Chapter 104: Mistaken Identity

“Feifei, do you know Mo Qi?”

Sun Feifei replied, “We’ve met briefly.”

“Oh? Did you go to watch the ‘Let Dreams Take Flight’ competition?” Sun Feifei thought to herself that she hardly had the time to watch any talent show, but He Shuai, unaware of her thoughts, enthusiastically introduced, “Mo Qi, you should know Feifei. She’s the famous and beautiful host of Entertainment Express.”

“Of course I know her,” Mo Qi said excitedly as she stood up. “I’m actually a fan of Feifei. During Feifei’s last audition, I was fortunate enough to act opposite her.”

If she hadn’t mentioned that, Sun Feifei wouldn’t have been so upset. But now, recalling that moment made her heart ache with frustration.

If Mo Qi hadn’t deliberately sabotaged her, she would have already landed the role of the female official. Although the production later added a palace concubine role due to the investors’ requests, that part was nowhere near as significant as the female official.

Sun Feifei glared at Mo Qi with clenched teeth. She still couldn’t figure out when she had ever offended this sly and irritating woman.

“Mo Qi’s acting skills have been recognized by both King Shen and Sister Su Xiao, so there’s definitely no problem,” He Shuai said, oblivious to the tension between the two women. “Mo Qi, you should talk more with Feifei. Maybe one day she’ll invite you to join Entertainment Express.”

“Heh.” Feifei tucked her long hair behind her ear and smiled faintly, a smile that was neither warm nor cold.

Mo Qi didn’t mind and returned the smile cheerfully. “Only the hottest stars make it onto Entertainment Express. As a rookie like me, I should focus on doing well in my current job first.”

“Humility is a good quality, but excessive humility is pride,” He Shuai glanced toward the main entrance where someone had just arrived, then said to the two women, “Looks like there are friends here. I’ll go greet them. You two can chat.”

As He Shuai left, Feifei’s smile vanished instantly. She ground her teeth, her face darkening as she stared at Mo Qi.

Mo Qi casually swirled her wine glass, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Feifei lowered her voice and demanded, “I saw your acting in the competition—it was worlds apart from your audition. Were you deliberately setting me up?!”

Mo Qi looked up at her and blinked innocently. “We had seven days to rehearse the same scenes with guidance from a coach before the competition. That day at the audition, I was suddenly asked to act opposite you without any preparation. I didn’t know how my character was supposed to behave in the script, so I didn’t perform well. Also, as a fan seeing my idol, it’s natural to be nervous and want to shine a little more.”

As Mo Qi spoke, her eyes reddened, tears welling up. Before Feifei could respond, a voice came from behind, “I hope I’m not disturbing you two lovely ladies?”

Feifei turned in surprise to see the editor-in-chief of Eastern Capital Entertainment smiling as he passed by and went to the bar for a drink.

“Editor Liu!”

“Feifei, it’s fine to teach newcomers properly. Don’t scare them off,” Editor Liu said with a smile, raising his glass to Mo Qi before walking away.

“Editor Liu, wait!” Feifei tried to explain, but Editor Liu had already joined some friends nearby.

Feifei glared fiercely at Mo Qi. “You saw Editor Liu coming but didn’t tell me. Instead, you played the victim so he thought I was bullying the newcomer! What are your intentions?”

Mo Qi looked even more innocent. “Which Editor Liu? Feifei, you’re misunderstanding me—I don’t know who he is.”

“Don’t put on an act in front of me,” Feifei hissed. Then, glancing again at Editor Liu, she whispered a warning, “We’ll see about this.”

With that, Feifei picked up a glass of champagne from the bar and swaggered over to join Editor Liu’s group.

Mo Qi watched her profile, the innocence on her face completely gone.

Sun Feifei was too timid and impatient; dealing with her would be easy.

Mo Qi lowered her gaze, spinning her glass and curling her lips into a cold smile.

“Don’t be upset. Newcomers always act like that.” A man in a silver-gray suit sat down on the stool next to Mo Qi, casually placing his glass of red wine on the marble bar.

Mo Qi was momentarily startled before looking up. Editor Liu smiled faintly at her.

“I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Liu Yi, editor-in-chief of Eastern Capital Entertainment,” he said, handing Mo Qi a card with gilded edges.

Mo Qi took the card and recalled that it was this magazine that broke the story about her living with King Shen.

“Seems like I reminded you of some unpleasant memories,” Liu Yi said. “But don’t worry, if I don’t get photos of you kissing King Shen next time, I won’t let them publish the news.”

Mo Qi was taken aback. She thought she had hidden her feelings well, but Liu Yi had seen right through her.

“I majored in psychology in college,” Liu Yi continued. “Being able to read subtle expressions and gestures often lets me guess what someone is thinking with about 80-90% accuracy.”

This man was practically a master! Mo Qi thought wryly to herself, then smiled. “In this era of entertainment supremacy, the more attention you get online, the hotter you are—or at least the more potential you have. That’s not a bad thing. Besides, many stars deliberately expose their privacy or scandals to gain attention. For a nobody like me, riding on King Shen’s fame to occasionally make headlines should be something to celebrate.”

“You see more clearly than other rookies, and your comeback impressed me a lot,” Liu Yi said. “That’s why I’ve wanted to meet you for some time.”

“Tickets for ‘Let Dreams Take Flight’ are on sale. You can buy one to watch the competition,” Mo Qi said, standing up. “I’m feeling a bit stifled. Excuse me.”

She said no more and turned to leave.

Liu Yi watched her retreating figure and smiled softly. “A little fox with sharp thorns.”

“Shouldn’t roses and hedgehogs have thorns?” another man appeared beside Liu Yi.

Liu Yi just smiled without replying.

Mo Qi left the living room and went alone to the garden behind the villa.

The garden was large, with lawns, low shrubs, a swimming pool, and a spacious leisure pavilion.

Mo Qi entered the pavilion and lazily leaned against a pillar, looking up at the big, round moon hanging in the night sky.

She had been reborn less than a month ago, yet felt more exhausted than all the twenty-plus years of her previous life combined. Before entering this world, she only knew it was complicated and chaotic; now that she was inside, she realized she had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

He Shuai emerged from the back door and saw Mo Qi leaning against the pavilion pillar, her head slightly tilted as she stared into the night sky.

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but for a moment, he felt she wasn’t Mo Qi at all—she was someone else.

“Mo Qi?!”