It was all the dirt he had collected on Zhou Junqi.
Zhou Junqi had been involved with several influential women in messy relationships even while still at Tianhua Entertainment.
He had a promiscuous private life.
After he joined Le Entertainment, he hooked up with a female producer at Le, and now, thanks to her protection, he had landed a leading male role in a big production.
The contract had been signed, but he hadn’t joined the cast yet.
Qiao Xi had not expected that an artist who outwardly appeared so pure-hearted could be so loose in private.
Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.
She wondered if the female producer protecting him was aware of his philandering.
Should this dirt be exposed, it would be enough to severely affect his career.
"Sister, what are you looking at? The scene with the new actor you’re mentoring is coming up next."
Su Tutu walked in from outside and took Qiao Xi’s thermos from the table, unscrewed it, and took a drink.
Qiao Xi looked up, her eyes softly sparkling with a hint of a smile, "I have some dirt on an actor."
Su Tutu raised her eyebrows, "Whose?"
"Oh dear, that green tea boy?"
Su Tutu found Zhou Junqi extremely annoying; he always clinged to popular trends and acted all innocent, popping up from time to time to disgust people.
But, frustratingly, you just couldn’t do anything about him.
Qiao Xi nodded, "Yeah."
Su Tutu chuckled sardonically, "Then just release it, what are you waiting for? Crush him so badly he can’t recover."
"I don’t plan to act on it myself."
She also didn’t intend to get Chen Jiayan involved in this.
Her clean brother, who helped her acquire shares in the Qiao Group, had worked hard enough for her.
"You’re going to let him off?" Su Tutu cocked her head, "That’s not like you."
She knew Qiao Xi was outwardly cool but inwardly warm, someone who could easily be softhearted.
"Of course not," said Qiao Xi, who was never the type to be naive or overly merciful. She lowered her gaze, the cool light in her pupils exuding a chill, "For such matters, it’s best to use someone else’s knife to kill, keeping your own hands clean."
Su Tutu smiled cunningly, "Right, you’d never last long in this circle if you acted like a fairy untainted by worldly matters."
Qiao Xi raised her gaze slightly, her eyelids and their faint creases looked exceptionally attractive, with eyes turning up at the ends, full of alluring charm.
At this moment, her eyes were bright, like a vibrant flower blooming at the peak of many mountains, "But I am a fairy."
"Yeah, you are," Su Tutu smiled warmly, "Your appearance deceives the public. Alright, let’s go take a look."
From a restroom murder case to a cinema murder, the methods of the crime were identical, and people began to realize this was a series of serial killings.
Wei Xue appeared in the next scene as a family member of the victim.
Qiao Xi watched from the sidelines as Wei Xue and Jiang Yongge shot their scene together.
Wei Xue, a newcomer with no acting skills, was facing off against Jiang Yongge, the Movie Queen, which put a lot of pressure on her.
No matter how much Jiang Yongge tried, Wei Xue couldn’t keep up with her performance.
Jiang Yongge became exhausted.
Mo Qing called for multiple NGs.
Unable to find the right feel, Mo Qing simply had Wei Xue take a break from shooting, and then had Qiao Xi and Jiang Yongge shoot their subsequent scenes.
He couldn’t allow one person to delay the progress of the filming.
When Qiao Xi and Jiang Yongge worked together, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Wei Xue stood to one side, her eyes reddening with frustration and resentment.
Zhi Fei approached her saying, "It’s normal to be nervous acting against Teacher Jiang, but you see, Teacher Qiao isn’t. With her skills and a good script, she could totally win a Movie Queen award, right?"
"Her, winning a Movie Queen?" Wei Xue scoffed.
She had nothing but a pretty face.
Maybe she had already sold herself for favors with her looks.
"This script is quite good, and with Teacher Jiang, the Movie Queen, to bolster it, the chances of winning an award are high." Zhi Fei stopped there, "You should focus on studying your acting, don’t get NG’d by the director again."
Zhi Fei had participated in a few scenes as she was selected by Mo Qing and had somewhat better acting skills than Wei Xue.
Watching Zhi Fei’s retreating back, Wei Xue felt a surge of jealousy and hatred.
Your acting isn’t that great either.
Once Qiao Xi finished her scenes and came off set, Wei Xue approached her proactively, "Teacher Qiao."
Qiao Xi was somewhat surprised that Wei Xue would come to her but didn’t show it, "Wei Xue, do you need something?"
These days, she and Zhi Fei had been keeping to themselves.
Wei Xue cautiously said, "Teacher Qiao, I was hoping to ask you for advice on acting. The director keeps calling NG, and it’s really upsetting me."
Qiao Xi looked at her and suddenly laughed, "Acting is something you have to work on yourself. President Fang supports you, so give it your all. As for teaching you... sorry, I’m not yet at a point where I can teach others." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt
She wouldn’t be so recklessly kind to take on such a responsibility, especially when, in the end, if the acting was bad, it would all come down on her.
The risk outweighed the reward.
Wei Xue bit her lip, her voice full of grievance, "Teacher Qiao, we’re from the same company, please help me out?"
"Oh? And how would you like me to assist you? By asking the director to let your shots pass carelessly, regardless of how bad the acting?"
Wei Xue hadn’t expected Qiao Xi to be so blunt, leaving her no face at all.
She was only to appear in this one scene of the case; what was wrong with asking the director to go easy on her?
Qiao Xi simply didn’t want to help her!
Qiao Xi’s expression was icy.
"I’ve already told you, acting is something you can only count on yourself for. Since you’ve gotten this second chance, cherish it. Don’t always look for shortcuts, or do you think that if you grovel before me, I’ll help you?"
"There are no shortcuts in acting. If you can’t handle the role, you might as well just tell the director you want to quit."
She wouldn’t quit the role!
Weakened and close to tears, Wei Xue turned and ran out of Qiao Xi’s resting room, only to bump into Jiang Yongge as she left.
Jiang Yongge quickly stepped back several paces, avoiding her as if she were the plague.
Weakening her eyes and looking contrite, Wei Xue felt wronged.
Pausing, Jiang Yongge asked, "What’s the matter with you?"
Looking over her shoulder at Qiao Xi with a mix of accusation and lamentation, Wei Xue then ran off without a word, leaving behind a meaningful glance that seemed to say it all.
Jiang Yongge, puzzled, asked, "What happened to her?"
Qiao Xi replied indifferently, "She came to ask me how to act, and I told her acting isn’t something you can rely on others for."
She looked at Jiang Yongge, "Did Teacher Jiang need me for something?"
"To discuss the scene."
Meanwhile, Wei Xue ran to a secluded corner to cry in secret.
She felt incredibly stifled and harbored deep hatred for Qiao Xi, wishing she could scratch her face to ruin her pride.
Without that face, she’d have nothing to boast about; then she’d see who was arrogant!
Unawares, Wei Xue didn’t notice someone quietly approaching her from behind, until a shadow loomed over her.
Startled, Wei Xue turned around, "What are you doing hiding here crying?"