Chapter 21: The Blue-faced Fury

Feeling a bit bored, Chu Luoxi suddenly remembered—wasn’t Ji Yanjin supposed to come out stomping to look for her? Why hadn’t he shown up yet? She pulled out her phone, checked it, and immediately felt exasperated—twenty missed calls? Oh dear, Ji must be about to explode!

Summoning her courage, Chu Luoxi dialed him back. As expected, the call was answered almost immediately. She quickly pulled the phone away from her ear.

A thunderous roar erupted from the phone, louder than speaker mode: “Chu-Luo-Xi, who did you run off with? Where did you go? Don’t tell me you’ve been abducted!” After countless calls with no answer, he was frantic. Then he realized he hadn’t actually listened to what Chu Luoxi said earlier, so now he knew nothing and was searching blindly.

Chu Luoxi had planned to let Ji Yanjin vent his anger, but those few sentences overwhelmed her—what did he mean by “run off with someone”? The more she thought about it, the more unpleasant it sounded. Worse still, the “culprit” heard everything, giving her a sly, amused look with those incredible eyes. How was she supposed to keep her composure?

Oh well, Ji had no clue that, in the near future, being “abducted” by Xiao Jingxuan would actually be many girls’ secret dream.

Feeling inexplicably guilty, Chu Luoxi dared not look up at Xiao Jingxuan. As soon as Ji Yanjin quieted down, she shouted back, throwing caution to the wind: “You’re the one who ran off! Your whole family’s been abducted! That’s what you get for not letting me finish. Hmph. ‘Dragon Roars Across the World’ crew, I’m with Xiao Jingxuan—come find me yourself!”

With that, she hung up. She wasn’t angry, just embarrassed—after all, she hadn’t spent much time with these people; they were still strangers.

“Pfft—” The makeup artist couldn’t help but laugh, though she tried to restrain herself so as not to make Chu Luoxi more uncomfortable.

Xiao Jingxuan narrowed his eyes, their depths dark and unfathomable. He understood that only those who were familiar dared to speak so bluntly—Ji Yanjin? When did he become so easy to get along with?

Within ten minutes, Chu Luoxi saw Ji Yanjin led in by Leng Lu, drenched in sweat, making one wonder if he’d run all over the entire film studio.

“Uh, are you okay?” Chu Luoxi didn’t dare tease any further—she felt guilty, after all. She’d been unable to withstand the pressure from the great Xiao Jingxuan.

“Hmph, how could I be okay? This is a big deal!” Ji Yanjin shot her a dramatic glare, speaking in a low voice, not caring who overheard.

Ji Yanjin was originally from the mainland, but had debuted in a five-member group under an entertainment company on Treasure Island. Earlier that summer, after three years together, the group disbanded, with each member setting out on their own path.

Ji Yanjin decisively returned to the mainland to further his career and, as things turned out, became the most successful of the five. The entertainment show during the Spring Festival marked a new beginning for him, mainly to promote his first solo album, which he had spent half a year preparing.

At present, his album was in its final promotional phase before release. In terms of popularity and status, he naturally couldn’t compare to Xiao Jingxuan—even though “Dragon Roars Across the World” was still filming and hadn’t aired yet.

The entertainment industry was a place obsessed with fame, status, and seniority—the higher you climbed, the more leverage you had. Sometimes, it wasn’t about stars acting arrogant; rather, if you didn’t assert yourself, you’d be taken advantage of. Being too soft and approachable only invited endless trouble, even making you someone else’s stepping stone.

So, maintaining the hierarchy within the circle was a matter of self-preservation—especially for newcomers.

Thus, even burning with rage, Ji Yanjin wouldn’t confront Xiao Jingxuan directly. Besides, though few knew much about Xiao Jingxuan, it was clear he had a strong background—otherwise, how could he have advanced so smoothly?

Xiao Jingxuan slightly lifted his gaze, careful not to disrupt the makeup artist’s work, observing everything in the mirror as Ji Yanjin approached.

Ji Yanjin’s features were delicate—a classic pretty-boy type. During his time in the group, he’d appeared in two idol dramas, crafted by the company as a moderately popular figure, but he mainly remained active in the music scene.

He walked to Xiao Jingxuan’s side, catching those black eyes in the mirror—the same eyes that made countless fans scream. Ji Yanjin offered a friendly smile: “I heard Xiao Jingxuan graduated from Imperial Film Academy just last year?”

You don’t hit a smiling person—Xiao Jingxuan paused for two seconds, raising an eyebrow: “What are you trying to say?”

Ji Yanjin flashed his signature eight-tooth smile: “As a senior, shouldn’t I look after my junior? I’m shooting an MV with Xiaoxi—surely you won’t stand in our way?”

Staring at Ji Yanjin’s half-neat, half-messy hair—clearly only halfway done—Xiao Jingxuan narrowed his eyes. The atmosphere grew tense, even the makeup artist’s hands began to stiffen, until finally a seductive, low laugh broke the silence: “Of course.” Though he wondered when Imperial Film started insisting seniors protect juniors—if there was no real connection, not stepping on each other was already generous.

“Great!” Ji Yanjin’s smile bloomed, and he glanced at the slightly disheveled Chu Luoxi. “Xiaoxi, time’s tight. Let’s go!”

Chu Luoxi twitched her lips, feeling she might be overreacting. She hadn’t expected Ji Yanjin to confront Xiao Jingxuan so directly, even though their smiles hid daggers. Perhaps her memories from her previous life were too vivid—she’d always regarded Xiao Jingxuan with awe, placing him high on a pedestal.

“Well then, Senior Xiao, I’ll head over.” Chu Luoxi nodded, bidding Xiao Jingxuan farewell. She had nothing else to do here, and still had to deal with Leng Lu’s persistent interruptions—how exhausting!

“Give me your phone.” Xiao Jingxuan reached out, fingers pinching a phone, eyes still trained on her via the mirror.

Chu Luoxi hesitated, her gaze falling on that pale, shapely, beautifully boned hand. In the end, she couldn’t find a reason to refuse. She stepped forward and entered a string of numbers, still baffled by her luck today—why was everyone so familiar so quickly?

The entertainment industry was rarely this friendly—or unsettling.

“Huh, I thought you’d invited her. Turns out she was asked by someone else!” Leng Lu leaned in, ignoring the low pressure that settled around Xiao Jingxuan after Chu Luoxi left.

“I thought she was just here for a visit.” Xiao Jingxuan frowned—so he’d brought her over, thinking she was merely dropping by the set. He hadn’t expected Ji Yanjin to invite her for an MV shoot.

“Hm?” Leng Lu was confused, not quite grasping the twists and turns, so he didn’t really understand Xiao Jingxuan’s words.