Chapter 50

Kong Xiyan didn't learn about Guo Yixi's plan to expose the inside story of Wei Yan and He Wei's divorce until the next day on set. Many people were huddled over their phones, whispering, "Is there really an inside story or not?"

"Pfft, how could it be real?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe there was another reason back then."

"Tsk, just don't know if she'll drag her into it."

Everyone's gaze drifted toward Kong Xiyan.

That incident had caused a huge stir back then. As one of the main parties, if Guo Yixi had so-called inside information, who knew if Kong Xiyan would be implicated.

Since the broadcast of "Breaking the Cocoon," Kong Xiyan's popularity had been slowly rising. If Guo Yixi dragged her into this matter, all her previous efforts would have been in vain.

So everyone was in a mood to watch the show unfold.

Only that Kong Xiyan currently had Assistant Zhou shielding her.

The people on set only whispered among themselves, not daring to ask Kong Xiyan anything directly, and even pretending nothing had happened around her.

Fu Qiu sat beside her and, after she finished her makeup, whispered, "Sister Kong, do you know about the expose Guo Yixi mentioned on Weibo?"

Kong Xiyan hummed in acknowledgment and turned to look at her.

Fu Qiu took out her phone and showed Kong Xiyan the Weibo post: "It's this."

Guo Yixi's Weibo boasted a few words: "If you don't want others to know, don't do it."

The comments below were all discussing Wei Yan and He Wei, as well as Kong Xiyan.

— Miss Guo has inside scoop on He Wei and Wei Yan's divorce? Who's she fooling? Holding it in for three years and only now exposing it?

— Oh no, Miss Guo's gone crazy. She might drag people from the entertainment industry down with her.

— Serves them right. Usually they act so high and mighty, but they're just sluts anyone can have.

— The person above talks really ugly. If you're a loser, go look in the mirror more, okay? Even if they are sluts, they're sluts you can't have.

— I reasonably suspect Miss Guo is trying to whitewash Kong the homewrecker.

— Agreed. Aren't the two the same type? Maybe they've already secretly joined forces.

— That's true, a bit.

— Delightful. Has Miss Kong exposed anything today?

Kong Xiyan returned the phone to Fu Qiu and asked, "When did she say she'd expose it?"

Fu Qiu: "Yesterday afternoon."

Kong Xiyan lifted her eyes to look at herself in the mirror, fell silent for a moment, and said nothing.

Guo Yixi had indeed acted with them back then.

In that idol drama, she had a cameo as a third female lead, with few episodes in the latter half of the plot, so it was entirely possible she knew something.

Seeing Kong Xiyan silent, Fu Qiu scratched her head: "Sister Kong, are you upset?"

Kong Xiyan turned her head: "No, I'm not."

Fu Qiu's tone was cautious: "But what if Guo Yixi's matter involves you..."

Kong Xiyan shook her head: "It won't."

If it really did involve her, it would help clear her name.

Guo Yixi wouldn't be that stupid.

She was posting this now just to threaten He Wei and Wei Yan.

She couldn't continue in the entertainment industry, but she could still extort a sum.

Otherwise, given her current desperate situation, if she truly wanted to expose everything and go down together, she wouldn't give Wei Yan and He Wei any breathing room.

She would have already revealed it.

Although Kong Xiyan hadn't spent much time with Guo Yixi, she knew a bit about her temperament.

Seeing her say that, Fu Qiu silently shut her mouth and obediently crouched beside her.

Shortly after, Director Sun called them to get ready for filming.

The next two episodes were about the daily interactions between Chu Qian and the Crown Prince, then the scene shifted to her returning to the mansion and receiving news that Lin Liang wasn't dead but severely injured and currently in Wei.

She quickly told her father, and when he went to the palace, she had already left the Prime Minister's mansion ahead of him, calling for a carriage to secretly enter Wei.

During this period, netizens were too absorbed in Guo Yixi's big gossip, so attention to the drama wasn't as enthusiastic as before. The number of viewers for the latest two episodes released this week had noticeably dropped, and ratings had fallen.

During a break in filming, Kong Xiyan saw He Wei sitting on a chair outside, script in hand. The two sets were adjacent, so she could naturally also see Kong Xiyan.

She curled her lips in a contemptuous smile and lowered her head.

A moment later, her assistant walked over and called out, "Sister He Wei, have something hot to drink."

He Wei took the cup, tilted her head, and said with a pursed smile, "Aren't you going to say hello?"

Her assistant followed her gaze to Kong Xiyan: "To her? Forget it."

He Wei elegantly sipped her hot milk and said coolly, "She's still your sister after all."

Zhou Han's eyes flashed with malice; she blinked and said, "By the way, Sister He Wei, I heard from people on their crew that she's latched onto that assistant from Jingyan."

He Wei paused in her milk-drinking: "Jingyan?"

"Assistant Zhou?"

Zhou Han nodded: "Mm."

He Wei narrowed her eyes, her expression turning cold, her fingertips rubbing the edge of the milk tea cup. After a moment, she said, "Got it. I'll rest a while; you go dig up more news."

Zhou Han understood and left He Wei's side.

After she left, He Wei took out her phone and sent a message: Kong Xiyan has latched onto Zhou Sheng from Jingyan. Did you know?

Soon, the other side replied: Is that so? So it was through him she got the opportunity.

He Wei's brows knitted slightly: Could it bring up old matters?

Bring up? What waves can it stir? Don't worry, I'll handle it.

He Wei clutched her phone, still uneasy about the message from the other side.

She glared hatefully at Kong Xiyan.

Back then, three years ago, she had dealt her a fatal blow, yet she could still stand up again. It was maddening!

Kong Xiyan felt He Wei's gaze, tilted her head to glance over, and saw He Wei had already turned to look elsewhere. She lowered her eyes and heard someone call, "Sister Kong! Touch-up makeup!"

"Okay."

She responded lightly. The makeup artist came over to touch up her makeup, and Fu Qiu helped her take off her coat and stepped aside.

Kong Xiyan was afraid of the cold, and her face tended to turn pale in the wind. Fu Qiu saw her still trembling slightly in front of the camera. She thought for a moment, put the down jacket aside, picked up a cup, and went to the break room inside to get hot water.

The break room was inside the building, past the restroom. Fu Qiu walked hurriedly with the cup in hand, and as she lowered her head to pour out the warm water from the cup, she heard voices from behind the partition.

"She has that kind of relationship with Assistant Zhou?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're just mutually consensual friends with benefits."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Last time, you didn't know, Assistant Zhou fiercely stood up for her, making Guo Yixi and Wu Qing freeze in the water all afternoon."

"Also, I heard she raises cats. Then guess what? Someone saw Assistant Zhou carrying the cat for shots. Tell me, if they weren't together, what else could it be?"

"Wait, how do you know she raises cats?"

The woman speaking laughed mockingly: "How else? Her assistant said so. Honestly, if you ask me, if you want to dig up info on her, you can just go to her assistant."

"She's just a fresh college grad with a loose mouth. Coax her a bit and she'll spill everything, maybe even give you juicier news."

"Maybe she'll even uncover where they hook up."

After saying that, she let out a derisive laugh.

Outside, Fu Qiu's face flushed red. She clutched the cup tightly, eyes bloodshot. Hearing the flush sound from behind the stalls, she quickly hid behind a stall door and latched it shut.

Her mind was in turmoil.

She never knew that casually mentioning to Xiao Cheng that Sister Kong kept a cat could be blown out of proportion and even spawn such rumors.

Thinking that part of Sister Kong's reputation had been unintentionally ruined by her, she was so angry she wanted to cry.

Fu Qiu bit her lip hard, gripping the cup tightly. She desperately wanted to rush out and argue with these people, to say Sister Kong wasn't like that, that she had no deal with Assistant Zhou at all.

But rationality told her she had to endure.

If she went out now and, in her anger, said something she shouldn't, it would only make things harder for Sister Kong.

Fu Qiu took several deep breaths, trembling with anger yet forcing herself to suppress her temper, until the restroom door creaked open and shut again before she let out a heavy sigh.

Kong Xiyan noticed Fu Qiu's expression seemed a bit off. She had just finished a scene and returned to her chair when she noticed.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and the tip of her nose was red, too.

Not like she'd been cold.

More like she'd been crying.

She picked up the cup, took a sip of hot water, and asked, "What's wrong? Who bullied you?"

Fu Qiu looked up at the words. The gossip on set had surely already reached Sister Kong's ears, but she never blamed her, just warned her that loose lips sink ships. Thinking of that, she wished she could slap herself hard a few times.

She had failed Sister Kong's trust.

Kong Xiyan saw she wasn't speaking, just staring blankly at her, and touched her own cheek: "What's the matter?"

Fu Qiu stammered, "Sister Kong."

Her voice was choked with tears: "I'm sorry."

"Earlier, I..."

Kong Xiyan interrupted her: "Earlier? I've already forgotten most of what happened before."

Fu Qiu endured, pouting and staying silent.

She knew Sister Kong was covering for her, and her guilt deepened. Kong Xiyan told her to crouch down, patted her head, and was then called by Director Sun to film.

Fu Qiu was comforted.

Her furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Just as she turned to tidy Sister Kong's things, she heard a voice beside her: "Fu Qiu?"

Fu Qiu turned around.

Zhou Han smiled and introduced herself: "I'm Kong Xiyan's sister, Zhou Han."

Fu Qiu extended her hand: "Hello."

A dark look flashed in Zhou Han's eyes: "My sister is filming and probably won't be free for a while. Could I ask you about her situation? You know, our family situation is quite complicated. Actually, my mom and I care about her a lot..."

Zhou Han spoke with a sincere tone. If Fu Qiu hadn't recognized her voice as one of those in the restroom, she might have been fooled.

No, she definitely would have been fooled. This was Sister Kong's sister, after all; just thinking about it made her excited, and she'd probably spill everything after two sentences with Zhou Han.

But she had recognized the voice.

Fu Qiu sneered inwardly at herself. Look, others know you have a loose mouth, but you still think you're all happy-go-lucky.

She lowered her head and, with downcast eyes, interrupted Zhou Han: "Yes, I've heard before that Sister Kong's family situation is complicated. It seems her parents both passed away, and the remaining relatives don't keep in touch much. Which sister of Sister Kong are you, Miss Zhou?"

"I'm her... her..."

"Zhou Han!"

Someone called from not far away. Zhou Han quickly smiled at Fu Qiu and said, "Sorry, I'm busy. Talk next time."

Fu Qiu watched her leave with a fake smile.