Being the Diva’s Rumored Girlfriend [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 12

Day by day, time passed, and summer officially began its scorching heat.

This year’s summer seemed even hotter than previous ones. After filming two episodes, the director told everyone to take a break—it wouldn’t be good if anyone got heatstroke from shooting outdoors in this weather.

Mi Man had already been here for nearly half a month and had grown quite familiar with the other four guests. She’d even become recognizable to the crew, feeling much more at ease compared to when she first joined the production.

Mu Xiaoxiao: Just focus on recording the show for now. There’s nothing much going on with the group. We only have one commercial performance scheduled for the end of the month. The rest of the time, we’re just shuttling between the company and the dorm.

Mi Man: It’s been so long since I’ve seen you all. I kinda miss you~

Mu Xiaoxiao: You’ve only been gone for a short while, and your mouth’s already so sweet. Who exactly are you missing—us or someone else?

Mi Man rolled over on the bed but didn’t reply.

Mu Xiaoxiao: Just a word of advice—focus on your work. Mu Yunshu treats you so well. If you can leverage even a fraction of her resources, you can rise above being a small-time celebrity. Don’t get distracted thinking about some unknown someone in the group.

Mi Man: Why suddenly bring up Cheng Jing like that? Did something happen in the group?

Mu Xiaoxiao: …

Mu Xiaoxiao: No, nothing. I have to go now. You should rest.

Looking at her phone screen, Mi Man replied with a sticker before getting up from bed to grab a cold drink from the fridge in the first-floor kitchen.

As soon as she pushed open the door and stepped onto the first floor, she saw several members of the production team deep in discussion, looking very busy.

You An was nestled in Shi Qinglan’s arms, sipping a cold drink. When she saw Mi Man coming downstairs, she waved enthusiastically: “Manman~~~~~”

Over these days, Mi Man and You An had grown quite close. Despite the over-ten-year age gap, You An was such a delightful person that Mi Man never felt uncomfortable around her.

“What’s up?” Mi Man walked over, glancing at the production team with confusion. “The director looks really worried.”

You An took another sip of her drink, swinging her legs. “They’re rushing to finalize the show. Some of the originally planned segments aren’t feasible in this heat, so they’re brainstorming games we can play inside the villa.”

After all, variety shows are meant for the audience—without entertaining content, people wouldn’t be interested.

Before Mi Man could fully process this, the production team suddenly slammed the table: “That’s the one!”

In about ten minutes, the director had gathered all six guests, including Mi Man, in the first floor living room. Everyone looked completely bewildered.

The director sat on a small stool nearby and asked, “It’s summer now—do you all feel hot?”

The guests exchanged glances.

Undeterred by the lack of response, the director continued, “What do you think is the most essential thing to do in summer?”

You An thought for a moment and said, “Play guitar by the coast of New Zealand?”

The director shook his head.

Madam Jian Mo pondered and said, “Every summer vacation, I work on research projects. Are we doing experiments?”

Again, the director shook his head.

When Mi Man noticed the director’s gaze land on her, she couldn’t help but shiver, feeling like a student called on in class.

“P-perhaps doing something to cool off?”

“Exactly!”

The director slapped his thigh and said, “Look how hot it is now, how quiet the night is, and how deserted the surroundings are. Isn’t this the perfect time for… ghost stories?”

Everyone: “…”

What the hell???

Dragging everyone out in the middle of the night instead of letting them sleep, just to gather around and tell ghost stories in the dark???

Director, are you sure you’re filming a sweet romance show???

The audience is going to complain about this!!

Seeing everyone’s bewildered expressions, the production team chuckled and said, “We’ve even prepared candles. Since the timing is perfect, let’s do it tonight. Everyone, take a seat.”

Realizing there was no way to refuse, and considering that telling ghost stories seemed much easier than going out to roughhouse and complete tasks, everyone thought it over and agreed.

Mi Man, watching everyone gather in a circle in the living room, couldn’t help but feel her palms grow sweaty.

Mu Yunshu, sitting on a cushion, glanced back at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The dim lighting at night made Mi Man nervous. She was genuinely afraid of ghost stories, but this was part of the mission…

Right, everyone was together. Ghost stories couldn’t be that bad, could they?

Clenching her fists, Mi Man sat down beside Mu Yunshu with the determination of a soldier marching to certain death.

“The rules are simple,” the director said. “We’ll go clockwise, and each person tells a short personal story. After finishing, you can blow out your candle.”

“Director, don’t movies always show something bad happening when the candles are blown out?” Youan raised his hand. “Can we skip that part?”

The director thought for a moment. “Sure.”

After all, this wasn’t a horror movie—better to keep the audience in mind.

“Ghost stories, huh?” Qi Ye, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was the oldest and most experienced among them. He was quite interested in this activity and eagerly said, “Let me start first!”

Everyone perked up their ears.

Qi Ye had a rugged face that flickered ominously in the candlelight. Combined with his background in broadcasting, his voice immediately drew everyone into the story.

“Let me tell you about something that happened to me while filming abroad,” Qi Ye said, resting his hands on his knees, his voice deep and steady. “About twenty years ago, I got a role in a mystery film that required shooting near the Laos border.”

“Back then, filming conditions were poor, especially in remote areas. The crew put us up in a small, mostly deserted hotel. The place was run-down and had terrible soundproofing. During the day, we were all out filming, and we wouldn’t return until late at night or even the early hours of the morning. I shared a standard room with another actor, and every night before bed, we’d hear knocking sounds from the floor above, along with locals whispering in low voices.”

“The living conditions were bad enough, but hearing those incomprehensible murmurs every night was unsettling. Eventually, I asked the manager if we could switch rooms. But no matter how many times we moved, we always heard two people talking upstairs in some unfamiliar language…”

Qi Ye’s storytelling was so immersive that everyone held their breath, hanging on his every word.

Mi Man, who appeared timid and truly was, listened to the story with her face pale from fright.

Especially when he talked about going upstairs to check, his face turned pale with fear.

Mu Yunshu had been sitting beside her the whole time. Seeing her little friend so frightened that she seemed to have “lost color,” she found it both amusing and a little heart-wrenching.

Did this kid actually believe it was real?

After all, Old Qi wasn’t just a former broadcaster—after stepping back from the frontlines in recent years, he had taken up writing.

This ghost story was most likely made up.

Watching Mi Man grow increasingly scared as Qi Ye’s story progressed, Mu Yunshu finally reached out.

Mi Man had been listening intently when suddenly, she felt a pair of hands touch her waist. Instantly, her hair stood on end!

“!!!!!!!”

Mi Man followed the hands and saw Mu Yunshu staring at her in surprise. Clearly, Mu Yunshu hadn’t expected such a small gesture to scare her so badly.

Mi Man’s eyes were even red—had she… been scared to tears?

Mu Yunshu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She shifted closer and wrapped her arms around Mi Man, pulling her into an embrace.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared…” Mu Yunshu murmured gently. “It’s not that frightening.”

Mi Man clutched tightly at Mu Yunshu’s clothes, breathing in the faint scent of grass that clung to her. Her nose stung, and she nearly burst into tears.

Seemingly aware of her mistake, Mu Yunshu held Mi Man even tighter, her other hand firmly clasping Mi Man’s palm.

Qi Ye’s story continued in the background, but to Mi Man, the voice grew more and more distant. All she could feel was her own wildly pounding heartbeat and the rising warmth in her cheeks.

Mu Yunshu… was holding her…

The realization made her flush crimson. Whether in school or as a trainee, she had rarely been this physically close to anyone—let alone in a dimly lit living room like this.

When Qi Ye finished his story, the group erupted in praise. Only then did Mi Man manage to wriggle free from Mu Yunshu’s embrace.

Though the storytelling continued, Mu Yunshu never let go of her hand, and Mi Man gradually began to feel a little better.

Or perhaps… a little more at ease.

After You An finished her own short horror story, it was Mi Man’s turn—though she was still somewhat distracted. After a moment of thought, she shyly said, “I’ll tell you about the time we took a group photo.”

That incident had been the scariest thing Mi Man had ever experienced in her life.

You An rested her chin on her hand and, after hearing Mi Man’s story, remarked, “So, your ghost story is that someone placed a hand on your shoulder during the photo, but afterward, you realized it was actually a spider?”

Mi Man nodded, goosebumps rising all over her body. “A spider about the size of a palm—it just dropped onto my shoulder out of nowhere.”

Even now, the memory terrified her. Where on earth had such a huge spider come from???

After some consideration, the group agreed that this was indeed scarier than any ghost story and let Mi Man off the hook, moving on to the next person.

Once everyone had shared their stories, they voted for the scariest one—Old Qi’s tale of supernatural encounters during an overseas shoot.

Shi Qinglan shuddered, shaking off imaginary goosebumps. “I have to admit, telling ghost stories really does make the room feel cooler.”

You An clung tightly to her arm, hopping in place. “I’m still so scared! How am I supposed to sleep tonight?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold you.”

“Wuwuwu, Lanlan, you’re the best~”

As the lively crowd dispersed, Mi Man suddenly realized she had been holding hands with Mu Yunshu for over an hour.

Flushing red, Mi Man quickly let go and stammered, “S-sorry…”

“Shh.” Mu Yunshu leaned closer, whispering to Mi Man, “Don’t say it.”

Mi Man nodded, understanding she shouldn’t speak formally in front of others—she’d nearly apologized just now.

Mu Yunshu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Mi Man with amusement. “It’s getting late, you should rest now.”

Just as she was about to stand up, Mu Yunshu felt a tug at her sleeve. Looking down, she saw Mi Man clutching her sleeve, her small face pale.

“Um…” Mi Man asked timidly, “What time… do you usually go to bed?”