Jiang Mian’s lips, still cold and soft, had barely touched his when the phone rang, jarringly out of place.
She blinked, the courage that had just surfaced dissipating. Recognizing the ringtone as Ji Zhixiu’s, she murmured softly, “You should take it first.”
Ji Zhixiu lowered his gaze, remaining silent, his eyes fixed on her head.
Jiang Mian felt inexplicably nervous, as if she were being seen through. Why was he looking at her like that? It wasn’t even her phone.
Seeing Ji Zhixiu’s inaction, Jiang Mian looked up and urged him, “Hurry up and answer!”
Ji Zhixiu, his expression blank, picked up his phone and answered, “Mom.”
Jiang Mian couldn’t guess what was being said on the other end as she cautiously glanced at his expression.
She pouted, then lowered her eyelids, picking up Ji Zhixiu’s other hand to fiddle with.
The man’s palm was broad, his fingers with their distinct knuckles, the veins on the back of his hand clearly visible. Jiang Mian immediately noticed he had very fair skin. It was the kind of pale that evoked envy.
She compared her own hand to his and realized Ji Zhixiu’s palm was so much larger than hers. It could completely envelop her hand.
Jiang Mian, with a playful curiosity, placed her fingers on his pulse. She had learned a bit about pulse-taking from an old TCM doctor on set recently and felt the urge to practice.
The man’s pulse was strong. After listening for a while, Jiang Mian couldn’t discern anything else.
She deflated, her body sinking slightly. Pouting, she looked up and unexpectedly met his gaze. Ji Zhixiu had already hung up the phone at some point.
And she, lost in her own world, had only just realized it.
Jiang Mian blushed, “Why are you looking at me?”
Ji Zhixiu’s dark eyes gazed at her, utterly captivated by her every little expression. He thought to himself, “Did you figure anything out?”
To be seen through like this, Jiang Mian’s hand loosened, intending to pull away, but was immediately held firmly by the man, resisting all attempts to escape. “No… nothing.”
What could she possibly figure out? She wasn’t even a dabbler.
“A heart rate below sixty beats per minute is bradycardia, and over a hundred is tachycardia. When I’m with you, my heart rate never drops below a hundred,” he said, his voice low and serious, each word striking Jiang Mian’s heart.
Jiang Mian’s heart pounded like a drum, her face flushing scarlet. The place his hand held her felt like it was burning.
The man’s deep voice resonated again, “I’m done with the call, let’s continue.”
“Continue what?” she asked, utterly bewildered.
“What we didn’t finish.”
Ji Zhixiu stared at her, his eyes dark and wolfish. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly as he leaned forward, his intentions obvious.
Jiang Mian felt an urge to laugh, surprised he still remembered.
The next second, her small hand hooked around his shoulder, their noses touching. The faint scent of cedarwood on him filled her nostrils, clean and intoxicating.
Jiang Mian kissed his lips, her soft tongue exploring inside.
A flicker of amusement crossed the man’s eyes, wanting to see how far the young girl could go.
Jiang Mian fumbled for a while, receiving no response. A little displeased, she began to pull away.
Ji Zhixiu felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Such little patience?
The next moment, the arm around her waist tightened inch by inch, forcing Jiang Mian’s soft body flush against him. Ji Zhixiu cupped the back of her head, skillfully pried open her teeth, and plunged in, unrestrained and daring.
What was intended as a fleeting touch turned into an insatiable craving.
With the young girl, his self-control always vanished.
It wasn’t until he had drained the last bit of air from her lungs that Ji Zhixiu finally released her.
Gazing at her flushed face, made even more breathtaking by her arousal, the man’s voice, thick with desire, hoarsely asked, “Here, or back to the room?”
Jiang Mian’s chest heaved unevenly, a seductive haze in her eyes, yet a sliver of reason remained. “Back to the room!”
Ji Zhixiu’s throat bobbed silently, his lower abdomen tightening. He firmly cupped her buttocks, lifting her onto the table, and recaptured her lips. “There’s no time.”
His fingertips slipped beneath her clothes, reaching around her back. Her smooth, supple skin felt like the finest silk.
Ji Zhixiu frowned, his voice rough, “Why are there no buttons?”
Jiang Mian’s breathing was ragged. The insecurity of her current position made her instinctively grip Ji Zhixiu’s arm. Hearing his question, she couldn't help but laugh.
“Where?”
Jiang Mian heard the urgency in his voice and could almost predict what would happen next. Overwhelmed by a surge of embarrassment, she covered her eyes and whispered, her voice both alluring and sexy, “Idiot… it’s the front buttons…”
…
Jiang Mian personally understood the meaning of the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” after their reunion.
Having not seen each other for nearly three months, Ji Zhixiu showed no restraint.
From downstairs to upstairs, Jiang Mian went from compliant to pleading, but none of it softened the man’s resolve.
It wasn't until Jiang Mian finally snapped, “Ji Zhixiu! If you do that one more time, we’re sleeping separately!”
She was completely exhausted. Every time he said it was the last time, the last time! This man was a complete liar!
Ji Zhixiu sighed, knowing he couldn’t push the young girl too far. He gently brushed the stray hairs from her forehead, “Then shall I carry you to the bath?”
Jiang Mian didn’t respond.
Ji Zhixiu looked again and realized the young girl had already fallen asleep.
When Jiang Mian woke up again, she was already wearing a different set of pajamas.
She felt refreshed, but when she tried to move her legs, she gasped in pain.
The feeling of her whole body having been through a vigorous workout was… exhilaratingly intense. Jiang Mian covered her forehead, unable to refrain from muttering a few curses at the man.
“Bastard! Beast!”
The bedside phone rang. Jiang Mian turned her head and fumbled for her phone.
The screen displayed Li Zhuyi’s name.
She answered, “Zhuyi.”
“Sister, have you seen the Weibo trending searches?”
Jiang Mian instinctively felt a bad premonition. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re trending. I just saw it too. Sister Ning checked and said marketing accounts started posting around one or two in the morning. No one paid attention at first. It only escalated this morning, and then we realized. But don’t worry, Sister Ning said she’s already got people working on it and will handle it. She asked me to let you know,” she explained the situation quickly.
Jiang Mian calmly replied, “Let me take a look, I’ll contact you later.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, she opened Weibo.
The topic about her was already at the top of the trending list.
#Talented Actress Jiang Mian Actually a Resource Whore#
#Jiang Mian, a Little Flower Cultivated by Capitalists#
#Jiang Mian’s Reputation Collapses#
Jiang Mian clicked on any of the hashtags. The pinned post was a long essay.
It detailed every drama Jiang Mian had participated in since her debut and analyzed why she was able to act alongside the Film King Song Xingjia.
Jiang Mian scanned it briefly and couldn’t help but laugh out of anger.
The analysis, seemingly logical and well-founded, was actually just malicious speculation and slander. Things completely without factual basis were being spouted with such conviction.
Jiang Mian didn’t look at the comments section. Some netizens were always prone to gossip, and she knew the comments wouldn’t be pleasant. There was no need to upset herself.
She scrolled through Weibo and immediately saw a statement released by her company.
“Our company strongly condemns the smear campaign against Ms. Jiang Mian and reserves the right to pursue legal action.”
A company seal was affixed below.
Soon after, the company reposted another Weibo.
Jiang Mian’s eyebrows twitched. This user ID was “Ye Da Ren.” She clicked on the repost and viewed the profile.
The certification read “President of Fanhua Company.” Jiang Mian pursed her lips; Fanhua was the name of her management agency.
If she wasn't mistaken, this must be Ye Yi’s account.
It seemed to have been created not long ago, with only a handful of followers.
The original post was just the one she had just made.
Ye Da Ren: 【Bullying someone I know?】
The cringey, chuunibyo-esque statement was strangely amusing.
At this moment.
In the office.
Ye Yi spun his pen and looked at Ye San, “Did you arrange what I asked you to?”
Ye San nodded, “I’ve already instructed the department to investigate and collect evidence by taking screenshots. Even if they delete it, we can still sue.”
Ye Yi nodded in satisfaction, “Good. By the way, how can I get more followers?”
His Weibo had so few followers, he couldn’t even speak up for Mianmian effectively.
Ye San was silent for a moment, then said, “Buy followers.”
“? Who wants fake followers? Fine, since you don’t know, you can leave. Oh, and let Ning Jie come in.”
“Yes.”
Soon, Ning Jie entered the office, “President Ye.”
Ye Yi beckoned her over, “Sit. Do you have anything to say about this matter?”
Ning Jie sat down. Her experience told her this was clearly a targeted attack on Jiang Mian.
That was her thought, and so she said it.
Ye Yi mused, “It’s pretty much what I thought.”
“But I’ll investigate who it is slowly. My current problem is, how can I get more followers on Weibo?”
His dark eyes fixed on Ning Jie with a look of earnest inquiry, eager to know.
Ning Jie paused. They say eyes are the window to the soul.
President Ye’s eyes were the cleanest and clearest she had ever seen, possessing a childlike innocence. Looking at his eyes alone, one would never guess he was a company president.
Nor could one imagine that this very person had yesterday reprimanded the planning department manager with such dismissive words that he was filled with shame and humiliation.
Faced with such eyes, it was hard to say no.
Ning Jie thought for a moment, “President Ye, you’re good-looking. Why don’t you sacrifice your appearance a little?”
“? What do you mean?”
“That is, post a few photos. We’ll buy a trending topic to promote it, using your looks to go viral. That’s the fastest way to gain followers,” Ning Jie explained.
Ye Yi stroked his chin. This was like becoming a visual influencer, but he didn’t want to show his face.
Seeing him contemplating, Ning Jie continued, “Besides this, I can’t think of anything else. This is a world that values looks, and this method is the simplest and most effective.”
After so many years, would anyone still recognize him?
Ye Yi fell into deep thought. After all, he was only five when he left…
He slammed his hand on the table, “Deal. Arrange for someone to do it now. I want to gain 200,000 followers tonight. That’s not too much, is it?”
He wanted not just 200,000 followers, but 200,000 active followers.
Ning Jie felt a mix of amusement and helplessness, “I can’t guarantee that, President Ye.”
“Has the trending topic been taken down?”
“It’s being removed.” Speaking of this, Ning Jie felt a twinge of self-reproach, “It was my carelessness. I should have realized Mianmian would be different after ‘Class Three of High School.’ There would definitely be many jealous people watching her.”
This was truly detrimental to her public image.
Ye Yi scoffed, “No need to guess, it must be the Luo Corporation.”
After all, no matter what dirty deed was done, blame it on them.