Awkwardness filled Cheng Mu's expression before he shook his head helplessly. He sighed. "Alright, since you've already mentioned it, you can say it, Ah Jin."
"It's like this, Xiaoxiao," Ruan Jin paused for a second as he organized his words carefully, "Ah Mu's parents used to be rich merchants in the Zhejiang area. However, Ah Mu's father later got tricked by a friend and lost a lot in his investments. All of their family's assets were pulled in and they still had more than a hundred million dollars worth of debt. Ah Mu has been helping his parents repay their debt all this time."
Tang Xiaoxiao nodded in deep thought, before her nods became those of admiration. "It's alright. It's very motivating to be repaying a debt for your parents. There's no need to hide it like it is something shameful."
"Since we know about Ah Mu's background, what about you?" Ruan Jin suddenly poked his head out and chuckled cheekily as he sent a glance to Cheng Mu, telling him that he was creating a chance for the latter. "You've never mentioned your family, yet we've already known each other for so long."
Cheng Mu smiled bitterly. He knew Ruan Jin's intentions. Tang Xiaoxiao was such a beautiful and intelligent girl and a rare gem in the industry. To Ruan Jin, Tang Xiaoxiao matched really well with him, so Ruan Jin prying into Tang Xiaoxiao was definitely because he wanted to help him… However, only he knew that as a fallen young master with a hundred million dollars worth of debt on his back, how would he have the right to pursue such an excellent and beautiful girl?
Hearing Ruan Jin's question, Tang Xiaoxiao froze for a moment before she lifted her head up, looking to be in deep thought. Then she blinked. "My family? There's nothing special. I have quite a few people at home. My father and eldest brother really dote on me a lot. However, my father had married my stepmother who brought a girl along with her, saying that she is now my younger sister. My younger sister is very weak and very good at getting the adoration of the family. My father is busy with work so he doesn't have time to care too much about me…"
What she said was the truth, though she had hidden a small part of the truth.
Ruan Jin and Cheng Mu glanced at each other before they glanced at Tang Xiaoxiao unconsciously with slight pity in their eyes. After a father married a stepmother, a girl like her would probably be ignored at home, right? Cough, the two boys naturally categorized Tang Xiaoxiao as one of those pitiful Cinderellas from fairy tales.
"Alright! Alright! Let's not talk about these anymore," Tang Xiaoxiao hurriedly shook her head and forcefully chased all of these nonsensical thoughts out of her head. "The vehicle the organizer had sent for you is already parked downstairs. For a celebrity to have the organizer come get you personally is the representation of your status and capability. You can't be too self-indulgent now."
"Yes, I got it."
After getting into the Lincoln limousine the organizer had sent, Tang Xiaoxiao, as the manager, was the only one who followed along with Cheng Mu. In such events, the role Tang Xiaoxiao had to play was one of a small assistant. There was no other choice. Tang Xiaoxiao's name and experience in the industry was still insignificant, so she didn't know anyone at all. She could not do anything for Cheng Mu during such events even if she wanted to.
When they both got on the vehicle, there was already a beautiful woman exuding a classic aura in the car. She was wearing a bright red cheongsam-style evening gown complemented with a jade bracelet. A faint arrogance was found between her eyebrows and when she saw Cheng Mu, she smiled gently at him. "Cheng Mu, it's been a while. Your movie has been a great hit recently, and you're really rising with the tide."
It was actually her…
Tang Xiaoxiao sat beside Cheng Mu as shock filled her eyes. In the next moment, her pupils constricted for a second before her expression returned to normal. She pushed her hat lower as she sat there normally. She never ever thought that the organizer of this event really respected Cheng Mu so much to actually let Ning Ruoxuan arrive at the event with Cheng Mu!
Ning Ruoxuan was one of the top celebrities she had groomed personally back then. Yet, before she could design a path for her to lead in the future, she had already betrayed her and ran under the wings of Shengshi Entertainment. This was a traitorous female celebrity that had betrayed her before!
Cheng Mu gave a soft smile, "It's nothing, Sister Ruoxuan. I never thought that I would arrive at the event with you today. I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Don't worry about it." The woman smiled faintly as her eyes unconsciously glanced at Cheng Mu's handsome face, then at the girl who was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap. A scoff appeared on her lips. "I heard from the people in the industry that you found a new little play toy recently. She's the one beside you now, right?"
'Little play toy? Is she referring to me?'
Tang Xiaoxiao chuckled coldly in her mind. Ning Ruoxuan had always been arrogant and easily jealous. In the past, she had her to suppress her character, so she had no choice but to act otherwise. Now that she was no longer beside and looking after her, her character had indeed revealed itself. She was arrogant, mean and had a sharp tongue, yet she always acted as if she was a classic beauty who was as gentle as water.
Slight embarrassment flashed across Cheng Mu's face. "Sister Ruoxuan, this is Tang Xiaoxiao. She's my manager."
"Tsk tsk, she actually wants to be a manager at her age?" Ning Ruoxuan checked Tang Xiaoxiao out before she snorted. "With those vixen-like looks, it's really a pity to be a manager that's behind the scenes. Cheng Mu, are you thinking of hiding your beauty?"
'A vixen? Were you referring to me? Indeed, you're still as toxic with your words as ever… Ning. Ruo. Xuan!'
"Thank you Miss Ning for your praise," Tang Xiaoxiao smiled calmly as she glanced at Cheng Mu, who looked incredibly awkward beside her. She said half-jokingly, "But Miss Ning is still the capable one. After you arrived at your current position, you actually kicked away your manager so easily. Tsk tsk, aren't you afraid that Miss Ye Yuxin's soul will become a fierce ghost and come back to look for you?"
Hearing the name 'Ye Yuxin' made Ning Ruoxuan, who was still acting elegant, suddenly scream out, "You b*tch! What nonsense are you saying?"
"What did I say? Was I not clear enough? Perhaps Miss Ning's ears are not very functional and you couldn't hear what I said?" Tang Xiaoxiao hugged her arms as she crossed her legs on purpose. She said arrogantly, "Did Miss Ning think that I didn't know about this and so you were planning to bully a newbie like me? Or is it that you don't think I know that Miss Ning only got her current position in the industry because of Miss Ye Yuxin's strong support, yet you…"
Ning Ruoxuan almost jumped up and pounced at Tang Xiaoxiao, wanting to scratch her to death! "You little b*tch! Shut your f*cking mouth! If you dare continue to say nonsense, watch me tear your mouth apart!"
Seeing that Ning Ruoxuan was about to lose her temper completely, Cheng Mu and Ning Ruoxuan's assistant hurriedly stopped Ning Ruoxuan. "Sister Ruoxuan, calm down. Don't let yourself be aggravated so much by her…"
The atmosphere in the car became even more awkward and Cheng Mu could only apologize with a smile, "Sister Ruoxuan, Xiaoxiao is still young and hasn't matured yet. Please don't take what she says too seriously…"
With the soothing from the people around her, Ning Ruoxuan finally calmed down and glared viciously at Tang Xiaoxiao several times before she turned her head away in arrogance.
This was also why Tang Xiaoxiao was daring enough to challenge Ning Ruoxuan with her newbie status. Although Ning Ruoxuan was arrogant and conceited, she was also conceited in a cute way. When it came to "small nobodies" like her, she wouldn't care to remember such a small incident. The most would be fighting on the spot and then giving the other some trouble later, and there wouldn't be anything much more in terms of consequences.
…
It was already night time.
Donghai City's Wanda International Hotel lit up the night skies with its extravagance, and the hotel entrance had been surrounded by the security officer officers and professional police escorts the hotel had hired. Hoards of reporters, members of the public and fans who had heard of the event were milling about the area. There was an extremely long red carpet placed along the hotel entrance. Countless sedans stopped in front of the red carpets and too many handsome men and beautiful women to count dressed to the nines kept nodding and waving at the fans and reporters around them as they entered the scene.