Chapter 110: Is This Man Crazy Today?
As Gu Hanling’s warm breath brushed against her ear, Shen Xi’s breathing hitched. Looking at the handsome face so close to her, she lightly bit her lip, her heart filled with conflict.
Setting aside his wealth and background, just his face alone was enough to make countless women throw themselves at him.
But Shen Xi had no such desire. Yet, at the same time, she didn’t feel disgusted or repulsed either. And that was strange. She couldn’t figure out why, she just felt less and less like her old self.
Her past life seemed like a long dream, one she had spent over twenty years living in.
After struggling with her thoughts for a moment, she remembered she had something to discuss with him. Testing the waters, she spoke up.
"I need to add one more thing. Tomorrow, I have to livestream in here. It’s part of the filming schedule."
"Do as you please."
Gu Hanling’s tone was indifferent, as if he couldn’t care less. A livestream? It didn’t matter to him, even if she wanted to tear this place down and sell it, he wouldn't care. As long as she was happy, especially when it was work-related, he wouldn’t interfere.
Hearing his immediate agreement, Shen Xi suddenly felt nervous. She took a deep breath and slowly leaned toward his face.
As the last few centimeters remained, she shut her eyes tightly and, like a little chick pecking at grains, gave him the quickest, lightest kiss on the lips before pulling away in a flash.
When she opened her eyes again, her heart was pounding like a drum. She felt like she had just done something incredibly daring. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was gasping for breath.
This time, she wasn’t drunk. She wasn’t in a daze from a fever. She had fully experienced everything, completely sober. And what’s more, she had been the one to initiate it.
"That’s it?"
Gu Hanling almost laughed out loud. He reached out, cupped her cheeks, and gave them a gentle squeeze, making her lips pout involuntarily.
"Mmph…!"
Shen Xi grabbed his wrists, twisted her body, and quickly hopped off his lap. Taking a few steps back, she panted slightly and stammered.
"We agreed, it was just one kiss! I… I’m going to bed!"
Gu Hanling chuckled softly.
"Xixi, are you shy?"
As soon as Shen Xi took a few steps, she froze at his words. Her competitive spirit instantly flared up.
She turned around, planted her hands on her hips, and scoffed,
"Hah! ‘Shy’ isn’t even in my vocabulary!"
"Whoever’s shy is a... coward..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller because she saw Gu Hanling’s tall figure standing up and slowly walking toward her.
Instinctively, she took several steps back. Then, realizing she was playing with fire, she turned around and tried to run. She had lit the fuse, now she wanted to escape before it exploded.
But with her short little legs, how could she possibly outrun Gu Hanling’s long strides? Before she could run even a few steps, the man grabbed her and tossed her on the bed.
"Ah—wait, wait—!"
Before she could react, she landed on the soft bed with a bounce.
The delicate strap of her nightgown slipped off her shoulder, and the hem of her dress bunched up dangerously high on her thighs, almost exposing too much.
Still dizzy from the sudden motion, she barely had time to process when Gu Hanling’s towering figure loomed over her like an unshakable mountain, completely trapping her beneath him.
"B-Big Brother! Let’s talk this out!"
She pressed her small hands against his firm chest, trying to push him away. But her struggles were insignificant against his nearly six-foot-three height.
Gu Hanling ignored her protests, lowering himself toward her. Panicking, Shen Xi turned her face away, her heart pounding wildly as alarm bells rang in her head.
‘Crap, crap, crap! He’s lost his mind today, someone save me!’
Then, his fingers gently cupped her cheeks, forcing her to face him. As he watched her tightly closed eyelids, a soft smile touched his lips.
He lowered his head, his breath warm against her skin, and claimed her lips with a tender kiss.
At first, Shen Xi clenched her lips shut, her hands still pushing against his chest, trying to resist.
But his strength was perfectly measured. Not too forceful, yet impossible to escape.
His kiss was different this time. It was slow, gentle, and lingering. As if he was savoring every moment, tasting her bit by bit.
Little by little, the resistance beneath him weakened, and her breathing became unsteady. His kiss deepened as he gently pried her lips apart.
"Mmm..."
Feeling the undeniable dominance in his touch, she instinctively shut her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her mind went completely blank, and before she knew it, her tongue hesitantly responded.
His large hand slowly moved downward, sending a cool sensation over her skin, making her body shiver slightly. That chill pulled her back to reality in an instant.
Her small hands clutched tightly at the already short hem of her nightgown, refusing to let it rise any further.
Gu Hanling’s lips curled into a subtle smile, but he didn’t push forward. After all, food should be eaten bite by bite, and warm water should heat up slowly.
When he finally let go, he leaned back beside her, watching the dazed look still lingering in her eyes. His smile deepened. He gently pinched her flushed cheeks.
"Now that’s what I call a kiss. Got it?"
"......"
Shen Xi was speechless. Her breathing was still uneven, and with a seductive look she wasn’t even aware of, she shot him a glare.
Then, huffing in frustration, she grabbed the thin blanket beside her and wrapped herself up like a little burrito.
Turning her back to him, she lay on her side, refusing to acknowledge the man who had just bullied her.
Gu Hanling chuckled softly at her adorable reaction.
He had the power to keep her locked away in this foreign estate, to take whatever he wanted, to make her completely his.
But he wouldn’t do that. If Shi Jingyan could win her heart fairly, then resorting to actions he himself found despicable would only make him appear less worthy than that Shi person.
………………………………………
The next afternoon,
Shen Xi found a vacant room in the villa with great sunlight and set it up for her livestream.
Most celebrities had studios or agencies, with assistants handling all the technical details.
But she was on her own. Fortunately, with her past life's experience as a man and her natural skill for electronics, she had everything set up in less than ten minutes. Adjusting the settings, logging into the production team’s verified account, and positioning the equipment perfectly.
The official production account on Weibo had already posted a teaser, and with the theme song gaining some attention, the show was getting a small wave of hype.
Even though Shen Xi wasn’t the lead actress, the number of viewers skyrocketed as soon as she started the livestream.
Comments flooded in:
[Hey! Where do you think you’re running, Snake Spirit?!]
[Turn off the beauty filter! You’re already way too thin!]
…………………………………
Shen Xi only then noticed how she looked on the screen, her naturally delicate and petite face had been distorted by the beauty filter, stretched into an exaggeratedly sharp and long "snake spirit face."
"Oops, my bad! This is my first time livestreaming."
She quickly turned off all the filters, instantly restoring her natural appearance.
[You look even prettier without the filter!]
[You really love going barefaced, huh? Still absolutely gorgeous, so fresh and pure!]
…………………………………
There were still a few minutes before the group livestream with the production team. Since Shen Xi wasn’t very active online, viewers were extra curious about her. Questions poured in, and she could only pick a few to answer.
"Yep, I usually don’t wear makeup, just some lipstick now and then."
"My scenes have already wrapped up, so I’m currently on vacation abroad."
"Hmm? Do I have a boyfriend..."
Just as she was about to answer, the group livestream invitation popped up. Without hesitation, she clicked to join.
The screen immediately split, showing the other people, Zhong Wei, Zheng Shuangshuang, Director Feng, and the rest. They all greeted each other, and the livestream room instantly became lively.
The host wasn’t on camera but guided the session as a voice-over.
"Hello everyone, I’m Shen Xi. In ‘Landscape is Like a Painting’, I play Mu Xue."
She smiled at the camera and introduced herself as part of the flow.
[Brother Wei, I want to have your babies!]
[Sister Mu Xue is so beautiful!]
…………………………………
With all the actors’ fans gathered in one place, the group livestream turned out to be quite entertaining.
Just then, there was a soft knock on Shen Xi’s door before it was pushed open. A deep, magnetic male voice followed,
"There’s a banquet tonight. Come pick a dress."
Shen Xi turned around in surprise and saw Gu Hanling standing behind her. The phone’s camera was positioned low, only capturing his long legs.
Before she could react, the comment section exploded:
[Holy crap! This guy’s voice is amazing.]
[Shen Xi’s boyfriend?!]
…………………………………
She quickly covered the camera, knowing that the man disliked appearing in public media. Then, she turned to Gu Hanling, a hint of panic in her eyes as she lowered her voice,
"Big brother, I’m livestreaming. They’re all asking about our relationship now."
She raised an eyebrow, silently asking how he wanted to respond.
Gu Hanling’s lips curled into an amused smile, his tone casual and teasing,
"Oh? How about we make this official? You name the terms."
Shen Xi rolled her eyes. Since he looked completely unbothered and was even joking about it, she decided to play along.
She removed her hand from the camera, revealing a flood of question marks on the screen. Shen Xi replied with a smile.
"He’s not my boyfriend."
She was about to clarify that they were just ordinary friends, but for some reason, she paused for a brief moment before unexpectedly blurting out,
"He’s my husband."
The comment section instantly went wild. Only Director Feng remained calm, mentally shaking his head and thinking, Look at all of you acting like you’ve never seen the world before.
[What?! Mu Xue is married?!]
[No way! She just became an adult, and now she’s already a wife? Too soon!]
[That guy’s voice is incredible! Is he in the industry? A voice actor, maybe?]
…………………………………
Shen Xi looked at the comments, and for some reason, her smile became even more relaxed.
"That’s right, I’m married."