Chapter 17

Joyful Winter Snow Evening (02)

Chapter Seventeen

The two of them went back and forth several times before moving all the things into the walk-in closet. It had looked like a lot before, but the space was so big that ten or so outfits only just filled one wardrobe. Mu He panted slightly, whether from excitement or frequent walking, her cheeks tinged with a light pink, her eyes like a clear spring reflecting moonlight, shimmering with gentle waves.

Previously, at Banruo Temple, she had wished with the old man of the moon, borrowing three years of romantic luck in advance and converting it all into career luck. Now, it was confirmed: Lady Luck really was watching over her, everything was moving in a favorable direction.

Huo Siheng placed her treasured piano lipstick gift set in the center of the table, lifting his gaze to see her smiling face at the far end. Huo Wen had only given her so little, yet it made her beam with joy. If... he helped fill her walk-in closet, would she be even happier?

A barely noticeable curve appeared at the corner of his lips as he watched her, rolling down the sleeves of his rolled-up shirt, his lean, strong forearms gradually hidden under the black fabric.

“Xi Heng.”

Mu He ran over joyfully, found his hand, and gripped it firmly. “Let me rub a little luck onto you. I hope your family agreement can be dissolved soon.”

Huo Siheng dropped his gaze, looking at the delicate, fair hands lightly shaking in his grasp, soft beyond words. Hearing her notion of sharing luck, he couldn’t help a faint smile but deliberately twisted her meaning to tease her: “So, you want me to leave sooner?”

“No, no…” This accusation was huge. Mu He shook her head like a rattle, really having no such thought. “I swear, absolutely not!”

“Is that so?”

Mu He, afraid of provoking his proud masculine ego, patted his shoulder soothingly: “You can stay as long as you like.”

As long as her Mu Yangyang had a corner of the roof above her head, she would never let Xi Heng end up on the streets.

Huo Siheng restrained his smile: “That’s more like it.”

Mu He quietly exhaled.

Alarm cleared.

Next, Mu He grabbed the house manual Xi Heng had found and eagerly explored the master bedroom. She discovered that the glass windows and floor were always so clean—not because of frequent visits from the cleaning lady, but because they had self-dusting functionality.

The wall behind the bed also had a control panel. Temperature, humidity, and lighting could all be adjusted. The ceiling had two layers that could be freely retracted. Since the weather had been unstable lately, nights were pitch black without stars or moon, so she retracted the ceiling.

Mu He also found that next to the bed icon on the panel, there was a hidden mode. Curiously, she pressed it, and the floor beneath her began to vibrate. In an instant, the bed disappeared before her eyes.

…Fell down?

After pressing cancel, the bed slowly rose back up from under the floor, returning to its original position.

She finally understood why this house even came with a manual.

After finishing her exploration, Mu He pulled Xi Heng into the kitchen to prepare dinner, making a simple three-dish-and-one-soup meal. She even opened a bottle of red wine, but no matter how she coaxed him, he wouldn’t touch even a drop.

First attempt at breaking his rule failed.

Mu He then chatted with him about the day at the set, skipping unpleasant parts and describing things vividly. Her sweet voice echoed through the living room, entertaining even the bowls.

After dinner, she rested for a while, went to the walk-in closet to get pajamas, took a shower, and dried her hair. It was still early, so she went to the home theater to review film clips to study her seniors’ acting. But after a whole day, her attention was scattered, so she chose a lighthearted school romance movie instead.

The earlier scenes were gripping, and Mu He watched intently. When she saw the male and female leads holding hands running in the rain, she felt the sofa next to her sink slightly and tilted her head: Xi Heng was there.

He had just showered, his short black hair still damp, slightly messy on his forehead. His brow bones and nose bridge were high, his fair skin making his eye sockets look particularly deep.

He’s interested in school romance movies too?

Distracted, she saw the leads arrive at a small cabin in the forest, the rain pouring, the windows glowing a warm yellow. Inside, their clothes were soaked. They sat around a wooden table with an oil lamp in the center, its flame swaying with the wind, casting moving shadows.

They began chatting, the content messy, a little boring.

Mu He covered a yawn, noticing the man beside her staring intently at the screen. She refocused.

The male lead suddenly grabbed the female lead’s hand: “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Heaven.”

Mu He: Did she miss something?

Wasn’t this supposed to be an elopement?

Why are they going to heaven?

Are they going to… commit suicide together?

The scene switched, and they began kissing, falling onto the bed, doing things indescribable…

The leads were already on the way to heaven, while Mu He felt restless, her face flushed. If she were watching alone, she might blush while observing the details clearly…

But Xi Heng was here!

She tried to stay calm, looking at the floor, but even if she didn’t look, the… sounds poured out. And the sound system was so good, it was like being right there.

…This is deadly.

A school romance movie with such content, does the broadcast authority know?

Her peripheral vision couldn’t help but glance sideways.

The man leaned against the sofa, relaxed posture, face as calm as water, expressionless. Mu He wondered if they were even watching the same scene. Then she realized: he probably had seen even more explicit content, maybe even uncensored…

Stay calm. Stay calm.

We’re all adults here.

Her mood calmed slightly, but her curiosity was piqued again: “Xi Heng.”

Huo Siheng responded casually, “Hmm?”

“You… really don’t feel anything at all?”

Huh, who just spoke?

Mu He pressed her lips together, curling into a small ball, trying to reduce her presence, wishing she were invisible. She didn’t know why she asked that, only that she did not want to hear his answer.

Not a single word!

Could he pretend not to hear?

Huo Siheng tilted his head, raising an eyebrow with interest, asking lightly: “What should I feel?”

Mu He’s ears burned. She tugged at her hair to cover her face. How should she know what he’s supposed to feel?

She angrily pointed at the screen, voice weak: “Don’t you think this artificial rain is too heavy? How much water is being wasted? Kids in Africa don’t even have water, and the cattle die of thirst…”

Only Heaven knows what she was saying.

Huo Siheng’s eyes gleamed slightly. Nodding with agreement: “I think so too.”

She didn’t see that when he spoke, the corner of his mouth curved slightly, a teasing smile, extremely alluring.

Mu He stopped responding, pretending to focus on the screen. The rain continued. The cabin’s light dimmed. The next day, the sun rose… and the later plot was predictable, dull. Sleepiness came, and her eyelids slowly closed.

Huo Siheng saw she had fallen asleep, gently pushed her shoulder, lowering his voice: “Go back to bed and sleep.”

Mu He didn’t respond, not moving at all.

Huo Siheng knew that once she fell asleep, it would be hard to wake her. This hadn’t changed from before.

After a moment of hesitation, he bent down and lifted her. She was light, basically no weight to him, and she automatically found a comfortable position in his arms, obedient like a little kitten.

He carried her to the room. Lacking experience holding women, he was gentle when placing her on the bed. She pressed her arm against him as a pillow. After trying twice, he managed to withdraw his arm, untangling her long hair from her face strand by strand.

After tucking her in, Huo Siheng sat by the bed for a short while. Only when her breathing evened out did he rise and leave.

The night quietly reached its end.

Morning light slowly filled the city.

Mu He woke up, dazed for two minutes before her thoughts cleared. Her last memory of last night… was Xi Heng carrying her back to the room?

Sleepiness instantly vanished. She looked down, relieved to have worn her underwear.

She slowly washed up and stepped out. No movement came from next door—probably still asleep. She put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and tiptoed out early to the set.

That morning, they were filming scenes for Qi Hao and Zhong Li Fei. Zhong Li Fei played the fairy Zhi Fu, lover of the Qingli Emperor. Knowing he had descended to the mortal world for a trial, she pursued him from the Ninth Heaven. But now, the emperor had no memory of her; to him, she was just a stranger.

Excluding yesterday’s little accident, Qi Hao’s acting was on point and he was good at leading scenes. Zhong Li Fei, however, seemed off—maybe she hadn’t rested well. If it had been another director, they probably would have moved on, but it just so happened to be Director Xie. After calling “cut” several times, his expression wasn’t pleasant.

Zhong Li Fei’s expression was even worse.

Her assistant anxiously waited nearby, quickly handing her some warm water. She took a few sips, rested for a few minutes, and then got back into filming.

Mu He sat in a simple chair in the corner, overhearing two extras whispering nearby: “Zhong Li Fei’s boyfriend seems to have cheated…”

“Zhou Jing? Isn’t he filming in the next crew?”

“Dog man, loves whoever he sees…”

She wasn’t interested in other people’s gossip and continued focusing on the script.

Zhong Li Fei barely finished filming the whole morning. Mu He’s scene was pushed to the afternoon. As a newcomer to the mortal world, she accidentally revealed the two dragon horns on her forehead, and the villagers mistook her for a monster, chasing her down.

This scene required her to be suspended in the air, projecting pressure. Before joining the crew, she had practiced martial arts with her teacher and studied the flowing, graceful fight scenes of many female stars. But being suspended midair, she not only had to overcome gravity but also wear a complex dress, ensuring her movements were both beautiful and ethereal. The difficulty was extraordinary.

Director Xie, holding a megaphone, asked if she was ready.

Mu He made an “OK” gesture with her hand.

All camera positions were ready. Director Xie called “action,” the script supervisor clapped the slate, and quickly cleared. Only Mu He remained in the frame. She floated down slowly, hair and dress flowing, unable to understand the villagers’ hostility, her eyebrows and eyes showing a trace of confusion and panic, but mostly, she found it curious and fun: “Come catch me.”

When she realized the villagers intended to kill her, panic flashed across her face. She soared into the air, transforming back into her dragon form, passing through clouds, disappearing into the horizon.

Of course, all of this relied on post-production effects.

Director Xie was very satisfied with her performance. His face, gloomy for half a day, finally showed a smile: “Pass!”

Mu He fell onto the soft mat. Crew members came up to release her from the harness. Tan Mian helped her up, draping a coat over her, excitedly giving a thumbs-up: “Yangyang, you’re amazing!”

Zheng Youyou ran over to talk to her, thoughtfully handing her a hand warmer.

Zhong Li Fei, learning that Mu He had passed in one take, said nothing, only giving a disdainful smile and kneading a sponge cake until it deformed.

Elsewhere, Yuan Xin’er, having heard the same news, painted her nails and smiled: “Looks like Director Xie really appreciates her.”

Mu He returned to the makeup room after successfully filming. As soon as she sat down, she saw Tan Mian walking in, her face radiant as if she’d won five million: “Yangyang, Mr. Huo came to visit the set!”

She emphasized: “He came to see you on set!”

If she remembered correctly, this was Mr. Huo’s first time visiting a set, right?

Mu He was surprised. Mr. Huo of Xingyu Media?

Huo Wen had taken time out of his busy schedule to come. His assistants carried a lavish afternoon tea: secret pastries from Ruyi Zhai, milk tea, and Xing family coffee—everyone present got some. This showed not only attention to Mu He but also spared her any embarrassment.

When Mu He came out, she received many looks filled with gratitude and other meanings. She had only met Mr. Huo once before—when he comforted her after an incident. They weren’t close, so why would he visit her on set?

Huo Wen was chatting with the producer. The producer, reading the situation, praised Mu He properly. Whether exaggerated or not, good words were pleasant to hear. Huo Wen smiled and casually said, “Please take care of her.”

“Absolutely, absolutely.”

Seeing Mu He, the producer immediately retreated politely: “You two chat.”

Mu He approached: “Mr. Huo.”

Huo Wen knew the weight she held in Fourth Uncle’s heart. He was her boss, and because of Fourth Uncle, his attitude was hard to gauge. He could only respond with a smile: “Miss Mu.”

Mu He knew from Tan Mian that last night’s surprise had been personally arranged by this Mr. Huo. She thanked him directly. They were the focus of everyone’s gaze. Huo Wen couldn’t show too much, answering briefly: “You’re welcome, we’re all family.”

Mu He frowned slightly. Family?

She was an artist under Xingyu; he was the boss. The term “family” made sense, but she felt Huo Wen’s attitude was strange. This feeling had started the last time he came to comfort her.

She pushed her doubts to the back of her mind.

Huo Wen had urgent matters, leaving after half an hour, but his visit was enough for those paying attention to imagine many things.

Zhong Li Fei looked at the pastries and coffee in front of her. Even if she didn’t want to eat, she had to show face to the Xingyu president.

That he personally came to visit Mu He’s set, this gesture alone said a lot…

No wonder Zhao Yike would lose so decisively without any chance of comeback.

Zhong Li Fei’s chest was heavy with resentment. When she encountered Mu He at the door, she couldn’t help but jab a few words, implying that Mu He had risen by improper means.

Mu He looked calmly at her: “Teacher Zhong Li…”

Zhong Li Fei’s expression slightly changed.

Mu He’s voice turned a little cold, every word deliberate: “What a coincidence, I also look down on those who only rely on wealthy patrons for support, using beauty for profit.”

After speaking, she walked away gracefully.

Leaving Zhong Li Fei standing there, her expression complicated as she watched Mu He’s back disappear.

After some distance, Tan Mian glanced back, pouting as if a bottle could hang from her lips: Isn’t she just a rising starlet? Why look down on her so much?

Hmph, fortunes change. Today you ignore my Teacher Mu, tomorrow Teacher Mu will make you unreachable!

“Yangyang, let’s not mind her.”

Mu He said thoughtfully: “Mianmian, this circle runs deep and relationships are complicated. Sometimes someone who looks like a friend isn’t really a friend, and someone who seems like an enemy isn’t necessarily an enemy.”

Tan Mian, still inexperienced, didn’t fully grasp her meaning, simply murmuring in partial understanding.

As the evening lights came on, Mu He returned home.

Huo Siheng came out of the gym and saw her sitting on the sofa, deep in thought. He frowned slightly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Mu He’s mind was chaotic. After a long silence, she finally spoke: “Xi Heng, I feel like Mr. Huo from our company… might be interested in me.”

Huo Siheng, drinking from his cup, nearly choked. Then, he showed the same… peculiar expression as when he’d heard the cleaning lady mention the blood-stained sheets from a misunderstanding about the bed.