Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 323: Love at First Sight?

Yu Xia took a while before she remembered who Pei Lu was, glanced outside, and then sat down.

"If he wants to go down this path, let him. But whether it’s easy or not can’t be seen in just a day or two."

Let’s just say he’s very short-sighted. Imitating a top-tier star isn’t that simple; you rise fast, but you can fall just as quickly.

Besides, the person he’s imitating is the boss of Changhui, quite a capable individual.

A few friends in the circle gathered around, looking satisfied with the gossip they’d heard.

"Did he get plastic surgery? I followed that talent show before, and didn’t think he looked so much like Cheng Yiding at the time."

"Of course he did. Their company, which is that Hongyun Economic Company specializing in cultivating idols, loves to play this game. They take advantage where they can and ride on coattails whenever possible. Recently, they’ve even started copying other entertainment companies by grooming idols to transition into actors."

"How do you know so much?"

"The new drama I took on had a newcomer added in as a cast member."

"Ugh, these days so many crews love using popular idols to attract viewers. Even having them as supporting roles is considered lucky; some even let idols who don’t know anything be the leads. I really don’t know if it’s because actual actors are gone or there are too many idols struggling to get jobs."

"Idols thrive on their youth, and acting is easy. As long as someone is supporting them, reading one, two, three, four, five off a teleprompter twice can easily outshine us classically trained actors."

Everyone was discussing, and their words didn’t reflect a good impression of popular idols.

Yu Xia ate her fish leisurely without joining the conversation, occasionally picking up some gossip and rumors from their discussion as a side dish.

But since they were talking gossip, the main subject of the latest and biggest gossip was sitting right next to them, and inevitably got mentioned.

So, as Yu Xia ate, she found herself brought into the center of the topic.

"Not all idol actors are flops. Isn’t there a new idol over at Changhui who’s acting too? A top-tier one, and even collaborated with Yu Xia, right, Yu Xia?"

Everyone turned to look at her in unison.

Yu Xia raised an eyebrow, sipped some wine, and said, "If you want to ask something, just ask. Do you really have to ask if I’ve collaborated with him?"

Wasn’t it something that became known to everyone online a few months ago? How could they not know?

Seeing her loosened demeanor, someone plucked up the courage, lowered their chopsticks, and with a playful wink asked, "Does he genuinely like you?"

Another person chimed in, "Hey, what kind of pointless question is that? Didn’t he already say it straight in the show?"

"It’s not like people haven’t pretended to be affectionate on camera before. Didn’t you also spark romance rumors with a fellow actor on a reality show before?"

"True, under the camera lens, a rat snake can pretend to be a viper."

"So Yu Xia, is that younger guy for real?"

After they had their fill of talking, Yu Xia finally said slowly, "Do I look like someone who enjoys being bound by artificial affection?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The friend raising the question arched an eyebrow, showing a knowing expression.

"So it’s true. Classic Yu Xia, as a mentor making a top-tier younger guy fall for you at first sight. Wow, love at first sight, right?"

A host joined in with a mischievous wink: "I ran into that young guy on a show before. His looks are beyond words; he definitely didn’t seem like the type to fall at first sight—more like the type who wouldn’t relent no matter how others cling."

"That’s just how he is with you. If you look at him with Yu Xia, though I didn’t watch their escape show, I’ve frequently encountered clips of them while surfing incognito. The most famous one, surely you’ve seen—that hand-to-hand dumpling catch? Damn, it truly moved me."

"What does moving you matter? The person he wants to move is sitting across from you."

"It’s like his eyes shine too brightly; he got love at first sight for the hardest person to impress."

Yu Xia’s quite the formidable female star. As soon as she debuted, she dared to date Xi Heng, then dumped Xi Heng to be with co-star Yu Zhi, only to later leave Yu Zhi for her career.

Even male stars in the circle aren’t necessarily bold enough to do such things openly, yet for her, it’s as easy as a walk in the park.

Moreover, with that face of hers and her rapidly rising status over the past two years, she probably has enough admirers to form another talent show 101.

Xie Qingci can, at most, be considered the peak of looks among them; his status is unstable, his strengths, unproven, and when it comes to money, he can’t compare to other wealthy CEOs.

Could he impress Yu Xia when others couldn’t?

Perhaps he could. After all, anyone with eyes could see that Yu Xia didn’t seem to reject him. Knowing that he likes her and not pushing him away suggests a significant opportunity.

"Yu Xia, are you somewhat moved? A young man’s passionate love is like the summer sun, right? It speeds up your heartbeat, doesn’t it?"

Yu Xia: "My heartbeat speeds up if I run a few more steps."

"But overall, you’re somewhat expecting something, right? Didn’t this episode say a couple’s quarrel involved you guys, and you even stood up for the younger guy?"

If you’re standing on the same side, isn’t that what it means to be moved?

"By the way," a nearly first-tier male star hesitantly asked her, "Isn’t there a rumor recently that the new guy got too deep into character and fell in love due to the role? People even found out he actually consulted a psychologist."

"Maybe the drama was too tormenting?" She took the chance to plug her show, "You guys can look forward to that drama; do me a favor and promote it when the time comes."

As for the issue of Xie Qingci falling in love due to being too deep in character, she didn’t directly answer, merely smiled without speaking, and continued eating fish, taking time to respond to Xie Qingci’s check-in message.

They couldn’t get anything concrete out of her, but could glean something from her attitude, exchanging knowing glances.

There was definitely something going on.

The meal was really just a chance to maintain relationships and chat about gossip. Everyone had to keep their figures, so they didn’t eat much of the fish, but they definitely had their fill of gossip.

From relationships and breakups to divorces, cheating during marriage, and even legal troubles, the amount of gossip in this circle was endless.

By the end, everyone acted like they were about to burp with cloying satisfaction, as if the fish hot pot were some kind of culinary excellence.

Leaving, Yu Xia led the way to settle the bill, coincidentally bumping into Pei Lu, who had just seen off a rich woman.

Pei Lu happily greeted her, enthusiastically calling her "Yu Xia," and Yu Xia smiled and nodded, without further conversation.

However, Pei Lu seemed oblivious and stood by waiting for her to pay, then warmly asked them, "Yu Xia, did you come with friends to eat here? I was just with my friends too and didn’t see you; otherwise, I’d have brought over a drink to join you. I haven’t had a chance to thank you for helping us back then, Yu Xia."

Putting aside the issues with character and that "friend’s" true identity, Pei Lu’s comments were quite tactful. When you think about their colleague Song Xi, who is similarly adept at interacting with people, it seems their company isn’t an idol management company but rather a social training academy.