Chapter 128 The Controlling Actor 10 (2/2)

Zi Xi peeled off the face mask, and the essence slid down her neck and into her collar. She calmly wiped it off with a wet wipe.

"Mom wants to go back to China and see you..."

Zi Xi hung up the phone immediately.

Divine gold.

She knew this woman too well; she was selfish and self-centered, so how could she suddenly miss her?

There must be a problem.

Lin Ya stared at the black screen after being unilaterally hung up on, her meticulously manicured nails digging crescent-shaped marks into her palm.

She hadn't finished speaking yet. If it weren't for that damn threatening phone call, who would have contacted this jinx!

She hid in the bathroom and completely deleted the call logs.

The noblewoman in the mirror had exquisite makeup, but only she knew that her palms beneath the silk gloves were covered in pinch marks.

To maintain this marriage, she had long ago changed her age, and her current husband always thought that she had only had boyfriends before and that this was her first marriage.

If someone hadn't called to threaten her, why would she have called this girl, trying to get close to her and give her some money so she would stay out of the public eye?

If her husband finds out she lied to him, how will she ever get his large inheritance?

Zi Xi tossed her phone onto the sofa and got up to pour herself a glass of red wine.

Her cold smile was reflected in the floor-to-ceiling window. She had suddenly come back to life; either she was after money or she had been hired as a pawn.

She opened her contacts and sent the number to a private investigator before blacklisting it, asking him to check all of the number's recent call records for a fee.

*

Zhang Mingzhe's assistant was very polite during that phone call.

“Ms. Lin, if you can get Zhao Zixi out of the entertainment industry, five million will be deposited into your account immediately.”

However, half a month later, Zixi's Weibo was still updated daily with fitness photos and script notes.

Zhang Mingzhe stubbed out his cigar in the crystal ashtray: "They're really asking for it."

Three days later, a meticulously forged medical report lay quietly on his office desk.

Patient's name: Lin Yaqin; Diagnosis: Advanced lymphoma; Note: CAR-T cell therapy required immediately.

"The press release is ready."

"[Shocking! Actress surnamed Z's mother is critically ill, but she's busy practicing martial arts for her new drama]"

The PR director adjusted his glasses.

Unbeknownst to them, Mo Jinnian's informant within Zhang Mingzhe's company had already shared the entire plan with Mo Jinnian.

Hengdian Hotel

Zi Xi was packing her luggage for the film set when her phone vibrated, displaying a message from Mo Jinnian: "[Someone is trying to use your mother against you.]"

She wiped the sweat from her bangs and replied briefly: 【I know.】

Mo Jinnian's reply popped up almost instantly: 【Need any help?】

Zi Xi stuffed the knee pads into her suitcase: "No need, I have nothing to do with her anymore."

On the other end of the phone, Mo Jinnian was filming an advertisement. When the makeup artist touched up his makeup, he stared at the screen with a furrowed brow.

The assistant whispered a reminder: "Mr. Mo, it's time to change into the next outfit."

He gave a perfunctory reply and quickly typed: "Public opinion won't care about these things; they'll only pressure you to respond."

Zi Xi looked at the message and turned the page of the script.

Outside the window, the shuttle bus for the new film crew had arrived downstairs at the hotel.

Her final reply to Mo Jinnian was: 【That's great, perfect for building hype for the new drama.】

Zi Xi put down her phone, put on her sunglasses, and stepped out of the elevator.

In the lobby, several figures resembling paparazzi quickly raised their cameras.

She walked past them with her head held high, the muscle lines left by her martial arts training particularly striking in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, Mo Jinnian repeatedly looked at the secretly taken photos that had just been sent to him in front of the monitor in the photography studio.

Old Yang leaned closer: "What's wrong?"

"Notify the legal department to immediately prepare an anti-blacklisting plan for Teacher Zhao."

He took a screenshot and saved Zi Xi's tall and straight back.