Chapter 23: Regret

The billiards room was filled with soft music. Xu Qing’s curly hair cascaded over her shoulders as she smiled charmingly. Meng Ying held her phone tightly, listening to the deep, slightly domineering voice of the man on the other end. She smiled faintly and glanced toward the door. It was half-open, and the light outside cast a slanted shadow into the room.

Meng Ying didn’t respond to his words or step out. Instead, she hung up the phone, walked forward, and closed the door. Suddenly, a large hand pressed against the door. Xu Dian’s tall figure blocked the doorway, looking down at her from above.

Meng Ying stepped back two paces, her lips curled in a faint smile. Xu Dian grabbed her hand, pulling her forward. As he was about to speak, a cue stick suddenly pressed against him. He raised his gaze and looked over.

Xu Qing spoke arrogantly, “President Xu, how can you grab someone right in front of me?”

Xu Dian tugged at the corners of his mouth but ignored Xu Qing. His gaze returned to Meng Ying, who smiled and said, “Agreeing so quickly? Don’t want to think it over?”

“No need,” he replied in a deep voice.

Meng Ying chuckled, “Then, I want to play the lead role of twin sisters. What do you think?”

Xu Dian hesitated. “…That’s your first request?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Then come here and kiss me.” Xu Dian spread his hands, his peach-blossom eyes fixed on Meng Ying, his stance domineering.

Meng Ying leaned on the cue stick, her slim waist and curves accentuated by the dim light falling on her. She looked even more alluring. She smiled and stepped forward with the cue stick, Xu Dian’s eyes following her every move.

His lips curved slightly, waiting patiently.

Suddenly—Bang! The door slammed shut. Xu Dian reflexively took two steps back, staring at the now tightly closed door. After a moment of silence, he let out a low chuckle, turned, and left.

Inside the room, Meng Ying set the cue stick down and returned to the billiard table.

Xu Qing clicked her tongue twice, picked up her cue stick, and resumed her game. While playing, she said, “You’ve got to tell me, what kind of drama are you two playing at?”

Meng Ying toyed with the chalk and replied, “Using his own methods against him.”

Xu Qing misfired her shot and paused. After savoring the thought, she laughed, lowered her head, and continued, “Brilliant.”

Back then, Xu Dian’s cold-hearted nature had indeed been excessive.

Even Xu Qing couldn’t bear it. Only someone like Meng Ying, who genuinely loved him, could tolerate it.

By around nine o’clock, Gu Sui called, telling them to come home. Xu Qing, though reluctant, had no choice but to stop. She wrapped her arm around Meng Ying’s and walked out, saying, “I used to manage him, and now he manages me. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s good-looking, skilled, and rich, I wouldn’t listen to him like this.”

Meng Ying burst into laughter.

The two descended the steps, and a black Hummer pulled up in front of them. The window rolled down, revealing Xu Dian holding a cigarette in his mouth. He looked at Meng Ying. “I’ll drive you home.”

Xu Qing clicked her tongue. “President Xu, are you trying to insult me? I have a car.”

Without waiting for Xu Dian’s reaction, she turned and headed for the parking lot. Meng Ying didn’t look back either, leaving only her slender figure behind, her ponytail draped over her shoulder.

In the car, the faint orange glow of the cigarette illuminated Xu Dian’s face as he leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on her departing figure. A few seconds later, he extinguished the cigarette, fingers still loosely holding it, and started the car, driving off.

By the time Meng Ying got home, it was around 10:30 p.m. She took a shower. Her long hair was cumbersome to wash, but after drying it with a towel, she used a blow dryer. During the filming of Interstellar, her hair had been useful—action scenes with her ponytail flying added flair, and when left loose, it gave her character a soft, delicate look.

But now it felt too long. As she dried her hair, she wondered whether to cut it.

During her year on Mount Buddha, her hair had grown quickly, becoming thick and black, and she hadn’t cut it since.

Her phone rang, and Meng Ying answered. On the other end was Liu Qin, who sighed and said, “I acted on impulse today.”

Meng Ying paused for a moment before responding, “It’s okay.”

Liu Qin let out a sigh of relief and continued, “By the way, Huaying just sent an email saying… you’ve been confirmed as the female lead. Do you think it’s because you splashed tea on his face?”

“Probably not,” Meng Ying chuckled. “Maybe they just couldn’t find anyone else for the role?”

“Are you kidding? So many actresses have their eyes on that script. Once the audition announcement is out, it’s bound to be a fierce competition. Every movie Huaying has invested in over the past few years has been a hit.” Liu Qin hesitated, then added, “By the way, Yang Tong seems to have been semi-blacklisted recently. No news about her, and several endorsements and events of hers have been canceled.”

Meng Ying raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I’ll dig around some more. In the meantime, you should start studying the Twins script.”

“Alright.”

The two chatted a bit longer before ending the call. By then, Meng Ying’s hair had dried. She picked up her tablet and started reading the Twins script again. Last time, she had only skimmed a small part. The story revolved around a twin-swap scenario: the younger sister dated a wealthy young man but suddenly disappeared. On the day she went missing, a murder occurred near the young man’s home.

The elder sister, a police officer, began investigating the case. Mistaken for her sister by the young man, she decided to assume her sister’s identity to carry out her investigation. Unexpectedly, she fell in love with the young man. However, he constantly demanded she wear dresses and makeup—because that’s what her sister liked.

The story began with a murder and ended with love. The protagonist sacrificed herself, taking a bullet for the young man. She died, and her younger sister reappeared to live happily ever after with him.

The protagonist’s love was raw and intense—devoted yet tragic. She solved the murder but lost herself, saved the man, and paved the way for her sister.

Admirable yet pitiful.

Meng Ying became deeply engrossed in the story.

Her phone rang again. Without looking away from the tablet, she leaned down and answered in a soft, languid voice, “Hello?”

There was a brief silence on the other end before a deep male voice spoke, “Meng Ying, add me back on WeChat.”

It was Xu Dian.

Meng Ying came back to her senses and chuckled. “I’ll think about it after I wake up.”

With that, she hung up and glanced at her phone. Xu Dian’s number was still displayed on the screen. She stared at it for a few seconds before setting the phone aside and returning to the Twins script.

Meng Ying rarely stayed up late, but tonight was an exception. It was 12:30 a.m. when she finally went to bed, and she had completely forgotten about adding Xu Dian on WeChat.

---

The next morning, she went to Huaying to sign the contract. Liu Qin picked her up early. Having visited before, she was more familiar with the place this time. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they noticed something off about the atmosphere. People outside the office doors were glancing toward Xu Dian’s office, where faint sounds of an argument could be heard. However, the voice didn’t belong to Xu Dian.

Meng Ying glanced at Liu Qin, who whispered, “That’s Guan Xiao’s voice—Yang Tong’s agent.”

Guan Xiao, known as Old Guan, was a legendary manager in the industry. She had a reputation for turning even the most hopeless stars into successes. Her method involved creating personas tailored to her clients, and Yang Tong’s original image as a “rich and beautiful heiress” was reportedly her brainchild.

“It seems Yang Tong really is being semi-blacklisted…” Liu Qin muttered softly.

Just then, Assistant Yan noticed them and approached. “President Xu is still in a meeting. Please follow me for now. It’ll just be a short wait.”

Liu Qin smiled politely. “Alright.”

Assistant Yan led them to a small meeting room and brought in two cups of coffee. Meng Ying thanked him, took a sip, and sat down. Meanwhile, Liu Qin was scrolling through Weibo when she suddenly looked up and said, “Yang Rou just made it to the trending list…”

Before she could finish, the office door opened. Meng Ying turned her head to see Yang Rou standing quietly at the door, staring at her.

Meng Ying raised an eyebrow, and Liu Qin quickly fell silent, clutching her phone as she also turned to look at Yang Rou. The atmosphere grew tense. Liu Qin opened her mouth and greeted, “Miss Yang.”

That snapped Yang Rou out of her daze. She walked into the room.

Meng Ying frowned slightly, her posture guarded.

As Yang Rou approached, Meng Ying instinctively stood up. However, Yang Rou suddenly bent down and bowed. “I’m sorry.”

Meng Ying was taken aback, staring at the person before her. Yang Rou added, “I’m sorry. Could you please tell Xu Dian that I want to be involved in the script development for Twins?”

Liu Qin was confused, as was Meng Ying. She took a couple of steps back and replied, “What does this have to do with me?”

Yang Rou straightened up, her eyes filled with sorrow, looking fragile and pitiful. “It does, because last time… he wouldn’t let me take this movie.”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Meng Ying understood. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “It won’t help if you ask me. You should go beg Xu Dian instead.”

With that, she pulled out a chair and sat down, taking a sip of her coffee.

Yang Rou stood there, her gaze fixed on Meng Ying. After a few seconds, she turned and left.

Once she was gone, Liu Qin spoke up. “She’s trending. Take a look.”

Meng Ying picked up her phone with little interest and scrolled through the news. Yang Rou had drawn another comic, this time of three people. One woman in a white dress was squatting on the ground, holding onto a shadow, while the shadow’s owner—who was the tall, handsome man from before—wore sunglasses and was walking toward a woman in a red dress. The woman in the red dress was faceless, only her back visible.

It was obviously a sad depiction.

Below the post, fans were reacting loudly.

“What’s wrong with Rou Rou? Has someone bullied you?”

“It’s clearly about her boyfriend cheating. I wonder who’s so bad to steal someone’s boyfriend.”

“Rou Rou, can you mark who this person is? We’ll help you curse them out.”

“Rou Rou is so good. That guy must be blind. Anyone who sees the woman in red knows she’s trouble.”

Yang Rou really knew how to manage her Weibo; now her fans even called her by her nickname. Meng Ying casually finished scrolling through, and just then, the door opened again. She turned to see Xu Dian walking in with his assistant, heading straight toward her. He was tall and imposing, his presence commanding attention. Even Liu Qin instinctively gripped the edge of the table.

Liu Qin felt a wave of nervousness for Meng Ying, especially since she had just thrown tea at Xu Dian the day before.

Unexpectedly, Xu Dian stopped right in front of Meng Ying, squinting his eyes and asking, “WeChat? Still not adding me?”

Meng Ying, however, was much calmer than Liu Qin. She raised an eyebrow and replied, “Just because you asked, does that mean I have to add you?”

For a moment, Xu Dian’s expression darkened as he studied the woman in front of him. After a few seconds, he chuckled, his demeanor shifting. He threw the contract on the table and said, “Once you sign, you’ll have to attend training.”

As the female lead and a police officer, she would need to handle a gun and some martial arts skills—not like the broad, exaggerated actions in Interstellar.

Before the words left his mouth, Meng Ying’s phone buzzed. A WeChat message popped up, and since she didn’t have her notifications hidden, the content was immediately visible.

Gu Yan: I’ve finished filming.

Xu Dian’s gaze shifted to the message, and the smile in his peach blossom eyes completely faded.

She had said she’d add him after waking up. Now, she was already going back on her word.

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