The Movie Queen's Beloved Crybaby Alpha (GL , ABO) - Chapter 1
[Film “Dawn” Wins Best Picture, Lead Actress Ye Qinglan Crowned Best Actress]
[Ye Qinglan Claims Tianxing Award for Best Actress, Reaching Peak Upon Debut!]
[New Star Shines! Rising Best Actress Ye Qinglan!]
On the airport expressway in City S, a black business vehicle sped by.
“Congratulations, Best Actress Ye. You’re now the hottest star of my company,” came a teasing female voice through the phone. The woman holding the device rubbed her temples, her striking face etched with exhaustion.
The memory of being swarmed by reporters and fans wielding cameras the moment she stepped out of the airport made Ye Qinglan reluctant to speak.
If not for the reliable security team brought by her agent, Ke Ying, she would have had to rely on airport staff to escape. The thought of causing unnecessary chaos made her scalp prickle.
Even over the phone, she could vividly picture the grinning face on the other end.
“Xiao Wenjin,” Ye Qinglan gritted her teeth. “You’d better have something important to say.”
“What? Congratulating you on winning Best Actress isn’t important?” Xiao Wenjin laughed.
Ye Qinglan replied flatly, “Xiao Wenjin, I’m hanging up.”
“Wait, wait! At least show some respect for your boss!” Xiao Wenjin wailed.
The outburst drew glances from the two others in the car besides the driver.
Ke Ying, sitting in the passenger seat, was unfazed, even pushing up her glasses to continue reviewing the schedule on her tablet. Meanwhile, Zhou Tiantian, the young assistant seated beside Ye Qinglan, silently opened a thermos of red date and goji berry tea and handed it over.
Ye Qinglan took a sip to calm herself before saying, “Spit it out, or I’m really hanging up.”
“Ahem, fine. Remember that mysterious big investor? The one who funded most of our film,” Xiao Wenjin asked conspiratorially.
Ye Qinglan recalled clearly: “You mean J.S. Jewelry Group? The one that suddenly offered to invest when you were desperate for backers?”
“Yes, exactly!” Xiao Wenjin continued excitedly, “They’re originally a subsidiary of an overseas conglomerate. Yesterday, they contacted me saying their big boss, Gracia, is returning to the country and wants to attend our celebration banquet tomorrow.”
This surprised Ye Qinglan. J.S. Group had always focused on overseas markets. While their domestic presence was strong, it paled in comparison to their international prominence.
For the big boss to return suddenly and attend their celebration, could it mean their fame had truly spread abroad?
“Hey, do you think my lucky streak is working again? Maybe the boss wants to meet their fortunate partner?” Xiao Wenjin joked.
Ye Qinglan fell into an odd silence before replying, “It’s not impossible.”
Xiao Wenjin was, after all, born under a lucky star blessed with endless fortune.
When she was born, her family’s mine struck gold, and her father overnight transformed from a “coal tycoon” to a nouveau riche “gold boss.” By the time Xiao Wenjin reached middle school, her family rode the wave of the times and ventured into real estate, swiftly becoming one of S City’s most prominent property magnates.
With the family’s smooth sailing, she naturally thrived too. Passionate about film and television, she coaxed her father into setting up a studio for her and roped in alumni like Ye Qinglan to produce short dramas that became an internet sensation. Upon graduation, while Ye Qinglan wanted to focus on TV series first, Xiao Wenjin boldly declared she would make movies. Even though everyone knew Xiao Wenjin had a knack for luck, Ye Qinglan couldn’t help but feel apprehensive after all, filmmaking demanded far higher standards and budgets than TV production.
But Xiao Wenjin wasted no time. She hustled for investments and assembled a crew, clearly aiming for something grand. However, she hit a snag with funding until J.S approached her, expressing interest in her film project. They not only provided a hefty investment but also helped secure production resources. With funds and resources in place, they dove right in.
Ye Qinglan didn’t dare slack off either. She dedicated herself to honing her craft, pushing herself relentlessly to live up to Xiao Wenjin’s faith in her. It was this drive that led to her current success.
Xiao Wenjin could be considered her mentor, and J.S, in turn, was Xiao Wenjin’s benefactor.
Now that Xiao Wenjin’s benefactor was attending their celebration banquet, Ye Qinglan knew she couldn’t afford to be careless.
“Anyway, go home and rest well tonight. Be sharp tomorrow evening,” Xiao Wenjin said with a laugh. “Whether we secure long-term investment from the big boss depends on tomorrow night.”
Ye Qinglan sighed in amusement. “Got it, Boss Xiao. Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you.”
“Enough with the formalities. I’ll hang up now,” Xiao Wenjin replied before ending the call.
Ye Qinglan stared at her phone and exhaled deeply.
Ke Ying glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Should I have someone deliver your banquet dress tomorrow?”
Ye Qinglan gave a weary nod.
The big boss’s arrival was good news, but it also meant more work!
Already averse to complications, Ye Qinglan felt a headache coming on. Combined with the exhaustion from the airport earlier, she was completely drained.
Ke Ying’s brow twitched, but considering Ye Qinglan hadn’t rested properly in days, she held her tongue.
After dropping Ye Qinglan off at home, Ke Ying left with Zhou Tiantian and the others, leaving Ye Qinglan alone to rest.
The apartment was quiet and spotless, thanks to the cleaning service Ke Ying had arranged earlier.
The moment she stepped inside, Ye Qinglan kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the sofa, sprawling out as she let her mind go blank.
But the phone rang abruptly again. Reluctantly, she reached for it and answered after checking the caller ID.
“Hey, Mom,” she mumbled, her voice devoid of energy now that she’d relaxed.
“Lanlan, are you home yet?” came the voice of her mother, Lin Xuesong.
“Just got back. What’s up, Mom?” Ye Qinglan asked.
“Are you free the day after tomorrow? Come home for dinner?” Lin Xuesong suggested. “We can celebrate your award.”
Ye Qinglan didn’t hesitate to reply, “Yes, I’ll take a few days off after this. I’ll let Sister Ke know later.”
“Good, good.” Lin Xuesong responded repeatedly before adding, “Since you’re coming back, I have a surprise for you.”
With curiosity and puzzlement, Ye Qinglan asked, “What kind of surprise is so mysterious that you have to wait until tomorrow to tell me?”
Lin Xuesong chuckled, “It’s called a surprise for a reason, I can’t spoil it early.”
Pouting, Ye Qinglan said, “Fine, we’ll talk about it when I get back the day after.”
“Make sure to eat on time and rest early,” Lin Xuesong reminded.
“I know, I know. Bye.”
After hanging up, Ye Qinglan lazily stretched and glanced at the dimming sky outside before heading to the kitchen.
Grabbing some bread and milk, she quickly heated them up for dinner, then took a shower and went to bed early.
The next day, the rare day off allowed her to sleep in until noon, only waking when knocking sounds came at her door.
Rubbing her bleary eyes, she checked the peephole before opening the door.
“Why so early, Tiantian?” Ye Qinglan muttered as she let her in and closed the door.
Zhou Tiantian sighed, “Sis, it’s already noon. Sister Ke was worried you’d oversleep and skip meals, so she sent me with food first. She’ll bring the gown later.”
As she spoke, Zhou Tiantian took out the lunchbox from her cloth bag and urged Ye Qinglan to eat.
Resigned, Ye Qinglan raised her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’ll eat.”
The meal consisted of soy milk and steamed buns. While Ye Qinglan leisurely ate her brunch, Zhou Tiantian watched her.
No matter how many times she saw it, Zhou Tiantian couldn’t help but marvel at how Ye Qinglan’s grace and poise resembled that of a refined lady from the Republic era—effortlessly elegant and dignified.
Paired with her strikingly beautiful Eastern features and the small teardrop mole under her left eye, she was truly captivating.
Zhou Tiantian even had to suppress an inner fangirl scream.
Her Ye-jie was just too gorgeous!
Of course, she kept her composure outwardly, making sure Ye Qinglan finished her meal. By then, Ke Ying arrived with the makeup team.
Seeing Ye Qinglan done with lunch, Ke Ying immediately directed the team to dress and style her. An hour later, after everything was set, Ke Ying checked the time and escorted Ye Qinglan to the hotel where the celebration banquet was held.
When they arrived, most of the crew had already gathered. After exchanging greetings, Xiao Wenjin, the host, approached them with a smile, holding two champagne glasses.
“My dear Best Actress Ye, you’ve finally arrived,” Xiao Wenjin said, impeccably dressed in a suit, handing one glass to Ye Qinglan.
Ye Qinglan accepted it with a resigned smile. “I needed proper rest, you know.”
Xiao Wenjin chuckled. “Of course, of course.”
Ignoring the teasing, Ye Qinglan scanned the crowd and asked, “Has the CEO of J.S arrived yet?”
Xiao Wenjin shrugged. “Not yet. He’s supposedly on a flight today, probably still on his way.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a commotion arose at the entrance. The two instinctively turned their gaze and saw a tall woman with long hair, dressed in a white tailcoat, gracefully making her way through the crowd toward them.
Looking at the person before her, Ye Qinglan’s pupils involuntarily contracted. It wasn’t until she heard the woman speak in a gentle voice that she snapped out of it.
“A pleasure to meet you both. I’m Gracia, the chairman of J.S. My Chinese name is—”
“Ning Yunshu…” Ye Qinglan suddenly interrupted the woman’s introduction.
Hearing this, Ning Yunshu smiled, her eyes curving slightly.
“It’s been a long time, sister.”