**Chapter 80: Private Domain**
Lying flat on the massive boxing ring.
Qin Mang opened her eyes.
The blazing white lights above blurred her vision, and what filled her gaze—
Was the dangerously enticing, damp texture of a young man’s body, and the wild, bewitching black floral tattoos rooted across his cool-toned skin. Every inch radiated an untamed, primal beauty.
The ropes around the boxing ring seemed like a dense cage made of red threads, tightly enclosing them. A surreal silence filled the air.
Only the glacial aura between them churned like molten lava, making it hard to breathe, as if one might get scorched just by inhaling.
The next moment, the man’s long, slender fingers slowly wrapped around the girl’s delicate wrist.
Her watery eyes blinked in confusion.
A low, slightly hoarse voice drifted to her ears—He Lingji murmuring: “Eternally bound… you and I.”
As he leaned down—
The boxing wraps coiled around his hand scattered and fell onto her pale wrist, wrapping in tight loops—just like the red thread engraved around an ankle.
*Eternally bound… you and I.*
Qin Mang jolted awake.
She shot upright in bed, instinctively lifting her wrist—as if she could still feel the searing heat, like it had been scalded by boiling water.
Her pale fingertips rubbed her delicate brows as she tried to calm her racing heart.
Another dream.
Lately, she kept remembering that moment after everyone else had left the boxing ring—
That empty, icy boxing ring. The damp spider lily blooming in the corner like it had emerged from the depths of hell, its decadent fragrance impossible to resist.
She had wanted to run—but there was nowhere to go. The boxing wraps tied her wrist to the ring post.
And he had the audacity to say, “Teaching you how to wrap boxing tape.” “Got it now?” “Next time, wrap mine.”
Sunlight filtered through the half-drawn curtains, casting light and shadow across her beautiful face. Annoyed and embarrassed.
*Teaching boxing wraps, my ass!* Whose tape gets wrapped around the wrist and then tied to the ropes of a boxing ring?
It was practically becoming her recurring “nightmare”!
With no work for the time being, Qin Mang avoided He Lingji on purpose. She didn’t want to see him—otherwise, she’d just keep having *those* dreams.
To this, Wu Yuxi enthusiastically declared—“Nightmare? This is clearly a *spring dream*.”
Then came a burst of inspiration.
The next day, user “LittleWatermelonGuaGuaGua” posted a new drawing on the **Aurora Fan Forum**:
On a giant boxing ring—
Two boxing gloves had fallen to the ground. A beautiful girl in a pleated skirt had her hands bound to the ring post with boxing wraps.
A man in a black silk shirt, slightly sweaty from exertion, had fabric clinging to his muscles, the curve of his spine faintly visible. His shirt was unbuttoned, sleeves casually rolled up, hands braced on either side of the girl, creating a tense and threatening enclosure. His strong, pale arms were full of explosive power.
Anyone who saw it could only gasp—**hsss-hsss!**
Ever since she started making fan art, Wu Yuxi’s skills had skyrocketed—especially in detail. Just look at the sweat beading at the man’s temple. The tiny droplets blooming on the girl’s collarbone.
Ahhhh! All. The. Details!!
Boxing ring play—so thrilling, so fresh!!
Teacher LittleWatermelon was beyond pleased with her work. She really was a low-key artistic genius!
She posted it to the fan forum, ready for praise.
What she didn’t expect—
The CP fans’ reaction was:
> “LittleWatermelon, you lost this time. GlitchLord already did boxing ring play. Can you try something new?”
> “Beautiful, yes—but lacking sexual tension.”
LittleWatermelon: *Lacking sexual tension?!*
> “Still, hazy and suggestive is more exciting!”
> “Lacking atmosphere.”
> “Feels like fan art of fan art…” [???]
Wu Yuxi nearly exploded. *They said her art lacks atmosphere?!*
Ever seen a watermelon blow up? Be careful—she might just explode on them!
Wait, hold on—
**GlitchLord?**
Wu Yuxi took a deep breath. Wasn’t that… the *actual person* in the art? He drew boxing ring stuff too?
She immediately searched GlitchLord’s account—**szgmlwx**
He Lingji’s alternate account was a string of random letters.
Back when Wu Yuxi found out it was He Lingji, she tried hard to decipher it—was it Qin Mang’s name? A lion reference? Nothing fit.
She had to admit: it was probably just random gibberish.
But that wasn’t the point.
Wu Yuxi quickly found his latest post.
At first glance, she was stunned.
The drawing showed a dark boxing ring outlined with just a few strokes. The shapes were vague, yet immediately immersive. It looked dim but full of color. Around the ring, two bright red boxing wraps coiled along the ropes, their ends almost like lit flames.
The four surrounding ropes formed a net—an abstract web draped over the entire ring.
It was GlitchLord’s signature lush and decadent art style. No characters, only color and minimal strokes, yet the tension was overwhelming.
Was this… pure talent?
The more Wu Yuxi studied it, the more she clicked her tongue in admiration. *So it’s not just Little Lion who keeps reliving that night…*
Who would’ve thought this strict, ascetic, almost monk-like God He actually had such a wild side?
More importantly—he was creating fan content for himself and his wife!
Aaaaah!!
What a god-tier husband!
And she was the *only* one in the world who knew his secret identity! When would it be her turn? She wanted to force everyone to ship them!
Overwhelmed, Wu Yuxi called again.
“Qin Little Lion, where the hell did your uncle find you such a husband? Can he help me pick one too?”
Her recent blind dates had been disastrous—either mama’s boys or delusional mediocrities. The thought of sleeping beside one of them made her skin crawl. Worse yet, their mom might sleep *between* them.
The more she thought, the more she wanted to bolt.
Especially now that things at home were tense due to Wu Yuan’s engagement. Her parents had pinned their hopes on her instead—terrified she’d also insist on someone they didn’t approve of.
Qin Mang sat in her gem collection room, “inspecting” the jewels. At her fingertips was a delicate ruby—her birthday gift from her uncle when she got into university.
Hearing Wu Yuxi rant, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Thinking of the carefree Qi Rong and Wu Yuan’s temper, she figured the Wu family still had plenty of drama ahead. But… it wasn’t her place to meddle in others’ family matters.
Still, as for Wu Yuxi’s matchmaking…
Qin Mang’s red lips curved into a mischievous smile. She gave a bombshell suggestion:
“Not easy to find one.”
“But… how about my little uncle?”
“Instant promotion in the family hierarchy—your own brother would have to call you ‘little auntie.’ What do you think, tempted?”
Her biological brother respectfully called her “Little Auntie,” and Wu Yuxi was indeed tempted. But—Qin Mang’s little uncle was **Qin Yan**!
Just thinking of Qin Yan’s face—that Buddha-like expression, indifferent to everything—made Wu Yuxi shiver on the spot. She shook her head and refused, “No, no, absolutely not. I wouldn’t dare defile a Buddha.”
Every time Wu Yuxi saw Qin Yan, it felt like encountering a merciful Bodhisattva. She could hardly stop herself from worshiping him. Even looking at him too much felt like blasphemy—let alone becoming his wife.
**She was unworthy!**
Wu Yuxi emphasized, “Bodhisattvas are to be revered, not married.”
“Give your brain a break,” Qin Mang replied.
She regretfully set down the gemstone in her hand. She’d almost talked her into it.
“If you don’t marry him, then you won’t be able to get married at all. Aside from my little uncle, no man in the world is worthy of our beautiful, kind-hearted Little Watermelon.”
Qin Mang had reviewed the matchmaking profiles Wu Yuxi had sent over. One after another—meh. Family backgrounds were similar, but the abilities? Mediocre at best.
The only one slightly more capable was someone from the Yu family. Great education, impressive career—but reportedly a mama’s boy. His mother was notoriously overbearing, obsessed with getting him married and producing a fat grandson. She was casting a wide net for a daughter-in-law. Qin Mang had even heard about this through her own mother-in-law, who’d been asked by Madam Yu to help vet candidates.
If Wu Yuxi married into that family, with her personality, she’d never tolerate being used as a “baby-making tool.” It would be a disaster.
“Especially that one from the Yu family,” she added.
Wu Yuxi made a disgusted noise. “Don’t mention him. My mom’s totally into him.”
“She’s scheduled us to meet this weekend.”
“You free to come with me?”
“Sure.”
It was only Monday.
Her next filming schedule was on Friday. She’d be back in Shen City by the weekend—perfect timing. Qin Mang agreed without hesitation. This was her best friend’s major life decision! What if her sweet, innocent Little Watermelon got fooled?
Honestly, Qin Mang still wished Little Watermelon would marry her little uncle.
Yes, there was a 7–8—um, 10-year age gap. But so what? That’s the most adorable kind of age difference.
Compared to the Yu guy, her uncle was miles ahead. The only issue was that Wu Yuxi saw him as a Buddha. But as long as her uncle saw her as his sweet little wife—what’s the problem?
That’s just marital chemistry waiting to happen.
The more Qin Mang thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Determined not to let a good opportunity go to waste, she promptly called her little uncle.
“Uncle, what do you think about Little Watermelon becoming my Little Aunt?”
She got straight to the point.
“Ah, Uncle’s really busy right now, still has scripts to read. Gotta go. Good night. You should sleep early—staying up late ages you. You’re already getting old, and if you lose your looks, you’ll *never* find a man.”
Qin Mang rattled off all that without giving him a chance to reply. Then—*click*—she hung up.
And let out a huge breath. That was terrifying.
She’d nearly been forced to go home and inherit the family business. Spending money? Yes. Making it? Absolutely not.
No. She had to find her uncle a wife. Otherwise, he’d keep trying to make her take over the family business.
But asking him directly was pointless. Ugh—she’d never played matchmaker before, no experience at all.
She really wished she had one of Yue Lao’s red strings.
Just tie them together!
But love isn’t something outsiders can control.
Still… people had to interact to see if they were a good fit, right?
And it just so happened that her uncle was single, and her best friend was dating. **Wasn’t this fate?**
While Qin Mang was racking her brain on how to matchmake—
In Beicheng’s Qin Group headquarters…
Qin Yan, dressed in an elegant bespoke suit, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the bustling cityscape. The tiny red mole between his brows, under the white light, looked like a vivid drop of cinnabar in the snow—less aloof and more exquisitely striking.
Despite having a face like a Bodhisattva, he had absolutely nothing in common with one.
He casually tossed the phone onto his desk and rubbed his brow.
Thinking of his brother, currently secluded in a monastery, he suddenly felt a little envious.
**Qin Han probably knew how hard it was to raise a daughter**, which was why he dumped her on him.
He took a sip of coffee.
Then sat back down at his desk—
**To continue working…**
**To support his niece.**
Later, a finance magazine described this legendary figure like this:
> “Studied hard in youth, rose to the top overnight, took control of the Qin Group with iron-handed precision, and spent the rest of his life diligently earning money… to support a spendthrift niece. A legendary life.”
—
Qin Mang was unaware of this summary. With nothing else to do, she decided to drop by the company for a surprise inspection.
She didn’t call a driver. Rarely, she chose to drive herself.
She picked a super flashy mint green sports car and sped off.
In the lakeside estate villa, just the number of parked sports cars exceeded a hundred—not counting other models. And according to the butler, **this was only a part of He Lingji’s collection**.
Qin Mang thought she and He Lingji were truly a perfect match. Such extravagant hobbies.
But the butler discreetly mentioned, “Sir hasn’t acquired any new additions in a long time.”
Qin Mang blinked in surprise. She actually wasn’t very familiar with He Lingji’s collection.
The butler hesitated a moment and decided not to mention that Sir had not only stopped buying new things, but had been quietly auctioning off most of his painstakingly acquired jets and yachts.
Qin Mang asked suspiciously, “Why?”
The butler shook his head. “You’d best ask him directly.”
Fine.
Qin Mang didn’t press further. She knew that if the butler could talk, he would. Since he couldn’t, it meant He Lingji had ordered silence.
Since he hadn’t bought anything new in so long—**this year, she decided to gift him a jet, a yacht, and a sports car for his birthday.**
Qin Mang wasn’t clear on her current financial situation.
But ever since *Dreams of Old Beijing* became a massive hit, her salary, endorsements, and variety show fees were all at top-tier rates. She hadn’t touched that money in two years, and used to ignore investments because the returns were too low—she had left it all to Fu Yuan to manage. She figured she must’ve saved quite a bit.
5 PM.
Her mint green sports car arrived at its destination.
This ultra-modern vehicle didn’t clash at all with the sleek, design-forward company headquarters—it even complemented it.
Qin Mang was already used to coming here. She took the executive elevator straight to the top floor.
She didn’t even need Secretary Cong to escort her.
Dressed in a mint green cinched-waist summer dress, she looked radiant. The color set off her fair skin like polished white jade. Every gesture carried innate elegance and grace, with a hint of habitual charm.
She had picked the car specifically to match the dress.
Most people match outfits to their cars.
Qin Mang matched **cars** to her outfits.
She saw no problem with this. At that moment, she was on a Bluetooth call with Fu Yuan.
She was asking how much she’d earned since becoming an A-list celebrity.
After Fu Yuan gave her an estimated number, this habitual spender was a bit shocked: “That little?”
“That’s little?”
Fu Yuan calculated again—she hadn’t been famous that long, but her net earnings were already in the **eight figures**, starting with an 8. That was impressive even by entertainment industry standards.
Of course, taxes had been fully paid.
But still. **Only 80 million? That’s not even enough for a luxury yacht.**
Qin Mang sighed dramatically.
Fu Yuan asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qin Mang sincerely lamented, “I’m really so poor.”
Fu Yuan: …
Thinking about her usual spending habits—yeah, for someone like Qin Mang, earning 80 million might really be “poor.” She couldn’t even afford one of her own top-tier gemstones.
The main issue was…
Qin Mang realized she didn’t have enough to buy a birthday gift for He Lingji. His birthday was six months away.
She’d originally planned to take half a year off. But after a few seconds of thought, she suddenly said seriously, “Sister Fu.”
“That S+ drama you mentioned before—sign me up.”
Fu Yuan: “Didn’t you say the shoot would take too long and you didn’t want to be apart from your husband during your ‘honeymoon phase’?” She heavily emphasized those last words. Honeymoon phase after several years of marriage—bold of her to say.
Qin Mang remained calm and completely unbothered. “Oh, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Career is more important.”
“Once I finish this reality show, I’ll join the set!”
To avoid backing out, she decisively told Fu Yuan to contact the production team immediately.
AAAAHHH.
This was a big-budget drama, so the actors’ paychecks would definitely be generous.
She had previously rejected it because of all the **flying-wire stunts**—tons of aerial scenes. Ever since that one falling scene in *The Depressed*, she’d had a slight trauma about wire work.
Doing it occasionally was fine.
But nonstop?
**It was miserable.**
**All of this was just to buy a birthday gift for He Lingji!**
Think about it.
She really hadn’t spent much money on He Lingji. Compared to everything he had done for her…
Qin Mang’s delicate face suddenly showed a flicker of guilt. She had even been planning to confess to him earlier. Yet she didn’t even have a gift prepared—what serious man would accept a confession like that?
**A few minutes later.**
**In front of the CEO’s office on the top floor.** Secretary Cong was so startled at the sight of Qin Mang’s graceful and slender figure that he nearly threw the important documents in his hands.
“Ma—Ma’am?!”
“Why did you suddenly come here?”
The silver double doors to the office were tightly shut. Qin Mang glanced at them, then folded her arms. Seeing Secretary Cong’s panicked expression, her glistening, emotional eyes narrowed slightly.
“What?”
“Your boss is hiding a mistress?”
“Afraid I might find out?”
“Of course not!” Secretary Cong immediately denied it. “President He is extremely self-disciplined. Forget hiding a mistress—he won’t even meet with female clients alone. His conduct is impeccable! And besides, if he were to hide someone, it would only be you.”
He must defend his boss’s marriage at all costs.
Sure enough, when he said that, Qin Mang’s red lips curved up slightly. “Now that’s more like it.”
With that, she prepared to push the door open.
Secretary Cong didn’t dare stop her, but he quietly reminded her, “President He is in a high-level meeting.” Qin Mang’s hand paused just above the door. “Then I’ll wait.”
She knew how to prioritize.
Seeing Secretary Cong still holding a thick stack of documents, she tilted her dainty chin. “Alright, I’ll go in after the meeting is over. I’ll take a stroll in the meantime.”
He Group was so big. There were still many areas she hadn’t visited.
Secretary Cong let out a sigh of relief. “Please wait a moment. I’ll join you after I deliver these.”
“I’m not a three-year-old.”
“You go ahead.”
Originally, Qin Mang had planned to walk around the leisure area downstairs. Now that the entire company knew who she was, there was no need to be secretive.
However—
Just as she was about to take the elevator, she suddenly noticed what looked like a tech-styled silver-framed screen at the end of the corridor, acting as a partition. She casually asked a passing assistant secretary, “Is that also part of the office space?”
The boss’s wife was asking, so the assistant secretary didn’t dare ignore her. “That area was recently established. It’s President He’s private domain.”
“It’s also the second lounge.”
“No one but President He is allowed to enter.”
**Oh really.**
**So He Lingji was keeping secrets from her?!**
Qin Mang immediately changed direction. She hadn’t planned on going there, but now she *had* to see what was inside!
The assistant secretary watched her back nervously, not daring to stop her.
Given how important Madam He was to President He, outsiders weren’t allowed in—but Madam He probably could?
The room was protected by facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, and a password. She probably wouldn’t be able to get in.
Still, the assistant secretary hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to report this to his superior, Cong Zhen.
When Cong Zhen heard that Madam He had gone to the art studio, his pupils shook in panic.
**Crap! President He’s secret identity might be exposed!!!**
He knew exactly how President He created content in the Auroverse fan forum. The problem was—**the original artworks were all stored in that studio.**
The executive meeting was just wrapping up. Secretary Cong didn’t dare delay and quickly whispered in He Lingji’s ear:
“Madam found your studio.”
“I think your secret’s about to be exposed.”
He Lingji’s hand, which was holding a black and gold fountain pen, paused slightly. Then he smoothly signed his name at the bottom of the document before rising slowly.
He looked toward the cold, metallic door with its sleek lines.
**An eight-digit password.**
Qin Mang thought for a few seconds.
She slowly entered: **03051118**
It worked on the first try.
Even the order was exactly right—because… he had always put her first.
Qin Mang knew this clearly.
The joy of guessing the password was instantly replaced by shock the moment she pushed open the door. Her gaze locked onto the wall—
Cold, modern interior design. But inside, vivid oil paintings filled the space with color.
Qin Mang had a sharp memory.
She instantly recognized one painting hanging on the wall—it was the one she had once stumbled upon in the Auroverse fan forum: a black spider lily blooming quietly inside a magnificent antique vase. The colors had been so rich and striking that she never forgot it.
**It was painted by that user with the garbled name!**
She had always wanted to know who that mysterious poster was!!!
Everything now made sense.
Qin Mang had never deliberately followed that user’s Weibo. But now she opened her phone and compared the paintings one by one to those on the wall.
The timeline was crystal clear.
**Even before their relationship went public, He Lingji had been posting fan art under that account.**
And he had even gained a huge fan following??
People were constantly tagging him, asking him for more art.
If she had heard *before* opening this door that the mysterious user was He Lingji, she would’ve burst out laughing. How could that be?
How would He Lingji have time to draw fan art for shipper fans on a forum?
Forget He Lingji—not even real celebrities did that!
**A tall, lean figure appeared at the door.**
Qin Mang didn’t even need to look—she knew it was him.
Neither of them spoke.
They just stared at the paintings on the wall together.
After a long moment—
The girl’s soft voice suddenly broke the silence:
“**What does ‘szgmlwx’ mean?**” That was He Lingji’s alternate account name.
**Was it really just random characters?**
He Lingji finally moved.
Calmly, he took her slender fingers in his and slowly said two words from his lips:
**“Didn’t you guess the password?”**
**“Keep guessing.”**