Chapter 98 — Queen of SY

"Hey, Beicheng, don't leave me behind..."
Mu Jingrong glanced up and down at Qin Ranran, whose eyes flitted nervously, and frowned, stepping back.
This Qin Ranran resembled an overripe, yellowed banana.
Was this what people meant by 'so rustic it's fashionable'?
"Brother, why won't Beicheng speak to me?"
Mu Jingrong looked at Qin Ranran's face, scrunched up in grievance. He instinctively frowned, suppressing his discomfort, and forced a dry smile. "Heh, his hearing hasn't been so good lately. Maybe he didn't hear you."
He couldn't help but recall Mu Ran's recent expression of wounded pride.
He shook his head—there truly is a gulf between people.
Qin Ranran's appearance and demeanor were nothing like a young lady from a wealthy family.
"Brother, did Mu Ran talk badly about me in front of you? I... I know I'm not well, but I..."
Mu Jingrong frowned, his face filled with helplessness.
Qin Ranran looked so petty and provincial.
"Mu Ran isn't that kind of person."
Mu Jingrong's expression grew stern. He didn't know Mu Ran well, but he trusted his friend Gu Beicheng's judgment.
"Brother, do you not like me?"
Ever since Qin Ranran returned to the Qin family, everyone had showered her with affection.
Lady Mu and her mother were twin sisters.
So why didn't her cousin Mu Jingrong like her?
"Not exactly. It's something that comes from within."
Mu Jingrong watched Gu Beicheng's figure disappear, feeling anxious himself. He had no time to deal with this enigmatic cousin.
A sickly girl?
Aside from her pale, ordinary face, he saw no sign of illness in her.
Qin Ranran asked, puzzled, "What do you mean, 'from within'?"
Mu Jingrong curled his lips, his tone cold and disdainful. "Dislike, inside and out."
With those words, he paid no heed to the trembling Qin Ranran, set down his wineglass, and left.
"Mu Ran! It must have been Mu Ran!"
Qin Ranran turned toward the two women standing on the hall's stage.
She overheard one woman speaking viciously, "How is Mu Ran up there?"
Two women passed in front of Qin Ranran, both glancing at Mu Ran with resentment.
"Pretty sister, you don't like Mu Ran either?"
Qin Ranran hurried to stand before her, forcing a smile she considered beautiful.
Mu Yuewei gestured for her assistant to leave.
She discreetly sized up the girl before her, whose scheming thoughts were written all over her face.
Where had this country bumpkin come from, she wondered.
"And you are?"
Mu Yuewei gave a professional, false smile, raising her hand to adjust her hair, her gaze not on Qin Ranran but on Mu Ran ahead.
"I'm the third Miss Qin, Qin Ranran."
"What?"
Mu Yuewei turned, surprise flashing in her eyes, her red lips parting. Disdain swiftly gave way to ingratiation.
"Miss Qin!"
"Yes, that's me. Are you also an actress with SY, pretty sister? You dislike Mu Ran too, don't you? I saw your look..."
Mu Yuewei laughed coldly. "Not dislike, just think she doesn't deserve to appear at the SY gala."
Qin Ranran felt suspicious—why would this woman say that?
Wasn't Mu Ran the chairman of SY?
This woman couldn't be an SY artist, could she? How could she not recognize her own boss?
"Heh, you're busy, I'll go now."
Qin Ranran immediately lost interest in continuing the conversation.
This heavily made-up older woman must have sneaked in!
"Miss Qin, where is your brother?"
Mu Yuewei's slick smile made Qin Ranran even more uncomfortable.
Back in the orphanage, the director had worn this same smile while cursing and bullying her countless times.
This old woman was certainly no good!
"I don't know."
Mu Yuewei, seasoned in society, could read the thoughts of the girl before her.
But she was a Qin heiress, someone Mu Yuewei couldn't afford to offend.
"Miss Qin, is there any SY male star you like? I can get you their contact information."
Qin Ranran was taken aback, her eyes suddenly brightening, muttering, "Male star?"
She'd grown up in the orphanage, watching TV at set times every day.
But the programs were all about education and learning.
She had never had a favorite male star or idol, since she'd hardly ever seen any handsome male celebrities on TV.
In the orphanage, the only faces on the screen were stern, serious old men.
Mu Yuewei curled her red lips, reached out, and draped an arm around the girl's shoulder, directing her gaze to the stage's big screen.
"See that big screen? It's displaying photos of many SY artists. Tell me which male star you like, and I'll get his contact for you."
Qin Ranran followed Mu Yuewei's gesture and looked at the big screen behind Mu Ran.
Photo after photo of artists flashed by, a dazzling constellation.
Each face was exquisitely beautiful, whether male or female.
Qin Ranran, so plain and ordinary she was nearly ugly, covered her face, feeling a deep sense of shame.
"I don't need it. I don't like anyone."
"And who are you, anyway? How can you get their contact details?"
Wasn't this old woman just an interloper?
Mu Yuewei smiled smugly, her tone filled with pride. "I'm the leading lady of SY. The big screen shows plenty of my photos—that's the privilege of being the top actress."
In China, every film company followed this tradition.
At company galas, the top actor and actress would have numerous photos displayed on the big screen.
"How come I didn't see? Most of the photos up there are of your boss."
Boss?
Mu Yuewei's upturned lips faltered, her sparkling eyes filled with confusion. "How could that be?"
"How is it Mu Ran?"
Mu Yuewei ignored the latter half of Qin Ranran's remark.
"How could the leading lady of SY be Mu Ran!"
Qin Ranran didn't want to linger beside Mu Yuewei; she felt this older woman was strange.
She'd better go look for her brother.
"Mu Ran! You slut! That whore must have slept her way up again!"
Mu Yuewei's face flushed red, so much so that no amount of heavy makeup could conceal it.
"Yuewei, President An from SY is about to speak. We need to take our seats. Hey, why is your face so red, sis?"
Mu Yuewei stood rigidly, fists clenched tight. "Mu Ran! That slut!"
"You—you need to do something for me!"
Mu Yuewei's fierce gaze bore into her assistant.
The assistant shivered, clutching her laptop tightly.
"Sis, calm down. Tell me what you want me to do, I'll do it now."
Mu Yuewei leaned in, whispering instructions in the assistant's ear.
Straightening up, the woman's sly, treacherous air vanished.
"Sis, will that really work? That's the president of Chengxing Group!"
The assistant spoke meekly, her gaze evasive, shrinking her neck, not daring to meet Mu Yuewei's eyes.
"Hurry up."
After urging her assistant away, Mu Yuewei calmly sat down in the chair labeled with her name.
On the podium—
Mu Ran and An Lan stood before a microphone.
An Lan spoke a sentence.
Mu Ran immediately translated three sentences—
In English, Korean, and Russian.
Several foreign directors sitting at the front row applauded enthusiastically.

SY Pictures truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier company.
Such sophistication and grandeur—even the opening remarks were so international.
"Why were there so many photos of that translator on the big screen just now?"
Several junior directors whispered below.
"Oh! You didn't know? That's Mu Ran. She's been gaining popularity lately! The leading lady of SY Pictures!"
Several newly signed SY actors looked at each other in shock, then all gazed up at the poised Mu Ran on stage.
"Mu Ran is the leading lady of SY Pictures?"
"Why?"
"Is the boss of SY blind? Why make Mu Ran the leading lady!"
"Maybe it's because the boss is Mu Ran's agent."
"That's so unfair!"
The new actors had little status, sitting just ahead of the journalists covering the event.
Hearing the actors' disgruntled complaints, several journalists—struggling to find interviewees—exchanged smiles.
Once An Lan and Mu Ran finished their opening speech, the hall erupted in applause.
No one had expected Mu Ran, this obscure minor star, to be so accomplished.
Still, many were dissatisfied that Mu Ran was SY's leading lady.
After stepping down from the stage, a waiter handed Mu Ran a glass of red wine. "Miss Mu, Mr. Gu asked me to give you this wine. He also said he's waiting for you in cabin 209 on the second deck."
"Thank you."
Mu Ran took the glass, sniffed it.
After a moment, she gracefully drank it all in one go.
She was unaware that, from a nearby corner, Mu Yuewei was watching her every move.
Within minutes, Mu Ran's cheeks turned rosy. She grew dazed, fumbling out her phone.
Just then, Gu Beicheng sent a message: [Mu Ran, see you in 209.]
Her lips curled into a smile, a subtle clarity flickering in her eyes.
With slender fingers, she tapped her phone a few times, then tucked it into her purse, preparing to go upstairs.
"Mu Ran, Mu Ran, I'm a reporter from Star Media. Can you tell us why you're the leading lady of SY?"
"Mu Ran, I'm a reporter from Moon Media. How are your relations with the company's other female artists?"
"Mu Ran, what's your relationship with SY's boss behind the scenes?"
"Mu Ran, please explain."
Mu Ran's aura was cool and composed as she spoke slowly. "It's my company, so of course I'm the leading lady.
As for my relations with the other women at SY—let me ask, what's your relationship with your boss?
I am SY's boss behind the scenes."
Her words stunned the whole hall.
Mu Ran was SY's secret boss?
The reporters thrust their microphones at her again. "Mu Ran, why did you hide the fact that you're SY's boss?"
"When did I ever hide it? Didn't I just say so?"
The reporter's mouth twitched, eyelids quivering—Mu Ran had just looked at him as if he were an idiot.
Mu Ran's cold face showed a trace of disdain as she swept her gaze over the reporters before her. "Any more questions?"
"No."
The reporters shook their heads in unison.
Truthfully, they had plenty of sharp questions, but SY's chairwoman was not someone they could provoke!
"If there's nothing else, come upstairs with me. I'll show you a good show."
Mu Ran led several reporters upstairs.
The cruise's first-floor hall instantly buzzed with excitement. "Mu Ran is actually the chairman of SY! No wonder she's the leading lady!"
"How did Mu Ran suddenly become so impressive?"
"How did Mu Ran get the money to found SY?"
"Mu Ran? I was just talking bad about her! She turned out to be my boss!"