Master of Flirting
Lu Mingxin didn’t respond to Gu Qinglan directly. She really didn’t know how to answer.
Agreeing to him, that’s impossible… But if she refused him, Lu Mingxin suddenly feared he might run back and complain to her mother.
Thinking about this, Lu Mingxin couldn't help but imagine the scene.
The melancholic and refined Mr. Gu Qinglan would go to her mother, and with a sorrow like that of Xi Shi1 clutching her heart, he would say to her: "Auntie, Mingxin doesn't like me and rejected my marriage proposal. Even when I suggested to get along with her in a different way, she refused."
Lu Mingxin's mother, who was so absorbed in her research that she was inexperienced about the world, would immediately be deceived by him and firmly declare, "Xiao2 Gu, you've been wronged. I'll go scold her for you!"
Thinking about this, Lu Mingxin suddenly felt her future was bleak. Her own side was full of teammates who were ready to switch sides at a moment’s notice. With her being just a weak little minion, she was no match for Mr. Gu who was not shallow in his ways.
She spent the entire morning in this tangled state of mind and didn't really read much of the book.
Lunch time soon came. When she arrived at the dining room, she found that Gu Qinglan was not there, and only Li Angyue was sitting there with a smile.
Seeing her confusion, the old housekeeper surnamed Zhou made a point of explaining to her: "Mr. Gu is on medication and has too many dietary restrictions, so he usually doesn't dine with guests to avoid inconveniencing both of you."
Lu Mingxin didn't show it on her face, but in her heart, she had already complained about the very particular Mr. Gu. It's just a meal. If you have dietary restrictions, can't you just cook a few more dishes? Why do you have to hide yourself!
She was happy to criticize Gu Qinglan in her heart. After the meal, housekeeper Zhou said to her, "Miss Lu, Mr. Gu has something else to discuss with you. If you could go to his room, please."
Lu Mingxin had the heart to say no, but she had just eaten someone else's food and didn't pick her teeth clean yet. It wouldn't be good to turn her back on them right away, so she could only smile elegantly to housekeeper Zhou and say, "Alright, I'll go right away."
Going up to the second floor, she found Gu Qinglan's room. Lu Mingxin pushed the door open and went in. Gu Qinglan was sitting in an armchair by the window, reading a book with his back to her.
In just half a day, every time Lu Mingxin saw Gu Qinglan alone, he was reading. She wanted to mock him to his face for this pretentious behavior, but Gu Qinglan holding a book was such a pleasing sight that she couldn't find a way to break through.
It wasn't until she approached that Gu Qinglan spoke blandly, not even bothering to lift his gaze from the book, "Sit down."
There was another armchair in front of him, clearly prepared for her. Lu Mingxin didn't stand on ceremony and sat down.
She couldn't keep up an elegant and mature air in front of Gu Qinglan, so she just gave up. "Didn't you ask me to go home and pack my things after lunch? Why did you ask me to come up again?"
Only then did Gu Qinglan look up at her, "Nothing, it's just that my head hurts a bit."
Lu Mingxin was once again baffled by his logic. "Your head hurts..."
Gu Qinglan smiled at her slightly, "So I asked you to come and give me a massage."
Lu Mingxin... Since when did she look like a masseur?
But Gu Qinglan had already put down the book in his hand, then stood up and half-lay down on the bed.
He left some space on the bed and then closed his eyes lightly, saying in a low voice, "Mingxin, come here."
Lu Mingxin struggled inwardly for a moment, and then was affected by the charm of Mr. Gu who was lying somewhat weakly on the bed looking a little sickly beautiful, and very spinelessly followed him over.
Since she was already there, Lu Mingxin decided to make herself comfortable and leaned her body against the down-filled cushion. She raised her hand and gently began pressing around his forehead.
Her technique was, of course, far from professional. She just pressed randomly around his forehead and temples, not too hard and not too soft.
Now that she was close to him, she noticed that Gu Qinglan’s complexion was paler than when they had met earlier in the morning. He did indeed look somewhat unwell with his brows slightly furrowed, and faint creases forming between his long, dark eyebrows.
Lu Mingxin didn't know why he had a headache, but seeing him like this, she couldn't help but feel some sympathy. Her fingers softened their touch, and her body unconsciously leaned closer. She lowered her voice as she whispered into his ear, "Feeling better?"
Gu Qinglan coughed lightly, the corners of his lips slightly raised, "A little better."
He had been keeping his eyes closed, but after a moment of silence, he spoke again, "So this is what I once longed for in vain."3
Lu Mingxin certainly wasn't narcissistic enough to think he was talking about her. They had been separated since their youth and hadn't had much contact for so many years, let alone that Gu Qinglan would take a liking to her past self.
She remembered what he had said that morning about being "used to it," and now, this sentence reminded her of his previous failed relationship.
It was said that in Rong City where the Gu family was deeply rooted, that awkward ending to the relationship had been the talk of the town. Though it had been over a year, there were still quite a few people in the local area who could recount the beginning and end of the story in great detail.
It was such a big deal that even the busy Lu Mingxin heard her mom talk about it when she came home occasionally.
She remembered that over a year ago, when Gu Qinglan returned from abroad, he hadn’t yet planned to teach at a university in the capital. He had remained in Rong City, preparing to take over the family business.
At the time, the eldest daughter of another prominent family in Rong City, the Su family, had just gone through a divorce. Gu Qinglan began dating Miss Su, but unfortunately, Miss Su's old relationship with her ex-husband was not yet over, and her relationship with Gu Qinglan lasted less than two months before it ended.
Miss Su and her ex-husband got back together, and there was a sensational hostage incident. Miss Su's ex-husband saved her from the bandits despite the danger, but he himself was stranded on a deserted island and almost lost his life.
During that time, all the media and citizens in Rong City were discussing this touching love legend, but few people thought about what Gu Qinglan's state of mind was at that time.
When Lu Mingxin's mother told her about it, she certainly stood on Gu Qinglan's side and sighed several times: "That child Qinglan is going to be sad."
After that, Gu Qinglan did indeed return abroad for a few months, saying that he still had some businesses to take care of there, but everyone understood that it was mostly to escape from heartbreak.
Speaking of it, Gu Qinglan's luck was really not good. With his family background, appearance and academic performance, there were countless girls who had a crush on him since middle school.
But he had always been too self-disciplined. Anyway, as far as Lu Mingxin knew, that relationship with Miss Su was probably his first love. It unexpectedly ended so hastily.
Lu Mingxin knew that although Gu Qinglan looked gentle on the surface, he was in fact somewhat arrogant and aloof. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so reserved in matters of love.
It could be imagined how sad it was for a person with such high self-esteem to unknowingly become a foil in someone else's love.
However, Lu Mingxin really didn't expect that Gu Qinglan's feelings for Miss Su were so deep that he still tried to think of her through other women.
The more Lu Mingxin thought about it, the more she couldn't help but give Gu Qinglan more sympathy points. She didn't care that she was being treated as a substitute for Miss Su, and instead, she pressed and rubbed Gu Qinglan's forehead even more dutifully.
Until her hand that was pressing indiscriminately was grabbed by Gu Qinglan, who felt somewhat helpless, "Are you kneading my head like a ball?"
Lu Mingxin felt a bit embarrassed and cleared her throat, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Gu Qinglan smiled slightly. "How are you going to hurt me?"
Lu Mingxin froze. By the time she realized he was joking, she had noticed that he was still holding her hand. He hadn’t let go after grabbing it, and his long fingers had wrapped around hers, the gesture undeniably ambiguous.
One second she was feeling sorry for him, and the next second he was blatantly flirting.
It wasn't that Lu Mingxin was too slow to react to this, but that Gu Qinglan's hand didn’t have the typical warmth of many men. Instead, it felt slightly cool, and the touch on her skin was surprisingly comfortable, so she automatically ignored it.
And for some reason… Lu Mingxin didn’t mind the physical contact with Gu Qinglan. Just earlier, when she was massaging his forehead, she hadn’t felt uncomfortable touching him. It felt perfectly natural to place her hand on him.
No matter how airheaded Lu Mingxin was, she had been an actress for several years. In their line of work, it was inevitable to have some physical contact with others for performances, sometimes even in staged kiss scenes.
Because of this, she was even more aware of the subtle little actions that she should avoid to prevent giving off ambiguous signals.
Only with Gu Qinglan, she naturally did something that she would never do with other men, and she realized it only after a while.
Lu Mingxin hesitated for a moment and attributed this phenomenon to the fact that the two had known each other as children.
Recalling her childhood, Lu Mingxin actually didn't remember much. She was tomboyish when she was young and was quite mischievous. She hadn't played much with Gu Qinglan, who was quiet and refined since childhood.
In her childhood and adolescence, her most profound impression of Gu Qinglan was that when she was eight years old, she spent half a day alone with him in the Gu family's old mansion.
Thinking back on that day now, it wasn't a pleasant memory.
That summer vacation, her mother had taken her to the Gu family's mansion to catch up with her best friend. Because Rong City and the capital were quite a distance apart, they decided to stay for a few days.
The lively and active Lu Mingxin used to play with a group of children in the compound of her parents' unit, but was later forced to be confined to a secluded mountain villa with only one other child her age, which made her feel very bored.
She remembered that at first, she had clung to Gu Qinglan for a while, chasing after him and calling out, "Qinglan-gege, Qinglan-gege"4, hoping he would play with her.
But Gu Qinglan's personality was just too dull, and he was too indifferent towards her. Chasing after Gu Qinglan hoping he would play with her wasn't as good as finding something to do in the big garden of the Gu family mansion, so Lu Mingxin soon stopped paying much attention to "Qinglan-gege."
If that had been all, Lu Mingxin wouldn’t have remembered that summer for so long. The key was in the half-day they spent alone together.
That day, her mom and Gu Qinglan’s mom went into the city to go shopping. Normally, she would eagerly ask to join them just to avoid being stuck in the house with the stuffy Gu Qinglan.
But that day, maybe it was because the weather was too hot and she felt lazy, or maybe she was just in a strange mood, she insisted on staying home and lounging on the sofa, not wanting to move.
When the two mothers left, she regained her spirits and got up to harass Gu Qinglan, who was reading in the study.
She was only eight years old at that time. Gu Qinglan, being three years older, was only eleven, yet he was already the cold and aloof person he was now.
On that day, she was so excited to play and wandered into the study. When she found Gu Qinglan sitting in front of the desk, she not only grabbed the book in his hand, but also spat on the book on a whim.
Gu Qinglan, who was usually quite gentle to her, looked almost livid. With one hand, he grabbed the collar of her shirt at the back of her neck and threw her into the nearest bathroom, then locked the door.
Lu Mingxin was so shocked that she froze. Being thrown into the bathroom like a piece of trash by Gu Qinglan, she naively thought that "Qinglan-gege" wouldn't really do anything to her.
Then she really... was locked in the bathroom for the entire afternoon, a full three or four hours.
At first, she tried to act funny and act like a spoiled child, shouting through the door, "Qinglan-gege, I don't dare anymore," but there was no response from outside. She, a little kid who was locked in the airtight bathroom for a long time, became scared and started banging on the door.
Later, she disgracefully cried. When her mother and Gu Qinglan's mother returned home and rescued her, she was already sitting on the floor, crying for who knows how long, with tears and snot running down her face.
It was said that after locking her in, Gu Qinglan just went back to the study and continued reading, never going over to take another look from start to finish.
When she grew up, Lu Mingxin knew that her fate that day was called "if you don't seek death, you won't die"5, but that incident also cast a certain shadow to her solid little heart.
After that day, Lu Mingxin never dared to call Gu Qinglan "gege" again. Whenever they met, she didn't dare to provoke him anymore, and they lived in peace.
Now that so many years have passed, both of them have become real adults. And then, Gu Qinglan suddenly came to tell her that he wanted to marry her. No matter how narcissistic Lu Mingxin might be, she wouldn't think that Gu Qinglan had liked her since they were kids.
After hesitating for a moment, she gently pulled her hand out of his grasp.
Gu Qinglan didn't exert much force, so she easily broke free from his palm while she muttered in a small voice, "You're not as fierce as you were when you were a kid."
Gu Qinglan clearly remembered punishing her as a child too, and he smiled. "You're not as rowdy as you were when you were a kid either."
Lu Mingxin felt that she had suffered too much from him, and couldn't help but want to retort back, "You still have the nerve to say I'm gaudy, aren't you as vulgar as those local tycoons, trying to make a deal with me using money!"
Someone of Gu Qinglan’s level wouldn’t be fazed by such a remark. He kept his serene, refined smile, one that seemed untouched by worldly matters, and calmly replied, "The reason I used such a crude expression was because I was worried you wouldn't understand if I used different words."
So, after all that, she was still the vulgar one? Lu Mingxin, unconvinced, said: "Then what would it sound like in your refined vocabulary? Don’t tell me I can’t understand Chinese!"
Gu Qinglan chuckled again and slowly said, "If I were to express my true intention, it would be... perhaps if we forget each other, longing would cease."
Lu Mingxin fell silent, her brow slightly furrowed. If her current expression were seen by her male fans who admired her, they'd surely feel as if their hearts had been struck by a heavy blow, with affection flooding over them like a river, compelling them to sacrifice everything and spill blood to alleviate the beauty's sorrow.
After frowning for a moment, she finally looked up, her beautiful face filled with confusion. "I still don't quite understand."
It seemed Gu Qinglan didn’t expect her to grasp it either. He raised his hand and gently flicked her forehead with his fingers, letting out a soft sigh. "If one seeks to forget each other, one must first have longed for each other."
His talk of "forgetting" and "longing" truly left Lu Mingxin feeling dizzy.
Fortunately, she wasn't lacking in intelligence. She interpreted the literal meaning and said, "So, what you mean is that to forget me, you first need to miss me, and after missing me, perhaps you can forget me, so then you won't need to miss me anymore?"
Gu Qinglan laughed lightly this time, though he still appeared to have a bit of a headache and didn’t seem inclined to elaborate further. "Finally, the child is teachable."
Lu Mingxin twitched the corner of her mouth: "So, in order to miss me and then forget me, you're forcing me to stay by your side?" She sighed to the sky, "As expected of a profound, lofty and enigmatic master, such a god-like logic!"
Gu Qinglan merely smiled faintly in response, then turned to lie down on the bed and closed his eyes, leaving her with a back view.
Gu Qinglan wanted to take a nap, and the energetic Lu Mingxin said that she didn't need to sleep and decided to use this time to head back to her apartment and pack her things.
Her apartment was located in a high-end residential area in the city center, which was convenient for activities near the company. Lu Mingxin had bought the property using her earnings from the first two years of her acting career and advertising income after graduating from university. After that, she moved out and no longer lived with her parents.
Since she would be staying for a week or maybe even longer, she had a lot of things to pack. She filled a large suitcase with her belongings and took it downstairs. The driver helped her load the luggage into the car, and then drove her back to Qinglan's villa.
At this time, there was no traffic in the city, so even though Lu Mingxin took some time upstairs, they returned just after 3 PM.
To her surprise, Gu Qinglan was no longer at home. Housekeeper Zhou explained that he had a lecture in the afternoon and went to school after waking up from his nap. It seemed that Gu Qinglan’s title of "professor" was not just for show; he really did teach at the school.
Lu Mingxin imagined for a moment. If Gu Qinglan, with a light6 tone, a light expression, and an overall gentle demeanor, would he hypnotize the whole class?
She thought for a moment and quickly realized that even if Gu Qinglan had such a gentle presence, no student would be hypnotized during his class.
It's very simple. If you had such a handsome teacher standing in front of you, lecturing you in such a pleasant voice, even if what he was saying was boring, you wouldn't be able to fall asleep, okay?
It was the same as when she went to act with this face, even if her acting was sprayed into dog blood7, people who wanted to watch would continue to do so.
When she thought about it like this, it seemed like Gu Qinglan and her were both pathetic?
She silently felt a pang of sympathy for Gu Qinglan and even experienced a touch of mutual understanding. But she didn’t realize that her assumption about Gu Qinglan relying on his looks to attract students due to boring lectures was purely her own imagination, without any factual basis.
Gu Qinglan didn't stay away for long. Not long after Lu Mingxin returned, he came back himself.
Housekeeper Zhou said that Lu Mingxin hid in her room since her return. He knocked on the door first, but she didn't answer.
Pausing for a moment at the door, Gu Qinglan pushed it open. The door wasn't locked, and as soon as it opened, he could see Lu Mingxin sitting on the sofa by the window with her back to the door. She was holding a book and wearing a large pair of headphones.
As Gu Qinglan approached, she was still nodding her head to the window, unaware of someone standing behind her. The loud music from her headphones was audible.
Sighing softly, Gu Qinglan reached out and took the headphones off her ears. "Don't listen to music like that. You weren't smart to begin with, and the vibrations make you even more stupid."
Only then did Lu Mingxin notice his presence. She had now learnt to calmly ignore the phrase 'weren't smart to begin with', and half-turned to look up at him, "Didn't you go to the lecture?"
Gu Qinglan smiled but didn't answer her. "Follow me."
She was a little surprised and didn't move. He leaned over, took her hand, and explained in a low voice, "Giving you something."
Only then did Lu Mingxin stand up, and Gu Qinglan pulled her all the way to his room.
The specifications of his room were the same as the one Lu Mingxin lived in, but the decoration was much darker.
Leading Lu Mingxin to the desk in his room, he opened a drawer and took out a small box.
Having seen countless pieces of jewelry, Lu Mingxin immediately recognized it as a jewelry box containing a ring. When Gu Qinglan opened the box, it indeed revealed a pair of matching rings inside.
Before, Gu Qinglan did say that he wanted to marry her. But she didn't think that he even had a ring ready. What was this? An engagement ring?
While Lu Mingxin was still dazed, Gu Qinglan had already naturally taken out the woman's ring. He grasped her wrist and slipped it onto her left ring finger.
Then he picked up the man's ring and put it on his own left ring finger as well. His movements were not hurried, but rather slow and deliberate. Even as he silently placed the rings on her and himself, there was an air of elegance in his gestures.
Looking at the platinum ring that had suddenly appeared on her finger, Lu Mingxin felt a bit tangled and couldn’t help but ask, "What’s this for?"
Gu Qinglan had originally looked at her and his fingers with his eyes downcast, but upon hearing her, he lifted his gaze to meet hers and smiled, "I've talked to Ms. Du. We’re holding a press conference for this drama next Monday. And by the way, we’ll announce that you’re engaged to me."
Lu Mingxin was surprised that a historical consultant like him could have such a great influence, "The boss agreed?"
Gu Qinglan smiled and asked instead, "What about your opinion? Are you okay with publicly announcing our relationship?"
For a public figure, whether to announce a relationship was indeed a matter worth discussing. Not to mention, excessive attention from the outside world could easily disrupt the private lives of lovers or spouses.
Lu Mingxin was speechless for a moment. He had put the ring on her without even asking, only to ask if she had an opinion. If she had an opinion, could she take off the ring and slam it to his face?
Seeing her blank expression, he then smiled, "Oh right, I’m not sure if Ms. Du mentioned this, but one of the companies under my name is also involved in this drama as a major investor."
Lu Mingxin was left speechless. No wonder he had mentioned a money transaction earlier. He had everything so thoroughly planned.
He said the press conference would be held next Monday, but today was already Friday, which meant it was only three days away. For the next few days, Lu Mingxin followed Du Li's instructions and stayed obediently inside the villa, not venturing out.
She had always been a playful person by nature, and after entering the entertainment industry, she had become even more so. Now, being cooped up in the villa with Gu Qinglan and Li Angyue, who loved playing chess and drinking tea, she suddenly had the strange feeling that her childhood was repeating itself.
Because in this house, the only person she could harass had become Gu Qinglan again.
With the tragic experience of her childhood, of course, she did not dare to touch those precious books of Gu Qinglan. She could only find ways to trick him out of the study, which made her feel depressed just walking into it.
Just like now, she changed into a sportswear, tied up her long hair, and jumped around in the open space in the backyard to do aerobics. She didn't forget to shout to the house: "Qinglan-gege, come exercise with me! It's not good for your health to stay cooped up for too long."
Gu Qinglan pushed open the window of the study, just in time to see her bouncing figure, and couldn't help but frown slightly. "Don't shout so loudly."
Lu Mingxin wasn't afraid of him now; everyone was an adult, she didn't believe that he could still lock her in the bathroom for hours. That was against the law, okay?
So she still said cheerfully: "Look at you, you’re disliked by others because you stay cooped up in the room all day, right? You've probably grown a bunch of mushrooms by now, right?"
Gu Qinglan closed the window, unable to bear it any longer. A few minutes later, Gu Qinglan walked out of the house, holding a ruler-like object.
Lu Mingxin was still stretching her legs when she saw him approaching and curiously asked, "What are you holding? A clothesline? Isn't it a bit too short?"
She was still so clueless. Gu Qinglan was angry and couldn't help but laugh. "It's a ruler."
Lu Mingxin let out a startled cry and immediately jumped up to run. Her speed could be described as "still as a virgin, moving like a rabbit."
Gu Qinglan, holding the antique zitan ruler8 from the Qing dynasty, watched her retreating figure and said darkly, "If you dare to run too far, I'll have the kitchen cut off your dinner."
Poor Lu Mingxin lived in someone else's house and ate someone else's food, and didn't dare to go against her own stomach. She could only cry and circle around Gu Qinglan, not too far or too close.
Getting closer, she feared Gu Qinglan might actually strike her with the ruler, but running too far made her worry about missing dinner and going hungry. Her face couldn’t have looked more pitiful.
Monday arrived quickly. The press conference was scheduled for 9 o'clock in the morning, and Lu Mingxin got up early to get ready.
This time, she needed to face the media in her best condition. Du Li sent Liu Fenfang over, along with a nanny car and a makeup artist.
Having been isolated from the world for the past few days, Lu Mingxin had successfully returned to her lazy state. Now, she was sitting in front of the mirror obediently letting the makeup artist and stylist do her makeup, while an assistant busied herself ironing her clothes.
Liu Fenfang stood on the sidelines, clutching her tablet and learning about the road conditions from here to the press conference venue. At the same time, she was on the phone, reporting the situation here to the people at the venue.
This familiar hustle and bustle marked the return of her life in the public eye.
Lu Mingxin turned her head to look at the face in the mirror, which was even more bright and attractive after putting on makeup. In her emptied mind, she thought that fortunately, she was chased and beaten by Gu Qinglan every day, so the meat she ate hadn't turned into extra pounds. It was really a cause for celebration.
Just as she was thinking about him, the door was pushed open, and Gu Qinglan walked in.
He usually liked wearing formal attire, but today he had changed into a light-colored suit that she had never seen him wear before. The handmade fabric and tailoring were impeccable along with his fair skin and ethereal temperament.
As soon as he walked in, several busy women paused involuntarily.
Lu Mingxin saw him in the mirror and couldn't help but whistle. "Yo, has Mr. Gu ever thought about being our male lead? Such a beauty is a feast for the eyes."
Seeing how Lu Mingxin still hadn’t learned her lesson despite being occasionally tapped by the ruler over the past few days, Gu Qinglan couldn't be bothered with her antics anymore. He softly said, "I’m not appearing on camera, but I’ll go with you."
Lu Mingxin wasn't having any of it. "No way, if you don't appear, people will think my fiancé is a figment of my imagination. Besides, I must take such a good-looking fiancé out for a walk9."
‘Out for a walk,’ she said. If she wasn’t in the middle of getting her makeup done, Gu Qinglan might have brought out that ruler again.
Gu Qinglan turned to Liu Fenfang and asked, "Is it alright if I don’t speak?"
When dealing with Lu Mingxin, Liu Fenfang could be as fierce as a storm, but facing Gu Qinglan, Liu Fenfang suddenly seemed to have her girlish heart reignited. She spoke softly as if afraid of startling him, "Of course, Mr. Gu. If you have any requests, I'll arrange a seat for you immediately."
Gu Qinglan nodded slightly and curved his lips. "Thank you."
He was not a public figure after all, and he had always kept a low profile. Until now, no media outlet had published a photo of him.
Only Gu Qinglan’s former classmates and the old family friends of the Gu family likely knew what he looked like. His willingness to step in front of the cameras today for Lu Mingxin was quite the exception.
Recognizing this as a significant concession, Lu Mingxin knew when to stop pushing her luck. She exclaimed with glee, "Qinglan-gege still loves me!"
Then, she even started to play tricks again and turned as if to pounce on Gu Qinglan. "Since you're going on camera, at least put on some makeup. Let me apply some for you, Qinglan-gege!"
Fortunately, Gu Qinglan was far enough to sidestep her gracefully. He nodded politely to Liu Fenfang, "I'll wait downstairs." Having said that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Apart from them, the press conference would also be attended by Du Li, the producer, the director, and several other actors whose schedules had been confirmed.
This drama was personally produced by Du Li, and the production team was considered top-notch domestically. Naturally, the actors couldn't be any less. The male lead was invited to be Mo Qi, the best actor of the previous film festival.
Mo Qi was among the best in terms of both appearance and acting ability, ranking at the top among domestic male stars. What made him even more impressive was his young age—he had just turned thirty this year and had already taken the crown of the film emperor. He was one of the hottest A-list stars in the industry.
He and Lu Mingxin had also worked together before, in the very movie that earned him his Best Actor title. It was a classic male-centric film, where even the supporting male characters had more screen time than the female lead.
Mo Qi played the lead, while Lu Mingxin played the female lead, relying mostly on her looks for screen presence. After its release, the film was both a box office hit and critically acclaimed. Mo Qi smoothly won the Best Actor award that year, while Lu Mingxin didn’t even manage to get a nomination for Best Actress.
However, after that movie ended, fans online started a new pairing called "QiXin," and fans of this cute male-female pairing surged and formed a small trend.
The reason was simply that recent blockbuster films had been selling too much rot10, and the film co-starring Mo Qi and Lu Mingxin was especially so. Although the production quality of the film was top-notch, the rot was sold to an undisguised extent.
As with anything, too much of a good thing can be bad. The frequent male-male "bromance" actually turned off a portion of the fans. Moreover, both Mo Qi and Lu Mingxin both had an outstanding appearance. When a few scenes of their interactions were highlighted, the combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was undeniably pleasing to the eye.
So when the "QiXin" pairing emerged, it was strongly supported by numerous fans. As a result, in a show that deliberately tried to sell rot, the most popular pairing ended up being between the male and female leads.
Taking advantage of the ongoing popularity of "QiXin" and securing the highly busy Mo Qi to play opposite her must have required a lot of effort from Du Li.
When they met backstage after putting on makeup and waiting for the show to start, they started to greet each other.
Today, Mo Qi also chose a light-colored suit. He was already handsome, and this choice made him seem even more like a glowing, moving light source.
As soon as Lu Mingxin and her group entered, Mo Qi spotted her right away. Ignoring everyone else, he was the first to smile and greet her, "Xiao Lulu, you're looking beautiful today too."
Having worked together on a film and being locked in the same crew for two months, Lu Mingxin and Mo Qi were already quite familiar with each other. Mo Qi's personality was usually very playful, and he and Lu Mingxin had a bit of a kindred spirit, often getting together to joke around and de-stress, making their relationship closer than with others in the crew.
So it wasn't without reason that fans hoped they were a couple. After getting to know each other better, their interactions were also brought into and out of the drama. That familiar atmosphere, when seen by outsiders, was almost indistinguishable from ambiguity.
Hearing the familiar nickname, Lu Mingxin couldn't help but grin, "Qi-gege is also very handsome today."
Mo Qi laughed heartily on the other side.
The others who were familiar with the two of them had already gotten used to their interactions, but the few people who had come with Lu Mingxin and Gu Qinglan today turned their gazes, as if by instinct, to Gu Qinglan who was walking behind Lu Mingxin.
Even though they all knew that the relationship between Lu Mingxin and Mo Qi wasn't that of between a man and a woman, today was different. Lu Mingxin had brought her fiancé with her, and they were about to announce their engagement in front of her "on-screen lover." The situation felt a little... delicate.
In front of outsiders, Gu Qinglan always maintained a gentle smile, yet with an air of superiority, and today was no different.
However, his gaze shifted from Lu Mingxin to Mo Qi, then he smiled slightly and took the initiative to extend his hand to Mo Qi. "Hello, Mr. Mo."
Mo Qi was briefly stunned. He had never met Gu Qinglan before. From his appearance, Gu Qinglan seemed more than capable of entering the entertainment industry, but his temperament was very unlike the feeling in this circle.
He couldn't immediately figure out who he was, but luckily, his assistant had done his homework and guessed that this was the main investor of the new drama. Adhering to the principle of never offending the boss, the assistant quickly reminded him, "This is Mr. Gu Qinglan."
Mo Qi quickly reached out to shake his hand, "So it's Mr. Gu. Mr. Gu's temperament is truly unlike us common folk. I was quite taken aback."
Anyone who can survive in the entertainment industry has their own unique qualities, and Mo Qi’s success was no accident. His emotional intelligence was certainly high. With just a few words, he not only explained his brief moment of surprise but also complimented Gu Qinglan appropriately.
Although Gu Qinglan was aloof, his interactions with others were always polite, demonstrating the demeanor of someone from a prestigious family. In short, he never gave others a chance to find fault. He smiled slightly, "No, Mr. Mo, you flatter me.
While the two of them were talking, the entire bustling backstage became much quieter, as if everyone had unconsciously begun to... watch this "bitter rivals met, their eyes are especially red" drama unfold.
After Gu Qinglan finished speaking to Mo Qi, he lifted his eyes. There was no emotion from his deep, bottomless gaze, lightly glancing around the room.
Everyone who had been sneakily watching the scene quickly averted their eyes and pretended to be busy. Despite Mr. Gu’s seemingly gentle and refined demeanor, they all instinctively felt an inexplicable chill.
In contrast, Lu Mingxin, who was used to bearing the gaze of the male god Gu, or in other words, seemed to have a screw loose in her head, didn't feel the slightly strange atmosphere around her at all. She smiled and took Mo Qi's arm, "Qi-gege, we're going to be partners again, I'm so happy."
Who was Mo Qi? He was just being polite to Gu Qinglan. The film emperor's aura was there, how could he be like the others, shocked by Gu Qinglan and not dare to say anything?
He turned around and gently ruffled Lu Mingxin's hair, his touch perfectly balanced, expressing both closeness and without ruining her carefully styled hair. "Yeah, we’ll have a lot of time to spend together this time."
The people present went back to their tasks, looking at the sky, all silently saying to themselves in their hearts: Beauty Lu, good luck to you.
Sure enough, the pressure of being sandwiched between two male gods was something that only Beauty Lu could afford.
The press conference was held at a five-star hotel in the center of Beijing. The venue wasn’t particularly large, and the invited media were carefully selected, with lesser-known outlets excluded.
Once the venue was prepared, the attendees took their seats in order as the time approached. As arranged, Lu Mingxin and Mo Qi were seated in the middle, with Du Li on Mo Qi's left and Gu Qinglan on Lu Mingxin's right.
The opening was a brief but informative introduction by Du Li. She was accustomed to hosting this kind of press conference. In just a few words, she had clearly explained the intention and creative background of the drama, as well as the expected start date and approximate shooting period.
Everything that should be revealed was revealed, and what shouldn't be revealed had also whetted the media's appetite. Next, the Q&A session began, and the reporters quickly turned their attention to Lu Mingxin. Those in the entertainment journalism industry knew very well who to get information from; in other words, they picked the softest persimmon to squeeze.
Of course, Lu Mingxin was not the easiest star to manipulate. She had been extensively trained by Du Li and was very skilled in dealing with the media. She was a master at acting cute and playing innocent.
Among the few people the reporters knew at the scene, the chief director, Old Man Chen Ru, was too fierce for the reporters to easily provoke. As for Mo Qi, the film emperor, he was famous for his ability to play taichi11, and most reporters have learned this lesson. So, after searching around, they could only turn to Lu Mingxin who sat there with her stunning face, blinking and playing dumb.
The first reporter to ask her a question was a senior entertainment reporter from the capital city TV station, who gave Du Li face and asked a moderate question: "May I ask Miss Lu, what do you think about this new drama? Are you happy to work with film emperor Mo for the second time?"
Du Li had already introduced that the tentative name of the new drama was "Shattered Mountains and Rivers." The name was chosen by Li Angyue, which was grand and imposing, highlighting the fact that it was a weighty historical drama.
Unlike previous historical dramas of this kind that focused on multiple male protagonists, this drama's main plot revolved around the female protagonist.
The female lead, Lu Qingping, was the fierce daughter of a military family. Her father and brothers were renowned generals who had made great contributions to the country.
Lu Qingping had been practicing martial arts since she was young and, unlike ordinary girls who were content with marriage and family, she had a grand ambition to serve her country. She was not content with an ordinary life in prosperous times and sought freedom. When troubled times came, she joined the military as a woman, fighting on the battlefield and earning great honors.
From the scenes of the drama and complexity of the role, it's indeed very heavy. It could be said that if the character of Lu Qingping failed to portray this role, then the other male characters, including the male lead Mo Qi, wouldn't be able to save the day.
Lu Mingxin had nothing to do these days when she was with Gu Qinglan. Apart from looking through the historical monographs that Gu Qinglan gave her, she just read the script over and over again.
She had a good memory, and after reading the script a few times, she knew it so well that she could even say a line on the spot.
After becoming so familiar with the script, she developed her own perspective on it and said after contemplation, "To be honest, I don't know why Ms. Du would strongly recommend me for this role. I've never played a character like this before, but I really like Lu Qingping. I'll do my best to portray this heroic woman."
She exposed her shortcomings first, so that the kind reporters would not make a fuss about her being a "flower vase."
But no matter how influential Du Li was, she couldn't guarantee that all media reporters would give her face. A reporter rudely interjected on the spot and said loudly, "So, is Miss Lu trying to use this drama to shed her label as a 'vase'?"
Lu Mingxin smiled at the impolite reporter and said, "Actually, I've never considered myself a 'vase', so there's no question of taking off that label. As for the friends who call me a 'vase' in private, I suppose they're acknowledging my appearance from another angle. I'll let those friends affirm my acting skills as soon as possible."
She couldn't find anything wrong with this answer, but the reporter didn't let up and simply took over the microphone to continue asking questions. "By the way, Miss Lu, today's media friends are all very curious about the gentleman beside you."
This reporter said here even thought he was humorous and made a joke, "Everyone originally guessed that such a handsome guy might be a newcomer to the film industry, a junior of Ms. Lu's. But Ms. Du just introduced him as one of the scriptwriters. So, does writing scripts look at the face these days?"
When Lu Mingxin heard the words "junior," her scalp instantly tightened. She thought to herself that this rude guy could’ve said anything bad about anyone, but he just had to bring up Gu Qinglan.
If Gu Qinglan got angry, she would still be the one to get the ruler, right? She was busy looking sideways at Gu Qinglan, and he also turned his head to look at her, curling up the corner of his lips into a slight smile.
Lu Mingxin suddenly felt her scalp tighten again. She smiled at the reporters and said happily: "Speaking of him, I need to mention another purpose of this press conference. I want to announce some personal news. I’m engaged, and my fiancé is none other than Mr. Gu Qinglan beside me, who’s also one of the main creators of Shattered Mountains and Rivers."
As soon as she finished saying this, not only did the reporter's eyes light up, but all the reporters started to stir.
As one of the hottest female stars right now, Lu Mingxin had always been the subject of various rumors. What dramas had she filmed, what products had she endorsed, and even what clothes she wore at which events.
But what the audience was most interested in and loved to gossip about was her relationship. After all, such a beautiful woman living in the limelight had never publicly acknowledged a relationship with any man. It was inevitable that people had many speculations.
Back when the "QiXin" pairing between Lu Mingxin and Mo Qi became popular, many fans fantasized about the two of them being a real couple.
Neither Lu Mingxin nor Mo Qi had ever directly confirmed or denied this, so until now, many fans had firmly believed that they were a couple.
Lu Mingxin, who had always been surrounded by rumors and whose love life had been the subject of much attention, finally admitted to the public for the first time that she already had a boyfriend, and this mysterious boyfriend even showed up.
For these entertainment reporters, today was definitely a surprise within a surprise. Compared to this, even the upcoming filming of the heavyweight project "Shattered Mountains and Rivers" was no longer their main focus.
All sorts of long guns and short cannons were aimed at Lu Mingxin as well as Gu Qinglan by her side. Although it was Gu Qinglan's first time on camera, he looked calm, not the least bit nervous about facing the media spotlight for the first time.
One reporter simply pointed the microphone at him and asked, "Mr. Gu Qinglan, is it true as Ms. Lu Mingxin said that you're her betrothed, that is, her fiancé? How did you two meet, fall in love, and eventually promised each other your lives? Ms. Lu Mingxin said that you are also one of the creators of 'Shattered Mountains and Rivers'. What's your specific job in the crew? Did you join the crew because of Ms. Lu Mingxin? With such an outstanding appearance, have you ever considered taking on a role yourself?"
This reporter was probably a bit too excited and asked a bunch of questions all at once.
Gu Qinglan smiled and simply said, "I'm just a historical consultant who also happens to be a screenwriter."
He had a clear voice, and his gentle words transmitted through the microphone became even deeper and more magnetic. Everyone involuntarily fell silent for a moment.
The reporter also wavered and found that he hadn't gone on any further, then he realized that he had finished answering.
He pursued somewhat undeterred, "But Mr. Gu, you haven't answered the previous question..."
Gu Qinglan smiled and shifted his gaze to Lu Mingxin beside him. Lu Mingxin shuddered and quickly grabbed the microphone back, saying, "My Qinglan-gege also teaches at the university. He'll get tired if he speaks so much, so I'll answer any questions."
Seeing her so eager to prevent them from asking Gu Qinglan any more questions, the reporters couldn't help but think of a term: flower protector.
But when this flower protector was Lu Mingxin, everyone felt a little discrepancy in their hearts... Is it really okay for you to stand in front of others so consciously, beautiful lady?
Gu Qinglan, who was being protected by her, didn't seem to think anything of it. He just smiled slightly and said nothing more.
And Lu Mingxin, for the sake of having a good dinner and avoiding being smacked, took on the task of attracting all the reporters' attention. In order not to make the atmosphere boring, she even told a joke that was not funny at all, which made the reporters in the room say "haha" a little stiffly to give her face.
The press conference was brief, lasting only an hour and a half. When it was over, Du Li was very satisfied and, for once, said to Lu Mingxin, "Well done."
For this press conference, Du Li's plan was to first reveal a bit of information and then whet the media and audience's appetites. Therefore, it was not advisable to reveal too many specific details about the operation of "Shattered Mountains and Rivers."
Lu Mingxin rushed forward this time, successfully pulling in the attention, and because of her fear of Gu Qinglan, she didn't dare to talk more about the details of how the two got along and just fooled the media with a bunch of mouthfuls of words. She could be called the hero of this afternoon.
Even Gu Qinglan gave her a rare smile: "Good performance."
Lu Mingxin knew that Gu Qinglan was so aloof that he wouldn't even bother to give someone a glance. Just like that reporter earlier, he had already given a lot of face by saying a few words.
And the reason why he reluctantly showed up was simply because she had said that she was worried people wouldn't believe she was really engaged, so she asked him to appear with her.
After the press conference, Du Li took everyone back to the company, and Mo Qi had other engagements to rush to. The rest of the team was busy with their own matters, and only the few who had come from Gu Qinglan's villa were planning to head back together.
Lu Mingxin refused to ride in the nanny car alone this time, insisting on being with Gu Qinglan. And for once, Gu Qinglan went along with everything today, letting the nanny car go back to the company and having Housekeeper Zhou arrange another car to pick them up.
All the way back, Lu Mingxin and Gu Qinglan sat together in the back seat. She reverted to her usual lazy self and simply lay on his lap, playing with her phone.
Intimacy is often built unintentionally. Just like now, although Lu Mingxin had never made any overly intimate gestures towards Gu Qinglan, such as kissing.
But after a few several nights together, coupled with the friendship from her early childhood, she was already quite used to making physical contact with him.
Gu Qinglan rested his head on his left hand, closing his eyes to rest, while his right hand casually rested on her shoulder. As the car moved along, stopping and starting, Lu Mingxin scrolled through the boring news on Weibo and had already seen a few sporadic posts.
They said that Lu Mingxin had announced her engagement at the press conference, and her fiancé was a university professor who had never been exposed in the media before.
Most of those posts were accompanied by photos from the press conference. In the picture, Gu Qinglan was looking sideways at her, his profile was as handsome as could be, and the pose conveyed a sense of gentleness and affection that could be felt even through the lens.
There were comments below: "How can the goddess' man be so handsome, so handsome that it makes me cry!" She looked at the comments, feeling proud in her heart, and hummed a few times.
At that moment, Gu Qinglan opened his eyes and glanced at her. He must have seen the words on her phone screen as he smiled slightly, then closed his eyes again. “My head hurts a bit. Help me press my forehead, please.”
Having lived together for the past few days, he often asked her to help with his forehead. Lu Mingxin had asked him why he frequently had headaches, and the reply she received was: neurological, it has only happened recently.
According to Lu Mingxin’s single-cell thinking, the recent neurological headache must be because of the last breakup. The breakup also left a root of illness, it sounded quite pitiful.
Lu Mingxin raised her hand to rub his temples gently and could still spare a mouth to say: "Look, don’t always be thinking about Miss Su. No matter how much you like her, don’t ruin your body. Is love more important than your body? If your body is broken, there's nothing left!"
Gu Qinglan originally closed his eyes lightly and his slightly furrowed brows relaxed a little. When he heard her words, his brows furrowed again, and he pursed his thin lips as if he had endured for a while before speaking, "What kind of brainless love drama are these slobbery lines?"
Lu Mingxin let out an "er" sound, secretly screaming that she was discovered. In fact, these weren't her lines, but the words of comfort from the female lead's best friend in her last drama who was sad for the male lead.
Feeling guilty, she pressed her fingers more diligently against his temples and even lightly blew on his forehead with her mouth, “It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt.”
Gu Qinglan felt like she was coaxing a child, but he had increasingly realized that he couldn’t be too serious with her, so he simply ignored her and closed his eyes again, leaning his head on her shoulder.
Lu Mingxin diligently served this person leaning on her shoulder, and she didn't feel that there was anything wrong with her being made to do so.
Originally, such intimate things should only be done by the closest people. Since she was already Gu Qinglan's fiancée, she was willing to hold herself to the standards of being his fiancée.
They were too close now. She raised her hand to massage his forehead, lowering her head slightly, and could see his side profile with his eyes closed.
Gu Qinglan's looks could easily be considered exceptional even in the entertainment industry which had particularly high standards for appearances. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been repeatedly mistaken for a newcomer in the industry. Of course, his temperament was too detached from the world, and he didn't fit in with this impetuous circle.
Lu Mingxin herself was praised for her stunning looks and was used to seeing all kinds of beautiful faces. But after looking down at him for a while like this, she also felt a little dazed.
The man in front of her had his long eyelashes slightly lowered, and his complexion was a little pale. For some reason, it reminded her the feeling of desolation of heaven and earth.
She didn’t quite understand the inexplicable flutter in her heart at that moment, but before she realized it, she had leaned in, her lips almost touching his.
She paused slightly, her breath brushing against Gu Qinglan's face, and he opened his eyes. As soon as Lu Mingxin saw his deep, bottomless black eyes, she flinched and instinctively wanted to retreat.
However, he didn't give her that chance. In an instant, his thin lips pressed against hers, and his arm restrained her shoulders.
Lu Mingxin had only wanted a light kiss, but what he gave her was a deep kiss that brooked no denial. Strictly speaking, this was still Lu Mingxin's first kiss. Even when she had filmed kissing scenes with male actors, they had mostly only touched cheeks and had never even kissed on the lips.
She felt a bit timid and wanted to pull away, but he simply used his hand to hold her head, deepening their kiss without hesitation.
Lu Mingxin didn't know how long it had been, but Gu Qinglan's lips were slightly cool, and the heat between his lips was not high, yet she felt like she was about to melt, her mind going blank.
When Gu Qinglan finally relented and let her go, she retreated and immediately looked for the mirror in the car.
When she saw that her lipstick was indeed smudged, she couldn't help but cry out, "Teacher Li is going to see me when we get out of the car! How am I going to face people!"
She turned to look at Gu Qinglan and saw that there was indeed some of her lipstick on his lips.
Compared to her turmoil, he appeared much calmer. He merely raised his hand to touch the color at the corner of his lips and smiled faintly.
She had used a vibrant lip gloss today, leaving bright red marks on his pale lips that looked somewhat like blood but were even more vivid. Coupled with his light smile, Lu Mingxin felt her heart race.
Who was it that told her that Gu Qinglan was noble and aloof, untouched by the mundane world? Clearly, he could forcefully kiss someone and even play a devilish seduction!
✿——✦——✿
1: Xi Shi: One of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. ⤣
2: "Xiao" (小) translates to "little", but is often used as a term of endearment, added to a person's name or nickname. ⤣
3: "原来这就是曾苦求不得的" I don't know how to word this better, but it's kinda like-"So this is what I once desperately sought but couldn't obtain." It expresses a realization or discovery of something that was once desired but unattainable in the past. There’s often a sense of reflection or bittersweet understanding in this type of phrasing. ⤣
4: "哥哥" (gēgē): older brother, ge or gege literally means older brother but you can call an older guy that. It can be your lover or friend. ⤣
5: "不作死就不會死" (bùzuò sǐ bù huì sǐ / no zuo no die): a Chinese internet meme. The original wording of the Chinese phrase, meaning "one would not be in trouble had one not asked for it", is half-translated to Chinglish where it retains one of its Chinese characters in pinyin. "Zuo" (Chinese: 作; pinyin: zuō) is a Mandarin Chinese word meaning to "act silly or daring (for attention)." ⤣
6: 淡淡 (dàn dàn): This paragraph and the next one used this to describe Gu Qinglan repeatedly (tone, expression, whole demeanor, presence). Basically just means light, subtle, or gentle. Often conveys a sense of calmness or tranquility. ⤣
7: 被喷成狗血 (bèi pēn chéng gǒu xuè): lit. be sprayed with dog's blood, meaning "to be heavily criticized or insulted." ⤣
8: 
9: to show off ⤣
10: 卖腐 (mài fǔ): means to sell rot or basically bromance, “卖” means to “sell,” and “腐” is short for “腐女,” which literally means “rotten women” but actually refers to women who fancy “bromance” (BL) between handsome men in fiction, films or reality. ⤣
11: skilled at dodging questions in this context ⤣
