The tropical rainforest climate of Malaysia is very distinct. On clear nights, the sky is filled with countless stars, and under the moonlight, innumerable fireflies cling to the green leaves. After finishing a night scene shoot in the mountains, an exhausted Fu Xueli lay resting in a hammock chair. Finding the view too beautiful to ignore, she casually snapped a photo and posted it on Weibo.

Fu Xueli: Stargazing, hehe.

She then carefully selected a few decent photos from her album and sent them to Xu Xingchun. After some thought, she added:

“It just rained, but there are stars out. Did you run up to the sky?”

She had forcefully obtained his phone number a few days ago, saving it simply under “Xu”. There had been no contact since their unpleasant parting last time.

He hadn’t replied to her WeChat friend request either.

Fu Xueli suspected it might be a fake number and was tempted to call and check. But she couldn’t bring herself to repeatedly bother the same person like that.

Though aware she was no longer in control of her feelings, she still felt unwilling to give up.

After holding back for a couple days, tonight she was inexplicably compelled to send him the photos she had taken herself. She anxiously clutched her phone waiting for a reply, but as expected, there was no response after a long while.

It was like a stone sinking into the sea.

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Finally, she decided to let it go.

That’s how it is.

One thing learned in adulthood is endurance.

Endure frustration, endure heartache, endure confusion and grievances.

Endure all efforts that go unrewarded.

No one is indispensable.

Why be so sentimental?

After filming in Malaysia, “Breaking Dawn” quickly moved on to shoot in Bangkok, the Golden Triangle region, Yunnan, and a few other locations. Due to scheduling, Fu Xueli finished filming early in Yunnan.

Coincidentally, on her last day of shooting, there was an accident during a fight scene in the jungle.

Fu Xueli was bitten by a six-inch-long venomous insect, causing her ankle to swell up to the size of a fist. To avoid delaying progress, after simple disinfection by the on-site doctor, she had to grit her teeth and continue.

By the time the scene wrapped, the wound had become very serious. Fu Xueli was in so much pain she could barely move and nearly passed out. Four big men had to carry her onto the plane, rushing her back to Shanghai overnight for treatment.

An injury during filming was too good a publicity opportunity for the team to pass up. So that very night, Fu Xueli made it onto the hot search list. While she herself was still unaware of the situation, images of her lying unconscious on a stretcher with an IV drip were viewed by social media users across the country.

It wasn’t really a major issue, but combined with the exhaustion from filming, Fu Xueli slept heavily until the next afternoon before regaining consciousness.

Tang Xin pushed open the door to find Fu Xueli leisurely reclining in bed, casually peeling a banana to eat.

“Feeling better?” She put down her bag and sat in the chair by the bed.

Fu Xueli was scrolling through Weibo, chewing absently with a frown. She handed the phone to Tang Xin and said, “I’m telling you, did you guys not pay enough? Why do the photos these marketing accounts released make me look so ugly?”

Tang Xin was speechless. “Can you please focus on something other than that? How’s your body recovering?”

“It wasn’t anything serious to begin with.” As she continued scrolling through Weibo, Fu Xueli suddenly came across the night sky photo she had taken a few days ago. Something occurred to her.

She stared at the screen thoughtfully, her finger lightly swiping.

She searched through her text messages, then checked her missed calls. In just one day, there were truly many friends who had sent their well-wishes.

She patiently and carefully flipped through page after page. Finally, on the third page, a bright red “Xu” appeared in her view.

The timestamp showed it was in the middle of the night, close to dawn, not long after she had hit the hot search list.

Fu Xueli took a screenshot, then closed her phone with satisfaction.

After resting for less than two days, it was time to travel around the country for promotions. Entering the summer season was the busiest time for work.

Previously, Fu Xueli and He Lu’s popularity from the third season of a certain hit variety show had been extremely high, nearly becoming a national CP.

Tieba, Weibo comments, and Bilibili were all flooded with CP fans. Both of their teams wanted to break the pairing, but given the current situation, it couldn’t be rushed and wouldn’t happen overnight.

Firstly, there was still a fourth season, and they had signed agreements with the show. Secondly, they feared too strong a backlash, and neither side was willing to give up the popularity.

This variety show was called “The Final 100%”, and it could be said to be a major resource that was difficult for multiple parties to give up.

It was a large-scale outdoor reality show launched by Blue TV. They had bought the overseas rights, and the production team’s directors were currently top-tier in the country.

With both funny and touching moments, as well as hints of romance, it appealed to a wide age range. When it first aired a few years ago, it became an instant hit. The ratings repeatedly broke 4, and almost all the main MCs used it to increase their national popularity and rise to the top tier.

One advantage of participating in variety shows is that while the filming period is short, the returns are high. The popularity can be maintained, and with such high profits, only a fool would give it up.

The first episode of “The Final 100%” Season 4 was filmed in a small town by the Wu River. It was mostly the same cast as Season 3, but in addition to Fu Xueli, there was another female MC.

She was about the same age as Fu Xueli, named Ji Qinqin.

Ji Qinqin was also considered one of the current popular female celebrities. She was half-Chinese, half-European, with a small V-shaped face that was both round and pointed, typical of Western features. She had a very special quality – she was extremely good at attracting fans, but at the same time, she also attracted a lot of haters, almost to two extremes.

This resulted in her fans being extremely loyal with explosive fighting power, comparable to some of the so-called “traffic emperors” in the entertainment circle. Fu Xueli had heard that Ji Qinqin was previously from a Korean girl group, serving as the ace, able to sing and dance. Later, she returned to China to develop her career, with connections in both Beijing and Shanghai circles, receiving good resources and bookings non-stop.

Because of this, Tang Xin had specifically instructed, “Ji Qinqin most likely has a significant backer in the industry. Get along well with her, but don’t get too close or offend her.”

Filming began the next day, and everyone had gathered for a meal the night before. Most of the relationships from the previous season were quite good, so there were quite a few people teasing He Lu and Fu Xueli at the dinner table.

Some even directly joked about when they would get married.

He Lu went along with it smoothly. He wasn’t a fool and tossed the joke to Fu Xueli. On the surface, everything appeared perfectly fine.

At the table, Fu Xueli twirled her wine glass, taking small sips, but inwardly she laughed coldly, admiring He Lu’s composure.

Just recently, revealing photos of Ming Heqi with a famous director had been leaked, the content so explicit and her face clearly visible that her pure and innocent image had completely shattered, making it difficult to salvage her reputation. It was said to be the work of a third party, and Ming Heqi was now in a precarious position, currently the target of widespread criticism.

As her boyfriend, He Lu didn’t seem to be much affected, chatting and laughing as usual, attending his scheduled appearances as normal.

Not long after, someone claiming to be a staff member opened a reveal post on Tieba:

Front-line report, today I was at the filming site, and I swear on my life that Lu Lu and Li Li were super sweet, explosively sweet!! Did you know they were already discussing marriage?? Ahhhhh!!! Surprised? Unexpected!!!

[Floor 1] Fire tongs Liu Ming [Floor 2] Eyes don’t lie, the way Lu Lu looks at Li Li is the most beautiful love I’ve ever seen! [Floor 3] To the poster above, confirmed eye contact, Lu Lu has found the right person? [Floor 4] So cute!! [Floor 5] Remember when Li Li was filming in Malaysia and posted that night sky photo saying she was stargazing? It must have been because she was missing someone (covers mouth and giggles) [Floor 6] More, more, please continue! [Floor 7] I think anyone who still can’t see that they’re dating should crowdfund to buy a brain.

Finally, there was an attached photo taken secretly from behind, at a very ambiguous angle, enough for people to imagine several stories. The CP fans’ frenzy even spread to Weibo, seemingly determined to confirm this rumor.

However, most media insiders who were in the know treated this as a joke.

The fact that He Lu’s girlfriend was Ming Heqi was, frankly speaking, something that the parties involved didn’t make public, and others were very conscientious about pretending it didn’t exist. As long as it didn’t affect their own interests, who they were rumored to be with was just a means to an end. This is how the entertainment industry is – among the various colorful characters, self-preservation is most important.

Don’t meddle in others’ affairs, don’t offend anyone.

Early the next morning, makeup artists, stylists, and follow-up VJs entered the room to get things ready. After changing into the required clothes, they left the hotel promptly at 6:30 AM.

The bus was waiting at the entrance.

The weather today didn’t look too good, it might rain. For some reason, Fu Xueli’s eyelid had been twitching since she woke up early in the morning, giving her a feeling that something was going to happen today.

Sometimes a woman’s sixth sense can be terrifyingly accurate.

During the afternoon recording, He Lu received a phone call. After hanging up, his expression was grim. Without saying goodbye, he left directly, saying he had an emergency.

On the return journey, Fu Xueli sat by the window, with Ji Qinqin next to her. The two chatted casually about various topics. Ji Qinqin was like a social butterfly, constantly receiving messages on her phone. After casually replying to some, she suddenly lowered her voice and said,

“Did you know? Something just happened.”

Fu Xueli remained calm, nodded, and out of politeness asked, “What happened?”

Ji Qinqin slowly licked her lips, put her hand to Fu Xueli’s ear, and said mysteriously: “Ming Heqi attempted suicide.”

?!!

Fu Xueli was stunned for a moment, her heart skipping a beat. Her first reaction was, “How is that possible?”

Ji Qinqin smiled, curling her lips, “Why would I lie to you?”

“Is she in the hospital being rescued?”

“She’s dead.”

Watching Fu Xueli’s expression change from surprise to astonishment, then gradually to disbelief, Ji Qinqin spoke casually, tilting her head to look at Fu Xueli, and said seriously, “She slit her wrists.”

“He Lu is going to be in trouble. You should be careful too.”

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