Chapter 25

Huan Yan Winter Snow Late (10)

Huan Yan Winter Snow Late (10)

Chapter 25

Time rewinds to three minutes ago.

After Huo Si Heng moved from sleeping on the floor to the bed, Wan Wan finally accepted the reality. Damn, it seemed that in the rest of her cat life, she wouldn’t be able to get rid of this man, so she might as well try to coexist peacefully.

When she saw him return from outside carrying a bag, she curiously followed him into the kitchen.

As voices came from outside, he had just shredded the ginger finely. She couldn’t tolerate the strange smell any longer and, holding it in as much as she could, finally turned her head and accidentally knocked over a spice bottle: “Clang!”

Wan Wan knew she had probably caused trouble, curling her body into a ball. Her emerald green eyes rolled anxiously. Seeing his index finger raised to his lips in a “shh” gesture, she understood: don’t make a sound.

Okay, okay, meow, no problem.

As the footsteps drew nearer, the air seemed to stop moving, stifling almost to the point of suffocation. Wan Wan held her breath, her fur slowly standing on end.

Huo Si Heng, however, was calm and collected. When Tan Mian reached out to push the door, he timed it perfectly and lightly patted Wan Wan’s little rear. Wan Wan, confused, meowed and followed the push out the door.

Seeing the little white cat walk out of the kitchen, Tan Mian exclaimed: “Oh, it’s Wan Wan.”

Wan Wan: “Meow!”

It’s me!

Tan Mian turned back and smiled at Mu He standing behind her: “I thought someone was inside?”

Mu He averted her gaze guiltily: “How could that be?”

Tan Mian, focused on playing with Wan Wan, didn’t notice her oddness and joked: “Haha, also, Yangyang, you wouldn’t hide someone in the room, right?”

Mu He cleared her throat awkwardly, mentally answering: actually, I did hide someone.

Wan Wan, whose friendship with Tan Mian hadn’t reached the point of being petted yet, went all out to protect Huo Si Heng: “Meow!”

Only me, there’s definitely no one else inside!

“So obedient.”

Tan Mian completely abandoned her idea of investigating the kitchen, picked up Wan Wan, and returned to the sofa.

A close call.

Mu He finally relaxed a bit, looking at Wan Wan: not bad, you’ll get a few extra small dried yellow croakers for dinner.

Her eyes kept glancing toward the kitchen, keeping an eye on any movement—this wouldn’t do, it was still easy to get discovered.

Mu He quickly thought of a plan: “Mian Mian, do you want to tour the walk-in closet?”

“Sure, sure.”

After successfully taking Tan Mian away from the living room, Mu He’s intention was to let Huo Si Heng casually hide in any room except the master bedroom. But he remained in the kitchen, closed the door, wiped his hands with a wet towel, put the shredded ginger into water, and after the water boiled, added brown sugar, cooking for about five minutes before switching to the keep-warm mode.

Huo Si Heng tidied the messy kitchen while frowning, recalling what the assistant said. Perhaps he had left in a hurry and didn’t notice the surroundings, so he wasn’t aware of her presence.

Otherwise, the near exposure incident wouldn’t have happened.

Once exposed, he would no longer have a legitimate reason to stay and would also bring unnecessary trouble to her.

As for when she would figure out from the subtle clues that he was the owner of this apartment, or when he would voluntarily reveal his other identity, that was an internal matter to resolve internally.

But selfishly, he preferred to interact with her as Xi Heng.

Tan Mian had come over during lunch break. With other work in the afternoon, after touring the walk-in closet hidden behind the master bedroom wall and expressing a long string of admiration, she left.

Mu He fully exhaled in relief—so close, so close! Acting in a spy movie wasn’t this exhausting. She thought Xi Heng had returned to the room, but unexpectedly, he came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of ginger brown sugar water.

She stole a glance at his face—calm as ever.

Of course, Mu He wouldn’t be foolish enough to ask how he knew she had a visitor. Moreover, he didn’t feel embarrassed, so why should she?

Still, her cheeks flushed as she held the spoon, sipping little by little.

A bit sweet.

Just like her current mood.

After drinking the sweet water, her lower abdomen felt warm, possibly a psychological effect, seeming less painful.

Silence wasn’t an option, so Mu He tried to start a conversation, tilting her head playfully and smiling: “Almost got discovered hiding my treasure in the golden house.”

The man looked at her, half-smile, voice dangerously low: “Hmm?”

She quickly corrected herself: “It’s hiding a handsome man in the golden house!”

“Mian Mian said, you’re even more handsome than the Best Actor…”

Her words stopped abruptly as she remembered Tan Mian had said he already had a girlfriend.

Actually, when he was in the kitchen, he must have heard everything.

The ginger and brown sugar were indeed bought for her, but they… weren’t that kind of relationship.

Mu He felt like she had stepped into a minefield again, looking around blankly, unsure of what to say next, lips slightly parted, staring at him.

Huo Si Heng, seeing her expression, a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes, and he teased: “Already more handsome than the Best Actor?

I’m still waiting for you to earn money and make me look even better, hmm…” He dragged out his voice, recalling her words, “That kind of power to captivate everyone?”

Mu He thought, he just went out, and Tan Mian already fell head over heels—enough to attract attention. She changed her mind: “What did the people do wrong?

I think it’s better not to disturb them.”

Huo Si Heng smiled meaningfully: “Good.

Just disturb you, is that okay?”

Not okay, but it has to be.

Mu He rested at home for a day, and the next day, she was full of energy, arriving on set punctually.

After two days of filming, without time to catch her breath, she faced the official recording of the reality show Wisdom and Courage Challenge.

With the foundation of the first season, season two had both funding and popularity in place, momentum strong, breaking through, instantly becoming this year’s hottest variety show, without equal.

The show had four regular guests: double Best Actor Lin Xi Yu, national husband; music queen Ai Qing; variety show veteran Qi Ge; and highly popular national little brother Sheng Hang.

Their status was unshakable. Guest spots were highly coveted by countless stars. Internal sources said a male artist even voluntarily waived the appearance fee just to be on the show, yet was still rejected by the production team.

Viewers were delighted. Representing the production team: Is it money we lack?

No!

Besides Mu He, the special guests for this episode included a TV station’s promoted actress Yan Duo Duo, a recently popular young actor Ye Ming from a historical romance drama, and Dong Chen Film’s little princess Qin Zhi.

Mu He knew that, at her current level, her participation required a lot of effort from Xingyu behind the scenes, even persuading Best Actor Lin Xi Yu to help her. Though they were in the same company, they only knew each other casually, never spoke a word. She wasn’t like Zheng You You, able to quickly get familiar with people. But as an actor, if the show needed it, she could act familiar even without prior acquaintance.

Obviously, Mu He overthought it. Lin Xi Yu, the Best Actor among Best Actors, didn’t need to act at all—he naturally gave her the illusion of being long-time friends, and she felt no discomfort, following him naturally.

Others also appeared easy to get along with.

Except for the little princess Qin Zhi.

Especially after recognizing Mu He as the palace maid who poisoned the young emperor in the previous drama, her face immediately fell. A minor extra being put on equal footing with her? How insulting!

Qin Zhi had been pampered since childhood, rose smoothly in the entertainment industry, and had never suffered such injustice. Only after her manager and assistant persuaded her did she suppress her anger.

However, during the recording, when temporary host Qi Ge introduced Mu He, mentioning her record-breaking Rose Magazine, Qin Zhi couldn’t help but jab: “Selling 1.8 million is impressive? There might be a lot of padding inside.”

This would definitely be edited out later, but Qi Ge, embarrassed on the spot, faced her sabotage. Others showed no expression, though probably each had their own thoughts.

If she didn’t have the Qin family’s backing, with her emotional intelligence, even the Earth’s core wouldn’t be safe from her recklessness.

Joking?

1.8 million was already the third place on domestic female celebrity magazine sales charts. Were you looking down on Mu He, or on other actresses?

Miss Qin seems to have forgotten that last year her magazine only sold ten thousand copies, and even when sold at a loss, no one bought it?

Mu He, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard anything, gracefully smiling at the camera.

After introducing the special guests, the eight of them drew lots. Mu He thought she would be paired with Lin Xi Yu, but she underestimated the program team’s “scheming.” When the final draw was revealed, Lin Xi Yu was with Qin Zhi, Sheng Hang with Yan Duo Duo, Qi Ge with Ye Ming, and she was paired with Ai Qing.

Mu He automatically walked to Ai Qing’s side, putting a galaxy’s distance between herself and Lin Xi Yu. She shrugged and smiled: “Now I believe this show really has no inside deals and no script.”

Ai Qing was petite but held the title of Iron Lung Diva, capable of nearly shattering ears with her dolphin-like high notes. As the only female among the four regular guests, her talent was not to be underestimated.

She smiled sweetly and extended her hand to Mu He: “Pleasure working with you.”

Mu He, having watched previous episodes, knew Ai Qing was the type everyone adored. Her sweet and cute appearance easily triggered protective instincts. Mu He liked her and returned the handshake, noticing something unusual, and said with a smile: “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

The cameraman gave Mu He a close-up.

Ai Qing perfectly picked up the cue, hiding behind her and speaking coquettishly: “Then you must protect me well.”

Mu He lightly patted her shoulder: “Don’t worry, don’t worry.”

Once grouped, they received the script—or rather, the story background: the Fruit King married a queen, but the nation gradually fell into decline, and the princes and princesses died one after another. The king finally discovered that the queen’s true identity was a wicked witch. Exposed, the witch cut off parts of the king’s body and cast a curse; only by retrieving the most important thing from the king could he be revived.

A hundred years later, this decayed, slumbering kingdom finally welcomed eight warriors…

The group arrived at the filming location, paired off, and scattered to complete tasks.

The set was realistically built—sunlight absent, dead and cold, with a strange sweet scent in the air. Mu He walked while thinking: the most important thing… could it be the heart?

Ai Qing nodded: “Very possible.”

Following the task card hints and the information collected along the way, they were led to a half-collapsed pavilion. Mu He searched carefully, tapping each pillar, but found nothing.

The black square wooden table, however, was covered with weathered knife marks, deliberately aged and seemingly stained with blood—quite frightening. Mu He studied it for a while, trying to find clues in the scratches.

All in vain.

The table also held drinks provided by sponsors and a bunch of bananas. Ai Qing casually opened a yogurt and drank it, then broke off a banana for Mu He, smiling with dimples: “According to the show’s usual routine, we probably have a long way to go, so let’s eat something to replenish our energy.”

Mu He, suspicious of nothing, took it. Ai Qing took one as well, and the two ate bananas with their backs to the camera.

Just as Mu He threw the peel into the trash, she heard a cold, emotionless voice in her earpiece: “The king’s head and fingers have been found.”

Mu He: “?”

No way… the banana is the king’s fingers?

!

Oh my god, she just ate the king’s fingers!

Ai Qing was startled too but quickly calmed down, reassuring her: “It’s fine. There are over ten bananas in the bunch. Normal people don’t have that many fingers. Maybe the crew just prepared props; eating two won’t cause problems.”

Although Mu He still felt something was off, Ai Qing was an experienced regular guest—if she said it was fine, it probably was. Besides, they had already eaten…

Mu He’s gaze lingered on the banana, and her thoughts inevitably grew impure. She thought the banana would symbolize the king’s most important item, but it turned out to be the fingers.

Ai Qing was thinking the same thing. Their eyes met, and they laughed in unison.

Telepathy, it seems.

Of course, based on quantity, it definitely wasn’t the king’s most important item!

The two continued and soon encountered Sheng Hang and Yan Duo Duo. The national little brother held a large watermelon, slapping it: “This is the king’s head.”

Yan Duo Duo laughed helplessly, ran over, saw the banana in Mu He’s hand, and her eyes lit up: “Wow, you found the king’s… fingers!”

Ai Qing and Mu He exchanged glances again: see, we’re not the only ones thinking naughty thoughts.

After exchanging information, the four went separate ways. Gradually, Qi Ge, Ye Ming, Lin Xi Yu, and Qin Zhi found the king’s eyes, ears, and arms. Mu He’s group only had the bananas.

Having walked through almost half the site, they arrived at a dilapidated wooden cabin. Dust filled the air, mess everywhere, eerie and silent, like a horror film set.

Ai Qing couldn’t help but touch her arm: “I feel something strange here. Let’s not go in.”

Mu He also felt uneasy, swallowing hard: “The most dangerous places often hold the most unexpected surprises.”

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll go first.”

Ai Qing took a deep breath and followed. She accidentally stepped on a wooden plank, hearing a faint, creepy “ding.” Ahead, a wooden chair slowly rotated, revealing a mutilated, deformed doll.

Ai Qing immediately closed her eyes and screamed.

Mu He’s legs went weak.

The doll spoke, in a standard horror voice: “You’ve finally arrived. I’ve waited for you a hundred years.”

Mu He kept telling herself: fake, fake, fake. Bracing herself, she mustered courage and asked the doll: “Excuse me, what do you want us to do?”

The doll told them a story. She was the king’s little princess, cursed by the witch to become a doll. Only by finding her favorite childhood cloth doll would her grudge be pacified. Otherwise, anyone disturbing her peace would be turned into a doll.

If they failed the challenge and turned into dolls, they would be eliminated.

Based on the doll’s information, Mu He quickly calculated three sets of numbers—two corresponding to directions, one to a code. Ai Qing used Mu He’s guessed location and successfully found a secret room, pulling out a wooden box.

Entering the code, the box opened to reveal a cloth doll.

Mu He took it and placed it back in the cursed doll’s arms. The doll suddenly moved, reaching out. She recoiled two steps in fright.

The doll said: “The thing you want is on me. Take it quickly.”

Mu He and Ai Qing were both terrified, exchanging glances. Taking the item from the doll meant being close to its face, touching its broken body… Mu He remembered her promise to protect Ai Qing. Closing her eyes, she extended a trembling hand, feeling around until she found… an apple?

Could this be the king’s heart?

Sure enough, the earpiece voice gave another prompt: “The king’s heart has been found.”

By logic, if the king’s heart is the most important thing, the game should end.

The game hasn’t ended. Did she guess wrong?

Carrying the apple and banana, Mu He and Ai Qing crossed the cabin and a ten-meter-long single-plank bridge. Skulls lined the sides, green bubbles rose from the river, the special effects realistic, immersing them fully. Mu He couldn’t help holding Ai Qing’s hand behind her, trembling: “Don’t be afraid.”

She was terrified herself.

Ai Qing quietly responded: “Okay.”

Then the cold, emotionless voice returned: “Because a warrior mistakenly ate the king’s fingers, breaking the taboo, the wicked witch has been awakened. The game continues.”

Just because she accidentally ate a banana, the wicked witch was summoned?

The trap was too deep. Mu He almost cried, turning to speak to Ai Qing, only to find the person holding her hand suddenly transformed into a grotesque monster. Though she had seen Zhong Ming Yu’s ghost makeup and played Bai Wuchang herself, the teammate suddenly became the main villain. Coupled with the already terrifying environment, facing that realistic face…

Mu He’s spine went cold. She didn’t care about appearances, screaming and flinging the other’s hand away, running with all her strength.

Ai Qing… Ai Qing is the awakened wicked witch!

No wonder she encouraged her to eat the banana!

Unable to escape.

Mu He didn’t run far before being caught. Panting, trembling, she forced calm: “Y-you don’t come closer…”

The extra replacing Ai Qing stifled laughter, stepping closer: “I’m coming. What will you do?”

Mu He: “I… will scream!”

“Ahhhhhh help…”

…

After recording this episode, Mu He felt physically destroyed, as if she had run a marathon. Leaning on her waist in the dressing room, Ai Qing approached with a smile and hugged her: “Hahaha, Mu He, you were amazing!”

Mu He’s throat hoarse, she said seriously: “I feel the Oscars owe you a little golden statue.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Ai Qing, using