Exchange of Movie Queens - Chapter 11

“Ruan Ruan, stop joking around,” Feng Tangtang stood still, laughing.

She was timid, terrified of ghosts and supernatural beings, never daring to go near horror movies. She wouldn’t even glance at scary pictures and would cover her ears at the mere mention of such topics.

Xi Mo stopped what she was doing and adopted an extremely solemn demeanor, telling her this was as real as it could get: “I’m not joking.”

Feng Tangtang had indeed rarely seen this kind of expression on Ruan Yesheng’s face, and she was immediately drawn into the moment. A chill crept up her spine, and her gaze darted nervously around the living room: “Y-you better not be lying to me.”

Xi Mo looked at Feng Tangtang, effortlessly making her eyes appear even more sincere and natural: “Tangtang, when have I ever lied to you?”

She couldn’t vouch for much else, but Xi Mo was absolutely confident in saying this. Given Ruan Yesheng’s past personality, lying and deception would have been second nature to her. But Feng Tangtang was like a ball of cotton candy—too sweet, too naive, or perhaps just too simple-minded. Regardless, her unwavering loyalty to Ruan Yesheng as a friend meant she would never have noticed any past lies.

So, in Feng Tangtang’s eyes, Ruan Yesheng had always been someone who would never deceive her. There was no way Xi Mo could be wrong about this.

Sure enough, Feng Tangtang paused, then murmured, “Well… you really have never lied to me before.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Ruan Yesheng, you truly are a sinner.

Xi Mo—ironically forgetting that she herself was the real sinner—continued to deceive the poor, gullible girl: “Actually, I wouldn’t say it’s haunted. After all, ghosts are intangible—who can really see them? More accurately, this apartment is just… a little off. I can never sleep well at night, always having nightmares. Living here has brought me terrible luck too. You saw what happened—I nearly died in that hotel fire.”

After hearing this seemingly reasonable explanation, Feng Tangtang suddenly felt the room grow eerily cold.

Xi Mo sighed with exaggerated gravity: “Living here, I feel like I’ve become some kind of… jinx.”

Ruan Yesheng, you jinx.

Feng Tangtang immediately urged, “If this place makes you so uncomfortable, then you should move! A change of environment might help lift your spirits. Do you have any specific options in mind? Where are you planning to go? Have you found a place yet?”

Xi Mo replied, “I’ve contacted an agency, and they’ve shown me a lot of listings. I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll go take a closer look in the next couple of days, and if everything checks out, I’ll move.”

Feng Tangtang finally relaxed. “That’s good, as long as you like it. But Xi Jie just got out of the hospital, so she must be swamped. I probably won’t have much time to help you out.” She walked over and started organizing the items in Xi Mo’s box.

“Don’t worry, the moving company will handle everything. It’s simple—you just focus on your own things.” Circumstances forced Xi Mo to adapt more and more to playing Ruan Yesheng’s role in front of Feng Tangtang.

Then, remembering Ruan Yesheng’s earlier instructions about items in the room that needed to be taken, she walked into the bedroom.

Ruan Yesheng’s bedroom had a fresh, elegant aesthetic. Though the owner had been away for a long time after the incident, aside from a thin layer of dust, everything was neatly arranged—orderly and meticulous. It was clear that Ruan Yesheng had always been someone who valued cleanliness.

A large portrait of Ruan Yesheng hung in the bedroom.

This photo was taken during her peak fame, right after the blockbuster success of her film The Sound of Dancing.

The portrait captured her youthful beauty—compared to now, she had been slightly more delicate back then, yet her alluring demeanor carried a unique charm. The photo was slightly disheveled, with soft, delicate bangs perfectly framing her face, accentuating the seductive allure in the curve of her eyes and brows. Her moist, delicate lips were slightly parted, gently biting down on her slightly curled knuckle.

Ruan Yesheng’s portrait seemed to gaze straight at Xi Mo from the wall.

Xi Mo looked up at it, feeling that this was completely different from the face of Ruan Yesheng she had seen in the mirror these past few days.

This was the real Ruan Yesheng—even if it was just a photograph.

Ruan Yesheng’s soul was in it.

Under the gaze of those tender, watery eyes in the portrait, Xi Mo inexplicably felt a wave of restlessness. They had attended the same academy in their youth, yet she had never looked at Ruan Yesheng this closely before.

And the gaze in the portrait seemed intent on peeling away the skin that rightfully belonged to Ruan Yesheng, wrenching out Xi Mo’s very soul from within.

Xi Mo turned her face away and went about packing.

Truthfully, there weren’t many belongings in Ruan Yesheng’s room, and even fewer that she needed. On the desk sat a simple photo frame—a picture of Ruan Yesheng with her parents, the backdrop the campus of their film academy.

Ruan Yesheng stood in the middle, wearing a white dress, the sunlight illuminating her still-youthful, not-yet-fully-matured face, her smile gentle.

That white dress finally dredged up a memory in Xi Mo’s mind—one so old it was nearly crumbling to dust.

Back then, Xi Mo had been in a fit of anger over dormitory arrangements with the people her family had sent. In her haste downstairs, Ruan Yesheng—wearing that very white dress—had stepped into the sunlight outside and collided right into her arms.

In a movie, this might have been a picture-perfect, soft-focus scene, bathed in romantic lighting. But reality was always a thousand times messier than fiction.

Because Ruan Yesheng had been carrying her lunch from the cafeteria—including a roasted chicken leg.

The soup and food splattered all over Xi Mo, the chicken leg included.

Already in a rage, Xi Mo—with her fastidious nature—had nearly wanted to skin Ruan Yesheng alive on the spot.

It wasn’t a pleasant memory for Xi Mo, so she had buried it deep.

The woman in the photo seemed to share a close bond with her parents. So why hadn’t they come to see her? No contact—had they gone abroad?

Xi Mo picked up the frame, glanced at it, then set it down. She opened a drawer, gathered a few work-related documents for Ruan Yesheng’s upcoming projects, and left.

With money, everything seemed to proceed smoothly. Xi Mo quickly found a new apartment, moved in, and arranged everything to her liking. Most importantly, the new place was extremely close to the company’s building—prime real estate—where Ruan Yesheng was currently staying on the 24th floor, temporarily living as Xi Mo.

Monday was the day for the magazine cover shoot. Xi Mo arrived at the designated location and was immediately ushered into makeup and styling.

There were five sets in total, all featuring bold, contrasting makeup themes.

As soon as Xi Mo sat down, an unfamiliar makeup artist began slathering products on her face, fussing over her appearance until it felt like her heart was bleeding. Normally, she was treated like a queen on set, but now she was being handled like some nobody. Proud as she was, she hadn’t quite adjusted to this treatment yet. Sitting stiffly in the chair without a word, her aura was terrifyingly oppressive.

She had certainly done her fair share of magazine covers before—but only for high-end fashion publications. Those magazines had to cater to her preferences and check her availability first. The photographers and makeup artists were all handpicked by her, top-tier professionals in the industry, each with a reputation that commanded respect.

Nothing like this current makeup artist, whose technique was far from refined. By the time he was done, Xi Mo looked like a garish peacock. Only then did he ask, as if suffering from low bl00d sugar, “Miss Ruan, how do you feel?”

Xi Mo glanced at the mirror, then at the makeup artist. Given her exacting standards for makeup, she was barely holding back her fury.

What kind of color-clashing monstrosity was this?!

The transitions were so hideous—no wonder the magazine couldn’t sell!

Even though this wasn’t her face, the thought of Ruan Yesheng’s flawless features being wasted like this still irked her. Thankfully, Ruan Yesheng had an innate, bewitching allure—somehow, she could just barely pull off this peacock disaster. Resigned to the fact that this was the best she could salvage, Xi Mo forced a smile and said, “It’s fine. Let’s start shooting.”

The makeup artist already had a favorable impression of her. Despite her icy demeanor, she hadn’t moved or complained the entire time, making his job much easier. In this line of work, nothing was more annoying than a picky, nitpicking client.

“You’re so nice, Miss Ruan,” the makeup artist beamed.

Xi Mo: “…”

Are your eyes as color-clashed as your makeup? Since when was I nice?!

Once the ordeal with the makeup artist was over, Xi Mo headed into the studio for the shoot—only to find the photographer was just as insufferable.

Photographer: “Miss Ruan, could you soften your waist a little more? Yes, just a bit lower… and softer. Your waist is naturally sinuous—you should make the most of it. Don’t be so stiff.”

Xi Mo: “…”

I’ve never shot such a shamelessly provocative cover in my life!

Photographer: “Miss Ruan, tilt your chin up slightly. Part your lips—just a little—make it sexy. Now, look right at me, deep into my lens. If your gaze could electrocute me, that’d be perfect.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Drop dead!

Photographer: “Miss Ruan, touch your lips with your fingers, will you? Your middle finger—it’s very beautiful. It’d look great in the shot, very evocative.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Making Ruan Yesheng’s hand touch Ruan Yesheng’s lips was already awkward and disgusting enough for Xi Mo. Even though it was Ruan Yesheng’s body, the one actually experiencing the sensation was Xi Mo herself. It might look like self-touching, but in reality, it was her doing the touching.

Her thoughts seemed to permeate every inch of Ruan Yesheng’s body. When Ruan Yesheng’s fingers brushed against her, she could distinctly feel that delicate touch at her fingertips.

Xi Mo was thoroughly annoyed by the photographer, but her professional nature made her endure it all. After finally finishing the third set of photos, the manager allowed them to rest and even prepared tea and snacks. Xi Mo, dragging the third set of flamboyant peacock-like attire, sat down at the table and opened her phone to browse the internet.

It was Monday—the day her company was scheduled to make an announcement.

Ruan Yesheng would be attending the press conference in her stead, and by now, the event had already begun.

Just as she opened Weibo, the makeup artist from inside the dressing room rushed out excitedly, shouting at the photographer, “Matt! Check Weibo—my goddess Xi Mo isn’t disfigured! My goddess is fine!”

Xi Mo: “…”

The effeminate makeup artist’s face was full of hope, eyes glistening with tears. “My greatest wish in life is to do makeup for my goddess. Even though my skills aren’t great now, I’ll work hard!”

Xi Mo: “…”

Photographer Matt, also excited while scrolling through his phone, exclaimed, “I want to photograph the goddess too! Even just one glance from her would be enough!”

Xi Mo: “…”

Haven’t you already been electrocuted to death?!

The photographer and makeup artist chatted away, leaving Xi Mo utterly exasperated. She steadied herself and continued scrolling through Weibo.

A livestream had been posted on Weibo. Ruan Yesheng, dressed impeccably and wearing Xi Mo’s appearance, sat radiantly at the press table, exuding just the right amount of elegance.

Lu Qingming spoke gently beside her, “Thank you all for your concern. Xi Mo is doing fine. Due to certain reasons and primarily out of consideration for her recovery, the company temporarily withheld some information, which led to misunderstandings. On behalf of the company, I apologize to all the fans who care about Xi Mo. Today, your Xi Mo has returned.”

As these words concluded, the camera zoomed in on Ruan Yesheng, her brilliance dazzling under the lights.