Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 28

The best hospital in the filming location of Our Little Cabin.

In the surgical ward’s doctor’s office, the program director of Our Little Cabin was discussing the patient’s condition with Chu Xi’s attending physician. Beside them stood a middle-aged man dressed in a black formal suit, his hair meticulously combed, looking as if he had just rushed over from a multinational corporation’s board meeting.

“…Just stay in the hospital for two more days for observation. Rest well and stick to a light diet,” the doctor concluded, tucking his pen into the pocket of his white coat.

The program director and Assistant Gao: “Understood, understood. Thank you, Doctor.”

Both the program director and Assistant Gao stepped out of the doctor’s office at the same time.

The director glanced at the middle-aged man in the suit beside her, then recalled the imposing young man who had arrived with him.

She hadn’t even gotten a clear look at the young man’s face—only his back. His tall, slender frame exuded an innate superiority, something even a seasoned director accustomed to male celebrities in the entertainment industry couldn’t ignore.

The director couldn’t help but recall the messy rumors about Chu Xi.

Hadn’t Chu Xi already been dumped by her sugar daddy? Wasn’t her sugar daddy supposed to be a balding old man in his sixties? Then who was this man who had rushed over on a private jet?

Assistant Gao turned to the director with a polite smile. “Hello, we’ll take care of Miss Chu Xi from here.”

“Huh?” The director snapped out of her thoughts, about to insist they also stay to look after Chu Xi, but paused when she saw Assistant Gao’s expression.

Though phrased as a suggestion, it was clearly a dismissal.

“Alright then,” the director nodded. “We’re truly sorry about this. If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.”

Filming at the farmhouse was still ongoing, and the next batch of guests had already arrived. They couldn’t afford to stay away for long.

The main culprit behind this incident was last night’s dish of braised pork with green beans.

The green beans hadn’t been thoroughly cooked, leading to food poisoning.

In the middle of the night, the male MCs heard Chu Xi’s groans and knocked on her door, only to find her collapsed by the bed. Terrified, they quickly contacted the production team to rush her to the hospital.

Soon after, the others also showed varying degrees of poisoning symptoms. The three male MCs had eaten less and were fine after a checkup, but Chu Xi had consumed the most green beans. With her weak constitution and sensitive stomach, her reaction was the most severe, requiring hospitalization for observation.

Filming had to continue, and with the next batch of guests arriving soon, the three male MCs had returned to the farmhouse early that morning to resume shooting. Chu Xi remained in the hospital, still unconscious.

Chu Xi, who was hospitalized, was originally being taken care of by Fu Bai and two remaining production crew members until they received a phone call. Not long after, a certain man suddenly appeared.

…

Outside the hospital room door, Fu Bai glanced at Assistant Gao standing guard respectfully with a “keep away” demeanor, rolled his eyes, and snorted impatiently.

Assistant Gao endured yet another of Fu Bai’s eye rolls while maintaining his amiable smile.

President Gu was inside discussing personal matters—no outsiders were allowed in, even if they had to step over his dead body to enter.

Inside the ward, it was quiet with the faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air as the IV drip steadily fell drop by drop.

Gu Mingjing had been staring fixedly at Chu Xi’s pale face on the hospital bed.

Fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious.

It was only when he was aboard his private jet that he suddenly came to his senses.

What was he doing?

Upon hearing that his former little lover had fallen seriously ill, he immediately left work and rushed to her without stopping.

A former little lover—one who had dumped him more than once at that.

Gu Mingjing’s mood began to shift subtly.

However, this subtle feeling didn’t last long and vanished completely the moment he saw Chu Xi lying weakly on the hospital bed.

After who knows how long, Chu Xi’s tightly closed eyelids twitched slightly.

Her first thought was that she didn’t seem to be dead yet.

Chu Xi only remembered having a deep, dreamless sleep. She cracked her eyes open slightly, and the blurry scene before her gradually came into focus.

She saw Gu Mingjing sitting by her bed, elegantly peeling an apple.

Startled, Chu Xi immediately squeezed her eyes shut again.

Damn it, she was having a nightmare.

She steadied herself and opened her eyes once more.

The same scene, the same setting, the same man.

Not a nightmare.

Chu Xi was so shocked the hairs on her arms stood on end, but her body was still weak and limp. She struggled to sit up slightly against the headboard, putting some distance between herself and Gu Mingjing.

Why was he here?!

Gu Mingjing noticed the person on the bed waking up, and the long, unbroken apple peel in his hand snapped. He looked somewhat awkwardly toward the bed, only to find the person there also staring wide-eyed at him.

“You’re awake,” Gu Mingjing said, placing the peeled apple into a Lock & Lock container on the bedside table.

The doctor had said Chu Xi’s stomach wasn’t in great shape—she had superficial gastric ulcers, and combined with her recent food poisoning, she couldn’t eat hard or cold fruits yet. He had just been peeling it to pass the time.

Chu Xi felt a dull ache and chill in her right arm. Only then did she notice the IV needle in the back of her right hand and the two bags of fluids hanging above her.

She gave a soft “Mm” in response to Gu Mingjing’s words, then glanced around the room. Not spotting Fu Bai or anyone else in the ward, she bit her lip, took a deep breath, and finally asked Gu Mingjing, “You… why are you here? Where’s the production team? Where’s Fu Bai?”

Gu Mingjing looked at Chu Xi, who regarded him with wariness, and suddenly remembered how she had been just like this at the very beginning—sitting on the bed hugging the blanket defensively after signing the contract and moving into the apartment. Back then, he had ignored her, and she, perhaps thinking he was angry, had slowly crept over after a while, wrapping her arms around his neck on her own before lowering her head, blushing, and calling him “Mr. Gu.”

The memory softened Gu Mingjing’s mood slightly, though of course he couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had dropped everything and flown here the moment he heard she was in trouble. So he sidestepped her first question and replied, “I sent the production team back to continue their work. You should rest well and won’t need to return. The day after tomorrow, you’ll be discharged and come back to City B with me.”

Chu Xi had already guessed that the production team had gone back to work, but her focus landed entirely on Gu Mingjing’s last sentence—“come back to City B with me the day after tomorrow.”

He said it casually, but to Chu Xi, at least to the Chu Xi of the past, Gu Mingjing’s words had always been commands.

Her eyes drifted to the IV drip above her, ticking away steadily.

She remembered now—she had fallen ill and fainted during the evening of filming. She must have been rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night, undergone tests, which meant Gu Mingjing and the production team who brought her here must already know about her condition.

Pancreatic cancer. The kind that was excruciatingly painful and incurable.

Chu Xi let out a self-deprecating laugh. She had planned to die quietly on her own terms, but now she’d been found out.

She didn’t want anyone’s pity or sympathy—especially not Gu Mingjing’s.

This was the third time he had appeared since their breakup.

The first time was in Haishi, where she had laid all her cards on the table, admitting she had been pretending, that her affection for him had all been an act. He had seemed angry, but in the end, he hadn’t hit her—instead, he had steered her to the bed. The second time, he had ambushed her at her apartment complex gate, forcibly kissed her, and taken her away, only to leave cleanly afterward, sending Assistant Gao to present her with a contract. She had thrown it away and lashed out at Assistant Gao, thinking that would surely be the last time. Yet now, here he was again, suddenly appearing before her—probably having flown here on purpose—only to command her to return with him.

Chu Xi even had a premonition that at any second, Gu Mingjing would pull out another contract from behind his back and demand she sign it. Her still-groggy post-revival mind was now spinning madly with one thought:

Gu Mingjing still wouldn’t let her go. Gu Mingjing still wouldn’t let her go. Gu Mingjing still refused to let her go!

Despair washed over her.

Does Gu Mingjing really enjoy keeping her as his little mistress so much? Couldn’t he just find someone else? Where exactly did things go wrong? Her skills in bed were downright terrible—she never knew what to do and would burst into tears at the slightest provocation. So why was Gu Mingjing so persistent? What was the problem here? She didn’t want to see Gu Mingjing anymore, didn’t want to be entangled with him. Every time he appeared, it was a constant reminder of that guilt-ridden past, of how she had done something so morally reprehensible for money.

In ancient times, she would have been drowned in a pig cage.

The man’s cold, cruel rejection still echoed in her ears.

“Only business, no feelings.”

“Don’t covet what isn’t yours to covet.”

She no longer coveted his affection—she had never dared to in the first place.

The two of them were worlds apart. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, while she hadn’t even attended college.

He treated her as a plaything. They should have parted ways amicably, yet he refused to let her go.

Chu Xi shook her head vehemently in refusal, grabbing a pillow to shield her chest. “No, I won’t go back with you.”

Seeing her resistance, Gu Mingjing frowned.

He had flown here specifically to see her, yet instead of gratitude, she reacted with such defiance.

“Chu Xi.” His voice deepened, signaling his displeasure.

Chu Xi knew he was unhappy again.

She was exhausted—truly exhausted. Even lying in a hospital bed, Gu Mingjing wouldn’t leave her alone.

She had already risked her life defying him twice, yet it had made no difference. It seemed this man wouldn’t rest until he had turned her back into his little mistress.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Gu Mingjing, I’m begging you—let me go, okay? Find someone else. I don’t want to be your mistress anymore. I really, really don’t.”

“Yes, I deceived you—pretended to be weak and obedient. I flattered you insincerely, but for those two years, I played the part flawlessly. You never even noticed. Can’t you just let it go? Please, don’t come looking for me again.”

“You know I’m dying, that I don’t have much time left. I’m begging you—don’t make me face my parents in the afterlife as your mistress. How could I ever look them in the eye? My father would disown me for sure.”

As she spoke, she wiped her damp eyes with the back of her hand.

Gu Mingjing listened to her outburst, his frown deepening.

“Who told you I wanted you as a mistress?”

“And who told you you’re dying?”

“Huh?” Chu Xi looked up, tear stains still on her cheeks, utterly bewildered.

——

The incident involving the guests of Our Little Cabin suffering food poisoning from undercooked green beans didn’t make much of a splash. Aside from Chu Xi, whose case was more severe, the others recovered quickly with some rest.

The focus shifted instead to the man who had reportedly flown over immediately upon hearing Chu Xi was hospitalized.

Given the previous rumors about her wealthy patron, the production crew was burning with curiosity. But this was a topic they couldn’t bring up or discuss. When editing the footage of Chu Xi’s hospitalization, there would be no mention of any man—both to protect the guest’s privacy and because higher-ups at the network had already given strict instructions.

However, some news still leaked from the hospital, likely from a nurse who went to change dressings. The nurse claimed to have seen Chu Xi’s sugar daddy and that Chu Xi hadn’t been dumped by him at all—her sugar daddy was a young man, incredibly handsome.

But few believed this rumor, and its spread was limited. Those who saw it dismissed it with a laugh.

Not to mention that Chu Xi had long been dumped by her sugar daddy, the description of him as “young” and “incredibly handsome” in the rumor seemed utterly unreliable.

People these days can’t even fabricate rumors properly—as if this were some Mary Sue fantasy.

If it had been “sixty years old,” “balding,” and “beer belly,” the credibility might have been slightly higher.