Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 15

The spa technician had arrived, pushing a small cart, and saw the man and woman locked in a tense confrontation at the door. “Is this the service Miss Chu requested?”

“No need,” Gu Mingjing replied, stepping inside and slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

“Gu Mingjing! Gu Mingjing, what are you doing? Let me go!”

Gu Mingjing gripped Chu Xi’s wrist tightly, dragging her around every corner of the suite, searching for any sign of another person.

Chu Xi winced in pain as her wrist was squeezed, struggling futilely against his hold. The difference in their strength was too great—she was like a helpless chick at his mercy.

Finding no one else in the room, Gu Mingjing relaxed slightly, loosening his grip on her wrist.

Seizing the opportunity, Chu Xi yanked her wrist free and shouted, “What’s wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?”

Gu Mingjing turned to look at her, his expression cold.

For two years, she had been docile and obedient by his side. He had never known she could be so defiant.

She had always had a temper, hadn’t she? The woman who couldn’t even twist open a bottle cap in front of him could turn around and split a brick with her bare hands.

It was all an act. Every bit of submission and compliance had been fake. The moment their contract ended, her true nature was laid bare.

A surge of anger rose in Gu Mingjing’s chest—the fury of realizing he had been deceived. Suddenly, he reached out and gripped Chu Xi’s chin, ignoring her futile attempts to push him away. With a cold smirk, he said, “You must have had a hard time these past two years, calling me ‘Mr. Gu’ so dutifully. But ‘Gu Mingjing’—those words roll off your tongue just fine, don’t they?”

“I really didn’t see through you, Chu Xi,” he murmured, his thumb brushing lightly over her lips. “Aren’t you afraid of making me angry?”

Of course, Chu Xi was afraid. Gu Mingjing had never been angry with her before, but she had seen how terrifying he could be when provoked. But now that their contract had expired, she refused to back down. Even as her voice trembled slightly, she glared at him and said, “Gu Mingjing, our contract is over.”

Gu Mingjing smirked. “It is over, yes. But what happens when your employer discovers he was deceived during the contract period?”

A chill ran down Chu Xi’s spine.

For two years, she had played the role of the pure, obedient lover to perfection. Gu Mingjing had chosen her because her former agency had marketed her as a gentle, innocent “Innocent White Flower.” She couldn’t afford to miss that opportunity, so she never told him it was just a persona. Whatever he liked, she became.

She had thought that once the contract ended, their ties would be severed. But now, he was refusing to let her go.

How careless she had been. The man before her was a ruthless capitalist who, despite his vast wealth, never overlooked even the smallest slight to his interests. He had been deceived for two years—or worse, flattered with false affection by a woman. Did she really think he would let it slide?

Just like before, she had naively believed that two years together might have fostered some genuine feelings between them. Instead, she had been warned not to overstep her bounds.

Chu Xi suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She sniffled twice but couldn’t hold back, and then tears began rolling down her cheeks as if they cost nothing.

They slid down her fair, delicate face, drop by drop, pattering onto Gu Mingjing’s hand that was gripping her chin.

Feeling the wetness on his hand, Gu Mingjing frowned at her tears. “What are you crying for?”

Chu Xi didn’t answer, crying like a helpless child in that moment.

Gu Mingjing’s sudden appearance reminded her again—after two years of being someone’s immoral mistress, she’d been punished with a terminal illness and had less than six months left to live.

Gu Mingjing grew irritated by her crying and released her.

Chu Xi wiped her tears with the back of her hand, sniffling with her reddened nose, then met Gu Mingjing’s gaze directly, her voice trembling with sobs. “So what if I lied to you?”

She cried as she spoke, “Those two years with you were all an act—nothing but fake flattery. I pretended to be whatever you liked, obeyed whatever you said. You thought I was smiling at you, but I was secretly cursing you behind your back. I never wanted to be your mistress, never wanted to go to dinner with you, never wanted to sleep with you. The only time I felt free and happy was when you weren’t around. You were nice to me, but only because you saw me as a toy—something without a temper that wouldn’t defy you. You’d reward me when you were pleased. What makes you think I ever wanted to climb higher and become your Mrs. Gu? Don’t flatter yourself! Two years as your plaything wasn’t enough? Why should I throw away the rest of my life for you? Marry whoever you want, keep whoever you want—it has nothing to do with me!”

After finishing, Chu Xi hiccuped through her tears, staring at Gu Mingjing, whose entire demeanor had turned terrifyingly dark. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, like a rabbit’s. “I’m not afraid of you. I know you must be furious now. Beat me to death, strangle me—I don’t care, wuuu…”

She was going to die anyway. Rather than suffering through illness later, she might as well die quickly now.

Listening to her words, Gu Mingjing did indeed feel like killing this insolent woman. But hearing her sobs, his anger inexplicably faded.

Trembling with fear, crying uncontrollably, yet still daring to provoke him—as if she was afraid he might let her off.

Amusing.

Chu Xi had expected Gu Mingjing to explode in rage. She’d even closed her eyes, ready for death, but instead, he laughed.

The sound sent chills down her spine. She opened her eyes, instinctively stepping back as she swallowed nervously. “Wh-what are you laughing at?”

Gu Mingjing leaned in, lowering his head to inhale the faint fragrance of her freshly washed skin. “What do you think?”

…

The next day, on the flight from Haishi to City B, the flight attendant brought the meal. Chu Xi held her fork, absentmindedly poking at the noodles on her tray before popping a piece of ginger into her mouth, chewing it without batting an eye.

Fu Bai finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been out of it since I saw you this morning. Who put a curse on you?”

Chu Xi let out an “Ah,” snapping back to reality, only to realize she was chewing on a piece of ginger. She quickly spat it out.

“N-nothing,” she said, wiping her mouth before taking a sip of water to wash away the taste.

“Really, nothing?” Fu Bai asked skeptically.

Chu Xi thought back to last night, reminding herself that it was just something between two adults. She wasn’t some innocent maiden—aside from things taking a slightly odd turn, everything else was fine. Just fine.

She had thought she wouldn’t survive the night, yet here she was, alive and well the next morning.

A strange sense of satisfaction suddenly bloomed in Chu Xi’s heart.

In the past, she had been a contracted lover, where every intimate moment was just a transaction. The first few times had been unbearably painful, but she hadn’t dared to tell him, enduring it silently. The next day, she’d sit in the bathtub covered in marks, hugging her knees and crying, feeling humiliated.

Later, as it happened more often, she grew numb, treating it as just another task—a duty she had to fulfill as a lover for her employer.

But last night was different. She wasn’t a lover, and there was no transaction between them. They stood on equal ground. Though Chu Xi was still the weaker one, when the demands became too much, she—who had always bitten the corners of pillows, blankets, or the back of her hand—for the first time dared to bare her sharp little fangs and bite him, leaving several tiny tooth marks on his shoulder.

Just treat it as a one-night stand and move on, Chu Xi told herself, pulling down the window shade to catch up on the sleep she’d lost the night before.

But just before drifting off, she thought again of last night—of the words she’d exchanged with Gu Mingjing.

She had thought she would die, yet she emerged unscathed. Had Gu Mingjing really let her off just like that?

Or was he simply hiding it too well, pretending not to care while secretly plotting some other way to end her?

Chu Xi’s heart grew heavy with worry.

Fu Bai, scrolling through his phone beside her, said something, but Chu Xi, lost in thought, didn’t catch it and replied with a vague “Mm.”

She slept through the entire two-hour flight. After landing, Fu Bai went to collect their luggage while Chu Xi, wearing sunglasses, walked ahead.

The people around her were all busy with their own affairs, and no one recognized her.

Chu Xi made her way to the exit, about to find a spot to wait for Fu Bai, when suddenly someone called her name.

“Chu Xi!”

Who was calling her?

She turned toward the voice and saw a crowd of people behind her—men and women, about a dozen in total, all smiling brightly at her before surging toward her in a noisy wave.

At first, Chu Xi only found it odd, but when she glanced down, she noticed something alarming—several of them were holding bricks in their hands.

The sight of the bricks sent a jolt of fear through her, and suddenly, the smiles on their faces twisted into something sinister in her eyes.

A dozen people, grinning maliciously, rushing toward her in a frenzy—some of them armed with bricks.

Chu Xi froze in terror.

Was this someone sent by Gu Mingjing? It was hard to make a move in Haishi, but now that they were in B City—his own turf—he had become bold, calling so many people to wait for her at the exit, bricks in hand, ready to stone her to death in broad daylight.

Holy shit, this was too cruel.

Run! Run now!

Chu Xi clutched her bag and sprinted for her life.

The dozen or so people hadn’t expected Chu Xi to be stunned at the sight of them, let alone run faster than a rabbit. They were dumbfounded at first, but when they saw her figure nearly disappearing into the distance, they snapped out of it. They had waited all morning to catch her—how could they let her escape just like that? So they all took off, bricks in hand, chasing after her.

“Chu Xi, don’t run!”