Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Tao Hui’s clarification video went viral, fueled by the covert promotion of Unruly Entertainment and High-End Entertainment. Even Li Sijin, a wealthy tycoon from the distant Sichuan-Chongqing region, mobilized his company staff to support his idol, Ms. Rabbit.

In just ten minutes, the video garnered more shares and comments than Tao Hui’s entire year’s worth of Weibo activity combined.

In the video, Tao Hui wore light makeup, radiating poise and grace. She neither adopted the victim’s pose, tearfully pleading for sympathy, nor launched into a righteous tirade against the malicious rumors.

Instead, she presented it as a small Christmas Eve gift to her fans, sharing a long-held secret.

Dressed in a simple, oversized hoodie, she smiled warmly and refrained from exploiting her background for sympathy. “I’m just like any other girl,” she said. “I use concealer to cover blemishes, and I don’t want my birthmark showing either—it’s so big and, well, not pretty! Oh, by the way, I highly recommend these two concealer brands; they’re amazing! And this makeup remover…”

First, she clarified the situation, then chatted casually, and finally promoted her favorite concealers and makeup removers. To cap it off, she even held a giveaway.

“……I won’t cover up my birthmark anymore, to avoid misunderstandings. All this concealer I stockpiled is useless now. I might as well give some away to you fans. Oh, and professional makeup remover too—oops, I dropped it…” In the video, Tao Hui lost her grip on the pile of concealers, sending them clattering to the floor.

“Let’s end the recording here. Please keep supporting our work, everyone! Thank you, and Happy Christmas Eve again! That’s all, bye~” Tao Hui juggled the concealers while blowing a kiss at the camera.

The Rabbit Fur fans had been seething with anger over the relentless online abuse, especially since they were outnumbered by rival fandoms and casual observers. Dejected and demoralized, they suddenly perked up when they saw their idol’s endearingly clumsy video, beaming and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas Eve. Their spirits soared, and they were instantly revitalized:

[ ~Ahhh, I’ll love Rabbit forever! ]

[ ~Rabbit, look at me! I’m your mom! Our Rabbit is so adorable! We mom fans love you! ]

[ ~Liars eat shit! Do handstands and shit your pants! Our Rabbit is the best! ]

[ ~OMG, Rabbit is so cute! Hiding her birthmark secretly—hahaha! ]

[ ~awsl, our Rabbit is the cutest in the world, okay?! How dare you bully such a wonderful girl?! ]

[ ~All you do is yap all day, ruining our Rabbit’s chances at love! I’ll kill you all! ]

The onlookers, who had been eagerly devouring the “female celebrity’s secret sugar daddy scandal,” never expected such an ending. They erupted in fury, even the Weibo accounts that had originally broken the story were flooded with angry comments:

[ ~Are these marketing accounts insane?! It’s just a birthmark, not a hickey! Idiots! ]

[ ~There’s nothing wrong with the girl not wanting to show her birthmark. Are you bored out of your minds, making up this bullshit and spewing venom? ]

[ ~Seriously, what’s wrong with you people? A secret sugar daddy? If you’re such great storytellers, why not challenge Hans Christian Andersen? ]

[ ~Female celebrities have it so tough! They get judged for having a birthmark! ]

[ ~They were already harassing her about it when she was 18, and they’re still going on about it now? Making up lies like this is just damn despicable. ]

[ ~Marketing accounts, GTFO!!! ]

Some people, who had been easily swayed into furiously cursing Tao Hui’s ancestors, now realized the accusations against her were fabricated. Sheepishly, they rushed to apologize, flooding her private messages with countless “Sorry” messages.

Beyond that, many had become fans of Tao Hui, drawn to her genuine, unpretentious demeanor, striking beauty, and positive, sunny vibe.

[ ~From hater to fan! She’s so much better than those fake, pretentious actresses. ]

[ ~This girl’s visuals are insane! How can she look this stunning with just light makeup? She’s a real-life fairy! I’m a fan now! ]

[ ~Suddenly I’m really looking forward to seeing her in Sheng Jue‘s historical drama! Go, girl! ]

[ ~Exactly! People obsess over actors’ personal lives instead of their work—it’s disgusting. I’m stanning this actress! ]

[ ~Fake news everywhere, keyboard warriors spewing venom! I’m declaring my allegiance: from today on, I’m joining the Rabbit Fur army! ]

The Weibo trending topics shifted instantly:

1. Tao Hui’s Birthmark
2. Tao Hui’s Concealer
3. Tao Hui’s Clarification Video

Tao Hui firmly dominated the top three spots. Director Chen of Sheng Jue retweeted her post, praising her as “authentic, unpretentious, composed in the face of both praise and criticism, and possessing remarkable grace.”

The entire production crew followed suit, retweeting the post. Han Buji blended seamlessly into the crowd, and for a moment, no one noticed anything amiss.

The most amusing part was that a swarm of beauty bloggers also retweeted Tao Hui’s video, raving about the effectiveness of the concealer and makeup remover she recommended.

Soon, “Tao Hui’s Cosmetics” surged onto the trending topics as well.

On the drive home from the company, Tao Hui sat in the back seat of Han Buji’s car, scrolling through the comments on her phone. She let out a soft sigh and said to Han Buji, who was driving, “Boyfriend, I’m actually quite timid. If it weren’t for you, I never would have made that video.”

Han Buji glanced at her through the rearview mirror, teasing with a smile, “Really? You don’t seem timid when you’re gaming.”

Tao Hui suddenly remembered Han Buji’s days pretending to be a 19-year-old “Little Fanboy,” using a voice changer to sound like a docile “milk dog” and obediently following her around in the game.

Hmph! Playing dumb!

“Watch your tone with Teacher Tao! This isn’t King’s Canyon anymore, where I carried you through the game!” Tao Hui pouted.

“Oh, thank you, Teacher Tao,” Han Buji said suddenly, his voice turning childishly sweet as he drove. Tao Hui was so startled she dropped her phone.

Rubbing her tingling earlobe, she leaned forward between the front seats and muttered, “You’re like some male siren, always trying to seduce me.”

Han Buji turned his head, catching sight of Tao Hui’s leaning posture. The wide neckline of her hoodie drooped, revealing her snow-white collarbones and the faint hint of cleavage in the dimly lit car.

“Aren’t you the one doing the seducing?” Han Buji asked with a hint of exasperation. He pulled the car over to the side of the road, unbuckled his seatbelt with a click, and turned to kiss Tao Hui. As he did, he gently tugged the fabric of her neckline upward, chuckling softly, “Silly girl.”

Tao Hui, caught off guard by the sudden kiss, stared blankly for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, she blurted out, “Didn’t you say you’d treat me to a Christmas Eve feast?”

Han Buji smiled. “Yeah, we’ll have it at home.”

Tao Hui thought for a moment. Han Buji’s place did have fresh ingredients, but they were just the usual stuff for everyday meals.

A feast? Could it be… that?!

Her eyes widened as she abruptly retreated to the back seat, covering her face. “Pervert! Han Buji, you lecher! What’s always on your mind?!”

Han Buji raised an eyebrow. “?”

Other CP fans spent their days eagerly anticipating their idols’ interactions, secretly searching for the slightest clues, and praying ten thousand times, “Let my beloved idols be together, amen!”

Their CP names were often sweet and romantic. The most famous were “XuNi YiNuo CP” (Xu Nuo and Jin Yini) and “Pure Love CP” (Gao Chun and Wang Xiaoai). The rest were either auspicious or had clever puns.

Among the countless CP fandoms, only one stood out: “No Way CP.”

The name “No Way” was filled with hopelessness about their CP ever getting together.

Originally, the “No Way CP” fans were quite zen. They sustained themselves daily with the belief that “next year, when Sheng Jue premieres, we’ll finally see Best Actor Han and Tao Hui together on screen.”

Otherwise, they’d cling to crumbs like “Ah, Best Actor Han and Rabbit attended the same event today and were only 30 meters apart!” or “Ah, Rabbit wore black twice last year, just like Best Actor Han’s favorite color! I’m so happy!” They dared not hope for anything more.

After all, in all the years since Best Actor Han Buji’s debut, aside from a brief rumor with Tao Hui a few years ago, he had never been linked to any other female celebrities in any ambiguous way. The “No Way Girls” were already more than satisfied with this.

But today, a post suddenly appeared in the “No Way CP” supertopic, titled “Sisters, I found some sugar!”

[ ~Sisters! Look at this screenshot from Rabbit’s video! Do you see that half-visible watch? Do you?! Isn’t that Best Actor Han’s globally limited edition Patek Philippe?! ]

The No Way Girls went wild, nodding furiously with their eyes closed and hyping it up: “Yes, yes, that’s definitely it!”

If we say it’s him, then it’s him! Even if it’s not, it is! Do you know how hard it is for us No Way Sisters to find even a crumb of sugar?!

They didn’t care if it was true or not—they just wanted to bask in the sweetness first.

As the group celebrated wildly, a class representative who studied photography and image editing appeared. She enhanced the original image, zoomed in like a magnifying glass come to life, and revealed a faint “J” engraved on the side of the watch face. She then found an official Patek Philippe photo from when they gifted the watch to Han Buji years ago.

[ ~Sisters! This is definitely Best Actor Han’s watch! There are only ten of these in the world, but! Only his watch has this “J” engraved on it! ]

The moment this post went live, the No Way Girls erupted in excitement.

Sugar! Real, genuine sugar!

Immediately after, another fan appeared in the supertopic and dropped another bombshell of sugar:

[ ~Sisters! I’ve been too scared to tell you this, but a few days ago at Ji City Airport, I got a signed autograph from Best Actor Han Buji and Rabbit together! They were both wearing white down jackets and even eating the same candy! Proof in the photo! [Image] ]

The photo showed Han Buji and Tao Hui’s signatures with a small heart in between. Next to the signed board were two pieces of dried tangerine peel candy and a Polaroid photo of the two from behind, both wearing white down jackets.

[ ~Holy shit?! ]

[ ~Mom! It’s not Christmas Eve! It’s Chinese New Year! ]

[ ~Am I dreaming?! Sister, tell us more details! I need specifics! ]

[ ~Aaaaaah! Why didn’t you say this sooner?! ]

[ ~Our No Way CP is too damn good! I’m going crazy! ]

Just as the “No Way Girls” were about to explode from excitement, another person chimed in:

[ ~Um, sisters, has anyone noticed Manager Wu Yue’s Weibo? He posted a Weibo Night invitation for Best Actor Han, and there’s a crease on it (important detail). Then… Ms. Rabbit posted her invitation, and it also has a crease (important detail)! But none of the other celebrities’ invitations have creases… So, I have a bold theory: could Ms. Rabbit have taken a photo of Best Actor Han’s invitation…? ]

[ ~Aaaaaah! ]

[ ~AHHHHHHHHHH!!! ]

[ ~!!!AH! AHHH! AH! ]

The comments section erupted in a chorus of groundhog-like screams, instantly swelling to tens of thousands of “Ah”s.

Today’s sugar rush was overwhelming. The “No Way Girls” declared it so sweet it was sickening, so sickening it was giving them diabetes!

Someone stepped forward to suggest:

[ ~Let’s compile a detailed analysis! I suddenly think the No Way CP might not be “No Way” after all! Rabbit and Best Actor Han might actually be happening! ]

Tao Hui, oblivious to the microscopic scrutiny of the magnifying glass girls, followed Han Buji into the elevator, her face flushed. She fidgeted, muttering softly, “I’m not quite ready yet. I need to shower first. Are you prepared?”

“? Prepared for what?” Han Buji leaned against the elevator wall, gazing lazily at Tao Hui, sensing her mind was veering into its usual strange territory.

“For, you know, the… the big meal. Are you ready?” Tao Hui lowered her head, staring at her toes as she whispered.

As the elevator reached the 15th floor, Han Buji pulled out his keys to unlock the door, saying casually, “We don’t need to prepare the big meal. Someone else has already taken care of it.”

“Huh?” Tao Hui looked utterly bewildered.

What does he mean? When you invite your girlfriend over for some… you know, does someone come to make the bed, scatter rose petals, and hand out condoms?

Is he… is he really that wild?

Just as Tao Hui was about to speak, Han Buji opened the door. The room was brightly lit, and a rich aroma of food wafted out. She stood on tiptoe, peering over Han Buji’s shoulder, and sure enough, she saw rose petals scattered across the floor.

But it wasn’t just petals. On the dining table sat a glistening pot of crayfish, a bubbling hot pot, and platters of abalone, Arctic shrimp, and sashimi arranged on ice.

“…Is this the ‘feast’ you were talking about?” Tao Hui asked, stunned.

“Yeah, I had Miao Miao and Gao Meng come early to set it up,” Han Buji said, glancing at Tao Hui. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

Why doesn’t she seem as excited as I thought she’d be? I made sure to get all her favorites.

Tao Hui quickly shook off her chaotic thoughts and forced a dry laugh. “Ha, ha, ha… No, no, I love it! I absolutely love it!”

Han Buji pondered for a moment, realizing the young woman’s mind was racing again. Suppressing a laugh, he decided to tease the little fool.

He suddenly placed his hand on Tao Hui’s shoulder, leaning close to her ear with a seductive whisper, “I just remembered, there’s still one thing we haven’t done.”

“D-done what?” Tao Hui’s heart pounded wildly.

See! Men! They’re always thinking about those embarrassing things!

What did he just say? “One thing we haven’t done… done… done!”

Tao Hui nearly blurted out, “So, are you planning to do it or not?”

Just as she looked up, Han Buji chuckled, “I’m booking you in advance. Come have dinner with my parents on New Year’s Day.”