Chapter 115: Could It Be... Because of Me?
Zhao Tianba squinted and took a good look at the man in front of him.
He felt like he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite remember when or where.
Judging by the man's striking features and refined demeanor, Zhao Tianba assumed he was probably some up-and-coming male celebrity that a big company was pushing into the spotlight.
Feeling impatient, he waved his hand dismissively.
“What do you mean, ‘which hand’? Do you even know who I am? Move aside!”
But the man didn’t budge an inch.
He just stood there, looking down at Zhao Tianba with an icy, indifferent gaze.
For some reason, Zhao Tianba felt an unusual sense of pressure, so much so that he instinctively took a step back.
A wave of humiliation washed over him, the realization that his prestige as Su City's elite had been challenged. Instantly, his embarrassment quickly turned into anger, and his tone became arrogant.
“Who do you belong to? How dare you block my way? I’ll have you blacklisted by tomorrow!”
Gu Hanling’s lips curled into a faint, almost mocking smile. His voice remained calm.
“Not answering? Then I’ll just get rid of them all, just to be sure.”
Meanwhile…
Sister Na had just finished her phone call, but after searching everywhere, she still couldn’t find Shen Xi.
With no other choice, she dialed the woman’s number.
When the two finally met up again, Sister Na walked over with a suspicious look on her face.
“Little girl, I spoke to Fang Chen from Stars Entertainment, and he agreed to help us out. But… I don’t know, it just felt a little too easy.”
Shen Xi let out a couple of awkward laughs, feeling a bit guilty, and quickly thanked Sister Na.
Just then, the sound of a commotion rose from a distance. There were crowds gathering and exclamations echoing through the hall.
The two women exchanged confused glances. And then, a very familiar face walked out from the middle of the chaos.
An Yufei, dressed in a sparkling tailored suit, had his signature bright smile plastered across his face. And today, that smile seemed even more dazzling than usual.
“Xixi, Sister Na, long time no see.”
As he approached the two women, he lowered his voice mysteriously and whispered—
“Guess what just happened inside?”
Sister Na raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the gossip.
“Quit teasing us. Spill it already.”
“Zhao Tianba had an accident in the restroom. Heard both of his hands are broken, his mouth is full of blood, and he was just taken to the hospital by an ambulance.”
Sister Na burst into laughter. “Hahaha! How does someone end up like that just from using the restroom? Must’ve pissed off the wrong guy.”
“He’s even missing a few front teeth now. And the funniest part? He keeps insisting he just ‘accidentally fell’, says it was all an accident.”
Sister Na clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk. No way someone just ‘falls’ that badly. That bald creep must’ve messed with someone way out of his league.”
She crossed her arms, looking like she had seen through it all. A scumbag like Zhao Tianba, who preys on female artists, totally had it coming.
What Sister Na was curious about, though, was who could have a stronger background than that Mr. Zhao. Could it be… that sharp-dressed, composed young man from earlier?
Shen Xi had been quietly amused, watching another pervert get what he deserved. Then, a subtle unease crept over her.
Wait… did she just say "another" pervert got taken down?
Something felt off. Why did she think ‘another’ just now?
She vaguely remembered, wasn’t there a similar incident months ago?
Broken hands. Knocked-out teeth.
Could it really be that much of a coincidence?
Sister Na noticed Shen Xi zoning out and, being a seasoned veteran in the industry, decided to pass down some wisdom to this naive newbie.
“Little girl, even a filthy rich and powerful guy like that baldy got taken down. This should tell you how deep the waters in this industry really are. There’s always someone higher up the chain...”
But Shen Xi wasn’t really listening. Her thoughts had drifted far away.
That cold, sharp-eyed man’s silhouette had completely occupied her mind.
A big shot like Zhao Tianba, who had connections in both the legal and underground worlds, wouldn't normally suffer a loss, let alone cover up for the person who did it.
That meant one thing, Shi Jingyan was out of the equation.
Maybe because of some changes, the male lead's rise had been slower than in the original storyline. He hadn't yet gained support from her ‘husband’, and at this stage, Shi Jingyan simply wasn’t strong enough to go against Zhao Tianba.
Her memories drifted back to a few months ago.
At a crew gathering, that sleazy producer Wu Liang, who had bad intentions toward her, ended up in a similarly miserable state.
Back then, she hadn’t thought much about it. Just assumed karma had caught up with him.
But looking at it now, were the two incidents connected?
That left only one possibility: Gu Hanling.
The hidden biggest boss in this venue. And conveniently, he had also been present at the last gathering.
But… why?
Would someone as refined and cultured as him, like a noble gentleman straight out of ancient times, actually resort to violence?
"Could it be… because of me?"
Hah, yeah right. No way.
Shen Xi had always been self-aware.
Sure, she had a pretty face, but there were plenty of women in this world more beautiful than her.
Gu Hanling wasn't someone who needed to rely on complex schemes or international connections to find a beautiful woman.
But he did have "money power." If he wanted any kind of woman, all he had to do was snap his fingers.
There’s no way he liked her because… she was greedy and could eat a lot, right?
“Xixi, are you listening?”
Sister Na’s voice pulled Shen Xi back to reality.
“Huh? Oh! Of course! Sister Na, your wise teachings, I’ll remember them forever and recite them daily.”
Sister Na sighed helplessly and lightly patted the daydreaming woman on the head.
“You little fool. Be careful, or one day, a man’s going to take advantage of you, and you’ll regret it.”
Shen Xi stuck out her tongue, feeling a little guilty.
“Don’t worry, Sister Na! I’m actually really smart, you know.”
She said that, but in her heart, she was already panicking.
If she were really smart, she would’ve suffered long ago.
Maybe she just wasn’t charming enough. After all, Gu hadn’t stripped her clothes off and done that kind of thing. That, at least, was a small blessing in disguise.
On Shen Xi’s side, one was a pop diva, and the other was a top-tier idol, naturally attracting a crowd of investors and directors eager to greet them.
Sister Na and An Yufei both genuinely liked Shen Xi.
Though their reasons were different, it didn’t stop them from introducing her to valuable industry contacts and resources.
Not far away, Lin Yueyue watched Shen Xi like a hawk, eyes full of jealousy as she exchanged contact information with people who could one day become her connections.
Beside her, Feng Weiwei sat with a troubled expression.
Ever since the Wu family had been kicked out of Gu Hanling’s company, Feng Weiwei who had climbed to stardom purely through connections, had found herself losing access to good resources.
“Did you get the pictures of her talking to Zhao Tianba?” Lin Yueyue asked in a hushed tone.
Feng Weiwei nodded, then shook her head.
“I did. But it’s useless. Zhao Tianba’s in trouble, he’s already been sent to the hospital.”
Their original plan had been to leak the photos to gossip accounts, painting Shen Xi as someone who slept her way to the top.
Both of them knew Shen Xi’s husband was Gu Hanling.
But since her debut, she hadn’t exactly received much support from him.
If Gu really cared about her, then Masked Singer wouldn’t have eliminated her so easily. She would’ve won the entire competition.
She wouldn’t have had to audition just to land a supporting role in the “Landscape is Like a Painting”.
To them, it was obvious. Gu Hanling didn’t actually like Shen Xi. So if they could just turn him against her, divorce was only a matter of time.
Feng Weiwei sighed.
“We’ll hold onto them for now. Might be useful later.”
Lin Yueyue bit her lip hard. She had been so shortsighted before. She used to think Shi Jingyan was the highest she could reach.
But the higher she climbed, the more she realized. Compared to real power, Shi Jingyan wasn’t even worthy of carrying their shoes.