Chapter 152: If You Take One Step Back, the Other Side Will Advance Ten or a Hundred Steps

"......Is that any way to talk to your boss?" Bai Lu wondered if she was failing utterly at being a boss.

Sister Hua grabbed her arm tightly: "Xiao Lu, you cannot possibly step out of the car to face this bunch of, this bunch of..."

"Mad dogs!" Xiao Dan stared fixedly at the windshield.

Surrounding the van and pounding on the windows and hood wasn't enough; people were actually jumping onto the hood now!

The van was rocking violently.

These weren't reporters; they weren't even paparazzi. They were a pack of rabid dogs!

Bai Lu's tone remained calm: "Look closely. There are only a handful of people instigating the trouble. Most of the reporters just want to beat the others to an interview with me. Everyone's emotions are being whipped up and manipulated by a few individuals with ulterior motives."

Sister Hua: "Call the police!"

Bai Lu flatly refused: "We cannot call the police."

Xiao Dan: "If we don't call the police, what are we supposed to do?!"

Bai Lu smiled faintly.

The answer was right before their eyes.

The security guards of Grand Orchid had already rushed over to restore order. While there were over twenty people surrounding the van, there were also more than a dozen security guards from Grand Orchid.

Combined with the fact that only a few people were actually instigating the chaos, the situation would soon be brought under control.

She lazily narrowed her eyes and gave a dry laugh: "Once the police are involved and the matter blows up, I'm guaranteed to be the one taking the blame. It's obvious someone is out to get me. They've probably already written the press releases and opinion pieces, just waiting for me to call the police so they can publish them immediately."

Xiao Dan took out her phone, intending to record the troublemakers. Fortunately, the windows were tinted, so she couldn't be seen from the outside.

Bai Lu: "No need for the trouble. The dashcam isn't just for show. It records everything clearly, and it's in video."

By this time, the security guards had secured the scene. The reporters still tightly surrounded her van, but the crowd had calmed down.

Bai Lu raised her chin: "Xiao Dan, unlock the doors."

Perhaps infected by her extreme calmness and confident attitude, Xiao Dan felt less panicked: "Xiao Lu, are you really going out there?"

"I already said they're clearly here to block me. If I don't show my face, will they let us leave? I don't want to call the police, nor do I want to miss my flight. So, unlock the doors."

The moment Bai Lu pulled open the car door, a security guard forming a human wall to protect the van shouted at her: "Go back! Hurry back!"

"It's fine." Bai Lu smiled sweetly, looking at the forest of microphones and cameras in the reporters' hands. "I know many of these uncles and aunties."

Sister Hua and Xiao Dan both closed their eyes against the barrage of flashing lights. Yet Bai Lu smiled sweetly, not even blinking, professionally panning across every camera angle to ensure every single camera captured her.

"Bai Lu, are the rumors about you and the Best Actor Lu true?!"

"Is it true that Best Actor Lu traveled for eight hours just to return to the capital to share a meal with you?!"

"Please give a statement regarding your relationship with Best Actor Lu being exposed!"

"I heard Best Actor Lu also lives here. Have the two of you moved in together?!"

"The day after your relationship was exposed, Best Actor Lu invited you to be a guest performer in his documentary. Have you two decided to make your relationship public?!"

Questions bombarded her like a wave.

Microphones were thrust toward her from all directions.

If not for the human wall formed by the security guards, those microphones would have poked her eyes out.

Bai Lu simply smiled sweetly and said nothing.

Gradually, the reporters stopped shouting over one another. Once they had finished roaring out their questions, they demanded: "Bai Lu, please give us a response!"

"Alright." Bai Lu nodded, ticking off points on her fingers: "I think I've heard most of the questions from the uncles and aunties of the press. Um... I'll answer them briefly because I have a plane to catch."

"The relationship is fake."

"To be precise, it wasn't just Best Actor Lu and me dining together. We were both invited by the exact same person, which is why Best Actor Lu and I ended up sitting at the same table."

"This apartment was rented for me by my agency. I have no idea whether Best Actor Lu lives here or not."

She tilted her head and blinked: "Was my explanation clear enough?"

"Did Best Actor Lu lose his mind over romance and neglect his career because of you?! Why did Best Actor Lu invite you as his guest performer? Is it because of some special, intimate relationship between the two of you?!" The person asking the tone was extremely harsh, adopting the aggressive stance of an interrogator.

Bai Lu memorized the man's face, her smile deepening, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she concealed the chill in her depths: "Why Best Actor Lu invited me—you should go ask Best Actor Lu himself."

"Then why did you agree? According to common sense, you should have avoided suspicion and refused—"

Bai Lu withdrew her smile, her gaze turning sharp and piercing: "Only those with a guilty conscience feel the need to avoid things. Why should I reject the invitation of a senior as esteemed as Best Actor Lu over something that doesn't exist? Am I an idiot? Do you know how many years Best Actor Lu has been retired from acting? Do you know how long it's been since he last filmed a project? Do you know how many actors spend their entire lives dreaming of the chance to collaborate with Best Actor Lu even once?"

Giving a cold laugh, she cast a deep, icy glare at the man.

Netizens who watched the video afterwards were astonished.

Holy crap? That cute and fluffy little Bai Lu could actually display such a fierce and deeply oppressive gaze?

She was utterly badass!

Looking straight ahead, Bai Lu spoke every word with strength and resonance: "Assuming I had rejected Best Actor Lu's invitation just to avoid suspicion, wouldn't people then accuse me of having a guilty conscience and deliberately dodging the issue? No matter what I do, there's no way to clear my name and convince everyone. Since that's the case, I certainly have no reason to turn down such a great opportunity."

"If anyone still doesn't understand, let me say it again. Best Actor Lu is my idol. As long as I have the chance to work with him, I will drop all other work—even if it means paying breach-of-contract penalties, I will go collaborate with my idol."

With that, she gently reached out and touched Xiao Dan beside her.

Quick-witted, Xiao Dan immediately stepped forward: "Apologies to all our media friends, but Xiao Lu has a plane to catch, so we'll stop here. If you have any further questions, please contact the agency to schedule an interview. Excuse me, please make way, please make way."

Sister Hua also grabbed her arm, pushing her toward the van.

Just as one of Bai Lu's legs was inside the vehicle, she paused, holding onto the door frame. She turned her head, looking in a specific direction with a mocking, biting smile.

Following her gaze, everyone looked toward the aggressive man from earlier.

Many cameramen thoughtfully zoomed in on him.

Surrounded by the crowd, the man had nowhere to hide. He could only lower his head to avoid having his face captured by the cameras.

"Calling my idol brainless in love and neglectful of his work—you are both vicious and stupid. Do you know that Best Actor Lu's trophies from his awards are more than enough to pave a coffin for you?" Bai Lu smiled faintly, looking straight into dozens of cameras as she uttered crisply and clearly: "Stupid assholes."

She had finally cursed them out.

Utterly satisfying!

Strike when the time is right. Blindly retreating only makes people think you're weak and easy to bully.

It is never true that taking a step back brings peace.

Rather, the moment you take one step back, the other person will advance ten or a hundred steps further!