Chapter 6: Let's See Whose Fist Is Stronger

Watching the young man suffer a setback, Chu Luoxi couldn’t help but curl her lips in satisfaction, secretly giving Zhu Xue a mental thumbs-up. Stunning, absolutely brilliant. She was about to continue speaking when she caught a glint of calculation in the young man’s eyes. Chu Luoxi’s heart gave a start. In the next moment, she noticed Zhu Xue and Liu Yujia reaching for their glasses, and it all became clear to her. Without drawing attention, she intercepted their cups and placed them back on the coffee table with a serene gesture. “We’re about to have dinner,” she said lightly, “better not drink too much water, or your stomachs will be too full.”

Zhu Xue and Liu Yujia exchanged puzzled glances, surprise flickering in their eyes. Wasn’t it standard practice to drink more water or soup before a meal to nourish the stomach and help with dieting? In their line of work, maintaining their figures was the top priority. But neither of them was foolish; a moment’s thought revealed the truth—there must be something wrong with the water. Their expressions shifted subtly.

Chu Luoxi watched the young man’s momentary stiffness with amusement, a trace of disdain flashing in her eyes. Resorting to such low tricks and claiming to have no ulterior motives? Clearly, he’d had his eye on Zhu Xue from the start, only surprised that she hadn’t come alone. The more Chu Luoxi thought about it, the more convinced she became that the tragedy Zhu Xue had suffered in her previous life was orchestrated by this very man. Disgust welled up inside her.

“Oh, so Mr. Tang wants to introduce a director to our Xiaoxue?” Chu Luoxi spoke with deliberate meaning, nodding slightly. “These days, it’s hard to land even a background part, isn’t it?”

The young man raised his eyebrows, secretly relieved, thinking Chu Luoxi was tempted and ready to change her tune.

But Chu Luoxi’s smile was ambiguous as she looked at him, her tone suddenly shifting. “So, Mr. Tang, you must have quite the network! Tell us, which director are you introducing to Xiaoxue? What’s his surname? Where’s he filming right now? What kind of extra is he looking for?”

She stroked her chin, feigning confusion. “But it’s odd, isn’t it? For an extra role, do you really need to check someone’s photogenic quality in a studio? And why just still photographs? If you want to see how someone looks on camera, shouldn’t you use a video camera and have them act? Still photos and video are worlds apart! Honestly, this director you know must be very meticulous—auditioning even extras, not even supporting roles, and even checking their photogenic quality one by one. So very responsible.”

As soon as she finished, the young man’s face changed again, and even Zhu Xue’s expression darkened with realization. So many holes in his story—what had she been thinking before? Had she been blinded by stupidity to trust someone like this?

After being blocked at every turn, the young man could no longer suppress his temper. His eyes flashed with violence as he slammed his fist on the coffee table, glaring viciously at the three women. “Hmph, acting so high and mighty—so what if you came out of Di Ying? Aren’t you all just high-class whores, pretending to be pure?”

Chu Luoxi remained calm, a hint of mockery in her eyes as she looked at the man’s true colors. She sighed inwardly: A nouveau riche is always a nouveau riche—no amount of gold or jewelry can hide his ignorance and need to show off. He couldn’t even take a bit of provocation.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Not going to keep up the act?” Chu Luoxi raised her eyebrow, relentless. “I told you, you have an agenda. What did you really want from Xiaoxue?” Now that the pretense was broken, there was no need for courtesy. Chu Luoxi pressed him directly.

Someone this quick to explode wasn’t even worthy of being called an opponent. She was more than happy to toy with him.

The young man’s lecherous sneer surfaced, his previous air of refinement vanishing as he devolved into a common thug. “What do you think I want?” he rasped, his eyes roaming over them without restraint.

Chu Luoxi scoffed. “You don’t really think you can do as you please just because you’re in your own studio, do you?” she said. As if she would ever walk into a trap without any preparation.

With a wave of his hand, several burly men emerged from the corners of the cramped shop—bodyguards, clearly, and intimidating in build. “Let’s see how sharp your tongue is in a minute. I never thought you’d bring two more beauties with you, Zhu Xue. How could I refuse such a generous gift?”

Zhu Xue’s face turned pale, her lips pressed tightly together in anger. She glanced at Chu Luoxi, her calm composure now the source of confidence for both her and Liu Yujia.

One look at the muscle-bound men, and Chu Luoxi immediately judged them as all show and no substance. She no longer had the patience to humor this brainless rich kid. Such crude tactics—laughable, really. If their targets weren’t the three of them, she wouldn’t even have bothered.

Two minutes later, the shop was dead silent. Even breathing seemed deafening. Zhu Xue and Liu Yujia, now huddled at the door, stared at Chu Luoxi in awe and disbelief as she straightened up and brushed dust from her hands. Around her lay several “bodies” for visual effect.

They’d always known Chu Luoxi was skilled, but never expected her abilities went beyond mere show. Now they understood why she had been unconcerned about facing a few musclemen—she’d dispatched them in seconds. The faces of the men on the floor were still frozen in shock and pain.

Chu Luoxi nudged the young man with her toe, amused at how he tried to shrink into the floor. “Well?” she taunted, “I told you—not your turf, not your rules. So what if you’re big? I’m so scared…”

She had pursued her dream of becoming an actress since childhood, and martial arts had always been her trump card. In her previous life, she had relied on her skills to seize opportunities in the film city after graduation. In the sea of faces, it was never easy to stand out. Now, with twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry behind her, her martial arts far surpassed what would be expected at her current age.

So, running into her today—well, it was just his bad luck.

“Don’t think a bit of money allows you to do whatever you please. This is the capital of China—I’ll be waiting if you want to cause trouble,” Chu Luoxi declared coolly, turning on her heel to leave.

She’d already seen through him—he was just someone with a bit of money, not real power. He might waste some cash chasing after starlets, but he wasn’t capable of anything more. She wasn’t afraid of his revenge. If it came down to money, he might not even match the three of them. Besides, she had returned to life with all her memories—she had plenty of ways to ruin him utterly. Business, after all, was no mystery to her.