Public [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 09

**Manjusaka (Red Spider Lily)**
The official social media account for *A Dream of Beijing* announced the female lead on the same day.
The picture they used was a candid from her audition.

The woman looked stunning—her features were beautiful and cold, with a mysterious vibe. Her simple black embroidered qipao only highlighted her perfect looks. Just looking into her eyes made people imagine an entire story.

This time, unlike last time when people only praised her looks in a qipao, there were many sincere compliments about her acting and how well she fit the role.

> “As expected, the only one who can beat Qin Mang is another Qin Mang.”
> “Say what you want, but Qin Mang’s eyes are full of spirit. She pulls you right into the story.”
> “Who doesn’t love a beautiful and hardworking actress?”

Inside a beauty salon, Qin Mang had finally relaxed a bit after auditioning for Director Zhou’s film, so she invited Wu Yuxi to get facials together.
Afterward, Qin Mang was lounging lazily in a silk robe in the lounge, while gossip-loving Wu Yuxi read fans’ comments to her with a mysterious smile.

Suddenly, her expression changed.
“Where did this idiot come from? Saying you got the role not with talent, but through connections?”

Qin Mang slowly opened her eyes, her dark pupils shining, and picked up her phone lazily:
“Oh?”
Connections?
Which one exactly? That ‘passing by’ guy?

Wu Yuxi asked, “This comment is about to hit the top of your Weibo. Want to delete it?”
“Delete what?”
Qin Mang snorted and replied with her main account:

> “Go on, tell me. Which mountain did I rely on?”

Right after posting it, she counted:
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three—”

Her phone rang loudly.
Meng Ting wailed, “Are you trying to kill our PR team?!”

Qin Mang calmly brushed him off.
“They were already useless. That’s why Shen Wanyin crushed them for two years.”

After she hung up, Wu Yuxi asked, annoyed, “Why’d you even sign with this dying company? They have no resources and weak PR.”

Qin Mang had almost forgotten why she signed with them.
Maybe it was because since the beginning, Meng Ting promised her freedom, never forced her to do what she didn’t like—and he kept that promise.

Wu Yuxi didn’t really get it, but she changed the topic:
“By the way, isn’t President He getting into the film business? Ask him to get you a top team.”

“Him?”
Thinking about He Lingji’s usual behavior, Qin Mang clicked her tongue, “He never does charity.”

Wu Yuxi glanced at the love bites visible under Qin Mang’s robe and smirked, pretending to be innocent. She poked her collarbone, “Aren’t you two close?”

Qin Mang took a sip of red wine, lips curving with amusement.
“Legally… friends with benefits?”

Wu Yuxi: speechless.

Qin Mang added casually, “President He’s stamina’s not bad. Good for fun now and then.”

Wu Yuxi: Only you would dare treat President He like a toy.

That ‘toy’ had been busier than Qin Mang lately, even though she was about to join a film crew.
They lived under the same roof but hadn’t seen each other in days.

But Qin Mang wasn’t idle either.
As the officially announced lead of a major S+ film adaptation, offers flooded into Meng Ting’s inbox.
After careful consideration, Meng Ting chose a big film festival’s opening ceremony for her first public appearance.

He stressed, “You *have* to look drop-dead gorgeous! Blind all the haters!”

Qin Mang wore a silver-white gradient fishtail dress that showed off her perfect figure. Though it looked simple, it was full of intricate details. The way the dress moved with her steps made her shine like a goddess. Unlike the vintage qipao before, she now looked like a celestial being descending from the sky.

People could criticize her acting, but no one could say she lacked presence. She confidently drew the media’s attention on the red carpet.
She absolutely stole the show.

Despite many watching her, Qin Mang calmly took a seat in the third row. She didn’t have a film nominated, and this seat was something Meng Ting had worked hard to get her—“Just to let you experience it,” he said.

So that next time, when she’s nominated for Best Actress, she’d be ready.
Qin Mang agreed completely.
She *was* going to win Best Actress one day.

While the actresses around her sat stiffly, afraid to look bad on camera, Qin Mang looked relaxed. But her natural elegance still showed through.

She enjoyed the idol group’s dance performance on stage.
They were full of energy, slim waists and long legs moving like flowing water.

She couldn’t believe she’d once mistaken He Lingji for someone else. They weren’t even on the same level.
No wonder just one interview video of him had made fans obsessed for so long.

Qin Mang’s eyes drifted.

Near the end of the show, someone suddenly sat next to her—someone with a strong presence.
She slowly turned her head and saw a man in a suit, with long black hair tied back casually. Very recognizable.

“Director Lin?”

Lin Chenxuan had a naturally handsome face, but his long hair didn’t make him look feminine at all.
After receiving the *Soul Night* script, Meng Ting had told her all about this top director—it was hard to believe he looked so young in person.

Lin Chenxuan examined her face closely.
It was the kind of face that had a story—perfect for his character.

“Have you thought about the script I gave you?”
“If the timing clashes with *A Dream of Beijing*, I can delay it. That role is very challenging.”

He didn’t like small talk and got straight to the point.

Qin Mang remembered the script and said politely, “It’s a bit… bold. I’m not experienced in that kind of role.”

People had started noticing them.
Seeing her hesitation, Lin Chenxuan, for once, showed some social awareness. He handed her his phone.
“This place isn’t great for talking. Let’s connect later.”

—

Qin Mang didn’t think much of giving Lin Chenxuan her contact info.
A top director like him wouldn’t be short on actresses, right?

Later that night, almost midnight, she was home.
She was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep.

Lying in bed, tossing and turning, she suddenly sat up and decided to get some air.

Passing the coffee table, she noticed the two scripts she left there. She paused, then bent down and stuffed *Soul Night* into a drawer.
She picked up the other one.

She was joining the crew in two weeks.
There were still skills she needed to work on—like how to smoke seductively.

The top floor of the mansion had a large rooftop terrace. The dome ceiling, a special design from He Corp, could show a changing starry sky.
It was open now.

Tonight was beautiful. The sky was full of stars, like gems.
Qin Mang suddenly remembered she hadn’t added to her gem collection lately.
She needed to ask around about any upcoming auctions.

Ten minutes later—
She sat in a large black chair, wearing a fiery red mini dress.
She crossed her legs like the character in the film would, her pale, smooth legs swinging slightly.

Meanwhile, in the living room, He Lingji came home late again.
Seeing the butler hesitating to speak, he asked calmly, “What is it?”

The butler replied, “Madam hasn’t gone to bed yet. She’s on the rooftop.”

“At this hour?”
He looked at his watch—1 a.m.
“What kind of fresh air is she enjoying?”

He was about to head to the bedroom but changed his mind and walked to the top floor, loosening his collar as he went.

He didn’t take the elevator. He walked.

When he opened the heavy door, he saw—
Beneath the starry sky,
The girl held a thin cigarette between her delicate white fingers. She stared at the glowing tip for a while before finally bringing it to her lips.

Her lips, full and bright, bit gently on the cigarette. Surrounded by smoke, she looked like a dream.
It was dangerously seductive.

She’d just taken a puff—
When a hand, like carved jade, suddenly appeared and gently took the cigarette from her lips.

“Cough, cough, cough…”
Startled, she choked hard on the smoke.

“You f***ing… trying to kill me?”
Her voice was hoarse from coughing.
She glared at the culprit.

That damn man never acts like a normal

The man casually played with a thin cigarette between his fingers. His fingertips still held the faint, wet feeling of her lips. Suddenly, he gave a playful smile and said, “Hiding here to smoke?”

He was already tall, and now he was standing against the light, looking down at Qin Mang who was sitting in a chair. The way he stood made her feel a strange kind of pressure. She raised her chin proudly and said, “I’m not hiding.”

“I’m smoking openly.”

“Give it back!”

He Lingji calmly put out the cigarette, then picked up the woman who still refused to go back to sleep. He said in a flat tone, “Smoking before bed will give you a deadly disease.”

Qin Mang: “?”

Does he think I’m a three-year-old?

If one puff could give you a deadly disease, half the world would be gone.

But men were stronger than women, and she couldn’t fight back. So she had no choice but to let He Lingji carry her back to the bedroom like she had lost all hope.

She watched as he threw her into the bathtub and turned on the shower.

Qin Mang crossed her arms and said, nearly breaking down, “I already took a shower!”

“Take another one.”

He Lingji treated her like a toy, washing away all the cigarette smell from her. Only then did the frown on his face soften.

Qin Mang was speechless the whole time: “……”

Just as she was starting to enjoy being taken care of, she looked up at her “not-so-professional” bath assistant.

His white silk shirt was wet from the shower water and stuck to his body, almost see-through, as he turned to hang up the showerhead.

As she stared at his half-bare back, her lazy expression suddenly froze.

Under the wet fabric, there were black patterns winding down his back!

She thought she was seeing things.

She raised her wet little hand and rubbed her eyes.

Hiss—

Now it was even blurrier.

He Lingji noticed her expression and let out a quiet laugh.

“Turn around. Let me see again!” Qin Mang’s brain finally started working.

She was annoyed she hadn’t noticed before—He Lingji had been hiding a big secret on his body!

He Lingji didn’t want to keep wearing the wet shirt either. He took it off without hesitation, letting his wife see everything clearly, and then reached for his belt.

The silk shirt slid down his back and fell to the wet tiles.

Under the bright lights, nothing could be hidden.

Qin Mang’s breathing became lighter.

A mysterious red spider lily bloomed on his back, its petals winding around his shoulder and down, covering half his back. The color went from light ink to a darker shade, like a flower blooming lazily in the depths of a dark abyss, or a masterpiece carefully carved by God himself. It looked natural, like it had always been there.

It looked like a tattoo—but far more mysterious.

Water drops rolled down the flower design.

Qin Mang also thought it was a tattoo. She reached out with her pale finger and touched it, then smiled, “What is this? A sign from your rebellious teen years?”

He Lingji’s low voice, made a bit rough by the water, replied, “I’ve had it since I was little.”

“Huh?”

“A birthmark?”

“Something like that.”

Qin Mang felt a little bitter. This man really was blessed—even his birthmark looked like it was drawn on by a famous artist. She couldn’t help but reach out again, her fingers itching to trace the complex, mysterious pattern.

He Lingji quickly finished his shower, clearly not wanting to stay on the topic.

Just then, feeling her touch, he changed the subject: “Wanna do it?”

Though… he had an early trip tomorrow.

Not much time.

Still, if his wife had any needs, he would do his best to meet them—as her husband.

Even in bed.

Qin Mang hadn’t planned on it.

But she couldn’t sleep now, and this mysterious flower had definitely stirred something.

Maybe she could treat He Lingji like a sleep aid—tire herself out and fall asleep after.

That might work.

…

He Lingji, aiming for speed, dried her off and carried her back to bed.

Five minutes into the main event—

On the big bed, the girl’s toes curled up like little white pearls.

Her voice let out a soft, sweet sound.

He Lingji exhaled slowly, his jaw tight. Under the warm yellow light, his cool gray-blue eyes looked cold and restrained.

The next second, before he finished, he pulled away and left.

After a moment, Qin Mang recovered and tried to hug him to change positions. She also wanted another look at that spider lily. But he confused her by moving away.

She hesitated. “You… you’re done already?”

He Lingji didn’t get mad at her words. Instead, he gave a strange reply: “You’re the one who’s done.”

Qin Mang thought about it for a few seconds, then looked at him with wide eyes: “Are you saying… I finished too fast?!”

He Lingji slowly pulled the blanket out from under her and gently covered her up. His calm voice said:

“Miss Qin, have you considered this—”

“Hm?”

“Maybe I’m just that good.”