33. A Good Show Between A Benevolent Father And Filial Daughter

 “I never thought Chairman Ning would take time out of his busy schedule to come to our opening ceremony! It really is such an honour!” Director Guo exclaimed.

“Come, Chairman Ning, sit over here!” Producer Wang offered his seat so that Ning Yaohua could sit next to his daughter.

Ning Yaohua’s expression was filled with fatherly love when he looked at Ning Xueluo. “You’re too polite, Director Guo. My daughter is under your care.”

“Chairman Ning, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and your daughter is already so outstanding, she doesn’t need my care at all!”

“This child is usually so busy, I rarely see her. If it wasn’t for my trip here today, this father would never see her at all!” While Ning Yaohua might sound annoyed, the expression on his face was indulgent.

“Hahaha, Xueluo is so hardworking, you should be happy. But Xueluo, you’re also in the wrong. No matter how busy you are, you should still go home to visit!” Director Guo scolded.

“Yes, Director, I’m wrong! Dad, don’t be mad. Tomorrow night, I’ll come home for dinner!” Ning Xueluo cajoled as she hugged Ning Yaohua’s arm, acting like an obedient daughter.

“See, even I need the director to say some words on my behalf for her to find time to visit!”

“Dad, there’s so many people here ah, give me some face!”

Yes yes yes, you're a big star now. I can’t say anything anymore!”

…

Ning Xi thought she had already steeled her heart, but seeing this good show out on by this benevolent father and filial daughter, her chest felt so stuffy that she wanted to run away.

While her emotions were in turmoil, she thankfully was able to maintain a serene expression. She breezily engaged the screenwriter sitting beside her in conversation, as though she had not noticed the commotion.

She could pretend not to have noticed, but some people didn’t feel the same. Ning Yaohua’s gaze was like a knife stabbing through her. Her appearance at the opening ceremony was an embarrassment to him.

In the end, Ning Xi escaped the room by excusing herself to the restroom. She walked to an open window at the end of a hallway for some fresh air.

She grabbed some cigarettes and a lighter from her bag but contemplated for a while before putting them back.

She was trying to quit smoking.

Today was the first time in a while she felt the urge to smoke.

The night breeze blew on her face and made her feel a bit better.

At that moment, there were footsteps behind her.

Ning Xi’s back stiffened, but when she turn around, her expression was impenetrable, like a mask. “Chairman Ning came looking for me?”

Ning Yaohua looked at her with a severe expression, extremely unhappy with the way she was dressed.

Ning Xi looked down with a small smile. “Ah, Chairman Ning, back in the other room, you kept staring at me. Aren’t you afraid others will misunderstand that gaze?”

After all, to outsiders, he was a sponsor and she was a beautiful, small-bit celebrity. It was very easy to develop false impressions about their relationship.

“You bastard, what do you think you’re saying?” Ning Yaohua was immediately enraged.

Ning Xi furrowed her brow. “Obviously I’m speaking in a human language. Does Chairman Ning not understand human language?”

“You…” Ning Yaohua lifted his hand.

Before it could fall, a delicate hand grabbed and held it in place.

There was no way she would let Ning Yaohua hit her again.

He had no right.

Ning Yaohua was almost angered to death and snatched his hand away. “You better quit this role right now. You would just be an embarrassment to me if you continue like this in public!”

Ning Xi’s expression went cold. “I got this role honourably, how is that an embarrassment?”

“You always have to copy whatever Xueluo wants to do. Look at you, you can’t possibly compete with her. Rushing into the entertainment industry, are you just waiting for someone to find out about that incident to shame my Ning family?” Ning Yaohua glared at her, his eyes filled with extreme disdain.

32. Want to Trip Me? Not A Chance!

 “Xueluo, Ning Xi is your junior. What are your thoughts towards her acting as Meng Changge?” A reporter asked Ning Xueluo.

Ning Xueluo immediately switched back to an easygoing and elegant expression as she replied, “My Junior sister has a lot of talent. I believe she won’t disappoint everyone..”

When asked about Ning Xi, Ning Xueluo was all praises and compliments.

Anyone who didn’t know would assume she was only promoting her junior, but Ning Xi knew very well what a schemer Ning Xueluo was.

She wasn’t really helping her, but setting her up for a fall instead.

The opening ceremony hadn’t begun yet, but Ning Xueluo was already complimenting her to high heaven. With such high expectations for her, even the smallest mistake would cause severe disappointment.

Unfortunately for Ning Xueluo, Ning Xi wasn’t going to allow her nasty plan to work.

After training hard these past five years when it came to acting, she had confidence that she could sincerely convince everyone.

Want to trip me? Just you wait and see!

After the interview segment was over, Ning Xi let out a breath of relief, only to be confronted by Chang Li.

“Ning Xi, where did you get this outfit? Don’t think the company will cover the costs! You’re only a second female lead, how can you steal the spotlight like this? Don’t you know the rules?” Chang Li berated her as soon as she saw her.

Ning Xi played with a loose strand of her raven black hair as she casually said, “I didn’t want to either, but who told Sister Chang to make me late for the event?”

“You…” Because there were a lot of people around them, Chang Li could only forcibly hold her tongue. “You better behave at dinner later. Don’t spout nonsense that will embarrass the company. Xueluo can’t hold her liquor, so remember to drink on her behalf! Do you hear me?”

Ning Xi couldn’t help but laugh. “You want me to drink for her? Miss Chang, are you dreaming? You should be glad that I don’t pour wine over her!”

Chang Li was on Ning Xueluo’s side, so even if she grovelled and begged, Ning Xi wouldn’t fall for it. Ning Xi could become more resolute in her refusals and Chang Li wouldn’t dare overstep in retaliation.

Chang Li was enraged. “Ning Xi, you’re really too much! It’s just a minor second female lead role and you’ve already completely forgotten your place?”

Ning Xi lacked the patience to deal with her, and turned around to leave.

Chang Li watched Ning Xi as she left; even though it was just a silhouette, she was still mesmerizing.

She suddenly felt anxious.

Even before, she already had had a sense of foreboding and she was scared they couldn’t rein Ning Xi in any longer.

This woman was born to be an actress.

Once her star started to rise, there was no way Ning Xueluo would be able to compete with her.

Since things had come to this point, she could only continue to suppress her as much as possible and deny her any chance to grow.

After the opening ceremony was the evening dinner.

All the cast members were gathered in the banquet hall, eating and drinking and getting to know one another. The atmosphere was very relaxed and lively.

Noticing Ning Xi’s arrival, the screenwriter, Ye Linglong, was the first to stand up and pull her over to sit beside her. One could tell how pleased she was with her.

“Speaking of coincidence, our two cast beauties come from the same company with the same last name!” The assistant director Zhang Rui expressed enthusiastically.

Ning Xi smiled coldly.

Haha, really a coincidence.

The same company under the same manager; however, their situations were completely different.

One was the star of Starlight while the other was clawing her way up from the very bottom.

As they were speaking, the producer and director suddenly stood up and headed towards the door. The reason was because their biggest sponsor, the chairman of the board of directors on Ning International, Ning Yaohua, had arrived.

31. Troublesome Exes

 “That’s not right, I must be seeing it wrong…” Luckily, without waiting for Ning Xi to respond, the reporter took back his question.

It was probably because he remembered that Ning Xi was an artist under Starlight. So, how could the personal stylist to Su Yimo from Glory World Entertainment possibly style her?

Ning Xi let out a sigh of relief. Afraid they would continue asking similar questions, she opened her mouth to say, “Today is the opening ceremony for <The World>, everyone should ask questions related to the drama!”

“That, Miss Ning, if I may ask, is this your first drama?” Someone from the crowd asked.

“Of course not, I already started acting when I was in university, but I didn't have many scenes, so no one recognizes me,” Ning Xi answered honestly, not at all minding that her resume was rather lacking.

Any reporter could dig out her past if they tried, so why not respond humbly?

“What kind of roles has Miss Ning played in the past?”

It was a very normal question, but a bit awkward for Ning Xi. However, since it had already been asked, she couldn’t not reply.

“Some of the roles I’ve done…” Ning Xi began listing all the roles she’d played since returning to the country from overseas.

When she had been studying overseas for the past four years, she had spent nearly all her free time acting. She had had a few roles in quite a number of well-known dramas and films. Considering that countries abroad usually disliked using Chinese actors, for her to have such a resume was really not easy.

The reason she avoided bringing up her overseas acting experiences was because of her relationship history from that time.

Although it had been nothing immoral and had just been normal dating, the identities of her ex-boyfriend stood out too much.

Right now, what she needed most was a role that she could publicly lay claim to. If her debut was shrouded by gossip about her previous relationships, the public focus on her personal life might give her a moment’s popularity, but would stunt the potential growth of her career.

Ning Xi tried hard to recall all the roles she had done since her return to the country but the reporters were speechless at the list.

These roles were rather… ah…

A mistress, fox spirit, demoness, country bumpkin, brain-dead eldest miss, even an evil old woman…

For such a beauty, why did she have this kind of preference?

Why did she like these sorts of roles?

In the end, someone finally asked, “Why are all your roles villains?”

Ning Xi obviously couldn’t point her finger at Chang Li in an event like this, so she replied blandly, “I never really noticed. Acting is what I love doing most and every character, every role has its own charm, whether they’re small roles or big ones.”

The reporters asked several more questions, even without the guidance of the manager, Ning Xi answered all of them perfectly.

Guo Qisheng nodded his head as he watched. “This girl is not bad! With such quality and intelligence, why has she only come this far after being in this industry for a year… Old Wang, what do you think?”

The producer, Wang Taihe, said heavily, “Either the upper echelons of Starlight Entertainment ar blind, or…”

Trailing off, he gave Director Guo a knowing look.

Clearly, someone in Starlight was purposely suppressing her exposure.

Director Guo looked sympathetic. “What a pity for such a promising seedling!”

“If it’s gold, it’ll shine eventually. If not, doesn’t she have you?” Wang Taihe laughed.

At that moment, Ning Xueluo’s nails were digging into her palm; her face twisted at this intolerable scene.

When she’d had Chang Li deliberately notify Ning Xi of the ceremony just an hour before it would  start, she’d never imagined that not only was she not late and did not make a fool of herself, she had even arrived looking flawless enough to stun everyone.

Damn, the outfit Ning Xi was wearing was worth several millions. Where did she get that much money?

Clothes could be rented, but then who had styled her?

I actually underestimated that country bumpkin!

30. You Really Have Sharp Eyes!

 Director Guo had an expectant look on his face after he finished speaking.

Naturally, the reporters turned to look in the direction Director Guo indicated, and were all stunned silly.

Ning Xi was wearing a magenta dress made of lace today. The cut of the dress perfectly emphasised her mesmerising waistline, and the neckline exposed her elegant collarbone. The colour was even harder to pull off than pure red. Although the design was exquisite, the dress would only look tacky or even scary on most people.

But the dress looked as if it had been made just for Ning Xi. it made her so beautiful, she dazzled everyone.

Ning Xi had personally felt that she couldn’t pull off the dress when the stylist had picked it out for her, and she had only been convicted after she put it on.

As expected of Glory World’s Godly Hand, his eyes were just too keen. Just one look at her and he already knew her better than she knew herself.

Although it was Ning Xi’s first time at this type of event, she was, after all, an actress. She had taken on various roles and personas, which naturally included celebrities, so walking the red carpet was not difficult at all.

Each step, each smile, and her every action was just right. She found the best camera angles and gave the perfect expression.

The reporters froze for a far longer time than Director Guo had before they came back to their senses.

This… this was the actress for Meng Changge, Ning Xi?

A no-name rookie with no experience worth mentioning?

This… isn’t she too beautiful?

There was no words that could describe her. She was simply stunning!

Just a moment ago, they had actually tried to push Director Guo into declaring who was the bigger beauty between Jia Qingqing and Ning Xi. no wonder Director Guo’s expression hadn’t seem right, they now realised how ridiculous their question was.

Before an unparalleled beauty like Ning Xi, even an attractive celebrity like Jia Qingqing was practically just another face in the crowd.

Ning Xi posed for the cameras in the middle of the red carpet, before turning around to pick up a pen from the tray to sign her name on the wall.

Her turning around caused another wave of gasps and the sound of camera shutters.

The dress was designed to be backless; when the stylist had chosen it, the aspect had factored heavily into his decision.

Ning Xi’s shoulder blades were too perfect; one could say that they were the sexiest part of her body and it would be a real waste to cover them.

Female celebrities who walked the red carpet tended to especially reveal cleavage to attract attention, but Ning Xi had taken an alternate route, elevating her far above the rest.

After burning through countless rolls of film, it was time for the interview.

The reporters today were very pitiful.

They had initially prepared questions like: “Do you think your looks are good enough for the role of a vixen like Meng Changge?”, “Who do you think is prettier, you or Jia Qingqing?”, “Rumour has it that you received the role through unofficial channels, what was the reason for it?”...

Now they couldn’t use any of those questions…

Anyone who wasn’t blind could tell that nothing had happened behind the scenes. Her face was convincing enough.

She was the most suitable person for the role of Meng Changge.

The reporters started asking questions.

“Miss Ning, if I may ask, the dress you’re wearing is a Karl Lagerfeld design, is it a custom piece?”

Ning Xi froze.

This dress was designed by Karl Lagerfeld?

She had actually casually put on a dress worth millions?

Demon King Lu, can you not be so devious?!

But what was even more terrifying was still to come, when the same report then asked, “Miss Ning, was this outfit styled by Arthur?”

You can even see that?

You really have sharp eyes!

29. Opening Ceremony

 The opening ceremony of <The World>.

The cast and crew were all there; lights flashed repeatedly, the paparazzi amassed like clouds and a large group of fans hovered on the fringes.

The majority of the fans were around the main female lead actress, Ning Xueluo, and the main male lead actor, Zhao Sizhou.

One was Starlight’s precious leading lady, the other was an Academy Award winner. Such a good-looking and striking pair was bound to attract a lot of attention.

“Xueluo, we all know that this is the second time that you and Sizhou will be playing a couple on screen. Do you think you could fall for him in real life?”

“Haha, Suzhou is very attractive, but it’s not possible, because I don’t have any more space in my heart for him!”

All the reporters went into a frenzy at her words.

A year ago, Ning Xueluo had publicly announced that she had a boyfriend and everyone had scrambled to find more information. In the end, they found out that the other party was the son of Su Hongguang, the CEO of Yifeng Corporation. He had status, money and looks. He was practically perfect and everyone else couldn’t help but feel envious.

The fans felt sad, but the fans of today were no longer like those in the past who would get upset over their idols dating and getting married. The majority nowadays wished for their idol to find a good partner.

Ning Xueluo’s popularity hadn’t suffered even after she revealed her relationship status. On the contrary, she maintained her fame through topics like “Handsome Rich Boyfriend” and “A Winner at Life”.

Beside her, Zhao Sizhou also knew how to respond. He immediately clutched his chest, acting like his heart was in pain. “Miss Shangguang, you are truly ruthless. This price has already given his heart only to you!”

For the movie, Ning Xueluo was going to play the female lead Shangguang Yingrong while Zhao Sizhou had been cast in the role of the prince.

The reporters loudly laughed as they teased Zhao Sizhou. The atmosphere was very lively.

After the leading actor and actress, the next person everyone looked forward to seeing the most was the actress for the supporting female lead. A group of people surrounded Guo Qisheng.

“Director Gui, how come we don’t see the actress for Meng Changge? Will she come today?”

“Of course she will.”

“According to some rumours, Jia Qingqing’s audition wasn’t successful because you felt that she wasn’t beautiful enough, is that true?”

They were clearly trying to stir up trouble with such a question.

But Director Guo wasn’t new to this game, and his reply was flawless. “It’s true that physical beauty is a very high requirement for the role of Meng Changge, but it’s definitely not the only standard we were looking at. Jia Qingqing’s appearance wasn’t the issue, she just unfortunately didn’t have the aura we were looking for.”

“I heard that the actress for Meng Changge is a rookie, is that correct? Your standards for the role of Meng Changge are so high, can this rookie completely meet all expectations?”

What was going on today? Were there not enough red packets? The reporters’ questions were becoming more pointed, all of them targeted at the second female lead.

“This question can wait until the movie is out, everyone please look forward to it!

But the reporters wouldn’t let go of the issue and asked aggressively, “Director Guo, is the actress for Meng Changge prettier than Jia Qingqing?”

When was it going to end?

So what if Jia Qingqing is the kind of beauty that comes once every hundred years, once you see Ning Xi, let’s see if you still dare to bring up Jia Qingqing again!

“This, everyone is unique, unique in their own way… wait ‘til she gets here, then you’ll know…”

Director Guo was getting impatient with the questioning when at that moment, a figure appeared at the start of the red carpet. His gaze was frozen for three seconds, before he came out of his reverie, and laughed. “Speak of the devil!”

28. Boss’s Future Wife

 So what?

Ning Xi was choked with speechlessness. “Big Boss Lu, do your employees know you are asking them to help artists from another company?”

From the looks of it, they didn’t have any idea. Right now she was an unknown, how could this god possibly recognize her?

She really felt defeated by Lu Tingxiao.

Glory World Entertainment is a subsidiary of your Lu Corporation!

Though Lu Jingli managed Glory World, the ultimate boss behind the scenes was Lu Tingxiao.

Five years ago, Lu Corporation stepped into the entertainment industry when they took over Glory World Entertainment and created an entertainment empire which was able to compete against the oldest and most established entertainment company, Starlight Entertainment.

The current rivalry between the two companies was very intense. Employees in the different companies, from the artists and managers to the stylists and assistants, never got along. Clashes were inevitable when both companies had employees on the same set.

Lu Tingxiao glanced down at his watch. “The minivan is in the front outside. You can do your makeup on the road. You should have enough time to get there. Whether you go or not is up to you.”

Ning Xi’s stomach tightened painfully, and she clenched her jaw. “I’m going!”

Since Lu Tingxiao didn’t seem to care, then she wouldn’t care either!

She was surprised when Lu Tingxiao followed her. “You’re going too?”

“Who else is going to drive? Also, Little Treasure wants to be with you a bit longer.” He made it sound so natural and logical, like she had asked a silly question.

Next to him, Little Treasure nodded his head enthusiastically.

“All right…”

In the end, four people including the stylist, Arthur, got into the minivan.

Lu Tingxiao, who hadn’t even changed out his home clothes, was in the front driving, while Ning Xi and Arthur were in the back, with Little treasure climbing slightly over his seat to observe them.

Arthur’s gaze was approving as he assessed Ning Xi. “This lady has near perfect features and very good skin, light makeup will do. If I may ask, what event are you headed to? It would help me pick out the best outfit.”

“Um, it’s an opening ceremony for a movie…”

Ning Xi was afraid she’d be beaten up if the other party found out she was an artist with Starlight. Thankfully, Arthur didn’t ask too much, only nodded to show he understood and continued to help her do her makeup.

The timing was perfect. Ning Xi’s makeup was done just as they reached their destination.

Lu Tingxiao parked the car and turned off the engine. He turned around, arm on the back of his seat, and he looked at the woman who had just finished dressing up.

“How is it?” Ning Xi asked, a little nervous.

“Not bad.”

For a harsh man like Lu Tingxiao to say ‘not bad’ was really not simple. Little Treasure, moreover, was looking at her with an expression of wonder.

That gave Ning Xi more confidence, and she hugged Little Treasure apologetically. “Darling, I’m sorry I have to break my promise, but Auntie promises once work is over, I’ll rush over to accompany you!”

Little Treasure was reluctant to let go, but he knew she was in a hurry, so he released her and waved goodbye.

Seeing the two people behind her, one big and one small, Ning Xi’s heart felt full.

After being alone for so long, it was the first time she experienced such warm feelings.

After Ning Xi left, the position of driver naturally switched to Arthur.

Arthur couldn’t resist the gossip in his heart and as he drove, he carefully asked, “Boss, who was that lady just now? Is she a new artist at our company? How come I’ve never seen her before?”

Mother! Their Big Boss actually had a woman, This was huge news!

Lu Tingxiao dropped his chin in his hand as he casually replied, “Starlight Entertainment’s artist.”

Arthur: “...”

In that instant, Arthur felt he had been unjustly used.

Big Boss! You actually had me style an artist from Starlight!

How could the boss actually help an enemy and betray his own company!

Even the second young master does not date anyone from Starlight, okay?

If it were the second young master sitting here, Arthur would definitely curse him unreservedly.

But the person sitting here was Demon King Lu Tingxiao.

He could only bite his tongue and feel wronged.

What made his heart go cold was that he couldn’t help but suspect that this no-name artist from Starlight might possibly become their boss’s future wife.

After all, this was a woman who got along well with the little prince.

It was truly not simple.