Chapter 96: Luo Xing Trends on Social Media

On the asphalt road shrouded in night, the stream of cars flowed like water. A sleek black sports car raced down the street at breakneck speed.

The driver wore a Bluetooth earpiece in his right ear, his lips pressed into a tight line, water still dripping from the ends of his hair. He had no time to care, one hand spinning the steering wheel, the other still dialing. Gu Shiyan muttered a curse under his breath; he hadn’t stopped making calls all night.

The black T-shirt he wore was darker at the collar and sleeves, clearly soaked, obvious that he’d thrown it on in a hurry, half-washed, the water not even wiped away.

The dialing screen displayed three characters—Lu Yuanyi.

Only after three attempts did the call connect. Gu Shiyan ignored the breathy, suggestive sounds from the other end. “Was it you?”

“What? Shiyan, calling so late and you start with an interrogation?” came the languid reply.

Gu Shiyan frowned deeply. “Besides you, I can’t think of anyone else.”

Those in the know were only him, Qi Zhi, Lu Yuanyi, and Luo Xing. Among them, only Lu Yuanyi might seek revenge and deliberately push the blame for the ‘black water’ onto Luo Xing.

She was, after all, someone who never let a grudge go.

In the dim, opulent presidential suite, Lu Yuanyi pushed the man on top of her aside.

The shirtless man sat quietly at her side, waiting patiently.

“You’re saying that after all the benefits I got from you, I’d still go out of my way to frame your little girlfriend?” Lu Yuanyi let out a soft laugh, raising her wrist to beckon. The man at her side lit a cigarette and handed it to her.

Her crimson lips drew in a breath of smoke, and she laughed again as she exhaled, “If I were stupid enough for that, I might as well give you the entire Lu Corporation.”

The voice on the line was cold. “You know exactly why I’m calling. The entertainment company under Lu Corporation, the new male star you’re promoting—isn’t he someone you picked to resemble Qi Zhi? You still care about him, don’t you?”

The cigarette between Lu Yuanyi’s fingers trembled, ash falling into the gloom. The man beside her caught the falling ash in an ashtray. At the mention of Qi Zhi, his expression stiffened for a moment.

“Gu Shiyan, you’d go this far for a woman?” Lu Yuanyi inhaled deeply. “This wasn’t my doing. You know that. You called just to have me clean up your mess, didn’t you? Does your little girlfriend know about all this? All in vain…”

She seemed determined to jab at Gu Shiyan’s sore spots.

Two beeps sounded from the phone—he’d hung up.

Lu Yuanyi stared at the ended call on her screen, her foxlike eyes narrowing. The man who’d been waiting obediently at her side leaned in. “Who was that, darling?”

His large hand slid along her curves, trying to reignite the mood.

Lu Yuanyi shot him a cold glance. Seeing his face, so reminiscent of Qi Zhi, Gu Shiyan’s words echoed in her ears.

Her expression darkened. “Get out.”

“What’s wrong?” He grabbed her hand, pressing it to his chest. “It’s still early, darling.”

Lu Yuanyi’s gaze lingered on him. He was He Qiu, a newly selected male artist from her company. Apparently, some subordinate had guessed her intentions and deliberately picked someone with an eighty percent resemblance to Qi Zhi, sending him to her bed while she was still under the influence.

She had indeed been intrigued by his face at first, but after being interrupted by Gu Shiyan, not only was her interest gone, her mood had soured considerably.

What was she even doing? Qi Zhi was nothing more than a dog she kept at her side. The benefits Gu Shiyan offered were enough to buy a hundred Qi Zhis.

Lu Yuanyi dialed her phone again, her tone icy. “Look into Qi Zhi’s situation. Arrange PR to suppress Luo Xing’s trending topic.”

An ordinary person would never make it onto the trending list, but with a recently retired celebrity involved, it took less than an hour for the matter to reach the top.

“Miss Yuanyi…” He Qiu stroked her waist, hoping to stay the night.

Lu Yuanyi’s long hair cascaded down her back. She gathered it up and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom. As He Qiu tried to approach, her voice turned irritable and impatient. “Get out.”

The face was indeed eighty percent Qi Zhi, but not an ounce of his defiance. Qi Zhi would never treat her like this.

He Qiu stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move. He didn’t even know what he’d done wrong. Although he was new to the entertainment industry, his resemblance to that past superstar, and his manager’s efforts to make him the next Qi Zhi, meant he had far better resources than other rookies.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Without the backing of real power, it was nearly impossible to break out.

Lu Yuanyi was the one who could decide his fate. He’d hoped that by climbing into her bed, he could pick any top-tier resources in the future, but just as success was within reach, a single phone call ruined everything.

He watched as she disappeared into the bathroom, utterly unconcerned by his presence. No matter how unwilling he was, he dared not disobey.

When Lu Yuanyi emerged, the spacious room was empty.

She opened her laptop to handle some affairs, and at the same time checked the now-trending post herself.

#Qi Zhi’s stalker has powerful backing, drags him down with her man

Lu Yuanyi scrolled down.

The poster not only revealed all the main names involved, but also seemed to know the details inside out.

First, they stirred up the anger of Qi Zhi’s fanbase, directly mentioning Luo Xing from Xing University, even exposing her social media accounts. She had liked Qi Zhi’s videos and checked in daily on his super topic—proof enough that she was a fan.

Next, they showed evidence that Gu Shiyan had been absent from Beijing during the days Qi Zhi left the industry.

They named the relationship between Luo Xing and Gu Shiyan, and the fact that Qi Zhi was an artist under Lu Yuanyi…

Lu Yuanyi’s eyes were fixed on the screen.

—How could there be such a coincidence? That Luo Xing just happened to be Qi Zhi’s fan, Gu Shiyan happened to be her boyfriend, and the cooperation between the Gu and Lu families was announced right after Qi Zhi left the industry.

Lu Yuanyi was Qi Zhi’s boss, Gu Shiyan the partner. Wasn’t this just using a man to force Qi Zhi out, with a stalker fan going to absurd lengths? Ever since Qi Zhi left, not even his biggest fans had heard any news or seen him.

Yet Luo Xing’s close friend posted a photo with Qi Zhi and an autograph, with the caption: “Only succeeded chasing my idol thanks to my bestie.”

Didn’t all this prove that Luo Xing, the stalker fan, had used her connections to drag her idol down? A stalker this obsessive was truly terrifying!

Lu Yuanyi snapped the laptop shut with a bang.

…

“Good evening, sir, may I—” The hotel receptionist saw the man exuding an icy air, but before she could finish, the manager hurried over, bowing obsequiously.

“Here’s what you requested,” the manager said, presenting a key card with both hands, gesturing for Gu Shiyan to follow him to the elevator and personally escorting him inside.

The two receptionists were stunned to see their usually snobbish manager so deferential.

“Who was that? Made the boss turtle up like that?”

“A true big shot, obviously.”

The elevator doors closed.

Gu Shiyan glanced at the room card in his hand.

Fortunately, this hotel belonged to his grandfather; he still had the power to do as he pleased.

When the elevator opened, Gu Shiyan strode out without pause.

The manager hurried after him.

Only when Gu Shiyan stopped at a door did the manager catch up and hand him a small black leather pouch. “Young Master Gu, have a good time.”

Gu Shiyan’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly as he accepted it, shooting the man a sidelong glance. “Why are you still standing here?”

“Of course, I’ll be on my way.” The manager retreated with a forced smile.

Gu Shiyan unlocked the door with the key card.

He didn’t care about the pouch, tossing it casually on the table.

Sleeping on the large bed was clearly tonight’s hot topic—Luo Xing.

Only a small nightlight glowed at the bedside.

It illuminated the gentle lines of her face, dark hair spilling across the pillow.

A pair of earphones was plugged into her phone, the screen glowing, messages popping up one after another.

Gu Shiyan stood by her bedside, but she showed no reaction.

—She really could sleep through anything.