After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH48

Chapter 48

After that day, new rumors suddenly began circulating in the industry.

It turned out that Gu Xingshi was Adam’s muse of inspiration; Adam could only take photos when he was present.

As one of the top photographers in the industry, Adam’s return to portrait photography excited all the fashion magazines.

Previously, the cover photo Adam shot for Qin Wen caused that previously lukewarm magazine to sell out immediately.

Every time they saw the editor-in-chief flaunting in their social circles, it made them grit their teeth in envy. Why hadn’t they booked Qin Wen’s cover back then? Otherwise, such a great opportunity would have fallen into their laps.

Especially those top-tier fashion magazines, which had always been competing openly and secretly—competing in sales, fame, and style; the cover was the battlefield they all fought over.

Now, while they had been fighting, a magazine they hadn’t even considered had silently seized the high ground.

How could they stand this!!

Although Adam was hard to book, each of them had their methods; there was always a way to get him.

But after booking him, they were dumbfounded.

Whose muse of inspiration is their agent!!!

However, an artist like Adam, who pursued perfection, would not compromise. He directly stated that without Gu Xingshi, he wouldn’t shoot.

What could the magazines do? They had no choice but to pull out all the stops to get Gu Xingshi to appear.

Naturally, Gu Xingshi wouldn’t be polite. Having been an agent for a while now, he was gradually understanding these twists and turns and was not shy about taking the resources he deserved.

Of course, even if these magazines were willing to pay the price, he didn’t deal with every one of them.

Some magazines had been unfriendly to his artists before; he had them all noted down in his little book!

Those magazines were anxious too; if other magazines all had covers shot by Adam and they didn’t, how could they continue in the industry!

But they were unwilling to bow their heads to Gu Xingshi.

So they sent people to sneak into the shooting scene to see what Gu Xingshi was using to move Adam.

They discovered that throughout the process, Gu Xingshi kept praising Adam, and the more he praised, the more excited Adam became, maintaining a high level of enthusiasm throughout.

So that’s how it was!

The magazine thought they had found the secret and immediately sent their staff who were best at flattery.

However, after listening, Adam remained expressionless: “No.”

The editor-in-chief was about to go crazy: “Why not?”

Adam said seriously, “Photography is the fusion of beauty and inspiration. As the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, how can you not understand such a basic principle?”

These words were just short of pointing at his nose and calling him unprofessional.

The editor-in-chief was about to explode.

You might as well just say that the person isn’t good-looking!

But the problem is, where can I find a flatterer as good-looking as Gu Xingshi for you!

After this incident, Gu Xingshi’s value rose again.

If even the magazines were like this, the stars’ agents naturally became even more aware.

At that time, Qin Wen’s set of photos had gone viral.

Every company was drooling with envy.

Those who reacted quickly had already gone to build relationships with Gu Xingshi.

Those who were slower didn’t give up either, waiting for every opportunity to approach Gu Xingshi when he appeared.

For a time, Gu Xingshi became the hottest person in the circle.

Many agents who had interacted with him before but hadn’t built a relationship deeply regretted it, especially those agents from small companies who had participated in [Boy Group Training Camp].

Back when Gu Xingshi participated with Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin, he was alone, which was the best time to befriend him. But many agents looked down on him, thinking they would be eliminated in the first round and were unwilling to associate with him.

At that time, only Yin Hefeng talked to Gu Xingshi. They even mocked Yin Hefeng, saying he had poor judgment, lowering himself to mix with such an agent from a small company with no future.

Unexpectedly, later, Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin debuted in high ranks, and their value multiplied. Now, Gu Xingshi had gained Adam’s favor and become the darling of the fashion circle, becoming someone they could only look up to.

They were even more envious and jealous of Yin Hefeng; this is the benefit of investing in potential stocks early.

As for Ji Wangshu, it was even more remarkable.

She hadn’t expected that when she casually helped Gu Xingshi back then, he would actually succeed, even winning over Adam.

This was something that many people hadn’t accomplished over the years!

He had achieved it in just one night. What kind of amazing person was he!

She had originally been friendly to Gu Xingshi because of President Wen, but after this incident, she realized just how formidable Gu Xingshi was.

Even without President Wen’s support, he would certainly succeed.

She suddenly felt a bit jealous of President Wen.

He actually had such a beautiful, capable, and good-tempered boyfriend.

Sun Hongfei, who was reporting work, had the same thoughts as Ji Wangshu.

As President Gu’s brilliance grew, President Wen’s rivals in love also increased.

Qin Wen hadn’t even left, and now there was Adam!

Fortunately, President Wen made his move early; otherwise, with these little temptresses popping up endlessly, President Gu might have run off by now.

Thinking of this, he bravely stood up: “President Wen, I have a proposal.”

Wen Yue looked up: “What proposal?”

When being stared at by his pale eyes, one couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated.

Sun Hongfei shrank back a bit, but quickly remembered that he was doing this for President Wen and President Gu’s sake, so he mustered up his courage: “It’s like this, Qin Wen is loyal to President Gu, and Adam also treats President Gu differently. Given the current situation, do you think we should deepen our cooperation with President Gu?”

The subtext was, first there’s Qin Wen, then Adam; both are eyeing your partner, wanting to steal him away. Find an opportunity to cooperate, deepen your relationship with President Gu, and declare your sovereignty. Why not, President Wen!!

His enthusiasm made Wen Yue feel a bit puzzled.

But he also knew about the waves Gu Xingshi had been making in the fashion circle recently.

Every time he heard this name, Gu Xingshi seemed to bring him unexpected surprises.

Such talent should not be missed.

Thinking of this, he nodded steadily: “You’re right. I’ll leave this matter to you.”

Sun Hongfei was overjoyed: “Don’t worry, President Wen, I will complete the task!”

Wen Yue appreciated his drive and encouraged him a bit.

Sun Hongfei was flattered.

He secretly vowed that he would definitely protect the love between President Wen and President Gu!

*

Because Qin Wen was about to join a new production, his recent schedule was packed, and Gu Xingshi was incredibly busy.

That day, after Qin Wen had just finished an interview and was walking out of the magazine with Gu Xingshi, he suddenly paused, pointing to a corner and asked, “President Gu, isn’t that Sister Amy?”

Gu Xingshi finished replying to a message and looked up to see that it was indeed Amy.

But she looked more haggard than before.

Previously, when Qin Wen was slandered online by that photographer Deng Yan, Amy had specially used her main account to clarify for Qin Wen, praising his good skin, good looks, and how stunning he was even without makeup.

At that time, Adam’s set of photos hadn’t come out yet. Amy’s act of giving help in their time of need moved him deeply. He specially sent her a message to thank her and agreed to bring her a gift next time.

But when they came for the interview today, they didn’t see Amy. The makeup artist said she was on leave, and Gu Xingshi didn’t think much of it, just asked the other person to pass the gift to her.

But now, seeing Amy like this, it seemed something had happened.

As if sensing his doubts, the system popped up: [Something did happen. Amy participated in a makeup artist competition before. Because she performed outstandingly, she was sabotaged by a jealous friend who replaced her makeup products with ones that caused the model to have an allergic reaction. Not only did she lose the competition, but after the incident spread, she was questioned for being unprofessional, and even her current job was affected.]

Gu Xingshi frowned.

He gestured for Qin Wen to wait where he was, and he walked over to Amy: “Amy, are you okay?”

Amy saw that it was him and forced a smile: “President Gu.”

Gu Xingshi paused and then said, “I heard about the makeup artist competition.”

Amy’s face turned pale instantly: “President Gu, it really wasn’t me…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not doubting you.” Gu Xingshi gently comforted her. “We’ve worked together so many times; don’t I know whether you’re professional or not?”

Amy’s eyes immediately reddened, and she whispered, “Thank you, President Gu.”

Even just being comforted made her very grateful.

However, Gu Xingshi continued, “When you were in the competition, was there a makeup artist named Lily?”

Amy nodded: “Lily is my friend. After this incident, she’s the only one who believes me and has been comforting me.”

Gu Xingshi reminded, “I heard some rumors that she’s been saying a lot of bad things about you to others and even said she wants to make sure you can never be a makeup artist again. I believe you wouldn’t be that careless, but what if someone deliberately framed you?”

Amy was stunned: “No… impossible! We’ve known each other for many years; Lily, she…”

Thinking of this, she suddenly paused.

At that time, the makeup bag was with her all the time. Only when she went to the restroom did she leave the makeup bag with Lily.

After the incident, she never suspected Lily, only thought she had taken the wrong makeup products. But she had clearly checked several times before the competition; there was absolutely no mistake.

Gu Xingshi added, “As far as I know, you performed very well this time. If it weren’t for this incident, you would have definitely won the championship. Think about it, after this happened, who benefited the most?”

At this point, Amy gradually began to believe Gu Xingshi’s words, muttering, “It was Lily; she won the championship.”

Gu Xingshi reminded her, “Isn’t there surveillance at your venue? I also heard that some makeup artists were recording vlogs with their phones. Maybe something was captured?”

Amy’s eyes gradually brightened. She gratefully said to Gu Xingshi, “Thank you, President Gu!”

She could hardly control her emotions.

She knew that Gu Xingshi wouldn’t pay attention to a small makeup artist competition for no reason. He must have known she was in trouble, so he specially helped her find out.

He was obviously so busy, yet he still took the time and effort to help an insignificant little makeup artist like her.

Waaa, how could he be so nice, so gentle.

While Gu Xingshi was busy comforting the moved-to-tears Amy, he didn’t notice that on the small balcony next to them, a man with blue hair, smoking a cigarette, had heard their conversation.

After comforting Amy, Gu Xingshi walked back towards Qin Wen.

The blue-haired man stubbed out his cigarette and also walked out of the balcony, his gaze falling on Gu Xingshi.

He had thought it was just his voice that was gentle; he didn’t expect the person to be… quite gentle too.

The man lowered his eyes and followed behind him.

Qin Wen had been waiting for Gu Xingshi. Seeing him come over, he quickly went to meet him, but when he saw the man behind him, he was startled: “Sheng Yueqing?”

The man who was called by name stopped in his tracks and looked at them indifferently.

Gu Xingshi glanced over curiously and was immediately stunned by that face.

Blue hair is a tough test for an artist’s looks. First, the skin must be fair enough; second, the facial features need to be exquisite. Otherwise, it easily ends up looking like a tacky punk.

But this person not only had fair skin but also a god-like face straight out of a manga, almost flawless. Even though he always wore a cold expression, it only made him seem more refined and noble.

However, as famous as his face was, so were his scandals and bad temper.

Just a couple of days ago, he was trending because he hit a teammate and was being scolded online.

At that time, Gu Xingshi had chatted with the system about it and knew it wasn’t his fault; his teammate had deliberately provoked him.

Now, seeing him in person, he didn’t seem as irritable as the trending topics suggested; instead, he appeared quite calm.

He flashed his signature smile and took the initiative to greet Sheng Yueqing. “Hello.”

Sheng Yueqing seemed startled. After a long pause, he finally replied expressionlessly, “Hello.”

Then he hurried past them to leave, and because he was walking so fast, he even bumped into Qin Wen’s shoulder.

Qin Wen rubbed his shoulder and couldn’t help muttering, “Why is he in such a hurry, like he’s being chased by a ghost…”

Gu Xingshi couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

He had noticed that Sheng Yueqing’s earlobes were red. Just saying hello, and he’s this shy?

Just then, their car arrived, so Gu Xingshi didn’t think much more about it. He pulled Qin Wen into the car and headed to their next appointment.

It wasn’t until evening that he discovered Qin Wen and Sheng Yueqing were trending online.

And the topic was #ShengYueqingInsultsQinWen’sAgent

Gu Xingshi was baffled. “???”

He clicked in and found that someone had taken photos of them in the lobby earlier. Clearly, nothing had happened at the time, but on Weibo, it was twisted into a story where Sheng Yueqing insulted him, then Qin Wen stepped in to defend him but was arrogantly shouldered aside by Sheng Yueqing, who swaggered off.

Now Gu Xingshi understood what they meant by “starting with a picture, the rest is all made up.”

He couldn’t help but complain to the system: [Isn’t this too unfair to Sheng Yueqing? He did nothing, yet he’s being scolded like this…]

The system replied: [There’s nothing to be done; he’s just a magnet for hate. Since his debut, he’s been scolded for everything. Even when his teammates did something wrong, he’s the one who gets blamed. His company doesn’t treat him well either. After noticing this, they used him as a tool to promote the group. Even though he was isolated within the group, they released PR statements saying he was bullying other members to gain sympathy from fans. Initially, he attracted fans with his looks, but when the group became popular, they kicked him out, and fans even cheered…]

[That’s so miserable…] Gu Xingshi sighed.

[When he first entered the industry, he was enthusiastic. But since most of his fans were just there for his looks and not loyal, the company used him as a scapegoat to highlight new artists or shield scandal-ridden ones. He’s not good with words; when he tried to explain, he got scolded even more. He wanted to terminate his contract, but the penalty was too high, so he simply gave up.]

Looking at the comments under the Weibo post, Gu Xingshi saw that they were all scolding Sheng Yueqing.

[@ShengYueqing Why hasn’t he left the entertainment industry yet! Just seeing his name makes me feel physically sick.]

[@ShengYueqing You’re like a mad dog, biting whoever you see!]

[Why are our President Gu and Brother Qin so unlucky to run into this jinx…]

Gu Xingshi couldn’t help but feel sorry for Sheng Yueqing.

He logged into his main account and explained what happened that day, emphasizing that they were just saying hello, and that Sheng Yueqing didn’t insult anyone. The bump on Qin Wen’s shoulder was because he was in a hurry.

Qin Wen also reposted his Weibo, asking netizens not to make unfounded speculations.

However, the comments were still:

[We all know what kind of person Sheng Yueqing is. President Gu, don’t defend him; he won’t appreciate it anyway.]

[Hugs to President Gu. Did Sheng Yueqing threaten you? Don’t be afraid; we’ll help you scold him!]

[Poor President Gu, our sweet angel is so kind! Even after being insulted, he doesn’t hold a grudge and is even covering up for Sheng Yueqing!]

Gu Xingshi was speechless.

Not at all!!

I’m super fierce! Super vengeful!

However, the netizens’ prejudice against Sheng Yueqing was too deep; no matter what he said, they wouldn’t believe him. In the end, he could only give up helplessly.

Meanwhile, after finishing his work for the day, Sheng Yueqing returned to his room.

But unlike before, he didn’t just lie down upon returning; instead, his steps were somewhat light and cheerful.

He even dug out a diary he hadn’t used in a long time, planning to write something.

But as soon as he took out his pen, he received a call from his agent, who impatiently said, “Why are you trending again? What’s going on with you and Qin Wen’s agent? Didn’t I tell you to keep a low profile these days and not cause trouble?”

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Sheng Yueqing’s head.

He was momentarily stunned but quickly resumed his indifferent expression amidst the agent’s scolding.

He was long used to this kind of thing; no matter what he did, he’d be scolded. Even if he just sat in a corner in a daze, people would think he was throwing a tantrum.

He used to feel sad at first, but now he doesn’t care anymore.

He responded with a few perfunctory “mm-hmms.” After the agent hung up, he no longer felt like writing anything. He collapsed heavily onto the bed and tossed his phone aside.

After a while, he picked up the phone again, casually opened a game, and coldly and mercilessly defeated his opponents.

After playing several rounds, he rubbed his eyes, preparing to rest for a bit.

Just then, a Weibo notification popped up. He looked at the words [Sheng Yueqing Insults Qin Wen’s Agent] and pressed his lips together.

His hand moved faster than his brain, tapping into Weibo.

As usual, the post contained a photo and some fabricated stories about things he hadn’t done. The comments were all scolding him.

He was used to this, but this time he unexpectedly felt a slight sting in his heart.

Unconsciously scrolling through Weibo, he suddenly froze.

He actually saw that Gu Xingshi and Qin Wen were explaining on his behalf.

Sheng Yueqing was stunned.

This was the first time someone had defended him after a misunderstanding.

Even though no one believed them.

But the initial ache in his heart seemed to suddenly heal, like a tiny flower blooming in a barren desert.

Gu Xingshi.

Sheng Yueqing silently mouthed these three words.

Even his name is so gentle.

*

Gu Xingshi didn’t dwell on what happened that day, because before long, Qin Wen was about to join the filming crew.

This time, Gu Xingshi only arranged for an assistant to accompany him and didn’t go himself.

It’s not that he didn’t care, but originally Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin were supposed to participate in a variety show. However, Meng Yuansheng suddenly had a recurrence of a back injury and went to the hospital for treatment, leaving only Cheng Xin to participate alone.

Without the reliable Meng Yuansheng to keep Cheng Xin in check, given his personality and that mouth of his, he might get himself trending for negative reasons in no time.

Therefore, he had to temporarily set aside Qin Wen and accompany Cheng Xin to the variety show.

This is a studio-recorded variety show called [Weekend Matchup], featuring three hosts and five guests, playing games and promoting new songs or dramas.

On the way, Gu Xingshi repeatedly reminded Cheng Xin to absolutely not say anything inappropriate.

Cheng Xin obediently mimed zipping his mouth shut.

Only then did Gu Xingshi feel at ease. Upon arriving at the recording location, they first greeted the hosts and then went to the dressing room. Who knew that as soon as they entered, they would see a familiar head of blue hair.

“Sheng Yueqing?”

Gu Xingshi exclaimed in surprise.

Sheng Yueqing’s body stiffened. He then turned around, and upon seeing Gu Xingshi, he was somewhat incredulous.

He was a last-minute addition to today’s variety show; he heard that an artist had suddenly fallen ill, so they called him in on short notice.

Sheng Yueqing knew very well that the company wouldn’t be so kind as to give him a variety show; most likely, they were using him to promote someone else.

He was used to it.

He didn’t care much about who the other person was and came along silently.

Who would have thought he’d run into Gu Xingshi.

So unexpected.

His palms suddenly became sweaty, and his neck seemed stiff, unable to turn.

He had decided long ago that the next time he saw Gu Xingshi, he would greet him properly and not be as awkward as the first time. He had even practiced many times in front of the mirror.

But when it came to the actual encounter, he still couldn’t act naturally.

But Gu Xingshi smiled and waved at him. “We meet again.”

“Mm.” After saying that, Sheng Yueqing added softly, “It’s… nice to see you.”

“Me too.” Gu Xingshi smiled and introduced Cheng Xin. “This is our artist, Cheng Xin.”

Sheng Yueqing nodded at him. “Hello.”

“Hello.” Cheng Xin looked at him, then at Gu Xingshi, hesitating as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Gu Xingshi couldn’t stand it. “What do you want to say now?”

Cheng Xin looked curiously at Sheng Yueqing. “Is this your new sweetheart?”

Sheng Yueqing: “…!”

Gu Xingshi: “You’d better keep your mouth shut.”

Cheng Xin could only aggrievedly mime zipping his mouth again.

Gu Xingshi sighed helplessly.

Cheng Xin’s mouth was probably beyond saving.

Sheng Yueqing watched them interact so naturally, like friends, in shock.

He had never seen any artist and agent have such a relationship.

Gu Xingshi looked at him apologetically. “Don’t be angry. He doesn’t speak well, but he means no harm.”

Clearly, Cheng Xin was the one who misspoke, but Gu Xingshi didn’t seem to mind and was so eager to defend him.

“It’s okay.”

Sheng Yueqing pressed his lips together, suppressing the envy bubbling in his heart.