Chapter 18

"Xia Xi, don't smile like that." Lu Yisheng frowned as he looked at her. Standing beside her, he watched with worry. The hand that had intended to smooth her furrowed brow paused mid-air, changed direction, and gently patted her shoulder instead.
Ignoring the fleeting discomfort in his heart, Lu Yisheng comforted her with a stern expression. "Don't be sad. Let those who are meant to leave, leave. Xia Xi, you will meet someone better."
Huh?
Xia Xi, who had been feeling somewhat down, was taken aback by Lu Yisheng's inexplicable words. For a moment, her emotions were a tangled mess.
Did he misunderstand something?

The following days passed uneventfully, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. Xia Xi's life was mundane yet fulfilling, revolving around eating, sleeping, filming, and studying scripts in a repetitive cycle.
Today, she had no filming scheduled, a rare day off. She idly scrolled through Weibo in her hotel room.
As she browsed, she came across the still-trending topic "Luo Chu'an × Lin Wei Official Announcement" and couldn't resist clicking on it.
The more she read, the more amused she became. Netizens were truly a treasure trove; she realized that their tacit understanding could be surprisingly high.
On the first day Luo Chu'an released the news, the comments under his Weibo post were uniformly:
[Luo Chu’an, are you joking? Is this promotion for a new movie?]
[I don't believe it, Luo Chu’an. Did you get the date wrong? Today isn't April Fool's Day.]
[Please, official account, clarify this quickly!]
Netizens were unanimously in disbelief.
After a day of fermenting, the official blog still hadn't issued a denial, and fans gradually came to accept this devastating news. By the next day, the comments had shifted to:
[Luo Chu’an, how could you choose Lin Wei? What does she have that makes her worthy of you?]
[The official blog still hasn't clarified the news, what should we do? I'm starting to panic.]
[What can we do when our idol is this headstrong? We just have to wish him happiness.]
[To be honest, I think Lin Wei being Luo Chu’an's girlfriend is still better than Xia Xi, that brainless vase.]
[I don't agree. I actually think Xia Xi is better. You can tell from her eyes that she truly loves Luo Chu’an.]
Netizens gradually began voicing their opinions, some opposing, some agreeing.
By now, as the buzz around the incident slowly died down, the comments under Luo Chu'an's Weibo gradually became more rational. His die-hard fans began taking control of the narrative, shifting the focus back to promoting his new drama. From then on, the comments under his Weibo returned to a more orderly state.
But Lin Wei wasn't so fortunate. From the start of the incident until now, the comments under her Weibo remained overwhelmingly negative, telling her to get out of the entertainment industry, calling her a scheming bitch, insulting her looks, and so on.
Driven to the brink by these netizens, she had no choice but to disable the comments on her Weibo. During this time, she didn't dare respond to anything. Whatever she said would be wrong, whatever she did would be wrong. Even the smallest action would be blown out of proportion and demonized by netizens.
This outcome was the result of the vast disparity in status between the man and the woman in the entertainment industry, a situation that couldn't be changed overnight.
"If you were the firework over the sea, I’d be the foam of the waves. In that moment, your light illuminated me"
Just as Xia Xi was happily scrolling through Weibo, Da He's call came in. Her hand trembled involuntarily, and she answered the call.
"Hello, Da He," Xia Xi said cautiously.
"I heard from Song Yuan that you don't have to film today?"
"That's right, I'm off today," Xia Xi replied, burying her head lazily into the blankets.
"Alright, wait for me at the hotel. I'll drive over to pick you up. We're going to MG Company today to sign the contract for Cross-Border Singing Joy."
Hearing this, Xia Xi wanted to protest but lacked the courage. "Da He, I-"
"Do you have a problem with that?" Da He's voice was calm but carried a clear threat.
"No! No problem at all!"
After hanging up, Xia Xi sighed in frustration, thinking to herself helplessly that her dream of taking a break was about to be shattered once again.
Xia Xi, who had originally planned to spend the whole day in bed, let out a groan and slowly dragged herself up. She had absolutely no intention of resisting.
Because Xia Xi knew that Da He’s call just now was to inform her, not to ask for her opinion. Please forgive her for becoming more and more timid.

“Oh my, it seems Song Yuan has been feeding you well. Not only does your complexion look better, but you’ve also gained some weight.”
As soon as Xia Xi settled into the passenger seat, she heard Da He’s cool remark from beside her, making her involuntarily twitch the corner of her mouth. “What do you mean by ‘feeding’? I’ve just been eating normally under Song Yuan’s supervision every day.”
“It seems Song Yuan is quite a competent assistant,” Da He said, clearly in a good mood, even letting out a light chuckle. “She managed to make someone as willful as you eat properly.”
“I’m not willful” Xia Xi weakly retorted. “I just don’t like eating out.”
“You’re just picky. Hurry up and fasten your seatbelt. We’re about to leave.” As Da He spoke, he started the car. Once they were steadily on the road, he casually glanced at Xia Xi and asked in a nonchalant tone, “Have you checked Luo Chu’an and Lin Wei’s Weibo?”
“I saw it this morning.” Xia Xi pursed her lips, still feeling a lingering fear. “It’s a real storm.”
“Serves them right.” Da He narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up involuntarily. “Announcing their relationship without proper PR, isn’t that just asking for trouble?”
“Da He, that expression doesn’t suit you. Your schadenfreude is way too obvious.”
“Damn right, I’m gloating.” Da He even snorted arrogantly. “Whenever I hear bad news about that scumbag Luo Chu’an, my mood instantly brightens. With this mess he’s made, a lot of fans have already left him. He won’t be able to keep his top-tier status now, and he’s definitely overwhelmed by the flood of contract terminations.”
Hearing the amusement in Da He’s tone, Xia Xi paused and cautiously asked, “Da He, you didn’t do anything to stir the pot, did you?”
“N-No, how could I do something like that?” Da He’s gaze shifted evasively. “My usual approach is to sit back and watch them self-destruct.”
“That’s good.” Hearing this, Xia Xi thought about how reliable Da He had always been and felt reassured. “Da He, at this critical moment, the best thing we can do is lay low and stay out of this mess.”
“I know, you don’t have to tell me!”

The process of finalizing the contract with Director Wang of Cross-Border Singing Joy was actually quite quick. Da He had already handled all the details in advance, so Xia Xi only needed to go through the motions and sign the contract before everything was settled.
So, Xia Xi quickly wrapped things up. As she and Da He were about to take the elevator downstairs, they happened to see Luo Chu’an walking toward them.
Xia Xi froze for a moment but quickly regained her composure, pretending not to see him as she stood quietly by the elevator.
“Xia Xi?”
But clearly, Luo Chu’an had a different idea. He strode over and grabbed Xia Xi’s arm.
"Let go, what do you think you're doing!" Da He was furious the moment he saw Luo Chu'an inexplicably grabbing Xia Xi's arm. He rushed over, shoved Luo Chu'an aside, and shielded Xia Xi behind him, glaring at the scumbag Luo Chu'an with a hostile tone. "Are you insane? Running into you is the worst luck we've had in eight lifetimes!"