After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH79

Chapter 79

Satisfied after catching up on all the gossip, Gu Xingshi returned to the table, only to hear Wen Yue ask, “You kept running off to the restroom just for gossip?”

Gu Xingshi nodded. “What else?”

Wen Yue: “…”

He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

After dinner, Wen Yue offered to drive Gu Xingshi home.

When they arrived, just as Gu Xingshi was about to unbuckle his seatbelt, Wen Yue’s hand pressed down on his. “Wait.”

Wen Yue’s palm rested warmly on the back of Gu Xingshi’s hand.

Gu looked up and met Wen Yue’s deep gaze.

For a moment, their breaths seemed to intertwine.

The car’s spacious interior felt suddenly close and stifling, and the heater was casting a soft blush over Gu Xingshi’s cheeks.

Wen Yue’s gaze grew darker, his voice deepening. “You still haven’t told me what identity I should take on at the company banquet.”

Gu Xingshi blinked, his lashes fluttering slightly as he hesitated, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Well… it’s hard to say.”

Wen Yue’s heart stirred at the delicate movement of those lashes, a subtle yearning forming deep within him. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I want to know.”

Gu Xingshi looked up, meeting his eyes. “The role of ‘Daddy Investor.’”

Wen Yue: “???”

Click.

The seatbelt unlatched.

With a playful grin, Gu Xingshi slipped his hand away. “Goodnight, President Wen.”

Wen Yue: “…”

As Gu Xingshi stepped out of the car, he turned back. “Oh, right.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. Inside was a pair of emerald cufflinks.

Wen Yue blinked. “What’s this?”

“A birthday gift,” Gu Xingshi replied, his gaze clear. “I was hoping to celebrate with you, but I have to leave for a business trip in two days, so I wanted to give it to you early. Happy birthday.”

The unexpected surprise left Wen Yue momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t expected Gu Xingshi not only to remember his birthday but to prepare a thoughtful gift for him, even going out of his way to give it to him early in case he couldn’t make it in time.

He watched Gu Xingshi’s retreating figure.

The faint sense of disappointment he’d been feeling instantly melted into a quiet warmth.

*

Two days later, Gu Xingshi and Sheng Yueqing flew to Paris for a fashion show.

Such events were Sheng Yueqing’s comfort zone—he already had an eye for aesthetics, and his stunning looks added an extra flair. The moment he stepped onto the red carpet, the flashbulbs were nonstop.

That night, the hashtag #ShengYueqingInParis skyrocketed on the trending list.

As Gu Xingshi checked the trending topics, he noticed another one at the bottom—#LuHaoxingParisShowFlirtation#.

He thought the name looked a bit familiar.

System: [That’s Zhou Chengyan’s artist—the one with the ‘sister-in-law’ situation!]

Gu Xingshi: […You have a real talent for summaries.]

System: [Recently, Lu Haoxing has been practically glued to his ‘sister-in-law.’ Zhou Chengyan, afraid of exposure, got him this show invite to keep him out of trouble, but Lu Haoxing couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He saw a beautiful model and went over to flirt—caught by paparazzi, of course. Zhou Chengyan just finished handling it.]

Gu Xingshi: […How did he cover it?]

System: [He claimed Lu Haoxing was just practicing his French.]

Gu Xingshi: [Impressive.]

Meanwhile, Zhou Chengyan, having resolved the latest public relations fiasco, took a deep breath. But as soon as he turned around, he saw his artist leaning against a doorway, attempting to flirt with a waiter in broken French.

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

His fists clenched.

After finally shooing the waiter away, Zhou slammed the door shut, gritting his teeth. “You just made the trending list—can’t you lay low for once?!”

Lu Haoxing crossed his legs, unfazed. “We’re not in China. Who cares?”

Zhou Chengyan: “…As if you behave any better when we are in China!”

Lu Haoxing rolled his eyes impatiently. “I’m already going along with your stupid cross-dressing role. What more do you want from me?”

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and issued a final warning. “If you mess up again at tonight’s gala, don’t expect to get any more fashion gigs in the future.”

Lu Haoxing shrugged. “If that’s how you see it, then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

Damn player!

*

That night, the gala was hosted by a major international brand and attended by numerous celebrities.

Zhou Chengyan had gone through considerable effort to secure an invitation.

Yet Lu Haoxing wasn’t pleased. “What kind of lame party is this? They’re actually making us wait in line?!”

“Keep your voice down!” Zhou Chengyan hissed, “Everyone else is queuing up quietly—why do you have to make a fuss?”

Lu Haoxing scoffed. “Then why don’t they have to wait in line?”

Zhou Chengyan followed his gaze and saw Sheng Yueqing and Gu Xingshi being personally welcomed by the brand’s representatives, ushered in through the VIP entrance.

Zhou rolled his eyes. “…Can you even compare? They were personally invited by the brand.”

Lu Haoxing sneered, “Just admit it, you’re not influential enough.”

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

If he had committed a crime, the law could punish him. He didn’t deserve this—being stuck as a manager for a clueless idiot.

After finally making it inside, they were surrounded by dazzling lights, shimmering jewels, and an air of sophistication.

Lu Haoxing’s eyes sparkled at the sight.

Wary of him slipping back into his usual bad habits, Zhou Chengyan kept a close eye on him the entire time, abandoning any hope of networking for himself.

Then, with a quick glance around, he spotted Sheng Yueqing standing obediently behind Gu Xingshi. Sheng Yueqing mirrored Gu’s every move without a single misstep.

A pang of envy struck Zhou Chengyan.

Looking at Gu’s perfectly-behaved artist, and then at his own, Zhou couldn’t help but think: Comparison really is the thief of joy.

But in that single distracted moment, Lu Haoxing had disappeared.

Zhou Chengyan: “!!!”

He scanned the room and, sure enough, found Lu Haoxing shamelessly flirting with someone.

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

He quickly headed over, but just as he approached, something Lu Haoxing said made the woman’s expression shift to outrage. She grabbed a glass of wine and hurled it at him.

Sensing trouble, Lu Haoxing dodged, leaving the entire glass of wine to drench Zhou Chengyan instead.

The room fell silent.

Wine dripped down Zhou Chengyan’s face.

Suppressing his frustration, Zhou cursed under his breath, then resignedly took off his glasses and used his sleeve to wipe his face.

Just then, a hand holding a napkin reached out to him.

Thinking it was a waiter, Zhou took it, muttering a quick “thanks” before drying his face. Only after putting his glasses back on did he realize something was off.

“President Gu?!”

Gu Xingshi smiled kindly. “Your clothes are soaked. Why don’t you use our lounge to freshen up?”

Glancing at his soaked shirt, Zhou hesitated before finally saying, “Thank you, President Gu.”

He sighed inwardly, thinking, President Gu really lives up to his reputation as a decent guy.

As honored guests, Sheng Yueqing and Gu Xingshi had their own VIP lounge at the event.

Zhou Chengyan quickly tidied up in the restroom and was just stepping out when he saw Sheng Yueqing coming up with a carefully wrapped package of food and a drink.

“President Gu,” Sheng Yueqing said, “I noticed you didn’t get to eat much, so I packed you some snacks.”

Zhou Chengyan felt a fresh wave of envy.

Obedient, considerate, and not causing any trouble? That alone was impressive.

So considerate!

What kind of magical artist is this?!

After leaving the snacks, Sheng Yueqing quietly slipped out, leaving only Gu Xingshi and Zhou Chengyan in the lounge.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Zhou thanked Gu. “Thank you so much for earlier, President Gu. Oh, I haven’t introduced myself—I’m Zhou Chengyan, a manager from Jingchuan Entertainment.”

“I know who you are,” Gu replied.

Zhou was stunned, a bit flattered.

Compared to the renowned President Gu, he was just an average manager. He hadn’t expected Gu to know of him.

With a slight smile, Gu Xingshi added, “Your PR skills are impressive.”

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

Right in the heart!

Gu invited him to sit down and join him for some food, and the two began to chat.

It didn’t take long for Gu to realize just how capable Zhou Chengyan really was. Besides his PR expertise, Zhou also had sharp insights on artist branding and positioning. No wonder his artists, despite their numerous scandals, still managed to hold their place in the industry.

As their conversation progressed, Gu learned that Zhou’s hotel was close to his own and suggested, “Why don’t you take our car back later?”

Naturally, Zhou was more than happy to accept.

Who wouldn’t want to make connections with someone like President Gu? Besides, Zhou had his own agenda—he was dying to know how Gu trained such well-behaved artists!

Most people envied Gu for having talented and disciplined artists.

But Zhou wasn’t asking for much. He’d be happy if his artists could just stop creating crises for one day!

They continued chatting on the way to the car.

As the vehicle pulled away from the gala, fans along the road grew excited.

“Xiao Qing was amazing on the red carpet!”

“President Gu, you’re the best!”

“President Gu, please ask Xiao Qing to post more selfies!”

Zhou couldn’t help but feel yet another pang of envy.

No cursing, no drama, no weird edits. These fans are just… so different.

Just then, Gu’s phone rang, and he turned to answer, “A Sheng?”

A Sheng? Zhou thought, Meng Yuansheng!

If there was a perfect artist in Zhou’s mind, it would have to be Meng Yuansheng—talented, disciplined, and eloquent.

His ears perked up instinctively.

Then he heard Gu say, “Won an award? Congratulations!”

Zhou felt yet another pang of envy.

Why is it that when Gu’s artists call, it’s to share good news, but when mine call, it’s always to clean up their messes?

Next, he heard Gu say, “You decide on this—I trust your judgment completely.”

Zhou Chengyan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

He recalled seeing this same kind of trust between Gu and Sheng Yueqing at the gala.

Trust in his artists… could that be Gu’s secret?

But the moment they arrived back at the hotel, Zhou immediately noticed that Lu Haoxing wasn’t there.

Before leaving, he’d specifically told him to return early, and he’d even agreed!

He was about to fire off a series of missed calls when he paused.

Gu’s approach flashed in his mind.

Yes. Trust.

And then, the very next second, a notification popped up with paparazzi photos of Lu Haoxing bringing a woman back to the hotel, his arm around her.

Zhou Chengyan: “!!!”

As if on cue, his phone rang.

It was Jiang Manman’s assistant, another one of his artists.

Given his past experience, Zhou braced himself for yet another crisis.

Darkness clouded his vision for a moment.

But then, he gathered his resolve.

No. Sure, Lu Haoxing might be a disaster.

But Manman was his most well-behaved artist and rarely caused trouble.

Maybe, just maybe, this was good news?

He answered the call.

On the other end, the assistant’s panicked voice burst through. “Brother Zhou! Something terrible has happened! Manman’s accidentally pregnant!”

Zhou Chengyan: “…”

To hell with trust!

I’m done. Bring on the apocalypse already.