The fangirl standing next to Gu Xiqiao called out to her in an attempt to hold her back but what followed made her freeze up out of shock.

Security did not stop Gu Xiqiao from crossing the cordon. Ning Qing and Li Yu, who were walking together paused to look at Gu Xiqiao. Initially, a look of disbelief was present on both of their faces but that quickly turned into a gleeful expression.

As if they were old pals, the girl casually greeted Ning Qing and Li Yu. She took off her baseball cap, which revealed her bright, radiant eyes and her perfect face, which seemed to have almost been painted on. Although she was only sporting a regular windbreaker, the beauty that emanated off of her body was on par with that of Ning Qing, who was well-dressed for the event.

In fact, it appeared that Ning Qing’s graceful beauty had been drowned out by Gu Xiqiao’s breath-taking appearance.

As the saying goes, beautiful people are beautiful as is.

Noise from the people surrounding the fangirl died out for a brief moment before every single one of them started howling and screaming. “Tell me! Is that Beauty Gu?!”

“That’s her! She’s my favorite Princess Qixia!”

Gu Xiqiao whispered something to Ning Qing before producing a pen and paper from her pocket. Ning Qing looked down and started sketching her autograph on said paper.

After she was done with that, Gu Xiqiao picked it up and handed it to the fangirl who had unintentionally stepped on her foot earlier on. The fangirl failed to register what on earth was actually going on. With a stumped expression, she accepted the autograph all while a wave of silence swept over the people around her. She could sense many pairs of eyes looking straight at her.

“Thank you.” The fangirl could hear her own shaky voice when she thanked Gu Xiqiao, which reflected how quiet her surroundings had become. At the same time, she could hear the shouts of fans from another part of the crowd.

This person, she’s Gu Xiqiao? That girl who starred as Princess Qixia?

She never could have expected that she’d look much prettier in person than on the silver screen.

In any case, she had already lost her ability to speak.

It was at this moment that the girls and boys from before all stared wide-eyed at Gu Xiqiao. The shock they felt was of the greatest magnitude, especially considering what they had said earlier. They thought that she was just another naive little girl whose sole purpose of existence was making up exaggerated stories for the sake of attention. After all, this type of girl wasn’t exactly uncommon in today’s society.

Never could they have foreseen that this girl was Gu Xiqiao! The person whom Ning Qing had once described as her ‘savior’.

What did they say about her earlier? That she was just faking it? And to think that they had even started to mock her.

Their confidence had hit rock bottom.

Gu Xiqiao’s gaze brushed lightly over their faces as she flashed them a subtle smile before leaving the crowd.

What’s left was a cold, faint breeze.

She, Li Yu, and Ning Qing walked up to the entrance. Before striding into the building though, she turned in the direction of the sun and while squinting, she smiled as she waved her right hand.

The blinding sunlight was a tad bit too dazzling.

Not far from these guys was a large crowd who all raised their placards in unison, which read “For A Millenium” and “Beauty Gu”, both written in beautiful calligraphy. In comparison to these guys, every other celebrity’s fans paled in comparison in terms of their dedication.

Automatically, this group shifted together and surprisingly formed into a crowd larger than the one cheering for Li Yu.

“Ahhhhh! The queen is waving her hand at us!”

“After going on a hiatus for half a month, the beauty has finally returned! God damn, I’m tearing up!”

“Just let me silently upload this post. @myfriend, you said that Beauty Gu won’t be attending today’s event. Time for you to die of regret and envy!”

“The beauty did not bring Xixi or Haha with her. But I’ve seen enough. I am extremely satisfied now that I’ve seen her!”

“…”

“Seems like your fans have outgrown mine by a large stretch.” Li Yu was taken aback by this scene. Gu Xiqiao had not even debuted yet, right? She had only starred in two movies as of today and in both projects, she was only a side-character. Her popularity among the fans was kind of unsettling, no?

Ning Qing eyed Li Yu. “Do you still think she’s a regular actress?”

Li Yu was reminded of Gu Xiqiao’s identity, which made him twist his face. Nope, she’s definitely not that. Being the head honcho of Nine Heavens already made her pretty formidable so it shouldn’t come as surprising to think that she has fans all over the globe.

“Are you Li Yu’s female partner for tonight?” Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin when she posed that question.

Was it necessary for one to have a partner of the opposite sex when walking down the red carpet? Who made that rule? Gu Xiqiao recalled that Jiang Shuxuan had unfortunately left the place and even if he was present, he’d definitely not agree to walk down the aisle with her.

Ning Qing responded with a smile. “I did become who I am today thanks to this movie star, Li Yu.” In the entertainment industry, key players like Director Cheng, Li Yu, and Song Guanjing were all pretty concerned about her. Of course, this partially had to do with Gu Xiqiao. “Still, standing next to him does put quite a lot of pressure on me. How about I let you walk with him?”

Switching partners halfway along the journey wasn’t a particularly sound idea. However, Li Yu was still excited when he heard Ning Qing’s suggestion. If they couldn’t work together in a movie, perhaps they could walk down the red carpet together?

“No way, you and Li Yu need to create some gossip, maybe let them start shipping you two together.” Gu Xiqiao waved her hand. “If I were to walk with him, I’d be murdered when I get home. Think it’s best for me to find Director Cheng, the old boy.”

The corner of Li Yu’s mouth twitched. Create gossip? How could you say such a thing out in public?

The old boy, Director Cheng might just break down into tears if he heard this!

Cheng Zhou was initially turned off by Gu Xiqiao’s casual outfit. However, he let out a great sigh after peering up at her face. He now understood the saying “Man, or in this case, woman maketh the clothes”.

Gu Xiqiao took off her coat. She was actually wearing a snow-white dress underneath. It was clean, simple and it showed off her outstanding figure. Its color paired tastefully well with her bright, flawless skin.

The procession was supposed to start at 5:15 in the afternoon. Gu Xiqiao and Cheng Zhou walked the red carpet for the first time in her life. When she did so, photographers all focused their lenses on her. The snappy click of camera shutters could be heard from almost every direction.

“Little Gu, I have never been so welcomed by photographers throughout my entire career when walking down the red carpet.” Cheng Zhou took out two pens, one of which he passed over to Gu Xiqiao. On the autograph board, he signed his name.

In a neat fashion, Gu Xiqiao wrote her name down on the board.

“Gu Xiqiao.”

Journalists in front of her panned their cameras down at her signature which had bold, decisive strokes, like a procession of clouds and flowing water.

Although her signature wasn’t the largest one on the board, its beauty made it stood out like a crane among chickens.

Director Cheng, who had signed his name on the board suddenly felt the urge to erase his own autograph. He had always felt that his calligraphy wasn’t half bad but seeing what Gu Xiqiao was capable of definitely made him realize the massive gap that existed between them.

Even the host of the commentary was stunned by her complex signature.

After this part came the awards ceremony.

“You’ve been away for so many days. I see you didn’t even bother to change into another dress after coming back. Do you harbor any hard feelings against me or something?” Cheng Zhou walked up next to Gu Xiqiao and started moaning away. “And to think that you turned down this new role.” There were too many scripts he had that required Gu Xiqiao in them!

Gu Xiqiao took out her phone and spun it around her fingers. “The medical laboratory has called me countless times. Nine Heavens also has been looking for me. Someone from the international art exhibition has just informed me that they’re waiting for me to accept their award. I haven’t even reached home yet and here I am. What more do you want? Huh?”

Cheng Zhou’s response was comical. “Grandma Gu, I’m sorry, this is all my fault. Would you still consider acting in another film of mine?”

She should be tired by now right? She has gone into hiding for fifteen days after they ended filming after all!

Gu Xiqiao answered slowly. “No, no, and no.”

Cheng Zhou glared at her. He was about to say something when Li Yu patted him on the shoulder. He directed a smile at Director Cheng.

“If you’d like her to act in another film, why not wait for another two months, Director Cheng?”

“Two months? That long?” Cheng Zhou felt his soul being crushed when he heard Li Yu’s advice. “What plans does she have in the meantime?”

Can he hold out for another two months?

“Of course, she’s gonna be doing something fun.” Li Yu narrowed his eyes. The selection phase for the ranking tournament and the tournament itself should last for around two months. He believed that Gu Xiqiao would not let such a fun opportunity go to waste.

Thinking about it made him a little excited.

Chaos was exactly what he wanted for the ancient martial arts world.

“The winner of the Best Rookie Award and of the Best Female Side Character is surprisingly, the same person. Let’s take a look at this short clip that the international panel of judges sent over shall we?” The host lowered the mic and peered up at the screen behind him.

On the screen was the face of a caucasian man. “I recall clearly that I once praised the actor Li Yu for being a one-of-a-kind actor from China. Now I’d like to add one more person to this very list. That person shall be the actress that played as Princess Qixia… Gu Xiqiao. She’s a breath-taking actress. Every bit of acting she does emanates realism and I could sense her soul every time she appears on the screen. Now I’m not trying to make conclusions on how talented she is but what I saw was a person infusing her mind and soul into her job. How passionate she must’ve been to invoke such a feeling within me. I’m waiting for you. In January of next year, you will come to the international stage and receive your award.”

The hall was dead quiet after the clip ended. Receiving two awards at the same time wasn’t all that surprising. Li Yu achieved the same thing before. What shocked them was the fact that one of the judges was so impressed by her acting that he even sent a clip over!

Even Li Yu had never been treated like this before, right?

To receive affirmation from an international film critic was something every actor should be proud of.

The female host was extremely excited to see this. “And so, the winner of the Best Rookie Award and the Best Female Side Character goes to–Gu Xiqiao! Will you please come onstage to receive the award?”

Gu Xiqiao was flustered. She never expected that she’d receive two awards all for herself. Slowly, she rose from her seat and made her way to the host of the show.

The honored guest in charge of handing out the award was a lady wearing a lilac cheongsam. Her face was virtually untouched by the effects of time. She passed two award cups over to Gu Xiqiao and as she did so, the excitement in her eyes was barely contained.

Gu Xiqiao was surprised for the second time as she did not expect to see Baili Wenxi here. She bowed politely at her before taking the trophies. She showed restraint in her mannerism, without even the slightest hint of turbulence.

Baili Wenxi took a look at her for one last time. The dejected expression she initially was wearing faded away and seeing Gu Xiqiao invigorated her for some unknown reason.

Cheng Zhou looked up at the stage in awe. If ‘Divergent Paths’ were to be released earlier, then Ning Qing probably would have to give up on receiving the title of Best Female Lead. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but scratch his head at what was going on in Gu Xiqiao’s mind. Her plans all included consideration for her buddies, all while keeping them completely in the dark. She did this with Xiao Yun as well as Ning Qing.

To be honest, it was quite obvious on the faces of many other actors that they had already given up upon realizing that Gu Xiqiao was present tonight.

Cheng Zhou stole a glance at Ning Qing. She clapped for Gu Xiqiao enthusiastically, before writing something on Weibo. Seems like she’s happier to see her friend receive an award than receiving one herself.

After giving her speech, Gu Xiqiao left the stage with two trophies in hand. Her facial expression was the same old despite what had just happened.

She returned to her seat but her eyes appeared to be gazing upwards.

“What are you looking at?” whispered Li Yu behind her. He followed her eyes and the only thing he could see was a patch of darkness.

Gu Xiqiao glanced back at him casually and replied, “I don’t know if I should say it out or not.”

“Spit it out.”

“Your fly is down.”

Li Yu reached down to touch his crotch and the corner of his mouth twitched immediately after. ‘F*ck, I got punked. How embarrassing can this interaction be!’

This award ceremony was boring. Incredibly boring. It continued on until 9pm at night and that was when Gu Xiqiao took out her phone and sent Jiang Shuxuan a message.

Xiao Yun, who had been sitting nearby, finally approached Gu Xiqiao in her long dress after the event was over. “Er Qiao, you didn’t tell me you were coming back today!”

She had been so surprised by her sudden appearance that she almost stepped on the hem of her dress and tripped over when they were at the red carpet.

“I was thinking of visiting you tomorrow.” Gu Xiqiao flashed a cheeky smile at her.

Her enthusiasm however, was only met with a tired sigh. “You’ve only left the capital for a few days and so many things have happened.”

Gu Xiqiao contemplated about something for a while before squinting at Xiao Yun. “Hmm… have the Tang family come to find you?”

“Cough cough…” Xiao Yun nearly coughed her lungs out when she heard that. Gu Xiqiao patted her back in an attempt to calm her down.

Xiao Yun successfully stifled her coughing before she looked over at Gu Xiqiao with shock in her eyes. “How’d you know?”

Gu Xiqiao reached out her delicate finger and pointed forwards. Her response was accompanied by a chuckle. “I spy with my eye, Tang Qingqiu’s car over there. You best be on your way now.”

Xiao Yun peeked at Gu Xiqiao with a reluctant look on her face. In the end, she made the call to march towards the car. In any case, this issue must be made clear to her. She had only walked forwards two steps before she ground to a halt. “Oh right, our gaming group is planning an offline meetup. Little Wu and I are planning to attend. What about you?”

Gu Xiqiao put away her phone and rubbed her chin. “When’s it happening?” Her in-game friends were all pretty lovable characters.

“The day after tomorrow,” replied Xiao Yun.

“Sure.” There was still quite a bit of time left before the ranking tournament selection starts. She rolled her eyes around and came to the conclusion that it would be interesting to meet her friends personally.

They’re a hopeless bunch anyway.

Tang Qingqiu stepped down from the car. His face was solemn. As a greeting gesture, he nodded at Gu Xiqiao before returning to the driver’s seat. The black car then sped away into the darkness of the night.

Gu Xiqiao stood there motionlessly for a moment before looking over in a seemingly random direction. “Come on out.”

Her surroundings were dimly lit and Gu Xiqiao crossed her arms, waiting there patiently as she squinted in a specific direction.

Not long after, behind a pillar came a man sporting a black suit. Looking over, a gentle and calm face was revealed. There was not a single bit of awkwardness in the air between them. He smiled at her, which seemed to have the effect of brightening up the whole place in an instant.

It was a face that was seemingly hand-drawn by a master artist.

This face was foreign to her. She had never met this person before, which made her feel slightly weary.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Gu.” The man walked forwards and following behind him was a middle-aged man. “I am Chu Ziheng, the sponsor of this year’s Hundred Flowers Award. I was wondering if you’re interested in starring in another movie?”

His voice sounded soothing, like a cool breeze, or the bright moon.

Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes at him. She was about to turn him down when someone did just that for her. “I’m sorry but she isn’t interested in that.”

Looking back, Gu Xiqiao was greeted with the familiar face of Jiang Shuxuan. His thin lips were tightly pursed as he glared at the man with hostility in his eyes. If looking at someone could kill, then Chu Ziheng would’ve been chopped up into a thousand pieces by now.

Chu Ziheng smiled calmly back at Jiang Shuxuan. His voice was unfazed despite being met with such a cold response. “I see, what a shame. Well I hope that we can work together next time.”

Jiang Shuxuan ignored him. Pulling on Gu Xiqiao’s wrist, he led her away immediately. Turning back, he said, “Don’t you look back at him.”

“I’m not.” Gu Xiqiao smiled back at him. “Let’s go home. God, I’m starving.”

Jiang Shuxuan took a good look at her face and was only satisfied after he was convinced that she really was not tempted by those two from before.

***

Chu Ziheng watched as the both of them left before chuckling to himself. “What an interesting character. I want information on this actress.”

“Yes Mr. President.” the assistant next to him nodded.

A black car slowly rolled into a residential park.

Jiang Shuxuan stopped the car before he embraced Gu Xiqiao. He then brought her upstairs. While they were in the elevator, as the number on the floor level indicator kept rising, Jiang Shuxuan broke the silence. “Don’t be too shocked later.”

“What’s going on?” Gu Xiqiao looked up at him.

Jiang Shuxuan remained silent but a smile had broken across his face.