Chapter 114: Did Big Brother Get Possessed?
"Well, well, if it isn’t our most stunning diva, Sister Na. I heard you’ll be performing at the Spring Festival Gala again this year?"
Zhao Tianba had barely taken a few steps before noticing Sister Na trying to lead a beauty away. He immediately activated his “fake familiarity” skill.
Sister Na and Shen Xi paused for a moment. Sister Na gave a polite yet distant smile and replied with a calm tone, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Mr. Zhao, long time no see. If not for your past 'guidance,' I wouldn’t be where I am today."
"What are you saying? A queen is a queen, your talent speaks for itself."
To be fair, Zhao Tianba wasn’t wrong. Sister Na was now an industry veteran, someone who could make headlines with just one sentence. She was no longer a public figure that could be easily controlled.
He casually raised his glass and clinked it against hers, but his real attention was elsewhere, his eyes lingered on Shen Xi’s chest.
Shen Xi maintained a polite smile but instinctively leaned closer to Sister Na’s side, subtly blocking his lecherous gaze.
"This must be Shen Xi, right? A total newcomer, yet already making it to the trending charts. Very promising, very promising indeed. I also heard you landed a role in Director Feng’s film. Not bad, not bad, really not bad."
Zhao Tianba grinned, shamelessly eyeing Shen Xi from head to toe.
A moment ago, Sister Na had been calling him “Baldy” behind his back with ease. Now that he was standing right in front of them, she had to hold back and play nice.
Shen Xi, knowing she was just a rookie in the industry, resisted the urge to kick him where it hurts and replied politely,
"You flatter me, Mr. Zhao."
Zhao Tianba’s grin widened, the scar on his bald head twisting along with it.
"I heard you got married at such a young age? What a shame. With your beauty, you had such a bright future ahead, but now… sigh…"
He deliberately dragged out his words, pretending to be regretful. Then, in the next second, his tone suddenly shifted, and his eyes narrowed slyly.
"But no worries, I don’t mind. Pretty girl, have you ever considered signing with my company? We’ve got a brand-new star-making project going on. I guarantee, I can turn you into a top-tier goddess."
Shen Xi kept a calm expression, but inside, she was sneering. Hah, more like an Adult Video project, huh?
If this industry was really this filthy, then getting blacklisted wouldn’t be the worst thing. Just as she was about to reject him, Sister Na spoke up first.
"Mr. Zhao, you’re a little late. Just now, Mr. Fang from Stars Entertainment already extended an offer to Xixi."
Hearing this, Shen Xi's eyelid twitched slightly. She knew Sister Na was trying to help her out, so of course, she wouldn’t be dumb enough to ruin it.
Zhao Tianba’s smile froze for a moment.
Stars Entertainment was under the Gu Corporation, anyone at a certain level in the industry knew that. Letting out a dry chuckle, he said,
"I just appreciate talent, that’s all. Besides, having more options is never a bad thing, right?"
Even though he said that, he was already losing interest and feeling like today was just an unlucky day.
Damn it. He had just set his eyes on a stunning new talent, only to have that old fox Fang Chen snatch her away?
With a half-hearted excuse, Zhao Tianba quickly walked off.
"Uh... Sister Na..."
Shen Xi was about to say something when Sister Na cut her off.
"Don’t worry, Xixi. I’ve met Fang Chen a few times. He should be willing to help smooth this over."
With that, Sister Na whipped out her phone and hurried off to find a quiet place to make a call. Shen Xi could only watch, speechless, as Sister Na disappeared like a gust of wind.
For a moment, she didn’t know where to go. Her gaze wandered through the venue, as if searching for something.
Before long, her eyes swept past the crowd and locked onto a familiar pair of cold, sharp eyes in the distance.
Tonight, the man was dressed simply in a black dress shirt, the top buttons casually undone, giving him a mix of effortless cool and undeniable sharpness.
Nine out of ten of the male stars present had good looks, some even wearing delicate makeup like women.
And yet, Gu Hanling, in Shen Xi’s eyes, completely outshone every single one of them.
No fancy styling, no elaborate grooming, yet his looks and aura crushed them all.
The man had a faint smile on his lips and slightly lifted his chin, motioning for the woman to come over.
Shen Xi unconsciously smiled as well, her steps light as she walked toward the most powerful figure in the room, the true big shot of the night.
Before she could get close, she noticed a well-known A-list actress standing in front of the man, smiling sweetly as she spoke to him.
Seeing this, Shen Xi bit her lip, feeling an unexpected sense of irritation. Her steps quickened involuntarily.
By the time she reached him, the actress had just bowed slightly and walked away, her expression looking somewhat disappointed.
Watching the actress’s retreating figure, Shen Xi turned to Gu Hanling, curious.
“Big Brother, what did you say to her? Why did she look…”
Gu Hanling’s lips curled into a subtle, amused smile as he replied lightly,
“I told her… my wife is here.”
Shen Xi froze for a moment, then pursed her lips, thinking to herself,
Using her as a shield again, huh? Well, technically, that was part of her job.
But for some reason… she felt a tiny bit happy about it?
“Big Brother, why did you call me over?”
Gu Hanling raised an eyebrow.
“Wanted to try cucumber-flavored chips.”
Shen Xi frowned, momentarily confused. Chips? At such a fancy banquet? Was he messing with her?
Then, as realization dawned, her face instantly turned red. She instinctively took a step back, wondering if someone had possessed her Big Brother’s body.
Gu Hanling chuckled softly and reached out to gently pinch her flushed cheek.
“Relax, I was joking. I’m just thirsty.”
Shen Xi gave him a light glare, thinking to herself, since when did her Big Brother start making these kinds of jokes?
But she still obediently turned around to get the man a drink.
Walking over to the beverage area, she casually grabbed a glass of iced orange juice and was about to head back.
Suddenly, she heard a voice she disliked coming from behind her, and then someone touched her smooth back.
“Pretty girl, why aren’t you with Sister Na?”
Shen Xi spun around and saw Zhao Tianba, still holding his wine glass, having somehow wandered up behind her.
Before she could react, he even had the audacity to reach for her soft, delicate hand that was holding the glass.
“Perfect timing, I was just feeling thirsty,” he said, smirking.
Zhao Tianba had been thinking about her the entire time after their earlier encounter. When he happened to spot Shen Xi alone, getting a drink, he couldn’t resist the urge to take advantage.
“Here, take this.”
Shen Xi frowned, feeling a wave of disgust rise in her chest. She shoved the glass of orange juice into Zhao Tianba’s hands and quickly grabbed another drink before slipping away like a little fish.
In her mind, she cursed:
‘Ugh, just pretend a dog bit me. So damn disgusting!’
She hurried back to Gu Hanling’s side and handed him the drink.
The man took the glass and lowered his eyes to look at her.
Standing next to him, Shen Xi felt small. He was at least twenty centimeters taller than her. She never wore heels, so she had to tilt her head up just to see his face.
And with just one glance, she immediately sensed that something was off about his expression.
Gu Hanling didn’t say a word. He simply drank the entire glass in one go. Then turned and walked away.
Shen Xi blinked, completely confused.
Huh? Was he mad that she took too long?
Meanwhile, on the other side…
Zhao Tianba, who had been playing with women for years, suddenly felt an urgent need to go to the restroom after drinking the cold orange juice handed to him by the beautiful Shen Xi.
The moment he stepped inside, a chilling sensation washed over him.
He instinctively looked up and saw a ridiculously handsome yet ice-cold face looking down at him from above.
Gu Hanling’s deep voice was calm, yet terrifying.
“Which hand did you touch her with, hmm?”