After that night, the rumors about tax evasion vanished abruptly, like words carved on the beach, quietly washed away by the regular waves.
Several other major news stories recently have shifted the public's attention to new hot topics.
The financial reporter, Ding Mingxi, was quite interesting. Before leaving, he made a point of coming to her office to say hello, and then, like everyone else, he called her Sister Daixi: "Sorry to bother you lately. Although I didn't manage to catch anything, it's been quite interesting to see your celebrities here every day."
"Then why don't you come over and work with me, and watch celebrities every day?" The information I showed her last time hadn't leaked out at all; she hadn't misjudged him.
"It's better to admire celebrities from afar. Sometimes, if you get too close, there's no room for imagination."
"It's up to you. You can come find me anytime you've made up your mind." Yun Daixi didn't force her.
No one in the company knew how Yun Daixi had managed to resolve this crisis overnight.
Everyone in the group was sincerely flattering him—
Sister Daixi is indeed number one in the entertainment industry!
Follow Sister Daixi and you'll get to eat meat!
I belong to Sister Daixi in life and in death; I will not go to any place no matter how high the price.
She breathed a sigh of relief; one thing was finally settled.
For a long time afterward, Gu Li'an didn't contact her again.
She wasn't surprised. How could the emperor be like those portrayed in dramas, having so much time to attend to the affairs of the harem every day? He could simply summon them when necessary.
December was almost over, and the weather had gotten colder. The first snow fell in Beijing. On a snowy night, she was home alone, opened a bottle of red wine, poured some cinnamon, and heated it up, as usual watching her favorite celebrity's variety show.
Jessica texted her: "President Gu just suddenly asked me if the book you gave me last time is still at the company."
Yun Daixi replied: Did he go to get it?
Jessica: Yes, the security guard just called me to say that he has successfully handed the books over to Mr. Gu. With such heavy snow, I don't know why he suddenly thought of moving those hundred-plus books.
Perhaps Mr. Gu was suffering from insomnia due to some business matters.
Yun Daixi didn't reply to this, but silently read it in her mind and typed it into her phone: Maybe it's cold at home, the mansion's fireplace is short of firewood.
Jessica replied: Your joke is so boring, it's not funny at all.
Yun Daixi didn't reply, tossed her phone aside, and didn't look at it again.
I was watching the variety show half-heartedly, drinking red wine and almost falling asleep when someone suddenly rang the doorbell on the video surveillance outside the door.
She was startled, fearing it might be Mr. Gu. She glanced at him from afar, and thankfully, it was Jiang Xianxian.
Even with such poor video camera quality, her beautiful face couldn't be hidden. She held the bag high for Yun Daixi to see: "We're going to drink beer and eat fried chicken for the first snow!"
Yun Daixi opened the door for her: "Come in quickly, it's cold outside."
Jiang Xianxian went upstairs, took off her shoes and put on slippers after entering the room, and placed a bunch of high-carbohydrate food on the table.
"Don't worry about these things. I'll go get you something low-fat." Yun Daixi opened the bag, glanced at the various fried chicken nuggets, and had already precisely calculated the calorie count in her mind.
"Oh my god, Sister Daixi, won't you even let me relax a little?"
"Female celebrities should never indulge themselves." To reach the top, one must be extremely ruthless to oneself.
She threw a bag of beef jerky in front of her: "I'll eat fried chicken, you eat this."
"Sigh, that's the difference between an employee and a boss." Knowing she had no choice, she finally opened the bag of beef jerky.
Yun Daixi took a bite of the fried chicken, which was almost frozen solid. The taste was really not good. She put down the fried chicken and asked, "Have you been in contact with that Young Master Fang lately? Has he come to see you again?"
"Last time, they probably thought I had a relationship with that Mr. Gu, so they never contacted me again. Later, the studio issued an announcement, and they probably realized that I had no relationship with Mr. Gu, so they have been sending me messages recently."
"Are there any more people stalking and harassing you? I'll make arrangements later, and your security expenses may increase again." Yun Daixi had already started calculating in her mind.
"Okay, Sister Daixi, you can arrange it. Keep me trapped in your capitalist cage." She stretched and collapsed on the sofa.
"No matter how much money I spend, I can't stop you from running away. You must not be fooled by his face and his family's wealth again."
"Okay, I know," she said, taking a sip of the red wine in Yun Daixi's glass, and then somewhat guiltily changed the subject. "But you and Chi Muyi, are you really together?"
Ironically, besides Chi Muyi and herself, only Mr. Gu knew the truth.
Knowing that Jiang Xianxian would surely see through something, she still pretended to answer, "Yes."
The more people who know, the greater the risk, especially since Jiang Xianxian is such a willful person. Not telling her the truth is to reduce her burden.
"So you're thinking of transforming him? He'll lose a lot of female fans if he has a girlfriend." Jiang Xianxian wasn't sure if she was serious or just offering a casual suggestion.
"No need for that. We'll break up sooner or later, so it won't take up too much of his time."
Yun Daixi was good at this; she could tell a lie while also telling the truth, so that she could fool even herself and not reveal her ignorance to others.
"As expected, it has to be me, Yun Daixi," Jiang Xianxian's eyes widened. "You've only been dating for a short time and you're already planning to break up. Does that kid know? You've even set his death date?"
"Know."
"Your plan is far too cruel."
"He's still young, he'll grow up eventually, and this may be an important lesson for him."
"Speaking of which," Jiang Xianxian mischievously jumped up from the sofa and whispered in Yun Daixi's ear, "He's an adult now, have you two done *that* yet?"
"No." For some reason, she suddenly remembered the feeling of shame she had felt that day when she walked barefoot into the carpeted room and saw the dimly lit space. @Unlimited great stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City
Jiang Xianxian tumbled down again: "You're so boring! You don't even sleep with such a good younger brother, what a waste!"
It's a real shame; so many people wanted to pounce on him.
Later, the snow fell so heavily that Jiang Xianxian stayed at her house. The next day, Yun Daixi took Jiang Xianxian home first before going to the company.
-
These past few days, she hasn't even considered asking Mr. Gu why he took those books.
Like a frightened bird, she dared not easily approach the man who, once lured, might become a prison.
As for the news of her breakup with Chi Muye, it's already in the works and will be released after his world tour ends. It won't affect his current schedule and will hopefully generate a second wave of buzz.
She didn't plan to contact Gu Li'an until this matter was resolved, otherwise she didn't know if Chi Muye would disappear from the entertainment industry.
In the entertainment industry, a game purely based on capital, the moment investors run out of funds, all the illusions will burst instantly.
No matter how popular you were back then, you will soon be crushed beyond recognition by the giant wheel of time.
She dared not challenge Gu Li'an's bottom line.
However, the fashion industry and the capital industry have always been inextricably linked, and in some situations, they are unavoidable.
Director Fan Yan's production team called to say that casting for "Summer in Port City," which we discussed last time, is about to begin, and asked about Jiang Xianxian's availability.
Fortunately, Jiang Xianxian's schedule did not conflict with the filming schedule, and they agreed to meet in the studio on Saturday afternoon.
Yun Daixi would definitely go to such an important occasion. After all, it was Jiang Xianxian's first opportunity to play the female lead in a film directed by a renowned director. This could very well help her create new screen images and broaden her career opportunities.
No one expected that Cheng Wei, with his slicked-back hair, would appear on set with Gu Li'an.
The arrival of the bodyguard team, which was even more imposing than that of a celebrity, sparked a heated discussion. Based on previous news reports, everyone thought that it was the domineering CEO Gu Li'an coming to protect his girlfriend.
Despite his pride and arrogance, Fan Yan still adopted the attitude of welcoming the emperor, respectfully explaining the casting progress to his sponsor.
The violent man he was that night is a completely different person from the one sitting there now.
His split personality always made people wonder if their memories were faulty, since he clearly had never done those things.
After Yun Daixi led Jiang Xianxian to change into a dark green brocade cheongsam with a subtle floral pattern, they came out and stood in a row with a group of female celebrities who were auditioning.
This is Fan Yan's rule: no matter how famous you are, when you come to his film set, you have to be dressed up as an ordinary person so that he can see your true nature and compete with others.
The scene was strikingly similar to the one at the Mercury banquet that day. Yun Daixi was adjusting Jiang Xianxian's dress and explaining the precautions.
Gu Li'an's gaze kept drifting in their direction.
This time, Yun Daixi dared not look in that direction again, afraid that her thoughts, which she might inadvertently reveal in her eyes, would anger him and cause this hard-won opportunity to slip away.
After chatting for a while, it was almost time for casting, so Cheng Wei led Gu Li'an away from the studio.
No sooner had he left than gossip erupted in the photography studio.
"Now that President Gu has made his appearance, do we still have a chance?" @Unlimited Good Stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City
"Isn't this obviously to support Jiang Xianxian?"
There was someone in that corner whom Yun Daixi had just noticed. She hadn't said a word and seemed indifferent to worldly affairs. She was also wearing a cheongsam of a similar color to Jiang Xianxian's.
She is Qiao Zhinuo, who was under the same company as Botao and missed out on the Best Supporting Actress award at the awards ceremony.
Adding to the issue of the cover of "Feng Hua" magazine, the hatred towards Yun Daixi's company is more than just a little.
It seemed that He Botao was no longer going to let her actively fight for the role. She sat listlessly in the chair, and when she saw Gu Li'an arrive, she knew even more that she had no chance.
Only after the assistant director yelled "Action!" did he slowly move over from his chair.
The script rehearsal began, and everyone lined up to enter. Yun Daixi could no longer go in, so she simply sat in the corridor outside and dealt with what she was doing.
Knowing the outcome and not wanting to waste any more time, Qiao Zhinuo was the first to finish her audition and come out.
Seeing Yun Daixi sitting by the corridor, he glanced at her but didn't greet her, and walked straight out.
Yun Daixi followed her back and looked over. This child was young and good-looking, but unfortunately, He Botao had mismanaged her. If she were in her hands, she would definitely be much better than she is now. She felt sorry for such a promising talent.
A moment later, her phone vibrated; it was Chi Muye calling. She wanted to find a quiet place.
Following the signs to the terrace, I heard a sound coming from outside as soon as I got close.
It was Qiao Zhinuo, and standing opposite her was Gu Li'an, whom Yun Daixi thought had already left.
The moment I saw him, I unconsciously panicked and hung up on Chi Muye, replying simply: I'm busy, I'll call you back later.
His face clearly showed impatience, and he said coldly, "I'm only giving He Botao face by giving you one minute."
Qiao Zhinuo was still young and had never seen such a scene before. She blurted out, "What Jiang Xianxian can give you, I can do too. Why don't you support me?"
Yun Daixi knew she couldn't listen any longer, so she quietly left to find another place to return the call.
She tried calling back several times but no one answered, so she had to send another message: Call me back when you're free.
Jiang Xianxian came out of the audition, and Yun Daixi chased after her: "How did it go?"
"It seems alright." Her acting skills are naturally no match for Lin Suihuan's; she's too carefree and easily misses the details.
Jiang Xianxian asked in a low voice, "Did you invite President Gu today? Is he here to protect me?"
"You overestimate my abilities. Do you think I can get President Gu to do this?" She tried to laugh it off, but unexpectedly, President Gu was already standing behind her.
Without any attempt to avoid suspicion, he addressed her directly as "Yun Daixi".
Jiang Xianxian immediately understood. He had only introduced her once in public before, and he probably couldn't even remember her name, which was printed on countless posters. Yet he could so confidently pronounce the three words "Yun Daixi" without any particular pattern.
There must be something fishy going on here.
She obediently replied, "I'll wait for you two in the car."
He gave Yun Daixi a look that said, "No wonder Chi Muye doesn't meet your standards."
After walking a short distance, she turned back and said, "Sister Daixi, I'd better go back first. I won't wait for you."
To avoid putting too much burden on her.
Only two people remained in the empty corridor.
Gu Li'an, as always, said, "Let's go."
Without asking any questions, she followed him out and got into the Bentley she hadn't seen in a long time.
This was the first car she had ridden in; she recognized the driver.
As the car started moving, she watched the young man's back, noticing fine beads of sweat clinging to his neck.
He must be cursing under his breath, right?
Her appearance must have caused him a lot of trouble. After all, knowing certain information but not being able to share it with others makes him feel an unusual itch, like having a contagious skin disease.
Thinking of this, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
Gu Li'an immediately noticed and asked her, "What are you laughing at?"
She made it up: "After so many days, Mr. Gu finally remembered me. He even showed up at such an important occasion today. Whether it's true or not, the rumors have already spread that Mr. Gu came to support Jiang Xianxian. The director will probably have to be a little hesitant when casting. Isn't something to be happy about?"
He was speechless at this reason. He had indeed come here specifically today, but of course, it was to wait for her.
"Aren't you going to ask where we're going?"
"No need to ask, Mr. Gu has his own arrangements." @Unlimited great stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City