Chapter 59: Want to Kiss You
That night, The He Group sent an entire top-tier medical team on standby. They also brought in the best international wire stunt safety equipment and professional guidance. They basically turned a simple production crew into a luxurious blockbuster setup— All for a few small scrapes on Qin Mang’s arm that would heal in no time.
A-Tong was moved to tears! The director and producer looked completely baffled. What kind of miracle just fell from the sky?
But Qin Mang turned off her phone again, expressionless. She should never have gotten her hopes up about He Lingji! Was this what she wanted?
It was so obvious! What she wanted was for him to visit her on set! Her grievance, originally swallowed back, turned into a sulky mood.
That jerk of a man! If she kept thinking about him, she might as well be a dog!
Meanwhile, in a suburban villa in Shen City— Shen Wanyin, with a slap mark on her face, was receiving call after call and message after message asking to terminate her contracts.
Just an hour ago, Madam Zhou had personally come over, slapped her across the face, and ordered her to move out first thing in the morning. And now, she couldn’t reach Mr. Zhou at all.
That’s when Shen Wanyin knew— She had been abandoned.
Even her agent Wei Qin wouldn’t answer the phone anymore. She only sent one message: “You’ve been blacklisted.”
In the dark, Even the window glass had been shattered. All the valuables were gone. Only an empty shell of a house remained.
The lilies the housekeeper had just arranged that morning, vase and all, were knocked over on the carpet— Completely crushed.
Shen Wanyin clutched her broken phone. She knew clearly—this time, it was truly over.
There would be no second Mr. Zhou to save her from her prison. The full-length mirror reflected her disheveled, miserable appearance.
Meanwhile, every picture of Qin Mang going viral was dazzling and beautiful, like a radiant star. Every photo of her? Ugly shots only.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Shen Wanyin looked at that confidently smiling woman on screen— Her lifelong enemy.
She had once entered the entertainment industry purely for the dream of acting. When did that change?
Was it when her career stalled? Or when she changed her image after copying Qin Mang’s debut video and tasted success?
No, no— She didn’t copy Qin Mang.
It was Qin Mang who had been copying her from the start, Clinging to her like a leech!
The more she thought about it, the more crazed her eyes became. It was Qin Mang’s copying that helped her climb to He Lingji, Replacing her, taking everything she had ever dreamed of— Even the man she longed for.
Why?! He clearly liked her first. It was all Qin Mang’s fault.
The pale light from her phone illuminated Shen Wanyin’s deranged expression.
—
Meanwhile, instead of He Lingji, Qin Mang received something else— A series of almost-name-dropping Weibo posts from Shen Wanyin.
Because the filming was in a small city called Kun City, there weren’t any five-star hotels. The crew had to book a nearby modest inn instead.
As the female lead, Qin Mang was given the best room— Which simply meant she didn’t have to share.
Most actors had to bunk two or three to a room.
In the cramped 50-square-meter space, Meng Ting, who came with her, sneered, “Shen Wanyin’s like a cornered rat.”
“She wants to drag you down with her on the way out.”
Qin Mang sat alone on the 1.5-meter-wide bed, Covered in the silk sheets she had brought from home, folded neatly— Adding a touch of luxury to the plain room.
On her lap was a tablet, displaying Shen Wanyin’s Weibo posts:
> Shen Wanyin V: In this industry, how can a female star without background or connections go far? That radiant female star is just a mistress to a married sugar daddy.
Shen Wanyin V: I was famous first. She stole my life. That award was mine to begin with. If not for her, I wouldn’t have been forced to find backing. She pushed me into this! I had plastic surgery to escape her, to stop her from leeching off me.
Shen Wanyin V: I just want to act. That’s all I ever wanted…
The disorder in her words and her complete mental collapse were evident. The more incoherent she seemed, the more netizens believed her. Who lies when they’re already pushed off a cliff?
Fortunately, Qin Mang’s current PR team was far stronger than before. Public opinion didn’t fall entirely in Shen Wanyin’s favor.
Some suspected she had mental health issues. Others thought she was determined to go down swinging and drag everyone else with her.
Qin Mang, implicated in a scandal about being involved with a married man, Quickly became the center of gossip for onlookers and netizens.
Meng Ting sipped her tea, commenting, “She’s clearly delusional.”
“Also, your life is your own. No one can force you to make these choices.”
Qin Mang wore a loose white long T-shirt, stylishly hiding her wounds, Looking casually beautiful as she scrolled through the Weibo comments.
Her lips curved into a lazy smile.
“She’s just reaping what she sowed.”
Just then, Weibo auto-refreshed— All of Shen Wanyin’s messy posts disappeared.
Qin Mang blinked, a bit surprised.
“When did Weibo start doing the right thing?”
“I’ll be damned,” Meng Ting gasped.
“The official Weibo account confirmed Shen Wanyin does have delusional disorder.”
“My mouth must be blessed!”
He pointed at Qin Mang excitedly: “Qin Mang—Best Actress! Qin Mang—Red Hot! Qin Mang—Top Tier! Qin Mang—Exploding with Resources!”
Then at himself: “Meng Ting—Top Agent in Showbiz! Meng Ting—Wealth, wealth, wealth!”
A-Tong jumped in, “Meng-ge, don’t forget me!”
Meng Ting squinted, “What’s your dream?”
A-Tong said without hesitation: “I want my OTP to grow old together!”
“My idol will never fall from grace!”
Meng Ting fell silent.
“…That’s… surprisingly selfless.”
Qin Mang looked at them coolly.
“If you guys have nothing better to do, go away.”
This kind of idiocy is contagious.
Meng Ting stretched and got up.
“All good now.”
“Whoever exposed her condition handed us a major advantage.”
Now, no matter what Shen Wanyin said, no one would believe her. Who takes gossip from someone with a confirmed delusional disorder seriously?
And now it looked like Shen Wanyin was completely blacklisted— Her past works were also being taken down.
Meng Ting breathed a sigh of relief, “Good thing all her scenes in Dreams of Old Jinghua were already cut…”
Otherwise, Qin Mang would’ve been dragged down with her. It was currently her only legit starring role on air.
A-Tong’s eyes sparkled, “It must’ve been President He who blacklisted her.”
“He sent the medical team, the stunt equipment, handled the online mess, even helped quietly get the trophy back for Mang-jie!”
“So swoon-worthy!”
Qin Mang’s pretty face fell. He did everything… Except come see her.
“Ahem, let’s drop it.”
Meng Ting, ever sensitive to her mood, dragged A-Tong out. He turned back, “You rest early, big scene tomorrow.”
“We’ll handle the media.”
“Alright.” Qin Mang replied weakly, eyes half-closed.
Under the warm yellow light, the faint pink at the corner of her eyes still lingered. The oversized white T-shirt made her look slender and fragile, But her arms were neatly re-bandaged by the medical team that rushed over overnight.
Just a few scratches— And yet they caused such a stir.
Qin Mang leaned against the headboard. As she stared blankly, she suddenly chuckled.
So dumb. She wasn’t sure whether she was laughing at herself… Or at He Lingji.
—
On the only high-speed train from Lin City to Kun City— Kun City was so small it didn’t even have an airport. You had to go to Lin City to catch a flight.
A handsome man in a suit sat in a seat, His expression as calm and distant as ever.
At 2 a.m., There were only a few passengers in the carriage.
Secretary Cong quickly calculated the time beside him: "President He, in seven hours, you need to rush from Kun City to catch your flight at Lin City International Airport."
Taking the high-speed train takes about forty minutes—two hours faster than driving. That’s why they chose to travel by train in the middle of the night.
Secretary Cong continued, “You’ll arrive at Madam’s location around three o’clock. You can only stay for three hours, or you’ll miss the flight.”
“Mm.”
He Lingji’s voice was calm, with little emotional fluctuation.
This wasn’t the first time He Lingji had rearranged a carefully planned schedule for Qin Mang.
But— Secretary Cong really wanted to ask: After so much trouble, was it worth it to only see Madam for three hours?
Especially since her injury wasn’t serious—just a few scrapes.
Someone was already waiting at the Kun City train station. As soon as He Lingji arrived, he went straight to the hotel where Qin Mang’s film crew was staying.
The place was remote, and the crew was highly secretive. No fans or media knew a movie was being filmed in Kun City.
The director had decided: With censorship being strict, everything had to be kept low-key until the release was confirmed.
Outside the car window, under the moonlight, the increasingly desolate streets were clearly visible. Unlike the neon lights of a bustling city that stayed on all night, this small town was already asleep. Even in the city center, there were barely any shops with lights still on.
Suddenly— The man, who had been silent the whole way, slightly parted his lips: “Pull over.”
The driver instinctively followed He Lingji’s direction and stopped the car.
Secretary Cong asked, “President He?”
Time was running out!
He Lingji’s tone was light: “If I don’t bring a gift, she’ll be unhappy.”
Honestly— He didn’t feel there was anything wrong with this.
So what?
Secretary Cong drowsily followed He Lingji out of the car.
There was nothing by the roadside except a pink coin-operated claw machine with a dim light.
Inside, a small white lion plushie was squished against the glass, its fur flattened.
Secretary Cong immediately understood.
He never expected that in his entire career, he’d be helping President He grab plush toys in the middle of the night in a small town.
As a top executive assistant, his execution skills were impeccable. Before his boss even spoke, he had already gone to buy game tokens.
He even mentally judged the plushie’s position: hard to grab. So he bought 100 tokens.
The clinking sound of coins dropping echoed on the quiet street.
Unexpectedly— On his first try, He Lingji easily picked up the yellow chick that was on top of the white lion. On the second try, he got the white lion.
Plop. A soft sound. The white lion fell out.
In the empty street, even the smallest sound was noticeable.
The man stood tall before the pink claw machine, dressed in a pristine and elegant suit. In the dim space, he radiated an intense presence— But more striking was the contrast.
Seeing the white lion successfully caught, He Lingji bent down to pick it up himself.
Secretary Cong opened his mouth in disbelief and finally asked, “President He, was this your first time using a claw machine?”
Why were you so skilled?
He Lingji tossed the yellow chick with its eyes rolled back to Secretary Cong, uninterested. He casually pinched the white lion’s ear with his clean fingers, glanced sideways at him, and said, “What do you think?”
“Amazing,”
Secretary Cong praised sincerely. As expected of you. There’s nothing you can’t do.
Then he held the yellow chick in both hands, Determined to enshrine it at home!
—
In a quiet, narrow hallway, Meng Ting, who had been awakened by Secretary Cong’s call, was still groggy. He stared at the important figure standing at Qin Mang’s door—
As noble and untouchable as ever, holding a cute lion plushie that did not match his image at all.
Secretary Cong explained, “President He is pressed for time. He can stay for about three hours. Sorry to trouble you, Manager Meng.”
Meng Ting had a spare keycard to Qin Mang’s room. In case she forgot her own or had an emergency. This made it easier for He Lingji.
“Do you want me to wake Qin Mang?”
“No need.”
The man stepped inside and closed the door.
Leaving the two outside staring at each other.
Meng Ting broke the awkward silence, “Secretary Cong, would you like to rest in my room?”
Secretary Cong accepted without hesitation: “Much appreciated.”
—
At the entrance of the hotel, He Lingji had already noticed how run-down and remote the place was. Now, looking at the girl lying on the narrow little bed, a flicker of emotion finally appeared in his usually indifferent eyes.
In the darkness, The only vivid color was her pale pink fingertips peeking from beneath the blanket.
He casually placed the already sterilized white lion plushie on the head of her bed. Sitting on the bedside, he slowly lifted the blanket.
White gauze was wrapped thinly around her entire arm.
With clear, cold features, the man gently held her slender wrist— Then released it a second later.
He went to Meng Ting’s room to take a shower, wiped his hands with disinfectant wipes, and returned to remove her bandages.
Underneath were numerous abrasions covering her once fair, delicate arm, along with long bruises— Shocking and unpleasant to look at.
He Lingji stared at it for a few seconds, then quietly lowered his eyelashes. Skilled and fast, he disinfected and re-bandaged her arm.
Thinking of Qin Mang’s vanity, His fingers paused slightly before tying the gauze into a pretty bow.
He even tugged at both ends to make sure they were even.
By the time he finished, nearly an hour had passed.
Perhaps sensing someone beside her, Qin Mang stirred, Inhaled the familiar glacial scent and the cool temperature, Her eyelashes trembled lightly. She mumbled with eyes still closed, “He Lingji?”
He Lingji held her restless wrist, “It’s me.”
“Don’t move.”
The room lights were off, cloaked in deep darkness, making his cold voice sound unexpectedly tender.
Qin Mang didn’t sense anything strange. Instead, she rolled over and mumbled, “Why am I dreaming of that annoying guy again?”
“Like a lingering ghost.”
Her voice was soft and sleepy, not like an insult but more like a spoiled complaint.
“Again?”
The bed was narrow. He Lingji braced himself over her with one arm. Seeing her close her eyes and drift back to sleep, he gently rubbed the tip of her nose where a bright red beauty mark sat.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he chuckled lowly, “So you dream of me often?”
Tickled by the touch, Qin Mang buried half her face into the blanket, grumbling, “Even in my dreams, the annoying guy is just as annoying~”
He Lingji softly pulled the edge of the blanket down.
“What did you dream about me doing?”
Still half-asleep, Qin Mang murmured, “Dreamed… he wanted to…”
Then completely fell into a deep sleep.
He Lingji looked at the girl who had dozed off mid-sentence.
Usually composed, he couldn’t help but click his tongue lightly. What exactly did she dream of him wanting to do?
He had no idea what the dream version of him wanted.
But the real him—
No one knew how long he stood there before slowly leaning down. He gently kissed the little red mole on her nose—like a mark on a pure white rose.
“I want to kiss you.”