The Movie Queen Always Wants to Kiss Me - Chapter 40 - They’re Going Too Far!

The moment Tang Anhe shut the car door, Cheng Muye slowly lowered her raised hand. She couldn’t tell whether Tang Anhe had truly failed to recognize her, or if she had noticed yet chosen to pretend otherwise. If it was the former, she could accept it. But if it was the latter… then her acting was flawless, and her heart unbearably cold.

The chauffeured van sped past.

Through the tinted window, their eyes met for the briefest instant. Cheng Muye caught the flicker of shock in Tang Anhe’s widened pupils.

So, she had recognized her.

But the next second, the van turned a corner and vanished from sight.

She didn’t stop.

Cheng Muye’s chest tightened with the realization. Her legs, already straining, gave way, and the pain flared so sharply that she staggered back a few steps. Until now, she had been forcing herself to endure, but there was no reason to hold on any longer.

“Brother Cheng!” Lin Yue rushed to her side, catching her before she collapsed. “Are you okay? Can you still hold on?”

Cheng Muye’s face was ashen. She didn’t speak—only lifted a trembling hand and pointed toward the van that had disappeared.

Lin Yue helped her into their car, lifted the hem of her skirt, and checked the bandaged calf. Thankfully, the wound hadn’t reopened.

But Cheng Muye paid no attention to her leg. She shoved Lin Yue’s hand aside, fumbling for her phone. Clutching it tightly, she stared at the screen, waiting. One minute passed. Then another.

The wait grew heavier with every passing second.

She should have called.

Standing there injured under the blazing sun, even if the call had only been to tell her to go back, it still would have given her a shred of comfort.

But she hadn’t bothered to call at all.

It wasn’t that Tang Anhe didn’t want to call, it was that she simply couldn’t.

While Tang Anhe wasn’t paying attention, Song Qiluo snatched the phone. Steering with one hand, she held it with the other and said with a half-smile, “I just realized I left mine behind. Lend me yours for today.”

Tang Anhe frowned. “Sister, give it back to me. The person just now looked like Brother Cheng. I need to call and make sure. Her leg’s still injured, she shouldn’t be moving around.”

“Are you stupid? With your Brother Cheng’s personality, do you really think she’d ever wear women’s clothes? And if it was really her, why wouldn’t she have called you?”

That rebuttal was like a piercing strike, cutting straight to the heart.

Tang Anhe was left speechless, her brows knitting together, bright eyes filled with dissatisfaction as she muttered, “Whether it was her or not, I should’ve called today. At least to ask about her injury! She got hurt protecting me, after all.”

“So now you’re making it seem like I’m the heartless one?”

Song Qiluo sneered, thought for a moment, and finally tossed the phone back to her.

Tang Anhe picked up her phone, ready to call back, when Song Qiluo’s voice cut in. “Now you know Cheng Muye’s identity. A young lady of the Cheng family, dressing and living like an androgynous bodyguard—aren’t you curious? Don’t play dumb. No one would treat you that well without a reason.”

Her words froze Tang Anhe mid-dial. Song Qiluo had a point. Ever since she learned about Cheng Muye’s sexual orientation, the meaning of that call had changed.

It wasn’t about love. It was only about desire—she just wanted to sleep with her.

No words could wound more deeply.

The memory of that text surged back, and resentment welled up. She had treated Cheng Muye as a brother, as a guardian angel. Never had she imagined she was being toyed with all along.

Her heart sank into bitter disappointment.

She let the call drop, slipped the phone back into her bag, and forced herself to ignore the ache of sadness pressing against her chest.

Song Qiluo, satisfied, gave a faint smile and changed the subject. “Stop dwelling on it. Think about how you’ll get the Emperor of Acting to clear those rumors when you meet him. My mom’s just waiting for the gossip about you to die down.”

Meanwhile, An Shanghua’s refusal to return to the hospital lingered like a weight pressing invisibly over her.

Tang Anhe’s thoughts drifted away from her earlier melancholy, back to that night—the opening ceremony of Night Rain. She had booked a hotel, yet unable to sleep, she had taken her script for a late walk.

On her way out, she ran into the actor’s assistant, who mentioned there had been some revisions and asked her to pick up a new copy. Tang Anhe didn’t think much of it. Since the actor seemed in good spirits, she lingered to chat for a while. Unfortunately, a reporter happened to catch her entering his room…

Recounting the incident, Tang Anhe asked softly, “Sister, will the actor’s assistant be there? She knows the truth. She was the one who told me about it.”

“We tried to reach out to her at the time,” came the reply. “But she refused to see me. She neither admitted nor denied it.”

“Why?”

“Because someone wants to bring you down.”

As the words fell, their car arrived at the set.

In truth, the so-called set was nothing more than Zheng Ye’s private villa, which he had lent to the crew. Nestled deep in the suburban woods of Changqing, the small European-style house was elegant yet understated, its white walls framed by lush greenery. Peaceful. Picturesque.

But to Song Qiluo, it was anything but beautiful. She slammed the brakes and stared out the window, her gaze cold as it fell on the scene outside. Under the blazing sun, Zheng Ye directed an actor while Gu Zixiao hovered nearby, dabbing his sweat and offering water. The two were inseparable, their intimacy displayed openly before everyone.

What a bitter irony.

While they enjoyed public blessings, Tang Anhe bore the humiliation of being branded a mistress.

Song Qiluo shoved the car door open, and Tang Anhe followed her out, trailing closely as they headed toward Zheng Ye.

Despite the scandal surrounding lead actress Tang Anhe, the filming of Night Rain continued without interruption. This spoke to Zheng Ye’s dedication to the drama, but at the same time, it subtly underscored his disregard for her personal struggles.

Song Qiluo easily saw through the situation’s nuances, but Tang Anhe chose not to dwell on them. She smiled gracefully and greeted him, “Good morning, Mr. Emperor of Acting.”

Zheng Ye, busy correcting the actress’s expressions and gestures, appeared barely to register her words. Gu Zixiao, however, turned with an almost smug expression, her brows raised. “Oh, it’s the Best Actress. Still clinging to being a mistress, I see. You just can’t let it go, can you?”

Tang Anhe bristled instinctively. “I didn’t. Mr. Emperor of Acting, you know about those news stories—”

Song Qiluo tugged gently at her arm, halting her mid-explanation. She stepped forward, positioning herself between Tang Anhe and the camera, her smile wide and teasing, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Mr. Emperor of Acting, shall we have a talk?”

Zheng Ye’s brows knitted slightly as he glanced at the camera lens. A flicker of impatience crossed his face, but his tone remained cordial, even warm, almost intimate. “It’s Miss Song. Look, I was very focused on filming. Please, excuse me and come in.” He bowed slightly, extending his right hand in a polite, gentlemanly gesture.

Song Qiluo and Tang Anhe walked alongside him, but Tang Anhe gradually fell behind the group. Gu Zixiao kept peppering her with questions, each one laced with boastful pride. “Ms. Best Actress, don’t you think Ah Ye and I make a good pair? The internet keeps saying we’re perfect for each other, but honestly, I’ve always felt a bit insecure. Even though Ah Ye dotes on me and takes me along on every shoot, he can’t bear to leave me alone for a single moment—”

Tang Anhe was already in a foul mood. Seeing this early-morning display of affection from the annoyingly clingy dog-tailed weed only made her more irritated.

She couldn’t help replying, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “So many celebrity couples have divorced despite looking perfect, and you’re only just getting started! Don’t you know that flaunting affection usually ends in disaster? Don’t tempt a shameful breakup!”

Gu Zixiao’s lips curved into a mischievous, provocative smile. “Ms. Best Actress, I don’t need to worry about that. When it comes to Ah Ye, what matters to me is the present, not how long it will last.”

Listen to that—so fake, so pretentious!

“With an attitude like yours, if you can last three months, I’ll give you credit!”

Tang Anhe dropped her gaze, ignoring the comment, and quickened her pace, trying to shake off the irritating presence. But Gu Zixiao, as if deliberately provoking her, matched her stride and leaned closer, a malicious grin on her face.

“Hey, where’s your handsome bodyguard? Why isn’t he here with us? Oh, right. He got bitten by a dog. My dear Best Actress, do you think you’re so unlucky that even a dog wants to teach you a lesson? What a pity that your charming bodyguard ended up as the scapegoat—”

Tang Anhe’s chest tightened at the reminder. If Cheng Muye hadn’t been injured, she wouldn’t have been hospitalized. She wouldn’t have discovered her true identity… or her true orientation. And so, they—

Tang Anhe stopped in her tracks, fuming, and glared at her. “You’re as annoying as ever!”

Gu Zixiao laughed, covering her lips as though she’d heard something hilarious. “Hey, you’re the only one who dares to speak so boldly these days.”

Then, leaning in closer, her voice dropped to a mocking whisper. “Tang Anhe, the halo of the Best Actress won’t protect you for long! Don’t get too cocky!”

“Enough! Stop babbling!” Song Qiluo, walking ahead, could no longer tolerate it. She spun around, yanked Tang Anhe behind her, and growled, “Gu Zixiao, I really don’t understand who gave you the right to be so arrogant! You’re just a third-rate star—what gave you the courage to constantly challenge Tang Anhe? Liang Jingru? I couldn’t care less about your rise to fame. Just answer me this: how many times have you ridden on Anhe’s coattails all these years? If you had even a shred of gratitude, you’d call her a senior! Has your conscience been eaten by a dog? Didn’t they teach you moral education in school?”

Gu Zixiao flushed red at the verbal onslaught, unable to respond. Flustered, she stammered, “She doesn’t deserve it! A jinx! Anyone who gets involved with her is doomed! Cursed luck! A life-ruining creature—”

“Zixiao!” Emperor of Acting Zheng Ye had already turned around, leaning close to whisper urgently to her.

“They’ve gone too far!” Gu Zixiao’s eyes reddened with a mix of shame and indignation, her expression twisting into one of self-pity. “Ah Ye, listen. They both ganged up on me!”

“Watch your words. You’re not a child. How can you call it ‘bullying’?” Zheng Ye’s voice was gentle, yet each word carried a subtle critique. “A grown adult still arguing like this? Have you played so many naive roles that you’ve lost all sense?”

In her early career, Tang Anhe mostly took on naive, sweet characters. Later, with Crazy Motherhood, she completely reinvented herself and to everyone’s surprise, won the Best Actress award.

Song Qiluo caught the mockery in his words and frowned in thought.

Was Zheng Ye merely protecting his protégé, or was he deliberately making a point?

No—perhaps he harbored ill intent all along.

As soon as the news of Tang Anhe and him broke, his public acknowledgment of their relationship seemed to deliberately push Tang Anhe into trouble. Later, when Tang Anhe went to his room to get the revised script, he offered no response. That silence, Song Qiluo realized, was tacit consent—quietly stoking the flames…