After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH57

Chapter 57

Just as Wen Yue was about to call Tang Ling for an explanation, the door opened, and Gu Xingshi stepped in behind the server.

Gu Xingshi looked around in surprise, his expression a mix of delight and wonder.

Wen Yue’s brow twitched, frantically considering how to explain the setup, but before he could say anything, Gu Xingshi bypassed him and headed straight to the window. “Wow, the view is amazing!” he exclaimed, eyes wide with awe.

Then, turning back with a cheerful smile, he asked, “President Wen, how did you know I’ve always wanted to eat here?”

Wen Yue: “…”

No, he didn’t know.

Gu Xingshi finally noticed the room strewn with roses. “What’s with the flowers?” he asked curiously.

Wen Yue closed his eyes briefly. “President Gu, let me explain—”

“No need! I get it!” Gu Xingshi responded knowingly. “Today’s Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine Day). It makes sense they’d decorate like this.”

Wen Yue: “…”

Was this really “normal” decor?

Seeing Gu Xingshi’s genuinely appreciative look, seemingly oblivious to any undertone, Wen Yue found himself at a loss for words. He held back his skepticism and took a seat across from Gu Xingshi, though the setup was unexpectedly intimate.

The table was smaller than he had anticipated; as soon as Wen Yue shifted, his knee brushed against Gu Xingshi’s. Even through two layers of fabric, the contact was searing, and he instinctively jerked his leg back.

Gu Xingshi didn’t seem to notice at all, still fascinated by the table decor, while Wen Yue exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.

And yet, somehow, a faint sense of disappointment lingered.

Once seated, the servers began bringing out the dishes.

Thankfully, the meal itself went smoothly, and Wen Yue gradually relaxed.

Conversation with Gu Xingshi flowed naturally, and Wen Yue found himself increasingly impressed. Gu Xingshi wasn’t only knowledgeable about the entertainment industry; his insights spanned across various fields. Though he might not be deeply versed in every topic, his unique perspectives made the conversation fresh and engaging.

Wen Yue gave him an appreciative nod. “You’re quite young, yet you have such extensive experience.”

Gu Xingshi laughed lightly. “Well, I did work a lot of different jobs before, so it’s only natural I picked up a few things here and there.”

Wen Yue blinked in surprise, recalling how Gu Xingshi’s palm had felt unexpectedly calloused the first time they’d shaken hands. At the time, it had seemed odd, but now it made sense—Gu Xingshi must have faced more hardship than his current composure suggested.

The realization tugged at something in Wen Yue’s chest.

Just then, Gu Xingshi interrupted his thoughts with a delighted gasp, “Wow! This steak is amazing! You’ve got to try it, President Wen!”

Wen Yue was jolted back to the present, watching as Gu Xingshi eagerly enjoyed his meal, his expression untroubled and genuine.

Gu Xingshi didn’t seem weighed down by his past at all, maintaining an optimism as bright as the sun. It was as if anyone near him would feel that same warmth.

Feeling his own spirits lighten, Wen Yue found a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

With the main course done, the server brought out dessert, and Wen Yue’s moment of ease immediately shattered.

The dessert was a soft, pink heart-shaped cake with a gradient of colors, and on top, the words “Je t’aime” were piped in elegant script. Roses were one thing—this was impossible to brush off as mere holiday decor!

Wen Yue clenched his jaw slightly. “President Gu—”

Before he could explain, Gu Xingshi had already picked up the knife and efficiently sliced the cake in half.

Seeing Wen Yue’s hesitant expression, Gu Xingshi tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

Wen Yue: “…Nothing.”

Happily, Gu Xingshi scooped half of the cake onto his plate and, with a cheerful “ahh,” took a big bite, consuming the “I love you” lettering in one go.

Wen Yue: “…”

Well, maybe President Gu didn’t understand the French; perhaps he was reading too much into it.

Yet just as he began to relax, Gu Xingshi suddenly leaned forward, reaching toward him.

Gu Xingshi’s handsome face came closer, his long lashes casting shadows over his eyes, turning his gaze thoughtful and calm. For a moment, Wen Yue’s view was entirely filled with Gu Xingshi’s face, his beautifully shaped lips in particular.

Slightly raised at the center, his lips were tinted pink from the dessert, looking soft and inviting, like a tempting morsel. With each breath, a delicate hint of orange mingled with the sweetness of strawberries, lingering between them.

Wen Yue’s heart skipped a beat and began pounding irregularly.

His hands clenched tightly in his lap, veins visible as he struggled for self-control.

He tried to shift his gaze, but Gu Xingshi was all he could see.

His white shirt was casually unbuttoned at the collar, exposing a smooth throat and collarbone, his skin luminous and flawless like jade. The shirt, neatly tucked into his pants, highlighted his slender waist. The fabric stretched just enough to hint at the curve of his figure—a striking contrast that caught the eye.

Wen Yue’s breath quickened.

But then, Gu Xingshi straightened, opening his palm to reveal a rose petal. “President Wen, you have a petal on your head.”

His smile was pure, seemingly unaware of the tension that had built between them in those few brief seconds.

Wen Yue’s throat bobbed slightly, his voice low. “…Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Gu Xingshi returned to his seat, continuing their conversation without a second thought.

Wen Yue tried to focus on their discussion, but his mind kept drifting back to that brief moment, and the faint scent of orange lingered in the air.

It took all of his willpower to force his thoughts back into line.

Gu Xingshi had only been helping him remove a petal. How could he let his mind wander like that?

It had to be the ambiance of the room affecting him.

Yes, that must be it.

Wen Yue finally convinced himself, though his entire body remained tense, as if carved from stone.

Fortunately, nothing else unusual happened during the meal, and the two ended the evening on a pleasant note.

Gu Xingshi accepted his coat from the server with a bright smile. “Thank you for the lovely dinner tonight, President Wen.”

“It was my pleasure, and our conversation was enlightening,” Wen Yue replied politely, his gaze deliberately fixed on the top of Gu Xingshi’s light-brown head as they walked side by side out of the restaurant.

Once outside, Wen Yue gestured toward his car. “It’s late. Allow me to give you a ride home.”

“Oh, no need!” Gu Xingshi waved him off. “One of my artists is recording nearby. I’ll just hitch a ride with them.”

Wen Yue hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright. Be safe on your way back, then.”

“Thank you. See you around!”

Gu Xingshi waved goodbye through the car window as Wen Yue’s luxury sedan pulled away. Once it had disappeared from sight, he finally took out his phone and discreetly called for a ride.

Leaning back in his seat after getting into the car, he closed his eyes and addressed his system. [Alright, spill.]

The usually hyperactive system was unusually reluctant, taking its sweet time before responding meekly, [S-spill what, Host?]

Gu Xingshi’s smile was cold. [Take a guess.]

Hearing the warning in his tone, the system gave up pretending. He tapped his finger on his knee, calm yet insistent. [Tonight’s restaurant—who set that up? An error this big, and you—a system practically addicted to gossip—‘didn’t know’?]

The system froze. [!!!]

Now fully caught, the system confessed every juicy rumor surrounding Gu Xingshi and Wen Yue in complete, brutal detail.

Gu Xingshi was floored.

When he’d first entered the restaurant, the setup struck him as odd. For a moment, he thought Wen Yue was trying to court him, but then he noticed Wen Yue’s uncomfortable reaction. His expressions ranged from hesitant to mildly awkward.

If Wen Yue had planned this, he would’ve been far more composed.

Gu Xingshi quickly realized there had been a misunderstanding, though the source remained unclear. To be sure, he subtly probed Wen Yue several times, confirming the dinner wasn’t Wen Yue’s idea.

The dinner reservation had been arranged by Wen Yue’s assistant, Tang Ling. If it wasn’t on Wen Yue’s instructions, then Tang Ling had likely acted on his own initiative. But for Tang Ling, Wen Yue’s most trusted assistant, to make such an uncharacteristic decision—it had to mean there was a rumor worth investigating.

However, his normally chatty system had kept suspiciously quiet about it until now.

As it turned out, Gu Xingshi had guessed the beginning of the story but completely missed the explosive ending.

Who would’ve thought it would be this outrageous?

That conniving Sun Hongfei! If he’d worked half as hard at writing scripts as he did at crafting rumors, they’d be raking in awards by now! Gu Xingshi and Wen Yue had only met a handful of times! Couldn’t they at least respect the basic logic of time and place when fabricating gossip?

This was all his fault. He should never have taken shortcuts by pretending to have a fake backer. Now the awkwardness had come full circle.

How was he supposed to face Wen Yue in the future?!

The system was still sobbing. [I really didn’t mean to keep this from you, Host! I didn’t think a groundless rumor would go so far without being debunked… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…]

Gu Xingshi took a deep breath. [Exactly how many people know about this ‘rumor’?]

The system hesitated, finally mumbling, […About half the entertainment industry, give or take…]

Gu Xingshi: […]

So, after all that gossip-chasing, he’d ended up as the main course.

Karma truly comes full circle. Those ancient sayings were onto something!

*

The next day, Wen Yue arrived at the office.

Tang Ling cautiously observed his boss’s expression, but Wen Yue seemed the same as usual, showing no particular emotion. This left Tang Ling feeling slightly uncertain.

Could it be that his careful arrangement from last night wasn’t good enough and that Wen Yue and Gu Xingshi didn’t spend the night together as planned?

Yet Wen Yue didn’t look displeased, either.

As Tang Ling continued his meticulous assessment, he noticed that Wen Yue was wearing a pair of cufflinks shaped like small oranges, crafted from yellow gemstones. Tang Ling remembered this pair well; although they were valuable, Wen Yue had previously deemed the design too casual and rarely wore them.

While pondering this new development, Tang Ling kept his expression neutral and began briefing Wen Yue on the day’s schedule.

“…At ten in the morning, there’s a conference call with the Film Hub on the new engine application updates.”

Wen Yue paused. “Cancel the call. I’ll go there in person to watch the demo.”

Knowing Wen Yue’s dedication to the Film Hub, Tang Ling didn’t think much of it and immediately replied, “Understood, I’ll arrange the car now.”

Once they were in the car, Tang Ling continued with the itinerary. “At two this afternoon, you’ll fly to Shanghai for the Keshu Group acquisition negotiations, and at six, there’s a dinner with Mr. Hong. The reservation is at…”

Wen Yue opened his eyes slightly.

Tang Ling halted mid-sentence. “President Wen?”

Wen Yue’s mind wandered briefly to last night’s dinner. “About last night…”

Tang Ling’s heart skipped a beat.

Wen Yue was about to tell him not to make such autonomous decisions again, but he stopped himself, remembering Gu Xingshi’s bright, eager eyes and how much he’d enjoyed the food.

All things considered, the dinner had been a bit awkward, but aside from the roses and that heart-shaped dessert, there wasn’t much to complain about. And Gu Xingshi had mentioned it was a place he’d wanted to visit for a while.

Given that he was treating Gu Xingshi, Wen Yue figured that the choice had indeed suited the occasion well. Tang Ling’s decision wasn’t exactly wrong.

After waiting a long moment without hearing Wen Yue continue, Tang Ling asked tentatively, “President Wen, did the dinner…meet you and President Gu’s expectations?”

Wen Yue remained silent for a few seconds before responding blandly, “…It was fine.”

Tang Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

Wen Yue added, “Next time, a regular business dinner will suffice.”

Understood. There’s going to be a next time.

Without hesitation, Tang Ling replied, “Got it, President Wen.”

Before long, they arrived at the Film Hub.

Wen Yue chose not to notify anyone in advance and instead went directly to the elevator.

Meanwhile, Jin Shiheng was packing up his things.

After Gu Xingshi had him transferred from Sweet Orange Video to the Film Hub, Jin Shiheng had been sure he’d secured his place, thinking he was on the verge of a grand promotion and a life of luxury.

Unexpectedly, after Reincarnation aired, Jin Shiheng realized how utterly wrong he had been.

President Gu had been aware of his identity as a spy from the start. Without saying a word, he’d cleverly used Jin to feed false information to Ning Tianyou, ultimately leading to Ning’s complete downfall.

Thinking back on how Gu Xingshi kept him busy all day with grunt work and all night writing reports, leaving him exhausted yet smugly content with himself, Jin Shiheng felt a chill run down his spine.

He had assumed President Gu was naïve and innocent, but now it was clear that he himself had been the gullible one.

How foolish he’d been to think a talent manager who’d only emerged in the industry for two years yet raised four top artists would be easy to deceive.

Blame it on that deceptive face of Gu Xingshi’s.

Jin Shiheng, carrying a box of his belongings, walked toward the exit, only to cross paths with Sun Hongfei.

In stark contrast to his own despair, Sun Hongfei was brimming with confidence and pride.

With the success of both Secret of Six Doors and Reincarnation, his promotion to vice president was practically set in stone.

The two had entered the company around the same time, and he’d even been doing better than Sun Hongfei in the beginning. But now their fates had swapped.

While Sun Hongfei soared, he had lost everything—even his original job.

Regret and jealousy surged in his chest. Seeing Sun Hongfei about to walk past him without even a glance, he felt his anger ignite like a spark to dry tinder.

“Sun,” Jin Shiheng spat, “who are you to look down on me? You’re just lucky you clung to the right thigh to hug…”

Sun Hongfei paused, turning back to flash him a mocking smile. “What’s wrong with hugging a thigh? You think you’d be above it if you’d had the chance?”

Jin Shiheng was left speechless. Damn it! How could Sun Hongfei look so smug about this?

With zero shame, Sun Hongfei shrugged. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t all that noble at first. But after spending time around President Gu—his talent, his character, the way he handles people and situations—every part of him is worth learning from. So, what if I’m hugging his thigh? I do it with pride and honor!”

Jin Shiheng’s face twisted with rage as he scoffed. “All that high talk—it’s just because he’s in bed with President Wen, right? So he’s got a little pillow talk advantage. Don’t get cocky—if Wen ever dumps him, let’s see where that leaves you.”

Sun Hongfei rolled his eyes dramatically. “Stop talking nonsense! President Gu and President Wen are solid as a rock, their bond eternal. Quit with your jinxing!”

He waved Jin Shiheng off as if he were shooing a fly. “Hurry up and leave. If you keep dragging your feet, I’ll get security to kick you out myself.”

With that, he turned and strutted proudly back into the office, leaving Jin Shiheng fuming alone.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Wen Yue had overheard their entire exchange from around the corner.

Though his expression remained calm, a storm of confusion was raging inside him.

He had no idea he and President Gu were supposedly “involved”!

He turned to look at Tang Ling, who, to his surprise, appeared unperturbed, not the least bit shocked by what he’d just heard.

Wen Yue caught him off guard with a question. “You knew about this?”

Tang Ling answered instinctively, “Of course.”

He snapped his mouth shut the moment he realized he’d let that slip.

Wen Yue thought back to that ridiculous dinner on Chinese Valentine’s Day, and suddenly everything became clear.

His eyebrow twitched as he spoke, “President Gu and I…”

Tang Ling quickly caught on, “President Wen, I’ll make arrangements to ensure no one talks about you and President Gu in public.”

Another eyebrow twitch from Wen Yue. “Them?”

Tang Ling hesitated, “It can’t be helped; a lot of people already know. There’s no hiding it…”

Wen Yue: “…”

He was on the verge of laughing in anger. “Why don’t you tell me, exactly what is it they all ‘know’?”

Sensing the growing fury from him, Tang Ling promptly began listing off all the “evidence” of his supposed romance with Gu Xingshi.

One after another.

All the events he described were indeed things Wen Yue had done—but each one was a far cry from what he remembered.

By the end, Wen Yue was practically dazed.

Did he have amnesia, or had everyone else collectively lost their minds?

He wanted to explain, but absurdly found he had no way to do so.

After all, these people hadn’t just fabricated a love story; they’d even concocted a reason for him to keep the relationship hidden.

If he tried to clear things up now, it would do nothing but add fuel to this rumor mill.

With that thought, he found himself strangely calm and instructed Tang Ling, “Go find out where this rumor started.”