Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 9

The consequence of sneaking food in the dorm was Chu Xi being punished with a three-kilometer run, while Squad Leader Liu, who had brought the food and covered for her, got five kilometers. Dong Wei, who had also eaten, narrowly escaped punishment because he finished just before the commander arrived.

The training ground was quiet and empty at night, with only the sound of two pairs of footsteps echoing.

Five kilometers was nothing for Squad Leader Liu, but three kilometers was clearly a struggle for Chu Xi. By the end, she felt like a dog, panting heavily with her hands on her stomach. Squad Leader Liu, who had two extra kilometers, had long finished and been dragged back to the dorm by the commander.

…

In Gu Mingjing’s private villa in Nanjing District, he lay in bed after a shower, watching on his phone as Chu Xi finished her three-kilometer run and dragged herself back to the dorm.

Due to gender separation, Chu Xi had a dorm to herself, but her bed was the same as everyone else’s—a narrow bunk, just 1.2 meters wide.

The dormitory area had already turned off the lights. In the night-vision camera footage, the five male guests next door were mostly asleep, with some even snoring. Chu Xi must have been exhausted—she sat on her bed for a while before quietly heading out to wash up.

By 11 p.m., the military base had entered nighttime rest mode, but for many gossip-loving netizens, their nightlife was just beginning. The livestream remained lively, with viewers finding even Chu Xi brushing her teeth alone in front of the vast sink oddly entertaining.

Gu Mingjing had intended to lower his phone screen brightness but accidentally tapped something, causing rows of bullet comments to flood the screen.

Only then did he realize the show had a live comment feature. He skimmed through the scrolling text.

[Damn, why do I feel a pang of pity seeing Chu Xi brushing her teeth all alone so late while everyone else is asleep?]

[Chu Xi’s having such a rough time every day, LOL!]

[Serves her right!]

[Ohoho, now she’s trying to play the victim? The spoiled little princess of the entertainment industry, backed by a sugar daddy, is suddenly acting pitiful?]

[Actually, I think Chu Xi did okay today. I thought she’d throw a tantrum and refuse to run the three-kilometer penalty.]

When the company commander announced the punishment for the two, almost everyone—both on and off camera—turned their attention to Chu Xi.

People still remembered her antics from Ultimate Challenge: drawing the hardest task, then wheedling to swap with male MCs for easier ones, only to collapse in tears after carrying two bricks, halting filming until even the crew had to coax her.

[I totally expected her to beg to skip it, then burst into tears when refused. Never thought she’d actually go run without fuss.]

[Right? I was worried how they’d handle it if she started crying.]

[Pfft, think running three kilometers is enough to whitewash her image?]

[Honestly, Chu Xi seems different in this show compared to before.]

[Oh, so now she’s trying to rebrand with a Tomboy Persona? eyeroll]

…

After washing up, Chu Xi returned to the dorm to sleep. Wearing the issued T-shirt and shorts, she dashed to turn off the lights. Sleeping on the top bunk, she climbed up nimbly like a little monkey after flipping the switch.

Gu Mingjing ignored the nonsensical comments, frowning as he closed the livestream. For some reason, his mind kept replaying the image of Chu Xi scurrying to turn off the lights and her agile climb into the top bunk.

Just like the comments in the bullet chat earlier said, Chu Xi seemed different now.

That lively energy when she climbed onto the bed—he had never seen it in his usually docile and obedient little lover before.

At least, not when she was in bed with him.

Gu Mingjing then recalled the flashy cartoon pajamas she wore that night.

She thought he wouldn’t return until the next evening, so she was alone at home, dressed like that.

There was something off about Chu Xi, Gu Mingjing’s intuition suddenly told him.

——

After its premiere, Brave Heart consistently ranked first in recent variety show popularity, with one of the biggest highlights being “Chu Xi—the Truly Chosen One.”

The military training was strict and grueling. Sometimes, different difficulties and obstacles were set for each participant, and occasionally, competitions were organized to motivate the soldiers. Over the days, everyone gradually realized that Chu Xi wasn’t just unlucky on the first day when she was “chosen by fate“—she was unlucky every single day, born with an African luck stat. Wherever she was, she was the unluckiest one.

During the weighted march, some backpacks were filled with water while others contained denser sand, making them heavier. The male contestants let Chu Xi pick first, yet she always managed to pick the heaviest sand-filled backpack without fail.

During the crawl training, the first few participants crossed the grassy sandpit without issue, but when it was Chu Xi’s turn, an unexpected daytime rain suddenly poured down. The grass turned to mud, and the sandpit became a puddle. By the time she finished crawling, she was so covered in filth her face was unrecognizable.

When they finally got the chance to train with real weapons and practice shooting, she was the one out of six randomly chosen to handle logistics, watching enviously as Yu Yiyuan flaunted the bullet casings he collected from the morning training.

In short, when it came to luck, Chu Xi would inevitably draw the hardest task. If equipment malfunctioned, it would always happen to her. Sometimes, even lying down, she’d get hit by a stray basketball.

So every day, the first thing many viewers did when opening the livestream was to post a comment: “Has Chu Xi been chosen by fate again today?”

Bystanders watched with amusement as Chu Xi suffered misfortune daily, while anti-fans laughed triumphantly, calling it karma. But gradually, some began to realize—Chu Xi seemed to have truly broken character.

She gritted her teeth and carried the heaviest backpack without complaint. She rolled through the muddy ground until she looked like a mud monster. Even when she was the only one picked for logistics and couldn’t participate in shooting, she accepted the outcome calmly, showing only envy—not resentment—when Yu Yiyuan bragged afterward.

But this question of her broken character remained unspoken, lingering in everyone’s minds. After all, no one could guarantee she wouldn’t burst into tears the next second. Some even claimed she was putting on an act to craft a new persona. But no matter how much she suffered, the audience wasn’t buying it.

One week into Brave Heart, the six contestants faced their first military assessment.

They were divided into two teams of three, competing in a relay of three challenge tasks. The team with the shorter completion time would win.

Chu Xi, Yu Yiyuan, and Dong Wei were assigned to the Blue Team.

Sergeant Liu announced, “This obstacle challenge consists of three parts: crawling, strength assault, and scaling a hazardous wall. To ensure fairness, each participant’s task will be decided by drawing lots. Now, representatives from both teams, come forward to draw.”

The red team drew first. Yan Zhun got the crawling drill, Zhao Mincong got the strength challenge, and Liu Jinxiang had to scale a dangerous wall. The draw results were clearly unfavorable—Teacher Zhao Mincong, with his refined demeanor, obviously wasn’t suited for the strength challenge, and Uncle Liu Jinxiang, being older, definitely wouldn’t be as agile as the younger participants when climbing.

Comments:

[What do we do? Can they switch? Let Yan Zhun scale the wall instead!]

[This draw is so unlucky!]

[Don’t worry, the real unlucky one hasn’t drawn yet—Chu Xi hasn’t picked.]

[Hahahahaha let’s see if fate chooses Chu Xi today.]

[Chu Xi, do your best! Whether your team loses depends on you!]

…

Chu Xi braced herself and unfolded the small slip of paper in her hand.

“Number 2: Strength Challenge.”

Yu Yiyuan drew number three, scaling the wall, while Dong Wei drew number one, the crawling drill.

Surprisingly, apart from Chu Xi’s strength challenge looking a bit risky, Yu Yiyuan, the young and agile guy, could scale the wall effortlessly, and Dong Wei had no issues with the crawling drill either.

Chu Xi let out a sigh of relief. With Yu Yiyuan and Dong Wei, their team still had a solid advantage.

Comments:

[???]

[Is this a stroke of luck?]

For the guest training assessment, many soldiers gathered around the competition area to cheer them on. The crawling drill and wall-scaling areas were clearly visible and quite challenging. Only Chu Xi and Zhao Mincong’s strength challenge was hidden behind props, creating a small suspense—it would only be revealed after the first leg of the relay.

With Captain Wang’s whistle, Dong Wei and Yan Zhun started the crawling drill simultaneously.

Yan Zhun moved with textbook precision and speed, while Dong Wei kept up closely. The two passed the baton to the next leg almost at the same time.

Chu Xi received the baton from Dong Wei, and Zhao Mincong got it from Yan Zhun. They both opened their props at the same time.

Chu Xi first saw two bricks.

Then came the task card: Strength Challenge—split these two bricks to complete the task and pass it to the next leg.

Chu Xi picked up the two heavy bricks and glanced next to her, only to find Zhao Mincong also holding two bricks and staring at her.

The two: “………………”

Comments:

[Holy crap hahahahahahahahaha the luck ran out!]

[Today, Chu Xi is still chosen by fate! So satisfying!]

[I mean, splitting bricks is just…]

[It’s not that hard—these bricks are brittle. An ordinary person could break them with one strike.]

[Oh yeah? If it’s not that hard, why don’t you try it?]

[Teacher Zhao looks like he’s about to cry hahahaha]

[Where’s Chu Xi? Did Chu Xi cry?]

[What crying? More like she turned straight to scowling. She could still pretend for the past couple of days, running around and rolling in the mud, but let’s see how she acts now.]

[Careful, Princess Chu might throw a tantrum and quit, then go back to her sugar daddy to have your show canceled.]

[Thinking she can whitewash her image and rebrand as a newbie by joining a military camp show? Now she’s learning a hard lesson.]

[Ooooh, I can’t wait!]

The barrage of comments chattered on as the camera finally shifted from the tearful Teacher Zhao Mincong, clutching his brick, to Chu Xi next door.

Contrary to everyone’s predictions of her scowling or quitting, Chu Xi stood before the brick, seemingly deep in thought. Then, she placed one end of the brick on the platform, leaving the other end suspended. With one hand steadying the brick and the other straightened into an axe-like shape, she measured the force and position as if testing it.

Next, she raised her left hand high, let out a sharp “Ha!”, and swung it down.

The audience:

[………………]

[Who the hell cursed Chu Xi?]