang Ruoyao. "Let go!"

Tang Ruoyao cast a cold glance at her.

It was that same look again.

Ruan Qin remembered when she first took care of Tang Ruoyao. There was a social event where they went together, along with other newcomers, not just from their company. The table was filled with wealthy and influential individuals, a few slick old-timers instructing their artists to pour drinks. In the entertainment industry, everyone had two faces—one for the public and one behind closed doors. No matter how much they despised middle-aged pot-bellied men in their hearts, they had to put on a show of being affectionate and charming.

The atmosphere at the table was filled with fragrance and sweet words, making the wealthy individuals burst into laughter.

Tang Ruoyao had a stunning appearance, standing out in the entire entertainment industry, and she possessed an inherent noble temperament. In such occasions, she resembled a fallen princess, particularly tempting for those who wanted to indulge themselves.

One influential figure had a burning desire in his eyes, disregarding the two female artists who were trying to please him and instead staring at Tang Ruoyao. Tang Ruoyao paid no attention to him. The influential figure smiled and called Ruan Qin, asking for Tang Ruoyao's name, and subtly hinted that if Tang Ruoyao was willing to accompany him, he would make it worth her while.

Ruan Qin signaled to Tang Ruoyao with her eyes, but Tang Ruoyao remained unmoved. Under the table, Ruan Qin lightly pinched her, and Tang Ruoyao reluctantly poured a glass of wine for the influential figure. When she stood up to pour the wine, the influential figure sensually caressed the back of her hand, his bare gaze almost stripping her naked.

Tang Ruoyao slammed the wine bottle down heavily and walked away, brushing past him.

The influential figure's face turned pale with anger.

Ruan Qin hurriedly put on a smile and went out to find Tang Ruoyao.

"It's just a little touch. It's not like you lost a piece of flesh. Look at how well they adapt." Ruan Qin cornered her in the women's restroom.

"They are who they are, and I am who I am." Tang Ruoyao rinsed the back of her hand under the faucet, which had been touched by the man, and said coldly, "I'm not out here selling myself."

"Just because you poured him a drink? Director Liu was just carried away for a moment." Ruan Qin rolled her eyes and quickly changed her tone, trying to coax her with kind words.

"Do you think I don't understand what you're talking about?" Tang Ruoyao sneered, then turned off the faucet and walked briskly towards the exit. "Don't call me next time if something like this happens again."

Ruan Qin's face changed, and she threatened in a stern voice, "If you dare to leave today, don't ever expect to get another acting role in the future!"

Tang Ruoyao's footsteps paused for a moment, and with her chin held high, she walked past Ruan Qin without even looking back.

Oh, how lofty and arrogant she was back then.

After being ignored for a while, Tang Ruoyao took the initiative to approach Ruan Qin and apologize. She said she wanted to accompany her to social events. At the gathering, she seemed like a completely different person, calm and composed.

Ruan Qin noticed her intentions and, after the event, curiously asked her, "Are you trying to hook a wealthy backer? How did you suddenly become so clever?"

Tang Ruoyao remained expressionless but silently acknowledged it.

"It's wise to do so. In this industry, without power or influence, it's really difficult to stand out. I'm doing this for your own good too." Ruan Qin took a puff of her cigarette and blew the white smoke rings slowly towards Tang Ruoyao's face. "I can even introduce someone to you."

"Is he generous?" Tang Ruoyao stared at her intently.

"Of course."

Ruan Qin delighted in seeing the emotional fluctuations on her face, and her smile deepened at the corners of her lips.

But the person Ruan Qin introduced to her back then was not Qin Yinong at all, but an investor in the film and television industry. Someone at Qin Yinong's level was not something she could attain.

Why did it turn into Qin Yinong? She still couldn't figure it out to this day.

The only thing she was clear about was that not long after Tang Ruoyao got involved with Qin Yinong, she became the cash cow [a business, investment, or product that provides a steady income or profit.] that Ruan Qin had to support, running around tirelessly for her. Tang Ruoyao had a calm temperament, and didn't care much about many things. She either didn't notice Ruan Qin's behind-the-scenes manipulations or simply didn't care about them. However, Qin Yinong's assistant would take notice.

Tang Ruoyao's first film was a collaboration with a renowned director, and she won the Best Newcomer Award at the Golden Rose Awards that year. With fame, numerous opportunities came her way—endorsements, advertisements, new scripts—a continuous stream. Ruan Qin was Tang Ruoyao's manager, and the contract stated that she would receive a percentage of Tang Ruoyao's earnings as her commission. In other words, the more Tang Ruoyao earned, the more commission Ruan Qin would receive.

Ruan Qin was ecstatic. During that period, she sincerely supported Tang Ruoyao, offering care and concern because no one would have a problem with money. But her dreams didn't last long. Qin Yinong's assistant made a phone call, forbidding her from accepting any of those low-end advertisements or endorsements, rejecting bad, and emphasizing the need to protect her image and maintain her prestigious status. But as a newcomer who hadn't firmly established her position, she couldn't even get her hands on good resources.

Ruan Qin felt like either she had gone crazy or the world had gone crazy. Even if she refused to let Tang Ruoyao take on those projects, Tang Ruoyao had already signed the contracts, and the higher-ups wouldn't let her waste her time like that. She tried reasoning with Qin Yinong's assistant, but it wasn't something she could decide alone.

She didn't know what methods Qin Yinong used, but she managed to appease the higher-ups.

And then Tang Ruoyao began living a life where she turned a deaf ear to the outside world, focusing solely on studying at school and honing her acting skills. Occasionally, there were resources, but they were all high-profile but low-profit jobs. Ruan Qin was left guarding a money tree, unable to do anything, and had to obey orders and work tirelessly until her death. It was infuriating. She was seething with anger but dare not confront Qin Yinong, so she had no choice but to vent her frustration on Tang Ruoyao.

At first, she was afraid, but when she realized that her bad attitude didn't reach Qin Yinong's ears, she became bolder and frequently resorted to sarcasm and mocking to alleviate her own frustration and anger.

Due to her concerns about Qin Yinong, Ruan Qin didn't dare to go too far. Physical confrontation was absolutely out of the question, and a situation like today had never happened before.

Tang Ruoyao's grip on Ruan Qin's wrist tightened.

Now that she had fallen out of favor, what was she still being proud of?

"Let go of me!" Ruan Qin forcefully pulled her hand back.

Unexpectedly, Tang Ruoyao let go of her hand, catching Ruan Qin off guard. She stumbled backward, taking several steps, and tripped over the coffee table, almost falling to the ground.

Tang Ruoyao reflexively reached out and pulled her, helping Ruan Qin regain her balance. Without thinking, Ruan Qin raised her hand and slapped Tang Ruoyao.

Tang Ruoyao's head tilted to the side from the impact, her tongue touching the inside of her mouth where a faint taste of blood lingered. Her eyelashes lowered quickly, making it difficult to discern her emotions.

Ruan Qin instinctively panicked and started to say, "I'm..."

The words "I'm sorry" were about to escape her lips, but she forcibly swallowed them. She lowered her head and looked at the bright red marks on her wrist left by Tang Ruoyao's grip. She straightened her neck, unwilling to show weakness, and locked eyes with Tang Ruoyao.

Tang Ruoyao didn't say anything. She sat down, bearing the palm print on her cheek, and simply asked, "Did the audition results come out?"

Earlier, Tang Ruoyao had auditioned for a film directed by a prominent director. There were many competitors for the lead female role, so she had prepared for two to three months beforehand. The director was particularly satisfied with her performance during the audition and even invited her and Ruan Qin for a meal afterward. It seemed like everything was falling into place.

Ruan Qin was in the wrong from the beginning, so she couldn't push her luck further. She also returned to her seat and said in a sullen voice, "The results are out, and you didn't get the role."

Tang Ruoyao looked slightly surprised and asked, "Why?"

Ruan Qin lit another cigarette and her voice carried a hint of resentment as she replied, "Why else? She has connections, and the biggest investor insisted on using her. What can the director do? He said if you wanted the supporting role, he could give it to you."

Tang Ruoyao already had someone in mind, so she mentioned a name, "Is it her?"

Ruan Qin took a deep drag of her cigarette and nodded.

Tang Ruoyao fell silent.

Seeing her like this, Ruan Qin couldn't help but provoke her again, "You can go to Qin Yinong. She can definitely help you snatch the role back. But I don't know if she's willing to listen to you."

Tang Ruoyao lifted her eyelids, looked at Ruan Qin calmly, but there was an icy chill in her gaze.

Ruan Qin involuntarily shivered and closed her mouth.

Tang Ruoyao stood up and said, "I'll consider your offer regarding the supporting role and give you an answer later. I'm leaving."

Ruan Qin didn't stop her and remained seated.

Tang Ruoyao's assistant, seeing the palm print on Ruan Qin's face, hurriedly approached with tears in her eyes, "Tang Tang, what happened to you..."

Tang Ruoyao smiled indifferently and said, "It's fine, I'll go back and apply some ointment."

"I'm going to confront Sister Qin!" The assistant rushed towards the closed office door.

There was no response from behind, and the assistant turned back, asking, "Why didn't you stop me?"

"Could I have stopped you?" Tang Ruoyao raised an eyebrow.

"You could have." The assistant whispered softly and sheepishly returned, walking beside Tang Ruoyao.

Tang Ruoyao gently patted her head, handed her the phone, and said, "Take a picture for me."

"Where should I take it?"

Tang Ruoyao pointed to the palm print on her face.

The assistant didn't understand, but obediently took the photo and returned the phone.

There weren't many people coming and going in the company. Tang Ruoyao had her assistant borrow a hat and discreetly got into the van, heading home. Politely refusing her assistant's request to help upstairs, Tang Ruoyao took an ice pack from the refrigerator and applied it to her face. After sitting silently for a while, she opened the conversation with Guan Han.

***

Qin Yinong pursed her lips and asked, "What did she say?"

Qin Yinong avoided answering Guan Han's suggestion of whether or not to call Tang Ruoyao.

"It's hard to translate." Guan Han said, directly showing her the phone screen.

On the screen was an emoji.

There were no words, and Qin Yinong hadn't had a chance to determine the emotion represented by the emoji when the system prompted that Tang Ruoyao had retracted the message.

Qin Yinong: "..."

Guan Han looked at her, waiting for instructions.

Qin Yinong fell silent for a moment and said, "...Did something happen to her?"

Guan Han flatly replied, "I don't know."

"What did you reply?"

"I didn't reply since she didn't mention anything."

Qin Yinong made a sound of acknowledgement and fell silent.

The two of them exited the elevator and got into the car together. Qin Yinong held the script on top, but her mind was elsewhere as she absentmindedly looked at it.

Guan Han accessed her contacts on her phone and found Tang Ruoyao's name. She turned the screen face down and silently looked out the window at the scenery.

After a while, Qin Yinong flipped through a few pages of the script and casually said, "Give her a call and ask."

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