Chapter 46: Is She Really Mr. Fang’s Lover?
Director Chen was in charge of Su City TV’s [Who Is the King of Singers]? Oh no, it’s now called [Masked Singer King].
When he first saw rumors online about an unknown female singer performing an a cappella cover, with netizens speculating she was a special guest on his show, he dismissed it with a laugh.
As the chief director, even he didn’t know about this so-called “mystery guest.” And yet, netizens were discussing it as if it were fact. How ridiculous.
In reality, the "mystery guest" was actually a contestant backed by the show's major investors. In fantasy novels, this would be like the "Holy Son" or "Holy Maiden" chosen by fate.
The selection process was supposed to focus on people with some level of fame and potential in the industry.
Then, one day, he received a call from the CEO of Stars Entertainment, one of the show's partners.
The CEO’s tone was firm, the mystery guest had already been decided.
Director Chen was confused. Usually, there would be a rigorous selection process. But this time, it was settled just like that?
And not only that, they had even changed the show’s entire framework. Though, to be fair, he had always felt that the original format wasn’t strong enough to compete with Zhejiang TV’s The Voice.
Shortly after, he received a confidential file regarding the mystery guest.
When he opened it, he was completely stunned.
The rumors were true! The so-called “Moonlight Goddess” that netizens had been talking about was really just an unknown singer?!
The file only contained a passport-style photo of a young woman. The picture was from an earlier time, her innocent beauty was undeniable. Her name was Shen Xi.
Director Chen racked his brain but couldn’t recall anyone by that name in the industry.
“This isn’t... Mr. Fang’s lover, is it?”
Director Chen turned to the show’s chief planner, muttering his speculation.
If Fang Chen had heard this, he would have grabbed a 40-meter-long sword and chased Director Chen down, shouting,
“Damn it! You old fool! This isn’t some palace drama! Stop making things up just to mess with me!”
……………………………
At that moment, Lin Yueyue entered the planning office, carrying a tray of tea.
She was currently working at Su City TV as a temporary assistant, but why? Well... she had another fight with Shi Jingyan.
At first, they argued over Shen Xi. After cooling off, she found out that Shi Jingyan had booked a hotel room with a model.
The fight escalated, and in her anger, she moved out of the luxury apartment he had bought for her, deciding to stay at a hotel instead, to teach him a lesson.
But to her shock, Shi Jingyan didn’t seem to care. Instead, he was still thinking about Shen Xi, as if she had become even more beautiful and captivating.
Their cold war dragged on for an unexpectedly long time.
On top of that, Lin Yueyue had already spent all the money Shi Jingyan had given her.
She had once refused a high-paying, low-effort job that he had arranged for her, finding it too tiring. But now, with no money, she had no choice but to work here.
(After all, if the female lead had a stable job, how would she find time for a dramatic, messy love story?)
Lin Yueyue absentmindedly set down the tea and sneaked a peek at the confidential file on Director Chen’s desk.
Just one glance, and as Shen Xi’s long-time rival, she immediately recognized her most hated enemy.
“Oh? Why is it her? Director Chen, Shen Xi was my high school classmate. She’s pretty, sure, but when it comes to her character...”
She shook her head slightly, as if deeply disappointed by some dark past.
Covering her mouth as if she had let something slip, she subtly hinted at Shen Xi’s questionable reputation.
Director Chen’s heart skipped a beat.
He exchanged a glance with the chief planner.
“You know her? Tell me more.”
Lin Yueyue furrowed her brows, as if worried for Director Chen, then sighed.
“She’s the type to do anything for money. Right now, she’s being kept by some rich man... and she even flirts with young, handsome guys who already have girlfriends.”
From her perspective, she was just stating the “truth” in a slightly different way.
Director Chen’s brows furrowed tightly, his face darkening. A terrible thought crossed his mind.
So, this Shen Xi was really just Mr. Fang’s mistress?
The show’s ratings had been declining for years. Now, their biggest draw, the mystery guest, was just someone forced into the lineup because of connections?
That meant their entire show’s quality and reputation were at risk.
This time, they had managed to secure two A-list celebrities, Feng Weiwei and An Yufei, as contestants. Not to mention, they had also invited a legendary singer and a veteran artist as judges.
Everything was set. The show was finally going to surpass The Voice!
But now, out of nowhere, this "kept woman" had crashed onto the scene.
Director Chen let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. His head felt like it had doubled in size.
After a moment of silence, he snapped back to reality. He slammed the file shut.
“This is confidential information! Why are you snooping? Get out!”
Director Chen stood up abruptly, pointing at the door.
“And you’d better keep your mouth shut! If you dare leak a single word of this, I guarantee, you won’t be able to handle the consequences!”
Director Chen was already furious about the show's key mystery guest being some morally questionable, well-connected mistress. He was boiling with anger, desperately looking for a place to vent.
Lin Yueyue was startled by his sudden outburst. Her fake, innocent expression almost cracked. She bit her lip as if trying to hold back her frustration, reluctantly leaving the room.
Inside, however, she was seething. She wanted to go find Shi Jingyan right away to get him to back her up and restore her pride.
"Ugh… Do I really have to be the one to make the first move, reconcile with him… and then deal with that disgusting, cheating bastard again?"
……………………………………
Meanwhile, Shen Xi received a message from a certain someone.
Wait… wasn’t he on a plane? How was he still texting her?
"Big Brother, haven’t you boarded yet? How are you still messaging me?"
Gu Hanling looked at her text and smirked slightly.
This little fool… she had accidentally given herself away again.
As the Shen family heiress who had studied abroad, how could she not know something as basic as this?
"Private jet."
"……"
Shen Xi was momentarily speechless.
Alright. This was beyond her understanding.
In her past life, the only flight she had ever taken was a budget economy ticket. The most she knew about planes was that airplane mode lets you play offline games.
What she didn’t know was that not just private jets, but even international flights and some large commercial planes had WiFi. It was just ridiculously expensive.
Her face felt hot, and she quickly tried to cover up her mistake.
"I just thought you woke up so early, so you’d probably want to take a nap on the plane..."
She thought she had smoothly changed the topic, but his reply was only four simple words.
"Drink more hot water."
Shen Xi pouted. That’s it? So perfunctory.
If this were a typical guy, the next messages would probably be:
"Eat less spicy food."
"Get some rest."
"Are you mad again?"
Those classic scumbag lines.
…Wait. Hold on.
Back in her past life, when she was still a man, she also genuinely believed that telling someone to "drink more hot water" was actually useful advice.
After all, it really did help with things like the stomach cramps she had yesterday…
Why was she suddenly starting to see things differently from a woman's perspective?!
Shen Xi quickly blamed it on the mysterious powers of estrogen…
………………………………………
Late at Night.
In a restaurant inside a shopping mall, Shen Xi met up with Su Kexin.
Since Gu Hanling wasn’t around, she could stay out as late as she wanted without worrying.
"Keke, I have a gift for you."
Shen Xi grinned mysteriously and pulled out a beautifully framed A5-sized photo, placing it in front of her.
Su Kexin took a glance, her eyes widened instantly. It was a signed photo of her favorite idol!
Wait, hold on. She looked closer…
Oh. My. God.
It was a personalized autograph!
The message read, “To the cutest Su Kexin, thank you for your support! Love you, An Yufei."
Su Kexin’s head snapped up, her hands flew to her mouth, and her big, teary eyes shimmered with overwhelming emotion.
"Xixi, you’re too good to me! How did you even get this?!"
"This is priceless! If the fan club finds out, they’ll go crazy!"
She was so overcome with joy that, in a moment of excitement, she leaned forward and gave Shen Xi a quick kiss on the cheek.
Shen Xi’s face flushed red.
This was… the first time a girl had ever kissed her.
Too bad it wasn’t the kind of kiss she actually wanted...
………………………………….
Meanwhile, at another table, a group of guys was chatting and laughing.
"Jingyan, haven’t seen Yueyue clinging to you lately. Even Shen Xi, the campus belle, isn’t around to chase after you."
"What’s up? Having… problems in that department?"
"Hahaha!"
Shen Xi’s smile froze, and her fingers tightened around her glass. Among the laughter, she heard two names that made her head ache.
Shi Jingyan and Lin Yueyue.
Damn it.
The moment Big Brother left, the plot’s bad vibes started coming back again?!