Chapter 456: Chapter 456

Shen Dang’s distinct facial features reflected onscreen.

He was close to the camera, and the enlarged image of his face could not hide his handsomeness; it even exuded a breathtaking beauty.

His peach blossom eyes sparkled with a smile, causing Qiao Xi to involuntarily curve her lips into a gentle smile, as graceful as ever.

"I missed you," Shen Dang said straightforwardly, his simple words carrying a deeper meaning.

Emotions surged within Qiao Xi, yet her expression remained calm as she playfully turned the tables, "Why are you stealing my lines?"

Shen Dang raised an eyebrow with interest, "I’m stealing your lines?"

Since she missed him, why didn’t she just say it directly instead of beating around the bush?

Qiao Xi’s pursed lips revealed a faint smile.

Shen Dang clicked his tongue, his expression slightly displeased: "You finish up and call someone else before me, where’s the missing me in that?"

Qiao Xi couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing his expression, "Are you jealous?"

Shen Dang’s expression was quite aggrieved, "I thought I made it very obvious, yet you still ask this."

Qiao Xi found it amusing, "I didn’t expect you to be jealous of Sister Li."

Shen Dang blurted it out confidently.

How was she supposed to respond to that?

Even through the screen, Shen Dang’s gaze seemed to fix intensely on her face, "I’d get jealous over anyone. I want you to see only me and put me first; that way, I can feel at ease."

He candidly revealed his heart. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt

To some extent, it was a display of possessiveness.

Sensing his feelings, Qiao Xi felt a bittersweet sensation in her heart.

Qiao Xi lowered her eyes to avoid his intense gaze and spoke calmly yet clearly, "You are already number one."

Her emotions reached him through the screen, and Shen Dang smiled with pleasure, "Message me ahead when you come back to Hai City, I’ll come to pick you up."

Qiao Xi nodded obediently, "Okay."

Qiao Xi left with the production team for South City the next day.

She was busy all day, unaware of the major scandal that had suddenly erupted online.

The famous paparazzi Tang Qing posted a detailed Weibo post, complete with photos and other proof.

The post confirmed that Zhong Xinran had once been kept by a wealthy patron, stealing a role that rightfully belonged to someone else, and bullying newcomers on set. Besides, she was two-timing and also had an ambiguous relationship with a male artist from her company. All these pieces of evidence heavily criticized her.

The name Zhong Xinran unexpectedly and unsurprisingly made the hot search.

And there were people who didn’t recognize her asking who Zhong Xinran was.

People immediately provided explanations.

After appearing on "Dream Chasing Camp 2," Zhong Xinran had become quite popular. Following the revelation of this scandal, the always sweet and well-behaved image of Zhong Xinran took a major hit, which shocked many netizens.

"Never expected Zhong Xinran to be such a player behind the scenes."

"That’s a female player right there."

"It turns out every star has a persona."

"I used to like Zhong Xinran. Blame my poor judgment, I declare that I’m unfollowing her from today!"

Zhong Xinran, while recording a show, had no idea about the scandal that erupted online.

She was still dreaming of her ’rags to riches’ transformation, hardly focused during the recording. Why bother working so hard when she can latch onto Shen Dang’s influence? After all, wouldn’t top resources soon be handed to her?

Zhong Xinran was eagerly waiting for Shen Dang’s staff to contact her when she received a call from her agent first.

As soon as the call connected, she heard her agent furiously berate her, "Zhong Xinran, who have you offended this time? Tang Qing has exposed so much that you’re left with nothing, if you want to leave the industry just say it outright!"

The company was considering promoting her further, but now that the scandals have come to light, everything was lost. All the investments made in her had gone to waste!

A bewildered Zhong Xinran responded, "Who’s Tang Qing? Why would Tang Qing go after me? I haven’t offended anyone."

She didn’t understand why Tang Qing would take an interest in her. Given that Tang Qing typically revealed major scandals about popular figures, and she wasn’t a major influencer nor a top actress, why would Tang Qing bother to expose her? Plus, the sugar-daddy issue was old news.

Did Tang Qing have a grudge against her?

Zhong Xinran didn’t end the call, instead, she logged onto Weibo to see what had happened—her panic escalated upon finding out.

"Sister, who’s pulling the strings behind this? I haven’t offended anyone, sister, you must help me!"

Zhong Xinran was terrified, her face turning pale instantly.

The affair about being kept by a financial backer was arranged by her own agent, and it was supposed to be a secretive matter. How did Tang Qing find out about it?

Her agent snorted coldly, the tone unfriendly, "If I could find it out, that would be great. Think hard about who you’ve offended. If you can get Tang Qing to retract the news and say it was a misunderstanding, maybe you’ll have a sliver of hope, otherwise, prepare to disgracefully leave the entertainment industry!"

She hadn’t expected that Zhong Xinran had double-crossed her.

Zhong Xinran’s eyes quivered.

Who had she offended?

Who could she have offended?

Zhong Xinran racked her brain painfully but couldn’t remember.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind, inadvertently thinking of President Shen.

Zhong Xinran became agitated, "Sister, I met President Shen from GK Entertainment a few days ago. We chatted for a bit. Do you have any way to contact him? Maybe if I talk to him, he could help me settle this matter."

Zhong Xinran pinned all her hopes on Shen Dang.

Certainly, Shen Dang must have been too busy to contact her.

However, Zhong Xinran never imagined that this situation was orchestrated by Shen Dang behind the scenes.

Being too self-occupied isn’t always good.

If you don’t have the capability, don’t aim too high and just focus on yourself; looking in a mirror might help too.

That would keep you from daydreaming.

Her agent’s eyelid twitched upon hearing this, "...President Shen? How do you know him?"

"Just met him a few times before."

"You talked to President Shen about what?"

The agent sensed something amiss.

Zhong Xinran feared to reveal it.

Given the circumstances, she was unsure of what to do.

Zhong Xinran’s hesitant appearance clearly indicated something was up, which frustrated her agent further, "What exactly did you tell him?"

She hadn’t unwittingly angered that big boss, had she?

If that were the case, she would have to give up on this artist.

Zhong Xinran, throwing caution to the wind, confessed her intention to hook up with Shen Dang, ending by saying, "President Shen will definitely contact me!"

It was just a matter of him not having contacted her yet.

She must tell Shen Dang that all the news Tang Qing broke was false; she couldn’t let Shen Dang have the wrong impression of her.

Her agent nearly died laughing.

The scorn was undisguised, "Zhong Xinran, what kind of fantasy are you living in! Was your brain kicked by a donkey? Do you know what kind of person Shen Dang is?"

What a foolish girl, completely out of touch with reality.

"Do you think you can compare to Qiao Xi? She’s a goddess in terms of beauty, and even your face has been surgically modified. And you still think you have a shot with Shen Dang? You probably don’t know whose person Tang Qing is!"