"This Catherine, can’t be..." While Bai Leyao spoke, her gaze rested on Yuran. Yuran raised her eyebrows, "Don’t assume I am the Catherine you know. Well, do you want to go and see?"
Though Bai Leyao was naive, she was not stupid. Thinking of the previous online rumors about Catherine and the famous actor Bo Yan, she looked at Yuran, who was not angry at all, "Aren’t you mad?"
Still going to see her?
It was obvious that the person outside had come prepared, and the purpose was, of course, Yuran.
Yuran raised her eyebrows and counterasked Bai Leyao, "Why should I be angry?"
Bai Leyao, "Because she’s bullying you right to your face."
"Who’s bullying whom is yet to be determined, shall we go and see?"
"Yes, of course, let’s go. She’s been outside all this time, making a scene. She clearly wanted to lure you out. Such a tactic has no finesse at all; it’s embarrassing for her to make a scene . It’s really unbearable to watch."
She had naturally guessed Miss Catherine’s intention. However, she had always wanted to meet this Miss Catherine. Before, Bo Yan thought it unnecessary, and she hadn’t planned to seek her out proactively, but now that she had come looking, staying inside would make her seem like a coward.
She didn’t want to be that coward.
To her, provocation was nothing new; it just so happened that she wanted to meet this person, so she took up the challenge.
The private room door opened, and Yuran met Catherine’s staring eyes. Catherine was startled, seemingly not expecting Yuran to meet her gaze so directly. The waitstaff, who had been troubled by Catherine, were now dismissed by her with a wave of her hand.
The waitstaff looked gratefully at Yuran, a complex emotion fleeting through their eyes. Yuran understood.
So it was all an act, but that was okay.
Since she had come out, she had considered every possibility.
Yuran was almost as tall as Catherine, nearly equal in height, and on her plain face was a light makeup, much more subtle compared to Catherine’s. Catherine’s features, enhanced by her mixed heritage, were particularly exquisite.
But Yuran was not inferior, her classical delicacy more like a doll in a display window.
Before Yuran could speak, Catherine scoffed, full of disdain for Yuran, "I thought the girl Bo Yan likes would be a breathtaking beauty. Turns out, she’s just so-so."
She spoke in English, recalling that the artists here were usually poor in spoken English, likely completely unaware of what she was saying, giving her a sense of superiority.
Bai Leyao was so angry it hurt, clenching her fists, ready to step forward but was held back by Kang Zhenyu, "Don’t act rashly, can’t Yuran handle such a small matter?"
Bai Leyao stopped in her tracks, still grinding her teeth.
She had a mysterious admiration for Yuran and couldn’t stand to see her humiliated.
Perhaps it was because Yuran wrote songs better than her, was more excellent than her. Liking someone better than oneself was not wrong.
"The self-proclaimed beauty hasn’t been chosen either."
Yuran continued in her mother tongue, not giving Catherine any face. Catherine, infuriated and humiliated, burst out, "You’re insulting me."
Yuran realized, looking at her with a surprised face, "Oh, Miss Catherine can speak Chinese."
Bai Leyao simply couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. She wrapped her arm around Kang Zhenyu’s and whispered teasingly, "Kang, who knew our Mr. Yuran had such explosive combat prowess?"
Kang Zhenyu chuckled and ruffled the young girl’s head, "Don’t talk nonsense."
Catherine was completely outmaneuvered and looked very upset. Her dislike for Yuran had reached unprecedented heights. Previously, if it was just because Bo Yan didn’t like Yuran, now she felt that Yuran as a person was genuinely unlikeable.
She stood up straight, looking down on Yuran arrogantly, "I heard you and Yan got married? And you had a child with him? Don’t worry, I will be good to your child."
"Is she out of her mind?" Bai Leyao was so angry she started spouting nonsense, "What do you mean you’ll be good to my child, who gave her the right to say that?"
Yuran listened to Bai Leyao’s rant with a mix of amusement and disbelief, "Miss Catherine, what did you say? I didn’t quite catch that."
Catherine repeated herself.
Yuran shook her head, chuckling, "Sorry, I still didn’t catch that."
Once or twice, even the least intelligent person would have understood by now. Catherine realized Yuran was making fun of her and her face turned pale with anger, "Yuran, what does Yan even see in you;
you’re rude, completely lacking in manners. You didn’t force him into marriage because you were pregnant, did you?"
Forced into marriage because of pregnancy?
Yuran smiled, unbothered, "Miss Catherine, truly elegant, polite..."
She spoke these words of praise with a deeply meaningful tone. Catherine’s face changed drastically. She’d never encountered an opponent like Yuran, whose words were softly spoken yet viciously targeted, pressing hard on sore spots.
Kang Zhenyu and Bai Leyao, listening to this exchange from the sidelines, both showed faint smiles. Kang Zhenyu knew Yuran well; she never accepted defeat lightly. Now, with the doting support of the great actor Bo Yan, she wouldn’t suffer any distress.
It didn’t matter who it was; if she didn’t care, then it was trivial. If she did, the one at a disadvantage would definitely not be her.
Catherine had imagined all possible versions of Yuran, but she hadn’t anticipated this calm and composed demeanor. On Yuran’s face, Catherine couldn’t even detect any signs of jealousy or anger. How much security must one have to exhibit such elegant confidence?
Or was it, perhaps, that this confidence was given to her by Bo Yan?
Thinking this, Catherine felt uneasy all over. She smiled, suppressing her anger, "I’ve taken on the script for ’Miss Rose,’ and why I came here, I’m not afraid to tell you, I hope you don’t mind."
"Of course I don’t mind."
Catherine, "That’s good then. I had a pleasant meeting with Mr. Xiaoxi after coming back from Huanya. As for what we discussed, you can ask Mr. Xiaoxi. If an agreement is reached, we might have a pleasant interaction."
Yuran’s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly, not out of concern, but wondering if Catherine thought she could dictate how things would unfold according to her expectations.
Yuran was not interested in continuing this exchange here, and just then, at the end of the hotel corridor, three people walked by, led by Ao Chen, whom Yuran knew well yet felt distant from.
She slightly narrowed her eyes and looked away.
Bai Leyao, not noticing Yuran’s reaction, excitedly moved closer to her, "Yuran, senior Ao Chen is here, Ao Chen ah..."
Yuran smiled, "I know him, so congratulations, you might witness an unparalleled classic."