Chapter 57: Showing Off Love

The wrap party was still in full swing.

It was rare for a niche film to make it onto the trending list on the very day of its wrap.

That was definitely thanks to Qin Mang.

Director Xi was the first to toast her: “That was so well said. It’s a pity we’ve already wrapped—otherwise, we could’ve made it the ending of our film. Teacher Qin, would you consider taking some time to reshoot a bit?”

Such a small matter—Qin Mang, of course, wouldn’t refuse.

Her red lips curled up in a smile.

With lazy grace, she raised her wine glass.

“Wishing the future great director’s debut youth film box office success.”

Director Xi clinked glasses with her. Amid the lively noise, a clear clink rang out.

“To our success,” he said.

“Let’s hope you don’t regret choosing me.”

Our Era, this film, was his first real project. He had a good script but limited funds. At the time, he had only reached out to Qin Mang Studio on a whim, not expecting someone as popular as her to agree.

Unexpectedly—

Her previous project had been delayed, giving her a two-to-three-month gap.

Everything had aligned perfectly.

Perhaps it was fate.

Director Xi, a little tipsy, raised his glass high.

“A toast—to fate!”

Everyone: “Cheers!”

Director Xi: “A toast—to wrapping!”

Everyone: “Cheers!”

Director Xi: “A toast—to box office—”

And so, one glass after another.

Even before all the dishes were served, everyone—Qin Mang included—was already tipsy.

Meanwhile, online, things were exploding—

If it were just an ordinary rich second-gen liking a celebrity’s post, fine.

But this was He Lingji!

He Lingji!

With 90 million Weibo followers and only two posts related to “Mrs. He,”

suddenly liking a female star’s post?

Fans were spiraling.

Some even started speculating—was He Lingji into Qin Mang?

Fans were divided.

Someone even dug up an old CP forum post titled “The Least Likely Couple”

and analyzed why these two could never work.

After reading, netizens couldn’t help but agree.

The godlike He Lingji’s type—if not a refined socialite, then at least an ethereal fairy. Definitely not a top-tier sexy starlet.

Impossible.

Too mismatched.

So then why like her post?

Some fans started defending him—

“Can’t a guy accidentally tap ‘like’?”

“Then why not unlike it?”

“Maybe he thought it wasn’t necessary. Unliking would look guilty. He probably just didn’t care.”

In just a short time, the internet was in a frenzy.

In the nanny van, Fu Yuan immediately contacted Secretary Cong.

And told Meng Ting to head upstairs to get Qin Mang.

After all, it was a gathering of young actors. Most of their managers stayed in the van to avoid making them uncomfortable.

Secretary Cong, upon receiving the call, was unusually puzzled.

A ‘like’

? From who?

President He?

“Are you sure it’s not a fake account?”

Fu Yuan was exasperated.

“His main account. At this rate, we’ll be trending in minutes.”

They had already agreed—until Qin Mang won Best Actress, her marriage to He Lingji must stay private.

President He had agreed.

So what now?

They finally reached the man himself.

He Lingji was still working overtime and replied casually, “Did I make it public?”

Fu Yuan: “Well… no.”

He Lingji: “Then what’s the problem?”

Fu Yuan: “…Nothing.”

What could she say?

Better to let Qin Mang deal with her own husband.

No one else could handle him!

Powerful. Cold. No one dared say “no”

to him.

Only Qin Mang dared call him “Consort He”

like a joke, almost making Fu Yuan think he was actually approachable.

But turns out—he’s still the same as always.

…

At that moment—

Qin Mang was leaning over the rooftop railing, trying to sober up.

But the more the wind blew, the dizzier she got.

Even the stars were blurring into weird shapes.

Wow.

A little lion?

She mumbled, “I’m up in the sky.”

Next to her, male lead Zhou Qiong chuckled.

“Teacher Qin, you’ve had too much to drink.”

He helped her toward the nearby sofa, worried she might do something reckless like jump.

Qin Mang immediately raised her hand, blocking him, her beautiful face tense.

“Don’t move! Do not touch me.”

“Something terrible will happen.”

Seeing how serious she looked, Zhou Qiong blinked in confusion.

“Huh? Why?”

Qin Mang said solemnly, “Because I’m mar…”

ried.

Before she could finish—

Meng Ting rushed over.

“Little ancestor!”

Qin Mang tilted her head and lifted her glass.

“Brother Meng, come drink with me.”

Meng Ting clutched his heart.

Dear god.

So close.

So, so close!

Thank goodness he got here in time!

“Drink what? Something’s happened!”

He snatched the empty glass from her hand.

Then explained to Zhou Qiong, “Sorry, she always acts like this when she’s drunk—thinks she’s a celestial goddess and mortals mustn’t touch her, or she’ll vanish into dust.”

After spending time with her, Meng Ting had become quite the bullshitter too.

Zhou Qiong nodded blankly.

“Need help?”

He was actually a Qin Mang fan and had tried super hard at auditions, eventually winning the part with his school bully-meets-youthful charm look.

He wasn’t too comfortable seeing his goddess ‘kidnapped’

by her manager.

Meng Ting explained things to the director and took Qin Mang back to the van.

Ah Tong had already prepared sobering meds.

After being force-fed bitter pills, Qin Mang’s dazed eyes widened.

“Meng Ting, are you trying to assassinate your emperor?!”

Meng Ting took a deep breath, trying to maintain the calm of a professional manager. He smiled, “Sober up. Your husband just did something big.”

Qin Mang dozed a little.

Ah Tong massaged her brows.

Worried paparazzi from Beicheng might catch wind of this, they rushed back to Shen City overnight.

Given Qin Mang’s current state—

She’d definitely be labeled a drunkard.

Ah Tong muttered, “Maybe tomorrow’s headline will be: ‘Liked by Male God – Qin Mang Celebrates with a Booze Binge!’”

Meng Ting shivered.

Not entirely impossible!

Online reactions weren’t too bad yet.

People were still speculating what He Lingji meant by the like.

Though most had ruled out the “he likes her”

theory… a business mogul liking a celebrity’s post still felt shady.

Looks-obsessed fans even dug up past photos of Qin Mang and He Lingji looking at each other.

CP shippers went nuts—

“Honestly, these two are top-tier visuals. Just seeing them in the same frame is magic!”

“Not gonna lie, I already imagined a whole romance novel.”

“Sometimes compatibility isn’t about status. It’s like Van Gogh’s Starry Night crashing into a traditional Chinese landscape masterpiece like Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains—individually stunning, but together… hard to explain.”

CP fans: “…”

Suddenly… the fantasy didn’t feel so good.

…

After taking sobering pills and sleeping through the trip, Qin Mang’s mind was still foggy—but she remembered one thing clearly:

She had to settle the whole He Lingji liked her post issue.

First thing she did after getting home was hunt down the culprit.

“Where’s He Lingji?”

The butler took her suitcase and respectfully said, “Sir just returned from work as well.”

Noticing she still walked a bit unsteadily, he asked with concern, “Shall I prepare something to help sober you up?”

Qin Mang leaned on the stairs and waved him off.

“Already took it. You can go rest.”

No need for him to witness her disciplining her husband.

Even drunk, Qin Mang prided herself on giving He Lingji face—she was so beautiful and virtuous!

He was insanely lucky to have married her. Probably earned a trillion karma points in his past life.

When she pushed open the door—

He Lingji was unbuttoning his shirt, ready to shower.

He asked casually, “Why’d you come back all of a sudden?”

Didn’t she say she’d be gone for three days?

The sudden bright light made Qin Mang squint. Her already sore eyes instantly welled up with reflex tears.

Crystal-clear tears hung from her curled lashes, ready to fall but lingering.

He Lingji, who had just unbuttoned his shirt halfway, looked down at her.

Only then did he clearly see that the girl's eyes were hazy and dazed, as if covered in a thin mist.

The man raised an eyebrow slightly.

So, she’s drunk again.

The next moment—

Qin Mang trotted forward, held out her palm, and cut straight to the point: "Give me your phone."

No stuttering.

She seemed rational and clear-headed.

Completely unaware she was using a commanding tone.

He Lingji looked at her for a few seconds, the meaning behind his gaze unreadable. But he still handed over the phone he had casually left on the bedside table.

Qin Mang scanned his face for facial recognition, then opened Weibo and confirmed it was logged into his main account.

She carefully typed two characters—

Frowning, she thought about He Lingji’s usual texting style, then added a period before finally hitting "post."

**He Lingji V:** *Slipped hand.*

He Lingji watched her entire process.

Especially that period—it practically screamed guilty conscience.

In the darkness, the man’s elegant and refined features curved into the faintest smile.

After posting, Qin Mang handed the phone back to He Lingji. She glanced lazily at the bathroom a few meters away, then at the even farther bed.

She wrinkled her nose.

That little bright-red beauty mark on her face moved adorably with the motion.

This fairy doesn't want to walk!

So tired.

She didn’t want to take a single step.

Then—

She looked up at the tall, imposing man in front of her, spread her arms wide: "Carry me."

Before He Lingji could react, Qin Mang had already taken a step forward and lightly jumped up.

Her slender legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she buried herself in his embrace, refusing to move again.

Every movement was bold and practiced, as if she had every right to do it.

He Lingji caught her instinctively.

The girl's long, silky black hair draped over her thin shoulders, the ends reaching past her waist, a few strands brushing unintentionally against his cool hands.

Qin Mang was very pleased with how naturally he responded. She snuggled into the cool hollow of his neck and took a deep breath.

“So cool…”

Because she had been drinking, her whole body radiated heat—especially her cheeks.

Like a little furnace.

The man, now functioning as her human transport, had a helpless glint in his eyes.

But he didn’t let go.

As they passed the full-length mirror—

He thought of Qin Mang’s earlier "guilty but trying to be innocent"

performance and paused for a moment.

He picked up his phone and snapped a picture.

Of course, he made sure Qin Mang's figure was blurred as much as possible.

Earlier that night, He Lingji’s random post—* “slipped hand”

*—had already triggered detective mode among netizens.

The phrase * “slipped hand”

* was just too suggestive!

After all, how does one accidentally "slip"

and like a fan account post of a female celebrity?

It had to be because he searched for her or came across it on his feed!

Why would his feed show posts about Qin Mang?

Clearly, he'd searched for her before!

But before the netizens could fully dig into this—

A few minutes later.

**He Lingji V:** *My wife got drunk. Photo.jpg*

In the photo, the man was wearing a black silk shirt and tailored trousers that outlined his long legs. With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he was casually posing in front of a mirror, and though there was little composition, the image still looked like a magazine shoot.

The key detail… was the delicate and slender girl buried in his arms, koala-style, soft and snuggly, so natural it was as if they’d done it countless times at home.

The internet went crazy—

This post instantly surpassed the previous one in engagement, with comments skyrocketing past ten thousand.

Top comment: ** “What does this mean?!”

**

Standing by the bathtub, holding Qin Mang, He Lingji actually replied to the comment during his free moment.

**He Lingji V:** *Nothing much, just showing some love.*

> “WTF! Is our God He *seriously* showing PDA now?!”

> “PDA?! From the man known for being aloof and cold as a glacier?!”

> “Wait—so there *is* really a Mrs. He?! Not just an excuse for staying single?”

> “He’s hugging her like that, and you still think he’s not into women? Insulting!”

> “Hold up, let me break this down like the class rep I am: > God He first liked a Qin Mang fan post, didn’t respond when it went viral. Insiders say he was working overtime at the He Corporation, so maybe he didn’t know. > Hours later, in the middle of the night, he suddenly posted ‘slipped hand.’ Not his usual style—he doesn’t explain things. > So it’s very likely someone else posted it. > THEN he personally posts a photo saying his wife got drunk and straight-up shows PDA! > Only one conclusion: > Mrs. He, while drunk, accidentally logged into his Weibo and liked the fan post. Realized she was on the wrong account too late—tried to cover it with a vague ‘slipped hand,’ which only made things worse. > Finally, God He couldn’t watch anymore and stepped in to clarify! > Summary: Our goddess Qin Mang is just a humble little prop in the He couple’s PDA performance. Dismissed.”

> “Also: 90% chance Mrs. He is a fan of Qin Mang!”

> “Class rep nailed it. I suddenly feel sorry for Qin Mang.”

> “With a high-profile fan like Mrs. He, Qin Mang is winning. She might even meet the mysterious Mrs. He someday.”

> “@QinMang You're my new connection in the industry. I’ll never hate on you again!”

> “Live witnessing a black-to-pink redemption arc—joined just to eat the gossip, but now I’m a fan.”

> “Drunk Mrs. He is actually kind of cute, not gonna lie.”

> “That koala-style hug was way too sweet!”

> “Ugh, I want to be hugged like that too.”

> “Is it just me or is anyone else noticing the body size difference between them? Kinda hot…”

> “Horny confirmed, upstairs commenter.”

> “Sigh, my brain just wrote a 10k-word spicy fanfic from that one picture…”

And now—

The whole world knew Mrs. He got drunk last night.

The next morning.

Qin Mang woke up early. She hadn’t blacked out. Ignoring a certain someone who was already up and brushing his teeth, she immediately opened Weibo.

The two of them were still firmly holding the top three trending spots.

The #1 hot search was: **#MrsHeDrunkenlyLikedPost** **#KoalaHugFromTheGod** **#QinMangTheMostBeautifulProp**

Qin “Most Beautiful Prop”

“Drunk”

“Mrs. He”

Mang sat on the bed, clutching her face in despair: “Ahhhh…”

“The whole internet knows I got drunk!”

“My pure, beautiful, virtuous, dignified fairy image—”

“Ughhh…”

He Lingji stood in front of the mirror tying his tie, casually comforting her: “There’s no rule saying pure, beautiful, virtuous fairies can’t drink.”

“You have the nerve to say that?!”

“Who told you to like that post?!”

He Lingji, half-smiling: “There’s also no rule saying Mr. He can’t support an actress he admires.”

Qin Mang’s face flushed red.

Watching him leave so coolly, she couldn’t help but punch the bed.

Ahhhh!

That damn man was totally flirting with her!

The worst part was—she *was* actually getting flustered.

Especially when she looked again at the photo He Lingji had taken himself on Weibo—

Her heart raced to the extreme.

—

Let me know if you'd like this styled more like a novel translation or in a screenplay/dialogue format!