CH 30

[Squatting, squatting, squatting, it’s another day when Xi Xi is not working.]

[Si Huaixi, hurry up and terminate your contract!]

[I hope Xi Xi hasn’t been retaliated against!]

[Waaah, no, please don’t go! We finally found an entertainment industry superstar with top-notch looks. I’ve watched all their CP videos a hundred times, and my screen is sparkling from all the licking! Don’t leave!]

[Could it be that he is leaving the industry?]

[Damn! It’s highly possible!]

[+1]

[Another female artist from the same company as Xi Xi retired too. That garbage entertainment company is simply driving people to their death. If Xi Xi doesn’t want to stay in this polluted place called the entertainment industry, it’s understandable.]

[So, is Si Huaixi leaving the industry?]

[Maybe, otherwise where could he have gone?]

[Whether he is leaving the industry or not, at least post some pictures to prove he is still alive. Even if he doesn’t want to be a star, he could be an internet celebrity!]

The popularity of the trending topics ‘#Si Huaixi Leaving The Industry#’ and ‘#Si Huaixi Disappears#’ keeps rising. It’s about to make its way onto the tail end of the hot search list. Various conspiracy theories have emerged, and netizens remember this beautiful yet unfortunate young star from some time ago, passionately defending him.

People within the circle are astonished. This small star called Si Huaixi is simply toxic. One photo trend, one video trend, and now both the photos and videos are gone. How is it even possible to trend by playing disappearing tricks?!!!

Are hot searches that easy to attain these days?!

Initially, netizens were lamenting the disappearance of this exceptionally beautiful young star. Those iconic sea-blue eyes stirred excitement, yearning, and sorrow in their hearts!

If it weren’t for the fact that they had looked up the background of this young star, everyone would have thought they were born into a noble bloodline. After all, discussing those noble existences is off-limits. This young star can’t be used as a substitute for such meals, secretly indulging in fantasies!

Among them, Liang Antong spends her days squatting under Weibo posts, anxiously waiting for the latest news. When she encountered Si Huaixi during their filming days at University, that looks! That beauty! It instantly captivated her heart, becoming a fan of those ocean-colored eyes!

Moreover, this new wall is so aloof!

Liang Antong and the vast number of fans are even more eager, more frustrated, and unable to let go. They are dazzled, day and night, by the possibility that Si Huaixi may have already left the industry. The heartbreak caused by seeing the trending topic of his possible retirement is unbearable!

As her good roommate and close friend, Qiu Yi watches Liang Antong attend classes, then browse Weibo, return to the dorm and browse Weibo again, sighing deeply after doing homework, with red eyes fixed on Weibo…

Qiu Yi was truly infuriated with her ‘beauty-obsessed’ best friend. Annoyed yet concerned, she said, “If this little celebrity really leaves the entertainment industry, there’s nothing we can do.”

Liang Antong’s obsession with Si Huaixi remained unyielding as she unwillingly muttered, “Xixi won’t leave the industry. I even captured photos of him on the set before. No, I must post them online!”

Typically, photos from the set were meant to be kept confidential. In the past, a mischievous fan had infiltrated a set, secretly taking malicious photos and spreading rumors of illicit relations within the crew. This tarnished the image of the production and resulted in a massive loss of millions of interstellar credits. The government launched an investigation, causing panic among the crew members. As a consequence, investors withdrew their support, and the once-promising drama was left unfinished.

Although the investigation eventually cleared the crew of any wrongdoing, the severe consequences remained. The crew took legal action against the intrusive fan, so now, any release of set photos by fan communities required the explicit consent of the production team and relevant individuals.

Liang Antong had also visited the set as a devoted fan. The crew members were generally accommodating and allowed her to share her pictures online. With her skilled photography and the already attractive star becoming even more enchanting under her touch-ups, her uploads on weibo garnered numerous fans who shared the same obsession.

Liang Antong dramatically revealed the photos she had taken that day, and they were so breathtaking that tears welled up in her eyes. His cold, mysterious ocean-blue eyes and the subtle touch of alluring crimson at the corners of his eyebrows were astonishing, almost as if conjuring a scene where the sea breeze gently caressed a stunningly beautiful yet dangerous mermaid in human form.

He was so incredibly good-looking! It would be a waste not to share these photos with the world!

Fortunately, on that particular day, Si Huaixi was dressed in casual clothes, and Liang Antong wasn’t worried about revealing the set. She treated it as a street snapshot of a beautiful person and simply blurred the background and the faces of passersby, allowing her to freely upload it online.

She had already prepared the perfect title:

[100,000 Volts of Coca-Cola Essence: New Street Snap – Si Huaixi a Hidden Treasure! Come and Witness the Astonishing Beauty of the Oceanic Enchanter! Risking It All to Release This Street Snap! [Image.jpg]]

[Look What Treasure I Found!]

[Ahhh, Xibao is Here! Crying My Heart Out!]

[Xixi Didn’t Leave the Industry, Right?! Big kiss to the blogger!]

[Gorgeous! I’m in love! Where can I collect my title of Number One Fan?]

[Look at my keen eyes! Xixi must be filming on the set! Even if the blogger blurred the background, you can still vaguely see professional filming equipment! Hurry! Tell us, is Xixi shooting a new drama?]

[Filming!!! I’m so excited I might faint! Hurry up and film! I want to create a magnificent tribute video for Xixi’s breathtaking beauty, meant for everyone to enjoy!]

[Ah ah ah— filming ah ah ah— dawn has finally arrived, not retiring, but going to film! I love the brilliant blogger so much! I was almost in despair!!!]

As the heat of ‘#Si Huaixi retiring#’ and ‘#Si Huaixi disappearing#’ dwindled among insiders, they finally let their guard down. However, suddenly, the search volume for ‘#Si Huaixi drama crew road photos#’ skyrocketed, landing it in the tenth spot on the trending list.

Insiders were blown away. This damn trending topic is incredible! Even A-list celebrities in the industry sometimes have to spend money to trend! Various sources immediately sought information to find out which drama crew Si Huaixi had joined.

Before long, Lin Yihong, the director of ‘This Star is Named for You,’ received dozens of phone calls, some from influential figures he didn’t even recognize.

Lin Yihong answered the calls in confusion, and those people went in circles with pleasantries. Eventually, they all circled back to that young star who played the antagonist in his drama crew. Some well-connected directors directly offered him cameo roles.

Recently, Lin Yihong had been troubled by the filming. The idol drama with a promising start didn’t go smoothly at all. The positioning of the lead role was far from satisfactory, and Mr. Bai unexpectedly suffered some injuries. If it weren’t for the deep pockets of the investor, he would probably have been kicked out of the drama crew. He didn’t have time to pay attention to microblogging trends and the likes.

When a friend asked if Si Huaixi was in his drama crew, Lin Yihong casually admitted it.

“Little Lin, you’ve kept it a secret too well. If Si Huaixi hadn’t trended and joined a drama crew, we wouldn’t have known that this little star was in your hands!”

Lin Yihong responded with some dissatisfaction, “So what if he’s in my hands? I haven’t mistreated him.”

The person on the other end said, “Then why isn’t he featured in the drama crew’s promotional materials? If it weren’t for this trending topic, we wouldn’t have known. Tell me honestly, how’s this explosively popular little star’s acting? Judging by the trending volume, you won’t have to worry about promoting your drama crew anymore.”

Lin Yihong was puzzled, full of question marks. “What’s this trending topic all about? I don’t handle the drama crew’s promotion. I only glance at the promotional materials at most. But Si Huaixi’s acting is decent, at least he has the charisma to captivate people. The dynamic aesthetics of the footage we filmed are first-rate. At least there’s no glaring eye-rolling or crooked mouth acting.”

“Well, that’s great! Let me know his contact information when you have the chance. There are so many high-visual roles that suit him! As for that trending topic, take a look at Weibo later, and you’ll know.”

After ending the call, Lin Yihong opened Weibo’s trending topics with suspicion. He saw Si Huaixi’s trending topic at the ninth spot and clicked on it. Surprisingly, there were quite a few comments, all discussing where Si Huaixi had joined a drama crew and how mysterious it was.

Oh snap!

Director Lin slapped his thigh in frustration and immediately called over the crew member in charge of publicity. He pointed angrily at the hot search results and said, “Why didn’t you include Si Huaixi’s name in the promotion? Do you look down on the antagonist role of our crew?”

The publicity crew member felt wronged and explained, “Normally, we only mention the @main actors in the promotion. Besides, I informed Si Huaixi’s agent, but he ignored me and arrogantly said that he couldn’t be bothered with promoting the crew’s information. Until now, Si Huaixi’s Weibo hasn’t mentioned anything about the crew.”

Director Lin frowned and said, “Hmm? That doesn’t make sense. Doesn’t the agent want the best for his artist? Why wouldn’t he seize such a promotional opportunity?”

The crew member defended, “You don’t know which vampire-like talent agency Si Huaixi comes from. That company had a celebrity suicide incident that made it to the hot search. It’s not surprising that they would do such bizarre things.”

Director Lin nodded and said, “Alright then, since the agent’s approach isn’t working, directly inform Si Huaixi himself and ask him to cooperate with the crew’s promotional work. Take advantage of this hot search and have him repost it.”

The crew member nodded eagerly and followed Director Lin’s instructions, turning around to find Si Huaixi in person.

Coincidentally, Liu Sishan arrived at the crew’s logistics area to collect her daily supply of nutritional supplements at noon and happened to run into Si Huaixi. She looked surprised and curious.

You see, she has never seen this usually quiet and aloof handsome guy drink these nutritional supplements since he joined the crew. Every day, she saw him with delicious and fragrant meals, making her mouth water. She wanted to ask him where he got them from a traditional cooking restaurant and why they smelled so good.

But considering the high prices at the traditional cooking restaurant, it was something she, as a newcomer in the entertainment industry, couldn’t afford. So Liu Sishan could only endure, swallowing her saliva every day.

However, she didn’t expect that the envy and jealousy-inducing Si Huaixi had changed these past few days. He no longer brought his own meals but instead followed the crew and ate nutritional supplements every day.

With a gleeful smile, Liu Sishan thought, maybe he ran out of money, so he shamelessly returned to the crew to enjoy free nutritional supplements. Thinking this way, she suddenly didn’t envy Si Huaixi’s delicious meals anymore.

With a triumphant and cheerful attitude, Liu Sishan approached Si Huaixi and said, “I’m familiar with the crew’s nutritional supplements. How about I recommend a flavor for you?”

Facing rows of nutritional supplements with their murky and peculiar colors, Si Huaixi, no matter how many times he looked at them, couldn’t adapt. He slowly said, “I just want the taste of plain water for the nutritional supplements.”

Liu Sishan: “?”

Ever since Si Huaixi ran away from home the last time, he had been hiding in the crew, afraid to go back for food, drink, or even accommodation, fearing that he would encounter Brother Pei.

The bitterness in his heart was unbearable.

Who asked him to give the key to Brother Pei? Because he didn’t go home, Brother Pei sent him text messages every day, urging him to respond.

Every night, Si Huaixi blushed and felt restless. He was torn between anticipation and fear, pressured by the impending marriage. He felt like he had developed pre-wedding phobia and preferred to stay in the crew and think about what to do next.

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