“I didn’t avoid you.”

Gu Xingze suddenly hooked his lips and took a few steps closer to her until he stopped at the table where she was sitting. “Then, what is your intention in asking the director team to stagger our shooting time?”

“Uh…”

Yun Shishi’s face stiffened with a start.

The reason why she and the superstar had never bumped into each other after so long on set was that she specifically requested the team to try to stagger their filming slots unless they shared a scene.

Sometimes the man would finish with his shoot and leave the set, before she arrived on set. At other times, it would be the other way around. Their timing never coincided.

Today was not possible to stagger as they shared two scenes together.

She realized that she had been listing her whims since the shooting of this drama, and the team had been meeting her conditions one by one, which made her rather ashamed, so naturally, she could not be too capricious about today’s arrangement.

“Is it about Li Xiang’er?” He probed nervously. “Are you angry about that?”

The actress did not react, while on one side, her young assistant suddenly blurted out with much vexation, “Hey, stop talking about Li Xiang’er! Her hype tactics have become more and more severe recently, and our studio has turned very grouchy because of this matter. Xingze Highness, Qin Zhou said that you have the means to deal with it, but why haven’t you dealt with that woman yet?”

The man glared frostily at the young assistant for a second.

This was when the assistant realized that she had overstepped the line and immediately dunked her head without another word.

Her charge, though, had an impeccably perfect smile on her face as she raised her brows and asked in an unconcerned tone, “Why should I be angry?”

The man was stunned by her reply.

“Although Li Xiang’er has indeed gone too far with her tactics, her ultimate goal is to rub off on me to become the next hit. In that case, I’ll just let her do what she wants. I don’t care about fame and status, anyway. I entered showbiz simply because I like acting, and when I get tired of it one day, there won’t be any attachments; be it popularity or fame. What will be will be. There’s no need to trouble over it.”

“Shishi—”

“Actually, I find the hype surrounding that event a bit baffling. Everyone has the right to their private lives, and other people shouldn’t interfere. The most piteous thing is that you’re being used by Li Xiang’er to gain popularity and the media to gain exposure. Xingze, if you really ask me how I feel, I’ll say that I’m unhappy for you; that’s all.”

The man’s face stiffened, then he quirked an eyebrow momentarily but ultimately chose to keep mum.

The actress let out a self-mocking laughter. “Why do I have to be angry about it, or do you think I’ll be angry because you repeatedly trample on yourself?”

This caught Mu Xi by surprise; the actress’s words were rather harsh; even the actor was stunned by her response.

She struggled to speak her mind at last. “Xingze, you… you’re actually a very outstanding man. If you’re weary, why don’t you consider quitting the entertainment industry. You can choose to retire from such a negative place and live as a free man. This place is not suitable for you from the start.”

“Where else can I go if I leave here?” he asked her out of the blue.

He did not have a place to return to.

He stepped into showbiz eleven years ago when he was still young and naïve. Since then, he had created countless glories, be it popularity, acting, or even singing. The man had reached the pinnacle of achievement that everyone could only look up to but was unable to reach.

Previously , when he was banned from showbiz, he thought that he had become free at last.