**Chapter 47: Coming-of-Age Ceremony**

As the number one CP (couple pairing) fan of Qin Mang and He Lingji, Atong was about to lose her mind from all the shipping excitement.

“Sis!”

“Wang Tianguang ahhhhhh!”

“Tianguang literally means ‘light’!”

“Wuwuwu, of course it’s always President He!”

She immediately used her alt account to comment under the top trending topic: “Forget couple outfits and all this ‘Tan Qin CP’ and ‘Tan Qing CP’ stuff—real husband and wife is the ultimate ship!”

This Weibo post immediately stirred up a flood of CP fan backlash—

“Let’s be fair, ship whoever you want, but why bring down one couple just to hype up another? I agree that married couples are a great ship, but we should still respect the other CPs.”

“Childhood friends to lovers and campus breakup-to-reunion stories are sweet too. At least with the Tan Movie King and Goddess Qin, we have actual faces to imagine. President He’s wife is protected so well, we don’t even have a mental image to ship with.”

Everyone had their own opinions.

But while they couldn’t relate—

Atong could!

Unfortunately, for now, she had no way to share the joy of getting this kind of exclusive sugar.

“Wang Tianguang.”

Qin Mang leaned back in the leather car seat, her red lips slightly parted, her voice soft and languid like a whisper.

Was that what the *Tianguang* yacht meant?

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

She finally understood!

It was her name. And her signature little white lion.

So…

This yacht was for her!

Wrapped in a small blanket, Qin Mang sent a voice message: “I knew it was for me~ Are you too shy to admit it?”

*Bzzzz—*

A vibration came.

It was a voice reply from He Lingji: “A return gift.”

Return gift?

Qin Mang held the phone to her ear and played it several times.

She confirmed that he said *return gift*.

She was a little surprised.

After all, she hadn’t given him a proper gift before, right?

If anything, she’d just spent a ton of his money.

For a moment, Qin Mang suddenly felt a little guilty.

She started urging the jewelry customization studio.

They needed to finish that planetary blue diamond brooch ASAP.

Far away in a private overseas maritime territory, He Lingji stood at the beachside villa, clearly seeing the enormous yacht docked by the shore.

Compared to the one he’d lent out last time, this yacht had less of that sharp, cold-tech feel and was more opulent and extravagant, better matching the young lady’s taste.

The idea to customize this yacht wasn’t a whim of He Lingji’s.

It was because—

Next month was Qin Mang’s birthday.

A few months ago, Secretary Cong had casually brought it up.

Normally, He Lingji didn’t even celebrate his own birthday, but when it was mentioned, he thought of the first birthday gift his wife gave him—something unforgettable.

Nearby, Secretary Cong stared intently at nothing, not even glancing at the gorgeous yacht.

Thinking back to the interior design blueprints He had shared earlier—

He could only say—

President He sure knows how to play!

Little did he know, the yacht itself wasn’t even the real birthday gift—what was *inside* was.

He Lingji’s gray-blue eyes swept over the yacht.

A faint smile touched his lips.

This yacht, which he personally designed as a return gift, was meant to leave a *deep* and unforgettable impression on Mrs. He.

At that moment—

His phone screen lit up.

He casually looked down, expecting it to be his wife, but instead, it was Ruan Qizhuo.

**President He’s favorite little troublemaker**: [He-ge! Your wife is bullying people!]

**He Lingji**: [Take it.]

Ruan Qizhuo was full of question marks.

Take it?

He couldn’t take the injustice of having his reputation smeared. If it was a scandal with some gorgeous beauty, maybe he could live with it, but this was his first ever scandal—and it was with a guy!

Seeing that this route wasn’t working, he continued to tattle: [She’s bullying you too! Screenshot.jpg]

He sent over the note Qin Mang had left in the memo app:

**[He-ge, you can endure this? She’s going to make you suffer for life…]**

**[That’s why, in this whole world, *I’m* the one who cares about you most.]**

**[Proposal Document]**

**[Investing in your little troublemaker isn’t unreasonable, right?]**

He Lingji’s gaze paused on the line—*He has to suffer for life.*

It was exactly Mrs. He’s tone.

Bossy and adorably arrogant.

He could instantly picture Qin Mang saying that, chin tilted proudly like a little white lion cub.

He slowly typed back:

**[I can take it.]**

Ruan Qizhuo: […]

Got it.

This couple—utterly corrupt together.

Truly, people who share a bed think alike!

**President He’s favorite little troublemaker**: [Then you owe me for emotional damage!]

He Lingji was just about to reject—

Then suddenly paused.

He looked over at Secretary Cong: “Transfer one hundred million to Ruan Qizhuo, count it as my personal investment.”

Secretary Cong hesitated for a few seconds, then smiled awkwardly: “Your personal liquid funds for this month are less than a hundred million.”

Most of it had already been transferred to his wife for pocket money, based on her previous spending.

And another portion was tied up in maintaining planes, yachts, etc.

Only what was left could be freely spent.

And—

Today he paid the yacht’s final balance.

He Lingji raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Out of funds again?”

Secretary Cong cleared his throat: “The budget set aside for Madam… was a *tiny bit* high.”

He stressed *tiny bit*.

Madam rarely spent money, but when she did—it was a lot.

Everything from clothing to housing had to be top-tier.

Thankfully, she had her own job.

Otherwise, if she just stayed home like a trophy wife and kept spending like a money shredder, President He wouldn’t have funds left for hobbies.

“We still have 80 million remaining.”

“Should I transfer all of it to President Ruan?”

The man with cold, pale fingers rubbed his brow. As the true power behind the He Group, He Lingji had a team managing his private assets. He received a fixed monthly allowance, while all dividends and other income were invested or put into financial management.

He was always self-disciplined and by the book. His hobbies were extravagant but stayed within budget.

For years, he never adjusted it—because he never lacked money.

But now he had two months in a row of “fiscal deficit.”

In the end—

He Lingji casually dropped a line:

“Readjust the year-end dividend investment ratio.”

The meaning was clear:

He intended to set aside true *unlimited* spending money for Mrs. He.

While He Lingji was abroad, the pilot episode of the variety show **“Are You the Murderer?”** began filming.

When the production team arrived at the “Lakeside Manor” based on Meng Ting’s given address, they genuinely wondered if they had time-traveled.

They’d been to Deep City many times before—but had never seen a mansion that could easily make the national Top Ten list.

On an artificial mountain nearby—

A giant helicopter hovered.

There was even a helipad!

What kind of family did Qin Mang come from?

The butler who came to greet them was dressed impeccably, exuding aloof professionalism. He wore spotless white gloves and had perfect manners: “Apologies, no filming outside is allowed.”

A group of bodyguards in black suits stood behind him, eyes like hawks.

The camera crew who had just gotten ready to set up their equipment: “…”

So helpless.

The chief director cleared his throat: “Can we film inside?”

“Of course.”

The butler smiled politely.

After all, anyone allowed *inside* the manor was trusted—they didn’t fear being exposed by netizens.

Lakeside Manor was Deep City’s most secure private villa district. When Qin Mang said paparazzi would never get in, it wasn’t bragging.

It had the best security team in the country.

No joke.

Even the film crew had to go through multiple layers of inspection to get in.

Qin Mang hadn’t been sleeping well these days.

Fu Yuan had taken on a new film role for her—one that demanded intense emotional acting.

Once the reality show was done filming, she would have to join another production immediately. So she took time whenever she could to read the script and study the character’s psychology.

It definitely wasn’t because she was having trouble sleeping now that there wasn’t someone sharing her bed.

As she walked downstairs in her long nightgown, she lazily yawned while listening to Meng Ting repeatedly remind her like a hypnosis mantra: “Be very, very, very careful with your words.”

“I know—”
Qin Mang dragged out her tone.

“It’s just playing the dumb beauty, right? I get it.”

Do you really get it?

Meng Ting couldn’t help but doubt her.

Based on experience, the simple, innocent, and harmless “dumb beauty” persona was far more appealing to audiences than her real-life persona—an irritable and willful little troublemaker.

Soon enough, Meng Ting would understand what Qin Mang’s interpretation of a dumb beauty really was.

For example:
When Qin Mang was about to eat breakfast,
She couldn’t even hold the spoon properly.
Then she looked innocently and earnestly into the camera and said, “Oops, sorry. I’m just so clumsy.”

Another example:
When the director asked her what hobbies she had in daily life,
Qin Mang answered, “Nothing special, just like reading books that make me smarter.”

Director team: “…”
Meng Ting: “!”

A dumb beauty, not a mentally challenged beauty!

In the end, he could only give up. “Just be yourself.”

Qin Mang’s red lips curved into a faint, amused smile.

She was doing it on purpose.

What kind of reality show would it be if everything was fake?

Thinking of the fans who believed in her, Qin Mang absolutely refused to lie to them.

Even though building a persona was common practice in the entertainment industry.

But others were others.

She was herself.

Her fans loved the real her—not some flawless, programmed robot living in a fake world.

The trailer filming only lasted about twenty minutes.

Qin Mang didn’t forget her original goal in joining the show.

She directly took the crew to her walk-in closet.

This place had never been shown publicly.

So she wasn’t afraid of anything being exposed.

One of the assistants noticed a door with a sign that read “Gem Collection Room.”

“Teacher Qin, the Gem Collection Room… is that literal?”

?

People had heard of rooms specifically for bags, jewelry, figurines, etc., but… a gem collection room?

That was unheard of.

Qin Mang paused: The butler should’ve put away the more recognizable gems, right?

So that knowledgeable netizens couldn’t trace them back to the Qin or He families.

Noticing her gaze,
The butler gave a nearly imperceptible nod and then personally opened the ornate double doors.

Once inside—
The staff were absolutely stunned.

What the hell?

They thought it was just a small room.

Who knew—

It opened up into a whole other world.

It was at least a hundred square meters.

The last time they’d seen this many gems was in a gem museum!

And the quality of Qin Mang’s gems? All clearly hand-picked and of staggering value.

Emeralds, pigeon-blood rubies, and more.

Apparently, Qin Mang preferred yellow diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. So those three colors were the most common—arranged beautifully in gradient tones in glass display cases, looking like luxurious works of art.

The cases were clearly bulletproof.

One wall held sets of custom-designed jewelry from top luxury brands.

Some items were even covered.

You could vaguely see outlines of gems or jewelry beneath the cloth, but no clear shapes.

Everyone there understood:

The ones that were hidden were the real treasures.

Everyone looked dazedly at Qin Mang standing not far away.

Under the lights,
She wore a strappy gown with a cream-colored shawl over her shoulders. Her features were delicate and calm. “Just a little hobby, hope I didn’t embarrass myself.”

Production team: …We’re too unworldly to even pretend to laugh.

The director, being a pro, recovered first: “Teacher Qin, could you tell us the story behind these gems?”

Qin Mang slightly raised her brows. “Of course.”

She loved sharing her collection with others.

It wasn’t about showing off—
Just pure sharing.

The gems in this room were all ones she had collected since she was young. Most of them had something to do with her uncle.

She picked up a moon-shaped purple gem, a bit of nostalgia in her eyes. “This was my 18th birthday gift from my uncle. He wasn’t nearly as stingy back then.”

The director realized that many of the gems came from this “uncle” she kept mentioning.

Since Qin Mang hadn’t explicitly said family questions were off-limits, he curiously asked, “Teacher Qin, you often mention your uncle but not other family members—is it because you’re closer to him?”

Qin Mang’s bright, affectionate eyes curved gently. “Yes.”

“Because he raised me.”

Then she half-jokingly added, “Hope Uncle sees the show and finally transfers over the allowance he owes me for two years. Your precious niece can’t afford any more gems~”

The director instantly caught on.

He gave her a close-up as she “asked for money.”

No need to dig further.

He was making a detective-style reality show, not an interview series—no need to dig into family drama.

For a trailer, one strong hook was enough.

And this hook—

Was perfect.

After all, what kind of girl has been collecting gems since childhood?

Killer move!

The show was filmed and broadcast simultaneously, so the trailer was quickly edited and released as a promo.

The clip of Qin Mang “asking for money with a gem in hand” was included.

In no time, it surpassed a million views.

Meanwhile—

In a temple deep within the remote mountains of Shen City,
Two men who looked strikingly similar sat beneath a bodhi tree outside the temple.

The younger man had a cinnabar mark between his brows and wore a luxurious suit that didn’t match the rustic surroundings.

He was holding a sleek, modern tablet.

The screen was playing the clip of Qin Mang smiling with the purple gem, saying “Uncle raised me.”

Qin Yan played it over and over for the older man sitting opposite him:

“Jealous, dear father?”

“That was your gift to her for her coming-of-age.”

The girl’s gentle, lively voice echoed again and again in the air.

Across from him sat Qin Han, in white monk robes, head shaved, his features as distant as a mountain—like an ancient deity looking down upon the mortal world, detached from humanity.

He held a black Go stone between his fingers.

But he neither stopped Qin Yan nor placed the stone on the board.

It was a game he played alone.

Forever unsolvable.

So—

Qin Han said flatly, “Don’t come again.”

Qin Yan was usually calm.

But every time he saw this brother—once desperate to die, now living like the walking dead—he felt like even with a broken leg, he could be pissed off enough to stand.

He threw the tablet onto Qin Han’s lap.

And sneered, “At least the little lioness is trying to fulfill her mom’s dream. What about you?”

“What did you do after your wife asked you to take care of your daughter before she died?”