Hi, Wifey! [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 21

The man was also a supporting actor in the crew, but he had been in the entertainment industry for quite some time. Rumor had it he was about to land the lead role in a web series, which was why Fang Chushi was particularly eager to cozy up to him.

When he found out Fu Xia happened to be out of her room, Fang Chushi put on a regretful expression and patted the man’s arm, saying, “What a close call. I’ll have to visit Teacher Xia tonight.”

After a day’s work, Fang Chushi sent the location in the actors’ group chat along with the private room number before heading to the hotel to personally invite Fu Xia to dinner at Lake Maple Hotel.

Fu Xia had stayed in the hotel all day without going anywhere. The bruise on her forehead from this morning’s fall had improved somewhat—still a bit blue, but nothing serious. Once covered with makeup tomorrow, it would hardly be noticeable.

Fang Chushi was brimming with enthusiasm. Though Fu Xia still felt uneasy, Director Chen had spoken up for him and personally called to ask her to attend, so she couldn’t very well refuse.

Upon arriving at Lake Maple Hotel, the driver parked the car and followed Fu Xia into the private room. Since there would be drinking, a separate table had been arranged for the driver and other crew members who came along, though the spread wasn’t as lavish as the other tables.

Fu Xia sat at Director Chen’s table. When she looked up, she noticed Cheng Wanyu sitting across from her and nodded in greeting. Glancing around, she realized the private room was quite spacious—even with the entire cast invited, there were only about four or five tables, each laden with extravagant delicacies that exuded opulence.

As the host, Fang Chushi was naturally skilled at livening up the atmosphere. Soon, the entire room was buzzing with excitement. As people got drunk, they began boasting, and even Director Chen, after a few too many, couldn’t resist grabbing the assistant director to ramble about all sorts of things.

Fu Xia was toasted by Fang Chushi a few times. Her alcohol tolerance was poor, and after two drinks, her head already felt heavy. She adamantly refused any more, and Fang Chushi, after a glance, didn’t press her, moving on to others instead.

The banquet started around seven or eight and lasted well past ten. Many were already drunk, and those who weren’t pretended to be, clamoring to go back and sleep.

Fu Xia felt drowsy after drinking. She wasn’t fond of such gatherings—she wasn’t the silver-tongued type and often ended up unusually quiet at these events. For business dinners or investor meetings, Zhou Wen would always accompany her to prevent any missteps. But since this was an internal crew dinner, Zhou Wen didn’t want to dampen Fu Xia’s spirits and let the driver accompany her instead while she handled work back at the hotel.

Just as Fu Xia was thinking it was about time to leave, Fang Chushi circled back to her.

“Teacher Fu Xia, why aren’t you drinking?” Fang Chushi looked at her, his fair face beaming with a smile. “Have a drink with me?”

Fu Xia shook her head, pressing a hand to her chest. “I’ve had enough. If I eat any more, I’ll throw up. My chest already feels tight, and I’m short of breath”.

Fang Chushi glanced around. Most people in the entertainment industry smoked and drank, so the room was now thick with smoke and alcohol. Some tables were practically drowning in cigarette butts, the haze so dense it resembled a mystical fog, obscuring faces.

“How about we step out to the balcony for a chat?” Fang Chushi suggested, looking at Fu Xia. “There’s so much I’d like to say to you, Teacher Xia.”

Fu Xia hesitated. “Can’t we talk here just as well?”

Fang Chushi looked despondent as he gazed at Fu Xia and said, “Teacher Xia, why are you still guarding against me? I admit it was wrong of me to barge into your room before. Since I’m leaving the crew soon, can’t you talk with me alone for a little while?”

Seeing Fang Chushi’s meek and submissive demeanor, Fu Xia found it hard to refuse. She had always been more susceptible to soft approaches than hard ones. Thinking that Fang Chushi would indeed be leaving the crew tomorrow—this dinner essentially being his wrap party—and given his polite apology, she couldn’t bring herself to turn him down.

“Alright then,” Fu Xia said. “I could use some fresh air anyway.”

Fang Chushi brightened immediately, setting down his glass and leading Fu Xia to the balcony of the private room.

The Lake Maple Hotel was built along the lakeshore, and the balcony outside their room faced the water. Across the lake, the city glittered with neon lights, their colorful reflections on the lake’s surface creating the illusion of two cities.

There was no denying the breathtaking view from this five-star hotel. Though the crew’s usual accommodations were decent, they were still just business hotels—nothing compared to the scenic beauty of a resort like this.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Fang Chushi leaned against the balcony railing and asked, watching Fu Xia.

She nodded as the night breeze tousled her hair. Entranced by the city lights mirrored on the lake, she couldn’t help but murmur, “It’s really stunning here.”

The perfect blend of tranquility and vibrancy, especially with this artificial lake before them—it was nothing short of a masterpiece.

“Teacher Xia, do you know the name of this lake?” Fang Chushi asked with a smile.

Fu Xia shook her head.

Glancing at the dark waters, Fang Chushi said, “It’s called Thetis’ Tear—also known as the Sea Goddess’ Tear, named after the sea nymph from Greek mythology.”

“The name is beautiful,” Fu Xia replied, “but I’m not familiar with her.”

“You don’t need to know her,” Fang Chushi said, his eyes lingering on Fu Xia. “Just know that she was an incredibly beautiful goddess.” He added softly, “As beautiful as you.”

The night wind played with Fu Xia’s hair as she smoothed it back and sighed. “Aren’t you afraid your sugar mommy will get jealous if you flirt with me like this?”

Fang Chushi spread his hands helplessly. “Teacher Xia, I’ve told you many times—she’s just one of my investors. Our relationship is completely professional.”

“Including kissing her hand?” Fu Xia countered.

Fang Chushi fell silent.

Meeting his gaze, Fu Xia said, “I know you want to date me to boost your own fame. But you should also know I’m a controversial celebrity—any sensible person would steer clear of me. And…” She turned her eyes back to the lake, her voice calm. “I have no intention of dating anyone.”

At least not until her contract expired. Romance was the last thing on her mind.

Fang Chushi’s expression darkened. He considered himself quite the catch—though he wasn’t famous, hadn’t plenty of unknown male celebrities hooked up with established actresses and ridden their coattails to stardom? Why was it so difficult for him?

Truth be told, Fang Chushi wasn’t particularly interested in Fu Xia. While she was undeniably beautiful, her public reputation was terrible, and according to his sugar mommy, Fu Xia was also penniless.

As a top-tier celebrity, the notion of being poor simply didn’t apply—yet the wealthy older sister insisted Fu Xia was impoverished, even scoffing at the idea without further explanation. Fang Chushi had learned through various channels that Fu Xia’s income was substantial, yet she lived far from extravagantly. No one knew where her annual earnings of several hundred million went; they only knew she wasn’t as wealthy as other A-list actresses.

But no matter how you spun it, Fu Xia was still a top star. Even if she wasn’t rich, she certainly wasn’t poor. Fang Chushi had always suspected that the “poverty” defined by the wealthy sister wasn’t the conventional kind.

Ordinary people earning forty or fifty thousand a year might complain about being poor, while the wealthy earning forty or fifty million could still cry poverty—even those making hundreds of millions would whine about it endlessly. It wasn’t a reliable benchmark.

Fang Chushi felt the atmosphere today was rather pleasant. Looking at Fu Xia helplessly, he said, “Are you really not going to reconsider? I think I’m not half bad—I can give you everything you want.”

Fu Xia sighed. “I don’t like older men.”

Fang Chushi: “…Huh?”

Fu Xia continued, “You’re 28, right? Stop pretending to be 18. Nobody’s fooled, and sooner or later, you’ll slip up.”

Fang Chushi: “…”

Fu Xia added, “Since you’re about to leave the crew, I don’t have anything to give you, so I’ll just offer some advice.”

Fang Chushi: “What advice?”

Fu Xia said, “Don’t compare yourself to others. Stay true to who you are—otherwise, you’ll only hurt yourself and others.”

Fang Chushi: “…”

Watching Fu Xia walks away, Fang Chushi felt his temper rising. As he stared at her retreating figure, he couldn’t help gnawing at his nails.

This woman was really dancing on the edge of his patience.

Fang Chushi snorted. If she was going to be this ungrateful, then he wouldn’t hold back either.

After Fang Chushi left the crew, Fu Xia moved into a new suite on the floor above, identical to her previous one—except her neighbor was no longer Cheng Wanyu.

Zhou Wen moved in with her, genuinely worried about Fu Xia’s careless habits. As a celebrity, the slightest misstep could lead to trouble, so Zhou Wen kept a close eye on her, afraid she might say or do something wrong.

On the first day of August, in the middle of summer vacation, Fu Xia inexplicably found herself trending on Weibo while filming.

The trending topic was sparked by an entertainment influencer who posted a slew of allegations against Fu Xia, including:

–Fu Xia Buys PR to Discredit Fellow Artists

–Fu Xia Rolls Her Eyes at Staff

–Fu Xia Acts Like a Diva, Slaps Fan’s Phone

Six different accusations trended at once, each backed by seemingly detailed “evidence,” quickly climbing to the top of the charts. The backlash was so intense that Weibo’s servers crashed overnight.

Sitting innocently on set, Fu Xia had no idea how she’d managed to land so many trending topics at once.

In a way, it was kind of impressive.

Zhou Wen panicked, calling the agency to control and suppress the backlash. But the trending topics were clearly bought—with hundreds of thousands of reposts and comments. In the end, Zhou Wen rushed to the company overnight to help drown out the negative buzz.

Fu Xia stared at the glaring hot searches on her phone. After an entire afternoon, four out of the six trending topics had been removed, leaving only two still hanging—buying marketing to disparage fellow artists and slapping a fan’s phone. Their rankings were alarmingly close, with one sitting at the top and the other in third place.

Settled into her favorite sofa, Fu Xia lacked the courage to open those comments. Gazing at the city’s nightscape through the floor-to-ceiling window, she felt an uncontrollable chill creeping through her entire body.