Chapter 158 Asserting Ownership

"Ah, wonderful! Finally, it looks presentable." Sister Qing looked at her finished work with satisfaction.
Bai Chenxi: Sister Qing, do you really have to hit me right where it hurts?
"Hmph! No matter how you put on makeup, you still look like a vixen, always trying to seduce people." Before Bai Chenxi could say anything, Meng Ling chimed in from the side.
Sister Qing slammed her makeup brush down heavily onto the table and said angrily, "Are you questioning my makeup skills with that remark?"
Bai Chenxi was about to retort to Meng Ling, but Sister Qing beat her to the punch again. Well, she didn't seem to be needed here.
Meng Ling was publicly humiliated by Sister Qing on the spot. With a cold huff, she shut her mouth and said no more.
Bai Chenxi looked at her reflection in the mirror and said sincerely, "Thank you, Sister Qing!"
"Who helped you? I was just upholding the reputation of my makeup skills."
Sister Qing packed away her cosmetics while saying, "If I helped at all, it was for the sake of the Male God. Right now, you represent the Male God's face, and you mustn't bring shame upon him. Next time you encounter a situation like this, snap right back at them."
"Did you hear me?" Sister Qing made sure to ask Bai Chenxi again after finishing her sentence.
Hearing this, Bai Chenxi nodded repeatedly.
Looking at Bai Chenxi, Sister Qing couldn't help wondering: Does the Male God actually prefer this kind of naturally naive and adorable type?
Facing the sea of microphones and cameras held by the reporters ahead, Bai Chenxi could not help taking a deep breath. She could already imagine what kind of scene she was about to face.
Tang Ziyu walked over deliberately and said, "The wind blows chill, the river water is cold; go forth, brave hero!"
Bai Chenxi almost stumbled forward from the pat on her back.
Regaining her balance by grabbing onto Tang Ziyu, Bai Chenxi didn't forget to plead, "Sis, when we get up there later, remember to save me!"
Then she craned her neck and called out, "Male God Mo, you know the drill later."
Seeing her antics, Mo Li couldn't help being amused and said, "Don't worry!"
Watching the interaction between the two, Tang Ziyu quietly pulled Bai Chenxi aside. "How did you get so close to Mo Li? I've been acting with him for so long, and we haven't exchanged more than a few sentences off-camera."
The more Tang Ziyu thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Ever since they entered the cast, Mo Li had seemed consistently nice to Bai Chenxi.
And she had heard that Bai Chenxi was actually Mo Li's fan. This relationship seemed just a little bit dangerous.
With an air of profound mystery, Bai Chenxi said, "You'll find out later on."
Only after saying this did she catch the rather complicated look in Tang Ziyu's eyes. Bai Chenxi had zero desire to instantly understand what she was implying.
"I absolutely do not have any sort of relationship with Male God Mo. I have a boyfriend."
Tang Ziyu said with a deadpan expression, "Thanks! I really didn't need that forced dose of romance." Bai Chenxi smiled apologetically.
Looking around her surroundings, Bai Chenxi asked with a puzzled expression, "Didn't Yan Xia show up today?"
Tang Ziyu glanced around as well. "Seems like he didn't."
Bai Chenxi felt a bit let down. *Sigh!* There went another person who could help her deflect questions.
As soon as the press conference began, even the host kept steering the conversation toward Bai Chenxi, intentionally or not. Having just made her relationship with Chu Muyun public, the media had all eyes locked on her.
It was only because the main leads were Mo Li and Tang Ziyu, and neither of them cared, that things didn't blow up. Otherwise, this alone would have been enough to make plenty of enemies for her.
By the time the media Q&A session arrived, the reporters glared at Bai Chenxi like a pack of wolves spotting fresh meat. Bai Chenxi couldn't help taking a small step back.
Questions directed at others were fine, but whenever it was Bai Chenxi's turn, Chu Muyun's name invariably popped up. It was as if Bai Chenxi couldn't walk on her own two feet without him.
Fortunately, Tang Ziyu and Mo Li stepped in to help steer the topics away, and the media interview session was about to pass safely through the turbulence.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs, "Bai Chenxi, what is the relationship between Chu Muyun and Wang Xiaoya?"
As soon as this question was thrown out, every reporter fixed their eyes intently on Bai Chenxi's reaction.
The answer itself didn't matter; the question was obviously meant to stir up trouble. As long as Bai Chenxi answered, they would have their headline.
Meng Ling, standing nearby, made no effort to conceal the triumphant look on her face. *Hmph! Once Sister Xiaoya returns, you jumping jack of a clown will get knocked right back down to your original form!*
Hearing Wang Xiaoya's name triggered an instinctive aversion in Bai Chenxi. Tang Ziyu originally intended to help her block the question, and Bai Chenxi had no desire to answer such a baiting query either.
However, looking at the surrounding pack of reporters waiting to watch a good show, Bai Chenxi gently pulled Tang Ziyu's sleeve to signal that she would handle it herself.
"What kind of relationship do the two of them have? Why are you asking me? As for Chu Muyun, he is my boyfriend. I am very petty and certainly don't want to see any weird news online later."
Taking advantage of the reporters being momentarily stunned, Mo Li signaled the staff to step forward and announce the end of the press interview.
As soon as they stepped off the stage, Tang Ziyu hugged Bai Chenxi excitedly and said, "Our Chenxi was so domineering when laying claim to her territory just now!"
Catching the teasing glances from the people around them, Bai Chenxi lowered her head in embarrassment.
Throughout the evening, Bai Chenxi stayed awake, scrolling through her phone from time to time. She didn't really know what she was doing; she was simply restless and unable to sleep.
Seeing Chu Muyun's incoming call, Bai Chenxi immediately flipped over and answered it.
The moment the call connected, Bai Chenxi blurted out, "It's so late already, are you busy today?"
There was no sound from the other end of the line for a moment, and then Chu Muyun's soft laughter came through. "Are you showing concern for me?"
Bai Chenxi muttered defensively, "No, I was just curious."
Not teasing her any further, Chu Muyun went along with the conversation and said, "I've been quite busy lately preparing for the new album."
"Oh! Is it easier for albums to sell these days? Yan Xia has also been busy with his new album, to the point that he didn't even come to the press conference."
Bai Chenxi grew more animated as she spoke. "At this rate, you guys aren't going to release your albums around the same time, are you?"
"Miss Bai Chenxi, do I need to remind you? You keep bringing up other men, which is making your boyfriend rather unhappy right now."
"Pfft!" Bai Chenxi couldn't help laughing out loud. "Haha~ I didn't mean to. I know what you mean, but hearing you say it like that is just... haha, it's hilarious."
"Then if his album and mine are released at the same time, whose will you buy?" Chu Muyun's words wiped the smile right off Bai Chenxi's face.
"Can I buy both?" Bai Chenxi asked gingerly.
"What do you think?" Though not explicitly stated, the implication in Chu Muyun's tone was self-evident.
*Is this really necessary? Why must you always force me to make such a dilemma of a choice?*
After hesitating for a long while, Bai Chenxi finally said, "I can genuinely afford both albums."
Sparing her any further torment, Chu Muyun changed the subject. "How was today? Were you able to handle the questions from the reporters? You don't have to pay attention to them if you don't want to answer."
He could easily guess what kind of questions those reporters would throw at her.
"It's fine, just these little matters; I can handle them. Besides, Male God Mo and Sister Ziyu were there too, and they helped me block a lot of questions."
"That's good then!" Hearing Bai Chenxi say this, Chu Muyun finally set his mind at ease.
Remembering Chu Muyun's fondness for gossip, Bai Chenxi urged him with a note of concern, "It's getting late, you should rest soon too! Stop looking at your phone."
Feeling warmed by Bai Chenxi's care, Chu Muyun put his phone down with a sense of fulfillment. Just as he was about to follow her advice and go to sleep, he saw that Xiaowen had sent him a video.
It looked like an interview clip featuring Bai Chenxi, so Chu Muyun tapped it open.
"As for Chu Muyun, he is my boyfriend." Hearing those words, the corners of Chu Muyun's lips curved steadily upward.
"Was this the reason you told me not to look at my phone?"