****Chapter 77: Husband-and-Wife Show**

Ever since they went public, Qin Mang no longer kept things under wraps. While on vacation, she practically clung to He Lingji.

She even followed him to work.

All the employees of the company were more than happy about this, because every time Mrs. He visited, she *never* came empty-handed!!! She would either bring afternoon tea or late-night snacks.

The top post on the He Group’s internal forum now read—

**“Did Goddess Qin visit the office today?!”**

Beneath it were tons of photos of snacks, desserts, fruit trays, and even the occasional candid shot of Qin Mang wandering around the office. Despite the news of her being married for years, Qin Mang still radiated an incredibly youthful charm. Pure and dazzling, with a smile that was completely untainted.

> “Wuwuwu, our goddess Qin obviously lives a pampered life.”
> “This is what being spoiled by the boss looks like!”
> “Upstairs, you got gossip?”
> “Hehehe, guess why the whole executive floor was cleared out today?”
> “No way, the whole floor?! Are you implying what I think you are?!”
> “Ahhhhhh, is it true?!”
> “@Cong Zhen, our admin king, spill some tea please?”
> “Impossible, President He isn’t the type for office play!”
> “You dare question President He?!”
> “Ahem, true, President He may not be that kind of man… but Mrs. He…”

Attached was a promotional still from Qin Mang’s new movie.

She wore a flowing red period costume with nine furry tails blooming behind her—like an enchanting nine-tailed fox spirit. Alluring and seductive.

Sensual and bewitching.

She looked exactly like the little seductress from the legends who could even tempt deities to break their vows.

Who could resist that?

Everyone stared at each other—

**So?**

**Is that how the boss got seduced?**

But at that moment, the executive office wasn’t quite the steamy scene they imagined.

On the guest sofa—

The little vixen Qin Mang stretched out one slender leg and rested it on the lap of the lofty, untouchable deity-like man. Her pretty face showed slight reluctance. “It’s already fine. Why do you still need to apply medicine?”

“For inflammation.”

“You actually dared to go to a random roadside tattoo studio?” He Lingji’s voice was calm, but carried an undeniable authority.

Qin Mang, knowing she was in the wrong, mumbled under her breath, “Can’t you just be moved, even just a little?”

Always nagging her.

And okay, maybe it *was* a roadside encounter—but it was a big place! With a legit license!

But for a family like theirs, even dining out required utmost caution—let alone getting a tattoo.

He Lingji lowered his gaze to the three thin red lines wrapping around her ankle, his fingertips carefully applying the clear ointment—gentle to the point of fearing he’d hurt her.

It didn’t hurt anymore.

But He Lingji still felt like it did.

After a while, his cool and steady voice asked, “Do you regret it?”

Qin Mang’s brows knitted, about to snap at him when she suddenly paused. “What about you?”

He didn’t answer.

Only after a long pause did he quietly say, “No regrets.”

By this point, Qin Mang’s soft voice choked slightly. She held back tears.

Under the soft lighting, a faint blush tinged her eyes—like a pitiful little white lion cub who had been terribly wronged.

He Lingji instinctively reached out to touch the corner of her eye, his movement gentle and quiet.

Moments later—

Qin Mang sniffled softly, “You didn’t wash your hands. The ointment got on my face.”

“Sorry.”

“You looked too pretty crying… I couldn’t help myself.”

Qin Mang: “Can’t you say something sweet to comfort me for once?”

“Mm.”

He swallowed lightly. Then his cool lips brushed the corner of her soft, petal-like lips. In a whisper so low it was almost a murmur, he said:

**“Seeing you cry… hurts me.”**

They had kissed countless times before.

But today, Qin Mang could truly feel how precious she was to him, how much he cared—not just sweet talk to coax her.

No one knew how long passed before—

He Lingji said, “I don’t regret it.”

Her butterfly-like lashes fluttered. She gently clenched the silky fabric of his sleeve and whispered, “Me neither.”

In the minimalist, futuristic office space that used to be cold and pristine, traces of a woman’s presence were now everywhere. A tube of lipstick sat in the sleek silver pen holder. A pretty hair tie was loosely wrapped around a fountain pen.

Magazines no longer covered just finance and economics—there were now entertainment and fashion mags too, all featuring Qin Mang on the covers.

At some point…

Qin Mang had become completely woven into He Lingji’s life—just like how the walk-in closet that once only held his suits was now scattered with her jewelry and accessories.

—

Thanks to her stunning performance in *The Depressed*, Qin Mang was nominated for an international film award—competing with the world’s top actresses for Best Actress.

Though her role received much acclaim, the director admitted that with such a niche subject, the film wasn’t considered a strong contender internationally. The winner often depended on jury preferences.

So, most likely, they would return empty-handed.

Still—

Being nominated was an achievement in itself.

This trip was about gaining experience.

Qin Mang was unfazed.

Meng Ting even more so. “Some actresses have to pull strings just to walk the red carpet at these festivals. You actually got a nomination—you’re already way ahead.”

“Even if we don’t win, we can’t lose face for Chinese actresses!”

Fu Yuan nodded at the itinerary. “Now that you and President He are public, you can finally wear all that haute couture and jewelry you’ve been stashing.”

Qin Mang agreed.

The jewelry brands sent her stunning pieces, but none compared to the ones in her personal gem collection—rare items won from auction houses, each with a story.

On the red carpet—

Qin Mang appeared in a bespoke white and blue porcelain-inspired gown, intricately embroidered with motifs of traditional Chinese culture. The detailed design paired with her already breathtaking features—enhanced by a stylist’s best work—stunned everyone.

Audiences and fans saw a new side of her.

She could dazzle like the blazing sun, yet also radiate a high-class, ethereal beauty like the cold moon.

Even international front pages gave her a special spotlight—calling her “The Mysterious Beauty from the East.”

Against the opulent European backdrop, she looked like a character from a Renaissance painting—an Oriental goddess seamlessly blending Eastern mystery and Western romance.

Her beauty stole the show again.

Yet the trending topic was—

**#Qin Mang: The ‘Vase-type’ Beauty Who Unified Global Aesthetics#**

After the festival, as expected, Qin Mang didn’t win due to the subject matter and flew back that same night.

In first class, only her team was present.

Even with her makeup removed, Qin Mang’s features remained bright and striking. She slouched lazily in her seat and muttered:

**“So I’m a beauty, fine. But what the hell is ‘vase-type’ supposed to mean?”**

And why did fans keep pairing it with that weird sly smile emoji? She was so confused.

A’Tong, now a deep lurker in the “Aurora Super Topic,” instantly understood.

He chuckled and silently pushed the post to Qin Mang: “Sis, just scroll through the super topic—you’ll get it.”
**[Aurora Super Topic]**

Lately, Qin Mang had been busy clinging to He Lingji, juggling work and a new script, barely having time for Weibo. She knew her and He Lingji’s couple name was “Aurora,” but hadn’t looked into the super topic.

At the top of the feed—

A burner account had posted a meme.

In the image, a lavish pastel court-style vase held a single black spider lily. But the kicker was—the comment section was full of things like “Nosebleed. I get it, I get it.” and “Hnnng!”—as if they’d just seen some NSFW pic.

The more she looked, the more indecent and embarrassing it felt! Fooling around with He Lingji in private was one thing. But now everyone knew?! AHHHHH!

Qin Mang clutched her poor little heart.

She forced herself to keep scrolling.

After looking through the Aurora Super Topic and the related images of vases and red spider lilies, Qin Mang returned to the fan comments under the trending post.

“Flower arranging with a vase? Pfft!”
“I’m wheezing.”
“This vase… not gonna lie, really looks like Goddess Qin. Luxurious, extravagant, and… curvaceous?”
“Pfft, first time I’ve heard someone describe a vase as curvaceous.”
“@QinMangBaby don’t look, it’s hate comments.”
“LMAO the person above is killing me!”

Ugh! She was too embarrassed to show her face! And now she couldn’t even look at the word *vase* on Weibo without flinching!

Recently in bed, He Lingji loved comparing her to a vase and himself to a red spider lily. And then… he’d constantly practice his own “automatic flower arranging.”

Who the hell was that Glitch Guy? How did he think the exact same way as He Lingji?!

Seeing Qin Mang cover her face, A-Tong cleared her throat and said, “On the bright side, the white-glazed blue-and-white porcelain vase that went viral is different from the imperial pastel porcelain vase in the image.”

Qin Mang’s face was stone-cold: “…”

What difference?

Whether it’s white-glazed blue-and-white porcelain or imperial pastel porcelain—
Either way—
She just couldn’t shake the title of “vase”!

Fuming, Qin Mang angrily tapped out a message on the screen and hit send.

**Qin Mang V:** *From now on, don’t call me Little Sparkle, call me Little Rascal instead!*

Fans: *HAHAHAHAHA! The real culprit is that Glitch Guy.*

Qin Mang narrowed her dazzling eyes slightly.

If she ever found out who drew that flower-arranging vase picture—

Because of the embarrassment, Qin Mang stopped scrolling after a few pictures of her and He Lingji.

She completely missed the most crucial one: the red string entangled around the cage.

After all, right now the only ones who knew about the red string were her and He Lingji.

When they arrived in Deep City—

Fu Yuan reminded her, “Don’t forget, tomorrow morning is the recording for that couples reality show.”
“The crew plans to ambush you.”

“I knowww~”
Qin Mang drawled lazily, not taking it seriously. Even if they tried to ambush her, they wouldn’t succeed.

It took multiple layers of approval just to enter the estate. By the time anyone got in, she’d be fully prepared.

The plane flew for over ten hours.

By the afternoon of the next day—

Qin Mang returned unexpectedly. Even the usually calm housekeeper at the lakeside estate couldn’t help but show a flash of delight in her eyes. With Madam gone, the whole manor had felt empty.

Seeing his car earlier, Qin Mang asked, “Where’s He Lingji?”

The housekeeper was long used to her casually calling him by name.

“Sir is in the study.”

“The study?”

Qin Mang assumed he was working.

“Don’t tell him yet.”

She casually tossed her suitcase to the housekeeper. Instead of heading straight to the study, she went to the master bedroom to take a bath first. Only after that did she lazily shuffle toward the study in her bathrobe.

The moment she entered, she saw a long, elegant silhouette seated at the desk, illuminated by the warm glow of the lamp. He seemed deeply immersed in “work” and hadn’t noticed her sneaking in barefoot.

He wasn’t holding a pen? Qin Mang crept up behind him and peeked.

And saw—he was using a fine red liner pen, sketching one adorable little lion after another on a sheet of white paper.

“Wow.”

Before she could exclaim, her slender waist was suddenly wrapped in strong arms. The next second, she found herself sitting on his lap.

Caught off guard, Qin Mang’s clear black-and-white eyes widened in shock, still recovering: “You scared me!”

Trying to scare him, but ending up scared herself—
How embarrassing!

He Lingji casually set down the pen, a faint curve on his thin lips. “Courtesy for courtesy.”

The girl’s body radiated a warm mist. Her breath carried the rich, sweet scent of roses.

Like a mischievous little demon tugging at the heart.

“Our President He~ what are you so busy with?” Qin Mang poked at one of the red lions with a pale fingertip. She felt like she’d caught him in the act. “Oh~ learning to draw, huh?”

Besides the drawing paper, the tablet on the stand displayed a basic hand-drawing lion tutorial.

Qin Mang assumed he was a beginner and didn’t connect him at all to Glitch Guy, the one who posted that picture in the Aurora Super Topic.

He Lingji’s long fingers played with her soft curls. For the international film festival, Qin Mang had dyed her rose-gold hair back to black.

Now blown fluffy, it was dark as ink and made her skin look even fairer and her lips more striking.

Looking into her sparkling, expressive eyes, He Lingji admitted openly, “That’s right.”

Qin Mang was stunned.

She’d thought she finally found something He Lingji couldn’t do. She thought he was good at everything—but here he was, learning something new.

She couldn’t help resting her chin on his shoulder. “Why’d you suddenly want to learn drawing?”

He Lingji lightly ran his fingers over her ankle, tracing the three loops of red thread without hurry. “Naturally, it’s because…”

“Whatever Mrs. He wants to get tattooed—Mr. He will personally draw it for her.”

Qin Mang had wanted to seriously discuss art with him.

But the next second—

He breathed beside her ear.

His cool, deep voice gained a magnetic edge: “There’s still water on your body—”
“You didn’t dry off.”

At first, Qin Mang didn’t get it. She had blow-dried her hair—how could she not be dry?

Then, after a few seconds—

Her pale cheeks flushed crimson. She curled up suddenly.

Ahhhh!
Shameless dog of a man!!!

The once quiet study was now—

Filled with indulgent passion, blazing color, and tantalizing warmth.

Qin Mang was too embarrassed to say a single word.

Yet today, He Lingji actually wanted to chat. For example—

He picked up the red liner pen again, letting it hover over her snow-white skin. “So, Mrs. He, what kind of tattoo would you like tonight?”

Qin Mang’s lashes fluttered. She felt there was something deeper in his words. To stop him from getting any naughty ideas, she struck first.

The girl grabbed his wrist and gave it a little shake. “Be serious.”

Prompted by Mrs. He, He Lingji obediently became “serious”—

The red liner pen slipped from between his fingers and fell onto the desk.

Qin Mang glanced sideways, slightly relieved—
But the next moment, her eyes widened and she instinctively bit his pale neck.

*Too* serious.

Night deepened. In her drowsiness, Qin Mang didn’t notice He Lingji pick up the pen that had nearly fallen from the desk again.

**Fire.**

**The next morning—**
The couples reality show officially began filming.

Besides He Lingji and Qin Mang, the show also featured:

* The most popular male and female internet celebrities,
* A pair of well-known actors in their thirties, married for ten years,
* And a national superstar couple, married for over twenty years.

The production team had clearly gone all out.

Four couples, all of whom hold significant positions.
Let’s take a look at what’s in store.
According to netizens’ guesses, the top-tier couple should be the newlywed sweethearts, and the other two pairs are long-time married couples. As for Qin Mang and He Lingji, no one could guess them.
But someone raised a point:
“It must have been difficult for Qin Mang to become Mrs. He. It must have been hard to win his heart.”

The entertainment industry’s top little temptress and the abstinent celestial deity—this kind of couple pairing clearly shows who’s more proactive. It’s obvious.
Speculations are running wild online.

As the current hottest reality show format, the first episode naturally focuses on each couple’s daily life. For instance, the format is the kind most people enjoy, with random live broadcasts of half an hour during the recording. This increases audience engagement. When the show airs officially, there will also be more promotion.
In short, each of the four couples has something to offer. Viewers are switching between all four live streams with excitement.

When they see Qin Mang and He Lingji’s live stream showing a grand, luxurious palace-like building, they almost thought they were watching a meticulously edited, high-society drama.
This is the real rich family.

When the camera enters the hall, viewers start to feel a sense of familiarity, since the last time Qin Mang recorded her solo reality show, it was also here.
“I finally understand why they didn’t show the exterior last time. If they had, it would definitely have been exposed!”
“In the crowded city of Deep City, to have such a large building is not just about wealth—this is definitely a family with deep heritage. No wonder it’s the He family.”
“By the way, we still don’t know Qin Mang’s family background. Is it true that it was a business marriage?”
“Business marriage? Clearly, she’s the Cinderella who joined the wealthy family!”
“Wait, I remember Qin Mang saying before that she had a gemstone collection room when she was a child. Which Cinderella grows up in a room full of gems?”

“He Lingji has appeared!”
“Eh, why is only the deity here?”
“Woo, even in loungewear, the deity looks handsome. How do I even deal with this? Even his messy hair looks casually sexy!”
“Mr. He, where’s your wife?”
“Bring your wife out, I want to see some couple affection!!!”
“Damn, family, did you see the mark on the deity’s neck…?”
“Is that a bite mark?”
“Aaaaaaah! This is what I deserve for waking up at 6 AM to watch the live stream!”

Although there are cameras around, He Lingji doesn’t care at all.
He doesn’t even seem interested in greeting the viewers in the live stream. The production team can’t force him to chat either.
They can only awkwardly keep filming.

Luckily, He Lingji’s face is so captivating that even random shots make a strong impression on the viewers. Now, with live action, he’s making coffee.
His long, slender fingers exude a sense of noble elegance.
It’s like each shot is a beautiful piece of art.
So even without saying anything, the live stream audience keeps growing.

The audience can’t feel it, but the staff on-site can clearly feel the pressure. They silently pray for Qin Mang to show up soon!

At this moment, in the master bedroom. Unaware of what’s happening outside, Qin Mang groggily opens her eyes and notices the bed next to hers is empty as usual.
While washing up,
she feels like she’s forgotten something. But when she thinks about it, her mind is filled with the scene from last night in the study, where everything was shaky.

Qin Mang doesn’t look at the mirror, nor does she notice her appearance reflected in it.
It’s all He Lingji’s fault!
The more she thinks about it, the angrier she gets. She’s so spoiled by He Lingji that she can’t stand even the slightest grievance.

The girl, wearing a long, frost-white silk nightgown that reaches her ankles, the slender straps outlining her delicate shoulder and neck, didn’t even bother to wipe her face as she angrily lifted her skirt and ran out of the master bedroom. Her first sight was of the man standing at the corridor entrance:

“He Lingji!”
“You did this!”

At this moment, the camera downstairs moves.
A red line tattoo on Qin Mang’s snow-white, delicate ankle flashes briefly in the camera before it shifts to her overly beautiful face.
In the camera, on both sides of her cheeks, three drawn cat whiskers are visible, faintly tinted with pink.
But she’s still angry. Despite her stunning features, she’s somehow extremely cute.

The next moment,
everyone hears the previously silent and composed man finally speak:
“What did I do?”

Qin Mang doesn’t even look at the situation downstairs. Holding onto the elegant light gold railing, she shouts,
“You did it five times last night!!!”

Boom!
The staff on-site and viewers in the live stream let out their first wolf howl of the day!
Aaaaah! Can they even hear this?!!!

Qin Mang realizes what she’s just said. Stiffening her slender neck, she looks down…
And sees the production staff scattered around the large living room, along with… several cameras pointed at her.

Qin Mang’s pupils dilate as her first reaction is:
Great. Now the whole world knows they did it five times last night.

Her second reaction:
“Cut that out!”