Chapter 120 The Controlling Actor 2 (2/2)

She tossed her ponytail, her straight back resembling a gleaming Tang sword.

Meanwhile, in a high-end apartment in the eastern part of the city, the ringing of a telephone pierced the darkness of the bedroom.

"Hello?"

Mo Jinnian stretched out his hand from the messy bed, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing.

The clock on the wall pointed to three in the afternoon; he had just fallen asleep less than two hours earlier.

"Brother Mo, something's happened!"

"Last night at the Cloud Restaurant, you were photographed with a waitress... uh... it looked like you were on a date."

Assistant Xiao Li spoke cautiously.

"What waiter?"

Mo Jinnian frowned, a familiar cramping pain coming from his stomach.

He reached for the medicine bottle on the bedside table and found it was empty.

"It's about... that restaurant you frequent. A girl was photographed bringing you drinks, and due to the angle, it looks like you two were very intimate. Now it's trending on social media, and fans are all criticizing that girl..."

Mo Jinnian's temples throbbed.

"Contact the public relations department and handle it according to the usual procedures."

He threw back the covers and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.

"But Brother Mo, that girl just posted a message on Weibo, her attitude was very tough..."

"I said the old rules!"

"Clarify! Deny! Do I need to teach you how to do public relations?"

Mo Jinnian suddenly raised his voice, grabbed an empty medicine bottle, and smashed it against the wall.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "Yes, I understand, I'll handle it immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Mo Jinnian slumped onto the edge of the bed, running her hands through her messy black hair.

The sunlight outside the window was blinding, and he squinted. He suddenly remembered that someone had brought him wine at the restaurant last night. Was it a woman?

The afternoon martial arts training class became Zi Xi's outlet for venting her frustrations.

She treated the wooden dummy like a male protagonist, punching and kicking it with great force, each move landing hard, and finally even chopped off the dummy's head with a hand chop.

She was completely unaware until the coach called a stop.

"Martial arts is about cultivating the mind, not venting anger. Besides... you'll have to pay for damaging public property!"

The coach frowned as he watched her become increasingly brutal.

Zi Xi apologized, feeling embarrassed.

Just as I stepped out of the classroom, my phone suddenly vibrated.

Zi Xi took it out and saw that it was a text message from an unknown number.

[Hello Ms. Zhao, I am Xu Tianhua's assistant. Director Xu watched the martial arts video you sent and is very interested in your skills. He cordially invites you to audition for his new film tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM on the 18th floor of Xinghui Building.]

Zi Xi stared at the screen for a full minute, her first thought being, "These days, even scammers are starting to take the martial arts route?"

She casually copied the number into the search bar, and what popped up was actually the official contact information for Star Shine Pictures.

Her finger hovered over the screen for a while before she cautiously typed: "What specific project is it?"

The other party replied instantly: [Second female lead in "Heroine," requiring genuine martial arts skills. Excellent salary, looking forward to collaboration.]

Zi Xi's pupils trembled.

Is "Heroine" the legendary big-budget martial arts film with an investment of over 100 million yuan and personally directed by Xu Tianhua?

That devilish film crew where even award-winning actresses had to practice swordsmanship for three months before they could join the crew?

"Is this pie plated with gold...?"

She murmured to herself.

Logically speaking, she's now a notorious online figure known for her attention-seeking and extortion; which production team would dare to use her?

Unless... Zi Xi suddenly has a flash of inspiration.