Chapter 78: After Secretly Marrying a Top Celebrity, She Got Cheated On (7)

She wants to seduce my agent?!

Xiao Nian immediately became alert. Yu Yu’s importance to her was beyond words—her entire rise to fame was all thanks to Yu Yu’s careful cultivation. Yu Yu worked efficiently, spoke little, and would help her unconditionally with anything she wanted to do, only stepping in to correct her on truly critical matters.

If she hadn’t gotten lucky back then and helped Yu Yu once, Yu Yu would never have chosen someone like her who had no fame at all. In short, without Yu Yu, there would be no Xiao Nian, now basking in the spotlight.

Xiao Nian stepped sideways to block Yu Yu from view, her face dark as soot. She gritted her teeth and snapped, “Gu Qingzhi, don’t go too far.”

Yu Liuxue blinked innocently, smiled brightly, and leaned forward, craning her neck and tilting her head to wave cheekily at Yu Yu. “Sis, I’m off first—don’t forget our little agreement!”

Xiao Nian was instantly furious, but Yu Liuxue slipped away like a loach, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

After she left, Xiao Nian hesitated and turned back, watching as Yu Yu approached. With a trace of suspicion, she asked, “Yu-jie, you and Gu Qingzhi…?”

Yu Yu’s expression was indifferent, her eyes calm. “Cheap tactics.”

Xiao Nian understood immediately. But the anxiety of possibly losing Yu Yu filled her thoughts. Once in the car, she kept talking. “Yu-jie, Gu Qingzhi’s got her eyes on you. Be careful—don’t get too close to her. She’s cunning and sly now, and with Yang Nianjiao backing her, I’m worried she might try to hurt you.”

She talked nonstop the whole ride. Yu Yu sat quietly, listening without a word. When they reached the hotel and Xiao Nian was about to get out, Yu Yu suddenly spoke up.

“Don’t get caught by the media again.”

Lately, Xiao Nian had been getting very close to Gu Qingzhi’s teammate Zhou Zhou. There was already talk in the crew, and rumors were beginning to spread online. Fortunately, no solid evidence had surfaced yet. Xiao Nian’s fans, upon spotting any gossip posts, would immediately report them, and the fan leaders would swiftly inform Yu Yu, who would then handle things as best she could.

Yu Yu had already dealt with at least ten such incidents recently. If Xiao Nian didn’t start exercising restraint, the moment a scandal broke, her carefully crafted image would crumble overnight. Sure, Yu Yu could release another PR article discrediting Zhou Zhou as a clout-chasing nobody, but after the Gu Qingzhi incident, the public’s trust would be much harder to regain.

More importantly, one time could be excused, but if this happened repeatedly, it wouldn’t just be Gu Qingzhi and Zhou Zhou who looked bad—people would start thinking Xiao Nian herself was messy and undisciplined. If hard evidence emerged, Yu Yu would have to expend enormous effort to clean up her image.

Xiao Nian was incredibly popular and had access to the industry’s best resources. Her existence hindered many other artists’ careers. If she ever fell from grace, those same artists—who fought viciously in private—would unite to drag her down and snatch her prime resources.

Yu Yu didn’t want to waste her energy managing artists’ private lives. She was far better at securing top-tier resources and building positive public images—elevating someone to stardom with her own two hands.

As she thought of this, an image of Yu Liuxue’s soft, sweet face floated into Yu Yu’s mind—one that exuded serious “green tea” vibes.

Just as Yu Liuxue had said, her career had only just begun. She was young, had great potential, and was extremely obedient. If told to go east, she wouldn’t dare head west. If told to eat eggs for a diet, she wouldn’t touch braised pork. Participating in this variety show had been a smart move—her performance had attracted a flood of devoted fans who were loyal and willing to support her fiercely all the way to the top.

Yu Liuxue had once confided in her about wanting to quit the show. If she really planned to do that, it would be soon. Right now, her popularity was peaking. Yu Yu could already imagine the storm that would erupt in the fandom once news of her withdrawal hit.

Die-hard fans were forged through heartbreak. This move would not only cleanse the fanbase but also generate immense buzz.

Whatever she planned in the future, as long as a PR piece was released, there would be resonance and sympathy. And if her manager was smart enough to spin a conspiracy theory, her future development would be smooth sailing.

Thinking about all this, Yu Yu felt a rare rush of excitement and passion—stronger even than when she had decided to sign Xiao Nian.

Back then, Xiao Nian had been dirt poor and unknown, but clean. Now, Gu Qingzhi was being labeled as an attention-seeker by Xiao Nian’s vast fanbase thanks to an earlier PR smear. Everything Xiao Nian had now was built by Yu Yu.

To overturn her own creation and elevate a disgraced artist to stardom instead—that kind of seemingly impossible challenge was the sort any ambitious agent would be eager to tackle.

Xiao Nian understood what Yu Yu meant, and she knew she’d been careless lately. She nodded indifferently and said half-heartedly, “Don’t worry, Yu-jie, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Yu Yu turned to look at her, eyes calm. Xiao Nian put on her mask and sunglasses, got out of the car, and headed into the hotel with her assistant. Yu Yu withdrew her gaze, and once again Yu Liuxue’s sweet, scheming smile appeared in her mind. She had to admit—Yu Liuxue had a point.

When an artist becomes popular, they grow wings—and stop listening to their agent.

Yu Yu stared ahead. “Back to the company.”

Back at the hotel, Zhou Zhou immediately rushed over with a script, happily ignoring the assistant trailing behind Xiao Nian. She pouted sweetly the moment she saw her. “Xiao-jie, you’re back so late today. I missed you so much.”

The assistant was used to their dynamic and left without needing a word. Xiao Nian led Zhou Zhou into her room, smiling. “How did you do today?”

At that, Zhou Zhou huffed. “The director still wasn’t happy with anything I did. But I think I did great!”

She pouted, then grinned proudly. “With you teaching me, how could I possibly mess up?”

She covered most of her face with the script, peeked up at Xiao Nian with twinkling eyes, and looked every bit the shy little girl. Xiao Nian’s mood immediately lifted. After all, Zhou Zhou was her fan. She patted her head and picked up her own script. “Come on, I’ll teach you some more.”

Zhou Zhou blushed. “Sorry to trouble you again, Xiao-jie.”

The scene she’d been struggling with was a forceful kiss. Xiao Nian flipped open the script and froze. She hesitated, but when she saw Zhou Zhou’s hopeful expression, she set the script down like a proper gentleman. “How about this—I’ll find you some videos. You can study them a few more times…”

Before she could finish, Zhou Zhou suddenly stood on tiptoe and pecked her cheek, then fled like a startled rabbit. Her voice floated in from outside, “Xiao-jie, I just remembered something—I gotta go!”

The kiss had been soft, and sweetly scented with girlish fragrance. Xiao Nian smiled slightly, a trace of amusement in her eyes.

Zhou Zhou had been called back by Yang Nianjiao. When the secretary brought her to the president’s office, she saw Yu Liuxue already inside, along with both their agents. Zhou Zhou instantly grew impatient. Though her agent was exasperated, the future of their girl group Mercury Girls—and her bonus—was tied to Zhou Zhou’s performance. So from the moment Zhou Zhou walked in, she was frantically signaling her not to anger Yang Nianjiao again.

Yu Liuxue sat on the couch, resting her chin in her hand, her gaze lazily falling on Zhou Zhou. She was the female lead, after all—she had to carry some kind of protagonist aura, right? That was one reason Yu Liuxue insisted on doing group promotions.

Of course, group promotions came with many benefits—this was just one of them.

Yang Nianjiao was busy, especially after Yu Liuxue told her she planned to leave the show. She was currently brainstorming Yu Liuxue’s future direction. Upon seeing Zhou Zhou, she asked directly, “I hear you’re refusing to do group activities because you’re filming a drama?”

Zhou Zhou was blunt by nature. She replied confidently, “How can being an idol compare to acting? Once I get famous, I can earn millions from a single role. Of course I’d choose the latter.”

“Besides, now that Sister Xiao Nian is guiding me, as long as I work hard enough, when my acting skills and fame improve, I’ll definitely be more popular and famous than Gu Qingzhi.” Zhou Zhou disdainfully glanced at Gu Qingzhi. “In Mercury Girls, I was originally the most popular one.”

Yang Nianjiao chuckled lightly and lifted her eyelid. “So, where do you think your contract is? With Xiao Nian or with me?”

Zhou Zhou frowned, then suddenly angrily said, “President Yang, did Gu Qingzhi say something to you? Is she afraid that I’ll surpass her in popularity, so she asked you to shelve me and not let me act…”

Before she finished speaking, Yang Nianjiao slammed her pen on the table in a fury, making Zhou Zhou jump in fright. Yang Nianjiao’s face was cold. “I don’t care whether you want to act or do something else. Since your contract is with me, you must follow all the company’s arrangements.”

“Do you think Xiao Nian would pay your contract termination fee?” Yang Nianjiao sneered. “She can’t afford it.”

Yu Liuxue, the instigator behind Xiao Nian’s tight financial situation, touched her nose, thinking to herself that Xiao Nian still has several hundred million, so she could help Zhou Zhou pay the termination fee. But why would Xiao Nian want to pay that money for Zhou Zhou?

They haven’t even confirmed their relationship yet.

Zhou Zhou was both angry and frustrated but was pulled out by her agent who was reading the mood frantically. Zhou Zhou almost cried from anger, repeatedly saying, “They’re just bullying me too much! Gu Qingzhi only got ahead because she’s clinging to President Yang’s thigh, I…”

The agent quickly covered her mouth. “Don’t say that, if President Yang hears it, you’re done for.”

Zhou Zhou didn’t dare gamble with her future. She wanted to become more famous than Gu Qingzhi, so she could swagger in front of her and enjoy watching her lose. Gritting her teeth, Zhou Zhou said, “Fine, I’ll return to promoting, but I have one demand: I want to share a dorm room with Gu Qingzhi, just the two of us.”

The agent immediately looked troubled.

Aren’t you two like oil and water? Why do you want to live with her and suffer?

After Zhou Zhou and the agent left, Yu Liuxue instantly put on a tearful, self-blaming look and sincerely said to Yang Nianjiao, “President Yang, sorry, it’s all my fault. Not only did I cause trouble for you, but I also let people misunderstand our relationship.”

Yang Nianjiao rolled her eyes and sneered, “As long as you don’t fall in love, everything is negotiable.”

Yu Liuxue: “…”

“System! Does she like me? Otherwise, why won’t she let me date?!” Yu Liuxue pitifully clung to the system’s leg, breaking down in fake tears to gain sympathy.

After the pity act, Yu Liuxue seriously stood up, bowed to Yang Nianjiao, and said sincerely, “President Yang, rest assured, I will earn a hundred million for you soon.”

No one can stop me, Yu Ritian, from dating!

Just as Yu Liuxue left Yang Nianjiao’s office, she saw Yu Bing, neatly dressed and composed. She hurried over and followed beside her, “Sister Yu, where are you going?”

Yu Bing glanced at her, then turned her eyes away. “Work.”

Today, a big-name actor in the company had to attend an event. Yang Nianjiao sent Yu Bing to protect the artist. Yu Bing quickened her pace—her legs were long and in a blink, she left Yu Liuxue far behind. After leaving the company, she bent down and quickly got into a car, then left with the motorcade.

Yu Liuxue stood still, looking disappointed.

After the latest variety show episode aired, Yu Liuxue’s live shots really blew up beyond the circle, and with the hard work of online fan armies, “Gu Qingzhi live shots” successfully trended, beating many other contestants. Fans of the other contestants felt bitter. They wondered, all participants are equal, so why did Gu Qingzhi get the “Chosen One” script while their girl got the “Sacrifice Heaven” script?

Xiao Nian’s fans also felt bitter. Gu Qingzhi is just a fraud riding on Sister Nian’s coattails to get this far—how dare she get on the trending list?

So, united fans of several groups started insulting Gu Qingzhi harshly. Some claimed she had affairs with Yang Nianjiao or high-ups in the entertainment company; some called her a scammer who would do anything to get famous. In short, they cursed her as badly as possible.

But Yu Liuxue’s fans were no pushovers either. They rolled up their sleeves and fought back, saying no matter whose sister’s fan you are, no matter whether Xiao Nian is a king or an emperor, don’t bully our Qingzhi sister.

The show’s production team enjoyed the drama and had no intention of intervening. After days of fighting and rising heat, Yu Liuxue suddenly posted on Weibo: “Sorry, due to health reasons, I am withdrawing from the show , I hope everyone will continue supporting the show and my friends. Thank you!”

Yu Liuxue’s fans immediately retreated from the battlefield: “…?!”

“Gu Qingzhi, were you threatened by the production team? If you were, just blink your eyes, we will definitely get revenge for you!”

“The finals are coming soon. Qingzhi, why quit now? If you hold on, you can debut! We fans will do everything to get you the center spot for debut!”

“Chosen One? I want to see who dares say our girl got the Chosen One script! The Sacrifice Heaven script fits better, it’s so frustrating!”

Yu Liuxue posted this Weibo without consulting anyone, even Yang Nianjiao only learned about it from her secretary. Yang Nianjiao bit her lip, feeling an urge to carry a whip on her body. She had already prepared herself mentally but being angered this way was even worse, not to mention the production team constantly using Gu Qingzhi.

The production team immediately called Yu Liuxue, but she wisely turned on airplane mode. The director had no choice but to call Yang Nianjiao instead, but no matter how many times he called, the line was busy and he couldn’t get through.

Yang Nianjiao sat in her office overwhelmed with work. Numerous calls came in at once. After faking a few responses, she finally unplugged the phone and handed it over to her staff. Frowning, she asked her secretary, “Where is Gu Qingzhi? Go get her for me!”

The secretary hurriedly said, “She left the company this morning. We don’t know where she went.”

Don’t know where? Yang Nianjiao almost choked. Is she playing hide-and-seek with me? Thinking of that possibility, she immediately ordered, “Find her! Even if she’s just a layer of skin left, bring that skin back for me!”

Everyone was in chaos, while Yu Liuxue was sitting slowly eating ice cream in a small shop.

Right in front was Yu Bing’s workplace. She bit her spoon, blinked, connected to the store’s Wi-Fi, then edited and sent a WeChat message: “Sister Yu, I’m so sad, I don’t know what to do.”

She knew Yu Bing would see this message sooner or later. Yu Bing never responded well to force; by playing the victim, Yu Liuxue was sure she would come comfort her.

After contacting Yu Bing, Yu Liuxue continued eating her ice cream, waiting for a reply.

After seeing the trending topic, Xiao Nian immediately called Yu Yu, “Sister Yu, Gu Qingzhi quit the competition?!”

Yu Yu lowered her lashes. She was well aware of all the online trends and had subconsciously sorted out pros and cons for Yu Liuxue and planned the next steps. Answering Xiao Nian’s call calmly, she said, “She quit.”

“Why?!” Xiao Nian couldn’t understand. After the divorce, Gu Qingzhi could no longer pretend to be indifferent. She was ambitious and had just shone brightly on the show. How could she quit now? It can’t be that the divorce settlement made her too soft for the hardships of filming?

That would be ridiculous.

But Xiao Nian had another suspicion. “Sister Yu, is she planning some big move? Like…”

“Under investigation.” Yu Yu interrupted and explained simply, “Recently, Gu Qingzhi was attacked online for days by your fans and other contestants’ fans. Maybe she had psychological issues and couldn’t face the camera, so she decided to quit.”

The reason sounded reasonable. Xiao Nian didn’t doubt it and relaxed. “That’s good then.”

Yu Yu replied faintly, professionally asking, “How’s your filming going?”

“Okay, same as before,” Xiao Nian answered, then quickly added, “Sister Yu, I heard that a big star we worked with last year is looking for an Asian brand ambassador. What do you think…”

“I’ll inquire.”

After hanging up, Yu Yu stood quietly by the window. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw a message from Yu Liuxue. A strong scent of green tea drama emanated from the screen: “Sister, how do you think I performed today?”

Yu Yu deleted the message and put the phone back in her pocket.

Yu Bing and Yu Yu didn’t reply to Yu Liuxue. After finishing an ice cream, Yu Liuxue let out a satisfied burp. She sat in the shop for a long time, feeling that Yu Bing probably wouldn’t come looking for her, so she reluctantly took a taxi back to her apartment. Sitting in the taxi, she chatted casually with the system, “The sisters in this world are way too difficult. I suspect none of them have normal emotions.”

Yu Bing was busy being a bodyguard, Yu Yu was busy paving the way for Xiao Nian, Yang Nianjiao was busy exploiting her and forbidding her from dating, and the only key character left—the female lead—was still a big-chested, brainless, vicious vase.

Yu Liuxue propped her cheek and finally sobbed to herself, “If nothing else works, I’ll just go play with the female lead.”

The system shuddered instantly, Are you sure it’s not the female lead who’s going to be played by you?

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhou was tied down at the company by her manager, forbidden to go anywhere. The manager talked her through all the pros and cons and only after angering her with talk of Gu Qingzhi did Zhou Zhou finally decide to stay for group activities and fight to surpass Yu Liuxue soon.

Just as Yu Liuxue arrived at the apartment, Zhou Zhou opened the door from next door and blocked her from entering. Zhou Zhou narrowed her eyes slightly. “Gu Qingzhi, just wait. I’ll take everything that belongs to you and make you kneel and submit under my feet.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?”

Can you be mature and sassy like me?

“Although Xiao Nian used to be your idol, she’ll soon be mine,” Zhou Zhou said proudly. “You don’t know, right? On set, she taught me acting every day, even acted scenes with me, and was incredibly patient. As for you? She’s already thrown you out of her mind and only has eyes for me.”

Yu Liuxue perked up, asking seriously, “Zhou Zhou, does stealing everything that belongs to me make you that happy?”

Zhou Zhou snorted coldly, “Of course.”

Yu Liuxue immediately covered her mouth in surprise, stepping back two steps to lean against the wall, full of fear and caution. “You… you wouldn’t happen to like me without realizing it, so when you see me get close to someone else, you go crazy trying to snatch away everyone who comes into contact with me, would you?”

“Just like Teacher Xiao—you want to take Teacher Xiao away because you’re secretly jealous of her…” Yu Liuxue’s expression suddenly changed to one of realization. Frowning, she clutched her chest in mixed feelings, “Zhou Zhou, I… I never thought you’d have these feelings for me.”

Zhou Zhou: “???” Shut up!

Stomping angrily, Zhou Zhou said, “Gu Qingzhi, I’m telling you— even if you’re the only person left on Earth, even if I jump from the thirty-third floor, I absolutely will never like you!”

Yu Liuxue pressed the advantage, “Swear it!”

Zhou Zhou hesitated instinctively for a moment. Yu Liuxue immediately stepped back another step, “You don’t dare swear. You hesitated. You must have some unspeakable thoughts about me.”

Zhou Zhou nearly burst out cursing. Losing all patience, she pointed at Yu Bing behind Yu Liuxue and said, “Even if I end up with a bodyguard like her, I definitely wouldn’t fall for you!”