Chapter 37

After the New Year, Zhu Xinyue was about to join the crew for filming.
After starring in "A Moment, A Scene," Zhu Xinyue benefited from the show's nationwide popularity, and more scripts began coming her way.
Among these scripts were some from future hit dramas she had read about in the novel, but she generally only invested in them without participating in the filming. Instead, she selected good scripts and reliable production teams from dramas not mentioned in other novels to join the crew.
Just like the low-budget suspense web series "The Wall" she had previously filmed, it wasn't mentioned in the novel as a hit, but it gained excellent reputation in certain circles. Many film and drama reviewers included it in their mid-year recommendations for great shows.
This time, Zhu Xinyue was filming a drama mentioned in the novel called "Illusory Moon."
In the novel, the lead actor of this drama was later banned due to legal issues, causing the series to be canceled before its release. It remained shelved, with no news about it even by the end of the novel.
Zhu Xinyue had read the script and evaluated the production team, the script was solid, and the team had produced many well-received serious dramas. If this series could be broadcast smoothly, it might also become a critically acclaimed work.
After comprehensive consideration, Zhu Xinyue participated in the audition for the lead role.
During this period, Zhu Xinyue had been honing her acting skills with a performance coach, spending time in an acting class recommended by Xie Zhuguang. Her acting had matured significantly compared to her "Peach Blossom Spring" days.
Zhu Xinyue passed the audition successfully and joined the crew after the New Year.
This drama is a period piece, and Zhu Xinyue plays a female assassin in it, with many action scenes. Fortunately, she had previously trained in Peach Blossom Spring and has a foundation in martial arts, so her fight scenes are clean and sharp, and they hold up well on camera, no matter how they’re shot, they’re aesthetically pleasing.
Just by standing in front of the camera, Zhu Xinyue brings a cinematic quality, and with the drama’s production team being top-notch, nothing can go wrong no matter how it’s filmed.
However, after Zhu Xinyue joined the cast, many smear articles targeting her started appearing.
They claimed she used financial backing to join the crew and stole Yi Shan’s role, this "Yi Shan" is the disgraced actress from the novel who would later break the law and be banned. Photos of Yi Shan and Zhu Xinyue in costume for the same role even circulated online.
It’s true that Zhu Xinyue joined the crew with financial backing, and basically all the dramas she films have investments from Jin Huan Group. Since she’s also an artist under Jin Huan Group, it’s easy for people to speculate whether there might be some other dealings involved.
"Hmm... First of all, I didn’t steal her role; I joined the crew through the normal audition process. Secondly, what’s wrong with bringing financial backing? I haven’t been bossing the director or screenwriter around to add more scenes for me." Zhu Xinyue didn’t quite understand why people were targeting her. When she saw these negative trends and smear articles, she felt more puzzled than angry.
Brother Hu called to ask if she wanted to suppress the negative trending search. Zhu Xinyue communicated with the production team, asking if they could release the audition clips to let the audience judge whose acting was better.
"Xinyue, it’s no longer an era where the better actor automatically gets the role. Yi Shan is more famous than us right now, and the drama she starred in last year was a hit, her fanbase is at least ten times the size of ours. Our voice could easily get drowned out by her fans and hired trolls." Brother Hu always felt that Zhu Xinyue’s thinking was too idealistic, almost childishly naive. As adults, they needed to be more realistic.
"So it’s about popularity and seniority? I thought as long as your acting is good and you do your job well, that’s enough." Zhu Xinyue felt a bit disheartened. If that’s the case, how is it any different from when she was working at a company and got sidelined by senior colleagues? It’s the same situation, hardworking, capable employees get exploited while slackers get promoted faster.
It’s really unfair.
Worried that Zhu Xinyue’s mindset might be affected, Brother Hu reported the matter to the big boss.
The next day, the big boss sent a support afternoon tea to the set.
Zhu Xinyue received a hot milk tea with her Q-version avatar printed on the sleeve. After asking her assistant, she found out that Ji Linyu had arranged the support food truck, which besides hot milk tea also included cakes.
She hadn’t expected Boss Ji to be so thoughtful.
Zhu Xinyue raised her phone and took a selfie with the support food truck, posting it on social media.
[@ZhuXinyue: Sending hearts~ I’ll work hard on filming! (Selfie with support food truck.jpg)]
Zhu Xinyue’s fans had been worried that the negative articles might affect her mood. Seeing her selfie, they felt reassured and quickly liked and commented on her post.
[My wife is so gorgeous! Wife, dress warmly! X City is freezing!]
[When did the fan support get organized? What did I miss!]
[Baby, focus on filming! I’ll handle the rest! If anyone dares to criticize you, I’ll fight back for you!]

Ji Linyu reposted her Weibo post.
Regarding Zhu Xinyue’s “mysterious boyfriend,” there were many speculations. Some even guessed it was Ji Linyu, but there was no solid evidence. Moreover, the two seemed too mismatched. Zhu Xinyue’s family background had yet to be exposed, though it was “rumored” that she came from a well-off family. As a result, most people believed it was unlikely for them to be a couple.
Shortly after Ji Linyu reposted Zhu Xinyue’s Weibo, Zhu Shilang also reposted her post.
Previously, to avoid attracting unnecessary controversy and affecting her family after her debut, Zhu Xinyue had removed all followers who might expose her family background.
Later, after Zhu Shilang and Zhu Xinyue had an argument, he had been quietly keeping up with her updates. This was the first time he had reposted or liked anything related to her, likely because the “role-snatching controversy” had reached his ears, showing just how powerful the antis and paid trolls were.
When Zhu Xinyue noticed Zhu Shilang’s repost, she found it amusing that he hadn’t called to persuade her to quit the industry as he had before. It seemed he was finally taking her career seriously. So, she casually liked his post in return, signaling “message received.”
However, their interaction was magnified by those with ulterior motives, and netizens began linking Zhu Shilang to Zhu Xinyue’s “mysterious boyfriend,” digging into his background.
[Who is Zhu Shilang? Executive director of Zhu Chang Group… Is that the Zhu Chang Group I’m thinking of?]
[I loved this brand’s snacks when I was a kid! It’s the most famous local enterprise in Qingyang City! Anyone visiting Qingyang brings back Zhuchang-brand specialties!]
[As a student, I can vouch that Zhu Chang Group’s stationery is super reliable!]
Zhu Chang Group focused on manufacturing and kept a low profile, but its brands were household names.
[Zhu Shilang’s father is Zhu Hengnian, chairman of Zhu Chang Group.]
[Is Zhu Xinyue going to be the spokesperson for Zhu Chang Group?]
[Does Zhu Chang Group even need celebrity endorsements?]
[Could it be that Zhu Xinyue’s mysterious boyfriend is Zhu Shilang?!]
Rumors and gossip spread the fastest, especially when it came to scandals involving the wealthy and celebrities. In less than an afternoon, it was already being said that Zhu Shilang and Zhu Xinyue were a couple.
Zhu Xinyue only saw that Zhu Shilang had been dragged into the hot search after she finished work, along with his reposted denial.
[@ZhuShilang: Of course not! //@RandomNetizenXX: Could it be that Zhu Xinyue’s mysterious boyfriend is Zhu Shilang?!]
He even used an exclamation mark, one could only imagine how he was feeling.
Zhu Xinyue found it amusing. Hadn’t he considered this outcome before reposting?
She decided to give Zhu Shilang a call.
"Bro, are you okay? Didn't expect me to be this famous, did you?" Zhu Xinyue asked him with a laugh.
When she was a nobody, no one cared who her boyfriend was. But now she was different, she had gained some recognition.
Zhu Shilang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I really didn't expect it. The netizens have practically dug up what color socks I wear."
Zhu Xinyue had grown up in Nancheng and rarely attended gatherings in their social circle, so not many people knew she was the eldest daughter of the Zhu Chang Group.
Zhu Xinyue chuckled on the other end of the phone.
"I did warn you beforehand, it's best not to get involved with me."
Zhu Shilang could tell she was joking, but as he laughed, he couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache.
His emotions were complicated. Family always hoped their loved ones would take the safest path, the one many had walked before, proven to be the easiest. The path she was on now not only brought her a lot of criticism but also dragged those around her into the fray.
Could she still have her own friends and social life like this?
"Tell me honestly, does this boyfriend of yours really exist? Is he refusing to go public because your career is too unconventional? I won't accept a brother-in-law who lacks backbone." Zhu Shilang was worried Zhu Xinyue might be mistreated, especially after her comment about "not getting involved with her." It sounded sad, as if entering the entertainment industry meant she couldn't have friends or family anymore, otherwise, they'd be exposed just like he had been.
Since her career was now on track, telling him wouldn't hurt.
"Go ask Ji Linyu."
Zhu Shilang sensed something unusual in her tone, but he hadn't quite grasped it yet, thinking her boyfriend might just be close to Ji Linyu.
"She told you to ask me?" Ji Linyu raised an eyebrow as he answered Zhu Shilang's call, pausing his work.
Zhu Shilang didn't understand why his friend was so amused until the other said, "Shilang, Xinyue and I have been dating for six months. It's a serious relationship with marriage in mind. She plans to go public once her career stabilizes.
"As for when to reveal our relationship or get married, I'll follow her lead."
Zhu Shilang was stunned. Once he processed it, his feelings were a tangled mess. He didn't know whether to be happy for his sister finding a good match or angry that his friend had "stolen his cabbage." He said, half-exasperated and half-amused, "I asked you to look after my sister, not to this extent."
"The moon favors the one who's nearest." Ji Linyu rarely teased others, but in his good mood today, he showed his true colors.
Later, when Zhu Xinyue heard Zhu Shilang's retelling, she laughed until her stomach hurt, never imagining Boss Ji had such a side to him.
Being close to the water, one gets the moon first...
Zhu Xinyue recalled the night she moved into Lishan. Back then, she had mistaken someone's identity and confessed to Boss Ji. As if trying to cover up her mistake, she even told Boss Ji that she no longer liked him. She wondered if Boss Ji had thought at the time that she was the one trying to fish for the moon.
Perhaps it wasn't a case of mistaken identity after all.
On the day Zhu Xinyue wrapped up filming, she held the bouquet of flowers given to her by the crew, took a group photo with everyone, and then spotted a black car parked in the distance. A tall figure stood beside the car, looking in her direction.
The sunlight was just right, and people bustled around them. Though they were dozens of meters apart, Zhu Xinyue was certain it was him.
Ji Linyu sent her a message.
[Boss: Happy wrap-up. Want to grab a meal together? I’ll wait for you at Golden Pavilion.]
Every time she finished filming, her first meal after wrapping up was always with Boss Ji. No matter which city she was in, Ji Linyu would fly over to have dinner with her.
Zhu Xinyue knew that Ji Linyu respected her wish to keep their relationship private. Even when he came, he would only watch her from afar.
Seeing his lonely figure, her heart ached with pain.
He didn’t have to endure such grievances, he had simply been indulging her willfulness all along.
[Zhu Xinyue: Wait for me a moment.]
Ji Linyu lowered his head to check his phone and was about to reply when he looked up and saw Zhu Xinyue, still in her costume, running toward him with the bouquet in her arms.
Instinctively, he opened his arms and caught his girl firmly.
Zhu Xinyue wrapped her arms around Ji Linyu’s neck, throwing herself into his embrace. Petals from the bouquet scattered along her path as she ran, as if paving a floral road just for her.
Ji Linyu’s heart and eyes were filled with the radiantly smiling Zhu Xinyue. Seeing her embrace him without hesitation in front of the crew, he couldn’t resist kissing her lips, finally having his wish fulfilled.
“Willing to go public with me now?”
The crew members passing by, along with the director and actors in the distance, all looked over in surprise, curious but hesitant, eager for gossip but not daring to pry.
Zhu Xinyue took Ji Linyu’s hand, bouncing on the spot, her beautiful eyes curved like crescent moons, as happy as a child.
“Mm! Let’s go, we’re going to date!”
Openly and unabashedly.