After Going Viral for Exorcism, I Was Kissed Senseless by the Top-Tier Ghost King! - Chapter 8

Zhou Jie truly had not expected this.

She had only stepped away from the banquet for a brief moment, and in that time, Bai Qingxu had been lured away by Cao Qiang. Just as she was fretting over whether Bai Qingxu was being forced into a casting couch situation, news broke that CEO Cao had been knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital. Immediately following that was a blacklisting order for Bai Qingxu!

Bai Qingxu had offended an entertainment industry tycoon and was now blacklisted!

Heaven knows how her vision went dark when she heard the news. She nearly fainted. Her artist was such a good, beautiful youth with a soft and gentle personality, yet he had zero luck. Not only was he being hated by the entire internet, but he had also incurred the wrath of a tycoon!

She wanted to find Bai Qingxu so he could apologize. She spent an entire day searching the hotel, nearly calling the police, but she could not find or contact him. She almost had a heart attack from the stress. Just as she was on the verge of collapse, a phone call informed her that someone was willing to give Bai Qingxu a spot on a variety show. He had not been completely blacklisted after all!

Life truly is a series of great ups and downs.

Despite this, when Zhou Jie reached her car and saw Bai Qingxu leaning against the back seat fast asleep, she felt a surge of anger. She had been scared nearly to death, yet he was here napping! Her little ancestor! He might not be completely canceled, but he was still partially blacklisted! How did he have the heart to sleep at a time like this?

Zhou Jie opened the car door and climbed into the driver’s seat, fuming.

“Bai Qingxu!”

She could not bear to look directly at the youth in the back seat, fearing she might actually strangle him in her rage. Instead, she stared fiercely into the rearview mirror to convey her fury.

The youth stirred at the noise and opened his eyes, bleary with sleep. Tears glistened at the corners of his eyes, crystal clear like dewdrops on a delicate flower. He wiped them away with his long, clean fingers and scratched his messy short hair. He stared innocently at Zhou Jie in the driver’s seat, looking as pitiful as an abandoned puppy.

“Sister Zhou,” he murmured.

Seeing this, most of the anger in Zhou Jie’s heart suddenly vanished. Damn it, she forgot. The only reason she became this guy’s manager in the first place was purely because of his face! Was every hardship in life just a trap set for people obsessed with looks?

Zhou Jie sighed in resignation.

“What exactly did you do? Why did that dog Cao Qiang get so angry that he issued a blacklisting order against you?”

“To make a long story short, he wanted to force himself on me, and I fought back,” Bai Qingxu replied, blinking earnestly as he looked at Zhou Jie. He knew his manager was reasonable, so he decided to tell the truth.

“Sigh.”

Just as Bai Qingxu expected, Zhou Jie only let out a sigh. After all, she could not scold him for acting in self-defense.

“Qingxu, there are only two paths left for you now.”

“Tell me, Sister Zhou.”

“First, quit the industry.”

” ”

The car fell into a heavy silence. Zhou Jie suddenly felt she was being too harsh. How could she give such a pitiful person such a tragic choice? As a manager, how could she force her artist to retire? She felt terrible.

“Um, Qingxu, I do not want to do this. I am truly at my wit’s end. I will compensate you in other ways,” Zhou Jie tried to comfort him.

However, Bai Qingxu spoke up.

“Goodness, that is quite bad,” Bai Qingxu squinted like a cat, reclining in the back seat and appearing genuinely troubled. “Since you offered, Sister Zhou, I will not be polite. Please lend me some money first. My bank account is empty. I will pay you back once I find another job.”

Zhou Jie: ” ”

Fine. She suddenly realized she was even more powerless when it came to money. Her guilt vanished instantly, and she began to play it off.

“Haha, talking about money ruins the mood! Qingxu, the compensation I have for you is ten thousand times better than money!”

Asking Bai Qingxu to pay her back was harder than climbing to heaven. It was not that he was untrustworthy, but that he simply could not earn any money. Since he became an artist, he had not earned a single cent. Zhou Jie had long since realized this painful truth.

“What is it?” Bai Qingxu was quite curious about what could be ten thousand times better than money.

“My boundless love!” Zhou Jie tossed her hair, speaking with total confidence.

Bai Qingxu: “I am sorry, I do not need that. I only want money. Do you not earn over ten thousand a month, Sister Zhou?”

Zhou Jie looked heartbroken. “Not after tax.”

“Then you earn over ten thousand before tax?”

“Not before sleep either. I only have that much when I am dreaming,” Zhou Jie said, clutching her chest in mock agony.

” ”

A black line appeared on Bai Qingxu’s forehead. He had not noticed before that his manager was such a drama queen. However, Zhou Jie stopped acting after a moment and became serious. She said somewhat awkwardly, “Qingxu, jokes aside, let’s be serious. I am getting married soon, and my finances are a bit tight. It is not that I do not want to help you.”

This reason was finally more grounded. Although it was still a refusal, Bai Qingxu was not too disappointed. In reality, he did not want to quit the industry anyway. The original owner of this body was a pitiful soul who clearly wanted to make it in the entertainment world. After all, staying in the industry despite being hated by the whole internet showed incredible perseverance. He wanted to keep going, at least until he made a name for himself, so the original owner would not be disappointed.

“So, what is the second path?”

“Well, a third-rate variety show has invited you to participate.”

Zhou Jie felt a bit guilty as she fidgeted with the hem of her clothes. This was the last resort. Bai Qingxu’s personality made him an easy scapegoat for scandals. For him, going on a variety show usually meant facing a wave of cyberbullying. Zhou Jie had not been able to harden her heart enough to suggest it before, but with no other resources left, there was no other choice. She hesitantly proposed the plan.

“What kind of show is it?”

“It is a horror live-stream type. However, the director wants to try something different. He might need you to queerbait a little.”

Zhou Jie’s voice grew quieter as she spoke, trailing off like the buzz of a mosquito. She was losing hope. Cyberbullying plus queerbaiting was a double whammy of trouble. Bai Qingxu would probably be scared to death. How could he possibly agree?

“Aha? Queerbaiting?”

Bai Qingxu did not understand the industry jargon and looked confused.

“It just means following the production team’s arrangements to have some close interactions with other guests.”

“Oh. It does not involve murder or arson, right?” Bai Qingxu asked calmly after thinking for a moment. He did not seem to realize the severity of the situation.

Zhou Jie realized something and looked at him in disbelief. Since when had her little artist become so calm?

“Of course not!” she responded immediately.

“Then I will go.”

Bai Qingxu smiled at Zhou Jie, leaning back lazily. Why would he not go if he could earn money? Only a fool would turn down a paycheck.

Upon hearing his positive answer, Zhou Jie was stunned for a moment before her eyes lit up with excitement. She had not expected him to agree so easily. However, once the excitement faded, she began to worry about his performance. In previous shows, other artists saw how easy he was to bully and often made him take the blame for their mistakes, leading to his terrible reputation. Would he end up being the scapegoat again this time?

Zhou Jie began to fret once more.