Chapter 67

**Chapter 67: Step by Step**

When the video of Qin Mang taking the initiative to hold hands was uploaded online, fans went wild.

This was the first time she had ever been photographed out in public with her boyfriend.

In the video—

The bright and striking girl reached out to hold the hand of the tall and refined man beside her, then even lifted their joined hands and waved at passersby. Though she wore a mask, her clear, expressive eyes couldn’t hide the smug little look she had on her face.

It was as if she was saying: “Ha! You all guessed wrong.”

> “Ahhh, so sweet! And they’re interlocking fingers too!”
>
> “Wuwuwu I’m crying, Goddess Qin, don’t be so forward!”
>
> “Holy hell, the guy’s height is amazing. Qin Mang’s already 172cm and still looks all soft and cuddly next to him?”
>
> “He’s got to be at least 190cm, right?”
>
> “What do I do? This height difference is too good… I’m shipping it hard!”

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Qin Mang had just finished showering. She sat cross-legged on a not-so-big bed, surrounded by a circle of plush toys she’d caught that day, with a serious expression while scrolling through Weibo.

Why was no one paying attention to the fact that the claw machine had been emptied out?!

Ever since that one-hour claw machine video went viral on Weibo and became meme material, Qin Mang had been itching to redeem herself.

Under the bright lights, the girl furrowed her fine brows, lost in thought for a while.

Then silently opened her photo album.

Seconds later—

She made a direct and simple post:

**Qin Mang V:** *Got my revenge.*
Photo.jpg x2

The first photo was of an empty claw machine.
The second was a close-up of a hand holding a bag full of plush toys.

The hand had long, jade-like fingers, slightly raised veins on the back, and a pale, cool-toned complexion exuding nobility and care—clearly a man’s hand.

Surely now people would praise their household’s claw machine skills!

But instead—

> “Damn, that hand?! Is it even real?”
>
> “That’s not AI-edited or anything?”
>
> “Alright, now the whole world knows your man’s got god-tier looks, hands, and claw machine skills. So when are we getting the real face reveal?”
>
> “Like maybe a selfie?”
>
> “Petition for a couple selfie! High-res, front-facing kind!”
>
> “+NNN”
>
> “@QinMang, you’re already holding hands in public—what are you afraid of? Just reveal him!”
>
> “Hahaha, no one relies on paparazzi anymore. We want celebs to reveal stuff themselves, lol.”
>
> “I swear, if Qin Mang actually does a face reveal, I’ll send every online fan 200 yuan and livestream myself doing a 360-degree spinning backflip while eating poop.”

…

Qin Mang was originally still grumpy. What was wrong with these netizens?!

She had clearly posted her victory spoils, and the *battlefield*!

Why was everyone’s attention solely on—the tool that delivered the spoils?

Then her eyes caught a familiar-sounding bold vow in the comments.

She suddenly remembered a deleted forum post that He Lingji had once blocked. Back then, a netizen had written almost the exact same vow:

> *“If that pretty vase has anything going on with Glacier Guy, I’ll give all 3,588 of you here 200 yuan each. And if they get married, I’ll not only send the money—I’ll livestream myself doing a 360-degree flip and eating poop.”*

The post had been deleted, and she’d felt it was a shame.

She didn’t expect the internet to be this small!

She’d run into this same netizen again.

Qin Mang replied from her main account:

**Qin Mang V:** *Just wait.*

The moment that Weibo post went up—

The nosy crowd online exploded again.

> “Holy crap, wait—is she actually going to reveal him?!”
>
> “Whoa… are we really doing this?”
>
> “REVEAL! REVEAL!”
>
> “Live for the thrill!”
>
> “No better time than now! Do it—right now!”

But Qin Mang wasn’t going to fall for provocation.

Even if she were to go public, it would be in a more formal setting.

She was always one for elegance and perfection, loved surprises and romance—there was no way she’d do something so important in a basic little hotel room.

More importantly—

She wasn’t ready yet.

First, not ready in her career.
Second, not mentally ready.

So when Meng Ting called repeatedly in a panic, Qin Mang joked, “Do you really think I’d act that impulsively?”

Meng Ting let out a breath: “I thought Mr. He’s god-tier claw machine stunt had you so touched that you revealed everything on the spot!”

“Don’t forget, you’re aiming to be a Best Actress with your own talent!”

“Cleared the whole claw machine?”

Qin Mang’s gaze flickered playfully as she laughed, “At the very least, he’d need to clear a private jet, a yacht, a castle, and a mountain of jewels to make me lose my mind.”

Meng Ting, thinking about that Weibo photo and He Lingji’s hands and body, asked, “Not even his looks and charm got to you?”

“Nope!”

Qin Mang answered cleanly, “Absolutely not swayed by male beauty—I’m calm!”

Meng Ting: “Swear it. Swear that if you ever fall for male beauty, you’ll never win Best Actress.”

Just then—

The bathroom door opened.

A man stepped out in a thin silk robe. His hair was still wet and dripping down, soaking the fabric over his chest, teasing the muscular lines beneath.

Qin Mang stared for several seconds.

Then cleared her throat. “I’m hanging up now.”

As for that vow?

Meng Ting: “???”

“You’d better swear first before you hang up!”

Qin Mang, serious-faced: “Brother Meng, as a future pillar of socialism, you should believe in science and stop being so superstitious.”

“You need to retake your Marxist Philosophy and Ideological courses. There’s something wrong with your thinking.”

Meng Ting: “…”

Qin Mang hung up without hesitation.

She shoved her phone under her pillow like nothing happened and focused on admiring the freshly showered hottie.

As He Lingji stepped out, he saw his wife sitting on the bed, hugging a white lion plushie, surrounded by more plushies, and staring at him.

He paused mid-towel-wipe.

Then asked meaningfully, “Are you… performing a ritual?”

“What ritual?! I’m admiring.”

Whether she was admiring the toys or the man—

Who knew?

Before bringing the plushies home, they had all been thoroughly sanitized, so He Lingji didn’t insist she put them away.

Qin Mang was hugging the first one he ever got her—the proud little white lion—and suddenly muttered quietly, “Actually, this one’s still my favorite.”

Especially, especially, especially loved it.

The joy she’d felt opening her eyes that morning and seeing it—no other plush, no matter how cute or expensive, could compare.

To her, this one was the most precious.

He Lingji casually draped the towel on a rack and walked over slowly. He picked up the smiley lion he had just clawed today, pinched its soft paw, then pulled down the upward curve of its mouth.

He drawled, “It’s crying.”

“Because the little lion doesn’t like being called ‘little lion.’”

Almost like a tongue-twister.

Qin Mang watched his childish behavior.

She huffed and pulled the white lion away from his tormenting: “Who says I don’t like it?”

“One’s my number one favorite, the other’s number two.”

“What about me?”

“Which number?”

He Lingji asked offhandedly, like it was no big deal.

Qin Mang tensed for half a second.

Then, seeing the teasing glint in his eyes, turned away with the two lions in her arms.

She knew he was messing with her again.

Refusing to look at him, she said in mock arrogance: “You’re dead last!”

He Lingji didn’t seem to mind: “Great.”

Qin Mang pinched a lion’s ear and scoffed, “Proud of being last?”

“It means my potential for improvement is first.”

He Lingji said this, then stood and went to rewash his hands in the bathroom.

Returning calmly, he picked up a plate of already slightly-warm lychees and peeled them one by one—same relaxed and lazy attitude as always.

Qin Mang was speechless.

Her eyes dropped to the small, delicate bowl in front of her, filled with perfectly peeled, translucent lychees.

He Lingji held one up and brought it to her lips.

Qin Mang muttered, “Why are you suddenly being so thoughtful?”

Could this capitalist bloodsucker have ulterior motives?

He Lingji popped it in her mouth. “Rewarding you.”

Rewarding her for what?

The image of her taking his hand in front of the claw machine two hours ago flashed in her mind.

Which made her even more righteous about being fed.

She was a top celebrity risking a fan fallout to publicly acknowledge his existence—that’s a huge sacrifice!

When she bit into the second lychee, He Lingji paused and asked, “Did my ranking improve?”

Qin Mang glanced around at the 26 plushies around her, bit into the fruit, and mumbled, “You’re up to 24th.”

He didn’t want her to eat too many and get heaty.

He Lingji fed her ten and then stopped.

Qin Mang blinked at him, clearly asking: Why did you stop?

Facing her puzzled look—

He Lingji pulled out a wet wipe to clean his fingertips. As he took the lychees away, he said unhurriedly, “Step by step. Advancing ten ranks today is enough.”

Qin Mang had just gotten addicted—

And he took them away!

She was furious!

To hell with taking it slow!

She was going to plant a whole orchard of lychee trees and squat in the woods every day to eat them!

No one could stop her.

When netizens started shipping Qin Mang and the mysterious boyfriend who had never shown his face—

In the ‘Aurora’ super topic forum, fans were secretly exchanging coded messages like they were doing something illegal.

**“Any new goods?”**
**“Soon!”**
**“Ping me when it drops!”**
**“I want it too!”**
**“Gua-god is amazing!”**
**“It’s coming, it’s coming!”**
**“Ping ping ping! Post it!”**

Then, a high-quality image was pinned to the top of the super topic.

The original fan-taken photo showed Qin Mang by a claw machine, actively reaching out to hold hands with a tall, slim man whose face was completely hidden by a hat and mask.

Their fingers were interlocked. She gently swung their hands—intimate and natural.

But in the version posted by *Little Watermelon*, the scene changed:

Still by the claw machine. But now, Qin Mang was tiptoeing and pinning the coldly handsome man against the machine’s glass wall. Their fingers still interlaced against the glass, which now bore two misty trails—like traces of divine blasphemy.

Yet the god-like man only looked down at her indulgently—

With no hint of punishment.

Both were fully clothed—no exposed skin, no indecent touches.

But the details told another story!

For instance, the small white lion plush that had fallen out of the claw machine, holding a half-opened box of neon-blue condoms.

The damp fingerprint trails.

The skirt hem slightly lifted by a breeze, brushing against black trousers.

And more—

**Ahhhhh!**

In short—

At a glance, the atmosphere made hearts race and cheeks flush.

A closer look? Hearts went into overdrive.

**“I’m going crazy. My mom asked why I’m blushing and thought I was watching porn!”**
**“I admit it. My mind has gone H-mode. I’ve lost all purity since joining this group.”**
**“Oh my god, those hands, those legs, even their tangled clothes are overflowing with tension…”**
**“@LittleWatermelonGuaGuaGua, if you can draw, then draw more!!”**
**“Amazing, Little Watermelon, you’re my eternal god!”**
**“Feed us! We’re starving!”**
**“Pant pant!”**
**“Banging my bowl for more content~~~”**
**“Ugh, our tiny group of under 600 is so pitiful. Not a second artist in sight. We’re squeezing Little Watermelon dry, sob.”**
**“Poor GuaGua, when’s the next drop?”**

Having pulled multiple all-nighters, Wu Yuxi replied: “The landlord has no more grain. This landlord must now go make a living.”

After tireless effort, she’d grown the super topic’s fans from a measly hundred to steady growth.

She was hoping to break the 1,000 mark.

But her studio had accepted a big design project earlier, which hit a snag—

She had to handle it personally.

She’d be on a three-month business trip, likely drowning in work. **Sob.** She just hoped the CP super topic wouldn’t get nuked by then.

Before she vanished:

**Little Watermelon GuaGuaGua**: “My dear family, instead of begging, go study some online tutorials, pick up a pen, and join the CP art production!”

**“I hope that when I return, everyone in this group is a mini-artist!”**

**CP fans in the super topic**: “….”

If they had the talent, they’d be in the arts already.

After wrapping *The Depressed Ones*, Qin Mang had rested for over half a month due to a fire incident. Now, she seamlessly joined another project.

This time, not as the female lead—

But as a major supporting role in a fantasy comedy film.

China rarely produced standout fantasy films, but this one had hired an internationally renowned special effects team—the best in a decade. All the main and supporting roles were filled by big names in the industry.

For someone of Qin Mang’s current level to be invited was an honor. As for the female lead, she was a box-office guarantee: the A-list actress Pei Zhen, at the pinnacle of the film world.

Even for this third female lead role—

Fu Yuan had to pull major strings just to get Qin Mang a chance to audition.

Qin Mang didn’t let her down. Thanks to her steadily improving acting and that highly cinematic, recognizable face, she won the role.

Fu Yuan hadn’t even been this happy when Qin Mang landed an S+ level film as a lead.

Fu Yuan sighed: “Even someone as big as Tan Guannan only managed to get second male lead. The male lead is a true industry legend.”

**“Both leads have won Grand Slam Best Actor/Actress twice.”**

Meng Ting added, “So don’t think having fewer lines means you don’t need to give it your all.”

**“Be humble and learn from your seniors.”**

**“You know what? Fu-jie should follow you this time. I don’t trust myself to keep you in line.”**

This ancestor, when she acts out, no one can stop her.

A single misstep, and something will blow up.

He was genuinely scared.

Last time, during the fire, some staff member (with twisted humor) didn’t record Qin Mang and He Lingji, but filmed him instead—praying to all gods outside the fire scene!

They even kindly bleeped out the sensitive curse words.

That clip made all the fans cry.

**But!**

Qin Mang saw it too!

During her recovery, she never brought it up. Meng Ting thought she’d let it go—just a desperate moment, right?

Even the Buddha wouldn’t blame him.

But no—

That vow he made over the phone? She remembered.

Now every day, she made him write a different 10,000-character essay praising her beauty.

Meng Ting looked bitter.

Qin Mang was righteous: “A vow once made must be kept.”

Everyone knew she was getting revenge!

Fu Yuan checked her schedule.

This cast was full of people you couldn’t mess with. To keep Qin Mang from being bullied—or from bullying others—Fu Yuan nodded: “Okay. I’ll go with you myself.”

Qin Mang finally spoke: “…Huh?”

“You’re just assigning me handlers now?”

They were heading to the film launch banquet.

Qin Mang wore an understated yet exquisite long gown of fine satin.

It was luxurious shimmer satin—always catching light with a subtle glimmer.

This fabric demanded a perfect figure: curvy but slender, no flaws. Any imperfection would be magnified by the pale, glossy material.

Few dared to wear it.

But Qin Mang loved it in summer: cool, breathable, gorgeous—not at all stuffy.

It was now late summer.

Deep City still occasionally hit 40°C.

This dress was perfect.

She paired it with her favorite mother-of-pearl fan. The whole ensemble was flawless.

She gently fanned herself, gaze poised—elegance embodied.

Meng Ting: “You’ve got too many priors. We have to be cautious.”

Qin Mang lazily closed her eyes, let out a hum, and used the fan to block the window light, resting.

She didn’t admit anything.

She was totally innocent.

Just as she closed her eyes, her phone buzzed.

It was Wu Yuxi.

Before heading abroad, Wu Yuxi video-called her. “Wuwuwu, Little Lion, I’m going on another journey…”

Qin Mang looked at her fake tears calmly. “Don’t you travel all the time?”

This time was different.

She had just started gaining fans for the super topic.

She sighed softly, wanting to surprise Qin Mang, so she didn’t say much.

**“You wouldn’t understand.”**

Wu Yuxi spotted the manager behind her. “Didn’t you finish filming? Going somewhere again?”

Right where it hurts.

Qin Mang pouted. “I’m going on a journey too…”

Knowing Qin Mang was busy, Wu Yuxi cheered up a bit. “Hehehe, good! Let’s meet at the destination!”

She was going to become the hottest fashion influencer in the design world.

And the best designer among influencers!

**“When I host my first international fashion show, I want my movie-queen bestie as my secret guest!”** Wu Yuxi was very confident in Qin Mang. “You’ll have the most famous fashion designer BFF in the universe!”

Qin Mang fanned herself, speaking lazily: “Alright. You’ll design my awards show gown when I win Best Actress.”

Wu Yuxi sat up like a spring-loaded fish. “Then I’m starting now!”

**“There are tons of film festivals in the second half of the year.”**

**“What if you get nominated again?!”**

Then she remembered: “By the way, you’re joining a new crew. Is President He coming with you?”

Qin Mang replied briefly: “Making money. Supporting the family.”

Wu Yuxi nodded sagely: “Short separation keeps love fresh. Good, good.”

Otherwise, these two would end up on trending again, and she’d be unable to resist drawing more art.

In the past, Qin Mang would have shown no emotion at the phrase “short separation keeps love fresh.”

But this time—

Even after ending the call, the words echoed in her head.

The girl’s lashes fluttered. Thinking of *him*, she didn’t notice her clear black eyes shimmering unconsciously.

Her eyes blushed slightly, as if a peach blossom had fallen at their corners.

She flapped her fan twice, hard.

Qin Mang thought: Working separately is good. That way, she wouldn’t keep feeling butterflies whenever she saw He Lingji’s face.

As for their current relationship—

She needed time to adjust.

A little separation *was* good for the marriage!

Maintain a bit of mystery.

Let He Lingji realize just how important this goddess was!

Top floor, He Corporation’s meeting room.

He Lingji finished his meeting and stood to leave.

The head of the PR department stayed behind, looking conflicted as he stepped forward—

“President He, please wait.”

He Lingji rubbed his temples with his fingertips. “Pour me a cup of coffee.”

Cong Zhen immediately responded, “Yes.”

Noticing President He’s gaze, the person in charge stepped forward at the right moment. “There’s a CP super topic on Weibo about you and your wife.”

“Should we take it down?”

A CP super topic with Qin Mang?

He Lingji took a sip of the cold coffee handed to him by Secretary Cong, and the weariness between his brows faded slightly.

A few days ago, he had turned down work to pick up Qin Mang after she wrapped up filming.

These past few days, he’d made up for all the missed work.

He hadn’t slept more than five hours a day.

The person in charge opened a nearby laptop and pulled up the Weibo super topic, clicking through a series of aesthetic couple photos.

He Lingji looked calmly at the large high-tech projection screen hanging on the meeting room wall.

The screen displayed top-notch clarity and color effects.

Even the light sheen of sweat was clearly visible.

His gaze fell on a new image where they were grabbing a toy from a claw machine. The small lion (Qin Mang) was hugging a box of contraceptives. His thin lips curled into a cool smile.

“Ahem.”

The person in charge looked a bit embarrassed. “President He, what do you think?”

He glanced at his boss’s coldly handsome face, the buttoned-up collar that screamed rigid, disciplined, proper, and abstinent. He must surely be disgusted by this kind of thing.

He was just about to suggest contacting the platform to ban the account and delete the posts.

The next moment—

He Lingji’s voice was cool and composed. “I think—”

“The art is quite good.”

?!

What the hell?

The person in charge and the secretarial team, who had all quickly averted their eyes earlier, almost lost control of their facial expressions.

Was it possible they had seen something completely different from President He?

They turned to look back at the big screen.

The suggestive, stream-of-consciousness fan art was displayed in full glory.

No… no mistake.

He Lingji looked thoughtfully at the images. “The details aren’t quite accurate.”

For example, the fluorescent blue box the little lion was holding—that was wrong.

He always used a custom international size, not the largest domestic one.

“Ah?”

The person in charge let out an incredulous noise after a long pause.

He Lingji didn’t seem to hear it. His long fingers continued scrolling through the CP fans’ comments in the super topic.

A few minutes later, he casually finished reading all the trending posts.

With an air of interest, he commented, “Good taste.”

“Too few posts.”

They got it now—President He was absolutely not opposed to this super topic.

The person in charge thought, *Good thing I didn’t delete it without asking.*

Carefully, he asked, “So… just let them be?”

He Lingji happened to glance at the number of followers in the super topic.

588.

His refined features grew serious.

He and Qin Mang had over 100 million followers combined on Weibo, yet the super topic only had 588 fans?

He used the person in charge’s alt account to follow the topic.

Then he glanced lightly at Cong Zhen.

Secretary Cong truly lived up to his title of Chief Secretary. In a flash, he understood his boss’s intent!

He immediately pulled out both his personal and work phones. Main and alt accounts, all were mobilized.

The other secretaries followed suit.

After a flurry of actions—

They successfully pushed the follower count past 600…

At this point, Cong Zhen asked the PR head, “Minister Chen, how can we boost the CP super topic’s numbers?”

Minister Chen understood right away. “If President He and his wife go public, the topic’s numbers will skyrocket overnight.”

“My estimate—bare minimum, it starts in the millions.”

He Lingji recalled the ‘Tanqing CP’ he’d stumbled across before.

He searched it right in front of them.

Super topic follower count: 990,000.

Only a step away from breaking a million.

Cong Zhen and Minister Chen exchanged a look.

*Serving such a boss is like walking on a knife’s edge.*

Their brains felt like they were burning out in just a few seconds.

Cong Zhen braced himself and asked, “Due to Madam’s profession, they can’t go public right now. Are there any other methods?”

Minister Chen also forced himself to reply, “When the content quality of the super topic goes up and engagement increases, it will naturally attract more fans.”

“Take Madam and Film Emperor Tan as an example. Their fans shipped them as a real-life couple, based on offline interactions and behind-the-scenes clips from movies.”

“But you and Madam are rarely seen in the same frame, so fans tend to lean more toward imagined scenarios—more like shipping characters from anime or novels, with your appearances and personalities inserted.”

“Since you can’t go public for now, the best option is to follow that ‘Little Watermelon Gua Gua Gua’ fan account’s approach and go with secondhand creative content.”

The office, decorated in a sleek, futuristic style, was filled with a cold white light.

Under this lighting, He Lingji’s already cool appearance looked even more frosty, like it was carved from ice.

He calmly tapped the table.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

No particular rhythm.

Yet everyone felt like their hearts were trembling.

Even Cong Zhen couldn’t read his boss’s mind right now.

At 8 PM that evening—

Rong Huaiyan, still working overtime, received a private message from He Lingji.

The always refined and composed young heir looked at the screen, stunned, question marks practically visible in his eyes.

**Rhy:** [You want me to draw fan art?]
[He Lingji?]
[Do I look like I have that much free time?]

Rong Huaiyan, heir to a century-old prestigious family, was a master of ink wash painting, with exceptional skill in various art styles. But he rarely shared his work, and no one had ever succeeded in commissioning him.

He never released any pieces publicly.

Yet He Lingji was now asking him to draw fan art.

**He Lingji:** [One private jet, one yacht, four century-old crabapple trees…]

**Rhy:** [Do I seem like someone who’s so easily bribed?]

He Lingji, calm as ever, kept typing:
[200 sheets of antique restoration paper, a full set of porcelain with snow crabapple patterns, premium Hetian jade Go set…]

Every single item hit his sweet spot.

No wonder they grew up together.

They knew each other too well.

Rong Huaiyan expressionlessly typed:
[Come to Ling City tomorrow. I’ll run a ten-day crash course in drawing.]

Which was exactly what He Lingji wanted. The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

**He Lingji:** [Deal.]