Chapter 18

Huo Siheng put down his cup and coughed lightly, awkwardly. The words “he wouldn’t dare” were about to escape his lips, but he swallowed them back.

From the very beginning, Huo Wen had misunderstood that she was his woman.

Now that they lived under the same roof, there was no way to clarify this misunderstanding. They could only let the mistake continue, and he, harboring selfish intentions, wanted to keep her under his protection, shielded from any storm or harm from the outside world.

Perhaps he should give Huo Wen a subtle hint to mind his manners, lest she worry unnecessarily.

Each of them held their own thoughts, and the silence between them was like soft lighting, quietly enveloping them.

“Maybe,” Mu He thought for a moment and said, “I’m just being too sensitive?”

Being in such a murky world, and with her looks, no matter how low-profile, virtuous, or cautious she tried to be, she would attract some ill-intentioned people. Mu He had personally experienced too many harassments. Yet, standing firm in refusing them only seemed to incite their desire to dominate.

There was no way to fully guard against it.

Mu He always believed that no matter how dark this circle was, there would be a clean corner. Without selling her beauty, she could rely on her talent to secure her place.

Perhaps this time she really was overthinking, reading too much into things. That Mr. Huo had shown no overt signs of improper interest; maybe he just felt she was the only contracted female artist in the company who hadn’t faded, so he gave her a little extra attention.

Of course, if he did harbor inappropriate intentions, even if she lost this job, she would fight him to the end, regardless of the cost.

Just like back then with Mr. Zheng of Dongxing Enterprises.

After thinking it through, Mu He bit her lip in slight embarrassment and smiled. Previously, when encountering similar issues, she would consult Zhong Mingyu. But Zhong Mingyu hadn’t experienced much herself—besides comforting her, she could only sigh along. They could never come up with a proper strategy together.

After Zhong Mingyu left, Mu He had no one to consult, but fortunately, Xi Heng appeared. He might not understand the inner workings of the industry, but she believed he would understand her heart.

She wanted to tell him the grievances hidden deep in her heart: “You know?

A man once tried to sexually harass me. I refused him repeatedly, and later he fabricated a lot of black material about me…”

Huo Siheng knew she was talking about Mr. Zheng of Dongxing Enterprises. Indeed, because of that, Dongxing Enterprises no longer existed, and the suburban psychiatric hospital had gained a patient named Zheng Shengli.

She changed her tone to a lighter one: “A few days ago, I heard his company went bankrupt. Seems like he offended someone.”

Mu He didn’t understand much about business: “I don’t feel sorry for him at all, and I’m even quite grateful to whoever brought him down.”

What Mu He didn’t know was that the person she was grateful to was both far away and right in front of her. She hesitated and asked: “Do you think me thinking this way is… heartless?”

A warm hand covered her shoulder. She instinctively turned her head, her gaze instantly caught by his deep eyes, no longer harboring a whirlpool of danger, calm as a mirror, quietly reflecting her figure.

Perhaps the warm water had moistened his throat, softening his normally deep voice: “No.”

From now on, I will remove all obstacles for you, shield you from all storms and darkness. You just go forward cleanly and happily, toward the end of the dazzling stars.

Mu He felt her chest tighten abruptly, a sudden soft, tingling sensation spreading through her—not just being acknowledged, but a completely unfamiliar feeling of being protected, being… cherished.

Seeing her staring at him in a daze, Huo Siheng gently tapped her shoulder. His strength was light, but Mu He had just been suspended by wires in the afternoon. The spot he touched tingled, and she couldn’t help a small hiss.

“Injured?”

“No.”

Mu He shook her head. “Just from being on the wires, a bit sore.”

She felt a lazy impulse, an idea striking her: “Xi Heng, you cook tonight.”

Before he could respond, counting the ingredients left in the fridge, she said: “Hmm, don’t expect too much. Just make tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried beef, and lotus root pork rib soup.”

Not giving him a chance to argue, Mu He poked his arm lightly: “Go, go.”

Huo Siheng’s brows showed a hint of helplessness, but he still got up and entered the kitchen. Mu He made a victorious hand gesture at his back and lazily nestled on the sofa to play with her phone.

Opening Weibo, she found her followers had reached eight million. Among the new fans were Teacher Dai, Youyou, and even Qi Hao and Yuan Xin’er had followed her. Adding Director Xie from before, she had essentially gathered almost all the main crew of the Xianxia drama, except Zhong Li Fei.

For them, following each other was just like adding a colleague on WeChat—it was purely work-related.

But who followed first was very important. If someone of lower popularity initiated, they might be accused by fans of being clingy or trying to ride the coattails.

The latest Weibo post had over fifty thousand comments. The number was staggering. She wanted to reply but was powerless and couldn’t treat anyone unfairly, so she simply read them one by one carefully.

After nearly forty minutes of scrolling, Xi Heng finally finished cooking. Mu He put down her phone, washed her hands in the kitchen, and helped serve the dishes.

Honestly, she hadn’t held high hopes for his cooking. But seeing the two dishes on the table, her brows twitched slightly.

As expected, the beef was overcooked, making her jaw ache when chewing. And the dish that was supposed to be tomato scrambled eggs? Without prior knowledge, she would never have recognized it. The taste was so strange she wondered if the tomatoes had been genetically modified.

And the eggs—if the hen saw them, would it even recognize them as its own?

How… did he manage this?

Huo Siheng held his chopsticks, loosening the rice grains, and glanced at her calmly: “Not good?”

Ah?

Mu He touched her face. Was her reaction that obvious?

Fearing to crush his confidence, she forced a smile: “Maybe… the soup’s not bad.”

After taking a sip of the soup, she politely suggested: “Xi Heng, I think… if I don’t cook at night from now on, we should… order takeout.”

Huo Siheng: “…”

Mu He had been at the set for half a month. The preliminary scenes were basically finished. Ye Xi had specially arranged a magazine cover and interview for her.

Although Rose Magazine wasn’t among the top four domestic fashion magazines, it had an excellent reputation within the industry and was especially popular among women.

After signing with Xingyu, Mu He’s first project was Director Xie’s drama. The starting point was high, and with her prior Weibo popularity, her fame had surged. Successfully breaking into the fashion world would greatly aid her future development.

At two in the afternoon, Mu He arrived at the studio on time with Tan Mian.

After makeup and styling, Mu He emerged in a sweet white princess dress. It was her first magazine cover shoot. Though her face appeared calm, she was slightly nervous inside.

At first, she was a little stiff, expressions unnatural, movements rigid. Fortunately, she gradually got into the rhythm, like reclaiming her domain. Following the photographer’s instructions, she posed in various ways.

Tan Mian happily snapped photos with her phone on the side. Beautiful as she was, Mu He could hold any style or angle.

For her second outfit, Mu He changed into a black tailored suit. The cut highlighted her perfect body curves, especially her tiny waist, barely a handspan. Golden stiletto heels on her feet, nails painted vivid red, making her fair skin stand out strikingly.

Tan Mian’s eyes widened. This was like transforming into a different person just by changing clothes! Yangyang in a suit, commanding presence, looking so… aggressive—no, no, too cool, too queen-like!

The photography assistant handed Mu He a red rose, signaling her to bite it and act seductively: “It’s simple. Imagine a man you like is in front of you. Use all your power to entice him…”

Mu He had no experience, only imagining the feeling. Before she was ready, she was pushed into position.

The photographer shot several sets. The heroic black suit paired with the innocent flirtation of a young girl didn’t match. He frowned for a few seconds, then told her: “Try without any expression.”

Mu He breathed a sigh of relief. Much easier. She lightly bit the rose, imitating Xi Heng’s expressionless look, tilting her face, eyes cold. In an instant, she became a frostily beautiful woman.

“Very good!”

The photographer finally captured the stunning effect and kept pressing the shutter: “Keep it up.”

By dusk, Mu He had shot six outfits. After a short break, she did a half-hour interview. Exhausted and hungry afterward, she walked as if treading on cotton. Tan Mian handed

Sigh, she didn’t seem to dislike Zhong Li Fei so much after all. Why should women make things hard for other women?

It wasn’t until the elevator dinged open that Mu He snapped out of her thoughts. She withdrew her gaze. “Let’s go.”

Outside, there wasn’t a hint of wind. The air was heavy, and the horizon was streaked with a rare purplish-red sunset, like a grand, sweeping oil painting.

Tan Mian took out her phone to snap a picture and uploaded it to her Moments: “Last night I saw the weather forecast. They said a strong typhoon is landing. Yangyang, aren’t you scared sleeping alone tonight?”

Mu He shook her head with a smile. “Not scared.”

She wasn’t a child anymore.

“Mm, that’s good.”

Sure enough, by eleven at night, Mu He lay in bed, ready to sleep. Outside, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the wind howled. She covered her ears and curled herself tightly under the blanket.

Not scared, not scared.

As midnight approached, she still couldn’t fall asleep.

The wind grew stronger. Its howling sounded like a horror movie soundtrack. Mu He lay on her side, hugging herself, peeking out from the corner of the blanket. Several bolts of lightning tore through the clouds at once, illuminating the night as bright as day. The thunder rolled like it was right beside her, making her ears ache and her heart tighten.

She remembered hearing from the old lady next door when she was a child that nights with thunder and lightning usually meant the underworld was capturing fleeing spirits. Those who escaped were evil and wicked—they would choose a living person with compatible birth dates to possess, and then walk in the sunlight again.

Back when she did background acting, she even played Bai Wuchang (White Guard of the Underworld), and had done quite a bit of research for it…

She couldn’t think about it anymore.

Mu He turned over, constantly feeling shadows flitting across the ceiling, or a figure standing in the corner. Mustering her courage to look, she saw nothing—not even the bowls, which seemed to have hidden somewhere in fright.

The bedroom was completely empty. Only she was there.

Just past one a.m., Huo Siheng finished handling several emails and rubbed his brows. He heard faint sounds outside the door but thought it was the thunder shaking things, so he ignored it. Just as he was about to turn off the light, the sound came again.

Listening carefully, it was a knock on the door.

He walked over, opened the door, and saw Mu He standing at the threshold hugging her blanket. Her long black hair was messy, her fair little face showing a pitiful expression—

“Xi Heng, can I sleep with you tonight?”