One Supporting Role
Mu Wan pressed the tip of her tongue lightly against her teeth.
Then she put away her phone.
At first, a few people around the table whispered when they saw Mu Qing.
Then Shen Cheng appeared behind her.
Understanding spread immediately.
Mu Qing’s appearance in Red Embroidery had already caused quite a stir.
Everyone in the industry knew that she was the woman Young Master Shen of Shen Entertainment treasured above all others.
So what if Tang Qin had already been announced?
If Shen Entertainment wanted to take a role, there was very little it could not take.
The director had not expected Shen Cheng himself to appear.
He immediately rose from the main seat.
“Young Master Shen, why don’t you sit here?”
“No need.”
Shen Cheng’s tone was indifferent.
“I’ll sit with Mu Qing. Everyone else can stay where they are.”
Shen Cheng was the only son of the Shen family.
A genuine rich heir.
His family’s business was entertainment and media.
With so many actresses around him, his private life had always been famously unrestrained.
Now, however, the prodigal young master appeared to have settled down for the woman he loved.
Naturally, people found the story enviable.
He was handsome too.
Tall.
Lean.
Good-looking.
There was a cold arrogance in his features, the kind that came from being born into privilege.
After Mu Qing sat down, Shen Cheng’s expression shifted slightly.
His gaze landed on Mi Yu.
Mi Yu understood immediately.
She stood.
At the same moment, everyone seated below her stood as well.
One by one, they shifted down a seat.
Only after Shen Cheng sat did everyone else return to their places.
Throughout the entire process, Mu Qing’s expression barely changed.
She sat there with elegant composure.
Once Shen Cheng had settled beside her, she leaned over and murmured something to him.
Every movement, every smile, resembled a newly opened lily.
Pure.
Graceful.
Perhaps this was what a true unforgettable first love was supposed to look like.
No wonder Shen Cheng held her so carefully in his heart.
Mu Wan did not look directly at either of them.
Even so, after Mu Qing finished speaking, she could clearly feel Shen Cheng’s gaze turn toward her.
Mu Wan’s expression did not change.
She lifted her eyes.
Their gazes met.
Mu Wan smiled faintly.
The instant she looked at Shen Cheng, Mu Qing turned toward him.
“Shen Cheng.”
His attention immediately returned to her.
Mu Wan raised one brow.
Then gave a soft laugh.
Dinner finally began.
Glasses rose and fell.
Everyone took turns making toasts.
The atmosphere became much livelier than before.
Most of the actors present toasted the director.
Mu Wan drank on Mi Yu’s behalf.
Two glasses.
She had barely finished when Mu Qing lifted her own wineglass.
Before she could even stand, Shen Cheng took it from her.
He set it aside.
“You can’t drink.”
Mu Qing smiled.
She looked at the wine, then at Shen Cheng.
“But that doesn’t seem right.”
Her expression appeared mildly troubled.
“Everyone else has toasted the director. I’m the lead actress. If I don’t, it would look disrespectful.”
The director immediately waved both hands.
“No need. No need at all. The thought is enough.”
Mu Qing smiled at Shen Cheng and reached for the glass again.
Shen Cheng caught her hand.
With his other hand, he raised the glass beyond her reach.
“I’ll toast for you.”
It was a tiny gesture.
Yet the indulgence in it was obvious.
A suppressed chorus of admiration rose around the table.
Mu Qing smiled helplessly.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
“All right, then.”
Shen Cheng drank on her behalf.
The director, visibly flattered, immediately emptied his own glass.
Afterward, Mu Qing leaned close and said something to Shen Cheng.
He smiled.
Then lifted a hand and stroked her hair.
Another wave of admiration and envy moved through the room.
Mu Qing had not looked at Mu Wan once.
She did not need to.
She had already accomplished exactly what she wanted.
Halfway through dinner, Mu Wan was bored.
If Mu Qing had taken the female lead role, then Mu Wan’s supporting role was almost certainly gone too.
There was little reason to remain.
While everyone else was busy talking, she excused herself to the restroom.
She had drunk four or five glasses that evening.
Only red wine.
She could handle it.
Mu Wan washed her face to clear her head.
Then, out of habit, she stood outside the restroom for a while to let the alcohol settle.
Every private room at the club had its own restroom.
Very few people came out into the corridor.
The lights were dim and hazy.
The empty hallway carried a faint sense of loneliness.
Mu Wan stared up at the lights.
Her vision darkened slightly.
She lowered her head and unlocked her phone.
Tang Qin’s Weibo page was still open.
She had posted only moments ago.
On the surface, the message was about working hard and continuing forward.
But beneath the motivational words was unmistakable grievance.
The top comment came from her official fan club.
They comforted her, telling her that better roles would come.
Below that, people were already speculating.
Had the lead role she was supposed to play been taken from her?
Tang Qin was one of the hottest rising actresses of the year.
She had just starred in a hugely popular idol drama.
Her momentum was strong.
Her pride was probably even stronger.
Having a lead role snatched away at the last moment would naturally make her furious.
But fury was all she could afford.
Investors held the real power in a production.
If investors decided to replace an actor, there was very little the actor could do.
They could only tell themselves to keep trying.
Even a lead actress could be replaced that easily.
What chance did a tiny supporting actress like Mu Wan have?
Suddenly, the whole thing felt pointless.
Judging by Tang Qin’s post, the replacement had probably only been finalized tonight.
Otherwise, she would not have posted now.
If Mu Wan had known earlier, she would never have returned.
She would have stayed at Qingyuan Temple with Liu Qianxiu instead.
The moment she thought of him, longing began to spread warmly through her chest.
Mu Wan returned to her phone’s home screen.
It was already nine.
At this hour, Liu Qianxiu had probably just finished coaxing Qingchan to sleep.
She opened her contacts.
Found Daoist Liu.
Then called him.
The call connected quickly.
The silence on his end immediately painted a picture in her mind.
Moonlight beneath a quiet mountain sky.
A dim temple lamp.
Daoist robes spread around a man seated upright on the floor.
Still.
Remote.
Untouched by the mortal world.
Then Liu Qianxiu’s voice reached her.
The imagined scene rippled like water struck by a drop.
Rather than disappearing, it became clearer.
Mu Wan’s eyes curved.
“Finished?” Liu Qianxiu asked.
“Mm.”
Mu Wan looked down at her feet and gave a small kick at the empty air.
“The dinner isn’t over.”
Her voice softened.
“But my role is.”
She murmured,
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come back.”
Disappointment seeped into the words.
At Qingyuan Temple, Liu Qianxiu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.
He lowered the book in his hand.
His gaze moved toward the courtyard.
A crescent moon hung above it.
“What kind of drama?” he asked.
His voice was low and even.
“A palace drama.”
Mu Wan followed his question.
“Is there a role you wanted?”
“Mm.”
She drew her leg back.
Her voice lowered.
“It’s adapted from a novel Gao Mei recommended to me before.”
“I’ve read it.”
She continued,
“The empress is a supporting character. She’s written really well.”
Mu Wan looked toward the end of the empty corridor.
The alcohol had loosened some of the frustration and helplessness inside her.
If even a rising star like Tang Qin could have her role taken away, what difference would struggling make for someone like Mu Wan?
“I think I’ll go home.”
She straightened.
Longing gradually filled her voice.
“Liu Qianxiu.”
Her voice grew softer.
“Come back soon.”
A pause.
“I miss you.”
Moonlight covered the empty courtyard.
The heart that had once remained perfectly still in such silence slowly became restless.
Liu Qianxiu answered in a low voice.
“All right.”
A happy laugh came through the phone.
Mu Wan chatted about a few meaningless things afterward.
Then she hung up.
Her voice disappeared from the receiver.
Liu Qianxiu did not put down his phone.
He remained seated on the meditation cushion.
Qingyuan Temple was cold and still.
The night cool as water.
After a moment, Liu Qianxiu dialed another number.
“There’s a production.”
His voice remained calm.
“Arrange an investment.”
A startled sound came from the other end.
The person quickly suppressed it.
“Of course. I’ll take care of it immediately.”
There was a short pause.
Then the person asked cautiously,
“Do you want a role reserved?”
“Mm.”
Liu Qianxiu picked up his book again.
“One supporting role.”
— End of Chapter 33 —
Lol. LQX is really act like a retired Chairman of the corporate. Usually, he takes no care of it. But, when there is something of his interest, he slam down a decree an everyone in the corporate has to follow it.
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