Chapter 46
Light rain washes away the years（01）
Chapter 46
Mu He swore that at first she really hadn’t realized the dangerous ambiguity in that sentence. After a long silence of over ten seconds, she looked up in confusion and saw him wearing a meaningful, flirtatious expression. She replayed the words in her mind and felt completely undone.
“Eat down there for you?”
!
“Down there…”
The same words, but with completely different meanings. She meant it in the purest sense, but how could she prevent someone else from thinking otherwise? No, he already thought otherwise.
Why did she always do this kind of self-trapping thing in front of him?
She had no face to show herself.
Mu He buried her face in the blanket, cheeks flushed red, hiding every strand of hair, biting her lip with a silent sigh. Mu Yangyang, you’re too weak, why hide? Even if it’s that kind of meaning, so what?
Teasing your boyfriend isn’t illegal; it’s a form of fun!
The room was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping. She quietly lifted the corner of the blanket to peek out. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, his side profile sharp and clear under the soft light, thin lips curved in a faint smile. Catching her gaze, he turned his head slightly and smiled.
It was hard to imagine that such a normally cold man could also have such tender, lingering eyes.
Mu He stared unblinkingly, as if from the depths of his eyes, she had found the brightest star she had been searching for.
That was her reflection.
That was… her.
Mu He poked her head out, and their eyes met. Without a single word, it felt like they had exchanged a thousand messages.
After a while, she snapped back to reality and reached out to push him: “Go make some food quickly.”
Huo Siheng lightly coughed against his lips, teasing her: “Weren’t you saying… down there…”
Mu He glared at him: “You misheard!”
“Is that so?”
He clicked his tongue lightly: “Seems like Miss Mu needs me to repeat your original words?”
She kicked him directly with her foot: “Huo Siheng, you’re so annoying!”
Huo Siheng laughed and circled her ankle with his hand. Fair and slender, soft as if boneless. He playfully pinched her slightly rough fingertips, warm yet dry. Mu He’s whole body shivered lightly as if an electric current ran through her: “Ticklish.”
The mischievous glint in his eyes deepened, but after a moment, he returned her foot to the blanket.
“Want some too?”
“No.”
Mu He wasn’t hungry yet and aimed to tease him: “Mainly your cooking… never mind, you figure it out yourself.”
While he ate, Mu He took a hot shower, refreshed, and lay back in bed. Her phone kept pinging with messages from the Jianqiao University Operations Command WeChat group. She opened it, scrolling through the history: “Senior Cen is coming back to the country?”
Cen Jian: “Next month.”
Mu Yangyang: “Feels like sending you abroad was just last year,” though three years had passed.
Cen Jian: “Yeah, time flies.”
Ji Ning: “We should all find a chance to gather.”
Tan Qiantian: “Guess where I am now?”
No one guessed correctly. He announced: “I’m on the rooftop!”
Ji Ning: “Old Tan, you didn’t break up with your girlfriend, right? Feeling down?”
Tan Qiantian: “Nonsense! Just looking for signal!”
He had been in the mountains with the construction team for two months, basically unreachable. Finally moving somewhere with signal, it still dropped immediately.
Ji Ning: “So it’s really over.”
Tan Qiantian: “Could it be fake?”
She had traveled all this way to break up with him; what else could be done? Break up, done. Keeping her would only waste her youth.
Ji Ning: “Old Tan, you need a new perspective. At least you found a girlfriend, right?”
Tan Qiantian: “Feeling somewhat comforted.”
Mu Yangyang: “[Patting head]”
She had wanted to share her love news with them but didn’t want to rub salt into Old Tan’s wound, so she gave up.
The group chat hadn’t been this lively for a long time. Messages kept coming, and Mu He was fully absorbed, not noticing Huo Siheng entering until she felt the weight on the bed beside her. Instinctively, she looked: he was in pajamas, lying down.
She withdrew her gaze and continued chatting.
After a while, Mu He felt a warm hand on her waist, his distinct masculine scent brushing against her: “Still uncomfortable?”
Her attention was finally diverted: “A little.”
His kiss fell on her cheek, warm breath searching for her lips, pressing gently, capturing, entwining, and feeling it wasn’t enough, skillfully moving further, taking liberties…
Mu He nearly melted, even dropping her phone onto the bed with a “thud.”
He held her waist, kissing deeper.
Afterward, she lay atop him, breathing heavily.
Too unfair.
Huo Siheng extended his long hand to switch off the light. The curtain hadn’t been properly drawn, and moonlight spilled onto the floor like a layer of white gauze. He chuckled softly: “Still haven’t learned to breathe properly?”
Learn? She had completely forgotten.
Mu He felt ashamed: “I don’t have the strong learning ability like Teacher Huo.”
“Teacher Huo’s teaching ability is pretty good too. Want to try?”
“Can I refuse?”
She hadn’t even caught her breath yet.
“Theoretically, yes.”
After another round of practice, Mu He flipped back to her original position, breathing even heavier. All the screaming on Smart and Brave Challenge praised by fans for lung capacity couldn’t prepare her for this level of exhaustion.
!
Huo Siheng hugged her from behind, gently massaging her lower abdomen, casually asking about the dinner meeting.
Mu He assessed objectively: “This was the most relaxed social engagement so far.”
No mess, no smoky chaos, no flattery—just pure dining and chatting.
“Did you hear the investor is Ding Wu, the richest man in South City?”
“Yes.”
Mu He had a good impression of Ding Wu. Both in appearance and demeanor, he exuded elegance. When speaking, he always looked her in the eye, like a friendly elder.
Huo Siheng reminded her: “People in business aren’t as simple as they seem.”
“Mm,” Mu He agreed. “You’re right.”
Her father also said: still waters run deep.
After practicing dance most of the day, her period visiting, and the energy spent kissing, she was exhausted and quickly fell asleep.
Huo Siheng wasn’t sleepy yet. His brown eyes were bottomless as he held her, lost in thought.
The next day, Mu He arrived at the company on time. Tan Mian bounced over, making a peace sign: “Yangyang, Xingyu is also investing in A Beauty in North City, two hundred million!”
Xingyu was established for only three years but had already leapt to become one of the four major media companies in the industry, poaching countless film and TV award-winning actors and top idols. Just the breach-of-contract fees alone had cost a fortune. The funds hadn’t even returned yet, and they casually put up two hundred million to invest in a drama. Who would believe such a move had no backing?
With Ding Group in the front and Xingyu behind, it was a definite trendsetter. Since the big players were targeting this huge cake, how could other investors sit idly by?
Originally not very promising, A Beauty in North City immediately became the hot commodity.
Tan Mian patted her chest: “I guarantee this drama will explode!”
Even before filming, it had already gone viral online. The power of capital was unimaginable.
Correspondingly, the burden on Mu Laoshi’s shoulders also grew. Rumors spread that Xingyu intended to invest heavily to promote an actress to a top star, which made others envious and sour, everywhere claiming “what goes up must fall” and exposing all kinds of exaggerations.
Mu He thoughtfully said, “So last night’s dinner was worth three hundred million.”
Tan Mian laughed heartily.
Not just them; the A Beauty in North City crew found it unbelievable. Previously, they had begged high and low, wearing out their lips to secure investment. Now, suddenly three hundred million appeared, like a pie falling from the sky.
Setting aside Ding Group, Xingyu’s two hundred million probably benefited from the lead actress, Mu He. In fact, when they handed her the script, they didn’t have high expectations. Previously, even a low pay had discouraged many capable actresses. Those still interested saw the six-month-long shooting schedule and couldn’t fit it into their schedules.
Who would have thought Mu He would agree to star?
A surprise, a joy upon joy.
Once the funds were in place, what problem couldn’t be solved?
The official A Beauty in North City Weibo gradually announced the main crew. For young fans, most names were unfamiliar, but if they mentioned past roles, they were household names.
To Mu He’s delight, Teacher Zhao Kai, who had awarded her at the Annual Night, was also on the list, playing her father! After calming her excitement, she reposted the announcement of the lead actress on Weibo: “Hello, Bai Xiaoxiao.”
Her fanbase had surpassed 25 million. Every post easily garnered 100,000+ comments. Qianzhizhe flew over, occupying the top of the hot comments.
“Can’t wait!!”
“When Little Waist meets the qipao, when Mu Yangyang meets Bai Xiaoxiao, everything is the best arrangement.”
“A Beauty in North City, a beauty should be like you.”
“Even if it’s just one day, I want to live once with this face.” [Likes] 24,528
“I wonder which lucky guy will get her in the future…”
The top repost was: Zhong Li non-V: Hello, Xiao Bai //@Mu He: Hello, Bai Xiaoxiao.
The Zhong Yang CP resumed activity, spreading the news: come enjoy the sweetness!
He Yu CP and Admiration CP: quietly watching without commenting.
Some unusual voices appeared in the comment section:
“Hehe, two hundred million at once, as expected for Xingyu’s own daughter.”
“Well, she has a backer.”
“Sigh, who still remembers Zhao Yike, forced out of the entertainment industry by Mu He?”
Original Keke fans: “Sorry, don’t remember.”
Passersby: “Who is Zhao Yike?”
“xswl wasn’t Zhao Yike leaving the industry due to her own mistakes?”
“Stop chatting, looks like Zhao Yike bought some online hype.”
Qianzhizhe controlled the top comments, but Mu He didn’t see these remarks. Shortly after the announcement, she received the notice to join the crew. When she arrived at the shooting location in the suburbs of City A, she finally understood why the crew had been so broke before.
Most of the investment went to constructing realistic sets to restore the historical North City.
How many crews could shoot a drama and build a city at the same time?
Tan Mian exclaimed from the entrance to the dormitory: “This crew is brutal!”
She had previously complained about low pay; judging by the situation, getting any pay was already good. The veteran actors were mostly appearing for free as a favor, though after the additional three hundred million investment, the actors’ compensation would certainly improve.
After joining the crew, they hired a retired Peking University history professor to explain that special historical background. Mu He felt like she was back in school, sitting in a spacious, bright classroom with twenty-five other actors, ears tuned only to the lecture, fully immersed.
This was a crew culture she had never experienced before.
Everyone ate and lived together, spending time morning to night, gradually becoming familiar with each other.
Mu He was the most popular. She showed no trace of entitlement from entering the crew with backing. On the contrary, she was humble and eager to learn, polite, and smiled sweetly and charmingly. Who wouldn’t like such a young girl?
After a week-long course, Mu He returned home full of gains, not telling Huo Siheng in advance, planning to give him a surprise. The living room was empty. She tiptoed to the master bedroom, hearing a clear voice inside. He seemed to be on the phone, and she faintly caught the word “investment.”
Mu He walked in, and he had just hung up. Curious, she asked: “Investment in what? Are you doing business?”
Huo Siheng looked back at her, a flash of surprise in his eyes, quickly returning to a calm, composed expression. He walked over, gently ruffling her hair, his smile carrying a mischievous tone: “If you’re willing, tonight I do have a business deal worth over a hundred million to discuss with you.”