Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
“Han Buji and Tao Hui’s Romance Exposed!”
Tao Hui’s vision blurred the moment she saw the headline. Trembling, she clicked on the link and saw the article topping the trending searches.
“After Three Years, Tao Hui Spotted Entering the Same Hotel as Best Actor Han Buji Again, Suspected of Visiting Him on the Set of Sheng Jue. Movie Emperor Han’s Romance Exposed! Blah blah blah…”
The entire article was utter nonsense, yet it was presented with such conviction.
Weakly, Tao Hui finished reading the lengthy piece, only to discover it included photos.
There were three images.
- Han Buji entering a hotel near the film set.
- Tao Hui leaving the same hotel, her head bowed.
- The infamous photo of them together in Iceland from three years ago.
Damn it! Her second career setback had finally arrived.
The Sheng Jue production team hadn’t officially announced Tao Hui’s casting. As a historical drama, they’d only released character posters for the three male leads. Other actors’ roles were revealed through behind-the-scenes clips edited from filming footage and shared on Weibo as promotional material.
Tao Hui had joined the production late and hadn’t yet filmed any pivotal scenes. Director Chen planned to hold off on announcements until her best moments could be showcased, hoping to win over fans of the original novel.
This strategy benefited both the actors and the production team.
Director Chen’s plan had been sound, but gossip reporters had exploited the gap. Poor Tao Hui had been reduced from an actress to the “visiting girlfriend” of a Best Actor.
The production team immediately contacted Tao Hui and her manager, Zhou Xun, and urgently issued a statement clarifying that Tao Hui was an actress in the drama, not a visitor on set to see the Best Actor.
With the official denial, the gossip-hungry crowd should have dispersed.
[ ~Take our brother away! We don’t want this. Please focus on his new drama, Sheng Jue. ]
[ ~Take our Rabbit away! She doesn’t want this. Please focus on her new drama, Sheng Jue. ]
Tao Hui’s Rabbit Hair and Han Buji’s Han Meimei were surprisingly united and remarkably rational.
But then the marketing accounts suddenly intervened, launching a professional-grade smear campaign against Tao Hui. Several accounts simultaneously spread rumors that she was trying to seduce Han Buji on set.
The most disgusting part was the two GIFs they circulated. The first showed the moment Tao Hui accidentally knocked Han Buji over, and the second showed them walking side-by-side on set. Due to the camera angle, Tao Hui, who was walking behind, appeared to be tugging on Han Buji’s sleeve.
These two images were enough to enrage the Han Meimeis.
[ ~Our brother works so hard on set, and now he has to deal with these shameless women throwing themselves at him? He’s so pitiful! ]
[ ~Anyone who can’t focus on acting should be kicked off the set! ]
[ ~Tao Hui, get lost! Stay away from our brother! ]
[ ~What kind of staff does this production team hire? How can they let any random nobody in? ]
[ ~Here we go again! This woman is causing trouble again! Tao Hui, get out of the entertainment industry! ]
The incident that happened to Tao Hui when she was 18 left her feeling wronged and unable to explain herself.
Now 21, Tao Hui stared at the internet’s overwhelming calls for her to “get out.” She felt no resentment, shed no tears, only a sense that the malice flooding her screen was deliberate, part of a calculated plan.
Even Tao Hui, with her usually resilient spirit, couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was truly targeting her this time.
“Production teams always have confidentiality agreements,” Wu Yue, Han Buji’s manager, said, hands on his hips. “Director Chen only works with his trusted crew. No one would leak those photos. Why don’t you consider that Tao Hui’s own people might be behind this? Maybe she’s trying to seduce you!”
Seduce me?
The man couldn’t even bring himself to look at her properly, grumbling like he had a toothache whenever he spoke to her. How had she missed the signs of his supposed seduction?
Han Buji glanced at Wu Yue with disdain, as if his words were mere hot air. “Did you hit your head on the door this morning?”
Wu Yue flinched under Han Buji’s imposing gaze, but stubbornly pressed on. “How is that impossible? Remember what the PR manager said years ago? Tao Hui went to Iceland just to ride your coattails! She hasn’t landed any major roles in three years, but she’s been raking in ad deals. Even bad publicity is publicity. Don’t think of her as some innocent victim—”
“Y-you’re talking nonsense!” a soprano voice interrupted Wu Yue’s analysis.
Han Buji and Wu Yue turned in astonishment to see Gao Meng’s face flushed crimson like a tomato, her entire body trembling. “You’re lying! Our Rabbit doesn’t need black marketing to be amazing! She’s the nation’s first love! She even won awards back then—two of them!”
“Huh?” Wu Yue blinked, startled by the outburst. “Who’s Rabbit?”
Gao Meng had been personally promoted by Han Buji to become his senior assistant last year. Rumor had it that Han Buji had only asked her one question during the interview, and she started the job the very next day.
This led Wu Yue to suspect Gao Meng might be a relative of Han Buji’s.
“It’s Tao Hui,” Han Buji said with a smile as he walked past Wu Yue and patted Gao Meng on the shoulder. “Rabbit is indeed amazing. Let’s help her out now.”
Wu Yue stood there, mouth agape, utterly bewildered.
What’s going on? Is this Rabbit Tao Hui another one of your relatives?
Han Buji paid little attention to matters outside of filming. He hadn’t even glanced at the rumors linking him to Tao Hui three years ago; all public announcements and statements had been handled by the company’s PR team. He had no idea who Tao Hui was.
Until last year, Han Buji stumbled upon a video on a forum—those few seconds of Tao Hui being filmed at a hotel in Iceland.
The young woman, wearing a white wool dress, opened the door with a smile. Her expression quickly turned to shock as she raised a terrified hand to cover her neck before slamming the door shut.
A small pink mark, shaped like a rose petal, was visible on her neck.
So, the person he had been searching for for seven years had once been so close to him.
Meanwhile, Tao Hui and Zhou Xun were still racking their brains in the hotel, trying to figure out how to issue a Weibo clarification. Tao Hui, frowning, muttered, “Sister Xun, can I borrow your tie?”
The crooked-necked tree outside the Film and Television Base looked perfect for hanging oneself.
“Oh, not that yellow spotted one,” Tao Hui said gloomily. “The media’s eyesight isn’t great. They mistook me for Han Buji’s visiting girlfriend—they might even think your floral tie is a snake.”
Suddenly, Miao Miao burst in, waving her phone excitedly. “Sister Huihui! The marketing account apologized! They actually apologized to you! Ahhh, this is amazing!”
“What!” Han You, who had been sitting in Tao Hui’s room looking dejected, suddenly leaped from her chair. Gripping her phone, she took a moment to regain her composure before exclaiming excitedly, “This is amazing! Absolutely amazing! These marketing accounts actually have a conscience!”
Puzzled, Tao Hui opened her phone. Several marketing accounts that had previously attacked her had posted apology statements, their tone surprisingly sincere. They wrote things like, “We sincerely apologize to Miss Tao Hui and wish her continued success.”
Even more astonishing, Han Buji, whose Weibo account had been dormant for ages, had retweeted the post and liked it.
Xu Chang, Director Chen, the assistant director, the screenwriter, and several other cast members had also retweeted it.
The tide of public opinion shifted dramatically.
[ ~These damn marketing accounts are just stirring up trouble! ]
[ ~Go, Rabbit! We’ll always support you! ]
[ ~I’m sorry, Tao Hui. I shouldn’t have criticized you. Please forgive me. I hope Sheng Jue continues to thrive. ]
[ ~These brainless marketing accounts are ruining good actors, constantly spreading false rumors for attention. ]
[ ~The Sheng Jue production team is so united! I hope this incident doesn’t disrupt their progress. Let’s all focus on making a great show! ]
[ ~Tao Hui, I’m sorry. Tao Hui, I’m sorry. Tao Hui, I’m sorry. ]
Han You wiped her tears, even more excited than Tao Hui. “Look at me, so happy I forgot to help Sister Tao Hui retweet! Luckily, Movie Emperor Han and the others were more thoughtful. I’ll retweet right now! I’ll go next door and ask Teacher Zhang to retweet too!”
Teacher Zhang, a veteran actress who played Han You’s mother in the drama, watched as Han You ran off excitedly, phone in hand.
Miao Miao was also retweeting, her face glowing with joy as if it were New Year’s Eve. “Did the marketing accounts suddenly develop a conscience? That scared me half to death! I thought Sister Huihui was about to be torn to shreds by the Han Meimeis! Let’s celebrate with crayfish tonight! Sister Xun! We should celebrate!”
The matter was clearly more complex than the two young women imagined. Zhou Xun frowned, stepped outside to make a call, and returned to whisper to Tao Hui, “Someone definitely paid the marketing accounts to flip. I checked—it wasn’t the company.”
What had been a raging controversy seemed to have been resolved with effortless ease, but behind the scenes, someone had clearly spent a fortune. The question was, who?
“Sister Xun, how much does it cost to buy a marketing account and make them apologize on Weibo?” Tao Hui asked, staring at her phone with a troubled expression. “Is it really expensive?”
“Expensive! If it weren’t, our company would have already made a move. Strange, who could be spending so lavishly?” Zhou Xun muttered, suddenly grabbing Tao Hui’s arm. “Hui ah, don’t do anything foolish! A few harsh words are nothing—good opportunities will come. You… you mustn’t neglect yourself over this!”
“Pfft!” Tao Hui spat out a mouthful of water, her lips twitching uncontrollably.
She understood Zhou Xun’s concern all too well. The entertainment industry was full of people desperate for overnight success, too impatient to wait for their turn. Many resorted to clinging to wealthy patrons for shortcuts.
Long ago, Zhou Xun had warned her that actors who wanted lasting careers needed to maintain their integrity.
Wiping the water from her mouth, she tugged at Zhou Xun’s tie. “Look at me! I spend all my free time gaming at home! Where would I even find a ‘golden thigh’ to cling to? The only people I talk to are Miao Miao and Little Fanboy—one just eats all day, the other just plays games. Neither of them looks like a wealthy patron!”
Zhou Xun had only spoken casually. After managing Tao Hui for five years, he knew her character well.
But that made the situation even more puzzling. He pondered, “Then who could it be? Who has that kind of money?”
Rich?
The wealthiest investor in the entire production team… wasn’t that Han Buji, who not only guest-starred for free but also poured 80% of the project’s massive funding into it?
Tao Hui shuddered, a suspicion forming in her mind, though she couldn’t be sure if she was right.
The actors’ incomes were roughly comparable, with veterans and popular stars earning slightly more. But if you were talking about someone so wealthy they could shut down several marketing accounts without batting an eye, Tao Hui could only think of one person.
Han Buji.
It was no secret in the industry that Han Buji was a second-generation rich kid.
His debut story was quite legendary.
Han Buji had originally founded an entertainment company, but perhaps due to bad luck, all three of his signed artists turned out to be troublemakers.
One was kept by a wealthy patron, paid the breach-of-contract fee, and left the industry.
Another had their scandalous private life exposed, leading to Han Buji blacklisting them.
The last one got married in their second year of contract and immediately immigrated to the United States.
Rumor had it that Manager Wu Yue was so furious he nearly hanged himself with his tie in front of the company entrance. After downing half a liter of baijiu, he bluntly told Han Buji, “President Han, you should debut yourself! You’re bound to become a star!”
After a moment’s thought, Han Buji actually agreed.
Thus, President Han transformed into Movie Emperor Han, becoming the star of his own company. Unruly Entertainment became the hottest name in the industry, its market value doubling annually.
Tao Hui walked hesitantly toward the elevator, her mind swirling with the legends surrounding Han Buji.
Due to the trending search incident, the production team had to halt filming, and all staff were resting in the hotel.
Tao Hui pressed the elevator button. Whether it was Han Buji or not, she needed to get answers.
Ding-dong.
The elevator doors opened.
Han Buji stood inside, hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall.
Off-duty, he wore casual attire, black sweatpants and a short-sleeved shirt that accentuated his pale, cool skin. His hair, likely without styling product, had soft bangs falling across his forehead, and his phoenix eyes lazily met Tao Hui’s gaze.
Though 27 years old, he still exuded a refreshing boyish charm.
He showed no surprise at seeing her, as if he’d been certain she would seek him out.
Tao Hui hesitated for two seconds before stepping into the elevator. “Han Buji, I have a question for you.”
Han Buji nodded slightly and pressed the button for his floor. “Ask away.”
“Thank you for retweeting the Weibo post to help clear things up,” Tao Hui said, carefully choosing her words. Finally, she lifted her chin and asked directly, “Did you help get the Marketing Account to apologize?”
Tao Hui was nervous. Sister Xun was right, “If someone offers help for no apparent reason, they’re either up to no good or have ulterior motives.”
She’d rather it was Han Buji helping her than some unknown person.
But she was also deeply apprehensive. If it really was Han Buji, why would he help her? What did he want?
“Yes,” Han Buji nodded frankly. “We’re colleagues. No need to thank me.”
The elevator was filled with the faint scent of cedar and sandalwood. Tao Hui had never had such a serious conversation with Han Buji before, and she rubbed her nose awkwardly. “But… why would you help me?”
As soon as she asked, Tao Hui felt Han Buji’s gaze slowly drift to the right side of her neck—the spot she always concealed with concealer.
“Why do you think I would help you?” Han Buji asked softly, a smile playing on his lips.
Author’s Note:
Tao Hui: “If it’s not a trap, it’s a trick! Hmph!”
Storyteller Aletta's Words
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