Being the Diva’s Rumored Girlfriend [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 6

Early the next morning, while Mi Man was still curled up in bed sleeping in, she heard a shrill scream from the next room.

This was immediately followed by the sound of hurried footsteps storming into her bedroom.

Mu Xiaoxiao stood on tiptoe to yank the sleeping Mi Man down from the upper bunk: “You were with Mu Yunshu last night???”

Blinking sleepily at her friend, Mi Man answered confusedly: “Yeah.”

When the two of them had finally left the private room last night, it was already midnight. Their companions in the lounge had all gone home, and since Mi Man hadn’t brought any money with her, Mu Yunshu had to drive her back to the dormitory complex.

Resting her head drowsily against the bed, Mi Man murmured: “Why are you so surprised? She just gave me a ride home…”

If Xiaoxiao knew they’d even exchanged contact information, she’d probably jump out of her skin.

Looking at her half-asleep friend, Mu Xiaoxiao said mournfully: “How can you still sleep! You’re trending again, you know!”

This time, it wasn’t just her alone – she was trending together with Mu Yunshu.

#EXCLUSIVE! Mu Yunshu sends girlfriend home late at night, intimate moments in car!#

Mi Man stared at the words. She recognized every character, and the name mentioned was definitely hers, yet the meaning completely escaped her.

What intimate moments in the car???

All she did was give Mu Yunshu directions in the car – since when did that count as intimacy????

Couldn’t these media outlets report things accurately for once?!?!?!

Mi Man was instantly wide awake, her head practically exploding.

Arms crossed, Mu Xiaoxiao studied her friend sitting in bed with a suspicious look: “Manman, tell me the truth – did you two actually know each other before?”

Mi Man shook her head vigorously: “No way…!!!”

Glancing around nervously, she noted that Cheng Jing wasn’t in the opposite bunk and no one was in the hallway – just the two of them in the room.

Leaning in close, Mi Man whispered to Xiaoxiao: “After that drunken incident when I tagged her, that was really the first time! You have to believe me!”

Apart from confessing to Mu Yunshu herself, Xiaoxiao was the only other person who knew the truth about that incident. If anyone else overheard, who knew what kind of trouble might arise.

Xiaoxiao looked thoroughly unconvinced: “Really?”

Mi Man nodded earnestly.

“I don’t buy it,” Xiaoxiao smacked the bed in frustration. “I keep feeling like you’ve known her for ages. Don’t lie to me.”

Giving up on sleep, Mi Man threw off the covers, tied her long hair up haphazardly, and jumped down from bed.

“You’re overthinking it.”

“I hope so.”

————————

After yesterday’s performance, everyone was exhausted, so the only early risers were the energetic Xiaoxiao and now wide-awake Mi Man.

After throwing together some breakfast in the kitchen, Mi Man received a call summoning her to the company.

Her manager was already there and wanted to discuss some matters urgently.

Hanging up, Mi Man sighed deeply.

It was probably about today’s trending topic – that nonsense about being intimate with Mu Yunshu in the car. No matter how she tried to explain, people would believe what they wanted to believe.

Mi Man didn’t dare check her Weibo backend, knowing it would be flooded with curses the moment she opened it. This was the downside of being a minor celebrity—you had to endure the insults without retorting, or you’d be labeled vicious.

After changing clothes and stepping out, she was relieved that her apartment wasn’t far from the company building—just a fifteen-minute walk.

The moment Mi Man entered the company lobby, she felt everyone’s eyes on her.

She’d worn a denim jumpsuit with a hoodie today, doing her best to cover up, so why were so many people still staring?

Since she couldn’t control others’ gazes, Mi Man kept her head down and hurried toward the elevator.

“That’s Mi Man from Star Girls, right? The one who’s been trending a lot lately.”

“Yeah, the one dating Mu Yunshu.”

“Wow, she really climbed the social ladder. How’d she manage that?”

“Who knows? Maybe some kind of honey trap?”

“There are so many ‘beauties’ in the company—why her? What about that girl her group was pushing hard?”

“You mean Cheng Jing? The company was planning to promote her, but within an hour of the push, this one overtook her. All the groundwork the company did went to waste.”

“Ugh, is this some kind of girl group infighting? Scary…”

“Yeah… Let’s stay away from her…”

Mi Man’s hood obscured her expression, but she heard every word.

They could call her vicious or scheming—she didn’t care. But why drag Cheng Jing into it?

Stepping into the elevator, she pressed the button for her floor.

The empty cabin let her exhale slowly in relief.

But before she could catch her breath, the doors suddenly reopened.

“Sorry, excuse us.”

Mi Man looked up to see a woman in a wheelchair being helped inside by an assistant. The woman had a thick blanket over her legs and wore a lazy expression, not even glancing at the elevator’s only other occupant.

Disabled?

Mi Man blinked and shifted aside. “Which floor?” she asked quietly.

The assistant in a black business suit replied, “Seventeen, please. Thanks.”

Seventeen?

Mi Man stared at the already lit button. They were going to the same floor?

The towering office building wasn’t entirely occupied by her agency—they only had the lobby and the 16th, 17th, and 18th floors. The rest belonged to other companies.

Without another word, Mi Man leaned against the corner and scrolled through her phone, wondering how she’d explain last night’s incident with Mu Yunshu to Manager Gu later.

“You…”

The woman in the wheelchair spoke slowly. “Your name is Mi Man, isn’t it?”

Mi Man froze, turning to look at her. The woman’s face was pale, her complexion sickly, as if she’d been unwell for a long time.

Despite her gaunt appearance, her beauty was undeniable—well-defined brows, hollow cheeks that accentuated her large eyes, and delicate features that needed no makeup.

How did someone like this know her?

Mi Man nodded in slight confusion. “Yes, that’s me. And you are…?”

The woman replied calmly, “Fu Yilan.”

The name rang a faint bell in Mi Man’s ears, yet she couldn’t quite place who this person was, staring blankly at her.

Perhaps amused by Mi Man’s bewilderment, the assistant kindly reminded her, “This is your boss, President Fu Yilan.”

Fu Yilan glanced at Mi Man standing beside her and said, “You’ve overshadowed Cheng Jing from your group. You must know what the company’s next steps will be, right?”

She lifted her head to look at Mi Man. “The reason I called you here today is to discuss the company’s plans to exclusively promote you moving forward.”

Mi Man’s eyes widened in disbelief.

When the girl group “Star Girls” was first formed, it had seven members. Mi Man had always been the one lingering in the background, while the company had consistently pushed Cheng Jing—tall, elegant, and always in the spotlight. Mi Man only occasionally appeared in group photos.

Now, suddenly, they wanted to switch their focus to her. Whether for the group or the company, this was no small matter.

In the meeting room, several executives analyzed Mi Man’s current popularity, concluding that under Mu Yunshu’s influence, she had the potential to break into the ranks of first or second-tier celebrities. Now was the perfect time to push her.

Others argued that Cheng Jing had held the center position for so long that abruptly replacing her would sow discord within the group, which could be detrimental to future development.

Despite the discussion revolving around her, Mi Man found herself unable to focus on the endless chatter.

“Enough talk,” Fu Yilan said expressionlessly from her wheelchair. “While Mi Man is currently trending, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s fit to take on the role of leader.”

The room fell silent.

Fu Yilan glanced at her phone on the table and turned to her assistant. “Bring out the contract.”

The assistant retrieved a contract from his bag, drawing curious glances from everyone present.

“This is the contract Mu Yunshu’s studio sent me this morning,” Fu Yilan announced. “She wants to invite Mi Man to participate in a reality show starting next week.”

“A reality show?!” Sister Gu exclaimed in surprise. “Mi Man and the others have no experience with variety shows.”

“If they haven’t done it before, they can start preparing now,” Fu Yilan said coolly. “Mi Man, what do you think?”

If she performed well on the show, she could very well secure a strong push within the group, replacing Cheng Jing’s position.

With such exposure and the backing of a superstar like Mu Yunshu, it would be nearly impossible for Mi Man not to rise to fame.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone, yet Mi Man hesitated.

After a long pause, she finally spoke. “I can participate in the show, but… can we not remove Cheng Jing from her leading position?”

She and Cheng Jing had known each other since childhood. Seeing her fall back after struggling so hard to get here was unbearable.

Fu Yilan paused, studying the conflicted expression on Mi Man’s face with a hint of exasperation.

Did she truly not understand that the entertainment industry was a den of wolves? Cheng Jing hadn’t gotten this far just because she was pretty.

Without spelling it out, Fu Yilan gave Mi Man a slight nod and said, “Alright, pack your things. You’ll be joining Mu Yunshu’s production team tomorrow to film a variety show out of town.”

A month of filming the variety show would be enough to make this girl understand certain things.