Chapter 5: 005

After this, Gu Yuanyuan would inevitably run into Xi Tongyue again at the villa. To prevent a repeat of today’s petrified reaction, Song Guiya was completely upfront with her about the contract. She repeatedly stressed that nothing had happened between them.

Gu Yuanyuan clearly didn’t buy it.

Rumor had it that at Kejin Entertainment, any attractive newcomer—man or woman—had shared an intimate night with Xi Tongyue.

Even she, an utterly ordinary little assistant, knew all about it. Those newcomers never treated it as something shameful. Quite the opposite—they took pride in it, bragging around the company every day about their candlelit dinner with Xi Tongyue last night or the ball they were attending with her tomorrow.

They acted just like the glamorous concubines in some ancient imperial harem, all vying desperately for favor.

Song Guiya had always seemed far too prickly to catch Xi Tongyue’s eye. Who could have imagined that she was the one who truly had her favor?

Song Guiya saw the bizarre gleam of excitement on Gu Yuanyuan’s face and felt a pang of helplessness, but she didn’t bother explaining further.

“Does Sister Huo know about this?” Gu Yuanyuan suddenly fretted, wondering if she should report it to Huo Yao.

“She knows.”

Huo Yao had only signed a raw newcomer like Song Guiya as a special exception because of Xi Tongyue. Of course she knew.

Gu Yuanyuan let out a breath of relief. Then she remembered the errand Huo Yao had given her.

“Right—Sister Huo said the online backlash from that program incident a few days ago has been tamped down for now. But she noticed someone pulling strings behind those marketing accounts. They’re trying to use it to boot you from the program crew.”

“Sister Huo told you to brace yourself. Whoever’s behind it isn’t someone simple.”

This “mental preparation” meant more than just losing her spot on Dance Unlimited. If it got pinned as Song Guiya deliberately hurting someone, lawsuits aside, her career would be finished. The company might even shelve her under public pressure.

Even if she quit showbiz entirely, job hunts or random street encounters would carry massive baggage for the rest of her life.

It would be a devastating blow for anyone.

Gu Yuanyuan never imagined a minor stage mishap could spiral into such a catastrophe. She watched Song Guiya’s face anxiously, terrified she’d break down in tears, hysterics, or worse.

But Song Guiya merely replied with breezy calm, “Got it.”

Stunned for a beat, Gu Yuanyuan assumed she hadn’t grasped the gravity of it all. She screwed up her courage. “Teacher Song, have you checked the hot searches online?”

The reminder jogged Song Guiya’s memory of that little square box called a phone, which she’d left on the table when she got back last night. “No.”

It all made sense to Gu Yuanyuan now.

No wonder Teacher Song wasn’t losing it. She’d actually followed Sister Huo’s advice and stayed off the internet.

【Song Guiya Disregards Human Life on Stage】

【Black-Hearted Crow, Get Out of Showbiz】

【Song Guiya’s Vicious Heart】

The hot search headlines blazed in angry red. Super Topics overflowed with viciously photoshopped images—not to mention the massive “intentional murder” label hanging over it all.

Gu Yuanyuan tried imagining herself in Song Guiya’s shoes and instantly felt a chill like snow in June, her whole body going numb. Public opinion like this, impossible to refute, left her with a fleeting urge to just give up on life.

Song Guiya had ended up in the hospital with a concussion too, but they’d twisted it into some cynical ploy.

Celebrity life was brutal. One slip-up, and the internet mobbed you until even your own mother wouldn’t recognize you.

Gu Yuanyuan shook her head to herself.

Sure, Song Guiya could be sharp-tempered and a bit vain. But she’d donated every cent she’d earned to an orphanage. Gu Yuanyuan only knew because she’d handled the wire transfer once. No one else did—not even Sister Huo. And Song Guiya had never once used it to clear her name.

Gu Yuanyuan refused to believe someone like that could have a poisonous heart.

Sister Huo was right. This was a deliberate frame job.

She glanced at the woman sitting there so composed and ventured a guess. “The one pulling the strings… could it be Li Xingruo?”

Song Guiya shook her head. “No, not her.”

Song Guiya had carefully dissected that accident.

Yes, Li Xingruo and the original Song Guiya had been at odds. But at heart, the original had no malice toward her. It was simply an accident—her wrist giving out mid high-difficulty maneuver.

Even as they tumbled off the stage, the original had done everything to shield Li Xingruo with her own body.

That’s why Li Xingruo walked away with just a sprained wrist. The original, though, had smashed her head on something solid and died right there—paving the way for this soul from another world to take over.

No one else knew that life-saving detail. But Li Xingruo had to.

No one knew why, but the online outrage against Song Guiya had escalated to a point of universal indignation. Some of Li Xingruo’s fans had even gone to the hospital to retaliate against Song Guiya, and yet Li Xingruo had never come forward to set the record straight.

In her memories, Li Xingruo was proud by nature, but she carried an innate air of lofty integrity. She didn’t seem like someone who would stoop to petty schemes behind the scenes.

The truth would come out in a few days when she joined the Program Crew.

For now, the crucial matter was how she could stay on the show.

Getting booted from the Program Crew wouldn’t just mean losing an intriguing job—it would brand her forever as malicious and deliberately harmful.

Song Guiya’s eyes were deep and inscrutable. Her pale, slender fingers tapped unconsciously on the edge of the sofa a few times.

~~~

At the Cloud Hotel in South City, a small private cocktail party was in full swing to celebrate Best Actress Xue Yin’s triumphant return after two years of overseas studies.

The guest list was exclusive—only heirs to powerful families and top figures from various industries. Even Xi Tongyue, who typically had no patience for such intimate gatherings, had dressed to perfection and made an appearance.

Everyone in the circle knew Xue Yin was one of the rare few Xi Tongyue could call a true friend.

People envied Xue Yin for it, but no one knew how their friendship had begun.

It went back to an awards ceremony years ago. Xue Yin, then a rising Traffic Little Flower, had approached history’s youngest Movie Queen, Xi Tongyue, seeking advice on acting. Xi Tongyue, too lazy to bother, had quipped:

“I can’t teach you. I just reenact the different lives I’ve lived across nine reincarnations.”

Most people would have taken it as a brush-off joke and let it go with a laugh.

But Xue Yin was different.

She stared in shock at first, then broke into an expression of perfect understanding. Leaning close to Xi Tongyue’s ear, she whispered, “Don’t worry. I won’t breathe a word of your secret to anyone.”

Xi Tongyue had assumed she was just playing along, but a glance revealed utter sincerity in her eyes.

With Xi Tongyue’s knack for reading people, she knew right away that Xue Yin genuinely believed her.

Xi Tongyue found her fascinating. As they fell into more casual chats, she noticed Xue Yin reserved this baffling trust solely for her—not for anyone else. On whims, she’d share unguarded tales that ordinary ears couldn’t handle.

From that point on, their bond deepened.

The instant Xi Tongyue stepped into the venue, she commanded every eye in the room.

Her high heels clicked crisply against the marble floor. The crow-feather hem of her gown danced with her strides, the absolute black clashing vividly against her flawless, jade-like skin for a visual impact that was breathtakingly domineering.

She arrived like a black swan, unleashing a tidal wave of awe no one could rival.

Everyone was captivated, yet not a soul dared approach.

These guests all prided themselves on formidable backgrounds, but Xi Tongyue was an enigma beyond measure.

No one knew her origins or who stood behind her, yet she achieved feats others could only dream of.

The power players who once eyed her had, of course, dug into her past before making a move. But every avenue led nowhere, revealing the sheer terror of her mystery.

From the moment someone is born into this world, traces are left behind. An utter blank slate pointed to just two possibilities: a family lineage so profound and connected it spanned the heavens, or a person who didn’t belong to this world at all.

The latter was dismissed as absurd; all believed she embodied the former.

Over time, a profound reverence took root, and they elevated her to divine status—untouchable and exalted.

Right now, as she stood there with effortless poise, her nobility and arrogance felt utterly innate. The sheer force of her presence alone made knees weaken, urging submission.

Xi Tongyue ignored the murmurs and stares, casually lifting a champagne flute from a passing waiter’s tray. She scanned the room with idle indifference until she spotted the evening’s centerpiece—Xue Yin, beaming and waving from amid her cluster of admirers.

She glided toward Xue Yin.

To her surprise, halfway there, a hand shot out to bar her path.