The Gorgeous Omega Came to Seduce Me [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 25

Ji Liao hadn’t expected to find herself standing so close to Cheng Mi again.

Face to face, with barely ten centimeters between them, Ji Liao could clearly see every nuance of Cheng Mi’s expression—stubborn, unwilling, as if she were gambling on something.

She was doing this on purpose.

Quickly reaching this conclusion, Ji Liao decisively withdrew her hand.

Cheng Mi had already steadied herself on the steps, but Ji Liao’s near-recoil still stung. The gazes of those around them seemed to shift toward the two of them, some overt, some covert, but all filled with curiosity.

Cheng Mi spoke, sounding wounded. “You—”

“Is there anything else?” Ji Liao cut her off without waiting for her to finish. “If there are no more events, I’ll take my leave.”

Ji Liao’s gaze was directed at the staff in the distance—clearly, the question was meant for the director.

An innocent assistant director who happened to be passing by: “Uh… according to the schedule, no.”

Ji Liao gave a faint nod, then turned and walked out of the venue without a hint of hesitation. Wu Zi, who had been trailing behind, caught up to Ji Liao halfway, carrying her things while shooting a glare back at Cheng Mi—

After everything that had happened, how dare she still try to take advantage of Ji Liao like this!

Cheng Mi was momentarily stunned by Wu Zi’s glare, blinking in confusion before her expression darkened in realization.

Who did Wu Zi think she was? She had only just met Ji Liao—what right did she have to stand by Ji Liao’s side and look at her with such condemnation? And that Mu Shenshen was no different. What gave her the right to have Ji Liao play that song for her?

She was the one closest to Ji Liao. She had been in the past, and she would be in the future. Whether it was Wu Zi or Mu Shenshen, neither of them could ever replace her.

“Are you alright, Xiao Mi?” Zhu Linchen approached Cheng Mi with concern.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Cheng Mi quickly softened her expression again, lowering her eyes and shaking her head.

“If you’re unsteady, you should see a doctor,” Qin Ming said casually, his coat draped over his arm as he pointed at someone from the production team. “Hey, you—yes, you. Xiao Wang, go call a doctor for Teacher Cheng.”

Xiao Wang, who had been wrapping up work, straightened up in confusion. “Huh?”

“No ‘huh,’ just go.” Qin Ming smiled.

Zhou Yun, his agent, took one look at him and immediately understood what her Alpha was thinking. Calmly walking over, she glanced at Qin Ming. “Done talking?”

The moment he saw Zhou Yun, Qin Ming’s demeanor shifted entirely. Beaming, he lifted his arm to snuggle against her. “Done, done. Let’s go home, wifey.”

Zhou Yun sidestepped him and continued flipping through her schedule. “Move. I still have work to do.”

“…Oh.” Qin Ming instantly deflated, trailing after her like a wilted plant.

Left standing awkwardly in the wake of the industry heavyweight’s departure, Cheng Mi bit her lip in silence.

San Yang, ever the peacemaker, hurried over with a smile. “Ah, everyone’s had a long day. Xiao Mi, was it low bl00d sugar? You should go rest. Assistant, come help her.”

The assistant, who had been standing nearby for a while, hurried over to support Cheng Mi’s elbow. San Yang and Zhu Linchen comforted Cheng Mi with concern, a strange tacit understanding growing among the three of them, as everyone pretended not to understand Qin Ming’s meaning.

At that moment, Ji Liao had already walked into the corridor leading to the hotel.

The night was deep, and this area, used as a filming location, had been cleared. At present, besides Ji Liao and her assistants, there was not a single outsider in the corridor.

It was hard to say how Cheng Mi’s conduct was, but her manager, Wang Zhun, never fought an unprepared battle. Since Cheng Mi had deliberately twisted her ankle and nearly fallen into Ji Liao’s arms today, it was likely that she had already prepared to turn this incident into material for the entertainment news.

“Where’s my phone?” Ji Liao slightly tilted her head and asked Wu Zi.

“Right here.” Wu Zi immediately handed the phone she was holding to Ji Liao.

Ji Liao unlocked the screen and was about to call Qin Su when Qin Su’s name popped up on the screen first—Qin Su had called her first.

Ji Liao lowered her eyelashes, the last glimmer of hope in her heart extinguished. Cheng Mi was indeed plotting against her.

With a silent sigh, Ji Liao gently furrowed her brows and answered the call, “Hello?”

As soon as the call connected, Qin Su asked straightforwardly, “What happened with Cheng Mi? Did you know in advance?”

“…Of course I didn’t know,” Ji Liao, realizing what Qin Su was asking, felt inexplicably tired. “I just instinctively turned around to catch her.”

“Then it means Cheng Mi and Wang Zhun are in cahoots,” Qin Su snorted coldly. “They really won’t let you off easily.”

“What?” Ji Liao paused for a moment, feeling a bit more alert. “What happened?”

“When Cheng Mi fell into your arms, one of the live stream cameras was still on, showing your actions to the entire online audience,” Qin Su said coldly.

As a result, Ji Liao had once again had an intimate encounter with Cheng Mi in front of everyone. With the previous rumors involving XSR, even if Cheng Mi slipped first, it would be Ji Liao who was passively affected by public opinion.

Ji Liao fell silent for a moment and closed her eyes. “Was it someone from the production team?”

“They’re still investigating and haven’t confirmed who caused the mistake,” Qin Su said. “But this kind of petty trick probably won’t stop. You must keep your distance from Cheng Mi in the future.”

Ji Liao’s heart tightened, and she said, “I understand. You don’t need to rush into action; I will keep my distance from anyone who seems likely to cause gossip.”

On the other end of the phone, Qin Su frowned. “Why not rush? If I don’t intervene, by morning, you’ll have to endure another online attack. Even if you don’t mind being criticized, I still have to consider your commercial value.”

Ji Liao was silent for a while, then opened her mouth. “I mean unrelated people; you don’t need to worry. I will naturally keep my distance.”

Wu Zi, who had been quietly walking beside her, couldn’t help but raise her head upon hearing this.

…Was Teacher Ji trying to protect that civilian guest named Mu Shenshen?

Before Mu Shenshen’s appearance, Teacher Ji had even specially sent a private friend to her home to find her, emphasizing that this matter was very important. Later, they interacted like that on the show… Was that Mu Shenshen’s relationship with Teacher Ji not ordinary?

“Unrelated person?” Qin Su, having fought her way up in Sky Brilliance for years, was no fool either. She pondered the words for a moment and quickly grasped the key point. “What, do you actually know that Mu Shenshen?”

Ji Liao paused mid-sentence: “Even if I didn’t, there’s no need to drag innocent people into this, right?”

Qin Su chuckled lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing: “You do have principles. But have you considered who you’re up against?”

Ji Liao: “Others are others. I am me.”

Qin Su hummed in response, her tone gentle but firm: “I know you have your own convictions and dislike constraints. But the situation is different now. The reputational crisis you’re facing would be fatal for any other artist. If you still want to stay in this industry—or even just avoid being branded with that disgusting label—you’ll have to toe the line.”

“Huh… what?” Ji Liao froze, then reacted with disbelief. “Do what?”

“Toe the line,” Qin Su said matter-of-factly. “Right now, forming a sweet, high-profile CP with someone else is the best way to counter Cheng Mi and divert public attention. Besides, it’s a win-win for that civilian too. If she ever wants to enter the industry, being your CP partner would instantly boost her value to rival third or fourth-tier celebrities.”

“…” Ji Liao opened and closed her mouth several times before finally asking, “Do you even hear what you’re saying?”

“What? Is that really not okay?” Qin Su countered, puzzled. “That civilian seems eager to tie herself to you anyway. Why refuse a mutually beneficial deal? Or do you want the company to draft a contract for you two? Fine, black and white terms to guarantee her interests—happy now?”

“That’s… not what I meant,” Ji Liao hesitated. “Is this CP really necessary? If I get too close to an Omega, aren’t you worried I might end up with her?”

Wu Zi, who had been listening nearby, bit her lip, conflicted.

Sure, Teacher Ji had told her he’d found that friend after seeing Mu Shenshen, but that didn’t necessarily mean the friend was Mu Shenshen… right?

Should she report this or not?

President Qin had instructed her to report any hidden risks, but Teacher Ji was a good person. And it wasn’t entirely certain there was anything unusual between him and Mu Shenshen… It wouldn’t be right to wrongly accuse someone.

“With others, I might worry,” Qin Su said, sounding remarkably unconcerned. “But with you, even if we forced you to mark an Omega against your will, it wouldn’t work.”

She left the rest unspoken, adding silently to herself: But if Ji Liao was willing, he’d find a way to cross even a galaxy between them. No point trying to stop him.

Still, Ji Liao’s taste had always been… questionable. Terrible, really. Surely nothing would go wrong.

Qin Su thought this with absolute confidence.

Ji Liao fell silent again, Mu Shenshen’s bright-eyed smile flashing through his mind. He pressed his lips together. “Let’s just find another way.”

Qin Su, however, thought Ji Liao was simply avoiding trouble, completely unaware that the Omega she vaguely suspected of “possibly dating Ji Liao” was none other than Mu Shenshen, who had been right under her nose all along.

After all, based on Qin Su’s experience dealing with Ji Liao’s relentless promotion of Cheng Mi, if Ji Liao liked someone, she would surely keep that person in a safe place under close watch. There was no way she’d let them wander around right in front of her, needlessly increasing the risk.

“There’s no other way,” Qin Su said decisively. “This is the fastest and most effective method. This industry is like this—new faces emerge in waves. If you don’t salvage your reputation quickly, you’ll just drown under the tide of others.”

Ji Liao frowned slightly but didn’t respond.

After the call ended, Ji Liao stared blankly at the darkened screen for a while. Stirring up a CP with Mu Shenshen wasn’t entirely unacceptable—it would feel far more awkward with anyone else.

But when Ji Liao thought of Mu Shenshen’s face, something strange stirred in her chest.

It felt like something was about to spiral out of control.

Hesitating for a moment, Ji Liao turned to Wu Zi. Her long lashes lowered slightly as her gaze settled on Wu Zi’s face, and she said softly, “About the favor I asked you today—don’t mention it to Qin Su.”

Wu Zi froze. For some reason, though her mind had been clear just moments ago, the moment she met Ji Liao’s calm, indifferent eyes, she suddenly forgot what she had originally intended to say and instinctively replied, “O-okay.”

Ji Liao nodded and added sincerely, “Thank you.”

She guessed Qin Su was only pushing the Mu Shenshen CP idea now because she didn’t know Mu Shenshen had once stayed at her place—and that… that had happened.

If Wu Zi reported today’s incident and alerted Qin Su, things would get complicated.

Ji Liao just wanted to keep Mu Shenshen from being dragged into this media storm that had nothing to do with her. If she maintained the right distance from Mu Shenshen during the rest of the filming, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Just as Ji Liao was lost in thought, her phone buzzed.

At this hour, the civilian guests should have already returned to their rooms.

Mu Shenshen, who was probably up to something, had sent her a message:

Small garden behind the hotel. The rose arbor behind the third bench. Come find me.

Ji Liao stiffened and reflexively locked her phone.

Right now, the hotel area was mostly filled with the show’s crew, all of whom knew the two of them. Not to mention, she had four assistants trailing her—in the eyes of all these people, they were supposed to be strangers. They shouldn’t be meeting privately.

An inexplicable sense of sneaking around surged up, and Ji Liao couldn’t help but clutch her phone tightly in her palm.

If she wanted to see Mu Shenshen, she’d have to avoid everyone’s notice—especially Wu Zi, who was half-assistant, half-surveillance.

Ji Liao turned her head slightly, her thoughtful gaze landing on Wu Zi’s face.

Wu Zi: “…?”