Guess What? The Entire Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m Dead - Chapter 67

Lin Chenghuan was utterly embarrassed, but her biggest worry wasn’t the premature exposure of her relationship, it was Lu Zhiwei’s reaction. She glanced at the person beside her and was relieved to see that Lu Zhiwei seemed remarkably calm.

“It’s fine if there’s a scandal. It was a relationship, after all. If we go public in the future, it’s only natural that your past relationship would come to light,” Lu Zhiwei said.

“Oh… I see.” Lin Chenghuan gave an awkward smile as they walked to the entrance of an underground mall and stepped onto the descending escalator.

“But, I just thought of something. When you were shopping with her at Sanlitun before, how did your mask come off?” Lu Zhiwei asked with a leisurely smile.

“It was…” Lin Chenghuan wanted to say the wind blew it off, but her black mask was hardly the type to be easily swept away by a breeze in the middle of a bustling street. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to tell the truth.

“I pulled it off myself. I wanted to mess with her.”

“Then, can I mess with you?” Lu Zhiwei turned to her with a relaxed expression.

“…” Lin Chenghuan met her gaze abruptly, her heart racing. Before she could react, Lu Zhiwei reached out and pressed a finger to the side of her ear.

In the next second, the strap of Lin Chenghuan’s mask snapped. A gust of wind swept by, effortlessly blowing the mask off her face. Lin Chenghuan, quick as lightning, snatched it out of the air.

Now, without her sunglasses and only her baseball cap for cover, she locked eyes with Lu Zhiwei for a moment before breaking into a laugh.

“Thanks for going easy on me, dear. Now you’ll have to run with me.”

The escalator continued its descent, nearing the bottom. Below, a Haidilao hot pot restaurant stood at the entrance, its greeter offering a routine smile as she asked, “Welcome to Haidilao?”

“No, thanks.” Lin Chenghuan flashed a warm, breezy smile, still fiddling with the broken mask strap before feigning a troubled expression.

“…………” The Haidilao employee froze in shock upon recognizing who had just descended.

Lin Chenghuan quickly grabbed Lu Zhiwei’s hand and made a sharp turn. She initially thought of darting back up the escalator but quickly realized they’d be easily cornered at the top. Instead, she decisively dashed into the underground mall.

“Oh my! you… you’re…” An auntie standing not far from the entrance stared in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.

Lin Chenghuan offered an awkward smile and randomly chose a branching path to continue their escape. Soon, exclamations of surprise erupted around them like waves.

“I think Lin Chenghuan is shopping here!” someone near the entrance of a Diguoji restaurant exclaimed in disbelief.

“No way, would she come to such an ordinary place?”

“Why not? Celebrities have been spotted on the subway before…” As the person spoke, the skeptic had already rushed in the direction they were pointing.

Lin Chenghuan pulled Lu Zhiwei along, weaving through the labyrinthine corridors. As word spread, more and more people joined the chase.

The scene resembled a high-stakes police chase, with the two of them like fugitive lovers on the run. Fortunately, Lin Chenghuan soon found an emergency stairwell and hurriedly climbed up.

She put on a new mask. News from inside the mall wouldn’t spread too quickly, but they still needed to leave the Yintai Center as soon as possible.

“Was that fun?” Lin Chenghuan asked, panting and laughing. Lu Zhiwei adjusted her cap and replied, “It was alright.”

That afternoon, Lin Chenghuan looked at the new trending topic on Weibo about her and Lu Zhiwei being spotted shopping together, as well as the declining attention around the incident with Jiang Nan. She couldn’t help but admire Lu Zhiwei’s cleverness.

As long as there were enough rumors, people would just assume it was all for publicity. President Lu had effortlessly solved the potential exposure of their relationship while seemingly just having fun…

“My wife truly strategizes from within the tent yet determines victory from a thousand miles away!” Lin Chenghuan exclaimed in admiration.

“Of course,” Lu Zhiwei replied with an enigmatic smile before calmly continuing to observe the online buzz.

This time, Lin Chenghuan was surprised to find that only a few people mocked her for not being able to shake off the essence of a traffic star, always resorting to marketing tactics.

Such comments were unavoidable, whenever a celebrity appeared in public frequently, someone would inevitably say something like that. Lin Chenghuan had braced herself for it, reasoning that it was still better than being hounded by crowds demanding the truth about the university incident. Unexpectedly, however, such negative remarks were relatively scarce.

It seemed that her role as Zhu Fengnian had won over many fans, and the audience genuinely recognized her acting skills. Her popularity among casual viewers had improved significantly. Under the Long Night wasn’t just a hit, it had long-tail appeal, maintaining high popularity even now, with a steady stream of fan edits and commentary.

Now, not only young viewers but even older audiences had started to develop a favorable impression of Lin Chenghuan. Actors like her were especially favored by producers of serious dramas, and she had taken a remarkably successful step toward transforming her career.

Next, it all depended on the performance of The Flames of Wancheng. Even if it didn’t become a massive hit, as long as the audience continued to acknowledge her acting skills, she would have firmly established herself in the realm of serious dramas.

“Your episode of Happy Night Theater has seen a huge spike in views. It seems even though the trending topic has cooled down, people are still revisiting your on-screen moments together,” Fang Yuan messaged her at that moment.

“Was there anything off about our interactions? I really couldn’t tell,” Lin Chenghuan asked.

“Pretty normal. She hosted properly, responded to your cues, and didn’t deliberately avoid you. You and Weiwei were fine too. Except during the first round of Werewolf, in the couple segment, your expressions were a bit hard to control… Pfft, but I doubt anyone would guess the truth anytime soon.”

Feeling relieved, Lin Chenghuan then noticed something else and turned to call Lu Zhiwei by a newly learned nickname.

“Weiwei.”

“…”

“How could I have forgotten to call you that? I’ve used Xiao Wei, Zhiwei, wife, baby, but never the reduplicated form,” Lin Chenghuan said with a laugh.

“Yeah, many of my university friends called me that,” Lu Zhiwei replied nonchalantly.

“Seems you’re already used to it, not as impactful as Xiao Wei,” Lin Chenghuan remarked, slightly disappointed, before turning back to browse online news.

It turned out that not long ago, the production team of Who is the Acting Pro? had undergone some restructuring, with the director being replaced entirely. They had even invited Jiang Nan back. No wonder those old photos of her and Jiang Nan had suddenly resurfaced. Jiang Nan was also in the spotlight now and gaining more favor with the audience.

Come to think of it, Lu Zhiwei’s exes had mostly faded from public view, while her own ex remained in the same industry, causing all sorts of complications. It must have been quite trying for Lu Zhiwei, but thankfully, she hadn’t been too upset today…

“Wife, you really have such a good temper,” Lin Chenghuan sighed.

Lu Zhiwei glanced at her and smiled, “Let them look. I was watching meteors with someone else back then too.”

“…”

Lin Chenghuan’s heart trembled slightly. Just hearing about this made her feel a pang of jealousy. Though everyone has a past, seeing those memories laid bare still stirred a sourness in her, especially when confronted directly.

She pulled Lu Zhiwei into her arms, holding her tightly, and murmured, “From now on, it’ll only be you and me watching together.”

“Oh.” Lu Zhiwei didn’t get swept up in the tender moment. Instead, she replayed Lin Chenghuan’s earlier expression in her mind and couldn’t help but feel amused. To think you’d get so upset over a single sentence… You’ve finally met your match.

With that thought, Lu Zhiwei couldn’t hold back a laugh. Lin Chenghuan glanced at her, instantly feeling both awkward and indignant.

“I really want to bite you to death…” Lin Chenghuan gritted her teeth.

“I’m not even angry, and you’re already losing your mind. Come on, who’s afraid of whom?” Lu Zhiwei straightened up, leisurely issuing a challenge.

Soon, the conflict escalated to the bed, with neither willing to back down, each determined to make the other beg for mercy.

That evening, someone compiled a collection of Lin Chenghuan’s pairings, commenting that she was either having her hair flirtatiously touched or her head patted by someone, but today, she was finally the one patting someone else’s head. The ultimate bottom in the sapphic circle has risen to become a top, congratulations! It seems juniors are easier to bully after all.

By the time Lin Chenghuan discovered the post, it was already noon the next day. By then, the influx of distracting celebrity news provided even more cover, making her feel more secure.

The only downside was… she, who was so passionate, lively, sunny, and capable of being both domineering and gentle, had always been a strong top. When had she ever been labeled the ultimate bottom in the sapphic circle?

However, when she saw a comment saying, “The harder they sell the sapphic act, the more likely they’re actually straight,” Lin Chenghuan froze on the spot. Fine, bottom it is… At least I’m still in the sapphic circle.

The next day, the two boarded a flight back to Beijing, settling into a leisurely routine at home. Over ten days later, on January 5th, The Flames in Wancheng premiered as scheduled.

Xia Yao had also invested in this drama. While revenue from TV stations wasn’t the main source of income, it relied on online streaming platform data and advertising partnerships to turn a profit. Still, Lu Zhiwei made sure to turn on the TV every day, watching the Republican-era scenes Lin Chenghuan had participated in alongside her.

As expected, the drama’s popularity was only moderate, but it was enough to yield a small profit for the investors. Moreover, Lin Chenghuan’s portrayal of her character was quite fitting, and her acting held its own.

Thank goodness, she wasn’t mocked as the “Republican-era courtesan” or accused of declining acting skills, her reputation remained intact.

Halfway through the drama’s run, the Lunar New Year arrived. This year’s New Year’s Eve came early, with households replacing old spring couplets with new ones even before February. Lin Chenghuan and Lu Zhiwei’s families gathered for the reunion dinner at a restaurant near Guomao, toasting and chatting merrily.

“Two years ago, we had New Year’s Eve dinner near Wangfujing, and Xiao Huan was acting all sneaky, just like the spy in the drama she was filming…” Li Jingyi remarked.

“Mom, I was an undercover agent, not a spy,” Lin Chenghuan said awkwardly.

“Hahaha, my Xiao Wei was the same!” Tang You chimed in happily. After the two families exchanged stories from that year, they all wore satisfied, gossipy expressions.

“Why didn’t you just say it outright? It was like a spy rendezvous,” Tang You sighed in the end.

“Because we like the thrill of secrecy,” Lu Zhiwei replied, making Lin Chenghuan burst into laughter.

But this year, the one acting suspiciously was someone else. After finishing his meal, Li Chengnian began sneaking around, clearly wanting to meet someone in secret.

“Wow, something’s going on! Who is it? Let me see too,” Lin Chenghuan said with keen interest.

“Well… I’ll tell you after the New Year,” Li Chengnian replied awkwardly.

“Why wait? What difference does it make?” Lin Chenghuan looked puzzled.

“Is it someone your sister knows too? And a friend of hers?” Lu Zhiwei stepped over from behind, speaking leisurely but with anticipation.

“…”

Li Chengnian fell silent, clearly feeling guilty. Both Lin Chenghuan and Lu Zhiwei immediately thought of the same person.

“No… It’s not my sister’s ex. How could that be?” Li Chengnian’s lips twitched as she guessed what they were thinking.

“Oh.” Lin Chenghuan breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew it couldn’t be that terrifying.”