Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 80

When Assistant Gao saw his alt account being kicked out of Chu Xi’s fan group again, he felt a faint twinge of frustration.

He couldn’t understand why his cool, domineering, and awe-inspiring President Gu was so unwelcome among these fans.

Today was the wrap-up day for Chu Xi’s new drama Blood of the Mountains and Rivers. The recent success of Misty Abyss had given the entire crew a boost of confidence, and the wrap-up party was scheduled at a renowned five-star hotel in Haicheng.

Chu Xi posted a photo of herself in costume holding flowers on Weibo, receiving a flood of congratulations from fans.

She then sent the same photo to Gu Mingjing via WeChat.

Gu Mingjing: [You already posted this on Weibo.]

[I want a new one.]

Chu Xi: [………………]

Pouting, she sent him a bunch of photos—selfies and candid shots alike.

Chu Xi: [Happy now?]

Gu Mingjing smiled as he looked at the photos, saving each one.

Gu Mingjing: [I’ll pick you up at the airport tomorrow. Let’s go to your hometown the day after.]

Chu Xi bit her lip.

She knew the “hometown” he referred to was where her grandmother lived.

She was going to see Grandma—eep.

Chu Xi didn’t even dare search her and Gu Mingjing’s names anymore because the results were always flooded with ridiculous headlines—

“Chu Xi and Gu Mingjing’s sweet Weibo interactions—stable relationship! Is the rising starlet’s marriage into a wealthy family imminent?”

“President Gu visits set for intimate rendezvous—Chu Xi’s sweet smile hints at upcoming good news? Ranking female stars who married into wealth.”

“Chu Xi spotted at airport, cautiously protecting her stomach—pregnancy rumors? Can she secure a wealthy marriage with a child?”

…

Endless variations of “marrying into wealth”, as if the sole purpose of her relationship with Gu Mingjing was to climb into high society.

Chu Xi was genuinely puzzled. I’m not poor, am I…

I can support myself just fine…

She had recently bought an apartment in the city—a nice neighborhood—and planned to bring her grandmother over soon. The location was convenient, close to hospitals for her dialysis treatments.

With the new apartment and the car gifted by her BANZ Aurora Series endorsement, she could now consider herself a proper homeowner with a car.

Fu Bai had signed her up for driving school a while back, and she could take the test once she returned from filming.

He said she could get her license in just over a month, without interfering with her upcoming schedules or filming.

After Misty Abyss became a hit, countless offers and scripts poured in. Watching Fu Bai roll up his sleeves, ready to go all out, Chu Xi instead felt a pang of melancholy.

Especially after filming Blood of the Mountains and Rivers.

She had immersed herself in the protagonist’s life—studying amid war, delivering speeches in school halls, discussing philosophy and ideals with classmates and professors.

She had filmed at Haicheng University for a week. The students there envied her, unaware of how much she envied them in return.

A buzz from her phone snapped her out of her thoughts.

Gu Mingjing: [Not coming home?]

Chu Xi finally smiled. [Coming.]

Tucking her phone away, she took a cab back to the hotel—the wrap-up party wouldn’t start until evening.

The regular van driver had taken leave these past few days because his wife was giving birth, so they had temporarily hired a new driver. Chu Xi and Xiao Yan got into the vehicle to return to the hotel from the filming set.

“Have you packed most of the luggage? We’re going back tomorrow,” Chu Xi said to Xiao Yan after getting in the car.

Xiao Yan replied, “Everything’s packed already.”

The car drove smoothly along the road. Xiao Yan glanced out the window and suddenly asked, “Driver, why aren’t we taking the usual route today?”

The driver answered, “Oh, there was an accident on that road earlier, and it’s jammed now. We’re taking a detour.”

“I see,” Xiao Yan nodded.

Chu Xi didn’t say anything either and started practicing questions for her driving theory test on her phone. Her accuracy rate was quite good—she was practically guaranteed to pass. After scoring another 98, Chu Xi lifted her head from her phone to rest her eyes and casually looked out the window.

Suddenly, she noticed the streets outside seemed to be getting increasingly desolate. Her hotel was in the inner city, where there were no such deserted streets.

A chill ran down Chu Xi’s spine.

She and Xiao Yan exchanged glances simultaneously.

Xiao Yan leaned toward the driver’s seat. “Driver, are we going the wrong way?”

“No, we’re not. The other route is jammed,” the driver replied.

Xiao Yan persisted, “But… but I feel like we’re getting farther and farther away.”

Chu Xi spotted a police station they had just passed and quickly sent her location to Gu Mingjing on WeChat. Then she said, “Driver, please pull over. I need to get out and buy something.”

The driver refused. “It’s not a good place to stop here.”

Chu Xi’s unease grew. “There’s no no-parking sign here. Stop the car.”

The driver remained unresponsive.

Chu Xi and Xiao Yan both lowered their heads to text for help. The driver noticed their movements in the rearview mirror and immediately let out a soft whistle. At the sound, a man suddenly lunged forward from the back of the van. Before Chu Xi could finish her text, a cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose from behind.

“Mmph!” Chu Xi instinctively struggled, inhaling the strange-smelling liquid on the cloth. Her mind grew increasingly foggy, and Xiao Yan’s screams rang in her ears. Her hand barely touched the assailant’s before she lost consciousness.

It was as if she had fallen into endless darkness and chaos—a pitch-black world without a single glimmer of light, like a baby returning to the womb. A buzzing noise filled her ears.

By the time her heavy eyelids could twitch slightly again, all she felt was pain throughout her body—especially in her jawbone, which ached terribly.

Chu Xi struggled to open her eyes, and the first thing that came into view was a yellowed wall.

She instinctively tried to speak but found her mouth stuffed full with a towel, her jaw aching as if it might dislocate. Finally, her eyes fully opened, and she understood her current predicament.

The room looked like it had been abandoned for years—peeling paint, shattered glass on the floor, and a door that was clearly locked tight. The only furniture was an old wooden-framed bed, and she was half-leaning against it, gagged, her hands tied behind her back with rope that was fastened to the bed.

Chu Xi whimpered twice, trying to spit out the towel, but it was futile.

She moved her hands slightly, the rope cutting tightly into her wrists, her fingers numb from lack of blood flow.

Terrified and in pain, her eyes reddened, and the scene suddenly reminded her of the past.

During Brave Heart, when she played the hostage, she had been tied up like this too.

But back then, it was just for the show—no gag, the ropes didn’t hurt, and there had even been a soldier playing the villain to keep her company.

Then she thought of the location she had last sent to Gu Mingjing.

Had he called the police? Was he coming to save her?

Chu Xi fought back tears, remembering what the squad leader and company commander had said during training—the most important thing in a crisis was to stay calm.

Her bound hands fumbled behind her back until suddenly, she touched something slightly hard.

A small, protruding nail.

Old wooden beds like this creaked with age and were often reinforced with nails.

She didn’t know how to describe the surge of emotion she felt. Maybe her kidnappers hadn’t taken her seriously, thinking she’d be too scared to resist, and had carelessly tied her here.

Frantic, she scraped the rope against the nail, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Just as she felt the rope loosening slightly, she suddenly heard voices outside.

Her blood ran cold, her body trembling.

The voices grew closer. Chu Xi froze. Then, the door opened, and two men in black ski masks entered.

One had bleached blond hair, the other carried a camera.

Chu Xi shrank back. Gagged, she couldn’t speak, and with their masks on, she couldn’t see their faces or expressions.

The blond man walked over and yanked the towel from her mouth.

Her jaw ached from the sudden emptiness, nearly dropping from the strain.

She didn’t speak, just stared at them in horror.

The blond man smirked. “Not even gonna scream? Smart—no one’s coming to save you.”

The one with the camera leered. “Fuck, she’s even prettier than on TV.”

Chu Xi’s heart pounded, a dreadful premonition rising as she kept trying to retreat.

“Look at that mouth,” the man sneered, reaching for her. “Gonna have to put it to good use later. Better make it sound nice.”

When she saw the camera, realization struck. Trembling violently, she kicked wildly. “Stay away! Get the hell away from me!”

The blond man grabbed at her pants, but in her panic, her legs lashed out with surprising strength. He tried twice but couldn’t get close, even taking a couple of kicks.

“Damn it!” The blond-haired man was furious and swung a slap at her.

Chu Xi’s head snapped to the side from the blow, her right ear ringing. She nearly cried out but bit back the tears, refusing to let them fall.

“She’s not cooperating at all—it’s no fun like this. Besides, we still need to film,” said the man holding the camera.

After delivering the slap, the blond man seemed to have vented his anger. Clicking his tongue at Chu Xi’s disheveled state, he remarked, “So pretty. Can’t really bring myself to beat her up properly.”

The cameraman added, “And we were counting on her to give head. What if she bites our dicks off?”

The blond man smacked his forehead. “Shit, I forgot! Don’t you have that drug? Once she takes it, she’ll be begging for it, won’t she?”

Camera guy: “I’ll go get it.”

Blond man: “I’ll take a piss, hahahahaha!”

He wiped his hand across Chu Xi’s face. “Be a good girl and wait for big brother to come back.”

To her shock, the two men left one after the other, as if it never crossed their minds that a weak woman like Chu Xi might try to escape.

Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. Swallowing hard, the burning pain on her right cheek reminded her that if she missed this chance, there wouldn’t be another. Summoning every ounce of strength, she wrenched free from the rope she had been secretly fraying. Without wasting a second, she grabbed the rope and rushed to the window, intending to climb down as she had done before.

But when she reached the window, her heart sank.

This was an abandoned factory in the suburbs—she was on the third floor!

Glancing back at the door, then down below, she steeled herself. Quickly, she tied the rope to a nearby pipe.

Forcing herself not to look down, she recalled the techniques she had learned and began descending. The rope ran out by the second floor. Gripping the drainpipe, she continued downward but lost her grip about two meters from the ground, landing hard on her feet.

Ignoring the pain, she scrambled up and ran for her life.

She could hear the men shouting from above.

She didn’t look back, sprinting desperately.

The roar of a car engine reached her ears.

Her eyes stung, the wind howling in her ears. Death crossed her mind—she’d rather die.

The area was a maze of abandoned factories. Chu Xi darted into narrow alleys where the men’s car couldn’t follow. The place was eerie, shrouded in gloom. But soon, she realized she had hit a dead end—no way forward.

The sound of the car grew louder.

She picked up a stone from the ground and clutched it tightly in her hand.

Slowly, the sound of footsteps grew closer.

Chu Xi raised the stone, pressing her back against the wall.

The footsteps drew nearer.

Sweat dripped from Chu Xi’s forehead as she finally saw the figures emerging before her.

Gu Mingjing, Assistant Gao, and the police.

The moment Gu Mingjing saw the disheveled Chu Xi, he rushed toward her.

Chu Xi dropped the stone and was immediately pulled into Gu Mingjing’s embrace. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Feeling the familiar warmth of his arms, she finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.