Gu Qingtong still had no idea that in such a short period of time, Xiao Jun’s heart had undergone a drastic change.
The car slowly entered the artist-exclusive parking lot, which had good privacy, so there was no need to worry about paparazzi lurking in the parking lot.
However, Gu Qingtong still solemnly put on a mask and sunglasses, feeling guilty as if she were sneaking out of Yan Chi’s car.
“Our dressing rooms are different. Just drop me off here so that later, if we run into people from the industry on the way, they won’t be curious about why you’re acquainted with a nobody like me,” Gu Qingtong said, emphasizing her words.
After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras, Gu Qingtong looked at the door number sent to her by her agent and said to Yan Chi.
Upon hearing her words, Yan Chi didn’t react much. She just lifted her eyes and suddenly asked Gu Qingtong, “There will be a reception party after it ends. Will you attend? I can arrange for you to be sent back earlier.”
Those familiar with Yan Chi knew that she rarely participated in any social receptions. Not only did she not touch a drop of alcohol, but she also grew tired of flattery and acting in public. This reception was no exception.
Gu Qingtong didn’t have much presence in this circle, so the reception naturally had little to do with her.
Although that was the case, Gu Qingtong reflexively didn’t want to continue taking up Yan Chi’s personal time and hurriedly responded, “It’s alright, my agent will pick me up. There will be a lot of people when it ends, so I won’t bother you…”
At this moment, Gu Qingtong found herself already immersed in the entertainment industry, where the disparity between her and Yan Chi’s identities was vast. Her current state of mind had subtly changed since the time she was at the Gu family’s house.
Gu Qingtong’s self-awareness naturally made her feel a bit restrained here. She knew her position and didn’t want to disturb Yan Chi’s life and career.
In the entertainment industry, the best relationship between two people is having no relationship at all.
From the day Yan Chi came to find her, Gu Qingtong had made up her mind to act as if she didn’t know her from now on in this circle.
Yan Chi didn’t say anything further, and the two of them walked toward different elevator entrances.
Xiao Jun had no choice but to leave with Yan Chi, but before leaving, she couldn’t help but turn her head and take a few more glances at Gu Qingtong’s figure.
Once again, she sighed in her heart, ‘Her figure is great too! Even though she’s wearing loose clothes, it can’t hide her slender and graceful silhouette.’
Strange, why did the atmosphere between these two suddenly turn so cold as soon as they got out of the car? And…
Xiao Jun secretly glanced at Yan Chi again. Her two years of experience as her assistant told her that Yan Chi wasn’t very happy right now.
It made sense though. They were an affectionate couple who were deeply in love, but because they were both celebrities and had to maintain a secret marriage, they had to pretend not to be familiar with each other in front of others. It was indeed frustrating.
Xiao Jun sighed inwardly.
After Yan Chi and the others disappeared at the elevator entrance, a nanny van drove into the parking lot.
“Oh, it’s someone I know.” The female star in the car took off her sunglasses and muttered as she looked out the window.
She was Yun Mingxuan, someone known to all of them. Her appearance perfectly fit the image of a pure and innocent young beauty that the audience adored. Although her features were delicate and comfortable to look at, they could also feel a bit dull after prolonged exposure.
So this year, her team took a different approach, transitioning from the initial pseudo-natural school flower image to a Hong Kong-style retro look, instantly giving her face a fresh look.
Although Yun Mingxuan debuted through a talent show and had many loyal fans, her acting skills were terrible even after the girl group disbanded, and her performances became worse with each project. The actress image she had been cultivating was in jeopardy, resulting in a loss of many fans.
However, as they say, looks are an asset, and as long as her face remained attractive, her fan base would still be there, waiting for her comeback in a successful role.
Zou Jia was Yun Mingxuan’s assistant, and upon hearing the news, she couldn’t help but look in that direction. Indeed, she saw a familiar figure.
“Isn’t that Gu Qingtong? Ha, she can come here too?” Zou Jia was first surprised, then disdainful.
She was secretly a fan of Yun Mingxuan, following her journey from the talent show. After graduating from university, she applied to become an assistant for her favorite idol. Just like the many fans who hurled insults at Gu Qingtong in the comments section of her Weibo, Zou Jia also harbored a strong dislike for her.
“Jia Jia!” Yun Mingxuan’s tone became serious, seemingly unhappy. “I’ve told you not to speak ill of others like that. She also had the opportunity to come here because of her alma mater, it’s not like she’s targeting us.”
“Tsk, alma mater? Who doesn’t know she got in with the help of her father’s connections? What’s so special about the Central Film Academy?” Zou Jia sneered. “Why should that lousy actress Gu Qingtong have the privilege when my idol worked so hard but couldn’t get in?”
Yun Mingxuan’s public image matched her appearance—a pure and harmless young beauty. So even though it was her who had publicly exposed and criticized Gu Qingtong on a program in the past, as soon as someone mentioned Gu Qingtong in front of her now, she would always say that she had already forgiven her, and in return, she would receive a flood of righteous indignation from her fans.
She gave up on the art examination and participated in the girl group talent show, which was indeed a wise move. However, since then, she had been unable to gain admission to those prestigious film and drama schools.
Yun Mingxuan’s failure that year dealt a huge blow to the carefully crafted image of a diligent and academically outstanding student.
To divert attention, her public relations team suppressed news about Yun Mingxuan’s failure while spreading various rumors about Gu Qingtong. So, until now, those who disliked Gu Qingtong firmly believed that her educational background was fake or obtained through connections.
It could be said that Yun Mingxuan had gradually risen to fame by using Gu Qingtong as a stepping stone throughout her many years in the industry.
This secret was not only frequently used by Yun Mingxuan herself but was also known by the team, and they used Gu Qingtong as a scapegoat.
Seeing that the internet was gradually forgetting about their past, binding Gu Qingtong with Yun Mingxuan was like sending her traffic. So in the past two years, the team had created a new persona for Yun Mingxuan as a fan of Yan Chi.
“Jia Jia, whatever happened in the past has nothing to do with the present. This time, you must not pick fights with her for no reason.”
Yun Mingxuan lectured her assistant with a stern face, giving off the image of a kind-hearted and forgiving fairy.
Seeing her idol being so kind and tolerant, Zou Jia became even more frustrated.
Although she responded appropriately, she was actually inquiring about the location of the makeup room at the Central Film Academy.
❖❖❖❖❖
Clearly, Gu Qingtong was unaware of everything that followed. She arrived at the entrance of the makeup room.
Instead of rushing in, she looked around and indeed spotted Sun Xiao, who was making a phone call in a corner.
To avoid disturbing her, Gu Qingtong walked over quietly and overheard Sun Xiao’s conversation.
“Yes, yes, Senior Brother, what about Gu Qingtong? Do you have a new role in mind for her?… That sounds suitable. Gu Qingtong is still single. Okay, great… No worries, we don’t need to create a fake relationship. I’m already grateful that Senior Brother is giving us this opportunity! Okay, let’s discuss it in detail when we meet next week.”
Sun Xiao had obviously noticed Gu Qingtong and turned to her as soon as she hung up the phone, her face filled with excitement. “Miss, guess what kind of opportunity I’m about to secure for you!”
Upon hearing the word “single,” Gu Qingtong dared not say a word and could only shake her head hastily.
“It’s a variety show! And you’ll be a regular guest,” Sun Xiao’s face was full of excitement. “Do you remember Director Bu from the movie ‘Eat Drink Man Woman’ that you filmed before? His team is in charge of launching a new variety show. It’s a completely new format, so even though it doesn’t have much fame and is only rated as A-level, it has great potential.”
“What kind of variety show?” Gu Qingtong had a strong premonition. It couldn’t be a dating show, could it?
“Let me explain. It’s a variety show where stars form couples. Originally, they were looking for independent female singer Yan Meng, but she was recently embroiled in a scandal of being a mistress. So they had to find a replacement urgently, and Director Bu thought of you right away and came knocking at your door in a hurry!”
It’s not that Sun Xiao hasn’t seen the world. The previous variety shows that approached Gu Qingtong were basically using her past controversies to provoke criticism and generate buzz, benefiting from the negativity. This is the first variety show that offered Gu Qingtong a decent script.
“But… but as a rising female artist, I can’t just casually create a fake relationship with someone, right? And why did they come to me right away? Yan Meng is much more famous than me.”
Gu Qingtong stuttered, unable to articulate the most crucial reason. She had just formed an alliance with Yan Chi. It wouldn’t make sense for her to turn around and create a fake relationship with someone else, would it?
Sun Xiao was quite speechless.
“Others would do anything to create a fake relationship and gain popularity. This is such a great opportunity, but it’s not your turn. You’re just a character added by the variety show for the sake of the program’s effect. You’ll receive a script for the audience to enjoy as an outsider. Just follow the script and create a couple images with other guests during the show.”
“Didn’t you have an embarrassing incident on set before? Director Bu has been keeping that in mind all this time.”
As Sun Xiao mentioned this, Gu Qingtong finally remembered. When she was filming “Eat Drink Man Woman,” her first TV drama with an all-star cast, she couldn’t contain her excitement and would often observe others’ performances once she finished her scenes.
Because some crew members liked to clear the set and didn’t allow idle people to stay, Gu Qingtong begged for a long time without success. Eventually, she ended up secretly hiding in a prop wardrobe to observe.
Unexpectedly, she was discovered, and the situation became extremely awkward.
Learning from others without permission wasn’t something to be proud of. In that situation, she had to think on her feet. She claimed to be a fan of the on-screen couple in the original work, just there to observe their chemistry. The scene she was watching was their crucial romantic scene, so she couldn’t help but hide and watch.
To maintain this lie, she had to pass by the two leads with eyes gleaming and an auntie-like smile. She even wrote two fanfiction stories herself, going all out to play the part.
Until now, those two leads would be scared and go out of their way to avoid her.
She never expected that this would make the director think she was a fanatical fan. Gu Qingtong was truly speechless.
“I’ll accept this variety show for you directly. Go sign the contract next week, and two weeks later, we’ll start filming the trailer. Recall your state of mind back then and don’t miss this opportunity!”
Without waiting for Gu Qingtong to say anything else, Sun Xiao decisively made the decision.
“Do I really not have a fake relationship? Please don’t get it wrong!”
Gu Qingtong confirmed once again, realizing that this was a rare opportunity. If it was just about creating a fake relationship, it wouldn’t violate her agreement with Yan Chi.
Given her current situation, she didn’t really have a choice or the ability to refuse.
“Don’t worry! There are a total of six people on the show. The other four will be paired off, and the male celebrity paired with you is well-connected with the production team. They have a script that serves as a devoted backup for another popular female guest, creating a love triangle. If you’re still concerned, I’ll get your script on the day I sign the contract and send it to you to review in advance.”
Upon hearing about the experiences of her fellow participants, Gu Qingtong fell into silence. She realized that there were guests who had it worse than her.
“Go get ready in the makeup room. I’m just here to see how well you’ve recovered. I don’t have time to accompany you for this activity. The cameraman is already waiting downstairs in a good position. You’ll see him as soon as you go down. I’ll leave now and pick you up when the event is over.”
Sun Xiao spoke rapidly and quickly left.
Being responsible for six artists alone, she couldn’t replace an assistant who would provide meticulous care for the artists.
Gu Qingtong contemplated the variety show in her mind, slowly turning around and preparing to enter the dressing room.
But as she lifted her head, she caught a glimpse of a girl’s figure at the corner of the corridor.
At that moment, the scene from the car accident day replayed itself. The world spun, and a throbbing pain in her head felt like someone forcefully inserting a memory. Gu Qingtong managed to brace herself against the wall to prevent herself from falling to the ground.
