The Cold CEO Chases His White Moonlight - Chapter 9

Would anything go wrong? Gu Yunhui dialed again, but still couldn’t get through.

She hadn’t paid much attention to Ji Weiyang after all, not even bothering to assign someone to keep an eye on her. Now that she couldn’t reach her, she felt a twinge of regret.

She didn’t have the contact information of Ji Weiyang’s classmates or friends either.

As for the alpha who had harassed Ji Weiyang yesterday, Ye Pingsheng had their contact details, but it would be somewhat inconvenient to ask.

The only option left was to pull up surveillance footage.

Gu Yunhui remembered Ji Weiyang mentioning that she took the subway back to school. As long as she was within the monitored area, she could be found.

After finishing a massage session, Yan Kexin received a call from her agent.

“Who told you to forcefully ride on the hype of Ye Pingsheng’s new drama? I already said that role wasn’t right for you! Now look what’s happened your fans are cyberbullying a college student, and your public image is ruined! Are you happy now?”

Yan Kexin held the phone slightly away from her ear.

“What?” She hadn’t yet heard about the incident on Weibo.

“Don’t play dumb with me! Relying on your status as a member of the Yan family to act recklessly, if you ever really crash and burn, not even the heavens can save you! Do you know the Gu family invested in Ye Pingsheng’s drama this time? The person you targeted was handpicked by that very Gu family!” Her agent was on the verge of a breakdown.

God only knew how terrified he had been when he saw the mess under the trending hashtag.

No one had disclosed the details of yesterday’s audition, but there were whispers that Gu Yunhui and the young actress Ye Pingsheng had taken a liking to had sparks flying between them.

That was Gu Yunhui, the current head of the Gu family, at the peak of her influence!

If Yan Kexin alone offended her, let alone the entire Yan family, they’d be in deep trouble.

“Wait, calm down. Let me check first. Our team hasn’t made any statements about this, right?” At the mention of the Gu family, Yan Kexin’s expression cracked for a split second.

“You didn’t know? It’s blown up this big, and you’re telling me you didn’t know?! Then who leaked those photos? Who’s stirring the pot? Wasn’t it you who hired people to steer the narrative?” Her agent was so furious he was practically spouting nonsense.

If he had known earlier, he would never have taken Yan Kexin on as a client. He had only chosen her over Lu Peijiu because she had been focused on acting these past few years without causing trouble.

Though people often compared the two both born into wealthy families, both venturing into the film industry Yan Kexin lagged far behind Lu Peijiu in terms of awards and skill.

Still, at least Yan Kexin had higher commercial value, with fans who had strong purchasing power. Over the years, she had earned quite a bit, and her agent had been relatively satisfied.

Who could’ve guessed she’d drop such a massive bombshell on him today?

“I, I told you my brother handles all my affairs. I can’t help it, my father won’t give me a single cent. Never mind, no time to explain. As long as we haven’t officially intervened, there’s still room to salvage this. Quickly contact my top fan and have her rein in the comments.”

Yan Kexin hastily opened Weibo and skimmed through the posts, immediately realizing how serious the situation was.

She didn’t know Ji Weiyang, but the fact that she was an ordinary person, a current student at the Film Academy automatically garnered public sympathy.

When the news first broke in the morning, the general public hadn’t reacted yet, but her fans or rather, the hired trolls her brother had arranged had already swarmed in to attack the girl.

Now that the public had caught on, the tide in the comments had turned.

[Let’s be real, such a blurry photo doesn’t prove anything. Can’t a girl date someone if she wants to?]

【It’s common knowledge that the stereotype of beautiful college students seeking sugar daddies was popularized by marketing accounts. None of the attractive people around me actually do this, yet we still get baseless accusations thrown at us all the time, it’s disgusting.】

【A certain “soon-to-be” Best Actress is really showing her true colors. First, she hyped up landing the role, and now that she didn’t get it, she’s targeting some young girl. Let’s be real her acting isn’t even that great, is it?】

【Agree with the above. If her acting were truly outstanding, why is she still just a “soon-to-be” Best Actress? /s】

【I trust Director Ye’s judgment. She’s not the type to accept industry plants, let alone for major roles. Rumor has it the girl is a trained professional maybe her acting really is decent.】

【Waiting for the plot twist.】

Seeing so many comments mocking her acting skills, Yan Kexin nearly fainted.

Who didn’t know this was her sore spot?

Since childhood, she had been constantly compared to other wealthy heiresses her age. But because of her lack of talent, the only one left who could even be mentioned in the same breath as her was Lu Peijiu.

For a long time, Yan Kexin had regarded Lu Peijiu as her biggest rival, copying everything she did.

Yet she never once surpassed Lu Peijiu not even in the entertainment industry, which she once looked down on.

Now, Lu Peijiu was on the verge of breaking into international markets and gradually gaining the Lu family’s recognition, while Yan Kexin still hadn’t won a single award.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Yan Kexin quickly switched to her official account and posted a statement.

The gist of it was that she respected Director Ye’s decision, had never claimed the supporting female lead role was hers, and hadn’t even attended the audition the day before.

She admitted she had no noteworthy projects this year and might even consider a career change after this incident.

Around the same time, Ye Pingsheng also posted on Weibo, explaining that the audition footage was still being edited and reviewed by investors, but there had been no unfair practices. She urged netizens to be more considerate with their words.

The tide of public opinion shifted again. Most people adopted a wait-and-see approach, and after Yan Kexin’s statement along with her top-paying fans advising restraint, the majority of her fanbase fell silent.

While searching for Ji Zhiwei, Gu Yunhui took a moment to check Weibo and then called Ye Pingsheng.

“You can’t release the audition footage?”

“No, someone maliciously hacked and destroyed the files. I’m working on recovering them,” Ye Pingsheng replied, equally anxious.

If the audition footage could be released, it would actually help Ji Zhiwei, any competent director could see her skill and potential.

Honestly, Ye Pingsheng wanted to give this talented young actress a fighting chance.

“Seems like they came prepared. I’ll send a couple of people your way. Also if you can, reach out to that girl from Ji Zhiwei’s school who was there yesterday.”

“You can’t get in touch with her? Don’t tell me something’s happened. I’ll go now.”

After hanging up, Ye Pingsheng immediately dialed Cheng Lanxin’s number.

Meanwhile, at the film academy, the controversy surrounding Ji Zhiwei was still raging.

Led by Li Yansong, those who disliked Ji Zhiwei were pushing to report the incident to the dean, hoping to also resolve the issue with the short film.

His “little sister” had been eyeing the lead role for a while, had memorized the lines, if Ji Zhiwei stepped aside, she could take over. Posting those photos on the forum was mainly to pressure Ji Zhiwei into giving up the role voluntarily.

He had poured a lot of effort into this short film and couldn’t let Ji Zhiwei steal the spotlight.

Ji Zhiwei’s friends, meanwhile, were frantic, no one could reach her.

Ye Pingsheng’s phone call was like a hammer blow, confirming Ji Zhiwei’s disappearance.

“It’s over! Director Ye asked me if Weiwei was at school. They can’t reach her either.” After Cheng Lanxin finished speaking, Fang Xianqing couldn’t sit still any longer.

“We have to go find her.”

“Don’t be impulsive. Where would you even look? She’s only been missing for half a day even if we reported it, the police wouldn’t do anything.” Meng Yu pulled Fang Xianqing back.

“Impulsive? It’s not like you haven’t seen those comments! They’re really awful. What if Weiwei does something rash? You were always close to her. Turns out, you really haven’t changed at all.” Fang Xianqing’s words carried an underlying meaning.

Meng Yu ducked her head, avoiding eye contact.

She genuinely felt she couldn’t help with this.

And with all the recent drama surrounding Ji Zhiwei, she found it all a bit exhausting.

After scouring half the surveillance footage beyond the Third Ring Road, Gu Yunhui finally caught a glimpse of Ji Zhiwei’s trail.

She sent people to search while she attended a meeting she had postponed earlier.

Just thinking about dealing with those old foxes made Gu Yunhui irritable.

This was one of the downsides of a large family too many shareholders, with factions forming everywhere.

Even Gu Yunhui’s mother hadn’t been able to untangle that web of complicated connections, and Gu Yunhui was still working on it.

By the time the meeting ended, her subordinates had already brought the disoriented girl back and taken her to the small villa.

Gu Yunhui frowned, not particularly eager to see her.

Not only had she caused this mess, but she’d also just endured over an hour of veiled sarcasm from those old schemers.

What was there to see? It would only add to her frustration.

After dragging her feet for half an hour, Gu Yunhui realized she hadn’t written a single word. She threw down her pen and drove to the villa anyway.

When she entered, the lights were off. In the dimness, Gu Yunhui could vaguely make out a dark figure curled up in the corner.

She turned on the light.

Startled, Ji Zhiwei wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, shrinking further into the crevice between the sofa and the wall.

“Ji Zhiwei.” Gu Yunhui rarely used her full name as she walked toward her.

Ji Zhiwei acted as if she hadn’t heard, her eyes vacant.

“Ji Zhiwei!” Gu Yunhui was now standing right in front of her. Seeing no reaction, she reached out to pull her up.

Ji Zhiwei flinched, avoiding her touch.

Gu Yunhui’s hand hung in the air. After staring at her for three seconds with no response, a surge of anger rushed to her head, leaving her momentarily numb.

She wanted to lash out but managed to restrain herself, turning to leave instead.

Ji Zhiwei didn’t even notice her.

By the time Gu Yunhui had freshened up and finished the rest of her work, Ji Zhiwei was still in the same spot in the living room, unmoving, frozen in position.

It was already 3 a.m.

Ji Zhiwei looked unbearably fragile, her slight frame trembling faintly. Only the occasional blink of her eyes proved she wasn’t some porcelain doll.

Gu Yunhui couldn’t bring herself to be angry anymore.

She forcibly pulled Ji Zhiwei out of her hiding spot.

The moment the blanket was stripped away, Ji Zhiwei reacted violently. Gu Yunhui had to use some strength to hold her in place, preventing her from slipping out of her arms.

“Wake up. It’s okay now.” Gu Yunhui sat down on the sofa.

This was probably the first time they had embraced without any intimacy between them.

The touch of their bodies was warm.

Perhaps sensing the familiar cool fragrance, Ji Zhiwei gradually came back to herself.

“Yun-jie!” The girl’s voice instantly cracked with tears, making Gu Yunhui’s heart ache sharply.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.” Ji Zhiwei clutched Gu Yunhui’s clothes, lingering for two minutes before trying to pull away, not daring to overstep her bounds.

Gu Yunhui had initially been feeling sorry for her little girl, but then Ji Zhiwei’s reaction made her laugh in frustration.

Didn’t want to hug, huh? As if she was the one eager for it.

Without hesitation, Gu Yunhui shoved Ji Zhiwei away.

Ji Zhiwei fell to the ground with a pained gasp, murmuring another apology.

“Hmph.” Gu Yunhui must have been so angry she lost her senses, because for a moment, she thought Ji Zhiwei looked perfect for a little bullying.

She hooked a finger under Ji Zhiwei’s chin and bit down on the tip of her nose.

The cold glint in her eyes was blurred by the reflection off her glasses, her gaze flickering with an ambiguous light unreadable, leaving Ji Zhiwei unable to decipher her emotions.

Only when Ji Zhiwei couldn’t hold back a whimper did Gu Yunhui finally release her. “What exactly are you sorry for?”

“I… the online scandal. You got exposed too.” Ji Zhiwei rubbed her nose, sniffling.

Now she’s using formal address? “You’ve got some nerve. You know you caused trouble, and then you disappeared?”

“I didn’t mean to. My phone lost signal, and then I got lost.” She had just been scared out of her wits, thrown back to the days after her parents died.

The Ji family had surrounded her, discussing her future as if she were a piece of goods. A useless burden who brought no benefit, unwanted by anyone.

No one had even asked if she was grieving the loss of her family.

She could only shrink into a corner, making herself invisible to avoid drawing the ire of the dissatisfied Ji family.

“Are you going to punish me?” Ji Zhiwei didn’t know what else to do and began fumbling with her clothes.

Their relationship, aside from physical desire, had never been about much else.

Gu Yunhui massaged her temples. What on earth was this kid thinking all day.

If she stayed any longer, she’d probably develop early-onset hypertension.

“Who wants to do that with you? Seriously such a huge mess. Tell me, can you handle it?” Gu Yunhui yanked Ji Zhiwei’s clothes back into place and dragged her onto the sofa.

“I can’t!” Ji Zhiwei bowed her head meekly.

“Then why didn’t you contact me? Running off without a word, disappearing into the wilderness real impressive. If my people had been any later, you’d have been devoured by those vultures.”

Gu Yunhui turned her head sharply and suddenly gripped Ji Zhiwei’s chin.

“I’m sorry!” She had panicked, convinced Gu Yunhui wouldn’t want to help her might even be furious.

But Gu Yunhui had stepped in and brought her back.

Gu Yunhui had always been good to her.

“Next time… No, I, I’m sorry!” Ji Zhiwei’s face burned red.

Gu Yunhui released her.

Just as Ji Zhiwei thought they were about to move onto that topic, Gu Yunhui adjusted her collar and stood. “I’m leaving. See you next time.”

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