I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Letter of Apology

Hearing this, Mo Li winked hard at Xie Ci, signaling him to agree quickly.

Ji Xiuheng was taking the initiative to extend an olive branch; how could they miss such a great opportunity!

However, Xie Ci, who was in the middle of the conversation with his back turned, didn’t receive the signal at all.

“Would it be too much trouble for you, Brother Ji?” Xie Ci showed some hesitation.

After all, he was a senior in the crew. Although Xie Ci wanted to find a place as soon as possible, he still felt a bit embarrassed.

But the man across from him settled the matter with a single sentence. “No trouble at all. I should thank you for letting me return the favor.”

Ji Xiuheng spoke very skillfully, instantly flipping the dynamic between them and dissolving the last of Xie Ci’s inner reservations.

“Alright!”

The two set a time and returned to the clinking glasses and toasts of the dinner table.

Unlike the drinking session Wang Mingde had organized to “pimp” him out when Xie Ci first arrived in this world, everyone at this table was very relaxed.

It felt just like an ordinary gathering of friends.

Xie Ci gradually blended in with everyone, contentedly eating the dishes on the rotating glass lazy susan.

When he tasted a dish called Osmanthus Pork, Xie Ci narrowed his eyes in happiness.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, salty and fresh with plenty of juice, with a slight sweet-and-sour aftertaste.

Xie Ci took small, refined bites, his cat-like eyes full of satisfaction. The bad mood from encountering the paparazzi in the garage was swept away.

Because the palace coup scene went smoothly yesterday, Zhang Yunjiang gave the entire crew a rare day off.

People aren’t machines, after all. The crew had been filming continuously for so long; everyone needed a day to rest.

Mo Li drove, humming along to the music from time to time. “They say Movie King Ji rarely socializes with people in the industry privately, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

He now felt a sense of pride, like a parent whose child is loved by everyone. Looking at Xie Ci in the passenger seat, he couldn’t help but want to brag a little.

Xie Ci didn’t dampen his spirits and said with a smile, “Maybe Brother Ji is just more reserved. I feel like he’s a very good person.”

He was easygoing and had a very good temper.

Mo Li was immersed in the joy of a “god-tier thigh” falling into their laps. “Even if the place we’re renting is a thatched shack, I’m okay with it!”

Xie Ci laughed. It was a rare day off; both had slept in late last night, and they were feeling very relaxed in body and mind.

Following the address Ji Xiuheng gave them, the property manager who had been notified in advance verified their information and let their car into the neighborhood.

When they stood in front of the door of the apartment Ji Xiuheng wanted to rent out, Mo Li grabbed the hem of Xie Ci’s shirt. “Can we really afford the rent?”

Xie Ci looked at the heavy black door in front of him and the obviously expensive exterior decor. Calculating his small gold vault, he said with a sheepish smile, “Maybe… we can stay for one day?”

Before coming, the two had specifically checked the address Ji Xiuheng gave them. It was a core residential complex in B City with tight security. If it hadn’t been for the elevator card Ji Xiuheng left them last night, they wouldn’t even have been able to enter the building.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Ji Xiuheng was wearing a grey short-sleeved shirt and matching grey trousers, looking very fresh.

After receiving their message, Ji Xiuheng swiped his card to come upstairs. Seeing Xie Ci and Mo Li standing at the door, he said with a smile, “Come in and take a look. This apartment just became vacant last month.”

This complex was designed with one unit per elevator floor. Upon entering, the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room offered an unobstructed view of the river.

The apartment wasn’t massive, about two hundred square meters, with minimalist decor. The basic furniture was already prepared.

Looking at the spacious and bright interior, the two who were squeezed into a broken apartment last night and debating whether to order a large portion of meat: Wow—

When Xie Ci traveled the martial world, he often slept in the rough; an ordinary small inn was enough to get through a night.

Since arriving in this new world, he had been dirt poor. Therefore, the longer he stayed in this big house, the more he felt burdened by debt.

Ji Xiuheng: “I originally rented it to a friend, but he went abroad recently, so the place became empty.”

He walked over to Xie Ci. “Since you’re looking for a place, why not stay here? It’ll add some life to the house.”

Xie Ci didn’t want to take advantage of him and was about to speak when Ji Xiuheng cut him off.

“Zhou Mo told me everything. If you hadn’t blocked that camera for me last night, we’d probably be seeing each other in the hospital right now.”

Xie Ci opened his mouth to say something, but Ji Xiuheng continued, “As it happens, I have this chance to return the favor. Don’t be embarrassed. Once you’re famous, it won’t be too late to pay the rent.”

He had put it in such a way that, looking at Ji Xiuheng’s gentle gaze, the words at the tip of Xie Ci’s tongue were swallowed back down.

“Brother Ji, thank you for taking such good care of me.” This sentence from Xie Ci was exceptionally sincere.

As night fell, the light drizzle of early autumn began to fall, pattering against the glass that reflected the city lights, bringing a faint sense of chill.

Summer was over; autumn was gradually arriving.

With a ding, Ji Xiuheng, holding a wine glass, opened his phone and received a transfer notification.

“Brother Ji, I’ll pay a deposit first (Cat Smile).”

Ji Xiuheng clicked directly into the chat box. The little white cat Xie Ci sent was squinting its eyes, raising a paw to act cute.

Ji Xiuheng couldn’t help but chuckle. He typed back: “Okay.”

Below it, he attached an emoji of a cat drinking tea in the same style. One on the left, one on the right they looked exceptionally harmonious.

At 10:00 AM, the moving company contacted by the property manager knocked on the door to help pack up their daily necessities.

When locking the door, Xie Ci took one last look at the simple two-bedroom apartment and closed it.

At their new home, the two of them were like little bees, placing things everywhere. After being busy for quite a while, both slumped onto the sofa to rest.

“Damn, that grandson Chen Yutian is still being so passive-aggressive in his apology!”

At Mo Li’s shout, Xie Ci’s attention was also drawn. He sluggishly shuffled over from the sofa and saw the “Letter of Apology” Chen Yutian had posted on his Weibo account.

The entire piece blurred the key points, not mentioning a single word about the reason for the apology, and was instead filled with a “green tea” [manipulative] vibe.

It not only hinted that there were “connection” people in the crew but also claimed he had voluntarily withdrawn from the production. Only in the very last corner did the words “I’m sorry” appear.

Mo Li was fuming, and Chen Yutian’s manager, Zhu Quan, was also fuming.

“Fine, fine! You didn’t post the statement I specifically had the PR team write for you, and instead you posted this!”

Zhu Quan’s voice grew louder as he paced irritably around the office. “Do you think people can’t see through it? A-Ya and that Wang-whatever-Long have been blacklisted by the industry; they’re still working to pay off the damages.”

Chen Yutian leaned on the sofa, carelessly playing with his phone. Seeing the flood of pity from his fans in the comment section, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up.

“I’ve already apologized. What else do you want?” he answered sloppily.

Pure arrogance.

Regardless, the requirement from Xie Ci’s studio was an apology plus compensation. He paid the money readily, so playing a few word games with the apology wasn’t too much, right?

Since this statement involved the Diving Abyss crew and vaguely touched on sensitive terms like “unspoken rules” and “connections,” it was pushed to the hot searches by curious netizens within an hour of being posted.

“Whoa, this newcomer is way too tough!”

“What’s the deal with this newcomer named Xie Ci? I remember Chen Yutian debuted with a ‘rich second generation’ tag, right?”

“Exactly. I remember his resources were pretty good. Who could force him out of the crew and make him apologize publicly?”

Many people in the comments were curious: exactly how strong was the background of this newcomer who could make Chen Yutian apologize?

One must know that Chen Yutian had a bit of fame. All his resources since debut came from Fanyun Pictures, and he was rumored to be the child of a high-level executive at the company, always maintaining a “straight-talking and blunt” persona.

However, as the incident fermented and comments increased, the voices of pity from the original fans were slowly pushed down.

“Wait, wait—isn’t this an apology statement? Why does it smell like green tea?”

“The person above is right. He was terminated and kicked out by the crew, and it reached the point of a public apology—could it be the villain suing first?”

“Director Zhang has a good reputation in the industry. On the other hand, Chen Yutian… the last time he was on the hot search was for throwing a tantrum on a variety show, wasn’t it…?”

The internet has a memory.

Xie Ci had only recently entered the public eye, and the incident of his bravery at the snack street had hung on the hot searches for almost two days. While gaining fans, it also left a good impression on passersby.

His looks were indisputable, and he had gone viral for positive news; Xie Ci had already accumulated a considerable number of “passerby fans.”

As Xie Ci’s manager, Mo Li’s phone contained a large number of recorded photos of him.

Among them was a photo of the police report from that time.

When he saw the apology statement, he pulled out the screenshot he had saved in his album.

After calming the fan groups, Mo Li contacted Liu Mingliang, the head of the promotion team for Diving Abyss, and then sent a message to Zhang Yunjiang’s assistant, Wang Kang.

“What? That grandson still isn’t being honest with his apology?”

Zhang Yunjiang was still on set monitoring the filming when he heard the news, and he instantly flew into a rage.

He knew Chen Yutian had some connections behind him, which was why he had given nearly a week for the matter to be handled.

Zhang Yunjiang glanced at the apology message Zhu Quan had sent to his phone and sneered.

He said to Liu Mingliang, “A promotional opportunity delivered to our door handle it well.”

Liu Mingliang chuckled and sent a message to Xie Ci.

“Okay, I’ll cooperate with the crew’s side,” Xie Ci typed back.

Use people when you have them; use influence when it’s there.

As a newcomer, Xie Ci couldn’t deliver a fatal blow alone and wouldn’t impulsively speak out.

His foundation in the industry was shallow. Zhang Yunjiang’s intervention would naturally be more effective, which was why Xie Ci felt comfortable leaving the matter to the crew.

That afternoon, the official Diving Abyss account released a statement.

The statement detailed the harm Chen Yutian and the other two had caused Xie Ci during the filming and presented the negotiation records between the two companies and the police processing information.

Black and white, perfectly clear.

Once this statement was released, the general public mocked them, and Chen Yutian’s previously shouting fans also fell silent.

Only Xie Ci’s comment section was filled with fans who came to show their concern.

Zhu Quan sat on the sofa, watching Chen Yutian who had been calm and collected in the morning pacing the office.

He sneered inwardly. For a “resource car” like Chen Yutian who just played at acting, being coddled by people for too long made him forget his place.

The company executives had just approved his resignation. Chen Yutian’s qualifications were mediocre to begin with; if it weren’t for the family name, he wouldn’t even have reached the third tier.

If he had just apologized, the matter would have faded in a few months, but he insisted on making it like this.

The stage has been dismantled, and there isn’t even a ladder to climb down.

Zhang Yunjiang was a veteran of many years; with Chen Yutian’s shallow roots, his peak popularity would likely end today.

In the afternoon, Xie Ci posted a statement on his own account.

XC-XieCi: “Thank you to the police and the crew, and thank you all for your concern. The truth is now clear, and I will return to work in a better state later…”

Xie Ci’s post reposted the crew’s statement, guiding the traffic to the crew’s promotion. The content was concise and powerful, drawing a lot of sympathy.

Liu Mingliang, watching the follower count of the official crew account rise, felt his liking for Xie Ci soar.

This newcomer really did seem to have a “hot search constitution.” Plenty of people spend years in the circle without ever getting on a hot search.

Xie Ci, however, had been on twice in just half a month, and both times were for positive reasons.

He had just checked Xie Ci’s account; it already had over a million followers.

Diving Abyss hasn’t even been released yet, and Xie Ci has already become viral before the broadcast. If he can have new works to keep up the heat over the next six months, his popularity will likely skyrocket when the movie goes online.

Xie Ci had a throw pillow tucked in his arms and was checking the private messages from fans in the backend one by one, typing replies.

With a ding, the top of the screen showed a message from Ji Xiuheng.

Support