Chapter 133: Stop the Petty Rivalry

Mu Ran frowned slightly, her cold, sharp eyes locked onto the plain, unremarkable face before her. "What right do you have to speak to me like that?"

Lately, Mu Ran’s subconscious had been forcing her not to endure any grievances; if she felt displeased, she would strike back immediately. Facing Li Sancai, Mu Ran certainly wasn't about to let things slide. Whether Li Sancai liked Gu Beicheng or not was irrelevant. But this minor artist had maliciously commented on and even reshared rumors about her. Such behavior was intolerable for an artist under SY.

"Li Sancai, speak."

Li Sancai was stunned by Mu Ran’s imposing presence; she stammered, her gaze darting away as she dared not speak. Mu Ran, however, pressed closer. Just as she was about to loom over the woman, she stopped, a cold sneer curling her lips. The aura surrounding her was even more intimidating than Gu Beicheng’s.

"You say I’m settling personal scores? Are you worthy of that? Did you read your contract before signing it? Did you fulfill the terms? Is your brain punctured, or can you not read plain black-and-white text?"

Mu Ran gave her no room to breathe, her words sharp and piercing. Soon, tears welled up in Li Sancai’s eyes. "My sister is Li Gang! You can't force me to terminate my contract with SY! My sister won't agree to this!"

"Li Gang?" Mu Ran glanced at Gu Beicheng with suspicion, her eyes full of inquiry. What kind of business tycoon was Li Gang? A legendary figure in the film industry? Li Gang was Li Sancai’s sister? Li Gang? A woman?

Gu Beicheng was equally bewildered. Li Gang? He didn't know this person.

"By the way, what about the other artists in the company—Xu Yunshu, Bai Zehan, Mu Yuewei?" Mu Ran suddenly recalled these names and asked a male artist standing in the corner.

The man froze, stammering, scratching his head and fidgeting with his clothes. He looked anxious, seemingly wanting to speak but unable to.

"Speak."

Mu Ran’s eyes flashed with cold light. Why couldn't she summon these people? As she silently recited their names, fragmented memories flickered through her mind—but they were all unpleasant. Yet, she had never known these people before. Why did she have memories of them in her brain? Was it true, as Gu Beicheng said and as she had guessed, that she really had amnesia? And what about that voice in her head that kept warning her to stay away from Gu Beicheng, even driving her to hate him?

The timid male artist saw the boss’s expression growing increasingly dark and grim. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse with helplessness and fear. "Boss Mu, they said they would be here in a moment..."

The man shared an agent with Bai Zehan, Mu Yuewei, and Xu Yunshu. Naturally, he dared not speak ill of those three seniors behind their backs, especially the film emperor Bai Zehan and film queen Mu Yuewei.

"Oh? Playing the diva all the way to the boss's office?" Mu Ran sneered. Suddenly, she turned and locked eyes with Li Sancai’s gaze, which was filled with resentment and dissatisfaction. "Is there something else? Why are you looking at me like that? If there’s nothing else, get out."

Mu Ran felt as if the woman before her, breathing heavily and radiating resentment, was about to pounce on her. But she was not afraid.

"What is it?" Mu Ran bypassed Li Sancai, stood before the desk, and picked up the woman's contract and portfolio. "If I had interviewed you personally, you would never have made it into SY. Your profile claims you are talented in singing and dancing and have striking features—do you find these words insincere?"

Feeling Mu Ran’s gaze scanning her, Li Sancai gritted her teeth. "Boss Mu, I merely liked and shared a few posts on Weibo about you two-timing. Is it necessary to resort to such personal attacks?" Li Sancai’s blood boiled, and she reached out, trembling, to point at Mu Ran’s lazy, disdainful face.

Wasn't SY’s corporate philosophy supposed to be against toxic competition among women? Yet the boss herself was taking the lead in insulting an artist's appearance? This Mu Ran was just as the internet said—filthy, shameless, and a woman who climbed the ladder by relying on men!

"You incited other artists to like rumor posts and even included critical, insulting language when reposting. Li Sancai, you openly targeted me online; why shouldn't I target you?" Mu Ran sneered. Wasn't this Li Sancai playing the victim? She had slandered her online, calling her a flirt who played two men at once. Did she really think using a burner account would make her undetectable? Did this woman even have a brain?

"Li Sancai, did you forget? The person you slandered, insulted, and disparaged is your company boss, as well as the boss of Chengxing Group. Who is Li Gang? I don't know, and I don't want to know. Leave SY now."

Mu Ran didn't care who Li Gang was. She just didn't want to see this woman with red-rimmed eyes, constantly provoking her with a hideous expression.

"My sister is Li Gang, and she is a major shareholder of SY! I'm not leaving!" Li Sancai shook her head violently, making a scene.

Mu Ran glanced at her, then said calmly to the shocked artists nearby, "Leave. Have your agents manage your Weibo accounts. This is my first warning, and my last. And you—tell those three that if they keep acting like divas, don't blame me for cutting off their resources."

The male artist nodded repeatedly, bowed deeply, and bolted out to find the other three.

"Shareholder? Li Gang?" Mu Ran was still puzzled. SY only had two shareholders: Gu Beicheng and a man named Zhou Muyang. Mu Ran had just reviewed Zhou Muyang’s file; he was Gu Beicheng’s friend and also a shareholder in Chengxing Pictures.

"Did Zhou Muyang sell his shares?" Mu Ran sat back in her chair and looked up at the man standing beside her, who was watching her with doting admiration. She waved a hand in front of Gu Beicheng’s eyes. "Did he really sell them?"

Gu Beicheng’s gaze was so intense it felt as if he were drowning her in it. His eyes remained unfocused, reflecting her delicate face. He parted his thin lips and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't know."

"I'll call him. Give me his contact information."

Gu Beicheng smiled faintly. "His number is in your phone."

Mu Ran paused, then realized—of course, it was normal for her to have the shareholders' numbers. But she truly had no memory of this Zhou Muyang.

"Either get out, or stop standing in front of me." Mu Ran looked at the woman’s dull, choppy "hime-cut" hairstyle with a mix of disgust and helplessness. She didn't dislike the hairstyle itself—though she had been startled when she first woke up and saw it on herself in the mirror. It was avant-garde but carried a sense of "playing hard to get." She had no memory of ever getting that haircut.

"Hmph." Li Sancai glared at Mu Ran viciously, then turned to look at Gu Beicheng with a pitiful, damsel-in-distress expression.

Witnessing the woman’s sudden shift in emotion, Mu Ran could only admire her skill; it was a waste for this woman not to be an actress with such excellent expression management. Li Sancai turned and walked to the sofa, sitting in the spot Gu Beicheng had just vacated, staring at Mu Ran with a provocative gaze.

Mu Ran was unfazed. Li Sancai’s level was too low; her behavior couldn't exactly be called stupid, but it was truly laughable.

Mu Ran picked up her phone and dialed Zhou Muyang. When the call connected, the man's voice sounded. "What is it, Xiao Ran?"

Zhou Muyang’s voice seemed to trigger memories from the depths of her mind. His voice was so familiar. Were they close?

"Mr. Zhou, did you sell your shares in SY?" The woman’s voice was distant and carried a sense of pressure.

Zhou Muyang, on the other end, was stunned. He frowned and gripped his phone, wondering why Mu Ran was acting so strangely today—it was as if she had become a completely different person.

"Uh..."

Just as Zhou Muyang was about to answer, the office door was knocked, and a woman pushed her way in. "Boss Mu, hello. I am Li Gang."

Mu Ran gave the woman at the door a displeased look. Her smile was nowhere to be found, and her entire demeanor radiated a chilling coldness. Even though the office air conditioning wasn't on, those present couldn't help but shiver.

"Boss Mu, I am Li Gang," the woman repeated.

Mu Ran ignored her entirely, saying only to the person on the phone, "Continue."

Zhou Muyang, hearing Li Gang’s voice on the other end, sighed and began to play the victim. "I’ve been short on liquidity lately, and since Li Gang offered to buy my shares at a high price, I sold my stake in SY."

Before he could continue, the line went dead. Mu Ran had hung up.

By now, she noticed that Li Gang had walked up to her, but her eyes were fixed on Gu Beicheng, who was standing with his back to everyone, looking out the window. Mu Ran sneered inwardly; Gu Beicheng was certainly quite charming.

"Ms. Li, do you understand the rules?"

Li Gang looked away, frowning, confused by Mu Ran’s words. She glanced at the aggrieved-looking Li Sancai on the sofa, and her protective instincts flared up. "What is your meaning?"