Chapter 22

Joyful Winter Snow Evening（07）

Chapter 22

After taking a walk along the river and returning home, Mu He immediately dove into the home theater, pulled up past episodes of Intelligent and Brave Challenge, and watched them enthusiastically. It wasn’t until Huo Si Heng, who had finished handling his affairs, noticed the lights still on and came to remind her that it was eleven o’clock, that she went back to her room to shower and sleep.

Lying in bed, staring at the star-filled night sky through the glass ceiling, thinking about how everyone in the industry now knew she was broke, Mu He covered her face and couldn’t resist logging onto Weibo. What’s going on? Her followers had already surpassed ten million?!

Opening the most shared posts, the one with the most mentions was from Zhong Li Fei’s latest Weibo. Clearly, this was the source of her follower growth. After following Zhong Li Fei back, she felt it would be improper not to respond, so she reciprocated politely by reposting Zhong Li Fei’s Weibo:

Mu He V: “Is your memory maybe a bit too good? [embarrassed emoji]” //@Zhong Li Fei V: “Here’s a joke for everyone… I probably don’t need to pay for this window, right?”

Though it was late at night, quite a few fans were still lurking on Weibo:

“Hahaha, what a style change! I think Miss is just too cute and adorable!”

“233333 Please show us the courage of holding a steel pipe to smash a car window and confronting a scumbag directly? You’re so soft, I can’t help wanting to have monkeys with you!”

“Hmph, being beautiful and committing crimes is one thing! If you keep releasing charm, you’ll be sentenced—I’m warning you…”

“My mood was terrible, but seeing your Weibo instantly cheered me up.”

Mu He replied with three [hugs].

“Ahhhh I, have, been, noticed, by, the, goddess! I jumped out of bed and cried my eyes out! Love you three thousand times [heart][heart][heart]”

Mu He was touched. The internet never lacked keyboard warriors full of malice, but it also contained many soft-hearted and kind people. The former could be ignored; the latter she especially cherished.

She continued scrolling through comments, unaware that in a lit study in this city, Huo Si Wen, who had just finished a cross-district meeting, leaned back in his chair, holding his phone, browsing her Weibo page.

Last night, when the smashed car incident at the parking lot had spread widely online, he had received a message from his Fourth Uncle, instructing him to suppress the related heat. Everything had already calmed down, but this morning she directly tagged Zhou Jing on Weibo, sparking a new wave of attention…

Unexpectedly, her actions attracted countless fans’ praise, and even Zhong Li Fei, the top actress of Dongchen and the eldest daughter of the Shanshui Group, personally clarified the rumors about her on Weibo.

Outsiders watched for entertainment, insiders understood the details.

Although he didn’t know when she and Zhong Li Fei had become close enough to help smash a window and catch a cheater, in his view, the clarification video was likely filmed by her on the spot and then sent to Zhong Li Fei.

Otherwise, given Zhong Li Fei’s team’s style, if they had evidence for a reversal, they would have immediately crushed Zhou Jing shortly after the car-smashing video went public.

This also explained why Zhong Li Fei, who usually stayed out of industry disputes, would actively speak out to defend her.

It was clear that her looks, acting skills, intelligence, and emotional intelligence were all on point.

Huo Si Wen was not surprised—after all, this was the woman his Fourth Uncle had his eye on. What made him secretly amused was the #CrowdfundToHelpMuHePayForWindow# campaign initiated by Zhong Li Fei’s fans. What a joke!

His Fourth Uncle’s personal assets alone were eleven digits. His woman couldn’t even afford a window?

But Zhong Li Fei probably wasn’t lying.

Huo Si Wen guessed this might be some kind of playful fun between them.

Difficult to understand.

Just as he couldn’t understand why his usually indifferent and cold Fourth Uncle would pamper a woman to such an extent.

He had a vague premonition: she would very likely become the lady of the Huo family in the future.

Thus, the question in front of him was—

As for the future Fourth Aunt, he was both her boss and her junior. At the company, he couldn’t act too warmly, nor too coldly. How to strike the right balance?

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the moonlight gradually faded the night until dawn broke, illuminating the world, and the brilliant morning glow receded, leaving the sky to the sun.

After breakfast, Mu He arrived at the set on time. She had just entered the makeup room when Zheng Youyou ran up and hugged her: “Yang Yang, you’re amazing! I declare, from now on, you’re my goddess!”

Even Dai Ningxin cast an approving glance at her.

Mu He smiled shyly, her fair face like jade, bright eyes shimmering with laughter, seemingly glowing from within.

Zheng Youyou had also heard about Zhou Jing’s cheating before but didn’t expect he would be caught red-handed, nor that Mu He was involved. Even though she was curious, some gossip shouldn’t be pried into. But she genuinely liked Mu He, warmly pulling her aside: “Come, I’ll massage your shoulders.”

Meanwhile, in another private makeup room, the costume and makeup artist was helping Yuan Xin’er with her makeup. Her dark circles were heavy, requiring more concealer. She seemed in a bad mood, displeased with everything, and when the artist’s fingertip accidentally brushed her eye, she overreacted and scolded a few words.

The artist hurriedly apologized, cautiously continuing her work, while her eyes gradually reddened.

Yuan Xin’er had just finished makeup when Zhong Li Fei arrived, her expression perfectly composed, showing no trace of the frustration from yesterday’s caught-cheating boyfriend, counter-attack, clarification, and satisfying breakup. Facing reporters who had come specifically to interview her, no matter how tricky the questions, she smiled and said: “Thank you for your concern. Everything is fine.”

Her emotional management was flawless.

The reporters were somewhat disappointed but still dutifully put #ZhongLiFeiEverythingIsFine# on the trending list. Some Zhou Jing fans were upset: why should our Zhou Zhou be subjected to overwhelming online violence, work suspended, stripped of posting rights on Weibo, forced to remain silent, and endure all the slander and unfair treatment, while Zhong Li Fei acts like nothing happened, going to the set as usual?

!

Haha, fans are amazing, popularity is amazing, the Shanshui Group heiress is amazing, is there any justice left in the entertainment industry?

Fans: “Yes, yes, yes, she is amazing!”

“Too bad, whether it’s fans, popularity, or the Shanshui Group heiress, your master has lost everything. Now all that’s left is you brainless fans.”

“Though I know you fans proved last week how blind you are… nitrogen! Friend! Being blind is okay, brains are a good thing, hope you still have…”

When questioned, Zhou Jing’s fans were all countered by the loyal fans saying: “This just proves how dedicated Fei Fei is.”

Online disputes didn’t affect Zhong Li Fei; her mood was much better than a few days ago, even Director Xie nodded repeatedly at the monitors.

All morning, almost everyone on set was quietly watching Zhong Li Fei and Mu He, yet neither approached or spoke to the other, not even a glance intersected, as if… the two had never smashed a car window and caught a cheater together.

Strange indeed.

During lunch break, Mu He was teased by a background actor about not celebrating her ten million followers. Since the comment was public, she couldn’t ignore it, so she had Tan Mian order afternoon tea.

With little money to begin with, her small stash shrank further.

Perhaps only she knew how truly broke she was—unable to pay for a car window.

Of course, she wasn’t really worried about the money, as long as everyone was happy.

When the delivery arrived, Mu He specially picked sugar-free flower tea to bring to Yuan Xin’er. The makeup room door wasn’t fully closed, and she overheard a woman’s voice, Yuan Xin’er’s assistant: “I just glanced, her assistant ran ahead to deliver it to Zhong Li Fei first. Tsk tsk, such a sycophantic face…”

Yuan Xin’er sneered lightly: “What’s strange about that? She’s now clinging to a big benefactor, naturally she would butter up. Why would she bother with me?”

She and Zhong Li Fei had never gotten along, having secretly sabotaged each other countless times. Her previous show of kindness to Mu He was meant to annoy Zhong Li Fei. Who knew these two would now be allied because of catching a cheater…

Speaking of catching a cheater, Yuan Xin’er was fuming. She thought Zhong Li Fei would at least suffer for this, but the reversal came so quickly, clearing her name and establishing an image of independence, resilience, and dedication. Her new media index even surpassed Yuan Xin’er herself.

Yuan Xin’er normally compared even the extra

She helped him download the software, register a new account, and casually taught him: “When it hits twelve, you just click ‘Buy Now.’”

The more copies sold, the better. She would also place an order herself later.

“Xi Heng, don’t laugh, be serious.”

Mu He placed her hand on his shoulder, her red lips curved into a joyful smile. “Don’t underestimate the magazine you’re buying, you know?

Every extra copy you buy means that I, Mu Yangyang… take another big step in the fashion world.”

Never mind one magazine—even if it were a hundred or eighty copies of Rose Magazine, Huo Si Heng wouldn’t even bat an eye. Glancing at the screen, each magazine sold for twenty yuan, he suppressed a smile: “Then should I buy a few more copies?”

“No need.”

Mu He rejected the idea without thinking. “Aren’t you broke? I appreciate the thought, but we must act within our means and spend wisely.”

Huo Si Heng’s deep brown eyes reflected her, as if a faint, flickering light hovered within. The gaze he gave her grew even more profound.

Mu He finally scrolled to the pre-sale notice posted by Rose Magazine’s official Weibo. She waited three minutes with restraint before reposting: “First time shooting a magazine cover, I hope everyone gives their support [shy emoji].”

In less than a minute, fans energetically flooded nearly a thousand comments.

“Excuse me, what did I just see? A tiny waist beauty is online again to steal lives? And two at once? Sorry, my kidneys can’t handle this!”

“Ahhhh, little fairy and queen attack!”

“So sweet and stylish, self-attacking and self-receiving! Are you giving anyone a chance to survive?”

“Call me the prophet emperor, I’ve long said this level of beauty is wallpaper-worthy!”

“The way she looks at me—I think I’ve fallen in love!”

“This beauty and temperament are just too strong, ah, I’m dead again!”

“I want to soul-transfer into that red rose, to be bitten by her!”

“@RoseMagazine hurry up and get likes, you’re just too skilled!”

“Pure and ethereal beauty, mysterious and stunning charm, she actually pulls off two completely different styles.”

…

Rose Magazine creatively placed both the white princess dress and the black small suit on the cover. The white dress featured a pair of white wings edited onto the back, symbolizing a white crane spreading its wings. The black suit was equally surprising—pale face, red lips, slender waist, long legs, exuding high-end cold nobility.

Her two golden signatures corresponded to the looks: flowing and graceful “Mu Yangyang” for the white dress, and free-spirited “Mu He” for the black suit, adding a perfect finishing touch.

One white, one black; one beautiful, one stylish—the visual impact alone was tremendous. Mu He portrayed the innocence of a young girl and the seductive allure of a cold queen flawlessly, especially with those eyes—it was enchanting, almost supernatural…

No more talk—buy, buy, buy!

Mu He’s national fan club president, Yang Le Duo, also notified the group: “@AllThousandPaperCranes, those who can, please take action to support the goddess and aim for a strong opening!”

Everyone responded enthusiastically, small funds ready.

Mu He was used to fans lavishing praise in the comment sections every time she posted on Weibo. Tan Mian had also explained before: having many fans and high popularity doesn’t necessarily translate into magazine sales because real money is involved, so expectations shouldn’t be too high.

In truth, she didn’t ask for much—just that the sales wouldn’t be too disappointing. During pre-sale, a thousand copies should sell easily, right?

Twelve o’clock arrived.

Mu He pressed her hands together, silently praying, then clicked into the purchase page—but was met with a system error, forcibly logged out, and could not re-enter no matter how many times she tried. She switched to Xi Heng’s phone, same issue.

What was going on?

Other fans experienced the exact same problem.

“Can’t get in, this platform is trash.”

“What’s happening? I was still immersed in Miss’s stunning beauty, and suddenly it says sold out?”

“@RoseMagazine hurry up or else!”

…

Finally, Rose Magazine’s official Weibo posted: “Thousand Paper Cranes are too enthusiastic! The traffic hit peak levels, and the server couldn’t handle it. The programmer boys are working hard to fix it, hope everyone understands.”

Official posts usually get only a few hundred to just over a thousand comments, likes never exceed ten thousand. However, @Mu He’s post neared 30,000 comments and over 80,000 likes. Even more shocking, within five minutes of pre-sale, the magazine sales surpassed 60,000 copies…

What did this mean?

The total print run for this issue was only 300,000: 200,000 for offline distribution, 100,000 for online pre-sale.

Such a “more demand than supply” situation was unprecedented.

Once the server was fixed, fans eager with small funds rushed to purchase, only to find—

Sold. Out.

Damn, it sold out!

Excuse me?

!

Please, @RoseMagazine, do you need a cleaver?

I have a forty-meter ancestral cleaver to give you. Wait for it, coming right up!

Mu He also learned the magazine was sold out. She stared at the time—only ten minutes had passed since the official pre-sale… Ten minutes, and it was gone?

Was the system wrong, or was she dreaming?

She pinched her cheek—it hurt.

Tan Mian sent an excited voice message: “Yangyang! Do you know you’ve set a record? My gosh, 300,000 copies sold out in ten minutes! You’re insanely popular! I’m shocked…”

Mu He listened to it over and over.

“Xi Heng,” she turned her head, sparkling laughter in her brows and eyes, her voice brimming with joy she could not hide, “did you hear that?”

The leather sofa was too soft, plus she was probably too proud and careless—she lost balance and toppled toward the man beside her.

As Mu He expected, Xi Heng should have caught her—but unexpectedly, he was pushed backward by her weight, lost his balance, and naturally she fell with him. It looked as if…

She had pinned him onto the sofa.

Mu He quickly grabbed the back of the sofa, trying not to let her chest touch him. Luckily, they stopped at a relatively safe distance. But when she moved slightly, she sensed something unusual.

Wait a minute.

The place pressing against her lower abdomen was…