Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 36

Gossip like this always spreads the fastest. It first circulated among the crew before someone couldn’t resist leaking it on a gossip forum.

“True love: A certain two-character actress’s young stud secretly visits her on set, skips investor dinner for a night of passion.”

Decoding the post was easy. While there were many actresses with two-character names, few were linked to the term “young stud.” Combined with the fact that she was currently filming, the target was unmistakably the two-character actress CX.

[Skipping an investor dinner—is this her giving up completely after being dumped by her sugar daddy? Bold.]

[Probably realized money means nothing after seeing enough rich guys. A pretty boy is much more pleasing to the eye, LOL.]

[Last time, the paparazzi only got a dark, blurry shot of his back!]

[Might not be a young stud. Just because the tabloids called him that once doesn’t mean it’s true. Probably just a new boyfriend.]

[But even after being caught, CX still refuses to respond. If he’s not a young stud, he’s definitely a freeloader.]

[Am I the only one who finds this kinda sweet? He travels all the way to visit her in secret, and she skips the investor dinner just to be with him.]

[LOL sweet +1]

As fans of the person involved, they were naturally more sensitive to such news. Early in the morning, the fans in Chu Xi’s fan group, the “Brick Brigade,” couldn’t sit still anymore.

Many in the “”Brick Brigade” were career-oriented fans who hoped Chu Xi would strive for success. Female celebrities dating didn’t have as big an impact as male celebrities, so when the previous news broke about the “little wolf dog” playfully begging for a kiss only to be rejected, the fans took it fairly well—after all, the little wolf dog seemed obedient and treated Chu Xi well.

But this time, the career fans were deeply concerned.

It didn’t matter if she had a little wolf dog or a boyfriend. It didn’t even matter if she met with him. But this time, rumors spread early in the morning that she had turned down a dinner with the drama’s investors just to see that man—and that was a problem.

Good grief, that was an investor’s dinner! In this industry, money talks. It was said that the female lead Xia Qiao, the male lead He Feng, and several other supporting actors had all attended. The director, assistant director, and producers were there too. The entire crew went—except for her. Skipping it wouldn’t have been a big deal if she had kept a low profile. The investors might not even have noticed one missing supporting actress. But instead, she made headlines for ditching the investors’ dinner just to see her little wolf dog. How would the investors feel about that?

A minor supporting actress, daring to act like a diva and skip their dinner just to go see a man?

If she offended the investors, she’d be in deep trouble.

After being dropped by her previous sugar daddy, she already had no resources left. In this industry, she couldn’t afford to make enemies.

Some fans in the group expressed understanding, saying Chu Xi might have genuinely not wanted to attend the dinner—just like how people don’t want to sit through awkward family reunions during the holidays and would rather spend time with their significant other. But others couldn’t comprehend her actions and were even angry:

[“No matter how much you don’t want to go, you still have to! Xi Bao isn’t an ordinary person—public figures have to maintain social connections! Doesn’t she know how important networking is in this industry?”]

[“It’s not like it was some dangerous trap. The whole crew was there, and it was a proper dinner invitation. Going wouldn’t have cost her anything!”]

[“They kindly invited her to dinner, but she skipped it to see her little wolf dog. How do you think the investors will take that? If they think she doesn’t respect them and decide to hold it against her, she’s done for!”]

[“Sigh, I never thought Xi Bao would be this love-struck. If any of the big fans can get in touch with her manager, someone should talk some sense into her.”]

[“Blinded by love.”]

[“Blinded by love +1”]

[“So who is this dog man sabotaging our Xi Bao’s career?! Hasn’t anyone dug up his identity yet?”]

[“Yeah, who is he?! Which dog man has our Xi Bao so love-drunk?! I want to see what he looks like! Is he some celestial being?!”]

[What celestial being? Clearly just a seductive and shameless man trying to lure women in.]

[Xi Bao, do you check your fan groups? If you see this, please listen to your fans and stay away from that seductive shameless man. We’re begging you, we really have your best interests at heart. Please, please.jpg]

[Xi Bao, please listen to your mom’s advice—we’re in the career growth phase, no dating, okay?]

[Begging Chu Xi to focus on her career and stay away from seductive shameless men +1]

[+10086]

[+ID number]

…

On the set of Peach Blossom Promise, Chu Xi held her phone, staring at the flood of messages in her “Brick Brigade”—comments like [blinded by lust] and [begging Chu Xi to focus on her career and stay away from seductive shameless men]—her lips twitching involuntarily.

Thankfully, Gu Mingjing wasn’t in her fan group. No, Gu Mingjing probably didn’t even know what a fan group was.

So what should she do now?

Chu Xi buried her face in the script resting on her knees.

How was she supposed to explain? She knew she shouldn’t be dating during her career’s upward climb, that she wasn’t keeping a young lover, and that she didn’t even have a boyfriend—let alone being “blinded by lust.” And as for Gu Mingjing…

On one hand, as the deep-pocketed, almighty investor of Peach Blossom Promise, he couldn’t care less whether she attended some dinner or not. On the other hand, as the male lead in last night’s “secret rendezvous with a young lover” scandal, he wasn’t some seductive shameless man, nor had he blinded her with lust.

All that nonsense about them spending the night together was pure fabrication. Just because no one saw Gu Mingjing leave her room, they assumed he’d stayed the whole night?

Chu Xi thought back to last night. Gu Mingjing had finally given her a reason for suddenly appearing at her hotel room door: “Can’t I just be your fan?”

She had to correct him with a deadpan expression—that wasn’t being a fan, that was being a sasaeng (obsessive stalker).

While Chu Xi was still brooding, the assistant director’s voice rang out over the megaphone, calling everyone to prepare for the next scene.

Normally, Chu Xi’s scenes were with the tyrannical emperor Li Yuanxin, but today’s scene was with the male lead, He Feng. Although her character, Liuli, harbored feelings for the prince, she had very few scenes with him—today’s was one of the rare exceptions.

Thinking about the scene with He Feng, Chu Xi frowned slightly, her cheeks flushing before she bit her lip.

The seductive concubine Liuli was infatuated with the prince, the emperor’s younger brother. The emperor indulged her unconditionally, and Liuli grew increasingly brazen. During one of the prince’s visits to the palace, she seized the chance to get him drunk. As the prince slumped over the table in a drunken stupor, Liuli nestled into his arms to confess her love. Overcome with emotion, she even kissed him. Mistaking her for the female lead in his drunken haze, the prince kissed her back—only for the female lead to witness the scene, sparking a major misunderstanding.

In her over two years in the industry, the projects Gu Mingjing had arranged for her were mostly big-budget films where romance wasn’t the main focus. As a result, Chu Xi had rarely filmed intimate scenes—let alone kissing scenes—with male actors.

But now that she was forging her own path, she had to act according to the script, no matter what it demanded.

Chu Xi took a few deep breaths, psyching herself up. It was just a kissing scene—perfectly normal for an actress. Xia Qiao and He Feng had already filmed several kissing scenes, one just a few days ago. They had kissed so passionately, yet afterward, they simply wiped their lips and resumed chatting and laughing without a hint of embarrassment.

To begin with, Chu Xi genuinely admired the professionalism of the two people, constantly reminding herself that she, too, was a professional.

Besides, it wasn’t her first kiss—just acting. There was nothing to be overly sensitive about.

Yet the more Chu Xi tried to psych herself up, the more uneasy and frustrated she became.

Because this scene required her, playing the seductive imperial consort, to take the initiative and kiss the prince portrayed by He Feng.

Chu Xi stared at the script’s line, “Liuli leans in and kisses the prince deeply,” before lowering her head in defeat.

Being kissed by a male character would have been fine—just close her eyes and get it over with. But this time, she had to actively initiate a deep kiss with him.

She…

Didn’t quite know how.

——

Meanwhile, in the hotel, Gu Mingjing was scrolling through his phone.

Aside from following Chu Xi and her national fan club, his alternate account had recently joined her fan group, the “Brick Brigade.”

The group assigned tasks, the most basic being daily check-ins for Chu Xi on her super topic.

It took Gu Mingjing a while to figure out what a super topic was before he finally managed to check in for her.

Just as he finished, Assistant Gao approached, reporting the rumors circulating on Chu Xi’s set—that she had stood up an investor the previous night to secretly meet her younger “wolf-dog” boyfriend.

Assistant Gao maintained an impeccably serious expression while mentioning the “wolf-dog boyfriend,” proving himself a top-tier professional assistant.

“Will you be visiting the set today, Mr. Gu?” Assistant Gao asked after his report.

Gu Mingjing pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes.”