What are you doing here in the middle of the night

This meal.

It wasn’t until everyone had gathered that Cao Cheng realized just how many girls were present.

Third Sister and Old Cheng, plus the two younger ones.

Liu Tianxian, along with Lin Zhi and the other four beauties.

In the private room of the hotel, Cao Cheng sat at the head of the table, glancing left and right—nine stunning women in total.

For a brief moment, he was genuinely dazzled.

However, the atmosphere was slightly stiff.

Perhaps because Cao Cheng and Third Sister were present, Lin Zhi and the younger girls seemed a bit reserved.

But after a few drinks, the conversation quickly picked up.

Third Sister was gentle.

Whether out of genuine curiosity or simply to break the ice, she steered the conversation by asking if there were any fun or gossip-worthy stories from the film set.

At this, Lin Zhi and the others began to respond, sharing amusing anecdotes from their experiences.

Third Sister listened with great interest.

Some of the stories were even more entertaining than watching a drama—behind-the-scenes bloopers, hilarious on-set moments, or actors who couldn’t stand each other but had to play best friends on screen… just imagining those scenes was enough to make one cringe.

Liu Tianxian had been quiet at first, but as the conversation flowed, she gradually joined in.

According to her, the bigger the production, the more factions there were, and the more strained relationships became.

"So," she said, "when you join a major production in the future, unless you absolutely have to be on set, avoid wandering around unnecessarily."

"Even if you must stay on set, find a quiet corner to rehearse your lines. Don’t engage in gossip, and if someone tries to gossip with you, don’t offer any opinions."

"For food and drinks, let your assistant or manager handle it."

"Anything else you can’t deal with personally, delegate to your assistant."

"Also, not everyone on set is trustworthy. Many minor figures have ties to paparazzi, so once you’re on set, always present your best self—no scratching, nose-picking, or anything unflattering."

"And another thing…"

She went on and on.

These were hard-earned lessons about the industry’s darker side.

Lin Zhi and the younger girls listened attentively, even raising their glasses afterward to thank Liu Tianxian for her advice.

Cao Cheng hadn’t expected her to be so generous with her wisdom.

It seemed that during filming, she’d grown close to Lin Zhi and the others—otherwise, she wouldn’t have shared such candid advice.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or perhaps the relaxed atmosphere of Miracle Media, but she’d clearly let her guard down.

However…

Once she finished, Cao Cheng couldn’t resist teasing, "You seem to know all about the industry’s pitfalls, so how did you end up getting dragged so hard online? And those unflattering photos—thick thighs, frumpy posture, grinning with your gums on full display…"

"……"

"……"

The moment Cao Cheng’s words left his mouth, the room fell silent.

The sounds of chewing, the clinking of glasses—everything stopped.

A few of the girls turned away, biting their lips hard to suppress their laughter.

That remark was downright savage.

Liu Tianxian’s face darkened as she glared at him.

Hearing the system’s warning chime in his head, Cao Cheng quickly backtracked: "We’re all friends here, so I’m not mocking you. I just want to point out that while your advice is crucial, especially for newcomers, there’s more to it."

"Besides being careful in public, you also need a strong company—especially a good PR team to handle your image."

“Believe me, with your past scandals, I can’t promise to turn them all into positives, but I can at least stop the full-on online hate. With the right strategy, we might even spin them into your signature charm, something your fans adore.”

The others perked up with curiosity.

Everyone in the industry knew Cao Cheng was a master at promotion.

Liu Tianxian’s expression softened. "How would you do it?"

Cao Cheng grinned. "That’s proprietary information."

Her fists clenched.

Cao Cheng added, "Once you wrap filming and return to Zhonghai, I’ll give you a proper PR overhaul. Then you’ll see what top-tier promotion really looks like."

He sighed. "Your old PR team—honestly, where did your mom even find those amateurs? You’re lucky you’re resilient, or they’d have dragged you straight to D-list obscurity."

"Count your blessings that you met me before hitting rock bottom. When you blow up again, do us all a favor and put in a good word for the company. These girls here are counting on you, their future queen bee, to lead the way."

"……"

Despite his bravado, Liu Tianxian found herself intrigued—and a little hopeful.

She knew exactly how lacking her current company’s PR was.

They didn’t even have a proper strategy—just shifting blame, which often backfired.

There was no real anti-defamation team either. When she got slammed online, they’d just stay silent and wait for the storm to pass.

Their logic? "She’s been hated on before. People will forget soon enough."

This was her PR tactic.

This wasn’t just nonsense.

This was downright absurd.

As for the matter of being the "top sister" and mentoring newcomers, she didn’t refuse either.

These things had been mentioned when signing the contract before.

It was also somewhat of a tradition in the industry.

Veterans guiding rookies.

It wasn’t just her, or even figures like Brother Hu—others who were household names, like Shuang Bing, Zi Yi, Zhou Xun, and so on—which of them wouldn’t take on protégés in the future?

This was called legacy.

……

……

After dinner that evening,

everyone settled into the pre-booked hotel.

Even though they had a RV, it wasn’t like they could actually stay at an RV park, right?

It just wasn’t convenient.

Besides, with decent hotels around, why bother with the RV?

After showering,

Cao Cheng, a cigarette dangling from his lips and wrapped in a towel, had just picked up his phone to ask if Third Sister had finished washing up… when there was a knock at the door.

Knock, knock, knock—

At first, Cao Cheng thought Third Sister had quietly come over.

He peeked through the peephole, then his expression shifted slightly in surprise. What was she doing here in the middle of the night?

Click.

He opened the door.

Cao Cheng’s hair was still slightly damp, a cigarette between his lips, phone in hand.

He looked casual, yet there was an indescribable aura about him.

"Coming to offer yourself up at this hour?" Cao Cheng asked bluntly.

The person across from him chuckled. "Why not? It’s not like I’d be at a disadvantage with you."

"Then come in," Cao Cheng said, turning back into the room.

Outside, Liu Tianxian hesitated for less than two seconds before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

Of course,

the whole "offering herself" thing was nonsense—Liu Tianxian hadn’t even changed her clothes, so she clearly wasn’t here for that.

Otherwise, she’d at least be wearing a robe, right?

Cao Cheng probably already knew why she was here—it was about the PR issue they’d discussed at dinner.

Sure enough,

after sitting down, she spoke up. "About the publicity—what do you need me to do?"

"You in a hurry?"

"Duh. You think I enjoy being trashed online? If it were real dirt, fine, but most of it’s just made-up crap." Liu Tianxian took a deep breath.

It couldn’t be helped, though.

Her career had started at the top.

Ever since her debut, aside from the ridiculous rumors like her being a "transgender," the gossip about her had been everywhere.

Any male co-star she worked with, or even just a casual chat caught on camera, would inevitably stir up a frenzy among fans.

Including her relationship with Old Cheng.

That had always been a point of criticism.

Then there was her figure.

When she was younger, it wasn’t so bad—her metabolism was fast, so even if she slacked off occasionally, she stayed relatively slim.

But as she got older, and with her lack of regular exercise, weight gain became easier.

Countless times, she’d been photographed with "elephant legs" or a "barrel waist," paired with some unflattering candid shots.

Put together, it was guaranteed clickbait.

In short, whenever the entertainment industry ran out of scandals, they’d just dig up some dirt on Liu Tianxian—traffic was always guaranteed.

She single-handedly kept a bunch of paparazzi in business.

Of course,

while these were labeled as "scandals," the truth was, if she wasn’t careful, her figure really could get out of control.

Right now, it was starting to show.

Cao Cheng gave her a once-over.

He gestured. "Come closer."

Liu Tianxian stood up and sat right beside Cao Cheng.

Without hesitation, Cao Cheng placed a hand on her thigh…

She stiffened slightly but didn’t pull away.

Cao Cheng ran his hand from top to bottom.

She was wearing long pants, so he couldn’t see anything, and the sensation was through fabric, but he could still feel the solid softness of her flesh.

Cao Cheng frowned. "You been eating well on set these past few months? You’ve put on a whole layer compared to the last time I saw you."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "I’ll lose the weight, okay?"

"No."

Cao Cheng shook his head. "You’re misunderstanding. For PR, we keep it real. I don’t need you to slim down—I’m just curious how you managed to pack on at least twenty pounds in a few months."

"…"

"Chubby Tianxian" pouted. "I had my assistant buy meals for me instead of eating the set’s boxed lunches."

Cao Cheng laughed. "Alright, then we’ll start your PR campaign with these thick thighs of yours."

"They’re not thick."

Chubby Tianxian grumbled, "I admit I’ve gained a little weight these months. I haven’t been working out—well, not consistently, more like on-and-off. But it’s not as exaggerated as you’re making it out to be. What do you mean, ‘thick thighs’?"

"Look, are these thick?"

With that,

she rolled up her pant leg, revealing her fair calf.

The pants were loose.

Normally, they hid her legs well, but rolled up, they reached her thigh.

So,

whether she was chubby or not was plain to see.

Honestly, she wasn’t exactly fat, but… she wasn’t exactly slim either.

Cao Cheng glanced over and said, "You’re right, it’s not fat. But you have to understand—camera angles can be deceiving. Legs like yours might not be an issue in real life, but in photos or on camera? They’ll look chunky."

Chubby Tianxian had no rebuttal for that.

And it was true.

Camera angles made all the difference.

The same went for filming—it could easily add an extra layer of bulk.

This is why many female celebrities appear incredibly thin in real life, yet on camera, they look just right—any fuller would seem plump, any thinner would seem too lean. But how often does "just right" actually happen?

Liu Tianxian stopped arguing. "Fine, I’ll listen to you. How do you want to promote this? What do I need to do?"

Cao Cheng asked, "Which women in the industry don’t you get along with?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, in showbiz, PR, promotions, and publicity always involve lifting one up while pushing another down. Just like how I took down Little Cannon," Cao Cheng said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And honestly, that’s how it works.

Promotions and PR don’t always require tearing someone else down. But dragging others is the easiest, fastest, and most attention-grabbing tactic.

As for Liu Tianxian, if she had any real rivals, they definitely wouldn’t be small-time stars. Anyone with a name would be perfect to trample on.