A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 106 Reputation

"Actually—only twice."

Li Mu's voice rang out from the brightly lit entrance of the Lisboa Casino, at the dark intersection of the alleyway next to the casino.

Instead of walking into the alley, the two headed along the road toward the next light.

The commercial district near the Lisboa Hotel is undoubtedly bustling at night. But around 10 p.m., there are actually fewer people strolling on the streets.

Seeing that no one was around, Fan Taobing took off her mask.

While this white mask can cover my face, it makes my ears uncomfortable after wearing it for a while.

"Didn't I just tell you? The first time I went to Yanjing to ask for leave to see you, I wanted to ask Brother Bie for leave, so I could only use this excuse. But to be honest, it wasn't me who suggested it. It was after we bumped into each other in Hengdian that I said I had been in contact with you and wanted to ask you to cover some news. Brother Bie seems to have misunderstood our relationship."

"

Upon hearing this, Fan Bing suddenly recalled her "chance encounter" that night in Hengdian.

She witnessed firsthand this incredibly influential reporter bringing a girl back to the hotel.

"But I can't help it. To be honest, apart from you, neither Brother Bie nor anyone else knows I have money. They all think I'm just an ordinary intern. If I told them I took two days off to go to Yanjing and flew there and back—"

"I see."

Fan Bing responded, "So—only I know?"

"If we hadn't run into each other, you might never have known."

"...

"

The big star was slightly displeased upon hearing this.

But he still proactively steered the conversation further: "The second time was to the United States?"

"Yes. It was these two times—including my interactions with Sister Zhang and the others—that led to their misunderstanding. But don't worry, Fan Ye, you should be able to tell that they're not the type to gossip or spread rumors."

"It doesn't matter."

Fan Taobing smiled and shook her head: "I've had my share of rumors too. When we were filming 'Youth in Action,' rumors started circulating about Ren. During 'Drifting in Troubled Times,' they even said Han Qing was my boyfriend—I'm used to these kinds of rumors. Even if Sister Zhang and the others gossip about others, the most they'll say is: Fan Bingbing is dating some reporter. Brother Li, based on your professional judgment, would the news about me dating Ren, or Han Qing, be sensational?"

"Of course not—the reason why public figures' romances and scandals are so attractive is mainly because you are public figures. All your public actions are actually subject to supervision and scrutiny from others."

If it's really just dating someone outside the entertainment industry, it's not really any particularly attractive news.

"That's it then. Even if they say so, it's just that I'm already burdened with debts."

Seeing that she didn't seem to care, Li Mu subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew—that's good then. I was just worried about causing you any trouble."

"Of course not, quite the opposite. Being able to meet one or two big shots in this kind of setting, especially since I exchanged contact information with Sister Ding, will make my future career much easier. I'm so grateful to you."

"Ha~"

A smile appeared on Li Mu's face.

The two of them reached a crossroads.

Fan Bing looked around and pointed in one direction: "What's that over there?"

"I don't know, let's go for a walk."

"it is good."

So the two changed direction and continued walking aimlessly along the road.

"Fan Ye" (Fan Bingbing)

"Um?"

"So—are those rumors true?"

"6

'

Fan Taobing paused in her steps.

She subconsciously turned her head and met Li Mu's gaze.

Then, she was met with a pair of sparkling eyes.

Through her instinct to interpret actors' micro-expressions, she immediately recognized that this expression wasn't a test of some emotion, but rather—pure curiosity.

Her expression turned somewhat strange. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Are you interviewing me?"

"Of course not, it's just gossip. I'm quite curious too, speaking of which—why do these kinds of rumors always come out when you make a movie?"

"Because this was a hype tactic used by my previous company."

"what?"

Li Mu was genuinely surprised: "Your company did this on purpose? Huayi Brothers?"

"no."

Fan Taobing shook her head: "After I left Aunt Qiongyao's company, I met with President Jia—Jia Yun. Does Brother Li know who that is?"

"I'm not really sure. To be honest, I wasn't really interested in the entertainment industry before. I only knew a little bit about what you had done in the past."

"Hmm—this person used to be a character actor who impersonated leaders, but later moved behind the scenes and started a company called Pikachu King Films."

Upon hearing the name, Li Mu asked curiously, "Isn't this the company that caused your falling out with Qiong Yao? I think it was this company?"

"Yes. Actually, he was the reason I became a free agent. If he hadn't promised to sign a contract with me, I definitely wouldn't have had the courage to leave Aunt Qiong Yao's company. I signed a three-year contract for five films with their company. From an internal perspective, the company really needed a new actor with a certain level of fame. Because I acted in 'Princess Pearl,' although my fame couldn't compare to Zhao Wei or Ruby Lin, I at least had a certain level of recognition. That met his requirements. So, we hit it off immediately."

"But why are you spending money with Wong Jing again now?"

"Because I've completed contracts for five films. It didn't even take three years, including this year's *The Kitchen God* and *Drifting in Troubled Times*, both of which were actually his films. As for why I joined Huayi Brothers and followed Sister Hua—"

"Let me put it this way, Brother Li, after I joined Pikachu King, the media started spreading rumors that he was paying me 500,000 a month to be his mistress, and that we were in the throes of a passionate romance."

"Uh... ah?"

Meeting Li Mu's surprised gaze, Fan Taobing casually shrugged: "But the company didn't refute it, and I didn't refute it either. As for the reason, it's quite simple. Once the rumors about me and President Jia came out, coupled with the uproar over my lawsuit with Aunt Qiong Yao for those few months, I was surrounded by reporters wherever I went—it seems like the entire entertainment industry combined didn't have as many topics about me as there were about me alone."

Mr. Jia felt this would greatly boost my reputation, so he told me not to respond and to let the news develop slowly. Later—the effect was indeed quite good, so—in the films I made at the company, I continued that practice of having rumors with the male leads; as long as they agreed, the rumors would spread.

Li Mu frowned.

Is it the same with every single one?

Although he wasn't familiar with the previous news, if we go by her description, the amount of gossip was already quite exaggerated.

Just as I was thinking this, she suddenly changed the subject: "And that's why I chose to leave—to be honest, I'm quite grateful to Sister Bingbing."

"----who?"

Seeing Li Mu's somewhat bewildered expression, Fan Bing chuckled and said, "Sister Bingbing, Li Taobing. Don't you find it particularly amusing? I'm Bingbing, and she's also Bingbing, yet Bingbing calls Bingbing 'Sister Bingbing'—"

"What are you doing here?"

"Huh? — Uh, hahahaha."

Laughter echoed through the streets of Macau at night.

"I usually call her Sister Bingbing, and she calls me Bingbing. Then occasionally when Ren comes over, or when other people are with us, they'll call out 'Bingbing,' and everyone gets confused. Sometimes we even deliberately confuse everyone; if Ren calls her, I'll respond, and if she calls me, she'll speak up. Haha~"

"You two have a good relationship?"

"Of course, she's the one who introduced me to Sister Hua. Sister Hua initially signed her. We met while filming 'Youth Action,' because it was a drama directed by President Jia, and I was the female lead. After we met, she didn't dare to be too open with me at first, since we weren't that close. Later, after we got to know each other better, one time she had some drinks and said to me: 'Girl, you can't do this. How can you have a scandal every time you film a drama?'"

"If you spread these rumors too much, how will you get married? What will people think of you? Your reputation will be ruined."

Li Mu astutely grasped the meaning of the word "reputation": "Reputation?"

"Hmm. Reputation."

Fan Taobing nodded, took off her baseball cap, and smoothed her hair.

A faint scent of perfume wafted over.

"I was actually a bit tired of the company's promotional methods, so—it was a lucky coincidence—after filming my fifth movie, I joined Huayi Brothers with Sister Hua in the first half of this year."

"I see."

Li Mu looked as if he had learned something new.

"So you see, in 'Young Justice Bao 2,' I'm completely clean, I didn't have any scandals with Lu Yi, nor did I rekindle my old flame with Ren—and thanks to your article, Brother Li—tsk tsk."

At this point, a touch of emotion finally appeared in her eyes: "Never forget your original intention, and you will achieve your goal—everyone thinks I said that. When Sister Bingbing and I were drinking together that time, she was also saying: 'I didn't realize you were so talented, girl—hehe.'"

"What did you say?"

"Well----"

Fan Bing paused suddenly, then burst into laughter: "Hehe, Brother Li, I've been shameless this time too. Although I didn't admit it, I'm tacitly acknowledging that I said it. Hehehe~"

"Haha~"

Li Mu wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he laughed quite happily: "So, we're even now?"

He didn't think anything was wrong—in fact, he didn't hold any particular prejudice against anything she said tonight.

To put it bluntly, it was all shaped by the environment at the time.

Judge by actions, not intentions; as long as you do things well and correctly, that's enough.

"I guess we're even now."

After fixing her hair, she put her baseball cap back on.

Then he raised his head—

As I walked, I kept glancing at Brother Li's profile.

"I don't blame Brother Li, and you don't blame me either. It was all just a coincidence—besides..."

"and?"

"If you ever need to do this again, Brother Li, you can just keep using this as an excuse."

1

"————?"

Li Mu instinctively looked down at her.

However, as the girl looked straight ahead, the brim of her baseball cap blocked his view.

So all he heard was, "We're friends, so if I can help you—of course I will."