Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 60

Sleeping with fans had always been a major taboo in fandom culture. Once exposed, it would inevitably stir up a storm.

There had been plenty of male celebrities exposed for sleeping with fans, but a female celebrity doing so was a first in the industry.

Under the trending hashtag, several bloggers provided detailed analyses of Chu Xi’s tumultuous relationship with fandom’s wealthiest fan-turned-boyfriend, portraying her as a heartless playgirl who trampled on the affections of countless young men. She had exploited her fans’ adoration, resorting to any means to achieve her goals—even seducing her wealthy, handsome, yet naive die-hard fan-turned-boyfriend.

Some argued that sleeping with fans wasn’t a big deal—they were all consenting adults, and it could be seen as a perk for the fan. But for most, this kind of behavior was simply unacceptable.

Chu Xi would really go to any lengths for her acting career, doesn’t she know that sleeping with fans is a major taboo in fandom culture? If you sleep with one fan, what about the rest? Just because this one is handsome and offers you resources, you’ll do it? What about fans who can’t provide resources—won’t you sleep with them then? What happened to your “fan-loving” persona? Just wait until all your fans abandon you and you’re forced to quit the entertainment industry.

President Gu’s fan life has probably reached its peak. Money really can make you do whatever you want. Ask any fangirl or fanboy—who hasn’t fantasized about their idol doing this and that with them?

At Yuanjing Tower, Assistant Gao saw the trending hashtag about Chu Xi sleeping with a fan and was shocked at first. Then he realized the “fan” in question seemed to be their President Gu. His lips twitched a few times.

He glanced at Gu Mingjing, whose expression was… quite something.

Assistant Gao understood immediately. Based on his careful observations of President Gu’s frustrated demeanor these past few days, the “sleeping with fans” rumor was likely false.

But it seemed President Gu very much wished Chu Xi would “sleep with fans”—specifically him—only to be politely rejected by his idol.

Meanwhile, Chu Xi was fuming at home, utterly defeated by the imagination of netizens.

Absurd! Completely absurd! She wouldn’t even sleep with her own boyfriend—how could she possibly sleep with fans? Maintaining appropriate boundaries with fans is basic professional ethics for all entertainers!

She hadn’t even had sex in the past six months, damn it!

All she did was land a lead role—whose cake was she stealing anyway?

Fu Bai was also terrified by the trending topic. Male celebrities who sleep with fans get drowned in public outrage, let alone Chu Xi, who was already at a disadvantage as a woman in the industry.

He immediately contacted lawyers to issue a statement: “Our artist Chu Xi has always focused on her work and has never engaged in any inappropriate relationships with fans. We will pursue legal action against those spreading malicious rumors.”

Despite the statement, some remained skeptical. What a coincidence—Yuanjing Group acquires Deap Sea Film, and the Yuanjing CEO’s idol stars in Deep Sea’s drama? If the idol had talent, fine, but she’s clearly just a pretty face beloved by straight men. There must be something shady between this vase idol and the straight-laced CEO.

Damn, this pairing is weirdly compelling.

Soon after, a new CP appeared in the fandom’s pairing section.

Super Topic: JingXi Couple

“JingXi” combined “Jing” from Gu Mingjing and “Xi” from Chu Xi (homophones with different characters). Given that both were gorgeous—and one was filthy rich—fans delightedly realized they could slot them into any CEO romance novel.

Chu Xi was so angry about this random CP that she nearly turned into a pufferfish. Then she saw the fanfics flooding the super topic—”Well-Endowed, Skilled, Wealthy CEO × Long-Legged, Busty Actress” smut—and the pufferfish exploded.

Fu Bai was too scared to approach Gu Mingjing (lest his studio get turned into a farm), so Chu Xi covered her face and went to Yuanjing Tower herself.

Assistant Gao smirked as he closed the CEO’s office door, leaving the “Well-Endowed, Skilled, Wealthy CEO” and “Long-Legged, Busty Actress” alone together.

Chu Xi took off her baseball cap, sunglasses, and mask, then leaned across the wide office desk to grab Gu Mingjing’s tie. “Hurry up and post on Weibo saying you’ve already stopped being a fan of Chu Xi,” she demanded.

Gu Mingjing, pulled forward slightly by his tie, looked at her with an amused expression. “Why?”

Chu Xi retorted, “Do you not go online? Are you living in the Stone Age? Haven’t you seen all the rumors spreading about me sleeping with fans, about you exploiting your power to control me, about us having an improper relationship?”

Gu Mingjing seemed torn between laughter and confusion. “But haven’t we?”

“………………” Chu Xi was momentarily speechless. Not only had it happened, but it had happened countless times. And if viewed from their past identities as sugar baby and sugar daddy, it was indeed an improper relationship.

“That was in the past—it doesn’t count!” she finally blurted out, her face flushing. At this moment, she felt like a heartless scumbag who’d callously walked away after getting what she wanted.

Gu Mingjing sighed helplessly. However, he also wished for their relationship to be proper and aboveboard—at the very least, not something that invited wild speculation and caused her distress. He knew how much effort Chu Xi had put into securing this role and didn’t want her hard work to be overshadowed simply because of his presence. Soon after, both Yuanjing Group and Deap Sea Film’s official Weibo accounts issued statements simultaneously:

“Ms. Chu Xi earned her role through an open and transparent audition process. The president of Yuanjing Group has never interfered in the casting. Those spreading rumors will face legal consequences.”

Once the two statements were released, the gossipmongers and online spectators finally quieted down.

The statements didn’t clarify the nature of the relationship between their president and the female lead, Chu Xi—nor did they mention whether he had stopped being her fan.

People were curious but didn’t dare to stir the pot or ask questions, so they stayed silent.

They had no choice but to stay silent and drop the matter. Unhappy? Too bad—keep it to yourself. Spreading rumors required evidence, and without it, Yuanjing’s legal team was ready to step in.

—

Misty Abyss finally began filming after the casting controversy surrounding its female lead.

Since it was an urban drama, the shooting location was in City B. Apart from Chu Xi, the rest of the main cast seemed solid. The male lead was Li Zhengxu, a seasoned actor known for both his looks and acting skills. The female supporting role went to Gou Meiru, a Taiwanese actress.

When Chu Xi saw Gou Meiru’s name on the cast list, she frowned slightly.

During their last photoshoot together, Gou Meiru had snatched the “Jade Rabbit” concept photos originally assigned to her. Instead of confronting her directly, Chu Xi had switched to the “Siren” concept—which ended up becoming a massive hit, while Gou Meiru’s Jade Rabbit photos were mocked for the age-inappropriate styling.

Now, they were going to work together on this drama, with Gou Meiru playing the role of a victim’s family member who appeared throughout the series.

Gou Meiru had always enjoyed good resources over the years, but as she aged, playing romantic leads opposite actors over a decade younger had become jarring. Recently, she seemed to be considering a career shift, though she’d never settle for ordinary supporting roles. She had only accepted this one because Misty Abyss was a Deap Sea Film production.

At the opening ceremony, Chu Xi met Li Zhengxu and Gou Meiru for the first time.

As a junior, she took the initiative to greet them.

Li Zhengxu played a forensic doctor in the drama, solving many cases alongside the female lead, Han Yi. In the story, the male lead was ten years older than the female lead and always carried himself as a senior figure. Their romantic subplot remained in a vague, unspoken state of ambiguity until the very end of the series, when there was finally a hint of resolution.

Li Zhengxu was a decent person. He nodded with a smile and said, “Let’s work well together.”

Gou Meiru had been wearing oversized sunglasses that covered half her face all day, flanked by two assistants. When Chu Xi saw her, she nodded and said, “Senior Gou.”

Gou Meiru responded with a perfunctory hum, her eyes behind the sunglasses scanning the girl from head to toe.

Hidden behind those shades was nothing but envy.

Who would have thought that the little starlet whose magazine feature she had once snatched would later break sales records with that very magazine and skyrocket in popularity through a variety show? Now, her career had soared so high that she landed the female lead role in Deap Sea’s annual drama.

If Gou Meiru hadn’t already signed the contract before the female lead was finalized, she would never have agreed to play second fiddle to someone she had once trampled on.

Equally infuriating was the girl’s youthful, collagen-rich face.

No amount of hyaluronic acid injections or facial fat grafting could ever replicate that.

Gou Meiru sneered inwardly.

Youth meant nothing. Bad acting was an unforgivable sin. The online backlash against the female lead’s casting was already fierce—once the drama aired, the criticism of her acting would only intensify. She’d just have to ride the wave of this little upstart’s downfall for her own gain.

The first day consisted of the opening ceremony and a celebratory banquet. Amid the toasts and drinks, Chu Xi inevitably had a few glasses of wine. After being escorted home by her assistant, she collapsed onto the sofa in a daze, her cheeks flushed and her mind foggy.

She sat there blankly for a while until her phone buzzed beside her.

A video call request. Chu Xi glanced at the screen—Gu Mingjing.

She tapped to answer. “Hey.”

The man’s handsome face filled the screen, the backdrop a clear blue sky.

Gu Mingjing was abroad on another business trip. The time difference separated them.

The moment the call connected, Gu Mingjing frowned at the sight of Chu Xi’s flushed cheeks and sluggish demeanor. “What’s wrong? Your face is so red.”

Chu Xi blinked hard, trying to clear her head. “Drank a bit today.”

The mention of alcohol made his brows knit tighter. He knew Chu Xi had a low tolerance. She’d accompanied him to a few banquets before—he’d left her in the lounge area to rest while he spoke with business partners, only to find her later sitting on a sofa, cheeks rosy, holding a wine glass while some man tried to chat her up.

“Who were you drinking with?” Gu Mingjing’s voice was stern. “Don’t drink when I’m not around.”

Chu Xi ruffled her hair irritably. “It was just a little at the crew’s banquet.”

She seemed to resent his command. “Why should I listen to you? If I want to drink, I’ll drink. You’re not my boss.”

Seeing his expression darken, she giggled foolishly. “You’re mad? Why are you mad? When are you coming back? Let’s drink together.”

Watching her muddled state on screen, Gu Mingjing tapped the record button—partly to preserve evidence.

A small red dot appeared at the bottom right of the screen, along with a timer, indicating the recording was in progress.

On the screen, Chu Xi waved her hand grandly, declaring, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.”

Gu Mingjing responded, “Mm.”

Chu Xi’s thoughts were scattered as she rambled, “D-do you know… we have a CP fan page now?”

“It’s called… um… the ‘Surprise Couple.'”

“I think the name is so lame. Others have cool names like the ‘Five-Minute Couple’ or ‘Record CP.’ ‘Surprise’? So tacky.”

Gu Mingjing’s lips twitched. “No swearing.”

Chu Xi pouted. “But do you know about it or not?”

Gu Mingjing replied, “I know.”

As a devoted fan who lurked in Chu Xi’s fan groups with a burner account, he was well aware of their CP fan page. In fact, he was quite pleased with it—he diligently checked in daily not only on Chu Xi’s fan page but also on their CP page.

Chu Xi let out a tiny hiccup and continued, “And… do you know there are lots of… um… spicy fanfics in the fan page?”

Gu Mingjing raised a brow. “Oh? What do they write about?”

The recording indicator on the screen remained lit.

Chu Xi mumbled, “They write about… about… oh damn—no swearing—about me and my so-called ‘boyfriend fan’ having… inappropriate relationships.”

“But I’ve never done that with any boyfriend fan! I read some, and they’re so weird. Stuff like ‘seven or eight times a night’—so bizarre.”

She looked up at Gu Mingjing’s face on the screen and tapped her head. “Oh yeah… how many times was it for you in one night? Hmm… I forgot.”

Gu Mingjing’s gaze darkened. “Can you remember?”

Chu Xi shook her head. “No, it’s been too long.”

Gu Mingjing asked, “Do you want to know?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Gu Mingjing smirked. “How about I tell you in person when you’re back?”

Chu Xi nodded obediently. “Okay.”