Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 55

Chu Xi got scolded by the director and pouted pitifully.

The show had set up numerous plot points and game segments. The director’s team kept a close eye on Chu Xi and Ai Wenwen all day, especially Chu Xi, strictly enforcing the rules at every turn. They feared nothing—except this woman’s unconventional train of thought.

This episode’s recording attracted a lot of attention. Yesterday, many fans came to greet them at the airport, some having traveled all the way to Gudong City. Today, the film set was also crowded with fans and extras. Soon, numerous fan-taken photos surfaced online. The most popular one showed Chu Xi, dressed in imperial robes, striding confidently down the bustling capital street, with her “little Wenzi” eunuch by her side and four dashing male guests following behind. Leading the group, the six of them walked with heads held high and an imposing air—undeniably the coolest kids on the block.

Seeing the leaked photos, everyone grew intensely curious about this episode’s theme.

[“Celebrity Challenge” dream team hahahahaha, Chu Xi truly the center position holder!]

[My Xi’s stunning beauty, yingyingying!]

[Xi-bao in imperial robes is breathtaking! AWSL (Ah, I’m dead)!]

[Xi-bao, does your harem need more members?!]

[What’s this episode’s theme? Why is Chu Xi the emperor? Is Ai Wenwen a eunuch? And who are those four behind her?!]

[Damn, so jealous]

[Is this about a female emperor and her male concubines…?]

As soon as this setup was revealed, the reactions from the fans of the four male guests were quite subtle. Ai Wenwen playing a eunuch was one thing, but Chu Xi actually got the role of the emperor, surrounded and adored by their favorite male stars in the center. Was this yet another instance of pushing her “little princess” persona, where all the male guests had to fawn over her and treat her like the moon among stars?

Just look at those leaked photos of her looking so dignified and imposing. Their own idols were already hard enough to chase, yet Chu Xi managed to snag four at once—how could they not be jealous and collectively target her?

Some tried to explain:

“Nonsense! What do you mean ‘fawning over her’? Do you even want this show to air? There are leaked photos showing the male guests are just ministers, okay?”

“Tell me, what woman wouldn’t want to rip Chu Xi’s face off and take her place?”

“Didn’t Chu Xi endure hardships alongside everyone else in ‘Brave Heart’? No one gave her special treatment back then.”

However, some fans still couldn’t hold back their dissatisfaction:

“Is the production team using all the male guests to prop Chu Xi up just because she’s popular now? Unbelievable.”

“Production team sucks! Production team sucks! Production team sucks!”

“So now she really thinks she’s a princess—no, a queen?”

“The thought of my idol being forced to fawn over Chu Xi makes me furious, ahhhh!”

“Chu Xi, don’t you dare touch my Xie Yuan!”

“No forced pairings, no CPs. Miss Chu Xi, please just be beautiful on your own. Smile.jpg”

The show was still being filmed, yet a single leaked photo had already sparked a fan war. Amid the chaos, another onlooker uploaded new leaked photos.

It must have been a game segment. In the center of the field, Zhao Yu was carrying Xu Jiafan on his back, warming up.

Seeing this photo, the remaining fans of Yan Zhun and Xie Yuan simultaneously felt their hearts clench.

What kind of game was this? Did they have to carry someone to complete it?

Would Chu Xi make Yan Zhun carry her?

Would Chu Xi make Xie Yuan carry her?

Damn it, ahhhhhhh!!!

Screw the production team! Screw the director! Screw Chu Xi!

Just as the two fanbases were gearing up to tear the troublemaking production team apart, frontline fans sent back more leaked photos.

Zhao Yu was carrying Xu Jiafan in the center, defending their position, while Yan Zhun… was carrying Xie Yuan on his back???

As for Chu Xi…

She was standing at the sidelines, grinning from ear to ear, with the eunuch on her back.

Everyone: “………………”

In the new round of leaked photos, the esteemed Emperor Chu Xi was carrying her eunuch, Ai Wenwen, on her back. The two of them crouched at the edge of the field, lying in ambush, their eyes locked onto Zhao Yu and Xu Jiafan, ready to strike at any moment.

The frontline fan who leaked the photos even added, “Please stop suspecting Chu Xi of having something going on with your idols. She clearly has zero interest in them. From what I saw on set, it’s the emperor and the eunuch who seem suspicious!”

——

At the filming location, after a day of intense strategizing and recording, Chu Xi had to make her final choice: who was the loyal minister, and who was the traitor?

She stood on the platform, a giant pot hanging above her head. She had to pick her one and only loyal minister. If she chose wrong and picked a traitor, the pot would fall on her, and she’d have to keep choosing from the remaining candidates until she got it right.

Chu Xi looked at the four strikingly handsome members of the court F4 before her.

Her head was starting to hurt again.

After a whole day of observation, she still couldn’t tell them apart.

The eunuch, Ai Wenwen, walked up to Chu Xi, took her hand, and stood with her under the pot.

The two of them were in perfect sync, clearly having agreed beforehand, as they resolutely turned their gaze toward the director. Chu Xi declared, “Director, I don’t want this throne anymore. Let the treacherous ministers keep it—I’m eloping with Little Wenzi!”

The Imperial Court F4 were stunned that the emperor had outright chosen to abdicate, their expressions screaming “WTF.”

The director paused for a moment, observing the determined duo of emperor and eunuch before him.

Slowly raising his megaphone, he commanded, “Hit!”

“Oww—”

“Oww—”

As soon as the director spoke, the pot overhead immediately descended, mercilessly smacking the two beneath it.

Chu Xi and Ai Wenwen clutched their heads and howled in unison.

The director wore a look that said, “Don’t try any tricks with me,” as he urged, “Hurry up and choose.”

It hurt so much. The director was so cruel—couldn’t she even crack a joke? Chu Xi rubbed her already battered head and shot a pitiful glance at the Imperial Court F4. Just as she was about to ask Ai Wenwen for her opinion, she suddenly realized the space beside her was empty.

Where’d she go???

Chu Xi saw that Ai Wenwen had already abandoned her, quietly sneaking offstage while shielding her head. “This hurts too much, wuuuuu.”

Chu Xi: “………………”

Friendship OVER!

She turned her gaze back to the four candidates before her, took a deep breath, and decided to take a wild guess. With a one-in-four chance, surely she couldn’t be that unlucky.

Then, in the recording studio, the crisp sound of heads colliding with the pot rang out three times in a row—so loud it sounded like someone was banging gongs and drums.

Chu Xi was utterly dazed by the pot strikes, swaying unsteadily as stars danced before her eyes.

She had picked three treacherous ministers in a row, leaving the sole loyal minister, Yan Zhun, looking utterly defeated.

This woman had carried her streak of bad luck from Brave Hearts all the way here—truly the chosen one, handpicked by fate.

The “Imperial Challenge” ended with the emperor’s defeat. By the time filming wrapped up, it was already late, so most of the cast decided to stay overnight in Gudong City before heading off to their next schedules the following day.

Except for Xie Yuan, who rushed off to catch a flight, the remaining five MCs gathered for dinner. They had planned to hit a bar afterward, but Chu Xi remembered the acting homework assigned by her instructor—due next class—so she and Ai Wenwen headed back to the hotel early.

The restaurant wasn’t far from the hotel, so Chu Xi, Ai Wenwen, and their assistant walked back. The streets were quiet at night, and no one recognized them.

As they approached the hotel entrance, Ai Wenwen suddenly spotted something on the ground and pointed excitedly, “Money!”

“Huh?” Chu Xi followed her gaze and saw what appeared to be a bright red banknote under the dim streetlight.

Ai Wenwen had already pounced to pick it up.

Her assistant followed, offering Chu Xi an awkward, apologetic smile as she passed, as if to say her artist had never found money before and was understandably excited.

Chu Xi walked over, “How much did you find?”

Ai Wenwen, who thought she’d struck gold, straightened up, “Damn it, a scam!”

Chu Xi looked at what she was holding—a card printed to resemble Chinese currency. The front was designed to trick people into picking it up, only to reveal a small advertisement on the back.

These flyers were getting way too sneaky.

Ai Wenwen flipped it over and read the ad aloud.

“Busty beauties, waiting late into the night. Sweet companions to soothe your loneliness. Passionate hunks, skilled and ready.”

“Local service, call 134xxxxxxx, available on demand, dedicated to serving you.”

The card featured not only a woman in a swimsuit but also a muscular man beside her.

Chu Xi couldn’t help but twitch her lips at the words “passionate hunks, skilled and ready.” “Now even men are on-demand?”

Ai Wenwen shot her a look, grinning lewdly, a far cry from her sweet idol persona on stage. “Interested?”

Chu Xi, “No!”

“Fine.” Ai Wenwen tossed the card away, and the two headed back to their respective hotel rooms. Ai Wenwen asked Chu Xi for a face mask rumored to be highly effective, planning to pick it up from her room later.

When Chu Xi reached her door, she swiped her key card and stepped inside, about to insert it for power, only to find the lights already on.

She frowned. What’s going on? Wrong room? But the door had opened.

Just as she turned to double-check the room number, Gu Mingjing emerged from the suite.

He frowned. “Why are you back so late?”

Seeing him, Chu Xi knew she hadn’t entered the wrong room—then startled. “You… you’re back in the country?”

Gu Mingjing had been on a business trip abroad recently. Chu Xi hadn’t asked when he’d return, never expecting him to show up in her hotel room today.

“Mn.” Gu Mingjing reached past her to close the door. “Just got back today.”

“Oh.” Chu Xi nodded, then asked, “How did you get in?” The hotel had no professionalism, just letting people into guests’ rooms.

Gu Mingjing, “This hotel is under Yuanjing Group.”

“…Right.” Chu Xi wrinkled her nose, realizing she’d probably never be able to count all the businesses under Gu Mingjing’s name.

Noticing her lack of enthusiasm at his arrival, Gu Mingjing raised a brow. “You don’t want me here?”

Chu Xi puffed her cheeks. “I’m going back tomorrow. Why bother coming? Isn’t jet lag exhausting?”

His mood improved slightly at her concern. Slowly, he uttered two words, “Missed you.”

Chu Xi nearly gagged at the cheesiness, goosebumps rising from the cringe. This secret boyfriend was truly terrifying.

She pushed him onto the sofa. “You must have your own room, right? Sit for a bit, then go back.”

Gu Mingjing gave her a pitiful look. “Just sit for a bit?”

Chu Xi planted her hands on her hips. “Then what else do you want to do?”

There were plenty of things he wanted to do, but none were permitted at the moment. Gu Mingjing looked at her with a resentful expression. “At least let me kiss you, okay?”

After some deliberation, Chu Xi considered how Gu Mingjing had rushed to see her the moment he returned from his business trip abroad. Though it was a bit cheesy, she didn’t dislike it. So she finally leaned in, closing her eyes. “Just one.”

Gu Mingjing gently cupped the back of her head, and she could feel his breath drawing closer, warm against her face. A blush spread across Chu Xi’s cheeks, and just as their lips were about to meet, an ill-timed knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Already nervous—every time she was with her secret boyfriend, it felt like sneaking around—Chu Xi was startled by the knock. She immediately pulled away from Gu Mingjing, her heart pounding. “Who is it?”

“It’s me. I’m here to get something.” Ai Wenwen’s voice came from outside the door.

Only then did Chu Xi remember that Ai Wenwen had mentioned earlier she would come by to borrow a face mask. She let out a relieved sigh.

“Oh, uh—just wait a second!” Chu Xi called out, then frantically began searching the room for a large enough hiding spot—checking the wardrobe and under the bed.

Gu Mingjing, left hanging after the failed kiss, wore a displeased expression. He watched as Chu Xi rummaged around instead of answering the door. “What are you doing? Who’s knocking?”

Chu Xi, currently sprawled on the floor inspecting the space beneath the bed, looked up. “Finding you a place to hide.”

Gu Mingjing: “………………”

Ai Wenwen knocked again outside. After assessing the options, Chu Xi decided under the bed was the best choice. She grabbed Gu Mingjing and tried to drag him toward it. “Here—quick, hide under here for a second. Hurry up!”

Gu Mingjing’s temple throbbed at the sight of the dark, cramped space. “No way!”

Chu Xi tugged at him with a strained expression. “Come on, just get in there!”

Annoyed, Gu Mingjing seized her wrist. “Am I really that shameful? You hide me from your fans, and now even from your friends and colleagues?”

“Shh—!” Chu Xi pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for him to lower his voice. She mouthed a pleading look. “Just hide for a little bit. Please?”

Gu Mingjing turned his head away. “No.”

“You—!” Chu Xi was furious. As they stood locked in their standoff, Ai Wenwen outside grew impatient. When Chu Xi still didn’t open the door, she pressed her ear against it—and could have sworn she heard a man’s voice.

Ai Wenwen’s voice came from behind the door next: “Chu Xi, you’re really not being fair.”

Chu Xi replied through the door: “Huh?”

Ai Wenwen: “You said you didn’t order anything, but I heard it all. Did you secretly order that ‘passionate stud with great skills’ from the little ad behind my back?”