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nThe film crew for the upcoming movie, Divergent Paths.

nLi Yu and Du Yixin had a lengthy discussion during their afternoon break yesterday. When they met once again today, the latter now seemed to have a much better grasp at acting. For the past couple of days, every scene he had with Gu Xiqiao was done in one go. Although he wasn’t as good as Li Yu, he was faring at least much better than he did previously.

nThis was especially after Fu Xuejun left. Cheng Zhou had found another film veteran who did a surprisingly good job, ensuring that the filming process went as smoothly as possible.

nAfter filming her scene, Gu Xiqiao sat down on a bench and started fiddling with her phone. She had received a text message from Jiang Shuxuan, which she finally replied to.

n“…Your Trial Tower, it’s kinda magical isn’t it?”

nShe looked up after sending her reply. Song Guanjing was sitting next to her and her mouth opened and closed, as if she was struggling to say something.

n“Sister Song, it’s alright, you can tell me what you’re trying to say.” Gu Xiqiao put her phone down and turned over to face Song Guanjing with her chin resting on her hands.

nSong Guanjing did not speak for a moment. She took out a little pouch from her pocket.

n“Little Gu, remember the talisman you gave me previously? It has now turned into this.”

nGu Xiqiao peered down at the pouch she was holding. She found it slightly amusing. “You’re still holding onto it?” Not only that, she’d even wrapped it up in a cute little pouch? The whole situation made Gu Xiqiao almost slap her forehead.

nSong Guanjing stared at Gu Xiqiao with eyes filled with conflicting emotions. It was her first time realizing that this world she lived in wasn’t all about science. That paper talisman Gu Xiqiao gave her that night, and the sparks that came out of nowhere, and now that it’s reduced into dust…who else but Gu Xiqiao would know about these phenomena?

n“Little Gu.” Song Guanjing wasn’t gonna waste her time any more. A deadpan look returned to her face. “Have you seen the rumors they’re spreading around on the internet about you?”

nGu Xiqiao searched her mind for a while and knew instantly what Song Guanjing was talking about. She responded with a faint smile. “Of course.” Not only did she merely know about it, the system had made sure to display every little detail of the article on the clear panel to her.

nWhy was she still so calm despite knowing that? Song Guanjing sounded more anxious now. “Little Gu, those people on the internet…”

n“Sister Song,” Gu Xiqiao flashed a warm smile at her. “Director Chen’s calling for you.”

nWhy was she getting worked up about this when Gu Xiqiao wasn’t?! Song Guanjing took in a deep breath and gritted her teeth. “You know what, we’ll talk about this later!”

nSheng Yin, who had just wrapped up a scene stared at Gu Xiqiao, and the calm expression she had on her face. With her head slightly bowed, the mocking look in her eyes was hidden from the people around her. “Let’s see…if you can keep that smile on your face afterward.”

nAfter Song Guanjing was done with her scene, she came back to find no signs of Gu Xiqiao anywhere. That girl had run away!

n“Guanjing.” Cheng Zhou saw the look on Song Guanjing’s face and so he patted her shoulder. “This isn’t your first time filming with her, is it? You know that she comes and goes like a phantom.”

n“But Director Cheng…” Song Guanjing sighed. “Take a look at this.” Song Guanjing showed one of the top trending articles on the internet to the Director.

nDirector Cheng glanced at it and smirked. “Guanjing, so you’re worried about these things?”

n“It’s not that I’m worried, but the rumours on the internet nowadays are just too outrageous.” Song Guanjing tapped the pages that led to another. The situation was getting out of control; Gu Xiqiao was definitely going to get defamed at this rate. “Director Chen, why don’t you seem fazed by this?”

nDidn’t Director Chen treasure Miss Gu? Why was his reaction to this so lukewarm?

n“If you’re worried about this incident,” Director Chen reached out his arm and knocked on the table. “Guanjing, think back to more than a month ago, what happened after some goons tried to defame you on the internet?”

nSong Guanjing froze up. Why couldn’t she recall what had happened?

nThat was the largest scandal that she ever got into throughout her entire career. Back then, she managed to catch wind of how powerful the people trying to crush her were; they were giants in showbiz, able to block out the sun with just their palms. It was also the reason why her “friends” had left her one after the other. Some had even tried to kick her while she was down.

nAt that moment, no one thought she’d be able to make a comeback.

nThroughout the entire entertainment industry, only those working in the crew of Empire Under Siege had faith in her. At the peak of her despair, she requested to resign from the Cheng Zhou’s cast.

nThe one who saved her ass at the final moment was Gu Xiqiao. They were closer to being “strangers” than “friends” back when this happened.

nHow could she ever forget such an important event?

n“I see you still remember what happened. I don’t see a reason for you to mull over it any longer.” Cheng Zhou pointed at Song Guanjing’s phone, which was showing a gossip article titled, “Dark Secrets About The Celebrity Surnamed Gu”

n“Trust me, the reason why this situation’s getting increasingly out of hand is because of how little Gu Xiqiao cares about it. Just wait till she gets bored of staying neutral, it would definitely turn into a bloodbath.”

nA look of anticipation and excitement surfaced on Cheng Zhou’s face when he said that.

nBeing all concerned about this really was making Song Guanjing lose her composure. She recalled how terrifying it was when Gu Xiqiao used only twenty minutes to hack into the blogger’s computer.

nSong Guanjing finally was able to calm herself down. Then, a wry smile broke across her face. When Miss Gu finally goes on the offensive, these hackers would probably run to their mothers with tears flowing down their cheeks.

nAfter all, Gu Xiqiao has always maintained a policy of non-interventionism. Should she intervene however, things would quickly turn sour.

nShe wondered how the bloggers who were trying to defame Gu Xiqiao would react if they knew that she was the greatest hacker in the world.

nThey were practically swinging their swords around foolishly in front of the God of War.

nSong Guanjing’s smile reflected her calm heart. After confirming with the Director that there wasn’t any other part she had to play today, she changed into her clothes in the dressing room and called it a day.

n“Sister Song,” Sheng Yin bumped into Song Guanjing when she left the dressing room. Because of her blunder, talking bad about Gu Xiqiao in front of Song Guanjing, she did not dare to meet the latter face-to-face after that. Sheng Yin however, was surprisingly bold today. She initiated a conversation with Song Guanjing. “Did you see what’s happening on Weibo today?”

nSong Guanjing wanted to ignore her at first but she stopped and narrowed her eyes when she heard Sheng Yin’s question. The look in her eyes was sharp and domineering. “Miss Sheng, why not use your free time to hone your acting skills rather than chit chatting. It’ll save the entire team quite a lot of time too.”

nSheng Yin’s face stiffened. She stared at Song Guanjing’s back with a gloomy expression on her face.

n“Hmph.”

n“I just wanted to remind Song Guanjing of something. Seems like she couldn’t care less about it. Fine, I’ll let you act all high and mighty for now!” For some unknown reason, Sheng Yin’s expression returned to normal.

nSong Guanjing came out after changing into a set of casual clothes. With something on her mind, she peered at Miss Yu. “Miss Yu, has Sheng Yin had any issue with Miss Gu previously?”

nMiss Yu gestured for Song Guangjing to take a seat before she started removing her makeup. The makeup artist sneered when she heard her question. “Issue? Nope, she’s just a lackey who’s sucking up to someone of power. You should know who Fu Xuejun is right?”

nFu Xuejun? Song Guanjing recalled that person making a storm in the entertainment industry quite a while ago. “I heard she’s the daughter of Wenxi. She did announce that she was going to enter showbiz. Isn’t she also in the cast of Divergent Paths? Though, so much time has passed and she still hasn’t shown up yet. The daughter of the famed movie star, huh? I’d like to get to know her sometime soon.”

nHer mother was the first actress to go international. Of course, news of her daughter choosing to enter showbiz took the circle by storm too.

n“What? The daughter of a movie star?” Miss Yu’s face lacked any significant expressions. “You shouldn’t expect too much, Guanjing. You’re better off staying with Miss Gu than that girl.”

nMiss Yu shook her head. Fu Xuejun had not even a tenth of the talent her mother had. Even now, she still wondered if that girl really was the daughter of Wenxi.

nSong Guanjing did not ask further questions upon noticing Miss Yu’s reaction. By now, she had a rough idea of what Sheng Yin was planning.

nOn the other side, Gu Xiqiao had arrived at the training grounds. Luo Wenlang and Fu Dongyi were in the middle of a discussion. When they saw her show up, Luo Wenlang stood up immediately. “Miss Gu, Dongyi is ready to train.”

n“Appreciate your work.” Gu Xiqiao placed a finger against her lips. “I wonder if sending him alone to save the Fu family will suffice.” She feared that instead of rescuing the Fu family, Fu Dongyi would kill them off one way or another.

nLuo Wenlang stretched out his hand and made a confident gesture. “As far as I know, you could send two more Fu Xuejuns and they’d still be overwhelmed by this guy.”

nAlthough only a couple of days had passed in the outside world, almost one month has gone by within this cave. To receive training over such a long period from the two most terrifying instructors, Luo Wenlang and Gu Xiqiao, even a dead log would blossom at the end of its training.

nEven Fu Dongyi was in a state of disbelief. Finally, the day had arrived where he could understand the seemingly incomprehensible project plan. What a brain-bursting arbitrage and this fantastical cave.

nEvery passing day felt increasingly like a dream to him.

n“Very well, though it’s best to not go out today.” Gu Xiqiao lowered her hands and narrowed her eyes. “You’ll set out tomorrow.”

n“Understood, Miss Gu” responded Fu Dongyi with a nod. He did not question why Gu Xiqiao said so.

nLuo Wenlang glanced at Gu Xiqiao. “I should be able to move around freely, no?”

nGu Xiqiao nodded. “Yep, you have worked hard for the past few days.”

n“…feels like I haven’t done much though.”

nIt was Gu Xiqiao who whipped up the proposal and the same went for the project plan. She had a good understanding of Fu Dongyi’s capabilities and where his shortcomings were. As for Luo Wenlang himself, he felt like nothing but a mere decor item in the cave. At most, being here was like a change in his working environment. Working hard? Nope. He’d even managed to score a look at a couple of new investment schemes from Gu Xiqiao.

n“Oh, right.” Something popped up in Luo Wenlang’s mind suddenly. “About Yu Ning, did you block him again?”

nGu Xiqiao rubbed her nose.

n“…this matter is none of your business.”

n“…”

nLuo Wenlang: ‘I am just extending a helping hand to Yu Ning! The rest is up to God!’

nThen, Wu Hongwen waltzed in excitedly. A glimmer appeared in his eyes when he saw Gu Xiqiao. “Er Qiao!”

n“You seem pretty happy?” Gu Xiqiao flashed a cheeky smile at Wu Hongwen. “You got pretty…”

nThe look in her eyes changed in a split second. “Messed up by the fight?”

n“Oh, it’s nothing but a flesh wound. Let me tell you this Er Qiao, those people from the ancient martial arts world?” Wu Hongwen wore a triumphant expression on his face. “I completely annihilated those guys!”

n“Bullcrap,” said Xiao Yun who appeared behind him. She on the other hand, wore a look of disgust on her face. “Who was it that just got his ass handed to him whole just now?”

n“…”

nWu Hongwen went silent.

n“What’s the matter?” asked Gu Xiqiao with a smile.

nXiao Yun’s face was dead serious. “In the beginning, those who came to us peacekeepers looking for trouble were merely Chi Induction users. Seems like they’ve started to incorporate higher-level fighters as we faced someone from the Bone Refinement level today. Thank God Yao Jiamu rushed in to save our butts on time, if not…”

nGu Xiqiao glanced at Wu Hongwen and she couldn’t help but massage her temples. “Why aren’t you wearing the piece of jade I gave you?”

n“Well, since we’re fighting today, I was afraid that I’d lose it.” The more Wu Hongwen spoke, the less he had the guts to continue talking.

n“Relax, even if you lose it, you won’t.” Gu Xiqiao felt a nagging urge to give that guy a b*tch slap. With a sudden jerk of her fingers, she flicked a brown pill straight into Wu Hongwen’s mouth. “Bring it with you the next time.”

nWu Hongwen nodded and asked a question at the same time. “What’s this?” The pill didn’t taste of anything. It liquefied instantly and went down his throat. All of a sudden, the pain in his body faded away, just like that.

nGu Xiqiao didn’t particularly feel like talking to her friend anymore. Her reply was rather blunt.

n“Booger.”

n“…”

nAlthough Wu Hongwen knew she was just pulling his leg, it still made him wince in disgust.

n“Xiao Yun, when Yao Jiamu and his team returns, I want you to tell every single one of them to put on the thing that I gave them.”

nXiao Yun nodded. “You need not be too worried about this. With the exception of Wu Hongwen, they’ll remember this for the rest of their lives.”

n“Very well then.” Gu Xiqiao took her phone out and looked at the time. It was getting late. “I’ll head on home now.”

nThe three of them went down their own ways at the mouth of the cave. It was then that Gu Xiqiao noticed two missed calls on her notification bar. They were both from Zhu Yuan.

nShe had been caught in his trap the moment she went onto WeChat.

nZhu Yuan: “Didn’t you promise to hand me the lab report? Beauty Gu, do you understand my feelings right now? ┭┮﹏┭┮”

nZhu Yuan: “Peng Zijie wishes to apologize to you in person!”

nZhu Yuan: “He said that it wasn’t intentional when he visited you at the filming site of ‘Divergent Paths’!”

nZhu Yuan: “…Are you actually aware that I’m sending you these text messages? God damn, don’t tell me you’ve blocked me on WeChat too?!”

nGu Xiqiao responded to his wall of texts with a single message.

nFor A Millenium: “I’ve been rather busy for the past few days. I’ll be seeing you in the near future. Do not worry, you and your team can start researching the brain’s meridian points first. I’ve handed it to Dr. Nian already.”

nGu Xiqiao was prepared to switch her phone off after sending this text message. However, a new message popped up in the nick of time. It was from Jiang Shuxuan. “I’ll bring you next time, also, are you in a feud with Baili? He told me that it’s been two days that you haven’t been picking up his calls.’”

nGu Xiqiao thought about it for a while before replying–”No, it just so happened that I had something important to attend to with Zhu Yuan. When are you coming back, Brother Jiang?”

nIt took Jiang Shuxuan quite a while to respond. “I still have a handful of days left. If you’re bored, you can head on over to the Trial Tower and have some fun.”

nGu Xiqiao sent him a simple reply before tucking her phone away. Eyes forward, she walked slowly toward her destination.

nThe system reappeared in front of her. “Beauty Qiao, the Trial Tower’s data has completely been recorded. I will send it to your computer now.”

n“Very good.” Gu Xiqiao chuckled. “Little system, why don’t you upgrade now?”

nThe system has been recording the Trial Tower’s data for the past four days, meaning its upgrade was four days overdue.

nA robotic voice boomed in her mind. “Ding! 10,000 points have been successfully deducted. The system is currently undergoing an upgrade. During a system update, the host will be unable to make contact with the virtual arena. All missions will be forcibly interrupted in this period.”

nThe system’s silhouette gradually faded away from her vision. “Expect good news Beauty Qiao!”

nGu Xiqiao remained still. She responded with a single “Alright.”

nIn a residential district near A University.

nFu Xuejun sat in the living room. It was rare for their family of three to be together in one room.

n“The company director said that business performance has been fairly good. Impressive management, I must say.” Baili Wenxi was switching TV channels with the remote she was holding. She had a pleased look on her face. “I heard you had an interview with the Finance Channel?”

n“Mommy.” Fu Xuejun clung onto Baili Wenxi’s wrist. She was grinning ear-to-ear and couldn’t suppress the sense of self-satisfaction she was feeling.

nBaili Wenxi was searching for said channel to catch her daughter’s interview when she came across an entertainment channel. She stopped immediately upon seeing a familiar face on the TV screen.

n“And now, there have been rumors on the internet, supposing that the female lead of the upcoming blockbuster, Divergent Paths, has an incredibly complicated private life. We have a netizen providing photographic evidence of such activities being committed…”

nThe female host kept on blabbering about the matter unendingly.

nFu Xuejun saw this and laughed silently. She hadn’t seen Tang Yanling anywhere for the past few days. She, who hailed from a prestigious family, probably couldn’t stand being tainted by that girl.

nThis was true for Baili Wenxi after all. Fu Xuejun understood her very well. After spending so many years in the entertainment industry, having a grain of salt in her eye was completely unacceptable. After this whole debacle ends, she was confident that whatever good impression Gu Xiqiao had made on her mother, it would all come crashing down.

nSmack!

nBaili Wenxi slammed the TV remote onto the table. Her expression had darkened significantly; she was royally pissed now.

nGreat, just as planned. Although she didn’t show it in her facial expression, Fu Xuejun was elated to see her mother’s reaction. Rage, rage as much as you want. Now that Baili Wenxi had lost her faith in Gu Xiqiao, she had nothing to fear about her. Even if the truth was to surface later on, it wouldn’t matter to her. The Fu family business was now firmly in her grasp.

nHowever, before that could happen, Fu Xuejun’s face stiffened up.

n“These paparazzi scum are truly deplorable! Why would they even care about someone else’s private life?!” Baili Wenxi was pissed, not at Gu Xiqiao but at the paparazzi. “This whole fiasco looks like it’s a pretty big deal. I wonder how Miss Gu’s gonna handle it. No wonder she seemed so down when I bumped into her this morning. I didn’t know that she’s struggling with this darned situation! No, I must give Ah Bin a call. I do recall him being fairly good friends with Miss Gu.”

nBaili Wenxi got up and went to her room to give Baili Bin a call.

nFu Xuejun remained seated on the sofa. When she heard her mother calling Baili Bin, the smile on her face grew increasingly distorted.

nHer sharp nails dug into the flesh of her palms.

nGu Xiqiao, how on earth does she manage to make the people she meets fold their principles in half?! Even Baili Wenxi had fallen for her trap?!

nAnd Gu Xiqiao, how dare she use such an underhanded move?! Meeting her mommy early in the morning? What a sly b*tch!

nHer mommy was still blissfully unaware that Gu Xiqiao was her daughter. If she were to know the truth…

nFu Xuejun could no longer stand sitting there when the possibility of that happening popped up in her mind. “Dad, I’ll be heading down now.”

nFu Wei lowered the financial newspaper he was reading. Upon thinking about it, he had decided to follow her down. He planned to have a good long talk with Fu Xuejun.

nFu Xuejun hastily ran downstairs but at the entrance to their residential park, she bumped into a familiar figure.

nHer head was slightly bowed and the both of her hands were in her pant pockets. Her silhouette was thin and she seemed to be walking at a leisurely pace. Despite the sky gradually turning dark, her snow-white face was still visible to the eye. From time to time, she’d look up and greet acquaintances and friends passing by.

nShe’d always be popular, no matter which part of the world she found herself in.

nThis was what made Fu Xuejun despise her intensely. Reaching out her arm, she stopped the person from proceeding any further.

nGu Xiqiao’s footsteps came to a stop. She squinted to look at the person who had unexpectedly blocked her way. After scanning her up and down for what seemed like an eternity, a dead serious look appeared on her face. “Miss, I must say, your gloominess indicates that a great disaster will soon befall you in the near future.

nFu Xuejun stared coldly at the cool-looking face that resembled Baili Wenxi greatly. She leaned forward and whispered into Gu Xiqiao’s ear. “…I’m here to tell you one thing and one thing only. She’s my mommy, not yours. You best not appear before her anymore. Otherwise…it’s just a snap of my finger to make someone vanish from this capital!”

nGu Xiqiao’s face remained as it was. She stared back at Fu Xuejun emotionlessly. Before she could say anything though, a looming figure appeared out of nowhere.

nBaili Bin grabbed Gu Xiqiao’s wrist. He shot the coldest, most hostile glare at Fu Xuejun, something which she had rarely ever seen in her life. “Miss Fu, bold aren’t you?”

nAs someone from the ancient martial arts world, his sensitive ears were able to pick up on Fu Xuejun’s malicious whispers, which angered him greatly. If he hadn’t come out to meet her today, how would he ever know that she harbored such ill feelings toward Gu Xiqiao.

nFu Xuejun did not expect to see Baili Bin here at this moment. Silently, she stumbled backward.

nBaili Bin did not wish to avoid a confrontation with her. He led Gu Xiqiao into the residential park with footsteps that were growing significantly louder. It was quite evident as to how much rage she had triggered within him.

nAs he stepped past the gates of the residential park, he glanced at the stunned middle-aged man standing nearby with the same look from before.

nFu Xuejun took a deep breath and turned to look at the two figures. Seeing the person standing nearby only served to make the situation worse. After freezing up for a moment, she finally opened her mouth, “Dad…”

nFu Wei looked at Fu Xuejun with an indescribable expression. After a long pause, he finally said, “Follow me back.”

nFu Xuejun trailed slowly behind Fu Wei, appearing as if every ounce of energy had been sapped away from her body.

nGu Xiqiao looked at Baili Bin’s icy expression. This was also her first time seeing him like this. She was puzzled by his reaction. For the time being, she did not dare to provoke him any further. Silently, she whipped out her phone and sent a text message to Mu Zong–”Uncle Mu, are there any financial news networks trying to interview Nine Heavens?”

nHmph! So what if they were Fu Enterprise? Did they really think she’d care? Gu Xiqiao pouted grumpily.

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