Suddenly, Qin Zhao stood up abruptly and addressed Xu Meng and her two companions, "I'd like to propose a toast to the three of you. Here's to an exciting competition."

Without waiting for their response, Qin Zhao quickly downed his drink.

In this situation, the others had to react swiftly, or they'd risk appearing disrespectful to Qin Zhao.

Yang Hong immediately stood up, raising his glass.

However, the other two were still caught off guard. When they finally realized what was happening, they scrambled to their feet, almost pulling each other over in their haste. They were clearly flustered.

Already feeling guilty, they were now fumbling to disentangle their tightly interlocked fingers. Even without directly witnessing it, the awkward angle of their arms and their panicked postures made it clear to everyone, even Gao Hao across the table, what they had been up to. His lips twitched in response.

[Hahaha, Qin Zhao, you're such a timely rainmaker.]

Qin Zhao observed the chaotic atmosphere across the table, his smile widening.

[Look, even Yang Hong was taken aback for a moment. I guess even a cuckold wouldn't expect them to be so brazen right under his nose.]

Qin Zhao glanced at Yang Hong, noticing a flash of jealous hatred in his eyes, though it wasn't clear towards whom. But Yang Hong quickly composed himself.

[Poor Sister Pei is the most pitiful. Despite all her precautions, she couldn't prevent this. Having outsiders witness such a scene, her brain must be on the verge of overheating.]

Qin Zhao thought: It's hard being a person, harder being a woman, and even harder being Sun Mo's female manager.

[Gaga, Sun Mo's face has turned ashen, and Xu Meng's has gone pale. Still enjoy the thrill-seeking? Regretting it now, aren't you? Sun Mo, listen to your mother's advice: don't date unsuitable people too early, it affects your future~]

Qin Zhao: Gaga.

Gao Hao felt the two people next to him shaking with suppressed laughter. Not wanting to be too disrespectful, he forced a smile and pretended nothing had happened, saying, "Qin Zhao, you drank too quickly. They didn't even have time to clink glasses with you. And aren't you going to include Ji Fei?"

Qin Zhao, shoulders still trembling, picked up his glass again. "My mistake."

Ji Fei also stood up, taking her glass, her voice slightly off as she said, "Let's all... together..."

Finally, Sun Mo and Xu Meng stood up across the table, the word 'awkward' practically written on their faces, and raised their glasses.

Not long after sitting down, Pei Mingxuan couldn't bear it anymore. She found an excuse to choose some wine and called Sun Mo to go with her.

Knowing that Pei Mingxuan was definitely going to scold Sun Mo, and although they were curious to see Sun Mo in trouble, they didn't know where the two had gone. It wouldn't be appropriate to follow, so they could only wait for the system to update later to get the gossip.

A little while later, Ji Fei went out to use the restroom. Just as she was coming out, she saw Xu Meng skulking suspiciously in the corridor.

Ji Fei immediately sensed there was gossip to be had and couldn't resist following.

Trailing Xu Meng's footsteps, she arrived near the balcony at the end of the corridor. She watched as Xu Meng hid behind a large potted plant by the balcony door.

Soon, Sun Mo and Pei Mingxuan's voices could be heard. Ji Fei decided to hide in an empty private room to eavesdrop.

"...Sun Mo, I don't want to waste more words on you. If you want to deceive yourself, I can't be bothered to care. But if you continue to mix personal and professional matters, getting aroused all over the place, causing incidents, and generating negative publicity, ruining this transition, I'll be very disappointed in you."

"What kind of talk is this?!"

"It's plain talk. What? Can't understand plain language now? Do we need to discuss again what you two were doing downstairs just now? Right in front of her boyfriend's face, I didn't know your morals had sunk so low!"

"She's my..."

"Ex-girlfriend! Ex-girlfriend! Is your brain filled with water?! Do you dare to post what you did online and let others judge if you're justified?!"

"Pei Mingxuan, that's enough. Whose side are you on anyway?! What happened just now was merely an accident."

"Shut up!"

Pei Mingxuan's tone was downright ferocious. She had clearly been provoked to the point of madness.

But Sun Mo, fearless of death, chuckled lightly and said, "What right do you have to lecture me? When it comes to mixing personal and professional matters, aren't you just as guilty?"

"What did you say?!"

"The matter of changing the script, since it was already agreed upon, why are you still interfering? These past few days, constantly altering our scenes, what's that about? Isn't it just..."

"What, if we don't change the script, you get to spend half of each scene hugging and kissing Xu Meng? Have you no shame?"

"That's what the plot requires! Without it, there's no meaning to the idea of love being the highest faith for each other."

"A professional actor can convey undying love with just a look. What, do you have to suck face until saliva is dripping to show that you love each other to the point of mutual faith?! How come I never saw you insist like this when filming TV shows before?!"

"Who said we needed to do that?!"

"Oh really? If I hadn't stopped you, isn't that exactly what you were planning to do?"

Ji Fei almost couldn't hold back her laughter.

[Sister Pei has really tried her best, but it's hard to talk sense into someone who's beyond reason!]

[To think this guy has played so many cold, celestial lords and tragic, devoted male leads, fooling a bunch of young fangirls. If his fans knew he was using his career for personal desires, they'd probably be devastated. I really feel sorry for his fans.]

[If the live stage was suitable for such intimate scripts, those top-tier actor couples would have done it long ago.]

Sun Mo remained silent for a long time.

Ji Fei could imagine Sun Mo, speechless after being scolded, probably with a red face from frustration.

Finally, Pei Mingxuan sighed and said, "Sun Mo, I've been managing you since your debut. We've been through the toughest times together. Can you be honest with me for once? What exactly do you want? Do you really want to be with Xu Meng?"

Sun Mo reflexively replied, "How is that possible? She abandoned me, I hate her. I... I like you now, I only want to have a family with you."

"Heh, Sun Mo, you're really something. How can you say such..."

[Shameless words?]

At this moment, Ji Fei suddenly saw Xu Meng, who had been eavesdropping all along, take out her phone and press a few buttons, then bump into the door. The conversation on the balcony was interrupted.

Xu Meng then appeared, feigning panic and stammering, "I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I just saw you here and heard you mention my name. I thought..."

Her eyes quickly turned red, tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry... Sister Pei, there's really nothing between Sun Mo and me. You heard it too, he hates me and loves you. Please don't misunderstand us, and don't fight with Sun Mo. I hope you two can be happy together. If you really dislike me that much, I can withdraw from this performance."

Sun Mo froze instantly. "You... I didn't ask you to withdraw."

He then looked at Pei Mingxuan, his face showing undisguised dissatisfaction, as if blaming her for causing such a scene.

Pei Mingxuan was so angry she laughed, "I've been scolding Sun Mo this whole time. When did I ever say I disliked you? Please, Miss Xu, don't add your own drama to this, okay?"

[Pfft! Sister Pei is not giving face to anyone now. The little white flower just ran straight into the line of fire.]

Probably not expecting to be rebuked like this, Xu Meng was stunned. Sun Mo immediately snapped in displeasure, "Pei Mingxuan!"

But Pei Mingxuan retorted, "What, calling my soul? I can hear you just fine. It's you two whose ears are deaf, only believing what you want to hear, indulging in your own fantasies and self-pity."

"I see you're getting more and more unruly, and your brain seems to have gone bad along with it. I'm tired of maintaining this facade. It can't get any worse anyway."

Ji Fei suddenly got excited. [Is she going to... Oh ho!]

"Sun Mo, where on earth did you get the confidence that I like you? Have I ever told you even once that I like you? Or have I ever shown any behavior of secretly getting close to you? In my eyes, you're just an artist under my management. Not only have I never had feelings for you, if you continue being this abnormal, I'm going to lose all hope in you!"

[Hahaha, I'd love to see Sun Mo's expression right now. It must be priceless.]

Indeed, Sun Mo's expression was quite a sight. He was completely dumbfounded.

Xu Meng, however, reacted quickly. She immediately said, "Sister Pei, it's all my fault. Don't say such angry words because of me. You've stood by Sun Mo for so many years, always staying single. You're willing to sacrifice everything for him, everyone can see that. You're the one who deserves Sun Mo's lifelong care. How could he ever let you down?"

Hearing this, Sun Mo seemed to catch his breath. But Pei Mingxuan was not one to be easily fooled.

"I didn't say anything about you, yet you're so eager to react? Have you been acting so much that you need to play the role of a devoted second female lead to complement yourself? Even if I'm not that, you have to shape me into that image, then pretend to be magnanimous and push the male lead towards me. Does that give you a sense of accomplishment?"

"I'm just his manager, that's all. If you like him, be more straightforward about it. Why put on this act of suffering for love? Who are you performing for? There's no one here to appreciate your performance except the foolish male lead. Or is he the only audience you want?"

"Does it feel good to be fought over by men, to be the center of attention? Are you satisfied feeling that your ex-boyfriend can't forget you? Your heart must be swelling with pride, feeling oh so pleased with yourself."

"Or is it that you're not sure who's the best choice right now? Yang Hong doesn't seem like someone to have a stable life with, while Sun Mo might have a promising future and has been pining for you for years. It is indeed a difficult choice, so you're keeping both options open?"

[I feel like I've just had an epiphany. This is absolutely spot-on.]

[Bravo, sister Pei! What a verbal powerhouse!]