Chapter 6
Qiu Chi hadn't asked for time off to go home early, of course. She was preparing to properly handle the upcoming plot points.
She certainly wasn't going to stand by and watch herself suffer misfortune. That being the case, someone else would have to suffer instead.
She hadn't had many scenes on set these past few days, so she'd spent most of her time absorbing knowledge about this world. Naturally, she understood just how powerful the internet could be.
And Su An'an's death, in fact, had also been fueled by the power of the internet.
Retaliating against every single person was impossible, but those who wished her ill and harbored malicious intent? They had it coming.
The next day, Lu Mingxuan called Qiu Chi directly. "This is Lu Mingxuan. Since you're attending the banquet, you need to get properly dressed up."
Qiu Chi refused. "That's not necessary. I'll come find you at Huaming when it's time to go."
Attending the banquet with Lu Mingxuan was the important plot point. Things like getting dressed up were trivial, so Qiu Chi naturally didn't want to waste her energy on them.
Besides, she was mainly going to embarrass Gu Ting.
Maybe after embarrassing Gu Ting, she could do the same to Lu Mingxuan. But Lu Mingxuan hadn't provoked her, and that wasn't really her style. How about Fang Yuming, then?
But Fang Yuming had to film, so it seemed she couldn't mess with his face.
After settling on her plan, Qiu Chi thought of Su Yingying again and couldn't help but click her tongue with a "tsk."
At three-thirty in the afternoon, Qiu Chi took a taxi to Huaming Entertainment and called Lu Mingxuan. "I'm downstairs. Are you ready to go?"
"I'll be right down."
In the car, Lu Mingxuan frowned as he looked at Qiu Chi, who was resting beside him with her eyes closed. "Are you sure you're going to wear that?"
Qiu Chi ignored him. He continued, "Let me take you to get styled and find a different outfit."
"Stop trying to force your disgusting ideas on me."
Styling? A makeover?
In the end, it was all just about making Su An'an, who already looked seventy percent like his white moonlight, look ninety percent like her.
After Qiu Chi spoke, Lu Mingxuan was silent for a long moment before saying, "You know? Then was your applying to be my bodyguard also deliberate?"
Only then did Qiu Chi open her eyes. "I applied to be a bodyguard because I have the skills. You think I was trying to get close to you on purpose? You? Heh!"
Lu Mingxuan fell silent again. He couldn't understand how Qiu Chi could be so arrogant. "I'm your boss now. With an attitude like that, I can blacklist you anytime."
"Then hurry up and do it. Blacklist me. You're less than human if you don't."
Lu Mingxuan was speechless. He was just making a threat. How had it escalated to the point where he'd be less than human if he didn't follow through?
Lu Mingxuan decided to shut his mouth.
Qiu Chi closed her eyes again to rest.
The banquet was held at Gu Ting's villa, which was right next door to the Su family's villa.
Since it was a celebration for Su Yingying's recovery, most of the invited guests were young people.
Before Qiu Chi and Lu Mingxuan arrived, a crowd had gathered around Su Yingying and Gu Ting, teasing the pair.
"Yingying, now that you've recovered, shouldn't your engagement to Gu Ting be put on the schedule?"
"Exactly, Gu Ting! We all know you were forced into your engagement with Su An'an. And Yingying didn't mean to run away back then. Now that she's all better, you should cancel your engagement with Su An'an and get together with our Yingying, right?"
Su Yingying was thin and frail, though her makeup concealed her pallor. Hearing their teasing, she said coquettishly, "Don't be ridiculous. Brother Ting and I just have a sibling-like relationship. The one he likes is my sister. They're in love with each other."
No one believed her. Just as they were about to say more, a loud farting sound echoed through the room. A foul smell instantly spread through the crowd, and everyone instinctively held their breath. The atmosphere became utterly awkward and silent.
As for who had produced such a loud fart, it was impossible for them not to know.
But... it was so disillusioning.
In their minds, Su Yingying had always been a sweet, lovely, and gentle girl—a goddess, even, to some of the men present.
Farting in front of so many people now... the very thought was enough to shatter their illusions.
As for Su Yingying, the one responsible, she wanted to die of shame and indignation. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
Her health had improved recently, but embarrassing and unlucky incidents had been happening one after another. She would trip on flat ground out of nowhere. That would have been fine on its own, but the embarrassing things that happened in front of Gu Ting made her want to crawl into a hole.
She could sense that because of these incidents, Gu Ting's attitude toward her was no longer as ardent as it used to be.
And now, in front of so many people... Su Yingying's eyes genuinely started to redden. She wanted to cry.
It was into this awkward atmosphere that Qiu Chi and Lu Mingxuan made their entrance.
"So quiet. Were you all waiting for me?"
Qiu Chi's voice broke the awkward atmosphere. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw her standing beside Lu Mingxuan, their expressions a mixture of emotions.
Gu Ting was the exception. The moment he saw Lu Mingxuan, his face turned exceptionally grim, and an indescribable feeling stirred within him.
Upon seeing Qiu Chi, Su Yingying immediately moved forward to greet her, but after just a few steps, she suddenly tripped on flat ground and fell right in front of Qiu Chi.
Qiu Chi raised an eyebrow. "No need for such a grand gesture, even if you're excited to see me. Get up."
She said the words, but made no move to help her up.
The fall had left Su Yingying so stunned that she completely forgot to get back up.
It was Gu Ting who rushed forward to help Su Yingying up. He then immediately started accusing Qiu Chi. "Su An'an, Yingying fell right in front of you! Don't you know enough to help her up? You call yourself her sister? Is this how a sister is supposed to act?"
Others chimed in, all talking at once to criticize Qiu Chi. "Exactly! Yingying just recovered. How can you be a sister like that?"
Although everyone was on her side, Su Yingying's heart sank as she looked at Gu Ting. She knew that some things had irrevocably changed.
In the past, Gu Ting would have helped her up and first worried about whether she was hurt before turning to blame Su An'an. But now, he helped her up without even giving her a single glance.
Su Yingying closed her eyes, about to say something, when Lu Mingxuan spoke up with a frown. "What's wrong with all of you? She fell on her own, can't she get up by herself? Does she need someone to pull her up? All Su An'an did was not help her up. How did that become such a heinous crime in your eyes?"
As soon as Lu Mingxuan spoke, the people who had been criticizing Qiu Chi instantly fell silent.
Su Yingying quickly said, "I just fell by accident and was stunned myself. I'm sure my sister just didn't have time to react. Please, stop blaming her."
Unfortunately, her words had no effect on Gu Ting.
He shot Lu Mingxuan a cold, sharp look, his hostility palpable. "President Lu, on what grounds are you speaking for Su An'an? What right do you have to speak on her behalf?"
Qiu Chi chimed in coolly from the side, "He's my boss. What's more normal than a boss speaking up for his employee? Are your brains full of holes? Do you expect everyone else's to be as well?"
"Su An'an!"
"I'm not deaf. You don't need to remind me of my name. If you have something to say, say it. If you have to fart, let it rip!"
As Qiu Chi uttered the words "let it rip," another loud farting sound filled the air.
The room once again fell silent.
This time, it was Qiu Chi who broke the silence again. She fanned the air in front of her nose and then burst out laughing. "Seems like your digestion has been a bit off lately..."
Already wanting to die of shame and find a hole to crawl into, Su Yingying finally broke down upon hearing Qiu Chi's laughter and words. Covering her face, she ran upstairs, sobbing.
The others looked at each other, speechless.
Gu Ting's expression was grim. "Everyone, please head home for now. I'll apologize to you all properly in a few days."
Since Gu Ting had said as much, they naturally took their leave.
Qiu Chi was about to leave as well when she heard Gu Ting call out, "Su An'an, stop right there. We need to talk."
Qiu Chi stopped, and Lu Mingxuan did as well.
Gu Ting looked at Lu Mingxuan coldly. "I need to speak with Su An'an alone. Please leave!"
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