Fake Love with the Movie Queen - Chapter 18

Qiu Qing’an also noticed the name on the screen and reached out to take the phone from her hand.

Gu Nanxuan dodged her attempt.

The people Qiu Qing’an knew were, to some extent, familiar to her.

But this name—she was certain she had never heard it before.

The only possibility was that this person had been sitting in Qiu Qing’an’s contacts for a long time and hadn’t been in touch for years.

Considering what had happened today, she almost instantly guessed who this person was.

Her previously softened tone turned cold again. “She’s still calling you?”

Qiu Qing’an explained, “It’s through a messaging app, not the phone contacts.”

Only then did Gu Nanxuan notice that the call interface looked different from a normal one.

The screen displayed not just the name but also the profile picture from the messaging app.

The ringtone for the voice call invitation continued to chime, but Qiu Qing’an ignored it and went on,

“I changed my phone number not long after graduating from college. Since I didn’t think I’d ever contact her again, I didn’t tell her.”

“We added each other on the messaging app when we first met.”

“She was my roommate in college, but she moved out after just a month. Because we were in the same major, we still had some contact.”

“She went abroad during our junior year. All in all, the time we actually knew each other probably didn’t even add up to two years.”

“Back then, when she confessed to me, she said it in a joking tone. After I turned her down, she claimed she just wanted to see my reaction and didn’t actually mean it, telling me not to take it to heart.”

“But I still kept my distance after that. Until she left the university, we never talked about anything beyond academics.”

Qiu Qing’an reminisced about her college days.

Back then, she had been focused and busy, constantly auditioning for roles in various productions, eager to gain experience. She simply hadn’t had the time or energy for anything else.

Jiang Mengxi, though in the same major, had clearly treated it as nothing more than a pastime, showing little enthusiasm.

Later, she was sent abroad by her family. If Qiu Qing’an remembered correctly, she had switched to studying finance.

“You remember something from so long ago in such detail?”

Gu Nanxuan’s tone was cool, but her expression had calmed, showing she had taken in the explanation.

Qiu Qing’an pressed a light kiss to her lips. “I only recalled it bit by bit because I wanted to explain it clearly to you.”

She had thought her memories of college had long faded, but now, looking back, she realized she could still remember quite a lot.

The reason she recalled Jiang Mengxi’s affairs so clearly was that Jiang had been outgoing in college, fond of making friends and well-liked.

She often bought gifts for everyone during holidays, paying out of her own pocket.

Many of their classmates who had shared classes with her would likely still remember her.

Gu Nanxuan bit her lip in playful punishment. “No secretly chatting with her from now on.”

Qiu Qing’an chuckled. “There was never anything to talk about with her in the first place. What could we possibly chat about secretly?”

“What if she reaches out to you first?”

Gu Nanxuan trusted Qiu Qing’an, but she didn’t trust this Jiang Mengxi.

Just the name alone sounded shady.

As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Qing’an’s phone—which had just stopped ringing—chimed again with a new message notification.

Gu Nanxuan deftly unlocked the phone, opened the messaging app, and tapped into the chat with Jiang Mengxi.

The first message on the other end was a notification about an unanswered call.

The second message, just sent moments ago, read: “I don’t have your phone number. Could you share your contact details with me?”

Gu Nanxian narrowed her eyes dangerously, tapped open the chat box, and typed out a refusal.

Just as she was about to send it, she reconsidered and deleted the text.

Rather than letting the other person know that Qiu Qing’an had seen the message, it was better to pretend she hadn’t and simply not reply.

Before she could put her phone away, another message popped up:

“Were you just typing? Are you free to take a call?”

Less than half a minute later, as if confirming she had read the message, another call invitation came through.

Gu Nanxian’s expression darkened instantly, and without a second thought, she hit decline.

“How did she know I was typing just now?”

Qiu Qing’an pointed to the space beneath the contact name in the chat box.

“There’s a notification here.”

The other person must have been typing again, as beneath the contact name, it now displayed: The other party is typing…

As soon as a new message arrived, the notification vanished.

Jiang Mengxi: “Is it inconvenient to take a call? Then just leave me your number. I’ll come find you tomorrow. Heart emoji”

Gu Nanxian stared at that glaring red heart emoji for at least a full minute.

Finally, with a displeased expression, she shoved the phone back into Qiu Qing’an’s hands. “You deal with her yourself.”

She then turned to organizing the items in her suitcase, clearly signaling she wanted nothing more to do with the matter.

Qiu Qing’an looked at the message on the screen and immediately felt a headache coming on.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Mengxi to already be back in the country—and planning to visit her directly.

This woman was anything but easy to handle. If Gu Nanxian were to run into her, who knew what kind of chaos might ensue?

After some thought, Qiu Qing’an replied: Let’s meet after the show wraps up.

She added another line: I’ll bring my wife along. Smile emoji

The “typing” notification on the other end paused for a long while before a new message finally appeared:

Jiang Mengxi: “When did you get married? How come I never heard about it?”

Qiu Qing’an: “We registered on June 1, 2022. It was a private ceremony, so please keep it confidential for now. Smile emoji”

Jiang Mengxi: “Is your wife on the same show as you? Is it Zhu Ningyue or Ge Jiang?”

She listed the two names she considered most likely.

She had been watching the dating show’s livestream—otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent that anonymous message right when the guests were playing Truth or Dare.

Qiu Qing’an: “Neither. It’s Nanxian.”

Jiang Mengxi: “…Honestly, my first guess was her, but I just couldn’t believe it.”

She followed up with another question: How did you end up with her?

Qiu Qing’an knew she was hinting at Gu Nanxian’s past scandals. She replied: Those were all misunderstandings. Nanxian didn’t feel like explaining them herself.

Jiang Mengxi: “Got it. But I’m still coming tomorrow. Though this time, it’s not to see you—I want to meet your wife. Grinning emoji”

Qiu Qing’an: “We’ll be filming tomorrow. We probably won’t have time.”

Jiang Mengxi: “No worries, I won’t interrupt your shoot.”

A thought occurred to Qiu Qing’an: You’re not planning to disguise yourself as a tourist, are you?

Jiang Mengxi: “Disguise? I am a tourist, okay?”

“Alright, I’ll stop chatting. Wouldn’t want your wife getting jealous~”

“See you tomorrow~”

After sending that, she immediately went offline.

Qiu Qing’an put her phone away and turned to look at Gu Nanxian beside her.

Gu Nanxian simultaneously withdrew her gaze from the phone she had put away and locked eyes with her.

With an unreadable tone, she asked, “Does it take this long to reply to a single message?”

The suitcase beside her was half-open, with none of its contents unpacked.

Clearly, she hadn’t been organizing her clothes at all—instead, she had been quietly watching her reply to the message the entire time.

Qiu Qing’an handed the phone back to her and gently squeezed her palm. “I explained our relationship to her to avoid any future misunderstandings like this.”

Skeptical, Gu Nanxian took the phone and checked the chat history.

Upon seeing Jiang Mengxi mention she would come to see her the next day, Gu Nanxian’s face immediately darkened. “I don’t want to see her at all.”

“I’m not going to the show recording tomorrow.”

The mere thought of meeting that woman made her feel irritated.

Qiu Qing’an knew she might not truly mean it, but she still humored her. “Then should I ask the host for leave on your behalf tomorrow?”

Gu Nanxian glanced at her, set the phone aside, and pulled her into a hug, resting her head on her shoulder. “Never mind. I’d be even more uneasy letting you meet her alone.”

Qiu Qing’an raised a hand to stroke her hair. “Just treat her like any other audience member. There’ll be a lot of people at the recording tomorrow—she might not even make it in.”

Although the production team hadn’t disclosed how the special guest passes were distributed, it definitely wouldn’t be easy to get one, and the number would be strictly limited.

If Jiang Mengxi really came just as an ordinary visitor, she might not even get past the entrance.

Gu Nanxian pressed, “But what if she does get in?”

Qiu Qing’an reassured her, “You don’t know her, so there’s no need to worry. She probably won’t approach you either.”

Jiang Mengxi had promised not to disturb their recording. Most likely, she just wanted to take a look and wouldn’t do anything too out of line.

“That’s not acceptable. She knows me—I can’t not know her.”

Gu Nanxian lifted her head to look at her, defiance written all over her face.

“Tomorrow, secretly point her out to me. I need to see what she looks like too.”

Qiu Qing’an chuckled helplessly. “Alright.”

Satisfied, Gu Nanxian narrowed her eyes and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Good performance. You’re allowed to stay with me tonight.”