Wei Jingjing came to her senses and saw that Xia Siyu beside her had hung up the phone, leaning on the car seat with her gaze sweeping towards the night outside the window. Her eyes were slightly squinted, originally with delicate stage makeup, her eyeliner slightly upturned, which would look enchanting when she smiled.
But at that moment, Xia Siyu's demeanor seemed distant and melancholic, with the streetlight shining on her face, adding an unwarranted sense of loneliness.
Wei Jingjing even thought she had become autistic from the scolding. Although celebrities appear to lead a glamorous life, in reality, their every move is exposed to the public eye. People can't wait to analyze their micro-expressions frame by frame and listen carefully to every word they say, then pretend to deduce explanations with psychological methods.
Since Xia Siyu transferred to their agency three years ago, she had always been on this controversial path. Over the years, they had become accustomed to her being scolded to the top of the trending searches. The most troublesome parts were helping her clean up the mess, negotiating with production companies, explaining to financiers, and manipulating trending searches.
However, they had overlooked the fact that artists are human too. Being a celebrity means all kindness and malice are magnified. One wrong step, and you can be surrounded by unjustified abuse.
She gently patted Xia Siyu's hand, "Don't worry, netizens are just a three-minute passion. By the time they wake up the next day, they might have forgotten the quarrels they had online last night."
Xia Siyu smiled faintly, "What have I got to worry about?"
Her tone was light, but there was a clear trace of bitterness in her eyes that she couldn't hide.
**
The car arrived at the Huixing Entertainment dormitory and, sure enough, there was a large group of journalists surrounding it.
This time, without a word from Wei Jingjing, Little Tang decisively turned the car around and sped away from the dormitory.
But the incident had happened so suddenly that Xia Siyu's previous residences had already been targeted by the paparazzi. It was likely there were ambushes there now. For a moment, the nanny car wandered the streets and alleys of Yancheng like a lonely island, unsure of where to go.
"How about we go to a hotel?" she suggested.
Xia Siyu had barely suggested this when Wei Jingjing rejected it, "You're living in Yancheng and going to a hotel. If someone takes a picture of you and claims you're having a 'secret late-night rendezvous,' you're done for."
She thought for a moment, "How about going to my place?"
Xia Siyu smiled, "Your place? Isn't the security at your place subpar? And you share it with someone else. What would you do if I went there?"
Indeed.
There was silence in the car for a while until Xia Siyu frowned and spoke with difficulty after a long time, "...Let's go to Qingcheng Apartment."
Qingcheng Apartment was a famous high-end complex in Yancheng, inhabited by the rich and prestigious, with comprehensive security facilities.
Wei Jingjing had never heard that Xia Siyu owned a property there and was somewhat surprised. Xia Siyu preempted her concern, "It's my friend's place. He probably doesn't live there normally, and I have the keys. Also... he's tight-lipped and won't go gossiping."
The car made its way smoothly and arrived at the underground garage of Qingcheng Apartment. Arriving downstairs, Wei Jingjing noticed that there was an elevator for each unit, equipped with fingerprint recognition. Xia Siyu stretched out her hand and pressed the button, and indeed, the elevator started moving.
Only then did Wei Jingjing feel relieved, "You get some rest. There's a mid-video advertisement tomorrow, sponsored by the investor of your last movie, and I will come to pick you up on time."
Just as Xia Siyu entered the elevator, a Maybach followed closely behind and drove into the underground garage.