CSGM - Chapter 37
Chapter 37: You're Gay?
"..."
Three dark lines seemed to appear on Ren Zhi's forehead as she pulled Chu Xi inside.
Sure enough, it seemed nothing could dampen Chu Xi's optimistic mood.
Even with the nasty comments online-"Can this nobody stay away from Ren Zhi and stop leeching off her fame?" "Who the hell is Chu Xi? Never heard of her. Dating Ren Zhi? Is Ren Zhi doing poverty relief now?"-her impenetrable mindset remained completely unshaken.
It was probably because Chu Xi saw all her haters as pig-headed fools.
"Hmph. You've had your fun. Be serious now," Ren Zhi reminded her.
Chu Xi clicked her tongue. "Tsk."
"How can those people online be so stupid? They actually believe you're a lesbian, and that I am too? Does lifting someone's chin automatically make you gay?"
What a bunch of clowns, Chu Xi thought. Hilarious.
She reached out and playfully scratched Ren Zhi's chin, thinking it was no big deal. They were both women, so what was wrong with a little touch?
Ren Zhi had even watched her change clothes before. If lifting a chin was considered dating, then did her undressing count as seduction? A crime, even?
Ren Zhi raised her hand and slapped it away with a sharp smack, shooting her a glare.
"Oww-"
The back of Chu Xi's hand instantly turned red.
The slap stung. It seemed Ren Zhi was genuinely angry about this whole affair.
Chu Xi felt she was being treated as collateral damage.
Sure enough, Ren Zhi said disdainfully, "Are you trying to get photographed again?"
But Chu Xi replied, "Don't worry, there definitely won't be anyone secretly taking pictures tonight. The evidence of last night's crime was just exposed online. Would he really dare to pull the same stunt again so soon?"
Ren Zhi retorted, "The paparazzi are on the job twenty-four hours a day."
"What if it wasn't a paparazzo?" Chu Xi countered.
"...What do you mean?" Ren Zhi froze for a moment.
Chu Xi's expression turned mysterious again. She just smiled without saying a word.
Used to this behavior, Ren Zhi just scoffed. "Fine, don't tell me."
Chu Xi changed the subject. "So, what are you going to do now? Debunk the rumor?"
Ren Zhi replied, "Yes. I'll have my PR team handle it. I can send you a copy of the plan if you want."
Chu Xi sat down at the foot of the bed, her eyes curving into a smile as she looked at Ren Zhi. "Are you paying for it?"
"It's no trouble."
"We're not even girlfriends yet and I'm already spending your money. How embarrassing."
Chu Xi teased mischievously.
It seemed she found it rather amusing to say the word "girlfriend" out loud to Ren Zhi.
This generation of netizens, dumb as pigs, could really dream up any kind of relationship. It was laughable. She and Ren Zhi were two perfectly straight women.
Ren Zhi glanced at Chu Xi's pretty mouth, which seemed incapable of saying anything sensible, and suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.
"You're straight, right?"
If she's straight and still dares to flirt like that, she deserves to be punished.
"Of course," Chu Xi answered without a second thought.
Little did she know what a painful price she would one day pay for that flippant, youthful answer.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she paused, sensing something was off with the logic.
-Would a straight woman ask another woman if she was straight?
She snapped her head up, her gaze locking onto Ren Zhi.
The burning intensity of her stare made Ren Zhi feel a little flustered.
Ren Zhi said, "As long as you are..."
Chu Xi shot to her feet, tilting her head as she looked at Ren Zhi and asked with amusement, "You're not actually a lesbian, are you?"
"You're gay? You like women?"
"No wonder you wouldn't even let me see you change in the tent. You weren't afraid I'd fall for you, were you? Sister Zhi, don't tell me I hit the nail on the head?"
She walked toward Ren Zhi step by step. Noticing the way Ren Zhi's eyes subconsciously darted away, the smile on her lips deepened. She looked as smug as if she had just uncovered a world-shattering secret.
Of course, Ren Zhi wasn't about to admit it.
She just sneered, "Heh."
Whether she was gay or not was none of Chu Xi's business, was it? It's not like they were going to date, anyway.
Chu Xi gave a knowing little smile, paused for a moment, and then said suddenly,
"It's no big deal. I don't discriminate. Besides, I don't think any man is good enough for you, either."
Ren Zhi scoffed again. "You should still keep your distance from me. Regardless of my orientation, I have no intention of dating unless I'm no longer famous and have retired from the industry. For now, I don't want any more rumors."
Her career-focused brain was a very real part of her.
Chu Xi nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true. For someone as beautiful and famous as you, I don't think any other woman is good enough for you, either."
Chu Xi looked at her with a grin. "You're better off single. It suits you."
"..."
Ren Zhi felt that being around Chu Xi was making her temper worse. She often had the urge to hit someone.
She let out a breath, trying to calm the irritability that was probably from her lack of carbs, and got down to business with Chu Xi.
"Since we're both innocent, just wait for my official statement debunking the rumor. Or do you want to post something yourself? If you do, you'd better let me see it first. Don't say anything reckless."
Chu Xi asked her, "Debunk it? How? Just post a single sentence?"
Her question seemed tinged with disdain.
Ren Zhi corrected her. "A whole paragraph, of course. It will explain that we were just rehearsing our lines last night."
Chu Xi let out a rude laugh that sounded suspiciously like a scoff.
Used to it by now, Ren Zhi couldn't be bothered to react.
As she was leaving, Chu Xi said, "I prefer to let the evidence do the talking. You just wait for my good news."
That night, Chu Xi went to see the Director again, meeting him at the ground-floor entrance of the crew's hotel.
She got straight to the point.
"That whole thing is fake, so you don't need to worry. I'm taking your money to work for you every day; where would I find the time to date?"
"Really?" Seeing her casual attitude, the Director was actually a little disappointed.
"Of course it's true. You actually believed such an outrageous rumor? You should get your head checked."
"Sigh..." The Director sighed.
He had thought he'd get to see Chu Xi act like a lovesick puppy. It seemed he was destined for disappointment!
Chu Xi didn't understand. She laughed and said, "What are you sighing for? It has nothing to do with you. However, I do have something to tell you that does concern you."
"What is it?" the Director asked.
"You have a mole on your crew, someone working as a paparazzo. The photos from last night were taken by one of your own people."
"?!" The Director's eyes went wide.
People like that were the most despicable in the industry. On the surface, they were just crew members, but in reality, they were paparazzi in disguise, embedding themselves in various productions to secretly capture and sell exclusive material.
This type of paparazzo had no professional ethics and was the most reviled in the industry-everyone wanted them gone. How was such a disgusting act any different from being a spy?
The Director looked at Chu Xi in disbelief. "How do you know?"
Chu Xi said calmly, "His clothes got snagged and torn in the bushes where he was hiding. The fabric was from the work uniforms you issued. It's a good thing the quality is so terrible, or I might not have noticed."
The Director was speechless. "..."
"Then I'll check everyone's uniforms tomorrow and see whose is torn. I'll catch him!"
A cancer like that couldn't be allowed to remain on the crew.
"Don't bother, that's useless. The tear is tiny, and besides, plenty of people have tattered uniforms."
"Then what should I do?"
"Just find out who wasn't back in their room by eleven last night and also changed their uniform today. There can't be many people who fit both criteria. When you find him, send me his name," Chu Xi advised.
The Director wanted to find this paparazzo, and so did she.
She didn't have any evidence to clear Ren Zhi's name, but the paparazzo who had been persistently filming from across the way certainly did.
It didn't take long after she tasked the Director with this. An hour later, he sent Chu Xi a message.
Only one person met both conditions: a field logistics staffer named Sun Changyun. The Director agreed he was a likely suspect, as he was a recent hire and the Director wasn't familiar with his background.
Chu Xi: 【Don't say anything to him. Have him wait for me in the break room at seven tomorrow morning.】
The next day, Chu Xi arrived at the RV restaurant two hours before the other cast members.
She yawned and lazily pushed open the door to the break room.
The man the Director had summoned was sitting inside waiting for her. He was a field logistics staffer named Sun Changyun, with a buzz cut, a flat, round face that seemed to have no chin, and beady, round eyes. He looked exceptionally... clueless.
He stood up and said timidly, "Teacher Chu, good morning."
Chu Xi smiled, locked the door, and walked slowly toward him. "Good morning. Sit."
She placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed him back down into the chair Luo Yangtian usually used for his tutoring sessions.
The staffer, not knowing what was happening, rubbed his hands together and smiled awkwardly. "Teacher Chu, what did you need me for?"
Chu Xi seemed to ponder his question for a moment, as if she found it amusing. She chuckled and asked in return,
"You don't know why I asked to see you?"
"Uh... I don't."
The staffer played dumb, shaking his head. His clueless eyes were wide and round, as if opening them any wider might make him look innocent.
Chu Xi smiled nonchalantly, her suspicion deepening.
Everyone on the crew knew about the scandal with her and Ren Zhi from yesterday. It was all over the internet. Anyone who saw them would give them a "special look," sizing them up. And yet, he claimed to know nothing.
Such an unnatural denial only made him look more guilty.
She enunciated each word clearly. "The night before last, you were the one who took the photos of me and Ren Zhi."
It was a statement, not a question.
The staffer feigned surprise. "Huh? No way, Teacher Chu. How could I possibly take pictures of you? That's... that's a ridiculous accusation!"
Chu Xi cracked her knuckles. Amidst the popping sound, she tilted her head, feigning deep thought.
"But the hotel's front desk said you weren't back in your room by eleven the night before last. Where did you go? There's nothing to do around here, and the crew's movements are all logged in detail. If you went into the city, why isn't there a transportation record for you in the logbook?"
"Teacher Chu, you're overthinking things. I wasn't in my room because I was looking at the scenery. It's my first time here, so I was curious and just wandered around a bit."
Chu Xi nodded slowly, pacing beside him.
With each soft, deliberate footstep, the break room suddenly felt cramped. The square space seemed to close in, creating an inexplicable pressure.
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