**Chapter 54: Coveting Her**

The He Group’s official account directly released the video.

Netizens in the country, who had still held some doubts, instantly fell silent.

They never expected it.

In the notoriously messy world of business relationships, there was actually a man like President He… who remained as pure as jade.

Damn.

What now? They're jealous of Mrs. He all over again!

A god-like man, morally upright, remembering his wife’s words even while abroad, committed to male chastity and self-restraint—where on earth can you find such a man?!

And the key point: Mrs. He actually managed to stay behind the scenes, never showing her face, never flaunting or staking her claim!

> “When President He said, ‘I know,’ I… sniff sniff, that really touched me.”

> “@AllMen Look at this! Even a male god like President He adheres to virtue and chastity, so how can there still be guys out there thinking sleeping with more women is some kind of badge of honor?”

> “You’re not just preserving your own chastity, you're saving the reputation of all men in our country!”

> “@Boyfriend come learn something!”

> “@Husband Look at someone else’s husband—rich, disciplined, and morally upright. I’m not even asking you to make money anymore—can you at least keep it in your pants?”

> “Hahaha I'm dying, President He really is the model citizen for all men. As a woman, even *I* was tempted by those stunning blonde beauties, but he… he frowned and walked away.”

> “Screenshot.jpg President He showing disgust, lol”

> “Honestly, I can understand why some bigwigs fall for beauty traps. Damn, those bodies and faces were smoking hot—it’s a miracle he wasn’t tempted.”

So, it’s understandable if a man isn’t interested in women. But if he’s not interested in *beauty*, that’s really hard to grasp.

After all, who in the world doesn’t appreciate beauty?

Yet He Lingji remained expressionless from beginning to end.

He turned and walked away without hesitation.

So clean-cut, people suspected he hadn’t even properly looked at anyone in the banquet hall.

> “President He’s face screamed abstinence. No wonder he’s called the celibate iceberg of the foreign land—even beauties like that couldn’t tempt him.”

> “President He’s inner monologue: ‘Everyone’s horny—I abstain.’”

> “Hahaha stop it! You're killing me!”

> “People, you’re going off-topic! The real question is, if it wasn’t President He, then who the hell *was* it that got taken in?”

> “It had to be overseas stuff. They play *real* dirty over there!”

Qin Mang got the inside scoop from He Lingji’s secretary.

Turns out, the business tycoons in Country L were wild. This wasn’t the first time they’d used legitimate business banquets as cover for giant sex parties.

This time, they just happened to get caught.

Even some very prominent international moguls got swept up in the arrest.

Some of them were regulars on finance magazine covers—household names.

As for the details of the “activities,”

the secretary didn’t dare spell it out in front of He Lingji, let alone explain to the missus.

Just glossed over it vaguely.

It’d be best if President He explained it to his wife personally.

Qin Mang’s big, beautiful eyes went wide with shock.

She’d heard her little uncle mention some of these people as business partners.

Who would've thought they were so insane behind the scenes?

No wonder Xiao Xigua kept telling her that bigshots always had weird fetishes.

When you’re too rich and have hit all the ceilings in your career, you start seeking excitement in other ways.

Some, for instance, enjoy affairs with their servants.

Others love being submissive.

Take President Zhou recently—he even used drugs for extra thrill.

And of course, nothing beats wild sex parties. The more people, the more stimulating.

At 3 a.m., He Lingji finished his work and saw that Qin Mang was still full of excitement. He forcefully ended the video call, ordering her to rest.

Qin Mang stared at the now-black screen.

She huffed softly.

For once, she didn’t throw a tantrum.

With the dim wall lamp glowing, she stretched under the silk blanket, turning toward the empty pillow beside her.

She was just about to open Weibo to check the news—He Lingji wouldn't know if she was asleep anyway.

Next second—

Her phone vibrated in her palm.

**Brother:** [No reading the news.]

Seeing that message out of the blue, Qin Mang instinctively looked toward the room's camera—it was turned off.

She sighed in relief.

Wait—then how did he—

**Little Lion:** [How did you know I was going to check Weibo?!]

Did he install a pinhole camera in the master bedroom?

Pervert!

He Lingji replied instantly.

**Brother:** [Mrs. He, you just had the words "two-faced"

written all over your face.]

Qin Mang: “…”

Embarrassed? Not at all.

She quickly typed a reply, shoved the phone under the pillow, and closed her eyes to sleep!

Far away overseas.

He Lingji, now dressed in an elegant designer suit, was reviewing updates on the situation. His features were cold and distant, exuding a ruthless, unapproachable aura.

Only when he saw a message from Mrs. He did his gaze soften slightly.

The screen showed—

**Little Lion:** [Then you must have seen wrong! I’m already asleep!]

[This is just my spirit floating out of my body.]

Next moment.

The secretary personally witnessed the man—who had been icy and oppressive just seconds ago—curve his thin lips into a faint smile.

He Lingji picked up a sapphire brooch from beside the full-length mirror and calmly pinned it onto his suit.

The secretary cleared his throat, cautiously asking, “President He, we’re going to the police station…”

So, dressing like this—wasn’t it a little *too* luxurious?

Might send the wrong message.

He Lingji had already stepped out the door.

He gave a cold snort.

“What?”

“Do you expect me to wear black to mourn their misfortune?”

The secretary wisely fell silent.

President He’s good mood was reserved for one person only: Mrs. He.

—

The next morning.

Wu Yuxi rushed over in the rain.

Thanks to the chauffeur and bodyguards, she stayed dry. She was here for the juicy gossip.

Just thinking about it gave her a thrill.

Qin Mang had just finished a call with her mother-in-law, reaffirming her trust in her chaste husband.

After that, she kept looping the video released by He Group the night before.

Netizens had edited it down to just the iconic segment: the full-English invitation and the unwavering rejection.

In the video—

Behind the man was a whirlpool of darkness through the transparent glass. One could vaguely see the crisscrossing neon lights outside—a city soaked in decadence and corruption.

But He Lingji, dressed in his refined suit, with gray-blue eyes as deep and mysterious as the sea, looked clean and untainted when he spoke.

His pale, clear fingers casually rubbed the understated wedding ring on his ring finger.

His voice was composed: “Sorry, I’m married.”

“I know.”

Compared to the others’ long-winded speeches, He Lingji only said two short sentences—but Qin Mang watched them on loop.

Last night, he had only said he rejected the offer.

She had no idea *how* he rejected it.

Every word he said last night—none of it was a lie.

He didn’t even consider it. He never hesitated.

Wu Yuxi had come for the scandalous gossip about the sex party.

Instead, she was subjected to dozens of replays of the English dialogue.

And then had to write an essay—no less than 3,000 words—analyzing its deeper meaning.

Wu Yuxi held Qin Mang’s hand solemnly, giving her final conclusion: “Little Lion.”

“When a man starts staying chaste for a woman… he’s definitely head over heels.”

Qin Mang was very satisfied with He Lingji’s actions.

But she didn’t dare to even entertain the thought.

**He Lingji loves her?**

Qin Mang slightly lifted her delicate chin and casually tucked a long curl of hair behind her ear. Every gesture exuded an innate allure. Her moist red lips curled up as she said, “Clearly, he only lusts after my body.”

After all—

He Lingji knew her too well.

If he had actually touched another woman, there’s no way he would ever touch her again.

Wu Yuxi agreed wholeheartedly, gently stroking her best friend's skin that was as smooth as the finest dairy product.

“With a body and face like yours, if any man says he *doesn’t* desire your body, then he’s a lying bastard.”

“So—”

She deliberately drew out her tone.

Qin Mang was already used to her friend’s playful, flirtatious act.

She casually flopped onto the sofa.

Staring at the sparkling crystal chandelier in the living room, her long lashes lifted slightly.

“So?”

Wu Yuxi: “So President He is not only a virtuous, chaste man—he’s also an honest and upright one!”

She then opened Weibo on her phone.

“Just look at how many women online want to become Mrs. He. Ninety million romantic rivals!”

Qin Mang had honestly never paid attention to He Lingji’s Weibo followers.

Some people didn’t even have to do anything—

With just two posts, they had ninety million followers?

She clicked into the comment section of his Weibo.

Unlike others’, He Lingji’s comment section was full of asterisks.

Obviously, it was people either calling him "hubby"

or claiming to be "Mrs. He."

Those were the exact two terms that had been censored into asterisks.

Seeing Qin Mang’s eyes narrow slightly, Wu Yuxi asked deliberately:

“What, feeling possessive?”

“Want to tell the world that this man is yours, and no one else is allowed to even dream about him?”

As expected of a lifelong best friend—Wu Yuxi read Qin Mang’s thoughts with scary precision.

Unfortunately—

Qin Mang slowly closed the Weibo app and reopened her virtual wooden fish app.

*Thunk thunk thunk*—a soft rhythmic tapping sounded.

Along with her gentle yet slightly ethereal voice: “His Majesty is not yet so bewitched by Consort He as to lose all reason.”

Wu Yuxi: “…”

Then why are you tapping the wooden fish!

You little liar!

The He Group’s public clarification came quickly.

In contrast, the other top-listed corporations were much slower to respond.

Because—

Their CEOs had actually been taken in!

Every PR department was scrambling, trying to suppress the trending topics and shift public attention to He Lingji, making sure no one focused on *their* CEOs.

**Abroad.**

By the time they saw He Lingji, all of them looked miserable and disheveled.

Gone was the swagger from the previous night.

Inside the cold, empty police station room, He Lingji remained calm and composed as always.

One of the bigshots couldn’t help but mutter, “Don’t tell me it was *you* who called the cops?”

Someone chimed in, “Right! Otherwise, why didn’t you come last night no matter what?”

“You must’ve known the police were coming!”

How else could any man walk away from a room full of beautiful women without even a backward glance? He clearly knew it was a trap.

He Lingji calmly adjusted the blue mother-of-pearl cufflinks that matched his sapphire brooch. Hearing this, he gave them a faint, amused glance.

“Oh?”

“Then should I leave now?”

“Wait—!”

They still needed He Lingji’s help! He was the only one who hadn’t been caught—practically the last hope of the whole crew. They couldn’t let him just leave!

Naturally, He Lingji wouldn’t let them remain and disgrace the country.

He sat back down.

After discussing a solution—

Only then did He Lingji stand up to leave.

Someone couldn’t help asking, “President He, why *didn’t* you join in last night?”

Out of dozens of men at the party—

He was the *only* one who had stayed completely clean.

Standing at the door, He Lingji turned his head slightly, eyes cool and disdainful.

“They can’t hold a candle to my wife. Why would I bother?”

Then he strode away.

The remaining bigshots exchanged confused looks: “?”

What did he mean?

That their taste was too low?

He Lingji didn’t care what they thought.

Now that the next steps to legally get them out were clear, he left it to his subordinates to handle.

The core team at the He Group now practically worshipped him.

They had come so close—

To becoming the next batch needing rescue.

He Lingji noted everything, though his trip had originally been for an international collaboration. Due to the incident, his return to China had to be postponed.

Because of review issues, the depression-themed drama was also delayed. Rumor had it the script had to be rewritten.

Which meant—

Qin Mang suddenly had a three-month open schedule again.

“Any new scripts?”

“Why the sudden ambition?”

Since Qin Mang had been nominated for the Golden Jue Award for Best Actress, directors and producers alike had seen her talent and potential. She was no mere pretty face.

With her naturally striking beauty, perfect for the big screen, more scripts had started coming her way.

Meng Ting found her behavior odd.

Usually, with her love of vacations, she’d be clamoring for a three-month holiday!

Now she was asking to join a project?

Something’s off.

Seriously off.

Qin Mang shot him a sideways glance, firm and decisive: “I want to win Best Actress.”

And then—

**Publicly claim He Lingji!**

No one would be allowed to covet *her* man!

Meng Ting didn’t understand this sudden burst of motivation, but he gave in quickly, offering her the scripts he had previously screened for her to choose from.

“Future Best Actress, please make your pick.”

Ambition was good.

Better than slacking off.

Especially since—

He said mysteriously, “Shen Wanyin has already joined the cast of a super high-profile S+ Qing dynasty drama, playing the female lead.”

“They wanted *you* for the supporting role.”

The beautiful yet unstable imperial consort.

Who ends up being poisoned by the female lead.

If it had been in the past, Qin Mang might’ve accepted the role.

It was a challenging character—if done well, it could become iconic; if not, it would just seem like a crazy woman.

But Qin Mang was focused on winning Best Actress.

After achieving that, she’d still film some TV dramas.

Film and television were different challenges.

And Qin Mang loved exploring the unknown.

Just not now.

As for Shen Wanyin—

Qin Mang lazily brushed past the topic.

“*The Murderer* team decided to go with a conventional editing style.”

“That move of yours last time totally turned into Shen Wanyin’s nightmare. According to some insiders, Shen Wanyin now avoids you at *all* costs.”

“If you’re attending an event, she refuses to go.”

Meng Ting laughed hard.

Before her plastic surgery, people used to compare Shen Wanyin to Qin Mang.

After all, Shen Wanyin had intentionally marketed herself that way—trying to overshadow her.

But now, her first attempt to do that after her comeback had been ruined by Qin Mang.

Which meant she couldn’t continue her campaign of stealing the spotlight.

Especially since—

During her time away from the entertainment industry, Qin Mang had risen fast. Her breakout film, *Dreams of Old Beijing*, was a huge success, giving her major popularity with audiences.

Even her fan count had surpassed Shen Wanyin’s—and they were all active followers.

There were even whispers online that Shen Wanyin had had plastic surgery. Although quickly suppressed, netizens weren’t dumb.

She badly needed a solid project to maintain her popularity.

Qin Mang’s lips curled into a lazy smile as she played with a simple yet elegant diamond ring on her finger—the one she now wore in place of her old mermaid-tail ring.

The teardrop-shaped yellow diamond was clear and luminous, surrounded by hundreds of tiny round diamonds that shimmered faintly golden in the sunlight.

On Qin Mang’s delicate, fair fingers, it looked exquisitely beautiful.

Yet still understated.

Because normally, she wore much flashier pieces.

Ever since the *Magpie Scheme* incident—

Qin Mang had taken a liking to gemstones and had begun collecting them. So no matter what jewelry she wore, no one found it strange anymore.

That’s why she had been wearing a wedding ring to events lately—

And no one thought anything of it.

Qin Mang herself found it all oddly amusing.

But after seeing that He Lingji wore his wedding ring everywhere and had never taken it off, Qin Mang, almost without realizing it, also started wearing hers.

She didn’t take Meng Ting’s words seriously—just as she had never taken Shen Wanyin seriously.

Qin Mang quickly secured a role in a youth film titled Our Era, which would take two months to shoot.

It was an ensemble cast, with each character richly developed. Qin Mang played the female lead, a high school student, with most scenes filmed on campus.

There weren’t many urban scenes.

It felt as though she had returned to her school days.

Yet while shooting, what occupied her mind was—what was He Lingji’s school life like?

It definitely wasn’t as passionate and youthful as in the movie.

That man—his blood probably runs cold.

So whenever summer came—

Qin Mang missed He Lingji all the more.

She counted on her fingers.

Just one week until the peak of summer in Shencheng!

At the old He family residence, the wisteria had bloomed again, hanging in clusters over the quaint, old-fashioned alleyways.

After wrapping up filming, Qin Mang came to visit them immediately.

She was now curled up under the eaves of the outer courtyard, flipping through a photo album He’s mother had found.

There were very few photos of He Lingji.

Most were graduation pictures.

Qin Mang gave a soft hum as her fingertips brushed over a photo from his high school graduation.

He was standing under a huge bodhi tree.

In the background were students in school uniforms.

Many of them were looking toward him.

Clearly, he had been handsome since childhood, the center of attention no matter where he went. Probably had lots of junior girls calling him “senpai”

!

Liar.

He claimed he didn’t.

Back then, He Lingji already had striking features, though they lacked the refined elegance he now had as an adult. Instead, he had a youthful clarity to his looks.

Madam He also sighed with emotion.

“Lingji rarely showed his emotions or preferences even back then.”

Qin Mang was surprised.

“He wasn’t like that as a child?”

Madam He brought out another photo album.

This one was even older.

Qin Mang opened it—

And was instantly melted!

Pale skin, big watery blue eyes—an absolutely adorable little cutie.

Young He Lingji’s eyes weren’t yet the deep, cold, unreadable pools they were now. Back then, they were clear and bright, with a purity that seemed to reveal everything at a glance.

Ah!

Was this really He Lingji?

This was the kind of baby picture that could trick someone into wanting to have kids with him!

Qin Mang couldn’t help but pull out her phone and snap photo after photo.

“So cute.”

“Super cute!”

“Oh—this one with the toy plane is even cuter!”

“This one with the calligraphy brush—is he learning to write? The ink on his face looks like cat whiskers!”

The more she looked, the more Qin Mang began to doubt—

Was this adorable kid really He Lingji?

Not some twin brother or something?

“He really was that cute as a child. He wasn’t shy either—always smiling, his eyes curved whenever he saw someone,”

Madam He reminisced.

Sadly, once He Lingji began his formal education and was groomed to be the heir, he was raised under strict discipline, always having to maintain composure and grace befitting the future head of the He family.

At some point, even his own mother stopped seeing any emotional fluctuations in him.

It was as if he had transcended the worldly realm.

Listening to Madam He talk about He Lingji’s childhood, Qin Mang suddenly realized—she was just beginning to truly know him.

So…

Did she want to keep getting to know him?

Qin Mang asked herself.

Her eyes fell on the photo of that wide-eyed, blue-eyed little cutie.

Damn it.

Whether she understood him or not didn’t matter.

What mattered was—

She had to get those genes of He Lingji’s for herself!

Qin Mang’s thoughts were written all over her face.

Even He Lingji would see through her at a glance—let alone Madam He.

Madam He held her hand and said, “Children aren’t tools to inherit a family business. You should only consider it when you feel it's the right time, when you're truly ready to bring new life into the world.”

Qin Mang nodded in agreement.

So.

In the future, she’d be in charge of giving birth, and He Lingji would be in charge of raising them—very fair.

…

After dinner with the family—

Qin Mang returned to the lakeside villa, feeling completely fulfilled.

Back in the master bedroom, she took a bath to relax.

Filming had really been exhausting!

Afterward, she lounged on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, intending to watch a drama.

But just as she picked up the tablet, Wu Yuxi popped up on WeChat.

World’s #1 Internet Celebrity: Holy sht, look at your husband! So freaking hot! Screenshot.jpg*

?

Who?

Her husband, who had been on a business trip for over two months?

She opened the screenshot.

It was a post from Wu Yuan’s Moments, captured by Wu Yuxi.

Wu Yuan: “This guy just got back to the country and already wants to fight. Can someone come save this punching bag? 9 photos.”

Wu Yuxi kept messaging frantically:

How is it, how is it? Isn't your heart pounding like crazy?

Waaaaah, I can’t believe President He can fly a helicopter—okay—but he also knows boxing?! My brother’s been boxing since he was a kid, and he still got wrecked by your husband. Tsk tsk tsk. A real man indeed!

The nine photos Wu Yuan posted were all of He Lingji in a boxing ring, his gray-blue eyes filled with wild danger, as if he might kill someone the next second.

Qin Mang wasn’t scared.

She wasn’t even in the mood to appreciate the animalistic allure of the boxing photos.

What she cared about—

Was that her husband, who had been gone for three months, was back in the country.

And she had to learn it from someone else’s social media!

The lazy and beautiful expression on Qin Mang’s face immediately froze. Her eyes, usually shimmering like water, were now covered with a thin layer of frost.

She thought of the He Group’s official account, which still had that “guarding traditional male virtue”

tweet pinned.

Traditional male virtue, huh? Can’t even tell your wife you’re back home?

Qin Mang suddenly stood up.

She asked Wu Yuan for the location.

Then, without even fixing her now-straightened black hair from filming, she slipped on a sleek, cool-toned black slip dress and clacked downstairs in her heels.

Without looking in the mirror, she casually glanced at the black toy gun she had tossed on the shelf before filming began.

And slipped it into her purse.

Heading straight for the boxing gym.

In the dim lighting, her side profile was icy and beautiful. With jet-black hair and snow-white skin, her bright red lips made her look like a seductive enchantress. Her stunning appearance was impossible to hide.

Her face clearly said she was going to—murder her husband.