Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 314 - 315: The Grey Trade Chain

Chapter 314: Chapter 315: The Grey Trade Chain

In the dressing room, He Jinxia patted her face with water to cool it down and dissipate a bit of the redness.

There were other women in the dressing room, one standing in front of the mirror arranging her hair and makeup when she suddenly turned and asked with a smile, "Is that your boyfriend?"

He Jinxia hesitated, then turned her head and said, "Ah?"

The woman, adorned with flashy clothes and heavy makeup, perhaps with some ulterior motive, said, "Your boyfriend looks quite handsome, his profile is very charming, a bit like Sheng Yan."

He Jinxia tugged at the corner of her mouth, gave an awkward smile, and didn’t know what to say.

The woman didn’t get angry despite the lack of a response, but instead looked He Jinxia over seriously and curiously asked, "I’ve noticed you look quite a lot like Su Qingwan, did you get plastic surgery to look like her?"

He Jinxia: "..."

Su Qingwan is the character I play, thank you.

Seeing that she still wasn’t speaking, the woman shrugged with some disinterest, turned back to the mirror to continue primping herself, and said lazily,

"You went to all the trouble of making yourself look like her, and you get angry when people say you do. It can’t possibly be that you are her in person, right? I heard this fitness club is frequented by celebrities and rich second-generation kids, are you trying to snag a few men with that look?"

"I’d advise you to save your effort, you won’t make it like this. Which man nowadays loves a pure, unmade-up face? I do have some connections, though; you can come to me if you need help."

The woman talked on, pulling out a flashy business card directly from her exposed cleavage.

He Jinxia was so taken aback by this move that she just stared blankly: "..."

The woman’s red lips curved into a seductive smile, but her eyes were cold.

She played with a lock of her hair and said nonchalantly, "This is an upscale club, advertising is not allowed, so I have to resort to this method."

Pondering something, she covered her mouth and chuckled, "You might as well break up with your handsome boyfriend sooner rather than later. He’s clad in a mix of brands, looking so unsophisticated. And your sports outfit, is it a knockoff from Taomiao? Let me guess, did your boyfriend tell you he owns this club?"

When He Jinxia still didn’t reply, the woman waved her hand and explained, "Don’t be tense, the club has recently introduced monthly memberships, and with enough money, even the poor can get in. Some men use this to pick up girls, scamming them of their money and bodies before running off. Several girls have come making a scene at the club, so you’d better watch out."

It seemed she was giving He Jinxia advice with the best of intentions, "If you want to catch a rich man, you really need to have good, discerning, eyesight, you know?"

The woman stressed those particular words, then turned and walked away.

He Jinxia looked up and saw someone standing at the entrance of the changing room.

Because of the design of the changing room, she couldn’t directly see the door from the washbasin, but she could make out the blurry figure of a person through the reflection on the polished floor of the corridor, overlapping with the body of the woman as she walked out.

That figure... seemed to be a man.

Outside, a rugged-looking man asked, "What took you so long?"

The woman clung to his arm, leaning on him coquettishly, and said, "Saw a little celebrity, she’s pretty, thought I’d try to get her to join us."

The man frowned, "Don’t get conned."

The woman said flirtatiously, "Brother Qiang, I’m an old hand, how could I be tricked? I’m very accurate at judging people."

Brother Qiang’s frown eased, "Right. Remember when you visit xxxx today, make sure to keep him nice and happy."

Inside the dressing room, He Jinxia looked down at the business card the woman had left on the table and picked it up. The texture on the back felt odd.

Upon flipping it over, the back of the card was smeared with greasy lipstick, the color a bright red, like the shade on the woman’s lips, and from afar, it looked like blood.

He Jinxia concentrated in thought, realizing that from the moment the woman entered from outside and saw her kissing Sheng Yan, they had immediately separated.

Ten seconds later, she also entered. That woman was still applying lipstick in front of the mirror. By the time Qingwan changed into her clothes and came out, at least a few minutes had passed, and the woman was still applying her lipstick.

Her words hinted at the identity of the two people and also emphasized the phrase "perceptive eyes." What was she trying to tell her?

Perceptive eyes, perceptive eyes... Was she suggesting that she wasn’t what she seemed on the surface?

"Jinxia," Sheng Yan’s voice came from the doorway. He Jinxia snapped back to reality, pinched the business card in her hand, placed it in her pocket, and walked out.

Sheng Yan stood beside her and asked, "Shall we first play a round of tennis to warm up?"

He Jinxia spoke softly, "Yes, is it the private gym?"

Sheng Yan nodded, "Yes, many people from the circle come to this club to exercise. Private gyms are very common here, and the confidentiality is very well handled."

He Jinxia: "Aren’t you afraid of being seen by someone outside the circle, and then having our relationship exposed?"

Sheng Yan chuckled and countered, "What if I say, I’d welcome it, what would you do?"

He Jinxia was momentarily at a loss for words.

Sheng Yan raised his hand and ruffled her hair, "Don’t worry, those who can come in here are not ordinary people. Since so many celebrities come here, it has long become an exclusive club for celebrities, and the celebrities who can enter are no ordinary ones."

He Jinxia asked, "Is it at least open to A-list celebrities?"

Sheng Yan: "Yes."

He knew Jinxia didn’t want to rely on him to climb up the ranks, and he never directly gave Jinxia any resources. But surely it wasn’t too much to ask to introduce her around outside, was it?

Not to claim his rights was truly disconcerting.

Unfortunately, it seemed that fate didn’t wish to grant Sheng Yan such a perfect plan; when they arrived at the private gym, they hadn’t encountered a single celebrity along the way.

This luck...

Left Sheng Yan somewhat disappointed.

When they finally reached the private gym, Sheng Yan let go of Jinxia, reached out and pinched her distracted face, and asked faintly, "What’s the matter?"

He Jinxia blinked back to reality, "Can you tell?"

Sheng Yan: "I can tell the difference between when someone is acting and when they’re not. Clearly, you’ve been very distracted on the way here."

Acting or not acting, in other words, the difference between lying and not lying.

This skill, when used well at certain moments, can be overpowered. He Jinxia shuddered inside. Instinctively, she thought that Sheng Yan’s talent absolutely must not be revealed. Then she remembered the woman she had encountered in the dressing room.

Before she could marvel at Sheng Yan’s formidable ability, she immediately spoke of the woman she saw in the dressing room.

Sheng Yan’s brow furrowed, and his facial expression grew colder.

He Jinxia, in her previous life as Oiran, could distinguish women from the entertainment venues. That woman, from her first glance, she knew what she did for a living. It was precisely because she knew her profession that she found it strange.

Such matters are always unsavory. Why would she randomly try to recruit a girl into her ranks? Either she feels no shame in such actions or... she did it deliberately to catch her attention!

He Jinxia’s expression turned serious as she said, "On the way here, I kept thinking about why she told me those things, what exactly she wanted to express, and why she deliberately caught my attention."

An idea was already forming in her mind. She looked up at Sheng Yan, "Is she trying to ask for help, for instance, she’s... being controlled by someone?"