Actresses

Chapter 16 Transformation

Seeing Jiang Mi Tuan agree with He Yu Ran, Jiang Fan said in surprise, "Mi Tuan? Didn't you hear what Mommy just said? Auntie is leaving! Say goodbye to Auntie!"

He Yuran quickly tugged at Jiang Mituan's clothes from behind and whispered, "Auntie isn't leaving, quickly say it for her."

Jiang Mi Tuan immediately exclaimed, "Auntie said she's not leaving!"

He Yuran quickly grabbed Xiaomi Tuan and said, "Come on, take Auntie inside. Auntie will tell you some fun things."

Mi Tuan agreed, and then the two of them ran hand in hand to the inner room. To prevent Jiang Fan from coming in, He Yu Ran locked the door from the inside. Jiang Fan, furious, banged on the door from the outside, saying, "Ran Ran! He Yu Ran! What's wrong? Come out and tell me! What kind of nonsense is this, kidnapping my child?"

He Yuran shouted at the door, "I have nothing to say to you! You won't cooperate with me!"

Mi Tuan sat on her little bed swinging her legs. He Yuran pulled up a children's chair and sat on the edge of the bed. Unexpectedly, the chair was just right for her, although her legs were a bit long and she felt cramped.

He Yuran knew that time was limited and she needed to get to the point quickly, but she still had to be patient and persuasive with her child. So she patiently asked, "Mi Tuan, has Mommy mentioned me to you?"

Jiangmi Tuan answered decisively: "No."

Okay, He Yuran said, "Alright, we'll have to start the ideological work from the beginning." She then asked, "Did your mother ever tell you about your time as an actress?"

Jiang Mi Tuan tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I don't remember."

"So, do you know what Mom thought after she became a big star?"

"I don't believe it, but there's evidence on the iPad. The mom in the video is so beautiful; I want a mom like that."

"Aren't mothers these days good?"

"it is good."

"Is your mother good to you?" After asking this question, He Yuran cheered inwardly. She had almost hit the nail on the head! Sure enough, things are all interconnected; I can be a big star and I can be a reporter!

"Okay. But it would be even better if she were a celebrity. Many of my classmates have favorite celebrities, and celebrities can earn a lot of money. Then I could make money off my classmates."

"If you had money, what would you want to do?"

Jiang Mi Tuan crossed her arms and thought, "Give it to Dad. Dad needs money. I can spend it in two years. I'm still young, I can wait."

He Yuran was momentarily speechless. How come this child has such a good relationship with her biological father? But she couldn't continue the conversation on this topic. She anxiously thought of what to ask next, her brain practically exploding with frustration.

At this point, Jiang Mi Tuan continued, "Actually, I don't really like my mom like this, but she won't change even if I tell her."

"What's wrong with Mom?" He Yuran asked in surprise.

This sounds like a mother talking to a child, but it came out of the mouth of a seven-year-old.

"She always tries to pin everything on me," Jiang Mi Tuan frowned. "She should just do what she wants to do herself. She always says it's all for my sake, making herself look like she's suffering a grudge every day. I mean, how old am I? I don't even know what love is yet, and she gives me so much love. Actually, I only need an iPad, where I can watch the shows I want. She always makes me watch cartoons that she thinks kids should watch. Her taste is so childish. I've seen a lot of things already, and I want to see something new."

Although she knew kids these days often talk like adults, He Yuran still couldn't help but laugh while listening to her face-to-face. "Do you usually talk to your mother like this?"

"Occasionally. She has a bad temper; she gets angry at me over the smallest things. I have to appease her."

"Mom told your aunt that your classmates said a lot of strange things after they found out Mom is a celebrity. Were you unhappy about that?"

"I'm unhappy, but I still have to go to school. I wish I didn't have to go to school."

He Yuran frowned. "No matter if your mother is a celebrity or not, no matter what your family's financial situation is, you have to study hard, understand?"

"Okay, okay. I was just complaining a little. Don't you adults complain too?"

He Yuran thought to herself, "I really can't argue with you... Never mind, let's get straight to the point."

"Since you understand everything, you're such a wonderful child. Auntie wants to discuss something with you. The reason I came today is actually to talk to your mother about letting her return to acting. But she firmly rejected me, leaving no room for negotiation. I always feel that she should go back to acting, but Mom says that if she comes back to acting, it will affect your lives, and as an actress, there will definitely be a lot of online discussion, and she's worried that it will affect you. What do you think?"

"Whether she becomes an actress or not will affect me. Whatever my parents do affects me... So let her do whatever she wants and stop using me as an excuse. Even if my deskmate eats snacks, it will affect me; I'll get cravings."

He Yuran almost burst out laughing, "Auntie thinks you're absolutely right! Rice Ball is so great! Would Rice Ball be willing to help Auntie persuade Mom later?"

"It depends on her mood. If she really gets angry, I won't dare to do it, and I can't argue with her. I can't get too angry, because I can't be angry when Mom is angry," Mi Tuan said seriously.

He Yuran paused for a second, understood, and immediately nodded. "Okay, I'll try again. Auntie thanks Mi Tuan in advance."

"Then I wish you good luck."

Just then, Jiang Fan started banging on the door again, this time much harder, and he lost all his composure. "Ranran, have you had enough? That's enough, open the door."

"Coming!" He Yuran called out, getting up to open the door.

Jiang Fan's face outside the door was filled with anger, but he didn't actually lash out. He just glared at He Yuran, then walked past her and squatted down in front of Jiang Mi Tuan. "Alright, that's enough playing for today. Time to do your homework."

"I don't want to write." Jiang Mi Tuan simply lay down on the bed.

"Are you still throwing a tantrum at your mother? All your words downstairs were wasted."

"I'm not in a good mood right now, and I just don't want to write. I can't write."

"So when will you be in a good mood?"

"Mom, you're in a bad mood yourself, and you still keep criticizing me."

If it weren't for Jiang Fan's annoyance, He Yuran would have almost burst out laughing. This kid's comebacks against Jiang Fan were truly something else. What are children? They are the natural enemy of parents. She was starting to understand why some actresses she knew had tried to help their children with their homework, only to be met with resistance and end up posting their frustrations on social media. It seemed that those experiences were exactly what Jiang Fan was feeling now.

"Mom isn't in a bad mood. Who told you Mom was in a bad mood?"

Suddenly, Jiang Mi Tuan shouted, "Auntie, please take my mom away! She keeps nagging me, I want to sleep, I don't want to do my homework!"

He Yuran quickly agreed, "Okay, okay! Coming, coming!"

Then she pulled Jiang Fan outside. Jiang Fan was furious and said, "This is outrageous! Everything you say is meaningless! They're getting harder to manage as they grow older."

He Yuran gently closed the inner room door, and the two returned to the living room.

He Yuran sat down on the sofa. "Let's have a good talk as adults, and let the child be on his own for a while."

Jiang Fan sighed and asked, "What exactly did you talk about with her just now?"

"She said she was willing to let you come out and act because she wanted to see her mother happy," He Yuran said matter-of-factly.

"How could that be?" Jiang Fan clearly didn't believe it. "From the moment Mi Tuan was born, I intentionally kept it from her that I've acted in movies, and I've never even talked to her about these topics. Don't think that I'll agree to your request just because you're using her as an excuse."

"Fan, I didn't bring up the child. What I just said was all told to me by Mi Tuan herself. If anyone is bringing up the child, it's you who always uses Jiang Mi Tuan as an excuse. But Mi Tuan said something very true: parents always tend to use the child as an excuse, but the question is, is that really what the child wants? Mi Tuan said she likes to see you shine in your roles—" He Yu Ran thought to herself, it shouldn't be a problem to make up a few things about Mi Tuan, right? Yes, it definitely shouldn't be a problem. Then, without stammering, she continued, "Mi Tuan told me that you say everything for her. But she hopes you can do something for yourself. Even a child can understand that, so why can't you? I think we adults—especially us actors—are really good at deceiving ourselves sometimes. For example, saying we're afraid of how fans will see us, or how our colleagues will see us—these are all excuses. Do you really want to continue acting? You have to ask yourself. It's so easy to run away. Being indifferent to worldly affairs is certainly good, but are you afraid of problems arising and unwilling to face them, or have you really lost all interest in acting? I think you need to figure this out yourself, otherwise even a child understands better than you. Okay, I've really bothered you for quite a while, so I should go back now. You should spend some time with Mi Tuan."

He Yuran paused for a moment, and just as he got up to leave, he felt that he hadn't had enough, so he plopped back down on the sofa.

"And I'll say something you won't like to hear. You just said your ex-husband is still the father of your child, and you'll still have to deal with him. But back when you divorced—if I hadn't seen what I read online, I wouldn't have known—" He Yuran quickly added, afraid Jiang Fan would see through her, "When you divorced, he watched your image be damaged and didn't say a word for you. Did he have any consideration for your relationship then? Why didn't he consider that you're the mother of your child? Well, if you really care about the child, then I'll say something I shouldn't say. You might think I'm vulgar, that I'm materialistic, but that's because I believe that actors must be successful in their careers, must be richer, to have more choices; otherwise, they'll always be passive. Today you feel that a wave of public opinion has suddenly emerged online, but let me tell you, there will be more in the future. I know that all too well, just like my period today—you never know when it will come again. And because you've remained in the same place, you don't even have the ability to fight back or explain yourself; you can only stay at home and get angry with Mi Tuan!"

After He Yuran finished speaking, she stood up and saw that Jiang Fan was still standing there, showing no intention of seeing her off. She wanted to say something more, but she still decisively rushed to the entrance and bent down to change her shoes.

Enough said, let's stop here. Success or failure hinges on this. If it doesn't work out, the worst-case scenario is being permanently blacklisted by Jiang Fan.

What could be worse than this?

At this moment, Jiang Fan behind him whispered, "I'll see you off."

He Yuran didn't even look up. "No need!"

She's a bit resolute now, thinking, "You should stay home and reflect on your actions!"

Both of them were probably a bit grumpy as they went downstairs, one after the other. When they reached the staircase that required walking down each floor, He Yuran's anger flared up again. She thought to herself, "Really, is taking the stairs healthier than taking the elevator? I'm just fooling myself. Otherwise, why would people invent so many things to make life as convenient as possible?" But then she thought, "Ugh, why am I being so petty? Everything makes me angry. It's just that Jiang Fan didn't do things my way. Oh well, getting angry is bad for my health."

He Yuran calmed herself down and walked to the roadside, where she saw the driver, Xiao Zhao. She turned to look at Jiang Fan. "Please stay. I hope you're doing well. I truly mean it."

"Um, Ranran..." Jiang Fan hesitated for a moment. "If I have any ideas, can I still contact you?"

He Yuran stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?... But I can't guarantee that I've fully figured it out right now; I might need some more time..." Jiang Fan said.

"No, no, it's not bad! I was just too surprised to speak for a moment. I didn't mean to refuse, I'm just too happy! I'll wait for you, I'll wait for you no matter what. Call me as soon as you've figured it out!" He Yuran almost jumped up.

"Okay, I also need to talk to Mi Tuan again, and there are also some things to arrange at home."

"Anything is fine! There's plenty of time!" He Yuran thought to herself, "Go ahead and make the arrangements. I don't even have a script yet."

"Okay, then I won't see you off."

He Yuran strode forward and hugged Jiang Fan tightly. "Fan, I'm so happy! I really made the right decision to come today. I've never felt like I'm the protagonist before! If this were a play, I think it would be more exciting than any play I've ever acted in."

"I also have to thank you, Ranran. No wonder you've gotten to where you are in this industry; you're truly determined and brave." Jiang Fan hugged her back.

"Let's not talk about that! Remember to call me."

He Yuran waved as she ran towards Xiao Zhao and her car, while Jiang Fan waved goodbye to her from behind.

The first thing I did after getting on the bus was to call Shi Jiahe.

"Feed? Jiahe! Jiang Fan agreed!" He Yuran was extremely excited at this moment, directly and unilaterally giving Jiang Fan a definitive answer, "Where are you now? I'll come over and tell you in detail what happened today! Your boss is really too brave, his judgment is brilliant, he seized the opportunity, and hit the bullseye in one fell swoop! ...Hey, speak up, are you mute?"

At this moment, Shi Jiahe whispered on the phone, "Sis, I'm a little busy right now, can I call you back later?"

"OK, then tell me when you're done." He Yuran, having been given the cold shoulder, hung up the phone unhappily and muttered to himself, "What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?"