Shattering the talent show script, sweeping the world film scene

Gu Zhoubai initially dared not see Ling Wushuang, but as time went on, he became "ashamed to see her".

After learning from Dong Siming that Ling Wushuang harbored special feelings for him, he feared that his resistance would completely destroy their relationship.

So he pretended not to know and distanced himself, using his busy work schedule as an excuse to refuse private gatherings time and time again, and his full schedule as an excuse to deal with collaborations in the industry. Over time, it seemed that he and Ling Wushuang really had nothing to talk about anymore.

Gu Zhoubai was distressed, yet stubbornly believed that this was the best outcome.

Dong Siming was a threat standing between the two of them. Ling Wushuang could not become his weakness, nor could he become Ling Wushuang's weakness. However, after being scolded by Xie Xingyan, Gu Zhoubai no longer resisted his help.

With Xie Xingyan by his side, Gu Zhoubai accelerated his efforts to get rid of Dong Siming. After a long period of planning and gathering evidence, he sent Dong Siming to prison.

The moment he was free, his roommate Bai Huashu looked at him in fear, probably never expecting that someone who seemed so carefree could have such a meticulous plan.

Gu Zhoubai looked at him indifferently.

Gu Zhoubai, who was 17 years old, grew up under Ling Wushuang's protection, so he didn't need to do such a thing;

Even though 22-year-old Gu Zhoubai had suffered setbacks, he was still ambitious and disdained to do such things.

Now 31 years old, Gu Zhoubai has learned to do such things after experiencing the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

But he didn't expect that even after Dong Siming was arrested, he had a backup plan. When the rumor that #Ling Wushuang likes Gu Zhoubai# was exposed online, this top agent in the industry, whose fame was equivalent to that of a second-tier star, was almost pushed into the eye of the storm.

The reason it was described as "nearly" is because the timing was very coincidental. It coincided with the release of "The Early Years of the Republic of China: March Rain," and with film stars and top singers supporting it, even such a small piece of news became just scraps.

Gu Zhoubai had only breathed a sigh of relief a few months ago.

The TV series "March Rain in the Early Republic" has ended, but the hashtag #LingWuShuangIsGay# is trending again. This time, it's his colleagues in the industry who hate Ling WuShuang and want to take the opportunity to suppress him.

Gu Zhoubai was anxious and worried, but dared not say anything, because if he showed up, the previous entries would definitely be dug up again.

He could only turn to Xie Xingyan, their mutual friend.

[Xingyan, is Wushuang alright? How is Huanyu Entertainment handling this trending topic? This is clearly an attempt to smear your company's top agent; they're even spreading rumors that your collaboration wasn't clean...]

Xie Xingyan: [I'm abroad. Can't you ask Wushuang yourself if I'm okay?]

Gu Zhoubai has gone mute again.

Just as he was debating whether to send the message, a live stream video was leaked online.

Wow, Xie Xingyan and Jiangxi Heng are kissing, hugging, and lifting each other up high in the video!

Gu Zhoubai was struck dumb. He considered a million possibilities, but he never imagined that Xie Xingyan and Jiangxi Heng were together.

They weren't filming a movie or doing any promotional work; they were dating.

OK, with such explosive news, who cares whether Manager Ling in the corner is gay?

Even if it is, it doesn't seem that important anymore.

Whether in the past or present, Gu Zhoubai has always been the one causing trouble for Ling Wushuang. Even Xie Xingyan and Jiangxi Heng dared to use the means of exposing their relationship to protect their manager, but what about him?

Hsieh Hsing-yen returned from her "honeymoon" and said she brought back flower seeds from Colombia, which she shared with all her friends.

Gu Zhoubai found a potted plant and planted the flower. At first, he just followed the instructions and watered the flower regularly. Later, as he cared for it, he began to pay attention to this variety of tulip, fertilizing, pruning, and transplanting it—but the flower still died.

Gu Zhoubai stared silently at the potted plant.

He thought that to Ling Wushuang, he was perhaps just a flower that had been nurtured to death.

[Xie Xingyan: Dead? Let me see if I can save him.]

Gu Zhoubai immediately picked up the potted plant and drove to Xie Xingyan's house—or rather, Xie Xingyan and Jiangxi Heng's house.

That doesn't matter; the moment he opened the door, he saw Ling Wushuang in the same room.

Ling Wushuang hasn't changed much; she still has the same soft chestnut brown hair, fair skin, and wears non-prescription glasses as she did in her twenties.

Xie Xingyan stepped forward to examine the flowers and immediately spotted the problem: "I specifically chose the easiest variety to grow, just in case the Colombian tulips couldn't adapt to China's climate. Just give them plenty of sunshine and water them sparingly... Your method is wrong, let me take over."

He took the flower away, quickly replaced it with a clean potted plant, and the once lifeless flower buds seemed to have regained some vitality.

Gu Zhoubai swallowed hard, trying to make conversation.

"Where's Xiheng?" At his age, he can no longer call his younger brother, who is a few years younger, "Brother Heng." When they meet outside, he calls him "Teacher Jiang," and in private, he calls him by his name.

Xie Xingyan looked down at the potted plants and casually said, "Ah Heng, he's cooking in the kitchen. His cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds lately, and he makes even better food than a professional chef. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Gu Zhoubai gave a dry, forced laugh: "How could I possibly accept this?"

Xie Xingyan sneered, glancing sideways at him: "When you reached out to borrow money from me, why didn't you say you were sorry?"

Gu Zhoubai shut up. He had been down on his luck for a long time in the past, and he had very few friends who dared to lend him money directly. He also didn't want Ling Wushuang to know how hard he had been.

"Okay...just the two of us?"

Gu Zhoubai mustered his courage and looked up to see Ling Wushuang.

Unexpectedly, Ling Wushuang's phone rang, and he went to the balcony: "I'm going to answer this call."

When he returned, he said with a helpless expression, "Frederick is here."

Jiangxi Heng came out of the kitchen, saw Gu Zhoubai, nodded and greeted him: "Eli said he wants to enter the entertainment industry."

Xie Xingyan put down the potted plant: "For a member of the French royal family, going to Europe is not an easy task. Why does he insist on coming to China? I think that with Agent Ling's reputation resounding throughout the world, his real intention is not what it seems."

The person at the center of the conversation remained calm.

Gu Zhoubai was completely confused. When the blond, blue-eyed Frenchman appeared and clung to Ling Wushuang like a puppy, he finished his meal with a stiff face.

"Ling, who is he? I don't think I've seen him in any of the photos of celebrities from Huanyu Entertainment?"

Frederick, speaking in broken Chinese, looked around curiously.

Ling Wushuang glanced at Gu Zhoubai and said, "A friend."

Frederick gave a soft "oh," then turned around with a broad smile. Despite being terrible with chopsticks, he still managed to serve food to Ling Wushuang, casually turning the page on the matter.

Gu Zhoubai watched this scene and prepared to leave.

"I still have work to do, so I'll be going now. Xingyan, you can keep the flowers here for now."

Xie Xingyan: "Okay, make sure you wear your hat and everything properly, so the paparazzi don't spot you."

"I'll see you off." Ling Wushuang stood up.

Gu Zhoubai was somewhat surprised, but did not refuse.

The two arrived at the door, and Gu Zhoubai called out to him, "Wu Shuang, I'm sorry about what happened before."

Ling Wushuang turned to look at him, a smile playing on her lips: "Everyone is immature when they're young. You're over thirty now."

His response to Gu Zhoubai was also a reflection on himself.

"Let bygones be bygones."

Gu Zhoubai paused for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Mm."

He walked into the elevator alone, just like many years ago when he walked into the gate to the future.

As the elevator doors closed, Gu Zhoubai thought to himself, Ling Wushuang had once killed a flower named Gu Zhoubai, and Gu Zhoubai had also once killed a flower named Ling Wushuang.

A few days later, Xie Xingyan sent a potted plant to Xie Xingyan.

That tulip survived in the end.

*

[Author's Closing Remarks]

It's finished!

The romance in this book will be a little bittersweet, but I don't want to make the characters suffer too much.

In the final epilogue of "Peerless Warriors of Kyushu," the surviving Tulip is Gu Zhoubai, who has overcome his guilt, and Ling Wushuang, who has let go of the past.

I feel sorry for even the supporting characters in the tragic endings, and even more so for the main characters, especially Xing in the early stages. He perfectly embodies the saying: "The honesty of a conflicted person." However, Heng was moved by this honesty.

In terms of career, the international struggle episodes were shortened later due to health reasons, which is one of the regrets.

The outline is complete, but the text and variety show interaction are missing.

Last August, I felt unwell but didn't take it seriously. I continued to stay up late and party (hehe). I also didn't like to exercise. At the end of the year, I got sick and collapsed. Then they found out that I had something growing in my body (not hehe).

I started taking medication in January and February, and after the Lunar New Year I switched from Western medicine to traditional Chinese medicine. The stuff in my body disappeared (hehe), but I still need to drink traditional Chinese medicine, exercise, go to bed early and get up early, and boost my immunity (not hehe).

It feels like all the money I've earned in the last six months has gone to medical treatment (bitter smile).

But I truly love writing novels, and nothing can stop me from writing them!

Thank you to all the readers who have been following the story! If you've made it this far and haven't left a review yet, please give it a five-star rating. Thank you everyone! (bows)

This book will be published on November 6, 2025;

It will end on March 6, 2026.

Many regrets remain, but words cannot express the depth of our feelings. We hope to see you in the next book.

This book is finished.