Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 327 The Little Lion Who's Giving Up (4.8k)
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— Tangren Company
"President Cai, Sister Shi isn't accepting any scripts or going to any business events. She just stays at home all day and doesn't do anything. I can't control her anymore. You should go and see for yourself."

The agent's aggrieved complaints came from the other end of the phone.

Mr. Cai, who was processing documents at the company, rubbed his temples with a headache and slammed the folder shut with annoyance: "Okay, okay, I understand. Don't get worked up."
I'll go to her house myself later. Has this little girl gone mad?!

After gently reassuring her subordinates, her face darkened instantly as soon as she hung up the phone.

The company's top male lead is busy transforming into a more serious actor, spending all his time on the stage and even planning to study abroad; the top female lead, who has finally managed to pull herself together and focus on her career...
After only a few months of hard work, they've already given up and given up again!
With these two "ancestors" on his hands, Boss Cai felt he wasn't far from going insane.

She quickly finished her urgent work, grabbed her car keys, and headed straight for Liu Shishi's home in the Yide Mingyuan residential complex.

Boss Cai also owns property here, which saved her the trouble of being questioned by security, and she had no trouble getting around. She stood in the elevator, pressing the buttons on her phone until it was almost worn out, before the elevator finally started moving.

With a "ding," the elevator doors slowly opened.

Mr. Cai was about to unleash his fury when he found the doorway empty.

She peeked out and saw that Liu Shishi's front door was wide open, the smart security door was ajar, and the sound of the living room television could be faintly heard through the gauze curtain.

"Liu Shishi! I think you're not a lion anymore, you're trying to fly like a monkey!!" Boss Cai was even angrier, raising his voice to scold her as he changed his shoes.

Stepping into the living room, the sight that greeted her caused her blood pressure to spike.

A girl wearing loose cartoon pajamas and with disheveled hair was sprawled on the sofa, her chin resting on a cushion, staring blankly at the huge LCD screen.

The living room was a mess: clothes were draped haphazardly over the backs of chairs, toys were scattered all over the floor, and even more unusually, several empty potato chip bags and a few empty beer cans lay glaringly on the coffee table and carpet.

"Look at you now, you don't look like a female celebrity at all!"

Mr. Cai rolled his eyes in anger and kicked aside a beer can blocking his way. "Your house is a complete mess! Don't you know how to call a cleaner?"

"Too lazy to look for it." Liu Shishi's voice was weak and listless. Her slender arm seemed to suffer from muscular dystrophy, and she lifted it limply. "Sister Cai, if you have the strength, could you call it for me?"

"What the hell am I calling for you!" Boss Cai stormed over to the sofa, looking down at her and demanding, "You haven't been reading scripts or going on any gigs lately, you've just been holed up at home like a couch potato?! What are you trying to do?"

"Watching dramas, what else can I do?" Liu Shishi remained unmoved, still sprawled out, only turning slightly to bury her face deeper into the cushion, her lips slightly pouting as she mumbled, "Watching 'The Mystic Nine,' watching 'The Journey of Flower'... those two dramas are really good... the songs are great too..."

Her tone was wistful, carrying a lingering sourness.

"Look at you, so pathetic!" Only then did Boss Cai realize that the screen was showing "The Mystic Nine," and the scene was exactly the classic shot of Gu Qing (who plays Er Yuehong) leaning against a coffin, looking lost and dejected.

Turning her head to look at the even more dejected person on her own sofa, she scolded him with exasperation, "If you have nothing better to do, go out and find a man to play with your feelings for, it's better than staying at home and getting moldy every day!"

"If we really talk about it, you'll be unhappy again, won't you?" Liu Shishi glared at her.

"When did you learn to spew nonsense?"

Enraged, Boss Cai lightly slapped her slightly upturned buttocks. "I just don't want you to date that old man who's older than me, right?"
"If you really date that kid Gu Qing, have I ever said 'no' once? I'd love for you to manage to bring him to Tangren Media!"

"I don't have that ability,"

Liu Shishi rolled over listlessly, burying her pretty face in the cushion, her voice muffled, "He's the one who should be stealing me, not the other way around..."

"Oh," Boss Cai suddenly realized, and chuckled, "No wonder you've been acting like you've lost your soul lately, not even wanting to do your job. Did you break up? Did you split up?"

"We haven't even talked, so how can there be a breakup?" The voice was still muffled.

"What did you say?" Boss Cai didn't hear clearly.

"I said! I've never even dated him! How can we break up?"

Liu Shishi suddenly sat up, like a little lion whose tail had been stepped on and its fur standing on end. She pounced over and hugged Boss Cai's head, yelling into her ear as if venting her anger.

"Ouch! My ears are going to go deaf! My ears are going to go deaf!"

Boss Cai screamed in pain and turned his head to the side, then slapped her buttocks twice more. "If we didn't talk, we didn't talk. Why are you torturing me?"

Seeing Liu Shishi slumped back onto the sofa, looking utterly dejected, Boss Cai helplessly sat down next to her and softened his tone: "Tell me, how long has it been since you last met or had a proper chat with Gu Qing?"

"After Bazaar... we haven't talked anymore."

Liu Shishi stared blankly at the patterns on the sofa and said woodenly.

"Is it still because of that bidding incident?" Boss Cai frowned, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure and protectiveness. "Did he get angry with you?"

She was a little angry. Although this boy hadn't officially married Shishi and was flirting with other women, he couldn't treat her like this.
“No,” Liu Shishi shook her head, “it was me… who lost my temper with him.”

Mr. Cai's anger, which had just risen, immediately subsided, and he was somewhat speechless: "Why are you taking your anger out on him? Are you forcing him to go public with your relationship?"

"See for yourself."

Liu Shishi brushed aside her disheveled hair, revealing a pretty but listless face, and unlocked her phone, tossing it to Boss Cai.

"I'd like to see what earth-shattering things you can say." Boss Cai took the phone suspiciously and opened WeChat. The interface was unusually clean, unlike a celebrity's work account, with only a pinned chat box at the top.

The note reads: "Annoying person".

Even at his age, Boss Cai couldn't help but shudder: "Tsk...so cheesy."

"Are you going to look or not? If not, give it back to me!" Liu Shishi was furious and grabbed a pillow as if to hit her.

"Okay, okay, let me see." Boss Cai clicked on it, and the previous chat history had obviously been cleared, leaving only three messages lying alone on the screen.

The first two posts were made by "annoying person":
Annoying kid: "Don't make impulsive purchases! (flaps hands)"

The annoying guy said, "I already asked Teacher Guan to make an extra round fan, specially designed according to your style. I'll give it to you next time we meet."

Little Lion: "Mind your own business!"

Boss Cai: "..."

"Did I...do I do something wrong?"

Liu Shishi glanced at Boss Cai's expression and asked softly, a hint of regret in her voice, "Actually, I didn't know he had specially prepared a fan for me... He only sent the second message after I had just sent 'Mind your own business'..."

Under Boss Cai's increasingly "benevolent" gaze, her voice grew softer and softer, increasingly guilty, "It's all his fault for typing too slowly... If he had typed it out earlier, I wouldn't have... I wouldn't have sent it..."

“Shishi,” Boss Cai took a deep breath and looked at her seriously, “Do you think I’m the kind of person who would take the initiative to apologize and fawn over my partner?”

"I can't imagine it," Liu Shishi quickly shook her head, "Sister Cai, you are a well-known strong woman in the industry."

"I'm a strong person! Not a strong woman!"

Enraged, Boss Cai raised his hand and smacked her on the head. "Let me ask you again, who do you think is stronger or weaker in your current 'career level' compared to Gu Qing?"

"More or less..." Liu Shishi shrank her neck. "I'm one of the Four Little Actresses, and he's one of the Four Top Stars... We're evenly matched, so I'm not exactly at a disadvantage, am I?"

"You should become one of the 'Four Great Actresses' first!"

Mr. Cai said irritably, "Do you think dating in the entertainment industry is like filming a campus idol drama?"

How many celebrities would be foolish enough to believe only in love?
Putting aside all the scheming and backstabbing they've witnessed, the more popular an artist is, the greater the work pressure. Many people in relationships simply value a smooth, stress-free, and happy relationship!

"Do you see more examples of movie stars keeping beautiful wives and movie stars dating younger men, or more examples of movie stars actually getting married, falling in love, and living in harmony?"
In the entertainment industry, fresh-faced male and female celebrities under the age of 25 come one after another, each unique. If things don't go their way, they switch to another, at most cultivating a "doting husband/wife" persona in front of the camera.

But look behind the scenes, who's really comforting whom? "The reason I told you not to talk about that older man before is because you want security, you want to be pampered, you want unconditional acceptance?"
In our circle, it's tough! Unless you find someone who's far inferior to you in every way, and only wants your looks, your resources, and to be carried by you, they won't go to such lengths to make you happy every day.

Boss Cai handed the phone back to Liu Shishi, speaking earnestly and with the wisdom of someone who's been through it all, "Listen to me, out with the old, in with the new."

"Wouldn't it be better to find a younger, more handsome, and less successful guy than Gu Qing, who's always doting on you?"

“Sister Cai, what you said…makes a good point.” Liu Shishi nodded, then looked at Boss Cai expectantly, “Then…can you help me find an eighteen-year-old, more handsome than Gu Qing, and a pure male college student who’s willing to try different things to make me happy every day?”

"..." Boss Cai remained silent for a full three seconds before speaking slowly, "To be honest, if I could really find such a top-quality woman... would you even have a chance?"

"That settles it then..."

Liu Shishi let out a wail, then collapsed onto the sofa like a salted fish that had lost its dreams, muttering accusations, "You can't even find it, and you still dare to lecture me..."

"Alright, alright," Mr. Cai patted her helplessly, "Get up and tidy yourself up, go to the gym and work out to get in shape and reduce the swelling."

In a few days, the promotional campaign for your drama "The Imperial Doctress" with Gu Qing will begin. If there's any misunderstanding, just explain it to him face-to-face, won't that solve it?

"Whoosh~~" Liu Shishi suddenly propped herself up.

"What are you doing?" Boss Cai was startled by her sudden action.

"Thud—" The next second, Liu Shishi slumped back onto the sofa as if her bones had been removed.

"Fitness...exercise..." A muffled voice came from inside the cushion.

Boss Cai: "..."

……

The days fly by.

I thought the promotion of "The Imperial Doctress" would be another common practice of renting a venue and gathering a group of reporters for a group interview.

Unexpectedly, Huangguo TV, which spent a lot of money to buy the exclusive rights to this drama, had high hopes for it from everyone on the station.

They felt that simply asking reporters for publicity wasn't enough, so they directly unleashed their trump card—"Happy Camp"! They arranged for the three main actors (Gu Qing, Liu Shishi, and Huo Jianhua) to record an episode together as a major pre-broadcast promotion for the series, building momentum for the premiere next week.

This is an extremely rare practice in the industry.

The show "Happy Camp" usually invites actors from popular dramas after the dramas have aired and gained a certain level of popularity.

The fact that this show was released before it even aired demonstrates Huangguo TV's high regard for it and the significant bet they've placed on it.

Three days passed.

Accompanied by her assistant and agent, Liu Shishi arrived at the headquarters of Huangguotai by plane.

"What a huge operation... Did all the staff at Huangguotai mobilize?"

Sitting in the luxury car on her way to the recording site, Liu Shishi looked out the window at the huge crowd ahead and couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

The red carpet stretched out from the entrance, and support signs bearing the names of the three lead actors were everywhere. There were even large, custom-made promotional billboards with the words "Wishing 'The Imperial Doctress' great success in ratings" prominently displayed.

"This level of promotion... is almost on par with the scale of the promotion of 'Qi Yu' on Dongfang TV last time, right?" The agent couldn't help but sigh.

Liu Shishi swallowed hard. Before she even got out of the car, a strong sense of panic and tension gripped her.

With such a high-profile and extensive publicity campaign, what if... the show flops?
Will Huang Guotai be furious?
In all her years in the industry, she has never faced such immense expectations and pressure.

Although "gentle and refined" is the persona the company created for her, Liu Shishi herself is indeed so low-key in her daily life that she almost "disappears" except for necessary promotions and important occasions during the broadcast of the drama.

She is the one among the four little actresses who has a promising future but the least ambition for her career, and it is not entirely unreasonable for her to leave such an impression on the audience.

"Giving up" is indeed a true reflection of her situation to some extent. How could she not panic when suddenly burdened with such heavy expectations?

"Shishi, relax."

Her agent noticed her unease, patted the back of her hand, and said with a knowing look, "Huangguotai is making such a big fuss because they're obviously betting on Gu Qing's current terrifying influence and popularity."

The primary focus of audience discussion is also on him. If the show becomes a hit, we, as the female lead, will naturally benefit; but if… I mean, if the show flops, we can disappear and play dead, and the pressure from public opinion will naturally be absorbed by him, which is entirely beneficial to us.”

The agent said in a sinister tone, "Perfect, don't you hate him? We'll help you get your revenge!"

"Who hates him?! I was just joking!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi immediately became agitated, her voice rising several decibels, "I'm the leading lady! If the drama really flops, of course I'm partly to blame! How can you just throw the blame on him alone?!"

After she hurriedly finished explaining, she saw the "I knew it" smile on her manager's face and immediately realized she had been tricked. Her voice softened: "Sis... did you do this on purpose?"

"It was intentional! Who told you not to answer my calls every day lately!"

The agent gently tapped Liu Shishi's forehead with her finger. "Alright, cheer up. It's time to get out of the car and see Gu Qing, whom you've been 'talking about' every day."

"I pronounced 'Qi Yu'! What does that have to do with Gu Qing?"

Liu Shishi hummed in rebuttal, but as soon as the car door opened, her face instantly switched to a perfect business smile. She raised her hand and waved gracefully to the enthusiastic fans and media.

After posing for photos with screaming "extras" and posing appropriately for reporters' cameras, Liu Shishi was finally guided into the Huangguotai Building by staff.

"Is Teacher He not at the door? Is he not feeling well?"

The agent asked the staff member who was showing them the way, somewhat puzzled.

Liu Shishi also sensed something was off. Given Teacher He's usual thoughtfulness and emotional intelligence, he would usually be at the door to greet important guests.

"Oh, no," the female staff member quickly explained, her face still flushed and excited. "Teacher He is here! Gu Qing's younger brother just came over and brought gifts for Teacher He and the others. I heard they are local specialties from his hometown, and he's distributing them to everyone right now."

As she spoke, she opened her palm, revealing a cutely packaged White Rabbit milk candy. "Gu Qing is such a kind person; even we staff members got some."

"Gu Qing...is already inside?"

Upon hearing this name, Liu Shishi's heart skipped a beat.

The closer you get to the door of that lounge, the clearer the sounds of laughter and conversation coming from inside become.

"Little brother, you're too kind. You actually brought it when I casually mentioned it last time?"

"Of course, I will definitely remember what I promised you, Teacher He."

"Hahaha……"

"This is delicious! This is delicious!"

"Nana, eat less, this is from my little brother!!"

Her steps in high heels unconsciously stiffened. She took a deep breath, suppressed her turbulent emotions, and walked in the moment the staff pushed open the door to the lounge.

The laughter and conversation inside the door stopped abruptly the moment she stepped inside.

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(End of this chapter)