Chapter 130: The Father Who Exploited His Child Star 23

Xie Chu debuted as a child star, and he hasn’t been active in the Entertainment Industry for many years, so it’s not an exaggeration to call him a newcomer. What made Gu Jingtong unhappy was Xia Li’s overly dismissive attitude when mentioning his godson.

Anyone could look down on Xie Chu, who was now considered a newcomer, but Xia Li simply didn’t have the right.

To say it without exaggeration, Xia Li developed by sucking Xie Chu’s blood, taking Xie Chu’s past efforts as his own stepping stone to achieve his current popularity and status.

Xia Li hadn’t acted in any particularly good script, and coupled with Gu Jingtong’s low-key personality, he would push off or avoid interviews whenever possible. Xia Li didn’t recognize this person, only finding his name somewhat familiar.

To be cautious, Xia Li frowned and asked,

“Excuse me… who are you?”

Gu Jingtong stood up and straightened his clothes, waved to Xie Chu, signaling him to follow along inside. As he turned, he heard Xia Li’s question and replied casually:

“You came to audition for my production, and didn’t even bother to find out who the director is?”

After saying that, the staff opened the door, and Gu Jingtong led Xie Chu straight in.

In this circle where rumors and gossip can be believed as truth, the term “godfather” can easily lead to misunderstandings.

However, in Gu Jingtong’s case, because his wife is Yang Yu, and because Yang Yu and Xie Chu once played mother and son in a drama, no one would suspect their relationship was improper.

Some even, unaware of the situation, asked if Gu Jingtong had married Xie Chu’s biological mother.

Listening to the discussions around him, Xia Li felt as if every word they spoke was a harsh slap across his face.

In his younger years, when he was still a child, his popularity and resources were quite good. But as he grew older, his face, which had undergone several surgeries, became increasingly stiff and unattractive. When acting, he always seemed to be playing himself.

Furthermore, because he took on work in his early years and didn’t focus on his studies, he didn’t even get into university.

Even among child stars, a considerable number become ordinary after growing up, not to mention that Xia Li wasn’t particularly outstanding as a child. After acting in two dramas, he was blacklisted and could only be active on variety shows.

Originally, Xia Li had thought of pushing Xie Chu down, making Xie Chu realize that he was now better than him. But seeing how good the relationship was between director Gu Jingtong and Xie Chu, the one who wouldn’t be chosen should be himself!

Thinking of this, Xia Li simply tore up his audition number card, stood up, and walked out with his head held high.

“Brother Xia, this audition opportunity was hard-won for you by the company.”

After entering the elevator, the young secretary next to Xia Li was still trying to persuade him, hoping he wouldn’t act impulsively.

Not getting this role was one thing; not participating in the audition at all was another.

In the former case, Brother Xia’s agent would at most scold him for being unpromising. In the latter, he himself would be implicated and scolded, and his bonus might even be deducted.

“So what if it was hard-won for me? What am I staying there for? To humiliate myself?”

Xia Li walked out of the building and got into the car, with the young assistant following him.

After returning to the company, Xia Li went to his agent and suggested using this incident to create some hype.

Gu Jingtong was a director with a rare good reputation and strength in the industry. He believed that many people would be interested in this rare piece of negative news about him.

Choosing a godson with whom he had a good relationship, regardless of whether the actor was suitable, could barely be considered a blemish on his reputation.

On the other side, after Xie Chu finished his audition and was about to leave after saying goodbye to Gu Jingtong, he walked to the door, then turned back, taking out a box from his bag.

“Hmm? Chu Chu thinks he didn’t perform well enough and wants to bribe the director?”

The audition was over, and Gu Jingtong, not in work mode, seemed very gentle. After taking a sip of water from his cup, he joked.

Xie Chu was still as shy as he was when he was a child. As soon as he heard Gu Jingtong’s words, his face instantly flushed, and he quickly waved his hand, denying,

“No, it’s not that, Godfather. This is dried fruit my dad asked me to bring you. Didn’t Godmother have severe morning sickness during her pregnancy? My dad said pregnant women feel much better if they eat more of this dried fruit.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingtong quickly walked over and took the box of dried fruit.

“Then please thank your dad for me. Your godmother hasn’t been able to eat properly for a while, throwing up everything she eats. It’s really been worrying me sick.”

Yang Yu was no longer young, and her pregnancy reactions were severe. She couldn’t stand the smell of smoke, which forced Gu Jingtong, who had smoked for decades, to quit. But as long as he had been around smokers, Yang Yu would feel nauseous and throw up violently when he came home and she smelled it.

“Oh, and my dad also said that one of our neighbors, when she was pregnant, couldn’t stand the smell of lard at all, but soybean oil was fine.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll think about it when I get back.”

Gu Jingtong waved his hand, telling his assistant to see Xie Chu out.

Yang Yu had recently been confirmed pregnant. Originally, she was scheduled to play a role in the drama, but due to her physical condition, Gu Jingtong later replaced the actress.

After Xie Chu left, he still had some matters to discuss with others in the production, so he immediately asked his assistant to send the items back.

Xie Hui’s cooking was beyond words. Gu Jingtong had tasted it once and then, under the guise of visiting his godson, stayed there for a week to freeload meals.

As for whether this dried fruit would be effective, Gu Jingtong wasn’t sure, but now, anything that might be useful, he was eager to send to his wife.

After his son went to college, Xie Hui occasionally traveled. The money from selling sauces was enough for him to live a very wealthy life in his later years.

When traveling, he would occasionally bring back gifts for his son. He only considered whether his son liked them, never caring about the price.

That day, when Xie Chu was on his way back to school, his company’s agent called him, saying that negative comments about him had appeared online, even affecting Director Gu.

Director Xu had signed with this company, and Gu Jingtong also signed with the company, just like his uncle, making things much more convenient.

Now, with a new talent the company was planning to cultivate and Director Gu Jingtong involved, the agent’s emotions were uncontrollably agitated and anxious when calling Xie Chu.

“Xie Chu, did you record your audition during the day? There’s a trending topic now slandering Director Gu, saying he doesn’t consider whether an actor is suitable, but cast you because you’re his godson.”

When he received the call, Xie Chu was doing his homework at his desk. Hearing what the agent said, he calmly replied,

“Director Gu told me that the audition room has recordings. He didn’t cast me just because I’m his godson; I also had an audition, and because I wasn’t suitable for the original role, I was cast in a different one.”

Gu Jingtong had indeed said at the time that he believed in Xie Chu; he was so spirited as a child, he certainly wouldn’t be bad when he grew up. Since it was all within their own production, it would save a lot of trouble.

When Xie Chu received this news, he almost instinctively asked his father first.

Xie Hui’s suggestion was to go to the audition site for an audition and see what was suitable.

Xie Chu still remembered the message his father sent, saying that if he truly only wanted to be an actor, he shouldn’t have this mindset, and he couldn’t possibly act only in films directed by Gu Jingtong his whole life.

He also said that getting an audition opportunity as a newcomer was already taking a shortcut.

“Okay, then I’ll contact Director Gu’s staff and ask them properly.”

After saying that, the agent hung up the phone.

After receiving that message, Xie Chu had no mind to do his homework anymore. He simply took a book from the bookshelf and read it carefully under the light of his desk lamp.

His father said that only by continuously enriching himself could he live up to others’ affection for him.

From childhood to adulthood, Xie Chu always felt that everything his father said was right. He didn’t want his future fans to like a “flowery pillow” (someone with a good appearance but no substance); he wanted them to feel that the idol they liked was an inexhaustible treasure.

Gu Jingtong also found it somewhat amusing when he heard the news. He never thought that as just a director, someone would go to such lengths to find negative information about him.

Gu Jingtong actually didn’t care about this. He was a director, not an actor, and had never established any particular persona. His works were his strongest shield; anything others said was empty talk.

Although that was the case, Gu Jingtong had no intention of letting others throw dirt on him.

He himself was fine, but if it involved that kid Xie Chu, and he was too lazy to clarify, that ancestor at home would definitely be unhappy again.

Yang Yu, who was pregnant, feeling unwell, and had a somewhat unpredictable temperament, Gu Jingtong couldn’t alleviate her discomfort, so he could only go along with her to make her feel better.

Originally, Xia Li dared to slander Xie Chu so brazenly because he had done this many times before, climbing up the ladder by stepping on Xie Chu’s popularity again and again.

The company Xie Chu signed with was quite strong, but they never intended to clarify for him, which made Xia Li bolder and bolder.

This time, Xia Li was destined to miscalculate.

The previous company didn’t clarify because they didn’t want the post-clarification popularity to disturb Xie Chu’s life.

But now, Xie Chu, who had been admitted to the film academy, intended to officially begin his development in the Entertainment Industry, and certainly would not tolerate such dirty water being directly poured on him.

Involving a director and a promising newcomer in the company, plus the increasing attention after hitting the trending topics.

After gathering evidence, the company let the rumors ferment for a while, treating it as free publicity for Gu Jingtong’s new drama.

It wasn’t until around 8:30 PM, when most people online were most active, that Gu Jingtong uploaded a video from the audition on his personal social media account.