The Best Actor Insists On Living With Me!
Chapter 1005 - 996: Mother and Daughter (2)

Chapter 1005: Chapter 996: Mother and Daughter (2)

Xia Siyu’s appearance was seventy percent like her mother and thirty percent like her father.

Wen Qunxiao’s features had a slightly Eurocentric quality, with deep-set facial contours. Xia Youbiao, on the other hand, had a refined and gentle demeanor, with softer facial lines. Xia Siyu resembled her mother more, but the sharp and striking features from her mother were softened in her.

When she debuted at a young age, she still had an innocent, childlike charm, and often played roles as pure and sweet young girls. With her oval-shaped face and dimples complementing her sweet smile, back then, she didn’t particularly resemble Wen Qunxiao.

But now, at twenty-seven, her features had fully matured. The baby fat on her face was gone, and her facial contours had become more defined. While she could still convincingly play youthful roles—as evidenced by "Youth" and "Youth 2," where she portrayed characters ranging from high school to college—her acting repertoire was expanding. Her makeup and styling in "Storm" were nearly a replica of Wen Qunxiao’s.

If the Xia Family hadn’t intentionally "shelved" Wen Qunxiao for years, her distinct features would have surfaced and made waves again by now.

Previously, the connection between Xia Siyu and Xia Youbiao was speculative at most, but after uncovering information about Wen Qunxiao, the evidence was irrefutable.

So why did Xia Siyu never mention her family? It was simple: the Xia Family didn’t acknowledge her. And why not? Because she might very well be an illegitimate child.

Back in those days, especially for Mainland actors, their incomes weren’t nearly as high as they are now. Many in the entertainment industry aspired to marry into wealthy families. And if they couldn’t, they’d try to get entangled with someone from one, even if it meant having a child out of wedlock—it didn’t matter, as long as the rich counterpart provided them with a comfortable lifestyle.

Though the times appeared conservative, the actual culture was surprisingly liberated. Compared to today’s scandals, gossip wars, and counter-exposures in the entertainment industry, those would seem child’s play to the old actors back then. Many of the literary and artistic women of that era, under the guise of pursuing "artistic freedom," lived far more boldly. Remarkably, even wives and concubines could coexist harmoniously, not stepping into each other’s territory.

Was having a child out of wedlock scandalous? Absolutely not. If it was frowned upon domestically, they could simply immigrate—it wasn’t difficult.

However, by the time paparazzi had gotten hold of the information tying Xia Siyu to Shengxia Furniture and Wen Qunxiao, some time had already passed. Even after obtaining such explosive revelations, they didn’t immediately go public with the news.

In the media game, one had to strike with successive attacks for maximum impact. First, they planned to capture clear photos of Xia Siyu and Bo Yan together and use those images to negotiate a price.

If Xia Siyu and Bo Yan were willing to pay hush money, the paparazzi planned to be "fair" and keep their secrets. But if they refused to pay, then they would have no qualms about turning the tables and exposing everything.

But those were matters for later. For now, let’s return to the Lunar New Year’s Eve Gala.

After Xia Youbiao took the Spring Festival couplets back to his seat, no one in the audience other than the observant paparazzi noticed anything unusual.

Xia Siyu also appeared to be focused on the performance ahead, but in reality, her gaze lingered on the departing figure of her father, her eyes drawn to his back for an unusually long time.

However, the crew didn’t stay until the end of the Gala. Once their segment was over, the group headed backstage and left for another set. There, they quickly changed outfits and prepared for an interview.

The late-night interview was mainly because Wang Ju was too busy, but promotion for the new film couldn’t be postponed, so the schedule had to accommodate him. The questions were primarily about the movie, and the session wasn’t too long. The entire interview lasted about an hour, which would later be edited into a ten- to fifteen-minute promotional clip.

When it was over, Xia Siyu and Bo Yan left in separate vehicles. Upon arriving at the hotel, there were indeed fans waiting in the lobby for them.