Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 212 The Mischievous and Cunning Hot Bar

In an instant, the noisy, toasting table fell silent.

Everyone stared at Wu Jing, wondering: How did you manage to contact Ma Yun?
Chen Xiu was also puzzled, but he felt it was impolite to ask the question so directly, so he took Wu Jing's phone and planned to ask the person in charge directly.

"Hello, Mr. Ma?"

"Hehe, Mr. Chen, I didn't expect us to get in touch again so quickly."

"Director Wu's film was invested in by Datang Pictures. Today they're wrapping up filming and returning to China, so I specially prepared a welcome-back banquet for them. Mr. Ma, what brings you here?"

"Inspired by you, I also want to make a film or television production. We're planning to start filming next month. We've contacted several martial arts actors, but we're still missing Wu Jing. Fan Luyuan was just chatting with him, and when I heard you were here, I took the call."

Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow knowingly, then a new question arose in her mind.

"Mr. Ma, you had Director Wu hand over the phone just so you could have a quick chat with me?"

"Of course, it's not just that. I wanted to invite Wu Jing to participate in this martial arts short film, but he said he's already taken on your role and can't leave. Mr. Chen, could you spare a few days of your schedule for me?"

Chen Xiuming looked at Wu Jing with a clear understanding, thinking to herself: You think Ma Yun's project is unreliable, but you don't want to refuse him, so you're making me play the bad guy?

Upon receiving Chen Xiu's questioning look, Wu Jing nodded with a look of shame.

Everyone was astonished by the casual tone of Chen Xiu's conversation with Ma Yun, and dared not utter a sound.

It's quite difficult to find free labor...

Chen Xiu silently grumbled, but she had already made up her mind.

"Mr. Ma, I'm sorry, Director Wu did accept my role. But my scenes are mostly filmed on location, and the schedule is a bit tight. Do you think we could find another martial arts actor? Zhao Wenzhao would be a good choice."

“He certainly can, but we’ve already asked Donnie Yen to do it…”

"Ha, isn't that even more interesting? It also creates a bigger publicity gimmick."

"Hey~, what you said makes sense!"

Ma Yun agreed, saying that he also felt that having Donnie Yen and Vincent Zhao on stage together again was very eye-catching and beneficial for publicity!

Hearing that he didn't insist on having Wu Jing, Chen Xiu didn't want to talk any further: "Mr. Ma, I'm busy right now, how about we talk another time?"

"Oh, then you go ahead and get busy. By the way, are you coming to this year's Internet Conference?"

"How could I possibly be qualified?"

"You're too modest. If you're not qualified, at least 90% of the people at the meeting should be removed."

"You flatter me. I really don't have time this year. Maybe next year. I'll definitely go next year."

"Alright, then let's wait until next year, and I'll have a proper discussion about swordsmanship over wine!"

After saying that, Ma Yun hung up the phone without even thinking of saying goodbye to Wu Jing.

Chen Xiu pursed her lips and handed the phone to Wu Jing: "I'm hanging up. I'll tell you not to worry about it. He's already found a new actor."

"Zhao Wenzhao?"

Wu Jing asked with a strange expression. He already knew that Zhen Zidan was among those invited, while the others wondered why this name kept appearing.

In response, Chen Xiu simply poured herself a glass of wine, offering no explanation whatsoever.

"Come on, keep eating and drinking!"

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their glasses in turn.

But apart from Reba, Wei Feng, and Xiong Ben, who were relatively familiar with Chen Xiu, everyone else became somewhat reserved. Zhang Han, in particular, tried his best to minimize his presence and act as if he were invisible.

Seeing this, Chen Xiu felt there was no point in drinking any more, so after having a couple of drinks, she left with her entourage.

……

Midnight, Wanliu Academy.

When they reunited after several months apart, Chen Xiu discovered that Reba had not only gained weight from eating more carbohydrates, but also increased her muscle mass.

What used to be soft fat now has a layer of elastic muscle underneath, and the body's flexibility has not decreased, and physical fitness has also improved.

For example, in the single-leg deadlift exercise, Dilraba usually couldn't hold the position for long before getting tired, but this time, with Chen Xiu's assistance, she was able to hold the position for a full ten minutes.

In addition, Reba's endurance in basic exercises like squats and push-ups has improved a lot. She no longer has to alternate between two accounts, but instead can switch to Chen Xiuyi for three cycles of training exercises.

"Brother Xiu, we're even this time."

With her hair tied in a bun and sweat beading on her temples, Reba covered her mouth and chuckled, looking at Chen Xiu with a smug expression.

"Yeah, it's a tie."

Chen Xiu nodded while lying on her side, showing no signs of fatigue. The offensive that had just subsided seemed ready to resume at any moment.

Knowing his combat strength, Reba quickly put away her smugness and came closer to share gossip, trying to divert his attention.

There's something you definitely don't know.

Seeing Reba beaming with joy and her skin looking even better, Chen Xiu only knew how to play the straight man and the comedian.

"What is it?"

"It's Yang Mi. She suddenly contacted me two weeks ago. Before, when I left Jiaxing, none of them contacted me, and they all disappeared from my WeChat Moments!"

As she spoke, Reba puffed out her cheeks to express her displeasure at being isolated.

Chen Xiu didn't seem to care much about whether or not her posts were visible on WeChat Moments, and the focus of the discussion on the forum was clearly not on that either.

"What does Yang Mi want from you?" "Yeah, yeah! Speaking of her, I find her quite strange. At first, she commented on my Moments, and after a brief interaction, we started chatting privately. We talked about skincare topics for a long time, until last week when she finally shared some useful information..."

When she got to the key point, Dilraba paused with a vivid expression.

The way he was winking and making faces was as if he was saying to Chen Xiu: Hurry up and ask! Hurry up and be the funny one! It's so boring for me to talk all by myself!
Seeing the enthusiastic bar, Chen Xiu's lips tightened slightly as she asked, "So what exactly did she say?"

"Hehe, Yang Mi asked me about the details of my agency contract with Datang, which of course I didn't tell her! Then, she also asked a lot of questions related to you, such as what you like and dislike, and how we met in the first place..."

Why is she asking these questions?

Chen Xiu wasn't just being a straight man; he genuinely wanted to know.

"Most likely it is..."

Reba blurted out, "She's probably interested in you," but remembering what she'd heard at the dinner table earlier, and not understanding Chen Xiu's intentions, she changed her words.

"I feel that she has feelings for you and wants to get closer to you by gathering information."

"Ah."

Chen Xiu shook her head dismissively, her interest waning considerably. But not wanting the conversation to end awkwardly, she added a concluding remark.

"And what was your answer?"

“I told her…”

Reba's eyes crinkled as she rolled her eyes, then she leaned closer and whispered in Chen Xiu's ear, "You like smaller ones. Too big ones are easy to fall off and make you look older."

"laugh!"

Chen Xiu smiled with her mouth closed, and when she turned to look at Reba, her eyes were also shining brightly.

He used to feel that Dilraba's personality was a bit split. When facing the camera, Dilraba presented a playful, lively, and confident side, but when there was no camera attention, she became somewhat taciturn and internally conflicted.

Generally speaking, an actor's true personality is revealed when they avoid facing the camera.

It's not hard to guess that Reba's taciturn nature and internal conflicts stem from his own lack of self-confidence and sense of crisis.
When her grandmother was seriously ill and the production team refused to grant her leave, Dilraba did not choose to go back regardless, because she considered that the consequences of doing so would be unbearable for her.

So, have my repeated acts of help given her enough security?
Chen Xiu asked herself this question in her heart, and as she listened to Dilraba describe other scenes of teasing Yang Mi, she couldn't help but smile.

"Brother Xiu, you think it's interesting too, right?"

"Hehe, that's a bit cunning, but you might be wrong."

"Where did you guess wrong?"

“At the beginning of the month, when I gave a speech at Beijing Film Academy, I had a brief chat with Yang Mi. I guess she was also thinking about leaving Jaywalk Studio.”

Upon hearing this, alarm bells went off in Reba's mind, and she trembled and swayed.

"Brother Xiu, you wouldn't be thinking of signing her, would you?"

"In terms of earning power and self-discipline in not causing trouble, Yang Mi is indeed an impeccable artist. However, artists who have been bosses are unlikely to want to work for others, and even if she leaves Jaywalk Studio, she will most likely start her own company."

Hearing this, Reba finally felt relieved.

She didn't care about others, but she knew Yang Mi, that vixen, very well, and was therefore afraid that she would come and pester Chen Xiu.

Seeing her relieved expression, Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow: "Do you think I would like someone like Yang Mi?"

“Hey, hey…”

"...You really think so?"

Chen Xiu frowned, pursed her lips, and leaned back. Without uttering a single harsh word, she vividly expressed her attitude towards Yang Mi through body language and strange expressions.

Reba chuckled to himself, realizing that his worries about Yang Mi were indeed unnecessary.

However, something else caught her attention.

"Brother Xiu, where are you from?"

"You seem to have known Nezha for a long time, right?"

"Yes, we went to the same high school. I was a year ahead of her, but we haven't kept in touch much since we debuted..."

"We were classmates at Beijing Film Academy. We dated for a few months during our freshman year and then broke up. Not many people know about this, but it's not exactly a secret either."

Chen Xiu did not deliberately hide his relationship with Nazha, but since Reba had not asked before, he naturally would not bring it up on his own initiative.

She broke up with you!

Reba's eyes widened, and as the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up, her face also showed a hint of eagerness and schadenfreude.

Chen Xiu squinted at her: "You're not thinking about something weird again, are you?"

"No, no, I wasn't thinking about Naza. No, I mean, I won't chat with her, uh, I definitely won't talk about you..."

Seeing Chen Xiu's increasingly speechless expression, Reba's voice began to stammer.

"Brother Xiu, you won't blame me if I talk to Nezha about you, will you?"

"What you're saying sounds a bit... tsundere..."

"Can I talk to her?"

"As long as you don't mention me, you can talk about whatever you want."

(End of this chapter)