Although she had been drunk last night and this morning had been complete chaos,
she still had to keep her scheduled commitments.
Otherwise, she would have no money.
And without money, after paying off that ten million, she would become a pauper with only six figures in cash savings.
Backstage at Battle on the Stone Path, Shi Yusheng was having her makeup done. She smiled to raise the apples of her cheeks while staring down at the Alipay screen on her phone.
She was utterly dejected.
On the screen was a friend request.
The accompanying message contained only a simple sentence: Hello, I’m Huo Xingchao.
Huo Xingchao.
Huo Xingchao, damn you!
The longer Shi Yusheng looked at those words, the angrier she became, until even her smile twisted. Then she fiercely reached out
and tapped Accept.
Boohoohoo.
She felt so frustrated.
If anyone else had made such an outrageous demand, she would have slapped them without another word. But unfortunately, it just had to be Huo Xingchao.
She was a little afraid of him.
All right, she had not been afraid at first.
But everyone around her, her manager, the other members of her team, even Lin Suyu, constantly emphasized how vindictive he was, how fiercely he protected his own, and how he did whatever he pleased. They warned her never to make an impulsive mistake she would regret for the rest of her life.
Successfully brainwashed, Shi Yusheng now felt a twinge of fear the moment she saw his name.
Honestly, if she really had to pay more than ten million, it was not as though she did not have it.
After working hard all these years, as her company’s leading young actress, Shi Yusheng had managed to save some money.
But the point was,
sixteen million could buy a whole apartment!
Losing an apartment in a single night of sex really did hurt.
So that morning, after the man finished speaking, the girl had wrapped herself in the quilt and negotiated with him miserably.
Shi Yusheng: Can I not pay?
Huo Xingchao: What do you think?
Shi Yusheng: Then could you make it cheaper?
Huo Xingchao: It’s such a tiny amount, and you still think it’s expensive? Do you know what I’m usually worth? Do you know how many women jump into the Huangpu River because they can’t sleep with me?
Shi Yusheng: …
She raised her head pitifully, her voice sincere.
“Then I’m willing to jump into the Huangpu River for you too. Can I skip paying?”
“Of course.”
He agreed readily. “A hundred yuan per jump. Once you’ve jumped enough times, you won’t have to repay me.”
Leaning against the window, the man curved his lips.
“Of course, if you’re willing to livestream yourself jumping into the Huangpu River on Xing Live, I’ll even pay you a hundred yuan instead.”
…Xing Live.
A livestreaming app Huo Xingchao had founded himself.
Last time, he had offered her seven figures to do a promotional livestream, and she had refused.
Now he would write off a debt of nearly twenty million and even pay her a hundred yuan. That should count as a very generous endorsement fee.
But…
Ha.
Screw you.
Damn you.
You rotten, bastard son of a bitch.
Drop dead.
The more Shi Yusheng thought about it, the angrier she became, until she was almost in tears.
That morning, Huo Xingchao had received a call about an urgent matter and could not continue their negotiations. Before leaving, however, he thoughtfully arranged for toiletries and clothes to be delivered.
The toiletries were comprehensive. There was even a dedicated makeup artist with cosmetics.
The clothes were in her favorite style and her size, a limited spring-summer design from ketive. They certainly were not cheap.
Then he took down her Alipay account.
Before leaving, he lazily waved his phone.
“How about this? Since you’ve just had a breakup, I’ll round it down again. Exactly sixteen million. Installments or a single payment, I’m happy with either.”
…
It really was upsetting.
Even after the makeup artist transformed her into a radiant little fairy, the sadness in her eyes could not be concealed.
Worse still, a shameless witch had turned up in the same dress as the fairy.
Shi Yusheng had just finished her makeup and risen from the chair when the dressing-room door opened and an all-too-familiar woman walked in.
Long curly hair, a bright red knitted dress, and vivid red lipstick. The moment she entered, she caught the eye.
Xuan Wen.
Xuan Wen and Shi Yusheng had different looks.
Shi Yusheng had delicate features and looked beautiful with or without makeup. Since her debut, she had cultivated a pure, fairy-like image, and all her roles over the years had been innocent, kindhearted heroines. Once typecast, her range of opportunities had narrowed.
Xuan Wen took a completely different approach. Her skin was darker, and she had what people praised as a “high-fashion face.” Her straightforward personality on variety shows won her many fans.
Although she had been in the industry for years without becoming famous, she had played supporting roles with a wide range of personalities. After rising to fame this year, she secured many opportunities, and her company was willing to promote her. She was considered a highly promising talent.
The Southern Arts News rated entertainers every year. In the rankings published at the beginning of this year, Shi Yusheng was still ahead of her, but her room for growth was already noticeably smaller. After that video came out a few days ago, the contrast between their situations became even clearer.
After greeting the others in the dressing room, Xuan Wen turned and saw Shi Yusheng sitting on the sofa. Seeing the identical dress she wore, Xuan Wen’s smile faded. She did not greet her, insult her, or say anything at all. She simply sat where Shi Yusheng had been and asked the makeup artist for a touch-up.
What should have been a mildly awkward case of matching outfits became even more awkward because of her behavior.
And considerably chillier.
But her conduct also gave everyone else in the room more to speculate about.
Although the public believed Shi Yusheng had interfered in Xuan Wen and Jiang Sicheng’s relationship, quite a few people in the industry knew that Shi Yusheng and Jiang Sicheng had once dated.
After all, Shi Yusheng had introduced him to so many opportunities. More than half his success could be attributed to this former girlfriend.
If anyone had been the other woman, it was probably Xuan Wen who had interfered in Shi Yusheng’s relationship.
But seeing Xuan Wen so calm and unafraid, then thinking of the overwhelmingly one-sided opinion on Weibo and Shi Yusheng’s silence, they assumed the rumors about Xuan Wen’s powerful backer must be true.
The others sighed inwardly.
How enviable. With someone as powerful as Huo Xingchao behind her, she really would have no worries about her career.
…
In fact, Shi Yusheng thought the same.
She even thought Huo Xingchao was demanding such a huge sum because she had kept insulting Xuan Wen last night, and he wanted to avenge his cherished white moonlight1.
…But on closer consideration, that did not make sense either.
If he really had a secret crush on Xuan Wen and wanted to avenge her, he could simply do so. A single word from Young Master Huo would cost her far more than sixteen million.
Why go to so much trouble? Chatting with her, sleeping with her, then wasting so much time arguing over the money.
Surely it was not worth it?
Curled up on the sofa, the girl frowned at the Alipay chat screen. After thinking for ages, she finally made up her mind and rapidly typed a message.
Forget it. She had already insulted Xuan Wen so thoroughly last night. She would face the consequences either way, so she might as well ask outright.
“Young Master Huo, before I pay you back, I’d like to ask you something.”
Within two seconds, a reply came.
“Go ahead.”
“What’s your relationship with Xuan Wen?”
…No, no.
Thinking better of it, she deleted that and replaced it with something more tactful.
“Are you close to Xuan Wen?”
“I know her.”
Know her? Did that mean they were close or not?
…Probably not.
Shi Yusheng knitted her brows, unable to decipher what those words implied.
Honestly, she was a little doubtful about everyone else’s judgment.
If Xuan Wen really were so close to Huo Xingchao, surely her opportunities would not be so poor. Even in the big-budget film Xing Pictures had invested in recently, she had only played a tiny role, barely a step above an extra.
After some thought, Shi Yusheng hesitantly sent another message.
“Then if I wanted to get revenge on her, and happened to get a little too carried away or go a bit too far, you wouldn’t be angry, would you?”
Once again, the reply was immediate.
A few words sat quietly on the chat screen.
“Go ahead. Get all the revenge you want. If you go too far, I’ll cover for you.”
…
All right.
I still have no idea what’s going on between you two.
But with your word on it, boss, I can relax.
The girl’s face lit up. Still, out of politeness, she offered a token protest.
“Wouldn’t that be asking too much?”
He immediately sent three voice messages.
Unable to find her earphones, Shi Yusheng turned the volume down as low as possible and held the phone to her ear.
The deep male voice was rich and magnetic, with a faint smile, drifting casually past her ear.
“It’s fine.”
“After all, we’ve slept together.”
“Even for the sake of that sixteen million, I’d help you.”
She angrily threw the phone onto the sofa.
Ha.
Screw you.
Damn you.
You rotten bastard.
Drop dead.
Unfortunately,
somehow, when she threw the phone, she hit the volume button.
So once she had calmed down, picked it back up, and held the latest voice message to her ear, a deafening sentence rang out.
“By the way, I didn’t wear a condom last night. Don’t forget to take the pill.”
…
The entire dressing room fell silent.
Huo Xingchao, damn! You!
- White moonlight, bai yueguang, is a romantic metaphor for an idealized, cherished love, often someone unattainable or unforgettable. ↩︎
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