Being the Diva’s Rumored Girlfriend [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 20

When everyone returned to the dormitory, they didn’t see Yao Xuan who had come back earlier.

 

At first, no one paid much attention and went about their business as usual. But when Yao Xuan’s roommate entered their room, she discovered almost all of Yao Xuan’s belongings had been taken away. Only then did they start to panic.

 

Her luggage, clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics—everything was gone. Calls went unanswered, messages were ignored, and eventually, she couldn’t be reached at all.

 

It was then that everyone realized something might be seriously wrong.

 

Sister Gu rushed over from home late at night. Seeing Yao Xuan’s completely empty bed and desk, she couldn’t help but frown.

 

The others exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do next.

 

Sister Gu turned to the girls and asked, “What were you all doing today?”

 

Mu Xiaoxiao replied, “We were practicing dance steps.”

 

Sister Gu frowned. “All of you?”

 

The group glanced at Mi Man, who then spoke up, “In the afternoon, Mu Yunshu came to find me, and we went to sit in Director Fu’s office for a while…”

 

Sister Gu, who likely hadn’t been at the company that afternoon, seemed slightly surprised to hear Mu Yunshu had visited Mi Man but nodded and said, “Alright, I understand.”

 

“Other than that, did Yao Xuan interact with anyone else?”

 

“Well… the captain seemed to talk with Yao Xuan for a while at noon, and then she ran off.”

 

Cheng Jing’s expression remained indifferent and cold as she calmly stated, “I did speak with Yao Xuan about something.”

 

Sister Gu crossed her arms and asked, “What did you say to her?”

 

Cheng Jing replied, “About breaking up.”

 

In an instant, all eyes turned to her. Even Mi Man, standing in the far corner, instinctively looked up at Cheng Jing.

 

Sister Gu seemed to have already anticipated this. After a long silence, she said to Cheng Jing, “Come with me. I need to talk to you.”

 

The two left the dormitory, and the other girls immediately huddled together.

 

“What? Cheng Jing is breaking up with Yao Xuan???”

 

“It’s only been a few months! How can they break up already?”

 

“Isn’t this too sudden?”

 

Mi Man listened intently, equally shocked that Cheng Jing would actually break up with Yao Xuan. It was truly unexpected…

 

“Manman.”

 

Mu Xiaoxiao tugged at Mi Man’s sleeve and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

 

Mi Man glanced at the others and sighed. “Let the company handle Yao Xuan and Cheng Jing’s situation. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

 

Everyone nodded in agreement. After all, Mi Man was right—signed artists couldn’t freely pursue relationships based on their own preferences. These matters were often used by the company for publicity.

 

Though each of them had their own thoughts, they all pretended everything was normal as they washed up and prepared for bed.

 

Before turning in, Cheng Jing still hadn’t returned. Mi Man, lying in bed, received a message from Mu Xiaoxiao:

 

Mu Xiaoxiao: Do you really think Cheng Jing is breaking up with Yao Xuan?

 

Mi Man lay on her side, pondering before replying: Who knows? It’s their own business, after all.

 

Mu Xiaoxiao: You really don’t care?

 

Mi Man: I’ve been pretty busy lately. I can’t keep focusing on other people’s matters—I need to save some energy for myself.

 

Lately, Mi Man had come to terms with it—no matter how much Cheng Jing stirred things up, she would never like her.

 

If there had been even the slightest chance between them, they wouldn’t have stayed just friends for so long.

 

The next morning, Mi Man woke up to find that Cheng Jing hadn’t returned to sleep, and she had no idea where the girl had spent the night.

 

Sister Gu sent out a notice to everyone: due to Yao Xuan’s absence, the MV shoot was temporarily postponed. Fortunately, she’d secured a commercial performance for them next month.

 

The group wasn’t particularly happy about this. After all the effort they’d put into recording, having it delayed because of this situation was frustrating no matter how you looked at it.

 

“I guess we’ll just be stuck in the dorm during this time,” the red-haired girl said, kicking her legs on the couch while looking up. “Manman’s lucky though—she gets to shoot commercials.”

 

Mi Man offered a small smile. “Yao Xuan is probably just throwing a little tantrum. She’ll likely be back soon, and we won’t fall behind on the album schedule.”

 

The others sighed. “Let’s hope so.”

 

Being young girls themselves, they bore no real ill will toward Yao Xuan—just some frustration at how unpredictable things could be.

 

That weekend, Mu Yunshu arrived right on time to pick up Mi Man for the commercial shoot.

 

During the car ride, Mu Yunshu explained the general concept of the advertisement to Mi Man.

 

Mi Man would play a little mermaid who rescues a prince in the sea and brings him ashore. Longing to see him again, she makes a deal with a sea witch, trading her voice for legs.

 

Upon reaching land, she meets the prince, only to find him naturally aloof and unwilling to engage with a mute mermaid. Surprisingly, it’s the princess who takes a keen interest in her.

 

So much so that when the princess notices the mermaid’s difficulty walking, she changes the ball into an ice-skating event and invites the mermaid to dance with her.

 

As the two dance happily together, the scene transitions into a chocolate music box, presented to the most special girl amidst a backdrop of colorful, romantic fireworks.

 

After hearing this, Mi Man looked surprised. “Is this… The Little Mermaid?”

 

Mu Yunshu chuckled lightly. “It’s a Valentine’s Day commercial—naturally, it needs some fairy tale elements.”

 

Mi Man said nervously, “I haven’t done many narrative commercials before. I’m not sure if I can adapt…”

 

Most of her previous ads had been either print work or food commercials.

 

Mi Man and the others were usually either holding colorful instant noodles or various other products.

 

All they had to do was stand there and smile, and the shoot would be over.

 

Knowing this was Mi Man’s first time filming this kind of ad, Mu Yunshu smiled. “It’s not difficult. Didn’t the director praise your natural expressions during the variety show filming?”

 

“That was different,” Mi Man said stubbornly. “That was me having fun playing games. This time, I have to perform for the camera.”

 

Mu Yunshu blinked. “Just imagine yourself as the little mermaid.”

 

“Well… but I’m not—”

 

“Who says you’re not?”

 

Mu Yunshu reassured her, “In my heart, you’re the one and only leading lady.”

 

O-one and only???

 

Mi Man’s face flushed bright red instantly. “Stop talking nonsense!” she huffed.

 

If this woman kept teasing her like this, she’d never be able to pull herself together!!!

 

Damn this woman and her silver tongue!!!

 

At the set, they met with the director. The story was pretty much what Mu Yunshu had described in the car. After discussing the details, the stylist prepared costumes for both Mi Man and Mu Yunshu.

 

The stylist was a short-haired girl in a crop top, her dark skin and striking abs making her stand out as she moved through the crowd.

 

“You’re here,” the stylist teased with a smile. “I’m Ah Shan, and I promise to make you both look absolutely stunning.”

 

Mi Man nodded awkwardly and greeted, “Hello.”

 

Ah Shan’s gaze lingered on Mi Man, scrutinizing her up and down with such intensity that even Yunshu felt her temper rising.

 

What are you staring at? Keep looking and I’ll gouge your eyes out!

 

Fortunately, Ah Shan didn’t stare for too long before quickly grabbing a measuring tape to take Mi Man’s shoulder, waist, and torso measurements.

 

“Your waist is so slim,” Ah Shan praised as she measured. “The dress we prepared is a bit loose, but we can easily take it in.”

 

Yunshu frowned.

 

Ah Shan then measured Mi Man’s bust and clicked her tongue twice. “A bit small. I’ll pad it out later.”

 

Mi Man blushed and murmured, “Sorry…”

 

She wasn’t sure why she was apologizing, but she felt like she was causing trouble.

 

When Ah Shan moved to measure Mi Man’s hips, Yunshu’s eyes practically burned with anger. She yanked Mi Man to her side and glared at the stylist.

 

“Are you done?”

 

Yunshu’s sharp tone caught Ah Shan off guard. Blinking, she looked at Yunshu’s darkened expression and awkwardly replied, “Just the… uh, hips left—”

 

But seeing Yunshu’s face grow even stormier, Ah Shan forced a laugh and said, “Well, the petticoat will cover it anyway, so I’ll go get things ready~”

 

Watching the stylist scurry off, Mi Man turned to Yunshu in confusion. “Don’t you need measurements too?”

 

Yunshu replied calmly, “I already had mine taken earlier.”

 

Since Mi Man had been busy with dance practice recently, Yunshu had come ahead to handle preparations, finalizing the script and other details before bringing Mi Man along.

 

Unaware of this, Mi Man assumed Yunshu had simply reported her own measurements to the crew, thinking how convenient it was to be famous—everything was taken care of for you.

 

The first scenes didn’t require formal wear, shot against a large green screen with everything else added in post-production—simple and efficient.

 

Mi Man struggled at first, unsure how to convey the right emotions. With the director’s guidance, she barely managed to get through the initial takes.

 

“Let’s call it a day for now.”

 

Seeing how late it was and how exhausted everyone was, the director wrapped up, advising Mi Man to familiarize herself with the script for tomorrow’s ice-skating dance scene.

 

By the time they finished, it was already past 10 p.m.

 

“Your dorm is pretty far from here, right?” Yunshu watched as Mi Man packed her things and said, “My studio is nearby, so you don’t need to go back tonight.”

 

Yunshu figured they’d be shooting the ad all day tomorrow, and commuting back and forth would be exhausting.

 

Mi Man was surprised by the invitation. “Is that really okay?”

 

“Of course it is.” Yunshu led her into the elevator with a smile. “It’ll save time tomorrow. Staying close by isn’t a bad idea.”

 

Mi Man thought it over and agreed—the director had mentioned an early start, so staying nearby made sense.

 

But what Mi Man didn’t expect was that Mu Yunshu indeed drove toward her studio, and they disembarked right at its entrance.

 

Yet why was Mu Yunshu following her inside?

 

And why did she act as if she were returning to her own home???

 

Mi Man was puzzled, but since this was technically the other woman’s studio, she didn’t feel comfortable questioning it. She simply followed Mu Yunshu inside.

 

She had visited once before with Sister Gu, but they had only stayed briefly in a first-floor meeting room, never exploring the studio properly.

 

Admittedly, the grand three-story villa was quite impressive.

 

They walked down a long corridor on the first floor, its semi-open design revealing glimpses of the villa’s garden and pond outside. The inner walls were lined with portraits of the studio’s artists, gradually transitioning into classical oil paintings further down.

 

At the end of the hallway, Mu Yunshu pushed open a white door, revealing a cozy two-story cottage. Though modest in size, it felt surprisingly spacious.

 

“Come in,” Mu Yunshu said, glancing back at the curious Mi Man. “This is my home. I’ll arrange a guest room for you.”

 

Before Mi Man could process the fact that Mu Yunshu had brought her home, she suddenly felt a ticklish sensation at her ankle. Looking down, she saw a plump orange cat rubbing its head against her.

 

The round-faced feline, its chubby cheeks full of squishable charm, nuzzled Mi Man’s legs before tilting its head up to inspect the new potential servant.

 

“Meow—”

 

Excellent. This human looked easy to bully.

 

It approved.