Chapter 110: The Genuine Act of Deception

Since the beautiful Ms. Lin had opened with threats and even boasted about having Mo Shu kicked off "Extreme Partners," Mo Shu naturally stopped being polite. Since the other party had already initiated the "burn the bridges" mode, there was no point in holding back.

Mo Shu had noticed Sun Wan'er’s hesitation earlier. He figured that expecting her to stand up for him was likely impractical; after all, Ms. Lin and Sun Wan'er had participated in so many seasons of "Extreme Partners" together that even if they weren't close before, they were old acquaintances by now. Furthermore, as two stars of the same generation in the entertainment industry, if things got so heated that both were left unable to save face, the rumors would be quite unpleasant.

However, seeing Mo Shu remain silent, Ms. Lin mistakenly assumed that she had rendered the young newcomer speechless. She grew even louder and more aggressive. Everyone on set was left looking at each other in awkward silence, intimidated by Ms. Lin's overwhelming presence. No one dared to intervene, fearing that she might turn her wrath on them—it was better not to muddy the waters.

Mo Shu, however, remained indifferent. He didn't care at all about the content of Ms. Lin's tirade; none of it was worth listening to anyway. With a plan in mind, he walked over to the chief director, Xiao Yao, who was anxiously consulting with Ms. Lin's manager. Xiao Yao was hoping the manager would step in to resolve the crisis so filming could continue. Mo Shu appeared behind them, catching them both off guard.

With a brief whisper, Mo Shu explained his proposal. The manager looked conflicted, but it was clear that only her direct intervention could resolve the situation. Mo Shu offered a polite bow to the manager, saying, "Thank you for your hard work," and Xiao Yao patted Mo Shu on the shoulder, clearly satisfied with the young man.

Perhaps never having suffered such indignity since her debut, Ms. Lin had spent the last few moments gathering King Tian, Wu Tianqi, and two sports stars by her side, lecturing them incessantly on her unique views regarding seniority. Seeing her manager walking toward her, Ms. Lin felt even more emboldened and locked her sights back on Mo Shu, who was standing furthest away.

"Hey kid, why did you stop talking? Weren't you arrogant enough just a moment ago, saying I was going too far? Let me ask you: who exactly is out of line here, you or me?" Ms. Lin’s tongue was sharp and her words cutting. Mo Shu couldn't help but wonder: how could this beautiful woman, so charming on screen and seemingly so well-mannered in front of the cameras, possess such a petty, unforgiving nature when angry? It seemed that the packaging provided by talent agencies was truly vital. The stars on television were merely projecting carefully curated, near-perfect personas to win the public's adoration. Now that he had truly met these celebrities, Mo Shu realized that someone like Ms. Lin didn't even possess the emotional stability of his neighbor, Auntie Wang.

However, after the manager spoke a few words to Ms. Lin in a hushed tone, Ms. Lin let out a shocked cry: "What? How is that possible?!!!"

Realizing she had lost her composure, her beautiful face turned as red as a monkey's—no, as red as an apple. The manager continued to speak, and everyone on set pricked up their ears, though they couldn't quite catch the details. Only a few managed to overhear keywords like "straightforward," "face," "senior," and "unable to back down."

These keywords quickly spread like wildfire among the staff. Some said, "Mo Shu must have been blunt, refusing to give Ms. Lin any face. He doesn't care if she's a senior; he wants to make her lose face." Others argued, "No, no, it must be that Mo Shu was the one backed into a corner and, too embarrassed to say it himself, asked the manager to beg the senior for some mercy." A more gossipy theory emerged: "Since this kid Mo Shu had the guts to confront her, he must be some high-profile 'second generation' heir. He definitely threatened her manager, telling her that if Ms. Lin continued to humiliate him, he would have a highly respected veteran step in to settle the score, and then the whole industry would stop giving Ms. Lin any face."

That is how rumors are born. Mo Shu listened from the sidelines, torn between laughter and tears.

Meanwhile, Ms. Lin, still blushing, bit her lip as if weighing a difficult decision. Suddenly, her eyes flashed with resolve. She took a step forward and, in front of everyone, bowed to Mo Shu. Mo Shu was taken aback and immediately stepped forward to bow back, muttering, "I couldn't possibly accept that, you are too kind." The staff stood there, dumbfounded. The two had gone from clashing like fire and ice to bowing to each other like they were performing a wedding ceremony—the entertainment world was truly a deep, murky pool that ordinary people couldn't fathom.

At this critical moment, chief director Xiao Yao stepped in and announced loudly, "Alright, alright! Thank you all for your cooperation! And thank you, Ms. Lin. You truly live up to the title of Best Actress; your acting is superb!"

"And likewise, thank you to Mo Shu for your excellent performance. Though there were a few rough edges, for a race car driver to display such acting skill is highly commendable!"

The staff were left stunned. Was that just acting? Why? And we aren't the audience—we're the production team. Was it really necessary to keep us in the dark?

Xiao Yao cleared his throat and continued, "The reason we kept it from you was to ensure the reaction felt authentic! Authenticity is the secret ingredient that moves an audience. That conflict was a deliberate arrangement by the senior staff to generate eye-catching material for the show's teaser trailer. A rookie disrespecting a film queen, a junior forgetting a senior's work—aren't these the kind of keywords that hit the trending lists? You're all in the business of making shows; your reactions are far too slow!"

As he spoke, the chief director seamlessly shifted into lecturing his subordinates. All the staff members wore expressions of sudden realization, and it seemed Xiao Yao's bluff had worked perfectly.

Ms. Lin snuck over to Sun Wan'er and whispered, "Big sister, have you really starred in a spy drama?"

Sun Wan'er smiled, her expression as gentle as her name suggests. "I have. Didn't you know? I was just about to remind you, but you shouted me down before I could."

"I really hadn't heard of it. Was it an early work?" Ms. Lin asked, needing to confirm.

"Yes, from before I became famous," Sun Wan'er replied, unable to forget the dramas she had starred in herself.

"This Mo Shu... he really is your die-hard fan. He's even seen your work from before you were famous."

"Oh, he's no die-hard fan. Stop teasing me," Sun Wan'er laughed, then asked quietly, "And what about you and that race car driver? What was that performance all about?"

A look of shame crossed Ms. Lin's face as she replied, "Sigh, I really made a fool of myself today. If that kid hadn't been clever enough to come up with a way to turn a real conflict into a fake one, I truly wouldn't have known how to step down."