Chapter Eighty: Exploitation

When Mi Mu first arrived on set, she was cautious and careful—she desperately needed this opportunity and could not afford a single mistake. It wasn’t until she caught sight of Bai Chenxi in the cast that she realized her true chance had come. If she could get close to Bai Chenxi and earn her trust, becoming friends with her would surely be better than her current circumstances. In the restroom, Mi Mu had known Bai Chenxi was inside; she’d spoken out loud deliberately for her benefit.

As for the discovery that the two of them shared the same interests—Mi Mu had researched Bai Chenxi’s tastes in advance and intentionally tailored her own preferences to match. Others might not have noticed, but Mi Mu saw it clearly: Bai Chenxi was easier to fool than anyone. What she failed to anticipate, however, was that Meng Ling would use her as a scapegoat.

Meng Ling’s threats had frightened Mi Mu, but on second thought, why not turn the tables and use the situation to her own advantage? If she could present herself as the victim, she might win public sympathy. If that failed, she had other plans; in any case, she would not suffer any real loss.

She hadn’t expected her manager to suggest shelving her career so soon. Was it really over just like this? Unwilling to accept it, a tear slipped from the corner of Mi Mu’s eye, but she quickly wiped it away. Tears, she told herself, were for the weak.

A knock sounded at the door. Mi Mu composed herself, forcing her expression back to normal and called out, “Come in!”

When Bai Chenxi entered, a calculating gleam flashed in Mi Mu’s eyes. Bai Chenxi looked at Mi Mu’s injury with a hint of guilt. “Mi Mu, are you all right?” she asked. If not for her, Mi Mu wouldn’t have been hurt. Seeing the remorse on Bai Chenxi’s face, Mi Mu forced a small smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

Bai Chenxi’s guilt only deepened at Mi Mu’s brave front. She reached out and hugged Mi Mu tightly. “Mu Mu, I’m so sorry. If not for me, Meng Ling wouldn’t have targeted you.”

Mi Mu patted Bai Chenxi’s back reassuringly. “Don’t say such things. I’ve never blamed you. You’re my best friend.”

Bai Chenxi smiled at her words. “Yes, best friends.”

Mi Mu continued to chat with Bai Chenxi about other things, as though nothing untoward had ever happened. Only as Bai Chenxi was about to leave did Mi Mu say, “Goodbye. If we have a chance in the future, let’s get together more often.”

Bai Chenxi laughed, “You make it sound as if we’ll never see each other again. Once you’re better, we’ll see each other on set every day.”

At this, Mi Mu put on an unmistakably sorrowful expression, visible to anyone. When Bai Chenxi asked her what was wrong, she forced a smile and insisted she was fine.

Bai Chenxi fell right into the trap. “You’re definitely upset. Did Meng Ling bully you again?”

Mi Mu kept her head down, silent for a long while before finally speaking. “After what happened today, I… I don’t think I can stay with the crew any longer.”

Bai Chenxi was indignant. “How could that be? This was all Meng Ling’s fault—why should you be the one to leave?”

Mi Mu pressed on, looking pitiful and inching closer to her goal. “It’s become such a big scandal; something must be done. Between me and Meng Ling, the choice doesn’t seem difficult.”

“That won’t happen,” Bai Chenxi reassured her. “Director Li is reasonable. I’ll speak to him for you—he won’t fire you.”

“Really?” Mi Mu looked up, eyes full of hope.

Unable to refuse her, Bai Chenxi nodded solemnly. “Mu Mu, don’t worry—I’ll beg the director to let you stay. For now, the most important thing is to heal your face. Otherwise, even if you’re allowed to stay, you won’t be able to film.”

As soon as Bai Chenxi left, Mi Mu’s grateful expression faded. She touched her wounded cheek. Though it hurt, the pain was nothing compared to what she endured inside. Bai Chenxi, let’s consider this slap my payment for your friendship.

“President Jiang, Miss Bai is trending again today…”

The secretary hesitated as she reported to Jiang Jize. He had instructed her to monitor any online news about Bai Chenxi and to inform him immediately of any developments. Normally, a simple report would suffice, but today’s news was unusual, and she wasn’t sure how he would react.

After some hesitation, she decided to report the matter truthfully.

Jiang Jize, busy at work, looked up. “Oh? Did something happen again?”

That little lady from Brother Chu’s family seemed to get into trouble every other day. Well, it would give Brother Chu something to deal with—just thinking about it made Jiang feel a sense of balance.

“It’s not a big deal, but I think you should see for yourself.”

He glanced at his secretary, who seemed reluctant, then looked over at the screen. The news headline featured Tang Ziyu’s face, with bold letters reading: “Tang Ziyu Discusses Her Sponsor for the First Time.”

Jiang Jize’s expression darkened instantly, turning icy as he glared at his secretary. “Didn’t I tell you not to bring her affairs to my attention anymore?”

The secretary, seeing his anger, quickly clarified, “It’s about Miss Bai. Please read on.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang continued to read, while the secretary quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Miss Bai’s ‘new flame’ was indeed effective.

“This Xia Yan fellow has potential,” Jiang remarked as he watched the video. At least he knew to stay away from Bai Chenxi—Brother Chu, the jealous type, could rest easy. As for Tang Ziyu, since leaving him, she’d started dressing more and more flamboyantly. Especially at the last red carpet event—her revealing dress was simply appalling. Indeed, after she left him, her taste had only declined.

The secretary had no idea what he was thinking, and mused inwardly: I used to think only Miss Tang could make the boss jealous, but apparently, Miss Bai isn’t far behind.

When Mo Li intervened to help Bai Chenxi, Jiang Jize’s composure faltered.

“What’s with this Mo Li?”

Sensing her boss’s jealousy, the secretary supplied, “Rumor has it that Miss Bai is a fan of Mo Li.”

“A fan?” Jiang frowned. “That could be trouble. These days, young women are fiercely loyal to their idols. With them working on the same set, who knows what might happen. Brother Chu could be in danger!”

After a moment’s thought, Jiang asked, “Does Mo Li have any scandals? The kind that would make a girl stop being his fan the moment she hears about it?”

The secretary’s lips twitched, but she quickly composed herself. So the boss was thinking of using scandals to ruin Mo Li’s image in Miss Bai’s eyes? How childish. Still, she dutifully replied, “None. Mo Li’s been in the industry for years—spotless.”

“How is that possible? Is he better than Chu Muyun?” Jiang was incredulous. After all, Chu Muyun had lived a monk-like existence for years—Jiang already considered that abnormal. Was there someone even more ascetic?

The secretary pondered, then decided to twist the knife a bit. “He might actually outdo King Chu. In recent years, King Chu’s had quite a few female celebrities try to latch onto him, but Mo Li’s never had any rumors at all.”

Jiang Jize concluded, “Then he must not be popular.”

The secretary forced a laugh. Whatever makes you happy, boss—no one wants to mess with a jealous man. Mo Li not popular? He was the most promising young actor for the Best Actor award.

Oblivious to her inner thoughts, Jiang continued to analyze the situation, weighing the forces on each side. On this point, at least, Brother Chu still had the upper hand. But love didn’t care about who was popular or not. In that sense, Brother Chu was still in a bit of danger.