Chapter 7: It's Not Just for Show!

"Hey, hey, watching you practice every day, I thought it was just for show, maybe to prepare for future martial arts roles. Never imagined... tsk tsk, impressive!" Zhu Xueshuang clung to Chu Luoxi's arm, a trace of lingering fear in her voice, mingled with excitement and an unabashed admiration from earlier.

"Yeah, I thought you were just playing around, turns out it's not just fancy moves!" Liu Yujia was even more animated than Zhu Xueshuang, delighted like a child discovering a new continent.

A strand of dark hair fell across her brow as Chu Luoxi felt awkward—so all those years of martial arts practice in school had been mistaken for play, even dismissed as mere showy routines! She covered her face, feeling thoroughly deflated by the revelation.

Perhaps, before graduation, her skills were indeed more about aesthetics, but after filming so many scenes and working with professional martial arts directors, she learned to distinguish between practical moves and cinematic choreography. Eventually, she merged the two, making her martial arts foundation both visually striking and truly effective.

In the end, the reason she could still land lead roles at forty and be nominated for the Golden Dragon and Flaming Phoenix Awards was eighty percent due to her outstanding skills—envied, admired, and coveted by many.

In short, the martial arts she had learned by chance for her acting career since childhood had brought her immense benefits. Otherwise, in the fast-changing entertainment industry, she could never have reached such heights or possessed the potential to remain evergreen.

"Hmph, now you're jealous!" Chu Luoxi grinned with pride, never shy about her achievements. Years of relentless practice, rain or shine, had led to this moment—there was nothing wrong with savoring a bit of success and basking in others' envy.

"Mm-hmm!" Zhu Xueshuang nodded honestly. "I really am jealous. And Xiaoxi, those questions you asked earlier were so sharp, you really got under his skin."

"I did it on purpose. Besides, what I said wasn’t nonsense—it’s true. How could a director have so much free time he auditions even for extras? Xiaoxue, next time you see someone like that, just ignore them. He clearly had a plan for you today." Chu Luoxi recalled events from her previous life, wondering if Liu Yujia hadn’t accompanied Zhu Xueshuang back then. It seemed only Zhu Xueshuang had gotten into trouble.

Well, it didn’t matter now; everything had changed, and this was already the best outcome. Why dwell on what could have been? Chu Luoxi shook her head, banishing the thought.

"Was I really foolish?" Zhu Xueshuang said with a hint of sadness, "It was our first meeting, barely any interaction, and just a coincidence, yet I never thought anything was wrong."

"Looking back, his methods were quite practiced, and he understood the mindset of people like us. He didn’t force me, but his hints and temptations were everywhere, coaxing me to seize this 'opportunity.' Xiaoxi, I’m lucky you were there today, otherwise I would’ve been trapped."

"And that’s why I think his words weren’t entirely false—maybe it really was some kind of opportunity." Zhu Xueshuang’s eyes dimmed, realizing she had nearly dragged her friend into trouble. "Thinking carefully, he’s quite frightening. If he’d been direct, I would’ve been alert immediately. We only met by chance, know nothing about each other—what could he possibly want?"

Chu Luoxi understood. Precisely because it was a chance encounter and the topic came up randomly, the credibility seemed higher. It didn’t look like he was scheming.

"It’s fine, recognizing it now isn’t too late!" Chu Luoxi patted Zhu Xueshuang’s shoulder. "You just want to break into the industry too badly and didn’t think it through. Honestly, don’t be so anxious. Entering this circle isn’t simple, but it’s not impossible either. What matters is opportunity. Just keep your eyes wide open and don’t fall into traps."

"Yes, I’ll learn from this. Next time, I’ll stay grounded. Now that I think of it, his gaze held something strange—I thought it was my imagination and brushed it off." Zhu Xueshuang’s expression shifted as she sighed, realizing how much she had overlooked, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she felt.

Chu Luoxi nodded again in understanding.

Truth be told, most students in the acting department grew up under many watchful eyes, often encountering admiring or intrigued looks and becoming immune to them.

But such immunity isn’t always a good thing—in situations like this, obvious ill intent can be disregarded.

"I never said I was in the acting department, and he mentioned it so casually, which made it seem even more credible." Zhu Xueshuang’s eyes flashed with doubt, unable to fathom how he knew and set such an easy trap. After such a scare, she needed to confide.

"That’s easy to explain," Chu Luoxi cleared her throat. "You don’t know him, but he knows you. Clearly, he’s a repeat offender, and it’s not unusual for him to have his own sources. That so-called 'chance encounter' was probably orchestrated."

People like him always target the vulnerable, minimizing trouble afterward. Just like Zhu Xueshuang in her previous life—her death was in vain, freeing herself but also removing any burden from those who’d harmed her. Who truly benefited, one couldn’t say.

Evil must be dealt with by evil. Even if Zhu Xueshuang wasn’t particularly soft, her family cared deeply about reputation. Once this weakness was exploited, tragedies like her previous life could hardly be avoided.

With that thought, Chu Luoxi wondered why someone so concerned with reputation would enter show business at all. Once you become famous, there are few who remain entirely "clean."

Sometimes, entertainment reporters lacking professional ethics will do anything for a story. The more popular you are, the more mud gets thrown, until many can barely recognize themselves in the end.

Reputation, to outsiders, is the least valued thing in this industry...

And because she knew the other party was also weak, Chu Luoxi had threatened him in return—he surely wouldn’t dare cause more trouble.

"Alright, enough about such disgusting people. Why ruin a perfectly good holiday with these bad feelings? Hey, let’s go shopping!" Liu Yujia suddenly suggested, breaking the mood and dispersing Zhu Xueshuang’s melancholy.

"Right, why worry so much? Just be careful in the future!" Chu Luoxi raised a brow. Once inside the industry, you hear and see such things all the time—no need to let them bother you.

"Okay, let’s go shopping!" Zhu Xueshuang smiled, finally letting go.

"Shopping?" Chu Luoxi caught the keyword and wilted. "No, I just exercised intensely—I’m out of energy. I need to eat..."