Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 38

The gossip forum post titled “This Morning, a Certain Two-Character Female Star Angers Investor on Set, Gets Replaced on Spot by Stand-In!” was packed with details.

It claimed that the two-character female star had already offended the investor, and today, during a simple kissing scene, her unprofessional attitude pushed the investor over the edge. She was immediately replaced by a stand-in and then taken away alone—likely in for a rough time.

Decoding the post was easy. A two-character female star who had already angered the investor? That had to be Chu Xi, who skipped the investor’s dinner to secretly meet up with her fling, clearly showing no respect.

Some had doubted the authenticity of the leak—until the whistleblower posted a sneak photo.

When Chu Xi’s previous seductress character stills were released, everyone was stunned. Who knew the Innocent White Flower actress could pull off such a sultry role? But in the leaked photo, the girl wore the same costume as Chu Xi’s stills, with a makeup artist working on her.

The girl in the photo was blurry, but one thing was certain—she definitely wasn’t Chu Xi.

[Holy shit, Chu Xi really screwed up this time.]

[After getting dumped by her sugar daddy, wasn’t she already struggling to land roles? Finally gets a part and pisses off the investor. Serves her right—skipping the dinner to hook up with her fling, acting like she’s above it all. Now that they’ve got leverage, she’s done for. Totally her own fault.]

[The investor’s got guts!]

[Thought she’d buckle down and work hard after leaving her sugar daddy, but turns out she’s just a lovesick fool now. Casual fan to neutral.]

[Fan to neutral +1]

[HAHAHAHAHA no effort, no pity!]

[Wait, wasn’t there talk about her actually working hard this time?]

[Heard she got dragged off by the investor—probably getting a stern lecture now. HAHAHAHAHA]

[I’d love to see Chu Xi get torn to shreds. Just thinking about it feels amazing.]

[Same here!]

[Same +10086]

Since its posting, this thread had been buzzing with heated discussions, consistently topping the forum’s front page. Onlookers eagerly watched the drama unfold while piling on the ridicule. Even several major entertainment gossip accounts on Weibo reposted it, seemingly waiting for the production team of The Peach Blossom Promise to announce a recasting.

Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, wishing they could witness Chu Xi getting mercilessly scolded by the investors. Then, suddenly, an even more explosive piece of gossip surfaced.

“Two-character female star loses control—passionate backstage dressing room kiss exposed! Shameless vixen and her pretty boy’s face revealed!”

Holy shit, so much drama in one day?

Unlike the previous post with just one photo, this one came with multiple GIFs documenting the entire scene.

In the GIFs, what appeared to be a dressing room on some set, a tall man pinned a woman in ancient costume against the wall. One hand gripped her waist tightly while the other held her wrist, kissing her so fiercely she could only whimper helplessly.

When the man finally pulled away, he kept one arm around her waist while the other gently stroked her ear, seemingly murmuring soothing words.

The angle of the GIF was from behind the woman, but once they separated, the camera finally captured the man’s face—noble, refined, and so devastatingly handsome it stole the breath of anyone watching, making them want to scream.

His features were naturally cold and aloof, yet his expression toward the woman was impossibly tender. The way he caressed her ear was both intimate and achingly gentle, melting hearts and making viewers wish they could throw themselves into his arms.

But at the very end of the GIF, instead of burying herself in his embrace, the woman in ancient costume pushed him away. She turned around, wiping her smudged lipstick with the back of her hand, tear streaks faintly visible at the corners of her eyes.

As she lifted her head, her face came fully into view.

This…

It was Chu Xi!!!

The moment her face appeared on screen, everyone was stunned.

[OMFG, Chu Xi! That’s Chu Xi!]

It was unmistakably her—clear as day, undeniable, the real deal. And there she was, looking utterly pitiful after being kissed senseless.

Alongside her was an unnamed man so breathtakingly handsome he made people want to scream—the rumored pretty boy.

In the previous scandal about “begging for a kiss and getting rejected,” the pretty boy’s face had been unclear. But now, high-definition photos of the mysterious man had finally leaked.

[Ahhhh Chu Xi’s little wolfdog is so handsome!]

[I finally understand why Chu Xi skipped the investor dinner to go back to her little wolfdog! Who wouldn’t want to be with someone this good-looking? Offending investors is nothing—I’d die for him!]

[This is the little wolfdog who made Chu Xi lose her mind over his looks! That seductive bastard who lured her in! Couldn’t even control themselves in the dressing room!]

[Even if he’s a freeloader, he’s so damn handsome. I’d let him freeload off me too, wuwuwu]

[Doesn’t seem like a freeloader to me! Pinning her against the wall for a kiss is way too alpha!]

[Last time he whined for a kiss and didn’t get it, but this time he just went for it—damn!]

[His vibe doesn’t scream freeloader at all!]

[So dominant when kissing, yet so gentle afterward—ah, I’m dead]

[The way he rubbed Chu Xi’s ear while talking—ugh, my legs just gave out from how sweet that was]

[I’m a Chu Xi fan, but after seeing how hot her little wolfdog is, I forgive her for losing her head over him]

[Same here +1]

……

Just as everyone was reveling in the breathtaking beauty of Chu Xi’s little wolfdog, one fan suddenly snapped back to reality.

Wait a minute—why are there two gossip threads about Chu Xi, the A-list actress, trending today?

Both threads were blazing hot, pinned at the top of the forum, with comments piling up at lightning speed.

One claimed she got fired from her role after offending the investor and was dragged away for a “lesson.” The other, shockingly, exposed Chu Xi being passionately kissed by her little wolfdog in the dressing room.

What the hell is going on?! Which drama should we believe?

Both posts seemed convincing, especially the second one—it had undeniable proof, complete with a GIF!

Maybe the incidents happened at different times?

The investor scolding happened today, while the steamy kiss was from before and only leaked now.

But both sides insisted their events happened today. There was even evidence confirming they occurred on the same day—the costume and hair accessories in the first post matched those in the second. And timeline-wise, the kiss happened after she was supposedly dragged away by the investor.

But if Chu Xi was taken away to be reprimanded, how could she end up getting kissed by her little wolfdog right after?!

As everyone scratched their heads in confusion, one timid voice piped up.

[Um… what if… Chu Xi’s secret little wolfdog… is actually the investor of this drama…]

Silence fell over the forum—then, realization dawned.

In people’s stereotypical minds, “investors” were rich, greasy, balding middle-aged men. But what if the investor wasn’t that at all? What if it was the same jaw-droppingly handsome young man from the GIF?

Everything suddenly made sense.

It wasn’t about her messing up kiss scenes and angering the investor—he wasn’t angry. He just didn’t want to see her kissing another man. It was jealousy!

As for the scene where someone was supposedly dragged away for criticism and education, or the fantasy of anti-fans where Chu Xi was berated mercilessly by the investor daddy—

Tsk tsk tsk. The “education” part was indeed criticism, but look how fiercely Gu Mingjing kissed Chu Xi—her makeup smudged, eyes red, almost crying. And after the kiss, how tenderly he coaxed her, speaking in the softest, most pleading tone.

Everyone suddenly recalled the previous headline: “Puppy Waits Two Hours Late at Night, Whining for a Kiss Only to Be Rejected.”

They had assumed he was just a pretty-faced gigolo living off his looks. But now, the truth was revealed—this whining, kiss-demanding “puppy” was none other than the investor daddy himself.

A wealthy investor who could move mountains, and by all appearances, a domineering CEO, had willingly played the role of a lovesick puppy for Chu Xi, pouting and begging for kisses.

And for all these days, he had endured an undercover relationship as the “puppy,” with no title to his name—until today’s incident, Chu Xi hadn’t even given him that.

Not even a title!

Ahhhhhhh!!!

Screaming was the only way to express the emotions surging through them now.

#ChuXi PuppyBoy#

#ChuXi Investor#

The two hashtags claimed the top two spots on the trending list, one after the other.

——

On the set of Peach Blossom Promise, inside the actors’ lounge.

Gu Mingjing sat on the sofa, a steaming cup of light tea in front of him, scrolling through the two trending topics on his phone.

He remained silent, his expression calm, while Assistant Gao beside him quietly wiped sweat from his brow.

The low-profile, steady, and reclusive CEO of Yuanjing Group—who rarely even gave phone interviews to journalists—had just had his face exposed to the public.

Had it been paparazzi who snapped the photo, they might have recognized Gu Mingjing and hesitated before publishing. But this time, it was a few obsessive fans who caught the shot of Gu Mingjing passionately kissing Chu Xi. These fans knew Chu Xi but not Gu Mingjing, assuming she was the bigger star of the two, and promptly posted the photos to a gossip forum.

Now that the topic was trending, netizens were frantically digging to uncover the man’s identity.

Yet the more they dug, the more mysterious he became—not matching any known domineering CEO in the public eye.

For now, his identity remained nameless: a drop-dead gorgeous, title-less CEO-turned-puppy, who stayed by Chu Xi’s side purely for love.

A devotion heaven could witness, a love that moved the skies and earth.

Assistant Gao leaned in cautiously and asked, “Mr. Gu, should we have the trending topics taken down now?”

Gu Mingjing didn’t answer, only shook his head.

——

Back at the scene of today’s gossip, the Peach Blossom Promise crew suddenly snapped back to reality.

No wonder Chu Xi skipped the dinner party—the young “wolf dog” she returned to the hotel to accompany was none other than the organizer of that very dinner, the investor behind this film.

Mr. Gu had personally visited the set for two consecutive days, not because he cared so much about this project, but entirely to see Chu Xi.

Everyone had mistaken his earlier displeasure as anger toward Chu Xi for offending him, but in reality, he was just jealous—so much so that he immediately took her aside to “personally instruct” her on how to act out a kissing scene.

He wouldn’t even let her film a simple kiss—Mr. Gu’s possessiveness was extreme.

The most absurd part was how convincingly these two pretended not to know each other in public.

All that talk of offending or angering him? Just their way of flirting and bickering.

The expressions on the crew’s faces were priceless, especially Xia Qiao’s, who turned pale and then flushed with humiliation.

She had gone to great lengths to make herself noticed in front of him, yet this man, who couldn’t even remember her face, was privately doting on another woman, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

The rumors she had deliberately spread through her assistant—that Chu Xi had been berated by the investor and was about to be replaced—now backfired, slapping her in the face instead.

Meanwhile, Chu Xi was on the phone with Fu Bai, scrambling for emergency PR damage control.

Fu Bai hadn’t expected so much chaos to erupt on set in just a few days of his absence. When he saw the trending topic, he nearly fell out of his chair in shock.

“What do we do?” Chu Xi whined.

Fu Bai steadied himself and asked, “Where’s Gu Mingjing right now?”

Chu Xi thought of him in the lounge. “He’s in the rest area.”

“And you?” Fu Bai pressed.

Chu Xi glanced around. “Crouching in a corner of the props room.”

Fu Bai: “………………”

This was ultimately between Chu Xi and Gu Mingjing. As her manager, if the man in question were just some freeloading “wolf dog,” it’d be simple—public relations could handle it however they pleased without much regard for his feelings. But with Gu Mingjing involved, things were far more complicated.

“Stop squatting in the props room,” Fu Bai said. “Go talk to Gu Mingjing. Figure this out with him.”

“This is between the two of you. I don’t know what kind of tangled mess your relationship is right now, and it’s not something I can interfere with. So you’ll have to handle it yourself. Understand?”

Chu Xi gave a quiet “Oh,” nodding thoughtfully.

She and her assistant, Xiao Yan, knocked and entered the lounge.

Gu Mingjing seemed to have been waiting for her.

Meanwhile, online sleuths were busy digging into the identity of The Peach Blossom Promise’s mysterious investor—the domineering CEO who had no qualms playing the role of Chu Xi’s “wolf dog.”

Based on previously disclosed investment details, the CEO’s elusive nature, and the backers of Chu Xi’s past big-budget films, speculation pointed squarely at the new president of Yuanjing Group. Even the “former patron” who had supposedly dumped her was, in fact, the same man.

What had initially seemed like just another wealthy CEO now appeared to be Yuanjing’s Gu family heir. Opinions were split—some believed it, while many others refused to.

[“No way. If they said her mysterious and wealthy ex-sugar daddy was this guy, I might actually consider believing it. But this one who waited two hours in the middle of the night just to beg for a kiss without even having a title—is this something the CEO of Yuanjing would do? Stop dreaming your Mary Sue fantasies, this is ridiculous.”]

“Remember Leshan? She endorsed a few of Yuanjing’s products and immediately started clinging to their new CEO for clout. Ended up getting all her contracts and resources with Yuanjing revoked. She’s been scraping by ever since.”

“Exactly, that’s more like what the new CEO would do. He wouldn’t even spare a glance for female celebrities in the entertainment industry. Those guessing it’s him are seriously delusional.”

“But Peach Blossom Promise was literally funded by Yuanjing! The rumored age and appearance of Yuanjing’s CEO match the man from today!”

“Putting that aside, he was so damn handsome, ughhhh. What a waste he’s not in the entertainment industry.”

“If he really is Yuanjing’s CEO, with his skills and family background, it’d be a waste for him to enter the entertainment industry, okay?”

“So what’s Chu Xi’s relationship with him? Is the little wolf-dog really Yuanjing’s new CEO or not?! @ChuXi @ChuXi @ChuXi Stop playing dead and respond already!”

Someone brought up Leshan’s past attempt at clout-chasing and suddenly raised doubts about this situation.

If Leshan had been so desperate to tie herself to Yuanjing’s new CEO before, could it be that Chu Xi was doing the same thing now?

Look at how the public is already linking the two of them.

If it turns out to be nothing, fine.

But if it is Yuanjing’s new CEO, now that their kissing photo is out there, there has to be an explanation.

They’ve already kissed—and she was the one who initiated it—so he’d probably have no choice but to acknowledge Chu Xi as his girlfriend or something.

Taking it a step further into conspiracy theory territory: what if Chu Xi’s ex-sugar daddy was him too? What if she spent two years without any official status, and after being dumped, she deliberately orchestrated this whole thing? She leaked their kissing photo—especially the one where CEO Gu’s face is clearly visible.

Then, as public opinion snowballed, even deleting the posts wouldn’t help. She’d use the pressure of public scrutiny to force the CEO, surnamed Gu, to publicly acknowledge her status and secure her position.

Damn, that’s some next-level scheming.

…

Chu Xi watched helplessly as the internet dug up Gu Mingjing’s identity and spun endless theories about the two of them. She was so anxious she couldn’t sit still.

Chu Xi was bombarded with tags, all demanding to know what her relationship with Yuanjing’s new CEO, surnamed Gu, really was.

Meanwhile, Gu Mingjing remained completely unruffled, as if the person whose background had just been exposed wasn’t him at all.

Chu Xi couldn’t understand why Gu Mingjing hadn’t taken down the trending topic or deleted the posts yet. With his influence, it should’ve been the easiest thing in the world.

“We…” Chu Xi finally spoke up to ask Gu Mingjing. She was still angry, regretting that she hadn’t slapped him after the kiss—she’d only pushed him away, but in the GIF, it looked more like coy reluctance.

Gu Mingjing looked at Chu Xi earnestly and said, “Let’s go public.”

Chu Xi was taken aback. “Go public… with our relationship?”

Gu Mingjing nodded. “Yes. How about you post it directly on Weibo?”

Chu Xi bit her lip and finally nodded. “Okay.”

As Chu Xi was composing her Weibo post, Gu Mingjing seemed slightly surprised that she had agreed so readily to make their relationship public. He then shook his head with a faint smile and took out his own phone.

This wasn’t something Chu Xi should have to respond to alone.

Apart from his fan account, Gu Mingjing directly registered a verified account under the name “Yuanjing Gu Mingjing,” with the title of CEO of Yuanjing Group.

The internet had been feasting on rumors—the prevailing conspiracy theory being that Chu Xi, the scheming actress, had orchestrated this entire incident to force her sugar daddy to acknowledge her status. The speculation was at its peak.

Now, the public finally got responses from the parties involved—or rather, from both parties.

The soul-searching question: What exactly is the relationship between Chu Xi and Yuanjing’s new CEO, surnamed Gu?

Actress Chu Xi: We’re not close.

Yuanjing Gu Mingjing: Boyfriend and girlfriend.

Conspiracy theorists: ?!?