Chapter 53.1

Gu Xi didn’t let himself sink too long into a state of gloom. He had rushed back from the airport because he had another scheduled appointment to take care of. If he left without a word, it would be a nightmare for the people who were relying on his presence.

As he waited for a response from the fashion magazine team, he kept an eye on the latest Weibo updates.

Mo Dian was asking about when the sponsored brand’s clothing would be delivered for tomorrow’s event and why there was still no news about it at this hour.

Gu Xi, on the other hand, had received the information about the journalist’s arrival time in the lobby for an exclusive interview. Since the journalist hadn’t shown up yet, Gu Xi kept scrolling through the posts in Weibo.

He was mainly worried about the petty moves Xun Jiarui would make, so he kept checking in every so often.

Today’s Weibo feed was buzzing, filled with several explosive new rumors that instantly caught the attention of countless netizens.

Gu Xi skimmed through quickly, confirming if his name or Rong Jing’s appeared before he continued reading. But in reality, not seeing their names didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Even though he was hoping to keep a low profile recently, he wasn’t getting his wish.

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G valdekdt rspv yrrlyale: #Mbkp Ikde sq G#, #Mbkp Ikde sq X#, okvb vbl vyt “TXM” clpkel kv.

Qw Dk nzknjle vbl zkdj yde oyp caswtbv vs y hkels vbyv oyp pllxkdtzu vyjld cu y ryppldtla kd yd ykarzydl nyckd. Rd vbl hkels, y vyzz Gzrby pvydep wr yde ydtakzu pdyrp yv y rlvkvl Xxlty plyvle dlyacu. Tl pyup, “Tybyby! Mbkp kp bkzyakswp! Gald’v Xxltyp fwpv callekdt xynbkdlp?…”

Mbld, yp vbl Gzrby pllxp rskple vs pvakjl, y qktwal pvlrp kd vs czsnj bkx.

Llvkgldp olal clusde qwakswp.

“Vzlypl esd’v nldpsa vbkp Gzrby’p qynl. Tl eslpd’v elplahl kv. [est-blye lxsfk]”

“Mbyv Xxltyp oyp vbl xyd! Elal yzz vbl svbla ryppldtlap czkde? Mblu eked’v lhld vau vs pvlr kd! Qsse vbkdt yd Xxlty pvlrrle wr. Ebyv vbl blzz olal vbspl Jlvyp eskdt, alyzzu? Eyjl wr, rlsrzl! Xxltyp byhl kv aswtb ldswtb yzalyeu!”

“Fvsr xyjkdt vbkp ycswv tldelap.”

“Ms vbkdj vbyv vbkp flaj dllele pwnb yd Xxlty vs vlynb bkx y zlppsd. Rv’p ps pyvkpqukdt vs pll!”

Perhaps the exchange stirred such anger that the netizen who posted the video had only scribbled the word “[Mosaic] over Chu Yang’s face but gave the Omega a real mosaic blur, clearly showing their bias towards the person.

“Did anyone notice the person’s body shape and style? They look a lot like someone we know, and Isn’t that outfit exactly the one we just saw a certain top star wearing?”

“AAAAAAAAH is that Gu Xi? [Picture]!!!”

“Is that him or not? Someone who knows, please tell us!!!”

Gu XI thought about the other passengers in their seats. They hadn’t confronted the issue head-on but they’d chosen to respond indirectly.

Sure enough, misconduct eventually meets its own punishment. He didn’t even need to act. Chu Yang’s family, considering their obsession with keeping their reputation and influence, would be deeply impacted by this incident. Gu Xi had scored a subtle but solid victory.

Gu Xi felt a surge of satisfaction and thought of calling someone to share his joy.

As soon as Gu Xi opened his WeChat, he saw his chat messages with Rong Jing. He scrolled up and down, reading through the messages over and over. Rong Jing’s replies were brief, yet Gu Xi repeatedly went through them, analyzing the meaning behind each word.

At one point, he stopped scrolling back. His happy mood dimmed a little as he thought about his plans.

When he saw the video ranked #32 under the topic name #Airport’s Thor#, he couldn’t help but save it.

Gu Feng: …let’s see how long you’ll be able to hold back.

When the journalist arrived and knocked, Gu Xi immediately set his phone aside. After the ordinary interview, he joined Director Liu Yu and the others, heading to the venue of the evening banquet. Along the way, he refreshed his feed again and saw that the topic #Airport’s Thor# had shot up to rank #9.

Gu Xi’s eyelid twitched slightly—something was off about this.

Sure enough, a video of Xun Jiarui speaking to reporters had surfaced.

It seemed to be right after an event, with multiple media outlets asking him his thoughts on the rumors of his role being replaced. The rumor said that an unknown newcomer had taken it from him, so they were asking him if it was true.

Seeing the pointed nature of these questions, Gu Xi suspected someone had paid for this publicity.

As he looked closer at the video, he spotted a certain logo on the reporter’s microphone—Mystic Entertainment. Just as he thought, he was right. This company had a reputation for airing out celebrity scandals as long as the money was right.

For Xun Jiarui, it not only gave him publicity during a lull in his career but also allowed him to play the victim, casting a shadow over Rong Jing’s prospects.

After all, Rong Jing’s voice was similar to Xun Jiarui’s—actually, it was even better. As a new actor of almost the same type, if they didn’t suppress him now, would they wait until he became a success?

Xun Jiarui started with some polite remarks before shifting the tone and giving a wry smile, “Maybe my performance didn’t meet Mr. Gu and the director’s standards. That newcomer must have something special about him. Although I’m disappointed I won’t get to work with Mr. Gu this time, I look forward to the next chance. I wish the <Imperial Power> huge success.”

Xun Jiarui’s words seemed harmless on the surface, but there was plenty implied if you listened closely.

Fans of Xun Jiarui—and even casual observers—picked up on something subtle.

What did he mean by saying his performance didn’t satisfy the Director and Gu Xi? It sounded like there was some kind of back story that happened and that the newcomer might have a strong background. And why did he specifically mention Gu Xi alongside the director? It almost seemed to suggest something unsaid.

It was as if he was implying that Gu Xi had some secret relationship with this newcomer.

Immediately, Gu Xi contacted a media company, having prepared for this kind of situation. He remained calm, instructing them to quickly flood the comments with balanced, neutral comments. It was their time to act.

Then, without a pause, he turned to Liu Yu beside him, “Please, do me a favor.”

Liu Yu looked at the trending topic, thought about it, and shook his head. “This trending topic actually saves us a fair bit on promotion, but Rong Jing is new. This is just a minor stir. Let’s not make too much out of it. Once the film’s released, we can prove everyone wrong—as long as he can overcome his challenges, this period will be tough, but that’s all.”

“I understand but Rong Jing is a newcomer. It’s unfair to throw all this pressure and criticism on him. Hey may have the flaws of a rookie, but that’s normal. No need to magnify those. Why not give him some room to grow?”

Liu Yu looked at Gu Xi thoughtfully, “You’re still so protective of the juniors. You haven’t changed a bit.”

Gu Xi shrugged it off, “We all started somewhere.”

Liu Yu sighed. “Look at you, always giving off a ‘keep off’ vibe. When are you going to change that? I have to tell you, I know you want to look out for him, but this film is no joke. If Rong Jing still can’t adapt to the camera after the first week of shooting, I’ll replace him—no exceptions. It won’t affect your role, but it will mean adjusting to another actor.”

Gu Xi’s fingers tightened slightly.

“The backups I chose include two other newcomers. They’ve got some promise—you saw them during the auditions and even praised them a bit. They’ll be there on the first day of shooting to get a feel for the set.”

The director’s planning was thorough, with alternative options ready.

Gu Xi muttered, “En.”

By then, they had arrived at the venue, a pre-festival event before the main film festival, attended by well-known international stars.

Gu Xi, an Asian face among a sea of celebrities, would normally blend into the background. However, as the only newcomer to make it onto the global Top 100 Most Beautiful list right after debuting, he was a game-changer in aesthetics. Even western stars who didn’t know him were naturally drawn to him.

It wasn’t long before a handsome, red-haired man struck up a conversation.

Gu Xi, preoccupied with thoughts about the Weibo posts scandal, responded indifferently, only remembering that the man was some A-list star from the west.

On his way to the restroom, he was surprised to find the man following him. After a brief exchange, the man suddenly reached out and touched Gu Xi’s behind. Since he was already annoyed with the ongoing Weibo drama, Gu Xi had no patience for any more games.

He instantly twisted the man’s wrist, causing him to let out a pained scream that could have woken the dead.

When someone else entered the restroom, Gu Xi finally released him.

The red-haired man cursed angrily, “Just you wait—I’ll make you beg on your knees!”

He had deliberately used a different language, but Gu Xi caught enough words to understand. He smirked, gesturing to the camera above them, then walked away as the man looked on in shock.

Meanwhile, on Weibo, an entertainment account soon posted gossip claiming that the guy in the #Airport’s Thor# video wasn’t just any random guy, hinting he had a story of his own. With the recent interview clip circulating, the trending topic, which had started slipping down the ranks, shot back up into the top ten.