Entangled in Rumor

Fang Xiaoyu played with the smooth jade pendant in his hand, looking at Cheng Yuer with a smile: "Oh, so what's your choice, Goddess Cheng?"

Cheng Yuer rolled her eyes at Fang Xiaoyu and, with a determined look in her eyes, said, "If leaving is the only option, then I'll leave. Dealing with Chen Fei every day has become unbearable."

She then, with a touch of apology, said to Fang Xiaoyu, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble this time. You saved me, and now Chen Fei might have some thoughts about you."

Fang Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile, "If it's just about leaving, I can just pack up and go. What can she do to me?"

If it were before, Fang Xiaoyu wouldn't have had the confidence to say such things. Having climbed up from the bottom to become part of the crew, giving it up so easily would have required significant determination.

Cheng Yuer was slightly stunned and looked at Fang Xiaoyu with surprise.

Fang Xiaoyu returned to his accommodation.

In the shared room, where four crew members lived, the other three joked with Fang Xiaoyu about being a hero and getting special treatment from the director, saying he would definitely do better in the future. They all urged him to treat them.

So, Fang Xiaoyu was dragged out to eat and drink, and after paying, he found that his account balance was only in the four-digit range, causing him to smile wryly.

With not much money to begin with, he had spent it all on several girlfriends. Once they realized that Fang Xiaoyu, despite being good in bed, was essentially broke, they dumped him one after another. With repeated breakups, he had little left to save.

The next morning, Fang Xiaoyu packed up and rushed to the set. Even though with his current skills, he had no need to stay in this crew, film had become a part of his life since he grew up on set. He had not yet considered leaving the industry.

From a distance, he saw Assistant Director Li Gan waving at him, "Fang Cheng, come over. I need to talk to you."

His roommates teased him, "Hurry up, seems like you're about to get promoted."

Fang Xiaoyu shrugged and walked over to Li Gan's van. The roommates looked at Fang Xiaoyu's retreating figure with some strange expressions, commenting on how he seemed transformed, like a gentleman.

He knocked on the van door, and upon it opening, Li Gan looked up and said, "Fang Cheng, come in. Remember to close the door."

Fang Xiaoyu casually flipped the jade pendant in his fingers as he entered the van, closed the door, and took a seat with ease, as if it were his own territory.

Li Gan, seeing Fang Xiaoyu's calm demeanor, was momentarily taken aback and a bit dazed. He quickly recovered and pushed a contract in front of Fang Xiaoyu, saying, "Sign this contract."

The authoritative tone made Fang Xiaoyu raise an eyebrow. He took the contract, quickly scanned it, and understood its contents.

A slight smile appeared on Fang Xiaoyu's lips as he realized that Cheng Yuer was right. The innocent were affected by the turmoil of the city. He was indeed being retaliated against by Chen Fei.

Li Gan, who had been watching Fang Xiaoyu's reaction, grew uneasy when he saw Fang Xiaoyu smiling instead of showing anger.

Li Gan cursed Chen Fei internally, knowing well what Chen Fei was up to. He was surprised by Chen Fei's audacity to try to ruin Cheng Yuer. Thankfully, Cheng Yuer had escaped harm.

If it weren't for Chen Fei's service in bed, Li Gan wouldn't have bothered to clean up after her mess.

Yesterday, he used his connections to successfully terminate Cheng Yuer's contract. Now he just needed to handle Fang Xiaoyu.

Li Gan resolved to give Chen Fei a tough time that evening and, with a lewd smile, thought about how to handle her. Fang Xiaoyu guessed Li Gan's thoughts from his expression and felt a sense of disdain.

He tapped the table, bringing Li Gan back to reality, and said calmly, "Assistant Director Li, you didn't make a mistake, did you? This is a termination contract, and I don't think I did anything wrong."

Li Gan slammed the table and glared at Fang Xiaoyu, "If I say you're at fault, then you're at fault. Sign the contract and leave, or... hmph..."

Fang Xiaoyu looked at Li Gan, then suddenly laughed and, amid Li Gan's confusion, took the pen and signed his name with a flourish before getting up and leaving.

"Assistant Director Li, women are nice, but beware of poison!"

Seeing Fang Xiaoyu sign, Li Gan thought he had scared him into submission and showed a satisfied expression as he watched Fang Xiaoyu leave the van. "Kid, let me give you a piece of advice: mind your own business!"

Fang Xiaoyu did not look back and simply waved his hand at Li Gan.

His roommates, who had been teasing him, had been paying attention to Li Gan's van. When they saw Fang Xiaoyu come out, especially with a smile on his face, they gathered around him.

One of them excitedly asked, "Fang Xiaoyu, tell us, did Director Li promote you? Are you going to manage the props team now?"

The others also looked at Fang Xiaoyu expectantly, but he shrugged and said, "My little shoulders can't bear such a heavy burden. It's better for me to pack up and leave."

Fang Xiaoyu's words left the others dumbfounded, with looks of disbelief. Although they couldn't believe Fang Xiaoyu's words, his serious demeanor suggested he wasn't joking.

After glancing at them, Fang Xiaoyu showed them a salary slip and said, "See, I've been let go, but it's not so bad. At least I get double the salary."

With that, Fang Xiaoyu left, leaving his colleagues with complex expressions.

"Ah, what a pity. Fang Xiaoyu was caught in the crossfire. Didn't expect Director Li to favor Chen Fei so much."

Fang Xiaoyu wasn't bothered. If this place didn't keep him, there would be other places. After many years in the film city, while getting into a major crew might be difficult, finding work in smaller productions was still possible.

With Li Gan's recommendation, Fang Xiaoyu smoothly collected two months' wages, a thick wad of over ten thousand yuan.

Leaving the set, Fang Xiaoyu wandered around the film city, which was quite large, with dozens of crews working simultaneously during peak periods. He could see various film crews in every cluster of buildings.

After wandering for the whole morning, Fang Xiaoyu was enjoying a bowl of noodles at a restaurant when his phone rang.

Looking at the screen, he saw a flash of light and answered the call. A hearty voice came through, "Fang Cheng, you're really something. You even hooked up with Cheng Yuer. Share some tips with me. You've risked your job for a woman, you're quite dedicated. So, did you score?"

Listening, Fang Xiaoyu frowned. When his friend, Shi Shan, finally finished speaking, Fang Xiaoyu replied, "You fatso, where did you hear such rumors? Whether I'm involved with Cheng Yuer or not, others might not know, but don't you?"

Shi Shan said, "Kid, stop pretending. The whole film city knows. They say you went to a hotel with Cheng Yuer. You even risked your job to save her. You still deny having any connection with her?"

Fang Xiaoyu's face darkened as he dealt with his chatty friend. After the call ended, he sat quietly, tapping the table lightly, his frown gradually relaxing into a smile, as if he had come up with something.

At that moment, his phone rang again. Seeing an unfamiliar number, he answered the call, and a crisp and pleasant voice came through, "Fang Xiaoyu, is that you?"

"Cheng Yuer."

Fang Xiaoyu was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Cheng Yuer to call him. As for how she got his number, he didn't think much of it. Despite being a third-tier star, Cheng Yuer had excellent connections and could easily obtain his contact details.

"Goddess Cheng, why are you calling me? It's not even evening yet!"

Cheng Yuer's voice on the phone was slightly annoyed, "Enough with the flattery. You must have heard the rumors about us."

As soon as Fang Xiaoyu answered the phone, he knew why Cheng Yuer was calling.

He responded, "It's just rumors. We're completely innocent, not a hint of scandal."