Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 54 They Came Knocking (Please read on, please recommend, please do everything!)

"So, you don't necessarily have to go into the entertainment industry in the future?"

Liu Xiaoli tilted her head slightly, her tone inquisitive.

"The future is so long, who can say for sure?"

Gu Xiao tried to respond, "I'll just focus on acting for now."

Liu Xiaoli nodded thoughtfully.

She wanted to ask something more, but director Li Dawei's slightly hoarse voice rang out across the set at that moment:
"Thank you all for your hard work! Let's call it a day!"

The once well-organized film crew was suddenly thrown into chaos, with various voices mingling together, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Auntie, we're done for the day. I'm going to pack my things."

Gu Xiao hurriedly got up, praising Li Dawei in her heart again and again.

Seeing his expression, Liu Xiaoli swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She glanced at Gu Xiao with a complicated expression, but in the end, she just nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

……

……

The actors' bus was filled with the relaxed atmosphere of work overtime.

Because they finished work early and had been working non-stop for several days, everyone seemed to have gradually adapted to the intensity of the work. At this moment, they were no longer as listless as they had been in the previous days and started chatting in twos and threes.

The main topic naturally revolves around the romantic relationships depicted in "The Story of a Noble Family".

Liu Jiajia leaned back in her chair, squinting as she sighed:
"The beginning is all sweetness and warmth, but the end is all love and hate. I'm afraid the internet will be in an uproar after this show airs."

Sun Ning, who plays the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jin family, joked:
"After it airs, Brother Chen will probably be cursed to death."

The passengers on the bus burst into laughter, while Chen Kun, sitting in the front row, shook his head bitterly.

"Speaking of which, if Leng Qingqiu had chosen Ouyang Yujian, there probably wouldn't have been so many tragedies, right?" Luo Shanshan, who plays the eldest daughter of the Jin family, interjected with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately turned to Gu Xiao, who was sitting in the middle of the bus.

Liu Yifei was extremely curious, craning her neck as if she wanted to stick her eyes right up to the screen, which annoyed Liu Xiaoli.

Feeling the gazes converging from all directions, Gu Xiao mentally complained repeatedly.

What does this have to do with him? He didn't write the script.

He met everyone's gaze and said calmly, "Ouyang Yujian doesn't have money to pursue girls."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Liu Jiajia, who was in the front row, turned her head and glared at him, scolding him playfully:

"Can we please stop talking about money in such a romantic context? It's vulgar!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Gu Xiao nodded perfunctorily.

Chi Shuai, standing to the side, became interested and gossiped:
"If you meet a girl you like, wouldn't you go all out to pursue her?"

Gu Xiao raised her hand to her forehead and sighed, "Can we talk about something else?"

Everyone: "No!"

Chi Shuai nudged him with his elbow and sneered, "What? You have someone you like? So shy?"

A burst of laughter erupted in the carriage, and even Kou Zhenhai, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the front row, couldn't help but smile slightly.

Liu Yifei quietly lowered her head, her eyes fixed on her toes.

Gu Xiao glared at Chi Shuai in annoyance, and was about to deny it when her phone suddenly rang.

He took it out and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.

"Who is it?" Chi Shuai asked curiously.

"I don't know." Gu Xiao pressed the call button, held the phone to her ear, and a self-introduction sounded in her ear:

"Is this student Gu? I'm Wang, the manager of Longwen Education."

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xiao hung up.

"Who is it?" Chi Shuai asked, even more curious.

Gu Xiao turned off her phone and said dismissively, "A troublesome person."

"A troublesome person?"

Chi Shuai drawled, winking as he asked, "What trouble? A debt of affection?"

Gu Xiao shoved her phone back into her pocket and expressionlessly pushed away Chi Shuai's head as he leaned in. "People from the tutoring center." "Tutoring center?"

Liu Jiajia turned around, her face full of confusion, "Why are they looking for you?"

Gu Xiao didn't say anything and immediately closed her eyes to rest.

Realizing it was a matter of privacy, the group didn't press the issue further and shifted the conversation from the script to entertainment gossip.

"Hollywood blockbuster 'Spider-Man' is released."

"Nicholas Tse crashed his Ferrari into a barrier; police suspect a cover-up."

"At the Cannes Film Festival, renowned director Jia Zhangke once again aims for the Palme d'Or with 'Unknown Pleasures'."

One topic after another was brought up, and all sorts of gossip flew around.

……

……

The bus moved slowly forward and soon arrived at the hotel.

A sigh of relief rippled through the carriage as everyone filed out.

Gu Xiao followed the crowd into the hotel, and was stopped by a strange man as soon as she entered the lobby.

"Student Gu, I'm so glad to finally meet you!" The middle-aged man excitedly stretched out his hand, his loud voice drawing the attention of everyone in the lobby.

The crew members who were about to leave stopped in their tracks, their eyes scanning back and forth between Gu Xiao and the strange man, filled with curiosity.

Fans? That's a bit too old, isn't it?

Gu Xiao looked bewildered and dodged the outstretched hand. "Who are you?"

The man then realized his abruptness and quickly took out a business card from his suit pocket, handing it to him with both hands.

"This is Wang Wenjie, the manager of Longwen Education, who just spoke to you on the phone."

Gu Xiao's expression twisted instantly, and she turned to leave.

"No, no, no, classmate Gu, we really came with sincerity!"

Wang Wenjie hurriedly stepped forward to try to stop him, but was stopped by a quick-thinking stagehand.

"What are you doing? You dare to barge into the film crew's hotel?" the production assistant said in an unfriendly tone.

Hearing the commotion, You Jianming strode over from the direction of the elevator, his brow furrowed: "What's going on?"

The crew looked at each other, and finally all eyes turned to Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao sighed inwardly and said to Wang Wenjie, "Find a quiet place and don't disturb the crew's rest."

Wang Wenjie was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

……

……

A corner of the hotel restaurant.

As soon as the two sat down, Wang Wenjie eagerly opened his briefcase and pushed a bound contract in front of Gu Xiao.

"Gu, Longwen Education is one of the largest chain tutoring institutions in North China. We are very optimistic about the market potential of your compilation, 'College Entrance Examination Preparation: Core English Vocabulary'."

Pointing to the figures on the contract, he said eagerly, “As long as you are willing to authorize and assist us in compiling a more comprehensive new edition of the Sprint Materials, we will pay a deposit of 20,000 yuan in advance and co-publish it with you at an 8% royalty rate.”

He leaned forward, his tone earnest and persuasive:

"You may not be aware of the market size for high-quality study materials, but I can tell you with certainty that with the quality of this 'cram material' and our Longwen distribution channels, selling 100,000 copies within a year is by no means difficult."

"Why are you looking for me?"

As Gu Xiao flipped through the contract, she said, "I've already made a sample for you. Can't you find experts to publish it yourselves?"

Wang Wenjie coughed lightly, his smile becoming somewhat subtle:

"Well, the information itself is certainly important, but Gu, your personal value is equally important to us."

Gu Xiao said calmly, "Creating a genius persona, appearing on TV shows, doing marketing?"

Wang Wenjie's smile froze instantly, his pupils contracted, and he looked utterly astonished.

Gu Xiao twitched the corner of her mouth, a self-deprecating smile.

He looked up and said, "I refuse."

(End of this chapter)