**Chapter 52: Toy Gun**

Everything He Lingji did was more transparent to the employees of He Group than anyone else.

Take today, for instance.

In the morning, President He came to work wearing a modest and elegant platinum mother-of-pearl brooch. By the time he left work, it had been swapped for a dazzling, extravagant sapphire one, as if he were attending a state banquet that required the highest level of attire.

On the trending threads of the He Group’s internal forum today:

They were filled with photos of He Lingji wearing the sapphire brooch.

From every possible angle.

> “Holy crap, President He is ridiculously handsome today!”

> > “This is the first time I realized his face matches such a luxurious sapphire so well!”

> > “Ahhhhhh, what a living saint—he usually looks so impeccably composed, it’s already deadly attractive. Now with a glamorous brooch? Absolute eye candy for the whole company!”

> > “Working at He Group was the best decision of my life!”

> > “Oh my god, everyone, zoom in! The sapphire looks just like President He’s eyes—I knew it matched too perfectly!”

> > “…”

He Lingji clearly remembered how Rong Huaiyan once flaunted the scarf his wife had personally knitted, wearing it during the awkward spring-summer season.

A few minutes later—

After sending a message to Mrs. He—

He finally turned off his phone and calmly stood up to attend a partnership meeting.

In the sleek, high-tech conference room, the sapphire brooch he wore openly gleamed dazzlingly and drew everyone’s attention.

Everyone couldn’t help but stare at it.

Playing with a black pen in his long fingers, He Lingji’s voice was usually cold and sharp—each word like frost. But now, he seemed a touch less icy, casually asking:

> “Looks good?”

The He Group staff instinctively lowered their heads.

Their hearts trembled.

Even with the sapphire brooch, he was still the same ruthless, emotionless President He.

Terrifying.

However, the representative from the partnering company was bold enough to respond, “We’ve just never seen you wear such an ornate brooch before—it’s not your usual style, so we looked a few times.”

To everyone’s surprise, He Lingji, who was known for keeping work and private life strictly separate, actually responded to a personal matter in a business meeting.

With a calm yet handsome expression, the man faintly smiled:

> “You’re right, it’s not my style.”

> > “It’s my wife’s style.”

Everyone: Came to a meeting, got force-fed dog food.

A man as aloof and prideful as President He actually let his wife influence his fashion choices!

There were quite a few people from the partner company present.

Unlike He Group employees who only dared gossip in forums or group chats, these people weren’t bound by internal rules.

So it didn’t take long—

For the news to spread online.

Especially that line: * “Not my style. My wife’s style.”

* It sent the “Mrs. He Fan Club”

into a frenzy.

As if *they* were the "wife"

he was talking about.

Imagination only goes so far.

The real kicker was—

Photos of He Lingji wearing the sapphire brooch were also leaked.

Not because someone secretly took them—

But because he didn’t avoid the spotlight at all. That very evening, he wore that outfit to a business gala.

With media present.

Under high-definition cameras, he looked like a film god.

> “Ahhhhh everyone, meet my lover—He Lingji!”

> > “Whoa, bold move upstairs! Careful or ‘lover’ might get censored.”

> > “If ‘lover’ gets censored, I’ll say husband! If husband gets censored, I’ll say man of my dreams! Mrs. He Fan Club never backs down! Death under a peony is still romantic!”

> > “Even if it’s just trash talk—it’s still satisfying!”

> > “So jealous of Mrs. He. She gets to fire the real gun.”

> > “Pfft—this is turning into a preschool ride! Let me off, I’m still a baby!”

> > “I just started elementary school—I can listen!”

> > “No, I can’t relate at all. What woman could possibly be worthy of sharing a bed with our male god? It would only sully our high-altitude flower!”

> > “Exactly. High-altitude flowers are to be admired, not desecrated.”

> > “Who dares defile a deity! Ahhhhhhh!”

> > “None of us are worthy!”

Fans still struggled to accept that He Lingji had a wife.

Especially with that glamorous sapphire brooch photo—his cold gray-blue eyes looked like an elegant, mysterious deity, far above mortal reach.

Meanwhile, Qin Mang’s day of filming didn’t end until midnight.

Shen Wanyin seemed like she just threw some money at the show, posed for a few gorgeous shots and videos, and then left—didn’t even attend the traditional end-of-shoot cast gathering.

A Tong commented thoughtfully, “Scared of getting caught in an unflattering photo?”

Qin Mang agreed.

Shen Wanyin had been extremely stiff all day, guarding every angle. Even her decorative fan never left the lower half of her face.

After over ten hours of shooting, Qin Mang still hadn’t seen her full face.

A Tong chuckled, “Unlike you, Mang-jie. You look stunning from every angle.”

Meanwhile, Meng Ting was scrolling through Weibo nearby—

Worried that Shen Wanyin might try some shady late-night stunt.

Unexpectedly, she stumbled upon President He’s photos.

> “Whoa, your husband’s out here slaying.”

Only when Meng Ting mentioned her husband did Qin Mang suddenly remember what she had forgotten—

She hadn’t checked whether He Lingji received the brooch.

But the next second—

She saw exactly what she wanted on Meng Ting’s tablet.

The usually buttoned-up, elegant man had suddenly transformed with that decadent sapphire brooch.

Gone was the pure, ascetic aura—now replaced by lush extravagance.

When that image hit her eyes, Qin Mang’s gaze flickered slightly.

Then her lips curled into a cool smirk.

> *That bastard.*

> Wearing the sapphire brooch she gave him, flaunting it in public for the whole world to see—and she was the last one to find out.

Qin Mang’s temper came and went quickly.

Because of one thing—

> * “My wife’s style.”

*

At least he knew how to act like a married man, never forgetting to announce his status.

Not that Qin Mang would admit she was pleased.

Listening to A Tong beside her gushing, “Omg I’m melting,”

“President He is too dreamy,”

“He’s such a visual treat today,”

“Who says Mrs. He isn’t worthy? Top-tier temptress plus high-altitude flower is the ultimate combo!”

She made her way back to her hotel room.

The silky blue robe she’d brought from home spread out like waves across the pristine white sheets.

Only then did she check her muted phone.

Pinned WeChat message:

**[Brother]: What do you want to buy recently?**

Qin Mang: “?”

She thought he’d at least say thank you.

Instead—this?

What did that mean?

Then she remembered his usual “equal exchange”

way of doing things.

So—he thought her gift came with strings attached?

Qin Mang was so mad she couldn’t sleep.

She sat straight up in bed and angrily typed a message.

But just before hitting send—

She paused.

Deleted every word, one by one.

Her beautiful face was expressionless, lips pressed into a cold line.

Then she sent:

**Little Lion Roar Meow:** *I want a mountain of gems. One I can dig from anytime, and every shovel yields a red, white, yellow, green, or blue gem…*

Let’s see if He Lingji could give her that!

Let him talk big!

But when she was about to fall asleep—

She saw his reply.

Just one word:

**[Brother]: Okay.**

Qin Mang nearly jolted wide awake.

Doing business with He Lingji? Never a loss.

She gave him one sapphire.

He was going to give her a whole mountain.

Before drifting off to sleep in a daze, Qin Mang thought—

She didn’t lose anything, but it seemed He Lingji did.

Wasn’t he someone who never made a losing deal?

Now that Shen Wanyin had kicked Zhou Yuan Studio to the curb and had the powerful Feiyun Entertainment backing her, ever since her high-profile comeback, her resources had skyrocketed.

She even brought Wei Qin along with her.

And Zhou Yuan’s most prized marketing team too.

Now the boss was Shen Wanyin.

No one would’ve imagined that the actress who was down and out like a stray dog just last year had now turned the tables and become the master.

Inside the spacious villa—

Her delicately maintained fingertips toyed with flowers, arranging them one by one with little aesthetic sense.

Shen Wanyin glanced at the time, her crimson lips parting slightly.

“Contact the program team.”

This time, Wei Qin was no longer hesitant and obeyed her command: “Okay.”

Shen Wanyin picked up a pair of golden scissors and clipped a rose stem.

Just as she was about to put it in the vase, her expression suddenly shifted, and she angrily cut the rose petals to shreds.

The scattered pieces fell messily across the table.

She hadn’t initially planned to attack Qin Mang on Weibo. Shen Wanyin had already decided to contact the production team privately to cut out Qin Mang’s highlight scenes.

She originally wanted to select some ugly clips where Qin Mang had poor facial expressions.

That way, once the episode aired, the public would naturally make comparisons.

Who would’ve thought there wasn’t a single unflattering frame of Qin Mang? Even while running, or when she stumbled—moments where people usually make odd faces—she still looked bright and adorable.

Hearing Wei Qin’s reply, Shen Wanyin threw the scissors to the ground.

Wei Qin frowned, picking up the sharp tool that had nearly injured her.

Since her cosmetic surgery, Shen Wanyin’s temper had worsened. Off-camera, her demeanor was nothing like her composed public persona—she was volatile and aggressive.

“We’ve already negotiated. We’ll leave in a few profile shots. It won’t be obvious, and no one can accuse us of anything.”

Wei Qin tried to comfort her, “Besides, you’re stunning now, and she wasn’t even wearing makeup.”

“When the episode airs, you’ll naturally outshine her.”

Shen Wanyin gradually calmed down, her fingertips brushing her cheek.

That’s right.

Her face was now perfect. Even with full makeup, Qin Mang might not be more beautiful than her, let alone barefaced.

Feiyun Entertainment held a top-tier position in the entertainment industry.

Even the production team of *Are You the Killer?* couldn’t disobey direct orders from the top brass.

Coincidentally, Ruan Qizhuo had been away on a business trip during the last recording. Curious about how things had gone, he headed straight to the editing room to watch the footage.

Since he ran a short video and livestream platform, he knew exactly what kind of edits attracted viewers.

One glance and he noticed something was off.

“Why is Qin Mang positioned in such poor lighting in this shot?”

“Why was this scene cut? She looked stunning like a water goddess!”

“And here—her face isn’t even visible…”

“Tsk, are you guys targeting Qin Mang?”

“Did her good looks offend you?”

The more he watched, the more Ruan Qizhuo felt something was wrong. He started ranting, leaving the post-production team speechless.

Helplessly, one of them mumbled, “President Ruan, please don’t take it out on me… I’m just following orders from above.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Someone’s sabotaging Qin Mang?”

Ruan Qizhuo slammed the table and stood up.

The other staff in the room all kept their heads down: *Whoa, is President Ruan about to go to war for a beauty?*

Knowing the editors couldn’t solve anything, Ruan Qizhuo went straight to the chief director.

The director sighed with a troubled expression.

He’d had high hopes for the show to go viral and wanted to edit it well, but—

Sigh.

In this industry, there were always compromises to make.

“Compromises, my ass. Just tell me—who’s the ghost pulling strings here? Are they trying to block out the sun?”

Ruan Qizhuo sneered. *Of all people to mess with, they’re messing with Mrs. He?*

Seeing he was furious, the director quickly handed him a cup of tea to calm him and whispered, “It’s President Zhou from Feiyun. Don’t blame me—you can’t afford to offend him either.”

President Zhou was a major figure in both the entertainment and business worlds.

Anyone of importance would respectfully call him “Mr. Zhou.”

“You’ve been around long enough. Don’t act rashly.”

Some people simply couldn’t be offended.

Feiyun Entertainment?

Ruan Qizhuo finally understood why the director was so terrified.

Heh.

*He’s scared.*

But **that person** wasn’t.

Ruan Qizhuo nodded and took out his phone right in front of the director.

The director asked, “What are you doing?”

Expressionless, Ruan Qizhuo replied, “Calling for backup. Adding a god-tier buff.”

Director: “?”

He worried things were about to spiral out of control—when gods fight, it’s the mortals who suffer.

“Calm down. It’s just one episode. We can fix it in the next, or the one after that. We’ll give Qin Mang more exposure, okay?”

“No.”

Ruan Qizhuo had already dialed.

“Qin Mang can’t be wronged—not even a little. That would be worse than offending President Zhou. Got it?”

Director: “…”

What the hell?

Does **everyone** have someone backing them?

Why’s **he** the only one without?

So unfair!

When the first call didn’t go through, Ruan Qizhuo dialed Secretary Cong instead.

This time, it connected.

“Good afternoon, President Ruan. Is there something I can help with—”

Before he could finish, Ruan Qizhuo launched into a tirade, “Tell your boss someone’s bullying his wife!”

Secretary Cong almost dropped his phone:

“Who’s bullying Madam?”

Are you sure **she** isn’t the one doing the bullying?

“President He is currently in a critical international meeting. Please give me the full details.”

Secretary Cong looked through the glass wall at He Lingji, cold-faced and focused.

He knew Madam held an important place in President He’s heart.

But compared to the significance of this international summit…

He couldn’t afford to make that call.

Meanwhile, after finishing her recording for *Killer*, Qin Mang didn’t follow up at all. She had no idea that the reality show she worked so hard on had nearly been edited into oblivion.

She immediately went on to shoot a cover for a top international fashion magazine.

When it was done, she casually took a very realistic toy gun on her way out.

It was a prop from the shoot.

More realistic than the silver pistol she used in *Dreams of Old Beijing*—it even matched the weight of a real one.

At the moment she saw He Lingji wearing that sapphire brooch,

A scene popped into Qin Mang’s mind.

Hmph.

Last time on the yacht, seven days and seven nights—He Lingji had all the home-field advantage and took full liberties with the fairy.

This time—

She was going to get her revenge!

And this gun would be the perfect prop.