The Movie Queen Always Wants to Kiss Me - Chapter 22 - An Empty Head and a Loose Tongue

The hall was still lively, but the liveliness belonged to others—Cheng Muye had no share in it. She simply stood there in the middle of the bustling crowd, her gaze fixed on that graceful, striking figure.

Tang Anhe was still chatting with Zheng Ye, her pretty face flushed, her eyes shining with a new kind of light. One spoke with animated gestures, while the other listened with gentle focus. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, standing together, looked impossibly well matched.

She was meant to be nothing more than an outsider.

She truly should never have fallen for her!

Gu Zixiao shouldn’t have “fallen into temptation” either—shouldn’t have set her heart on the heroine role in Zheng Ye’s new drama. If not for that, she wouldn’t have come to this party, and she never would have ended up in the same dress as Tang Anhe.

Both were dressed in pure white off-the-shoulder cocktail gowns, each adorned with a pink peony pinned at the waist, a coincidental fashion clash that drew amused delight.

Her brief dismay quickly dissipated when the hushed murmurs among the female guests drifted over, striking a pleasant chord.

“Another fashion clash! Can you believe it? How many times has this happened? The coincidence is uncanny!”

“As they say, matching outfits aren’t the problem. It’s whoever looks worse that feels the embarrassment. Honestly, I think Gu Zixiao carries it beautifully. Don’t you agree?”

“Mhm. Gu Zixiao has that tall, slender frame. In this dress, she looks fresh yet sensual, absolutely stunning.”

“I agree. Tang Anhe’s charm is too lush, too voluptuous. She doesn’t suit this delicate, fresh style at all.”

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The whispers reached Tang Anhe’s ears. Her fingers tightened around the wine glass, fury surging within her. This wasn’t a coincidence—she was certain of it! That shameless dog-tailed weed was deliberately imitating her. The audacity was infuriating.

Her brows knitted in irritation, and she tipped back the glass, draining it in one gulp to suppress the anger threatening to spill over.

Gu Zixiao noticed her reaction, her red lips curving into a faintly mocking smile. With practiced ease, she plucked a glass of red wine from a waiter’s tray and sauntered forward.

Trouble had just walked in.

Tang Anhe’s throat tightened, bracing for the inevitable clash. But Gu Zixiao never even spared her a glance. Instead, she halted before Zheng Ye, inclining her head with flawless grace. “Mr. Zheng, forgive my uninvited arrival. Allow me three glasses as atonement.”

She certainly knew how to play the game.

Tang Anhe watched her take a hypocritical sip of red wine. Then Gu Zixiao’s eyes widened in feigned surprise. “Oh my, if it isn’t Her Majesty the Best Actress! Forgive me, I simply didn’t notice you earlier.”

The pretense was paper-thin; her tone dripped with provocation.

Tang Anhe shot back without hesitation. “It’s fine. Since your eyesight’s failing, I won’t hold it against you.”

“Heh, the Oscar-winning actress is as sharp-tongued as ever. If I’m not mistaken, you’re older than me, aren’t you? Your twenty-third birthday is just around the corner. I wonder what gift you’d like—I’ll be sure to send something over.”

“Save yourself the trouble. I’ve no interest in your cheap trinkets.”

“Of course. You’re at the top of the celebrity wealth rankings, after all. Why would someone like you want anything from us penniless nobodies?”

Sometimes, self-deprecation cut deeper than arrogance. Against it, Tang Anhe’s aloof pride only seemed to shine brighter.

The female guests immediately began whispering among themselves.

“Tang Anhe really has no filter. Gu Zixiao was being polite, and she still snapped back?”

“They’ve never been on good terms. I think Tang Anhe’s just putting on airs because she won Best Actress. She thinks she can do whatever she wants now.”

“Exactly. Her acting might be decent, but I swear they only gave her that award out of pity. She entered the industry at four years old and it has been eighteen years already. If she hadn’t improved by now, then what is she but a pretty ornament for display?

“I couldn’t agree more. Just look at her next to Gu Zixiao. She’s like a little dwarf. She doesn’t have the presence of a true Best Actress at all.”

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The conversation was becoming far too personal.

Tang Anhe’s anger surged, and she nearly burst out cursing. My legs are short—what’s that got to do with you? And could they keep their voices down a little? At least have the decency to gossip quietly if you’re going to play bystanders! A bunch of shameless gossips!

Yet it was true—her legs were short. That painful fact was a wound she could never quite heal. With no way to fight back, she drew in several deep breaths and forced the words back down.

She refused to stoop to their level.

Trading barbs with idiots in front of the leading actor would only tarnish her image as a refined lady.

Clinging to that reasoning, Tang Anhe excused herself under the pretense of getting something to eat and slipped away quietly.

But Gu Zixiao had no intention of letting her slip away. Whether deliberately or casually, she drifted closer, her tone light and cheerful as she gestured at the desserts laid out on the glass table. “This mousse cake is really good—sweet and soft. And these jam cookies and fruit pudding are excellent too. You can tell a master pastry chef made them.”

Tang Anhe’s patience snapped. She turned on her with a sharp glare. “Can you just get the hell away from me? I don’t want to stand next to you!”

So, what if she was a head and a half taller? She was nothing but a stick figure. What exactly was there to be proud of?

Yet Gu Zixiao was proud, and she delighted in using her height to crush Tang Anhe’s self-esteem.

“Your Majesty, the Best Actress,” she drawled, her smile refined, “looking so preoccupied isn’t good for a girl still in her growth spurt, you know.”

Tang Anhe didn’t answer. Her gaze stayed fixed on the woman flaunting her airs. Normally, she wasn’t one to read too deeply into words, but Gu Zixiao was the lone exception.

She didn’t need to think it through—she could feel the malice laced in that remark. That wretched dog-tail flower was mocking her height, insinuating that the burdens she bore had stunted her growth.

“Honestly, it’s not your lack of brains I dislike. It’s that you’re brainless and loud about it.”

Tang Anhe’s retort was swift and merciless.

She was the type who either held her tongue or spoke her mind without restraint. All that cautious, roundabout sniping wasn’t wit—it was cowardice.

“You think being tall makes you special? With those scrawny little pecs and that stick-thin frame, you look like you’ve been on weed for years. Here’s a tip: only dogs like bones.”

It wasn’t only her “shortness” that could be mocked. Thinness was just as easy a target. And when it came to being flat-chested, there was no sharper, more effective strike.
Gu Zixiao’s composure cracked. A flush rose to her cheeks as she snapped, “I hear genes run in families. Imagine if you had a son with your height. He’d be too short to even get a girlfriend!”

This involves the next generation now!

Well, that only made the counterattack easier.

Tang Anhe’s gaze flicked toward her chest, a smirk tugging at her lips. “You don’t need to worry about me. But you? Skinny women usually have tough pregnancies. And even if you somehow manage to give birth, I doubt you’ll have enough milk to feed your baby. Poor thing, formula shortages are every mother’s nightmare these days.”

Gu Zixiao sneered, refusing to back down. “Pain? Please, don’t make me laugh. I think oversized breasts are the real curse. Haven’t you read the news? Breast cancer rates are skyrocketing. If you ever get it, they’ll cut yours off and stick in fake ones. Imagine if they turn out lopsided. What a joke you’d be. And cancer isn’t something you cure just by cutting, it comes back. At that point, you’d just be waiting to die…”

The more Gu Zixiao spoke, the more unsettling it became.

Tang Anhe, with little medical knowledge, felt her scalp prickle and her courage slip away. Panic flickered in her eyes as her voice faltered, dropping to a near whisper. “Don’t… don’t scare me like that!”

Gu Zixiao, pleased by her reaction, leaned in and pressed the advantage. “I’m not trying to scare you. But speaking of which, do you remember that actress who fell ill not long ago? She was still so young when she passed. Ah, beauty truly is doomed to a short life!”

At those words, Tang Anhe’s fear surged into something real. Her face drained of color, her heart pounding wildly as dread closed in, leaving her unable to fight back.

She knew exactly who Gu Zixiao was referring to. From the moment that actress was diagnosed with breast cancer to her death, barely two months had passed. Tang Anhe even remembered acting alongside her once, secretly comparing their bust sizes. Rumors had said the actress’s chest was surgically enhanced, yet none of that mattered now. The only thing Tang Anhe could think was… what if… what if hers…

Her panic deepened. Her lips trembled, her face grew ashen, and her heart pounding as if it might leap right out of her throat.

“With a chest as flat as yours, to still fabricate nonsense about the burdens of a larger one. Miss Gu, your imagination truly astounds me.”

The voice was light, yet every syllable dripped with razor-sharp sarcasm.

It was her.

In an instant, Tang Anhe’s panic dissipated. She turned, eyes softening as they fell upon the person who always brought her an unshakable sense of security.

So, this was what they meant by the hero rescuing the damsel in distress.

The thought alone sent heat rushing to her cheeks, staining them crimson like a ripe apple in bloom.