The boy merely had this to say in response to them, âItâs fine. Thereâs no pregnant woman here.â
âPfft!â Jun Mo was tickled. âI didnât expect you to know that pregnant women should not take in second-hand smoke.â
âYeah.â
Inwardly, though, the boy was beating his chest. He had done his homework on this matter.
There was a time when he suspected his mother of being pregnant again; hence, he had read extensively on the topic. In the end, her pregnancy turned out to be a false alarm, which vexed him for some time.
As Hua Jin was busy with his mahjong tiles, he muttered, âGu Xingze turned up for the kickoff ceremony today.â
The protagonistâs hand froze for a split second, glanced at the man, and then turned her gaze downward at her tiles before calling, âDongfeng[1].â
The young man followed suit as he gave up a similar tile, then he went on. âIf not for the superstar, the lead role wouldâve been mine! Unfortunately, he came along and cut me off the deal.â
Jun Mo was quick to dismiss his claim. âThe investor for this show favored the superstar from the start, so how did that cut you off the deal?â
âI canât accept my defeat! Why is he the one to be paired with Shishi as the best on-screen couple? I think Shishi and I are more compatible.â
Yun Shishiâs lips twitched violently for a second.
Jun Mo mercilessly continued with her digging. âYouâre far behind Xingzeâs caliber! Those female leads who acted with him have shot to stardom one after another.â
âHmph! I canât swallow that!â
The female guest seemed to recall something as she sized up the protagonist silently before commenting, âI saw Xingze some time ago; heâs with a woman who looks a lot like you.â
Yun Shishi was stunned momentarily. Looking dazed, she asked, âEh? A woman who looks like me?â
Her friend continued. âI mistook that lady for you at first; she really looks a lot like you! From her figure, I reckon that sheâs a young model. Still, itâs obvious that she went under the knife for those similar features to yours. Itâs even reported in the news before.â
The protagonist could not get over her shock yet. âAre you sure itâs him that you saw with the woman?â
âI went up to say âhiâ.â
âWhat?â The other woman was wide-eyed with shock.
Her friend explained, âI got along well with the superstar during the production, so I greeted him when I saw him. I realized that the woman wasnât you when I saw her within proximity. There were still differences despite the similarities. After all, even the most advanced reconstructive surgery wouldnât be able to replicate another person completely.â
âI see.â It was obvious that she had not gotten over her shock from the look on her face. âThere are hardly any scandals or gossip concerning him in showbiz, though.â
âThatâs true, so when I saw him leaving a hotel with that woman, I was equally surprised. I donât remember any woman being with him in the first place.â
Hotel...
Yun Shishiâs finger jerked slightly when she heard that but quickly concealed being perturbed with a calm composure. âHotel?â
It would be hard to dismiss any insinuations when he was seen hugging a woman on the way out of a hotel. There was only something that came to mind when a couple left a hotel together.
She frowned and felt unwell all of a sudden.
It was not because she was jealous over the news; rather, she did not feel good about the woman the superstar was seen with. From what her friend had told her, that woman was a youngling from the modeling industry, and it was a hedonistic trade. The young models would try all ways and means to climb up the social ladder. To her, the man was perfect and his image should not be tainted.
Is that model trying to get benefits from Xingze?
Did Xingze really like her?
In retrospect, they would not develop to that intimate stage if the couple did not have feelings for each other.
[1] âDongfengâ is one of the mahjong tiles. Players may call the name of the tile that they are giving up for other players to take.