Chapter 37 p2
A little after 6 p.m., Xu Jinnan had a last-minute dinner with someone from Meilai Jewelry.
Before leaving, she messaged Shen Shu.
Shen Shu received the message half an hour later, sitting on a wooden step with her legs crossed, a cut on her heel making it difficult to stand.
Xu Jinnan: [How was your day? When are you heading back?]
Shen Shu: [It was fine. One more scene to film.]
There had been a wardrobe malfunction, and the shoes she had brought didn’t match the costume, so she had to wear a pair from the studio. Her feet were killing her.
Xu Jinnan: [I’m having dinner with a business partner. Should I have Zhou Pei pick you up?]
She had had trouble sleeping last night and felt tired this morning, so she had taken a taxi.
Shen Shu hesitated. Zhou Pei was Xu Jinnan’s assistant, not hers. It wasn’t appropriate to have her constantly driving her around.
She declined the offer.
Xu Jinnan didn’t reply, and Shen Shu, giving up, went to the backstage area to find a bandage.
As she entered, she heard the other actresses talking.
“I told you Shen Shu wasn’t so innocent. Now the truth is out, isn’t it?”
“I can’t believe how she got this role. I knew she couldn’t have been better than Tan Jie. She’s ruining our drama’s reputation!”
“There are only a few white Bentleys in North City. She’s clearly found herself a sugar momma. Disgusting. And she acts so aloof in front of us.”
“Maybe she’s even a gold digger. How repulsive.”
Shen Shu pushed open the door, her heels clicking against the wooden floor, the sound silencing the room.
“So eloquent when gossiping, but your lines are a mess,” she said coldly. “Why don’t you say it to my face? Wouldn’t that be more satisfying?”
Unlike them, she had held a position of power at the Shen Corporation.
That kind of aura couldn’t be faked.
While she usually avoided confrontation, her sudden outburst intimidated them into silence.
Even Ren Xiaoqi was momentarily stunned, then she retorted, “So what if she did? Don’t you remember what I said? Stop buying trending topics, or they’ll come back to bite you… Look what happened. The Qipao Beauty is now the Kept Woman.”
Someone whispered, “Shen Shu, haven’t you seen Weibo? You should check it out.”
Shen Shu frowned. She hadn’t used Weibo in a long time.
She took out her phone, ignoring Cai Ying’s message, and opened the app.
Trending in Entertainment:
Qipao Beauty Exposed
Qipao Beauty Seen Partying at Nightclub, Questioned by Police
She clicked on it.
Entertainment News: #QipaoBeautyGetsIntoLuxuryCar #BeautyExposed The Qipao Beauty, recently known for her stunning looks, was seen at the Emperor Hotel late at night, being questioned by the police. Her image as an elegant beauty has been shattered. Netizens claim to have seen her with a group of hostesses. It’s worth noting that she was recently photographed getting into a rare and expensive luxury car.
The first photo showed Shen Shu talking to the police outside the Emperor Hotel.
The second photo showed her getting into a car at the film studio.
Xu Jinnan’s white Bentley.
Shen Shu stared at her phone, scrolling through the comments. While she had witnessed the dark side of human nature and the ruthlessness of the business world, she hadn’t expected such vicious attacks.
She couldn’t imagine the kind of people who would write such things.
Just two photos, not even conclusive evidence, and a few baseless accusations, and she was being vilified…
She felt a sense of disappointment and disillusionment.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle it.
It was just that she had experienced so much kindness recently that she had forgotten the world’s inherent ugliness.
“Places, everyone! Get ready!”
A crew member called out.
As she walked onto the set, she saw the looks in their eyes – disdain, disgust, and schadenfreude.
After taking her position, Ren Xiaoqi said, her voice laced with disapproval, “Director, are you still letting her film? Aren’t you going to replace her? What if this ruins the drama?”
Someone else chimed in.
“People are already criticizing the production and the director online.”
“The casting director is gone, isn’t he? Wonder how much he was paid.” The voice was low, but Shen Shu heard it.
She looked at the director, her voice sincere. “I apologize for the trouble, Director. But those rumors are false. I promise this won’t affect the production.”
The director didn’t say anything. Tong Jia had already informed him about Shen Shu’s wealthy backer, the one who had saved the production.
While he hadn’t been thrilled about nepotism, Shen Shu had earned the role through her audition.
“Let’s get started,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
It was a simple dialogue scene between Nightingale and her accomplice, just before she was about to assassinate V.
It took only twenty minutes and two takes.
As Shen Shu left the set, whispers followed her. Some people approached her with words of comfort and concern, but she could sense their true intentions.
They just wanted to confirm the rumors.
She ignored them.
There weren’t many productions filming at this hour, but it was rush hour, and finding a taxi would be difficult.
As she walked out of the studio, she stopped.
Xu Jinnan was leaning against her white Bentley, her arms crossed. Seeing Shen Shu, she tilted her head and smiled faintly.
Noticing her limp, she asked, “What happened to your foot?”
“Just a blister. It’s nothing,” Shen Shu replied.
Once in the car, Shen Shu asked, “I thought you were having dinner with a business partner.”
“Yes, Mr. Qin from Meilai Jewelry,” Xu Jinnan replied, referring to the owner of the jewelry store.
Shen Shu nodded. “You saw the trending topic, didn’t you?”
Xu Jinnan looked at her. “Yes.”
“Does it affect you?” Shen Shu asked. “My agent said she’ll come over tonight to discuss how to handle this.”
“Don’t worry about me. It doesn’t affect me. Well, it does, a little…”
Shen Shu paused, looking at her. “What do you mean?”
“If you’re upset, I’ll be upset too. That’s the only way it affects me. So, don’t worry about it,” Xu Jinnan said.
Shen Shu’s eyelashes fluttered, her usual coldness melting away under Xu Jinnan’s sincere gaze. Besides her grandmother, no one had ever been so kind to her.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.
Xu Jinnan started the car. “What do you want for dinner?”
“What do you want?”
“Shrimp?”
“I asked what you want.”
“Shrimp.”
“…Fine.”
At 8 p.m., Tong Jia arrived.
Shen Shu opened the door, offering her a pair of disposable slippers. As she sat down on the sofa, Xu Jinnan emerged from the bathroom.
After they exchanged greetings, Shen Shu was about to introduce them when Tong Jia interrupted. “Let’s keep this brief. I have other things to do. Tell me about what happened at the Emperor Hotel.”
Shen Shu gave a brief account of the incident, without going into detail, simply saying she had gone there to find someone.
“That photo was photoshopped. There was a police cordon around the area,” she added.
Tong Jia nodded. “Then all we need is another photo to disprove it. There must be surveillance footage outside the Emperor Hotel. Threatening them into releasing it should be easy for Ms. Xu, right?”
Xu Jinnan, handing her a can of iced tea, paused. “…?”
Shen Shu, hearing Tong Jia’s familiar tone, was slightly surprised.
Especially the iced tea. This morning, when they signed the contract, had been their first meeting, and she had seen iced tea in Tong Jia’s office.
Did they know each other?
“That’s easy enough, but it’s not impactful enough on its own,” Xu Jinnan said. It wasn’t ruthless enough.
“Of course. This smear campaign against Shen Shu seems deliberate, like someone paid for it. I suggest we wait and see what else they come up with, then we strike back. She’s a newcomer. Even negative publicity is still publicity. It’s good for her to be trending, even if it’s for the wrong reasons,” Tong Jia explained.
While it wasn’t ideal, it was the reality of the entertainment industry.
Talent and hard work were important, but marketing was unavoidable.
Shen Shu considered this. If it only concerned her, she would agree.
“I agree,” Xu Jinnan said.
“What about your parents? How will you handle them?” Shen Shu asked.
With this kind of negative publicity surrounding her, it would inevitably affect Xu Jinnan, especially considering the Xu family’s reputation.
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle them,” Xu Jinnan assured her.
“Then it’s settled. Just stay off Weibo for the next few days. It’s going to be unpleasant,” Tong Jia said. “After this blows over, or rather, in two months, I’ll make you a star!”
Shen Shu smiled faintly. “I just want to act. I don’t care about fame.”
“You might not care, but someone does,” Tong Jia said, winking at Xu Jinnan as she left.
Xu Jinnan, taking a sip of water, ignored her.
As Shen Shu stood up to see her off, Xu Jinnan said, “I’ll go with you. I need to pick something up downstairs.”
Shen Shu hesitated, then nodded.
As they waited for the elevator, Xu Jinnan said to Tong Jia, “Tone it down a little.”
“…How can I control that? You can stop her from checking her phone at home, but not on set. She has another scene to film tomorrow. She’s bound to hear some unpleasant things,” Tong Jia replied. “Why don’t you come to the studio and supervise her yourself?”
The elevator stopped on the second floor.
“I have to commend you on one thing,” Tong Jia said, leaning closer to Xu Jinnan. “Teacher Xu, your lessons were amazing. My girlfr—”
Footsteps approached, and Shen Shu appeared, carrying a trash bag. “Can you take this out?”
“Oh, sure,” Xu Jinnan said, taking the bag and watching as Shen Shu turned and walked away.
Upstairs, while Shen Shu was showering, Xu Jinnan sat on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.
A few minutes later, Shen Shu emerged from the bathroom, wearing a satin pajama set, the top buttoned up to her collarbone. Xu Jinnan was reminded of the “X” tattoo below it.
Shen Shu rarely wore clothes that exposed her collarbone, as if she was trying to hide the tattoo.
“What?” Shen Shu asked, noticing Xu Jinnan’s gaze.
“Your hair is wet,” Xu Jinnan replied, snapping out of her thoughts.
Shen Shu touched her hair; it was slightly damp. “You know Tong Jia?”
Xu Jinnan paused. “She didn’t tell you?”
She had assumed Shen Shu would realize they knew each other when they signed the contract. There was no need to hide it, as long as Shen Shu didn’t know about her investment.
“No.”
“We met before. She mentioned you after you signed the contract. She’s very capable,” Xu Jinnan said.
“Mm.” Shen Shu took a bottle of juice from the refrigerator and opened it. “Teacher Xu, I’m a little curious.”
“About what?”
Teacher Xu?
Shen Shu looked at her, her voice calm and serious. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard her praising your… teaching skills. I’m curious, what did you teach her?”
Xu Jinnan raised an eyebrow, momentarily speechless.
“Just… some things,” she replied vaguely.
Fortunately, Shen Shu wasn’t the type to pry.
“What things?”
“…Knowledge.”
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