Chapter 54

Even though the hand’s shadow reflected on the desktop was only a blurry outline, how could it escape the scrutiny of idolizing girls with microscopes? After careful deduction and high-tech reconstruction, they were one hundred percent certain it was a man’s hand!

Netizens were extremely excited. Could there be some special situation?

Mu He, as a young and beautiful rising actress, apart from the fan-made self-indulgent pairings of Zhong Yang, He Yu, and Adore, had never been rumored with any other male celebrity. Not even a staged promotional pairing, and her private life was tightly guarded.

This only whetted the fans’ appetites— the more she hid, the more they wanted to see. Yet this generation of paparazzi was truly incompetent; no satisfying scoop had been released so far. But if you waited long enough in the “pit,” the melon would fall from the sky.

And this time, it came from the star herself! Regardless of the truth, as long as it wasn’t clarified, nothing could stop the fans’ imagination.

Mu He’s Weibo comment section was filled with a pink, romantic aura—each imagined love story more exciting than the last. When comments reached eighty thousand, some slightly rational fans appeared:

“Wake up, maybe it’s just a staff member.”

“Could be a family member too, okay?”

“You guys are too thirsty, imagining love from just a shadow.”

Qian Zhihe: Don’t listen, don’t listen, we’re not listening!

Mu He hadn’t expected that posting a photo of her degree certificate would almost expose her secret relationship with Huo Siheng. She sighed in frustration—he hadn’t paid attention when taking the photo, and she hadn’t checked it before posting. If she deleted the photo, wouldn’t it imply guilt?

And indirectly confirm the fans’ speculation?

Deletion was not an option.

Most importantly, when Xi Jie asked about the photo, how would she respond?

She needed a proper strategy.

At that moment, Tan Mian’s voice came from outside: “Teacher Mu, are you asleep?”

Mu He went to open the door. Tan Mian walked in, smiling mischievously: “Yangyang, you have the right to remain silent, but everything you say from now on will be considered evidence.”

Mu He suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

Tan Mian straightened up and got straight to the point: “Tell me, who is the man in the photo?”

As her personal assistant, Tan Mian had helped Mu He tidy her clothes at Golden Moon Bay several times. She immediately recognized that the table in the background was the one from the dressing room. Previously she had joked she thought a man was hiding in the room—turns out she was right. Now with both human and material evidence, Mu He couldn’t deny it.

Tan Mian asked more directly: “Yangyang, are you secretly dating?”

She didn’t even use a questioning tone.

With the truth exposed, Mu He felt a sense of relief. Every time Tan Mian came over, she had to remove traces of Huo Siheng—it was exhausting. She admitted generously: “Yes.”

“Ahhhh!”

Tan Mian screamed in a low voice: “I knew it!”

Her heart burned with gossip, with so many questions she wanted to ask: How long have you been together? Does he always stay at your place? Is he handsome? …

Before she could ask, Tan Mian’s phone rang. Seeing the name flash on the screen, she widened her eyes: “It’s Xi Jie!”

Presumably, Xi Jie wanted to test the waters first.

Mu He couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Tan Mian shook her phone, taking advantage of the moment: “Yangyang, tell me, will you answer my questions later?”

At this point, Mu He had no room to refuse: “…Yes.”

With the terms settled, Tan Mian connected the call. As expected, the first question from the other side was: “Tan Mian, what’s going on with the man’s hand in the photo?”

Tan Mian pretended to think. Mu He gently poked her arm. Tan Mian made a cheeky face in reply: “Xi Jie, Yangyang used an old photo. Yes, the person taking the photo was her friend. Okay, okay, I know what to do.”

After the call ended, she commented under Mu He’s Weibo: “Congrats to the photographer young man—beautiful hand… shadow debuts at center stage!”

“The goddess’s assistant responded. It’s just a staff member. Please stop overthinking.”

“Hand fetishists strongly request a front view of the beautiful hand!”

“Does the young man have a girlfriend?”

Tan Mian itched to reply: “Already taken,” and it was the same person you all guessed before.

Tempted to probe at the edge of danger and excitement… no, she had to hold back.

With the mystery of the hand in the photo resolved, Qian Zhihe refocused on Mu He’s actual education. Their idol was so outstanding; they felt proud and confident. They unapologetically “invited” the sarcastic Xin Guang out of the comment section.

Xin Guang was still stunned. What’s going on? Wasn’t she a vocational school student? How did she suddenly become a Tsinghua University graduate?

In that small, poor town of Shan City, if someone really got into Tsinghua, wouldn’t the whole country know?

Why was there no trace online?

Something fishy must be going on.

“Tsinghua, impressive?”

“Our Xin’er is a world-class university graduate, at least a hundred blocks ahead, okay?”

Passerby 1: “Impressive? Go take the Tsinghua entrance exam first and then talk.”

“Maybe it’s part of Tsinghua’s education poverty alleviation program, lower cut-off scores?”

“If she has such an amazing degree, why hide it from Baidu Baike as if it’s shameful?”

Passerby 2: “Not everyone can be high-profile like your idol, always flaunting their degree for self-glory, thank you.”

“Show the degree certificate number if you have the guts.”

Passerby 3: “Can I call her an idiot? Anyone opposed?” [Likes: 11,356]

“I just want to know how much a fake certificate like that would cost.”

Passerby 4: “I also want to know, if we insert a pipe into your pig brain, how much of the world’s drought could the flowing water solve?”

To uncover the truth, Xin Guang messaged Tsinghua University’s official Weibo for verification of Mu He’s identity. Some elementary-level fans even said: “A female celebrity is pretending to be your student for hype. Go expose her!”

The long-dormant official account exploded, posting a photo of Mu He’s student ID and reposting her Weibo: “Thank you for your choice, and by the way, claiming a famous alumnus [image].”

“Thanks to Xin Guang, I now understand what an idiotic operation is.”

“At this moment, I just want to sing, slapping Xin Guang mercilessly across the face…”

“Now, it’s undeniable. Xin Guang, are you happy?”

Xin Guang: The slaps are too loud; we can’t hear anything.

#MuHeIDPhotoKiller# trended. When Ye Xi’s PR statement was released, social platforms were flooded with praise for Mu He. Posts defaming her quietly disappeared, the bloggers’ accounts were permanently banned, and other opportunistic marketing accounts, sensing the wrong move, refunded their money.

Receiving the refund, Yuan Xin’er was furious, cursing at length. Mu He was actually a Tsinghua graduate?!

Wasn’t she supposed to only have a vocational school degree?

What the hell kind of plot twist was this?

Xin Guang was even forced to alert the official account to claim her, combined with her paid trending operation—she had been completely played, dressing Mu He in the “bridal clothes,” while Mu He enjoyed fame and popularity.

Since debut, she had never suffered such an unseen loss.

The assistant stood beside her, holding her breath.

Yuan Xin’er glared at her: “I want Black Forest cake.”

The assistant hesitated: “But your weight is already over the limit.”

Whenever Sister Xin’er was in a bad mood, she vented by eating high-calorie food. This time she insisted on cake, showing her mood had hit rock bottom. She quickly changed: “I’ll go buy it now.”

Meanwhile, Tan Mian had roughly figured out Mu He’s love situation. Across mountains, seas, vast crowds, and seven years of time, reunited and rekindled, she propped her chin and smiled foolishly: “I think I believe in love again.”

Mu He’s cheeks flushed slightly: “He really is a very, very, very good person.”

“Seeing that lovestruck look on your face, I knew it.”

“Mianmian,” Mu He hesitated, “Xi Jie…”

“Don’t worry,” Tan Mian made a zipper motion over her mouth, “any secret that reaches me is like entering a black hole. Not a single word will leak out.”

“Yangyang, have you gone on dates?”

“Yes, several times.”

Tan Mian was puzzled. She could understand that Golden Moon Bay’s high security kept paparazzi out, but outside? Not once were they photographed. Was it Mu Teacher’s luck, or were the paparazzi just unprofessional?

“What if it gets exposed later? What will you do?”

Mu He hadn’t worried about this before: “Of course, I’ll admit it.”

Tan Mian asked again: “If Xi Jie and the company don’t approve of your relationship and try to break you two up—basically, love or career, which would you choose?”

The topic turned serious. Mu He thought carefully: “Only children choose. I want both.”

She had been accumulating enough leverage to negotiate with them, and in this matter, she didn’t want Huo Siheng to suffer.

Tan Mian gave a thumbs-up: “Good, good.”

One by one, the dorm lights went out. It was late. After saying goodnight, Tan Mian returned to her room satisfied.

Mu He locked the door, applied a face mask, and lay down. Far away in Paris, Zhong Li Fei saw the trending post and sent a message: “Tsinghua genius, Teacher Mu really keeps it hidden.”

Mu He: “Zhong Li, you flatter me.”

Zhong Li Fei: “The hand in the photo is?”

Mu He: “It’s his.”

Zhong Li Fei sent a screenshot: “They say the man’s ring finger length correlates with function strength. Judging by… well, you know.”

Mu He: “I don’t know anything.”

Extremely enduring… does that count as strong?

Ahem, ahem, ahem.

Zhong Li Fei: “You’ll understand once you’re in, buddy.”

Because of this bedtime chat with Zhong Li Fei, Mu He had an indescribable dream that night. Waking up, she looked at the ceiling, smiling shyly and sweetly.

During a break after filming in the morning, Mu He took the time for an exclusive interview with Youku Video. When asked about the fans’ focus on her education: “You’ve debuted for over three years. Why have you never mentioned being a Tsinghua graduate?”

Mu He pursed her red lips, slightly puzzled, then smiled like blooming flowers: “I’m here to be an actress; that degree doesn’t really matter.”

Reporter: That makes sense… didn’t know what to say next.

A stream of comments flew across the livestream:

“Miss, this answer is just overwhelmingly awesome.”

“She’s right; actors should be judged by their skills. Winning Best Actress isn’t about your degree.”

“A curious passerby suddenly became a fan, so excited and flustered.”

“Now I also want to take the Tsinghua entrance exam.”

…

Because the male lead Gao Yuan had to attend a national TV-organized charity event in another city, Director Tang concentrated his scenes together, giving Mu He an extra day off. That evening, returning to the residence, the first thing she did was pin Huo Siheng onto the sofa, demanding the kisses he owed her for over half a month.

From initiative to passivity, following his rhythm, entwining and chasing, back and forth—just as the kiss heated, Mu He’s phone vibrated. She glimpsed that it was Tan Mian calling, grabbed it, and answered: “Mianmian.”

“Yangyang, I left my iPad in the car. The driver said you took it.”

“Mm, it’s with me.”

“Then I’ll come get it now.”

There was urgent material inside that needed to be completed tonight; otherwise, she wouldn’t be so anxious.

“Okay.”

Mu He put down the phone and hugged him again: “Continue.”

Wanwan lazily sprawled on the floor, her beautiful eyes reflecting their entwined figures, licking her paw: “Meow~” Overfed on dog food.

When their long, deep kiss ended, Huo Siheng buried his face in her neck, calming his breathing. Hearing the doorbell, he released her, voice low: “I’ll step away for a bit.”

“No need.”

Mu He, breathing heavily, said softly, “She knows about us and even threatened me. Bad, bad.”

Her apricot-colored eyes shifted slightly, a playful smile flowing: “Huo Siheng, go answer the door.”

Scare her a little.