When Vu Mạt and she landed on the Hot Search, Ôn Bảo Tứ was still busy playing basketball with her friends at the main house.
The sunset glow covered the entire sky, brilliant red clouds streaked across.
The August weather in Bắc Thành was so good it made people sigh in contentment. As dusk fell, the wind blew gently, but because she ran and jumped too quickly, her blood was pumping, so she had to stop and rub her chest for a bit before continuing to play.
The basketball hoop wasn't far, so Ôn Bảo Tứ took a running start and leaped, aiming and sending the ball in a precise arc that landed in the hoop.
"Nice!" Đường Nghiêu's applause was the first to ring out. Kỳ Nguyên also threw the ball in his hand to the ground, smiling as he said, "Tứ Tứ, your basketball skills have improved lately."
"Thanks for the compliment." The corners of Ôn Bảo Tứ's mouth curved into a smile. A second later, she heard her phone ringing non-stop.
Ôn Bảo Tứ walked to the basketball court nearby, opened her canvas bag, and answered the phone.
"Hello, Sister Chu."
"Bảo nhi, have you seen the news yet??"
"What's wrong? I just finished playing basketball." Ôn Bảo Tứ waved her hand to the side. Seeing this, Đường Nghiêu immediately walked over, and she reached into his pants pocket.
"Lend me your phone for a bit," Ôn Bảo Tứ mouthed to him. Before Đường Nghiêu could react, she had already taken the phone out of his sports shorts pocket, then her finger lightly tapped the screen twice, and it quickly unlocked.
As soon as she logged into Weibo, sure enough, she saw her own name at the top of the trending searches. The topics were #VuMạtÔnBảoTứ#, followed closely by #VuMạtPubliclyDeclaresLove#.
Ôn Bảo Tứ clicked on that topic. The first thing that appeared was a dazzling portrait of Vu Mạt, next to which were over a hundred thousand comments praising him.
[ The person I like @ÔnBảoTứ. ]
When Ôn Bảo Tứ saw this Weibo post, her first reaction was a headache. Her second reaction: this guy truly lives up to his reputation as a traffic star. In just a few short hours, the praising comments kept increasing; just a little buzz and he's already on the Hot Search.
This was Ôn Bảo Tứ's first time climbing onto the trending searches. Before this, she had always been a lukewarm celebrity, and this was her first time experiencing the feeling of being the center of so much attention.
Although most of them were scolding her...
Ôn Bảo Tứ quickly understood the crux of the situation, while Sister Chu was still giving her continuous instructions in her ear.
"First, you don't need to clarify anything. The company has already assigned the public relations department to handle it. This is a very good opportunity for you. Vu Mạt is currently the nation's most recognizable male celebrity. Use his popularity to boost your own profile, and your career path will definitely advance a step further."
Piggybacking on his fame?
Ôn Bảo Tứ frowned. Before she could even open her mouth, Đường Nghiêu, who was beside her, had already cut in.
"Does our Tứ Tứ need to piggyback on someone's fame to get popular? What's wrong with you, Sister Chu?!"
"Oh my, why didn't you say those guys were all with you! Ah, I forgot, you said you were playing basketball earlier. How about this, you come to the company now, and we'll have a meeting somewhere to discuss it?"
Sister Chu on the other end of the line probed. Ôn Bảo Tứ thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Okay."
After hanging up, Tang Yao quickly snatched his phone back. Looking at the content on the screen, his brows furrowed tightly, the crease so deep it could crush a fly.
Qi Yuan's expression wasn't good either, especially after reading through all the worst comments.
[ Wen Bao Si? Are you kidding me? What makes her worthy of my Vu Mò??? ]
[ //My chest hurts from anger//, Aaaaaah, my idol, did you forget to wear your contact lenses lately!!! ]
[ Haha, I have to say, if those two really got together, what would Wen Bao Si's sugar daddy do? ]
Tang Yao's breathing was ragged. He furiously typed on the screen, his face full of disbelief, his voice brimming with anger.
“Damn it, what's so great about that little brat Vu Mò? I could crush him with one finger.”
“Unworthy? That guy doesn't even know his own place, yet he dares to compare himself.”
“He's just a pretty boy*, yet he dares to dream of our Si Si —— ”
Tang Yao continued to grumble and rant, while Wen Bao Si had already packed her canvas bag and slung it over her shoulder, her expression calm, her movements casual.
“I'm heading to the company first. Let's play basketball again next time.”
“I'll go with you.” Qi Yuan immediately followed, and Tang Yao also trailed close behind, grumbling discontentedly.
“I'm coming too! Let's get Xiao Lu Zi to join us and give that stinky brat a good beating!”
“Forget it, Brother Lu is probably already annoyed to death by you. Don't bother him every day over trivial matters.”
Xu Cheng – Director of Xingcheng Media Company, and also a distant relative of Tang Yao. They only met on holidays or festivals. Tang Yao called him Xiao Lu Zi, while Wen Bao Si followed others in calling him Brother Lu.
That's why, when Wen Bao Si first entered the industry, she received many projects from famous directors. The big shots behind her always reserved the female lead roles for her, directly turning her from a newcomer into a major screen presence, it's just that…
Her public recognition was too poor. At most, people's impression of her was just 'that female lead in that one movie.'
They even disliked her so much that the slanderous comments about her online piled up.
After all, everyone hates people who get something for nothing. It was obvious at a glance that she had backers helping her enter the entertainment industry; to put it bluntly, she got delicious food served right to her hand without lifting a finger.
What's more, the entertainment industry was a deep, murky pond. Who knew what methods she had used to achieve such a position?
“What do you mean, 'trivial matters'!” Her thought made Tang Yao very displeased. He widened his eyes and said seriously, “Anything about you is a big deal!”
Wen Bao Si silently pressed her lower lip, secretly sighing in her heart, feeling a little warmth.
“I'm not a child anymore. Don't make me feel like I haven't grown up yet.” After speaking, she pressed the unlock button on the key in her palm, seeing a white car light up not far away.
“I can go by myself.”
The two still wanted to say something, but Wen Bao Si had already opened the car door, looked at them, and reluctantly said, “This is just a small matter; I can handle it.”
On the way, Wen Bao Si dialed Vu Mò's number. The other end picked up very quickly, as if he had been waiting for her call. Vu Mò feigned calmness as he spoke to her:
“Bao’er.”
“What’s going on?” Wen Bao Si put on her Bluetooth earpiece, asking as she drove. Her tone was neither loud nor soft, as if inquiring about something utterly commonplace.
“Nothing.” Hearing her tone, Yu Mo’s mood also calmed, though it left him with a sense of loss mixed with a hint of resentment.
“I heard you like me?” Wen Bao Si turned the steering wheel, her eyes on the traffic ahead. A slight upturn of her lips hinted at a smile.
The other end of the line fell silent for a moment. After a long pause, Yu Mo’s dejected voice came through:
“…Didn’t you already know?”
Wen Bao Si’s expression remained unchanged, but the car’s speed slowed. The faint smile on her lips gradually vanished, her face growing serious.
“But… Yu Mo, I already have someone I like.”
“…”
“I’m sorry.”
*Beep beep beep…*
Then he hung up.
The car slowly reached the intersection and stopped, just as the traffic light turned red. Wen Bao Si took off her earpiece, a flicker of guilt in her eyes, a pang of bitterness in her heart.
She lowered her gaze and let out a soft sigh.
©
Not long ago, there was a major film project, gathering many big stars, with renowned directors and producers at the helm, and a considerable budget for filming.
Star City Media had invested in it, which was how Wen Bao Si secured the role of the third female lead. At the time, she had to act alongside the rising young star Yu Mo. Their characters were a fake married couple, concealing their identities to investigate intelligence.
While their screen time wasn’t extensive, they spent over half a month together from dawn till dusk. Due to the script’s content, they even had some scenes where they shared a bed.
Yu Mo had become famous at a young age. Aside from his slightly less developed early years, he had truly soared to immense popularity in recent years, captivating countless fangirls. A single photo of his flawless face was enough to make people uncontrollably want to fawn over him.
Furthermore, an interview on a reality TV show successfully showcased his pure, sunny personality, like a big brother, drawing in a huge number of “mom fans.”
Yet, such a person had absolutely no experience in romantic relationships. At their first meeting, just shaking hands with Wen Bao Si was enough to make him blush.
Afterwards, whenever they had even slightly intimate scenes, his hands and feet would always be flustered, his ears a deep red. Such reactions made it easy for anyone to see through his feelings.
That was why Wen Bao Si tried her best to maintain her distance from him.
However, the naive young man chose to express his feelings in such a way—frank, to be honest, but also somewhat reckless.
Like a whirlwind, carrying forth honesty and sincerity.
Unfortunately, this young man, blessed by heaven, had no idea how to conceal or restrain himself.
Wen Bao Si sighed softly and called his agent.
– –
Upon arriving at the company, the staff in the lobby all looked a bit flustered, as if a high-ranking executive had suddenly come for an inspection, making them both nervous and clumsy.
Wen Bao Si frowned slightly in surprise, heading straight for the elevator. As she passed the stage area, hushed discussions drifted into her ears.
"I heard our company was acquired, and that person who just arrived is the new director."
"Really?! No wonder Director Xu was leading a group of important people behind him earlier."
"But that new boss is really handsome! Like those young monks on TV, with delicate features and exquisitely sculpted looks, ahhh!!"
"Ahhh, I've never seen anyone so handsome before!"
Huh?
Wen Bao Si averted her gaze, pondered for a few seconds, and pressed the elevator button to go straight to the top floor.
The meeting room was at the end of the corridor. Passing by several offices, with a restroom on her right, Wen Bao Si happened to see a few girls approaching not far ahead as she walked past.
Their faces were somewhat familiar, likely people she often ran into.
The girls lowered their heads, adjusting their clothes while chatting amongst themselves.
"Tell me, why did this new director rush to hold a half-day meeting right after taking office? What exactly does he want to talk about? Could there be changes to the senior management positions?"
"No, I heard it's related to Wen Bao Si's recent scandal."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Their tone was like they were gloating, with a clear sense of excitement.
"Director Xu has been demoted, I'll be watching to see how arrogant she can still be."
"This incident has caused such a huge uproar, surely the new big Boss won't directly blacklist her, will he?"
"You never know..."
After saying this, that girl burst into exceptionally joyful laughter. Wen Bao Si recognized her. She was a third-tier celebrity recently signed by Star City Media. Normally, whenever she saw Wen Bao Si, she would respectfully stand aside and call her "Sister Bao Si," but now...
"Anyway, she's utterly useless. She was given so many big productions before, even Gui Nan and Qi Yu gave her lead roles, yet she still couldn't become popular. If I were the new Boss, I'd probably let her fend for herself very quickly."
That woman covered her mouth and smiled coquettishly, her tone full of sarcasm. The other two also happily chuckled in agreement.
Wen Bao Si's face showed no expression upon hearing this. She pushed up the sunglasses on her face and quickened her pace. In an open space like the corridor, her footsteps were quite loud, and she guessed those girls must have heard them.
The three women's bodies stiffened slightly. Wen Bao Si glanced at them, her sharp aura carrying a gust of wind, and for some reason, the air felt a little cold.
The women exchanged glances, faced each other for two seconds, their eyes shifting from surprise to disdain, then cast a sidelong glance at her retreating back.
Just as she reached the main door of the conference room, the glass door was pushed open, and a group of people filed out. Wen Bao Si glanced over; they were all high-ranking executives.
Xu Cheng, who was at the very back, was saying something. When he saw her, he paused for a moment, then broke into a smile.
“Si Si, you’ve come at just the right time, I have some news to tell you—”
Before he could finish speaking, a calm voice cut him off, a faint, pleasant sound that was gentle as a spring breeze sweeping past.
“Si Si.”
Everyone around them froze, their gazes darting between the two, intently studying the scene. A few actresses not far away widened their eyes in disbelief.
He met everyone’s gaze, walking step by step towards her, his exquisitely sculpted face bearing a faint smile.
Wen Bao Si watched him, unmoving, the corners of her lips trembling slightly.
A torrent of emotions threatened to burst forth, but in the end, she could only lift her gaze to meet his dark, glistening eyes, like pools of water, and murmur softly.
“A Yu.”
It took a thousand emotional turns to finally utter those two words. A lingering sorrow, it seemed, after all this, still couldn’t quite melt away the tenderness.
Flickers of joy danced in Shao Yu’s eyes. Before everyone’s eyes, he reached out a hand and, with practiced ease, stroked her head.
The gesture was at once doting and natural, as if he had done it countless times before, familiar as if nothing had ever changed.
“I’m back.”