Chapter 96: Too Close!
Shen Xi was startled and instinctively pulled up the towel wrapped around her chest.
She had only wanted to sleep comfortably, just like in her past life, without any clothes. Who would’ve thought that at this late hour, someone would suddenly push the door open?
She looked toward the door. No one in the villa would dare enter her private room at night except for one person.
Sure enough, standing at the doorway was Gu Hanling, dressed in a black silk pajama set with the collar slightly open. In his hand was a small black box.
His gaze instinctively swept over her long, fair legs, which were mostly exposed. Then, his eyes moved upward.
A few damp strands of hair clung to her delicate collarbone, carrying an inexplicable allure.
Wherever his gaze landed, her skin seemed to heat up slightly.
Feeling uneasy about wearing absolutely nothing underneath, Shen Xi had the urge to step back. But she suppressed the urge to back down, retreating now would make her seem weak.
"B-Big Brother... it’s really late. Do you need something? I wasn’t making any noise to bother you, was I?" she asked, trying to sound calm.
Gu Hanling didn’t respond. Instead, he walked in naturally and closed the door behind him.
At the sound of the door clicking shut, Shen Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
The man approached her slowly. With each step, the loose collar of his pajama top shifted, revealing glimpses of his toned chest.
She had to admit, Gu Hanling was an incredibly attractive man, radiating a kind of raw, masculine appeal. But that was only for other women.
Her heartbeat quickened. She suddenly regretted coming back to the villa just for a decent meal.
Wait… could this guy be doing this on purpose? Is he fishing, waiting for her to take the bait?
As the distance between them shrank to just a few steps, Gu Hanling suddenly tossed the black box toward her.
Shen Xi instinctively reached out with both hands to catch it.
And in that moment, the towel that had been barely secured around her chest slipped down!
Cool air brushed against her bare skin.
Panic surged through her as she quickly crossed her arms over her chest, using one hand to grip the towel and keep it from falling further. She had nearly exposed herself completely!
A mixture of embarrassment and anger welled up within her, she cursed inwardly,
‘Gu Hanling, you bastard. This was definitely on purpose!!!’
After re-wrapping the towel tightly around herself, Shen Xi glanced up and saw a faint smile on the man's lips. She shot him a glare.
"What is this? You just threw it over without warning, I almost…"
"Open it."
Gu Hanling’s voice was calm, as if nothing had just happened.
Hearing that, Shen Xi lowered her head and looked at the box in her hands. The words "Verification Device – Not for Sale" were printed on it.
Carefully unwrapping the package, she found a device inside, slightly thicker than a regular smartphone.
She picked it up and felt its cool, smooth surface. It was a four-fold "phone", just like the one Gu Hanling used.
Except… the color… Pink? A very bold and macho choice.
"Is this for me?"
Shen Xi asked in surprise, feeling a little inexplicably happy.
Being tech-savvy, she quickly found the power button and turned it on.
"Mm. The cost will be deducted from your salary."
Shen Xi’s face instantly darkened. She hurriedly put the phone away and handed it back to him.
"Forget it, take it back. I don’t want it anymore!"
But Gu Hanling didn’t take the phone. Instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
Shen Xi instinctively backed away. Until her back hit the cold wall. Nowhere to run. Her hands unconsciously clutched the towel tighter as she cursed in her mind,
‘Damn it! Of course, nothing from a capitalist comes for free!’
Gu Hanling acted as if he didn’t notice her nervousness and continued moving closer. His tall figure loomed over her like a mountain, completely engulfing her in his shadow.
With one strong arm propped against the wall beside her ear, he leaned in, looking down at her with deep, unreadable eyes.
Shen Xi could barely breathe, he was so close that she could even feel his body heat brushing against her fine hairs.
Her cheeks flushed slightly. She turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze.
Wait… is this… a kabedon?
She had fantasized countless times in her past life about a guy cornering a girl like this.
Who would’ve thought that today, she would be the one getting kabedon?!
Indeed… this is impressive! Coach Gu, I want to learn this!
Surrounded by the overwhelming presence of masculinity, Shen Xi subconsciously swallowed, then cleared her throat.
"Um… Mr. Gu, you're standing a little too close..."
Her words fell into silence. The man didn’t react at all. Instead, he leaned in even closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear, sending a tingling sensation down her spine.
No way… not again!
Shen Xi's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she pressed her lips together and tightly shut her eyes, bracing herself as if preparing for the inevitable.
Ugh! Just get it over with! A kiss now or later, it’s happening either way. No point in running.
Time passed, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, but the kiss didn't happen.
Shen Xi then slowly opened her eyes and found that the man in front of her was just looking at her face with a slight smile.
"The floor is cold. Don’t walk around barefoot."
A deep, magnetic voice whispered in her ear. And just like that, he straightened up and turned away, leaving without another word.
As the warmth of his presence faded, Shen Xi just stood there, completely dumbfounded.
???
She stared at Gu Hanling’s retreating figure as he disappeared through the doorway. After a long moment, she finally snapped out of it and couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
"Seriously? If you had something to say, just say it! Why make it seem like you were about to… ahem, never mind."
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
After finalizing her costume for the drama, Shen Xi threw herself into intense training. Every day was packed, leaving her with no time to think about anything else, but she genuinely enjoyed the sense of fulfillment.
The best part? She hadn't run into the male or female leads for an entire month.
She later found out that Lin Yueyue’s idol drama had premiered and had become a massive hit among younger audiences. The actress was busy with variety show appearances, and once again, Shen Xi couldn’t help but marvel at how lucky the male and female leads always seemed to be.
Of course, that didn’t stop them from constantly flaunting their love and subtly guiding fans to bash her online as the "homewrecker."
If it were the original Shen Xi, she would have fallen into darkness, scheming daily to ruin the female lead, only to dig her own grave in the process.
But now? Shen Xi couldn’t care less. She simply ignored it. She was far too busy to waste time arguing with the female lead’s fans on social media.
In between training sessions, she also managed to complete her jewelry design drafts. Since she was merely recreating designs from her past-life memories, it hardly took any effort.
Sure enough, the luxury jewelry collaboration between Gu Corporation and the European royal family quickly topped the trending charts.
The designer’s name? Susie.
But per Shen Xi’s request, there was no connection to her real identity, keeping the mystery intact. Otherwise, the entire world would soon know she was married to Gu Hanling.
Once the truth comes out, the more glamorous she seems while relying on the man during the contract period, the more miserable she’ll be after the divorce.
That’s why she had to take advantage of the present and build as much capital as possible on her own. She couldn't afford to let people say she was nothing without a man.
Jewelry design was one way forward, but she only had a handful of world-class designs in her memory, each one as powerful as a trump card that could dominate the industry. Unless it was needed, she wouldn’t create another.
Today was the first official day of filming.
It was an outdoor shoot, and she had a scene to perform.
She would be playing Mu Xue in disguise as a man, executing an assassination. The scene required her to descend from a high place using wirework, facing the camera directly, meaning no stunt doubles.
That was precisely why she had undergone such extensive training.
The only exception? The female lead.
As a top-tier actress with a packed schedule, she only showed up for a few hours before rushing off to other gigs. Everything else was handled by a stunt double. But of course, her paycheck still remained in the eight-figure range.
Shen Xi didn’t feel the least bit envious.
After all, Susie had just made 20 million herself. Hehe.
During the shoot.
Shen Xi executed the wirework scene smoothly, landing perfectly without any unnecessary movements. One take.
The director called, “Cut!”
After a month of training together, she had become close with one of the supporting actresses, Lin Xiaoxiao, who came running over excitedly.
"Xixi! I can’t believe that was your first time doing wirework in an actual shoot! Weren’t you scared of the height? I was terrified!"
Shen Xi simply smiled. A real man doesn’t fear heights!
Since she hadn’t brought an assistant, Shen Xi returned to her own chair alone.
Digging into her bag, she pulled out her pink phone and noticed a new message waiting for her.
"Huh?"
To her surprise, it was from her “big boss”, who hadn’t contacted her in a whole month.
It was just a single sticker, a crying capybara emoji, with a message that read:
[Are you there? I miss you.]
"Eh?"
"EH?!!!" ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!