Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 1

G-brand, a century-old European luxury label, is renowned for its royal-grade quality and jaw-dropping price tags. Since entering the Chinese market, its sales have soared—exorbitant costs doing little to dampen modern consumers’ aspirations for the brand. In just a few years, new stores have sprouted up one after another.

At Joy City, G-brand’s newest flagship store opens today. Black-suited bodyguards in sunglasses hold back the swarming crowds of fans.

For a top-tier luxury brand like G-brand, grand openings almost always feature A-list celebrities with close brand ties for ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Today is no exception.

Chu Xi stands at the center of the crowd in eight-centimeter stiletto sandals, golden scissors in hand. Facing the sea of photographers’ lenses, she offers a poised smile and, following the host’s cue, snips the ceremonial ribbon.

Applause erupts.

Next comes the group photo—G-brand’s Greater China executives, the store manager, and the three female celebrities invited for the ribbon-cutting stand in a row, champagne glasses in hand.

The photographers’ focus unanimously zeroes in on the trio of stars.

The one on the left is a rising young actress, a former child star who just turned eighteen and was recently admitted to film school, her future promising, her appeal undeniable to G-brand.

The one in the middle is a triple-award-winning actress at the peak of her career, her high-class image a perfect match for G-brand’s prestige.

And the one on the right…

Who on earth is the big spender backing Chu Xi behind the scenes?

For two years since her debut, she’s starred exclusively in big-budget films and TV dramas. Despite being a newcomer, she’s had A-list celebrities supporting her in minor roles, yet her terrible acting has made her the laughingstock of the nation. She barely scraped her way into the second tier of fame, only to stubbornly join a hit reality show—where her fake, exaggerated behavior earned her relentless criticism. Her combination of phoniness, lack of talent, and monopolization of top-tier resources finally ignited public outrage, amassing her a horde of furious anti-fans. Yet anyone who resorted to personal attacks or spreading rumors had their accounts banned. Faced with the power of capital, the anti-fans could only grind their teeth in frustration, resorting to sarcastically spamming the hashtag #HasChuXiMadeItYet?#—a dig at how she still hadn’t achieved real fame despite all the backing.

And yet, despite being this widely hated, she still managed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with rising starlets and award-winning actresses, cutting ribbons for luxury brands.

It was downright infuriating.

The photographers glanced at the three women in their viewfinders and clicked their tongues.

Say what you will, but even if the backer seemed like a fool, their taste wasn’t half bad.

The rising starlet had a bright, delicate beauty, but she was a bit too short, with poor proportions—narrow shoulders and unremarkable legs. The award-winning actress had impeccable bone structure, a face made for the silver screen, flawless on the big screen but slightly plain in real-life shots. Only Chu Xi, standing on the right, effortlessly outshone the others in group photos.

Her glowing, porcelain skin was impossible to look away from. The knee-length dress showcased her long legs, slender waist, and enviable proportions. Even under the harsh glare of high-definition cameras, her complexion remained flawless. Paired with her cascading black curls, plump cherry lips, and crescent-moon eyes, she was the very picture of an innocent, delicate beauty.

With looks like that and that tiny waist, no wonder the mysterious tycoon behind her was smitten, showering her with one premium resource after another.

The photographers kept snapping away.

After the group photo, it was time for the champagne toast. Nearly everyone drank up, especially the rising starlet, who downed hers with gusto. Only Chu Xi, when someone clinked glasses with her, put on an exaggerated act—stomping her foot and pouting pitifully, “Sorry, I don’t drink.”

The photographers: “………………”

Well, if any other celebrity pulled this, it might’ve made headlines. But with Chu Xi, everyone was used to it by now.

——

9 p.m., the ribbon-cutting event wrapped up.

Chu Xi slipped into her van, immediately kicking off her high heels and bending down to rub her aching calves.

After a few unsatisfying attempts, she considered propping her feet on the back of the front seat for better leverage—until she caught sight of her agent, Yao Yu, sitting stiffly beside her. She quietly retracted her legs, straightened up, and slipped on the flat shoes always kept in the van.

“No more events in the next couple of days, right, Yao Jie?” Chu Xi asked cautiously. She had almost taken a sip of the champagne in her hand earlier when she suddenly caught sight of Yao Yu in the audience and remembered—one of the traits of her “Innocent White Flower” persona was that she didn’t drink alcohol. If Yao Yu had seen her and reported it to Gu Mingjing, she’d be finished.

Yao Yu mechanically pulled out her iPad to check the schedule. “You have no events scheduled for the next week, except…”

“Except what?” Chu Xi’s momentarily relaxed heart tensed up again.

Yao Yu: “Mr. Gu has decided to return tomorrow evening unexpectedly. Please be at Nanjing Apartment on time to wait for him.”

“…Oh, alright.” Chu Xi nodded upon hearing this, showing no other reaction.

The van drove steadily along the elevated highway. The cabin was quiet—Yao Yu was busy with work, while Chu Xi silently scrolled through her phone.

Photos from the earlier event had already been posted. Yao Yu had already reposted the brand’s Weibo post using Chu Xi’s official account, “Actress Chu Xi.” Chu Xi logged into her personal Weibo account, “Too Lazy to Wear Makeup Today,” and browsed related event updates.

Zha Lang Entertainment posted: “Today, G Brand’s new store grandly opened at Joy City, with three popular actresses attending the opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting.”

A cropped section of the group photo featuring the three actresses was highlighted. Chu Xi was pleased with how she looked in the picture—her pre-makeup “ex-boyfriend face mask” had paid off.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Xi reposted the tweet with the caption, “So pretty~.”

This was the first time she had reposted something about herself on her personal account. Chu Xi often used “Too Lazy to Wear Makeup Today” to share favorite cosmetics and daily snippets. One day, a prominent beauty blogger reposted her, and over time, she gradually accumulated over 20,000 followers. Her official Weibo account, with its 30 million heavily inflated followers, was mostly managed by Yao Yu. Chu Xi used her personal account far more often, enjoying interactions with her followers there. Eventually, after posting a video of herself smashing a cockroach bare-handed, she earned the affectionate nickname “Er Gou” (Second Dog) among her fans.

After reposting, Chu Xi nervously waited for her followers’ reactions. She wondered if the fans who loved “Too Lazy to Wear Makeup Today” would also like the real-life actress Chu Xi.

Unlike her heavily bot-followed official account, her personal account’s 20,000+ followers were all active. Soon, notifications started rolling in.

[Er Gou, too lazy for makeup again today?]

[Er Gou, who are you calling pretty here? Surely not Chu Xi?]

The replies mentioning Chu Xi were particularly lively.

[Yeah right, as if it’s Chu Xi. How could a warrior like Er Gou, who smashes cockroaches bare-handed, possibly like a White Lotus like Chu Xi?]

[Ugh, just seeing Chu Xi’s face annoys me. On ‘Brave Challenges,’ she had all the male MCs fawning over her—what does she even do besides crying and acting helpless? Her acting flops every time, yet she still gets top-tier roles. What an insult to the industry.]

[Everything about her just feels fake.]

[Has Chu Xi made it big today? Nope. Hahahahaha.]

[Well, her boyfriend likes her, so he’s happy to promote her.]

[So, Er Gou, when are you making it big and spoiling us?]

[Praising Chu Xi so much and she’s still barely a second-tier star. Could a boyfriend really do that? The one backing her must be her biological father!]

[Not necessarily her biological father. Maybe Chu Xi has to call him “daddy” every night. wink]

[All the comments under marketing posts about Chu Xi are controlled by paid trolls. Disgusting.]

…

Chu Xi read these comments, gripping her phone, her heart thoroughly chilled.

She had thought that since they were the same person, the fans following her private account wouldn’t have too bad an impression of the real Chu Xi. But she never expected her public reputation to be this terrible.

If not for Gu Mingjing’s powerful paid trolls, she might have actually believed she was popular from looking at the controlled comments under those marketing posts.

Feeling dejected.

Chu Xi suddenly couldn’t understand—Gu Mingjing always melted at her coquettishness and tears in private, yet none of it worked in public.

Truthfully, Chu Xi couldn’t figure Gu Mingjing out either. After two years together, he tirelessly showered her with resources. Every time a movie or drama flopped, she’d be terrified, ready to apologize profusely, afraid he’d scold her for being useless. Yet Gu Mingjing never batted an eye even at massive losses, immediately arranging another big-budget film or luxury endorsement from his production company.

Not just that, he even took her to various social events. Nearly everyone in his circle knew Gu Mingjing was dating that Innocent White Flower actress Chu Xi who just couldn’t get famous no matter how hard she was pushed.

Chu Xi felt Gu Mingjing’s treatment of her was almost abnormal—he gave her the kind of pampering reserved for a beloved daughter.

Unbidden, Chu Xi recalled those comments about her calling him “daddy” at night, her face flushing.

She’d never called him that, and Gu Mingjing had never asked her to.

The van pulled into the apartment garage. Yao Yu escorted the pensive Chu Xi upstairs, snapping her fingers in front of her face.

“Huh?” Chu Xi finally snapped out of it.

Seeing her alert, Yao Yu reminded, “I won’t call to wake you tomorrow. Remember, Mr. Gu is coming back tonight. Also, your annual physical report should be ready soon…”

“You already told me yesterday,” Chu Xi said with a smile. “It’s late, you should head home.”

“Alright then, I’m off.” Yao Yu bid farewell. As the manager Gu Mingjing assigned to Chu Xi, not a single move of Chu Xi’s escaped her watch—which meant nothing escaped Gu Mingjing either.

Chu Xi waited until Yao Yu disappeared into the elevator before exhaling and closing the door. Surveying the empty apartment, she clenched her fists. She hadn’t shown it in the car, but now she could finally let her excitement burst forth.

Gu Mingjing is coming back tomorrow, ahhhhhh!

He’s been so busy these past two months, and whenever she called, his assistant would answer. Chu Xi didn’t dare disturb him too much. Today, Yao Yu mentioned he was returning, so she figured he must have finished his work.

Chu Xi removed her makeup, took a shower, and then emerged leisurely in her pure cotton Peppa Pig pajamas, pondering which sleepwear to choose for tomorrow night with Gu Mingjing.

She was torn between two options.

One was a lotus-pink silk camisole dress, and the other was a black lace camisole.

The lotus-pink silk camisole felt incredibly smooth—she couldn’t resist running her hands over it repeatedly. The black one complemented her skin tone beautifully; paired with a bun, she’d look like a little black swan, her shoulders and neck dazzlingly fair.

Both were styles Gu Mingjing liked.

After deliberating for a while without deciding, Chu Xi yawned and glanced down at what she was currently wearing.

Whichever she chose, it definitely wouldn’t be this one.

The viral “socialite” Peppa Pig pajamas from Taobao.

She only dared to wear these childish cartoon cotton pajamas when Gu Mingjing wasn’t around. The man, who had never watched cartoons growing up—Chu Xi couldn’t even imagine his expression if he saw a pink pig-shaped cartoon character on her, someone who always carried herself with coquettish charm.

But she would never let that happen. Chu Xi knew her professional boundaries as a contractual girlfriend well. She folded both sleepwear options neatly, put them away, and slipped under the covers to sleep.

Exhausted from the day, she fell asleep quickly. But not long after, in that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, she suddenly heard rustling sounds in the room.

Chu Xi groggily opened her eyes and saw a shadowy figure standing by her bed.

!!!

Fortunately, just before she could scream, the bedside lamp flicked on.

Chu Xi saw Gu Mingjing suddenly at her bedside and scrambled up from under the covers, her heart still racing.

Chu Xi: “You… how…?”

Wasn’t he supposed to return tomorrow night?!

Gu Mingjing was about to speak when his gaze was involuntarily drawn to her brightly colored pajamas.

He was used to seeing Chu Xi in solid-colored silk sleepwear, but this was a first.

Following his line of sight, Chu Xi’s expression changed the moment she noticed the pink pig-shaped cartoon character on her pajamas.

Subtly, she pulled the blanket up, wrapping herself tightly from the neck down.

Never before had she wished so desperately for Gu Mingjing to be blind.