Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Why? Tao Hui couldn’t understand why Han Buji was helping her.

The trending scandal had left her on edge, her mind feeling as rusty as an old hinge. At this crucial moment, her thoughts were filled with scenes from the third-rate dramas she’d filmed.

Han the Overbearing CEO Buji: Woman, I’ll help you, but it won’t be free. Repay your debt with your body!

Tao Hui shuddered at her own thoughts. Regaining her composure, she met Han Buji’s deep gaze, took a deep breath, and asked sincerely, “May I ask why you’re helping me?”

Ding-dong.

The elevator reached Han Buji’s floor. As he stepped out, he casually said, “Thank you for the coffee.”

“Huh?” Tao Hui hadn’t expected that answer. Her steps faltered, and she nearly tripped over her own feet.

Stumbling after Han Buji, she blurted out, “No, wait! Xu Chang bought that coffee, not me. Neither time was it me!”

Han Buji didn’t turn around. “Mm, I know,” he replied calmly.

He knew, yet he still chose to help her—to uphold his gentlemanly image and to foster unity among the cast of his drama!

Tao Hui had taken Han Buji’s simple four-word response and interpreted it in her own way, convinced she had nailed it.

Now walking ahead of her, Han Buji had been labeled in Tao Hui’s mind as “rich and gullible” and “burdened by his gentlemanly persona.”

No wonder he was on good terms with half the entertainment industry—his generosity was staggering!

For just two coffees, which she hadn’t even paid for, he could casually drop millions to buy her trending spots and marketing account coverage.

The joys of the wealthy were so refreshingly unpretentious!

Tao Hui adored this kind of friendship. She even temporarily set aside her 45-second-long internal conflict and sincerely thanked him again, “Thank you, Teacher Han!”

Han Buji stopped, glanced back at her, and remained silent.

Tao Hui scrutinized him, puzzled. Was her gratitude not genuine enough?

She scratched her head and bowed deeply at a perfect 90-degree angle. “Thank you, Teacher Han! As soon as I receive my advertising compensation, I’ll repay you immediately. Thank you so much for your help.”

This was sincerity at its finest, more genuine than pure gold!

Yet Han Buji still didn’t speak, his expression unchanged as he calmly observed her.

This man is so difficult to please.

Tao Hui tried to recall how Han Buji and Xu Chang had interacted on set. Did they pat each other on the shoulder?

She glanced down at her feet. In her haste and confusion, she had slipped on a pair of white sneakers.

With my height, casually patting his shoulder would be… challenging.

Gritting her teeth, she sidled up to Han Buji, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and stood on tiptoe.

The Best Actor froze for a moment. Then, Tao Hui gave his shoulder a firm pat and rasped, “Thanks!”

Han Buji: “?”

Han Buji seemed amused. He pointed to the door in front of them. “I’m here.”

“What?” Tao Hui blinked.

“I said, I’ve reached my room.” This time, even his eyes crinkled with laughter. He tapped the “808” sign on the door with his index finger. “Or… would you like to come in for a bit? I could offer you a coffee.”

Tao Hui finally understood. She forced a dry laugh and waved her hands frantically as she backed away. “N-no, no need! I’ll… I’ll head back now.”

Tao Hui returned to her room, still somewhat dazed. She had initially feared this would be another major setback in her career, but it had been resolved so effortlessly.

Zhou Xun, carrying the hot drinks and snacks he had purchased, went to thank each staff member who had helped Tao Hui by retweeting her Weibo post. Tao Hui was left alone in the room.

She sat quietly on the bed, Han Buji’s faintly smiling face flashing before her eyes.

Tsk, when that man smiles, his deep, dark eyes seem to glow. It’s strangely captivating.

Tao Hui struggled to reconcile the Han Buji who had so readily helped her with the hot-tempered man who had once cursed her in rapid Chuan Yu dialect. Something felt off.

After pondering for a while, Tao Hui suddenly slapped her forehead and muttered to herself, “Sigh, the power of money is truly immense. I’m actually starting to doubt my judgment of Han Buji!”

Han Buji’s actions were purely a case of “We’re not close, but I can use money to get closer to you.”

Lost in her thoughts, Tao Hui mused that making friends had become too expensive. No wonder she could only conquer her Little Fanboy through gaming and win over Miao Miao with fried chicken. Apart from those two, she had no other friends.

After all, when making friends, she could only pat their shoulders and say, “If you’re short on cash, just let me know. I’ll tell you how I survived when I was broke…”

Movie Emperor Han’s declaration of “We had no connection, but I bought my way in” genuinely shocked Tao Hui.

The impoverished Tao Hui sat cross-legged and began calculating her assets. Last year, she had purchased a small, 98-square-meter apartment in the heart of the Imperial Capital, where land was worth its weight in gold. Now, she was practically penniless.

Her Alipay account held a mere 120 yuan!

She was a celebrity, for heaven’s sake! How embarrassing!

Once she received her endorsement and advertising fees from the previous season, she should be able to repay most of Han Buji’s debt.

But first, she needed to thank him properly. After all, he had done her a huge favor. Without his help, the Production Team might have replaced her.

Back when her scandal broke, every production company that had shown interest in casting her had vanished in an instant.

But how should she express her gratitude?

After racking her brain, Tao Hui called Miao Miao, who claimed to be a social butterfly, “Miao Miao, how do you thank someone who helped you in a crisis but isn’t a close friend?”

“Why would someone who’s not that close step in to help?” Miao Miao asked, puzzled, over the phone. “Why would they bother? Hey, Boss Lady, two pounds of crayfish, thirteen-spice flavor! … Was it a guy or a girl who was so helpful?”

Tao Hui nearly went deaf from Miao Miao’s shout of “two pounds of crayfish.” She yelled back, “A guy!”

There was an awkward silence on Miao Miao’s end for three seconds before she whispered conspiratorially, “Sister Huihui, let me tell you, if a guy who’s not that close suddenly helps you out when you’re in trouble, he’s definitely trying to hit on you! Right, right, and a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda for my table too, thanks!”

Tao Hui hung up in anger. She figured Miao Miao’s mind had been completely hijacked by those tempting, crimson crayfish—otherwise, how could she come to such a ridiculous conclusion?

Han Buji trying to hit on me?

No! Impossible!

Since Miao Miao was unreliable, Tao Hui turned to her online friend, Little Fanboy, for advice.

“Hello?” Little Fanboy’s warm voice came through the receiver.

Tao Hui smiled and asked, “Teacher Tao has a problem. Say someone who’s not very close to you, and you don’t really get along with, suddenly helps you out when you’re in a bind. How should you thank them?”

“Oh, someone I’m not particularly close to and don’t know well,” Little Fanboy repeated slowly.

Tao Hui’s face was a question mark.

She desperately wanted to ask Little Fanboy, “Has your uncle still not gotten over it?”

“It’s not like we’re strangers. He’s a colleague who helped me with my career, and I want to thank him,” Tao Hui said, wedging her phone between her cheek and shoulder as she counted on her fingers. “A gift? Serving tea?”

Little Fanboy pondered for a moment before suggesting, “How about treating him to a meal?”

Exactly! A meal!

Tao Hui’s eyes lit up. What problem couldn’t be solved with some grilled skewers? If one meal didn’t do the trick, she’d treat him to two!

The production team had halted filming due to the Weibo incident. The directors were in a meeting, reportedly discussing moving Tao Hui’s scenes forward. With no filming scheduled for today or tomorrow morning, she had the perfect opportunity to treat Han Buji to a meal.

“You’re right! I’ll treat him to dinner!” Tao Hui said cheerfully. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “When you guys hang out, what do you usually eat? Is draft beer and skewers the most satisfying?”

Silence followed. After a long pause, Little Fanboy hesitantly replied, “Teacher Tao, are you sure you want to have barbecue?”

Tao Hui thought for a moment. “That’s right, I can’t leave the office area anyway. I’ve got it! I’ll treat him to some local Chuan Yu cuisine. He’ll love it!”

After ending the call, Tao Hui immediately ordered takeout. Treating someone to a meal was the easiest thing in the world. Even if you knew nothing about their preferences, choosing their hometown’s specialties was always a safe bet.

And Tao Hui happened to know Han Buji’s secret, he was from Chuan Yu!

“I won’t be coming in today, Gao Meng. When you order takeout, make sure it’s light. Absolutely no organ meats, and remind the restaurant to use less salt and oil, and no chili peppers. Yesterday’s sizzling beef dish had a tiny bit of Hangzhou pepper in the side vegetables, and President Han barely touched his dinner…”

Wu Yue’s voice droned on through the phone, his instructions meticulous. Gao Meng held the receiver, her cheeks flushed, and hesitantly whispered, “Um… the boss seems to be eating out today…”

“Eating out? With whom?” Wu Yue’s tone sharpened with suspicion. “Didn’t Director Chen forbid the actors from leaving the Film and Television Base? Where’s he going?”

Gao Meng glanced at Han Buji. The usually unadorned CEO was fastening a Patek Philippe watch onto his wrist.

Hearing Wu Yue’s loud voice over the phone, Han Buji gently shook his head at Gao Meng.

Gao Meng understood. Suppressing her excitement at the prospect of gossiping, she kept quiet about Tao Hui’s visit fifteen minutes earlier, when she had knocked on the door to invite Han Buji to dinner. She cleared her throat and lied with a straight face, “Uh… it seems Xu Chang from next door is having dinner with the boss.”

“Xu Chang, huh?” Wu Yue said reassuringly over the phone. “Alright then. Tell Xu Chang’s assistant to keep an eye on him. We don’t want him getting drunk again and singing ‘Me and My Motherland’ with the window open. How embarrassing.”

Managers were always cautious, guarding their male artists like wolves against female colleagues, but they generally encouraged same-sex gatherings.

Gao Meng, however, was different. She had spent the entire conversation biting her tongue to keep from squealing.

She hadn’t told Tao Hui the truth that day. She wasn’t just Tao Hui’s personal fan; she was also a dedicated shipper of the Tao Hui-Han Buji pairing. Every day, she secretly squealed in their CP group, “Aaaah! Our Rabbit and the Best Actor are such a perfect match!!!”

When Gao Meng saw Tao Hui knocking on Han Buji’s door and quietly promising him, “I’ll definitely make you happy tonight,” she frantically rummaged through her bag for a quick-acting heart pill and popped it into her mouth.

Oh my god, my ship is sailing! It’s happening! My OTP is finally giving us some sugar!

Han Buji, in high spirits, straightened his cuffs as he stood before Tao Hui’s door, about to knock.

The door suddenly swung open. Tao Hui grabbed Han Buji’s wrist and yanked him inside, slamming the door shut with a thud.

Han Buji glanced at the small hand gripping his wrist and chuckled. “Good evening?”

Tao Hui clutched her chest, exhaling heavily. “Whew, that was close! You didn’t run into anyone on your way here, did you? You have no idea how nervous I was inviting you to dinner—I was terrified someone would snap a photo. If your Han Meimeis found out, they’d probably hang me with their neckties!”

Leaning against the doorframe, Han Buji smiled. It was the first time he’d seen Tao Hui so animated when talking to him. “Eating out?”

“No way!” Tao Hui’s face twisted in horror. “We can’t eat out! If we get photographed, we’ll trend again. You have no idea how terrifying your Han Meimeis are!”

Han Buji rubbed his nose, suddenly catching a spicy aroma. He looked up. “You… ordered dinner?”

Tao Hui tilted her chin triumphantly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “To thank Teacher Han for his generous help, I prepared a special dinner just for you! You’re going to absolutely love it!”

“Ta-da!” Tao Hui gestured dramatically. “Extra spicy crayfish, authentic Sichuan-style beef tallow hotpot—complete with duck intestines, gizzards, pig brains, and tripe! And for the main course, genuine Chongqing-style spicy noodles!”

Han Buji: “……”

Author’s Note:

Tao Hui: Are you satisfied with what you see?

Han Buji: Completely satisfied.