Chapter 102
"...Actually, contacting you wasn't my idea, but my assistant's. She felt that for a girl, ending up being talked about and criticized all over the internet was too serious, so she asked me to remind you one more time."
Xu Gui didn't take credit for this matter. After all, if it weren't for Yuan Lu, she would have quickly forgotten about it and wouldn't have thought about it anymore.
"There's nothing I can do. My assistant is too soft-hearted and kind. That's why my agent got your contact information from the staff at Hunan TV, which led to all of this after I contacted you."
As Xu Gui spoke, she suddenly smiled. Looking at Wu Xue, she felt somewhat comforted and said, "Well, it seems that my assistant's good intentions were not in vain. You seem like a pretty good person."
At this point, the other party is still able to consider our position, which shows that they are not entirely malicious.
After hearing Xu Gui's words, Wu Xue suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I see..."
“So,” Xu Gui said, “if you really want to thank me, just thank my assistant. I didn’t do anything.”
Wu Xue pursed her lips and said, "That's true, but if it weren't for Miss Xu's fortune-telling ability, who would have known what I would have encountered last night?"
She really didn't expect that Liu Dawei would actually start a live stream, wanting to broadcast the scene of the two of them having sex... Just thinking about what almost happened to her last night, Wu Xue felt a chill all over her body, so cold that she couldn't help but hug her arms.
“...No wonder you said that I would become a sensation in the next two days.” Wu Xue smiled wryly.
Now, when she recalls Xu Gui's prophetic words during his live stream that day, she feels that every word is very meaningful. It's just a pity that she was so focused on buying the trending topics that she was going to buy that she didn't take Xu Gui's words to heart.
fortunately……
Fortunately, the other party was willing to remind me again under such circumstances; otherwise, I would have become an internet sensation in a very strange way.
Wu Xuezhen simply couldn't imagine how she would continue to live under the strange gazes of others if such a thing really happened, how she would face people... She definitely wouldn't be able to survive.
She took a deep breath, looked at Xu Gui again, and said, "Anyway, thank you so much, and thank you to your assistant too... I was thinking last night that if I had the chance, I would definitely thank you properly."
Xu Gui looked at her and asked, "You called me out, not just to thank me, right?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Xue's eyes flickered, as if she felt a little guilty, but the next second, she looked at Xu Gui and met his gaze.
“Yes!” she said. “Besides thanking you, there’s something else I’d like to ask you for help with… I’d like you to help me figure out if Liu Dawei has any other videos of me.”
She bit her lip and said in a low voice, somewhat embarrassed, "This isn't the first time we've had sex. I'm afraid he's done something like this before."
"So, Miss Xu, I'm begging you..." She looked at Xu Gui expectantly, "I can give you money, as long as you help me calculate this matter, I'll give you whatever amount you want!"
Xu Gui: "If he really has other videos, what do you plan to do? Let me help you figure out where he put those videos?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Xue's eyes flickered, and she whispered, "I... I had no choice... That kind of video can't be leaked. If Liu Dawei spreads it out and other people see it... I won't be able to live, really, I really won't be able to live!"
She seemed very agitated and looked pitiful. Anyone who heard her say these words would probably feel pity for her, but clearly, Xu Gui was not among those "anyone".
Compared to her excitement, Xu Gui's reaction was exceptionally calm and indifferent. She looked at Wu Xue with a clear and insightful gaze, and Wu Xue's pitiful and pleading expression gradually froze under her gaze.
"..."
Wu Xue suppressed the tearful expression on her face. Her eyes were still filled with tears, and even her eyelashes were still adorned with glistening teardrops, but her expression had nothing to do with pitifulness anymore.
She appeared very calm.
"...I thought Miss Xu was soft-hearted, and that if I cried a few times, you would agree to help me with the calculations." That's what she said.
Xu Gui said, "Compared to how you acted pitiful just now, I admire you more now." Vulnerable, yet exceptionally calm.
Hearing Xu Gui's words, Wu Xue gave a slight bitter smile and said, "Although I did pretend to be pitiful to you, every word I just said was true... If Liu Dawei really filmed me before, it would have been a terrible thing for me."
She looked at Xu Gui and said calmly, "You know, at the beginning, I didn't actually want to sleep with Liu Dawei. He raped me."
Liu Dawei was her top fan. At that time, she had only been live streaming for a short time, but every time she went live, Liu Dawei would shower her with gifts. He was very generous and spent more than a million yuan on her in one month. As a result, she contacted him and was later invited out for a few meals by him.
"I knew he had bad intentions towards me, but I thought that as long as I protected myself, it wouldn't matter if he took advantage of me a little..."
She never expected that Liu Dawei would sexually assault her.
That day, when she woke up naked in bed and felt the strange pain coming from her body, she really felt like the sky had fallen. For a moment, she even thought about dying and jumping off a building to commit suicide.
“But in the end, I gave up,” Wu Xue smiled, her tone calm. “Because I thought, what could I change even if I committed suicide? Could it change the fact that I was raped, or could it change my impoverished and miserable life?”
The answer is: No.
If nothing else works, why did she commit suicide? Suicide only hurts herself, so... she suddenly didn't want to die anymore, and her desire to live became more intense than ever before.
Then she thought, since she had already been slept with, she couldn't let it go unpunished—after calming down, she began to think about how to use this to her advantage.
Later, she demanded a lot of benefits from Liu Dawei.
As Wu Xue spoke, she took out a cigarette from her bag and was about to light it when she looked at Xu Gui questioningly: "You don't mind, do you?"
Xu Gui shook his head.
Wu Xue smiled and skillfully lit her cigarette—she had a very sweet face, and because of her youth, her face was full of collagen, making her look healthy and energetic.
But now, the way she smokes reveals a hint of weariness and vicissitude.
With each inhale and exhale, the smoke in her mouth glowed crimson, and a puff of not-too-choking smoke escaped from her mouth, obscuring her face and making it difficult for Xu Gui to see her expression clearly. He could only hear her remarkably calm voice, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.
"...Later, I slept with him a few more times. I sold my body and he gave me money. We each got what we wanted."
She knew this was a transaction, a transaction using her body as a bargaining chip. Although she felt disgusted and even loathed herself because of it, she thought... as long as she could become famous, gain recognition, and make a lot of money, it would all be worth it.
She really wants to make money, lots and lots of money...
What she didn't expect was that Liu Dawei would actually do live streaming... Wu Xue couldn't help but gasp when she thought of this.
"Idiot!" she couldn't help but curse, angrily extinguishing her cigarette in the ashtray.
At this moment, the waiter brought the coffee to the two of them. Xu Gui thanked him, looked at the coffee in the cup, and took a sniff. He found that the taste was just so-so... Hmm, not as fragrant as the coffee he had at Lu Boyi's house.
As for the taste... Xu Gui took a sip, and the coffee kept flowing out of his mouth.
"Ugh," she said, frantically pulling out a tissue to wipe her mouth, then pushing the coffee aside with obvious disgust, her face clearly saying "This tastes awful."
After pushing it a distance away, she still seemed unhappy and reached out to push it even further away.
Seeing this, Wu Xue, who was just putting out her cigarette, couldn't help but laugh. Her previously gloomy mood seemed to improve a little. After laughing, she sighed, "I know that since I did what a prostitute did, I deserve this fate, but..."
She lowered her head to Xu Gui, "I'm begging you... Miss Xu, please help me, just out of pity for me."
She lowered her head, adopting a very humble posture, and at this moment, the expression on her face was one of embarrassment and shame. Clearly, for Wu Xue, revealing these ugly and shameful things to Xu Gui was something she found difficult to talk about.
Just as she was pondering whether Xu Gui would help her, she heard Xu Gui's voice from above.
“You don’t need to say that about yourself…” Xu Gui said casually, “In this matter, aren’t you the victim?”
Whether it was being sexually assaulted at the beginning, or enduring the relationship and profiting from it later... none of this can cover up the fact that she was indeed the victim in the beginning of her relationship with Liu Dawei.
Although she, as the victim, was not perfect and had some moral flaws.
Upon hearing Xu Gui's words, Wu Xue looked up in astonishment, staring intently at her.
"Don't you think I'm shameful?" she asked Xu Gui urgently, pressing him, "Don't you think what I'm doing is shameless? Unashamed?"
Xu Gui replied, "It's alright."
She thought for a moment and said, "If we're talking about shamelessness, you're not the only one... Isn't that Liu Dawei even more shameless than you? Oh, no, he's not only shameless, he's also a criminal!"
If Wu Xue is morally flawed, then Liu Dawei is truly committing a crime. Whether it was initially sexually assaulting Wu Xue or later secretly broadcasting live streams behind her back, these are things that would get him arrested by the police if they were to be mentioned.
“Hmm,” Xu Gui nodded, “If we’re talking about shamelessness, then Liu Dawei is even more shameless than you!”
Wu Xue was stunned when she heard these words. After a few seconds, she suddenly clapped her hands and laughed, saying, "You're right. When it comes to shamelessness, who can compare to that idiot?"
"You don't know, there were so many times I wanted to chop his thing off. It's one thing that he's old and ugly, but after we got into bed, his thing only lasted a few minutes. I felt ashamed for him!"
She didn't lower her voice at all, and the men and women in the nearby booths who heard her were shocked: ! ! Is this something they should be able to hear?
Wu Xue was still laughing, laughing until tears streamed down her face. After she finished laughing, she said, "You're right. If that thing doesn't feel shameless, why should I feel shameless?"
Looking at Wu Xue laughing, Xu Gui felt that she had a contradictory temperament.
She looked to be only in her early twenties, a young and vibrant age, but her face occasionally revealed a maturity and vicissitude beyond her years. She probably didn't even realize that she felt a certain disgust and shame towards herself regarding her affair with Liu Dawei... She hated herself for doing such a thing.
But while she loathed and hated herself for this, she still did these things.
"Humans are really strange creatures..." Xu Gui muttered.
After thinking for a moment, she said to Wu Xue, "You can rest assured about what you're worried about. There are no other videos of you on Liu Dawei's end. Yesterday's live stream was his first one."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xue closed her eyes briefly and breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Gui looked at her and asked, "What are you planning to do next? Liu Dawei treated you like that, you must already be thinking about how to get revenge on him, right?"
Her eyes were clear and bright, as if she could see through Wu Xue's thoughts. Wu Xue's eyes flashed and she sighed, "Nothing can be hidden from you, Miss Xu... That's right, I am indeed thinking about how to get revenge on him. During the time I was with him, I have some dirt on him."
"But I haven't figured out what to do yet..."
Wu Xue frowned.
She said she wanted to get revenge on Liu Dawei, but she hadn't figured out how to do it, or rather, how to carry out the revenge, or how to maximize the benefits of what she had... Wu Xue hadn't thought about any of these things.
Xu Gui took a sip of lemonade and gave her a suggestion: "If you trust me, you can go to Liu Dawei's wife. I think she can give you some advice."
Wu Xue was surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Liu Dawei's wife... will she help me?"
She pursed her lips and unconsciously bit the dry skin on her lower lip, tearing it off. Blood beaded out from under the bitten dead skin, which she licked off without a care.
“I have this kind of entanglement with her husband, so I’m considered the other woman in their marriage. If she sees me, won’t she want to hit me?” she asked.
Xu Gui: "Liu Dawei's wife is a smart woman. A smart woman sees more than just you... Do you think that all these years, you've been the only one by Liu Dawei's side?"
Wu Xue was taken aback.
“Liu Dawei’s wife has wanted a divorce for a long time, but she has no leverage over him. Your appearance should be a good thing for both of you,” Xu Gui said.
Wu Xue began to think about it. She looked at Xu Gui and said, "I will think about it carefully."
The two chatted for a while, then Xu Gui decided to leave. She couldn't stand sitting in the coffee shop because the coffee wasn't very good, so she said goodbye to Wu Xue.
Wu Xue stood up, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Ms. Xu, if I ever need anything in the future, can I ask you for help again?"
Xu Gui looked at her, thought for a moment and said, "If you can afford it... having my fortune told is very expensive, and you won't always be so lucky."
She was implying something.
Wu Xue said guiltily, "...You already know that it wasn't a coincidence that I was chosen in the live stream that day, right?"
Xu Gui nodded.
"Next time, if you want me to tell your fortune, come to me with money," she said. "I'm not the kind of person who does a business that loses money twice."
*
Before the filming of the second season of "360 Trades" began, Xu Gui, Fu Xia, and He Yuan had a meal together.
Fu Xia was treating everyone to the meal. Coincidentally, He Yuan was returning from K Province at that time. Xu Gui had asked Fu Xia if she minded having another person, and after receiving her reply that she didn't mind, he invited He Yuan to join them as well.
The three of them ate at Fu Xia's favorite restaurant. Xu Gui still remembered the owner of the restaurant, mainly because their ice cream was indeed delicious.
When Xu Gui and He Yuan arrived, Fu Xia was already there. Upon seeing the two of them, she stood up and waved vigorously, "Here! Here!"
After Xu Gui and He Yuan walked over and the three of them sat down, Fu Xia complained, "It's so hard to get you to come out for a meal. I was thinking, if you don't come out this time, I'm going to go straight to the orphanage."
Xu Gui: "I just haven't had time... Oh right, let me introduce you. This is Fu Xia, a friend I met in '360 Trades'. This is He Yuan, also my good friend and roommate. We live in the same dormitory at the company!"
Fu Xia and He Yuan exchanged a glance and shook hands amicably.
"Hello……"
"Hello."
He Yuan smiled and said, "Ms. Fu, I know you. I've also watched your live broadcast on '360 Trades'."
Although Fu Xia didn't make it to the end of the show, she gained a lot of fans during that time. After all, her live broadcasts had a light and cheerful atmosphere, and Fu Xia is good-looking, has a good temper, and comes from a good family background, so it's no wonder that she has people who like her.
After He Yuan and Xu Gui became friends, He Yuan specifically watched Xu Gui's live streams. Because Fu Xia appeared frequently in his streams, she also watched Fu Xia's live streams. Therefore, she knew Fu Xia fairly well.
As for Fu Xia's feelings for her...
"The teacher Xu Gui mentioned in his live stream a couple of days ago, the one with great acting skills, that's you, right?" Fu Xia said with certainty.
Xu Gui was surprised, "How did you know? Can you tell fortunes too? How do you know everything..."
Xu Gui had previously accepted the filming of "fashion" and the script she had taken on. She knew all about it. Sometimes Xu Gui even suspected that Fu Xia was a fortune teller... Humans are truly terrifying.
“I’m not a fortune teller,” Fu Xia said. “I just have a lot of information…”
She then said to He Yuan, "Miss He, please don't be shy. It's my treat today. Order whatever you'd like to eat."
He Yuan said, "Thank you."
After the three of them ordered their food, they sat together and talked. Fu Xia was the main one talking. She was a talkative person who could always think of topics to discuss, and she had a wide range of sources of information, knowing a lot of gossip in the industry. When she started talking, Xu Gui and He Yuan listened with great interest.
However, once the food was served, the three of them fell silent and focused on the food on the table.
It has to be said that Qin Sulan's cooking skills are really good. He Yuan was unsurprisingly captivated by her culinary skills. The three of them ate without looking up until they finished their meal and started eating dessert, at which point they finally had the energy to talk.
"...By the way, I heard that something interesting happened at Boss Qin's house recently." The well-informed Fu Xia started talking again, whispering, "It is said that Boss Qin's uncle thinks that Boss Qin's cooking skills are so good because she has some kind of Qin family recipe, so he tried every means to steal it."
"Not only that, her uncle also coveted this restaurant, so he asked Mr. Qin's cousin to poison him... Luckily, Mr. Qin discovered it in time, otherwise he would have been in danger."
"Because of this incident, Boss Qin had to close his restaurant for more than half a month. He only reopened to entertain guests these past two days."
Xu Gui remained calm, while He Yuan looked surprised, clearly not expecting such a dangerous situation to exist in this restaurant.
"As expected, Xu Gui, you knew about this all along..." Fu Xia looked at Xu Gui, "When I brought you to dinner last time, didn't you already know all this? And you were the one who told Boss Qin about his uncle's matter, weren't you?"
Instead of answering Fu Xia's question directly, Xu Gui asked her, "What about Boss Qin's uncle? What happened to him?"
Fu Xia said, "It seems he was arrested by the police. The evidence against him for poisoning and harming Boss Qin is conclusive, and he will probably go to jail... However, this incident must have been a big blow to Boss Qin. When I saw Boss Qin before, she looked much more haggard."
Xu Gui nodded thoughtfully.
"So, it really was you who reminded Boss Qin..." Fu Xia leaned closer to her and asked in a low voice.
Xu Gui glanced at her and asked in return, "What do you think?"
Fu Xia's eyes lit up, and she said, "I knew it was you who helped." She looked smug, though it was unclear what she was so smug about.
Xu Gui tacitly agreed, then looked at He Yuan and asked her about the filming process.
Xu Gui felt that He Yuan's photoshoot should go smoothly this time, because she felt that He Yuan's atmosphere had changed. In the past, He Yuan seemed very quiet and always had a kind of gloomy and silent temperament, but this time when she saw her, her atmosphere seemed to be more cheerful, and she was more... radiant?
Anyway, it's like I suddenly have a layer of light on me.
As expected, upon hearing Xu Gui's question, He Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "The filming went very smoothly this time... Xu Gui, let me tell you, many of the teachers on 'The Acting Competition' said my acting was very good. Do you know Teacher Huang Wenshan? He even praised me as a hidden gem."
He Yuan was clearly very excited, her cheeks flushed as she spoke of it.
Compared to the last time Xu Gui saw her, she now looked much more confident and had a rather radiant air about her.
Looking at her like this, Xu Gui knew that she had a very enjoyable filming trip.
"The Acting Competition?" Fu Xia, who was standing nearby, leaned over and asked curiously, "Did Miss He participate in the 'Acting Competition' program?"
"Acting Competition" is a relatively popular show right now. Several episodes have been filmed, with the first two being the most popular. Although the show's popularity has decreased somewhat since then, its core audience remains, and its popularity is still much better than that of ordinary shows.
At least for now, "The Acting Competition" is still a good opportunity, especially for some newcomers.
Upon hearing Fu Xia's inquiry, He Yuan politely replied, "...Miss Fu, you can just call me He Yuan."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xia said, "Then you can call me Fu Xia too. Don't call me Miss Fu, it's too polite. You are Xu Gui's friend, so you are my friend as well."
She asked with great interest, "I just heard you mention Mr. Huang Wenshan. I like him a lot too. I loved the TV series 'Heroes of Chaos' that he starred in. He was my idol for a long time."
He Yuan's eyes lit up: "Do you also like the TV series 'Heroes of Chaos'?"
Fu Xia: "I like it!"
The two suddenly had so much to talk about, and looking at each other, they seemed much closer: it was confirmed, they were sisters who had watched the same drama.
Of the three, Xu Gui was the only one who hadn't seen the show: "..." She silently ate the last bite of her dessert.
...
Qin Sulan knew that Xu Gui had come to eat with Fu Xia, so after they finished eating, she came over to see Xu Gui.
Xu Gui looked at her and felt that she had lost a lot of weight since the last time they met, but her complexion was healthier. This was probably because she had stopped eating the food that her uncle and cousin had given her after Xu Gui reminded her.
After stopping the consumption of medicated food, my complexion naturally improved significantly.
Xu Gui and Qin Sulan went aside to talk. Qin Sulan thanked Xu Gui gratefully. If it weren't for Xu Gui, she might have already passed away.
Now that no one in the Qin family is here, if something really happens to her, then there's a real chance that what she left behind will end up in her uncle's family, and her uncle's plan could really come true.
Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Qin Sulan's eyes.
Actually, she didn't believe what Xu Gui said at first. After all, her parents had died, and it was her uncle and aunt who took care of her. But who would have thought that her uncle, who was so loving to her when she was a child, would be so cruel to her now?
"...Right now, besides saying thank you, I don't know how else to thank you," Qin Sulan said.
It could be said that Xu Gui saved her life, but simply expressing gratitude seems too inadequate.
“This is our restaurant’s VIP card,” she said, handing a card to Xu Gui. “There’s only one of its kind in the world. It’s a lifetime free card. From now on, Miss Xu, whatever you eat at our restaurant is free.”
Xu Gui examined the card: "Is it permanent?"
Qin Sulan nodded: "Forever."
Xu Gui asked curiously, "If I come to eat here every day, or bring a lot of people to your house for dinner, won't you get annoyed with me?"
Qin Sulan smiled and said, "Of course not. It is my honor that Miss Xu is willing to patronize our restaurant."
Xu Gui grunted and put the card away: "Okay, then I'll come to your house for dinner next time. Don't worry, I won't bring a lot of people to freeload! I'm still very polite."
Speaking of politeness, Xu Gui is very proud—she really is a very polite turtle.
The two were still talking when a sudden commotion of crying came from the restaurant entrance.
"...Qin Sulan, come out here! That's your own uncle! How could you be so heartless as to not even spare your own uncle? Have you forgotten who fed you when your parents died?"
"Qin Sulan!"
Upon hearing this voice, Qin Sulan's face immediately turned cold. Xu Gui, who was standing next to her, curiously glanced outside and saw a middle-aged woman being stopped by a restaurant waiter at the entrance, who was not allowed to enter. Beside her were two children, about five or six years old, who were crying loudly.
The commotion at the entrance also attracted the attention of other guests in the restaurant, causing a stir inside.
"Miss Xu, I have something to attend to and can't entertain you..." Qin Sulan said.
Xu Gui said considerately, "It's okay, we're leaving after we finish eating anyway, so you can go and take care of your business."
Qin Sulan smiled apologetically at her, then turned and walked towards the restaurant entrance. The moment she turned, her smile turned cold, and her eyes turned icy.
"...Is that Mr. Qin's aunt outside?" Fu Xia and He Yuan curiously approached Xu Gui, peering towards the restaurant entrance: "Wow, is she throwing a tantrum?"
Xu Gui and the others watched as Boss Qin seemed to be patiently talking to his aunt, but his aunt didn't give him any face and cried and wailed, accusing Boss Qin of being unfilial.
Fortunately, the farce didn't last long. Soon after, the police arrived and took the noisy family away, finally bringing peace to the restaurant.
Because of this incident, Boss Qin also waived the bill for every customer who was dining there.
Fu Xia couldn't help but sigh at Mr. Qin's bad luck—how could he not be unlucky to run into such a cannibalistic family?
Xu Gui and the others had finished eating. After watching the farce, they left. Instead of immediately going their separate ways, the three of them strolled around the nearby shopping mall and bought some things.
As for going outside... the weather is so hot now, going outside is just asking for trouble. It's better to stroll around in the mall. The air conditioning in the mall is strong, which is much more comfortable than strolling outside, especially since Xu Gui is afraid of the heat and likes water.
After strolling around until the afternoon, the three of them went out for dinner before parting ways and going home.
Tomorrow, Xu Gui will begin filming the second episode. The three of them will probably have to wait until Xu Gui finishes filming the second episode of "360 Trades" before they can see each other again.
Yes, it will take several days.
After confirming that Xu Gui and the others didn't need their own driver to take them, Fu Xia left first, followed by He Yuan—because they were going to film tomorrow, and Xu Gui planned to go back to the orphanage tonight, He Yuan had to go back by herself.
"Contact me if you need anything." He Yuan made a phone call gesture.
Xu Gui nodded and watched her leave in a taxi. After they both left, she prepared to go back and started calling a car on her phone. But just then, she suddenly felt a weight on her leg. She looked down and saw a little dumpling clinging tightly to her thigh.
Xu Gui: ?
"Sister, I'm hungry!" the little rice dumpling said, staring at her expectantly.
Xu Gui: ? ?
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