OSTF - 21

The warm, dim night light in the room cast a small glow.

He Xingwang stood in place, his eyes slightly squinted, the corners of his eyes a bit red. Under the dusky light, there was suddenly a hint of ethereal charm about him.

It made one involuntarily recall the photos fans posted online of him, where He Xingwang on the field seemed godlike.

Descending to Earth was but a delusion.

Chi Suisui was thus captivated.

She unexpectedly collided with him all of a sudden.

When she placed her hand on his shoulder, He Xingwang was still about to ask what was wrong, but his next action blocked him from doing so.

His lips suddenly felt soft, mingled with a fresh scent.

A fleeting touch.

The corridor returned to silence once more; the moonlight at the far end only fell on the windowsill, making this side even darker.

“Chi Suisui.” After a long while, He Xingwang called out.

Chi Suisui snapped back to reality, trying her best to steady her breathing. She leaned her back against the wall by the door, appearing somewhat nonchalant.

She withdrew her hand from his shoulder, and among countless questions, only one remained: “Why did you come back tonight?”

“Is this really the time to discuss that?”

He Xingwang lowered his gaze, staring at her.

Chi Suisui also looked at him. After a while, her fingertips touched his robe, “You should put your clothes on properly first. People might think I undid them.”

All because of his captivating appearance.

Chi Suisui even conspiratorially thought he had deliberately waited by the door, deliberately let her see him, and deliberately provoked her to lose control.

He Xingwang glanced down and pursed his lips.

He had gotten up to get some water; the disarray of his robe was not something he cared about. He opened the door upon hearing footsteps outside.

And just like that, he saw Chi Suisui.

He Xingwang casually pulled his robe together. He exercised regularly and had a great physique, like a perfect coat hanger. The thin layer of his robe barely concealed anything.

Chi Suisui recalled Dr. Song’s words.

She lightly coughed, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Though Chi Suisui found this development too magical, it was ultimately her who initiated it, so she couldn’t say much.

Her gaze fixed on his face, and she couldn’t help but smile faintly.

He Xingwang furrowed his brows.

“What should I say? That as soon as I opened the door—”

“Don’t move.”

“...”

Chi Suisui interrupted him, pointing to the corner of his lips, “There’s lipstick there. Go wipe it off, then goodnight.”

He Xingwang gently rubbed it with his thumb.

The lipstick mark on his thumb wasn’t obvious in the dark, but it could be seen.

This casual, unhurried gesture of a man appeared to Chi Suisui like a model in an advertisement.

She touched her own lips and sighed.

The signature left earlier had disappeared without a trace. Now, her palm was smooth and clean.

“Chi Suisui,” He Xingwang spoke.

“Hmm?” Chi Suisui looked up at him.

There was a height difference between the two. Since she changed into slippers, there was even more disparity, and she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.

Today, she wore a dress that clung tightly to her figure, accentuating her delicate curves, her beautiful eyes looking up at him.

He Xingwang’s Adam’s apple moved.

Tempting yet clear.

Chi Suisui’s gaze dropped, seeing his rolling Adam’s apple, and suddenly found it quite interesting. She extended her index finger and pressed it.

It was hard, yet had a unique texture.

This action seemed like a signal, causing He Xingwang to slightly frown. By the time Chi Suisui realized it, she had already been pulled over by the waist.

She was entirely drawn into the room.

Regardless of the heartbeat beneath her fingertips, her lips were inexplicably captured, making her eyes widen in surprise, feeling an overwhelming tingling sensation.

The strength around her waist prevented her from breaking free.

The next morning, the sunlight was bright.

Chi Suisui opened her eyes, dazed for half a minute before fully waking up. Looking around, she confirmed she was indeed in her own room.

She unconsciously pursed her lips.

Last night, she and He Xingwang didn’t do much, just shared a kiss. As for how she ended up back here, she couldn’t quite remember.

Her strapless nightgown slightly protruded, revealing a beautiful pair of butterfly bones.

Chi Suisui sat on the bed lost in thought for a dozen seconds when her phone vibrated. There was a message from Su Mian on WeChat.

Su Mian: [Boss Chi, are you there?]

Chi Suisui tapped her finger and replied with a hum.

Su Mian’s reply came quickly: [You’re late this morning. I’ve already asked for a half-day leave for you from the director. Can you come in the afternoon?]

Chi Suisui’s gaze fixed on the time displayed above her phone.

9:50 AM.

She had indeed overslept.

This was the first time Chi Suisui had slept in, and without setting an alarm on her phone. Presumably, she was too confused when she came back last night to remember.

She replied: [I’ll come in the afternoon.]

After replying to Su Mian, Chi Suisui went to wash up.

Although He Xingwang had held her and kissed her for a long time last night, there was no sign of it now, as if it never happened.

Chi Suisui unknowingly curved her lips.

After washing up, she washed her hands. Her interlaced fingers were clean, whereas they previously bore He Xingwang’s name.

Chi Suisui suddenly remembered that during her shower, the name hadn’t completely faded until it was washed away by the water.

If Su Mian knew about it, she would probably scream wildly again.

Upon going downstairs, Chi Suisui realized He Xingwang had already left. His sudden return from the Shooting Sports Center was unclear.

Could it be that he just came back to let her kiss him?

With a bit of confusion, Chi Suisui went to the TV station.

A new week, a new beginning. Su Mian was always full of energy: “We just had a meeting this morning. This week’s tasks have been assigned. Boss Chi, check your email.”

Chi Suisui said, “Okay.”

Their department’s reporters were diverse; they weren’t specialized economic reporters. The neighboring department interviewed CEOs every day.

There was only one name in the email.

Lin Jingmu.

Below was a brief introduction. He was an actor who debuted as an idol and recently announced a new idol drama.

Although Chi Suisui didn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, she had heard this name before, and he was still relatively well-known.

“Who are you interviewing, Boss Chi?”

“Lin Jingmu.”

Hearing this name, Su Mian was taken aback and questioned, “This shouldn’t be yours. During the meeting, this was assigned to Zhang Yueran.”

“Zhang Yueran?”

Chi Suisui narrowed her eyes and turned to look.

Coincidentally, Zhang Yueran was also looking over, giving a faint smile.

“Yes, the director already assigned everyone’s interview subjects during the meeting. Zhang Yueran is supposed to interview Lin Jingmu.” Su Mian immediately sensed something was off: “Did she intentionally change the interviewee?”

“Who was originally assigned?” Chi Suisui asked.

Su Mian mentioned another celebrity, who was more famous than Lin Jingmu and garnered more attention online.

Chi Suisui raised an eyebrow: “Let her handle it.”

Su Mian said, “How can she be like this?”

Chi Suisui replied, “Her interviews may not necessarily be easier than ours in the end.”

Hearing her say this, Su Mian blinked: “Boss Chi, do you have any insider information? I want to hear it too.”

“Can’t tell.”

“Teasing us.”

The two bantered for a bit.

Chi Suisui didn’t have specific requirements for whom to interview. As a journalist, one must be prepared to interview anyone. However, the director’s decision made her narrow her eyes.

Probably to balance the two of them.

Zhang Yueran’s skills weren’t bad; otherwise, the director wouldn’t have kept her initially.

The previous incident involving He Xingwang’s interview had put Chi Suisui above Zhang Yueran. If Zhang Yueran requested a switch this time, it was understandable for the director to agree.

Such is the workplace.

“However, Boss Chi, I need to tell you some insider information.” Su Mian shared a Weibo post with Chi Suisui on WeChat.

It was about a scandal concerning Lin Jingmu.

Some photos posted by marketing accounts showed Lin Jingmu and the female lead of his recent idol drama being photographed together after its announcement.

To Chi Suisui’s surprise, the comments were overwhelmingly negative. The incident happened half a month ago, but the latest comments were still cursing the woman.

Su Mian said, “He has a lot of fan-girls, and they are very aggressive. The actress was scolded all day last time until Lin Jingmu clarified the situation.”

“Cleared up later?”

Chi Suisui keenly caught these words.

“The next day.” Su Mian recalled, “They cursed her on the trending topics for a whole day, and then the clarification trended for another day.”

She pouted, “Is it that hard to write a clarification statement?”

Perhaps Zhang Yueran pushed this interview onto Chi Suisui for this reason. Anyway, Chi Suisui was now set to conduct the interview.

Chi Suisui noted this.

She was very sensitive to information about the people she interviewed. Although the director gave them simple questions to ask, she required herself to understand more background.

Seeing her deep in thought, Su Mian casually said, “Boss Chi, don’t get mistaken for a scandal subject when you go.”

“What’s there to take pictures of me as a journalist?”

Chi Suisui smiled faintly.

News journalists being photographed by entertainment reporters would be quite amusing.

“You’re beautiful,” Su Mian saw her radiant smile and got distracted. Their Boss Chi looked incredibly stunning when she smiled.

Not only beautiful, but also exuding nonchalance.

If paparazzi secretly took photos, she suspected Boss Chi would directly walk over and scold them with a few sharp words.

Chi Suisui prepared for this interview for a whole day.

On Tuesday afternoon, she went to the filming set of Lin Jingmu with the photographer girl. He was currently shooting on set.

Speaking of which, one of Chi Suisui’s friends was a fan of an idol in the same entertainment company as Lin Jingmu. Previously, during a talent show, she posted on her social media every day and even paid someone to vote for her little idol.

Other fans pooled money together, but her friend managed to push her little idol to the front row with her efforts. Unfortunately, he still didn’t debut in the end.

Furious, her friend ranted on social media about the terrible company.

Before coming, Chi Suisui called Lin Jingmu’s agent. When the agent wasn’t available, she transferred the call to the assistant and scheduled for today’s afternoon.

The assistant was a round-faced girl, slightly plump, and looked very blessed.

Earlier, Su Mian told Chi Suisui that this assistant was hired after Lin Jingmu’s fans drove away the previous pretty young assistant.

“Lin Ge is busy right now. Would reporter Chi mind waiting for a bit?” The assistant spoke softly, “It should take about ten minutes.”

“Okay.”

She poured two cups of water for Chi Suisui and the photographer, then left.

The photographer girl said, “The assistant seems nice. Hopefully, he’s easygoing too. It’d be tough to interview if he isn’t.”

Chi Suisui took a sip of tea, “It’s fine.”

Filming on set was quite different from what was seen on TV. Many filters simply disappeared, and the wirework in ancient costume idol dramas looked somewhat comical.

After watching for ten minutes, the assistant led them to the rest area.

Lin Jingmu was sitting on the couch. In the rest area, there was a tablet playing news interviews Chi Suisui had conducted.

“Reporter Chi.”

“Mr. Lin.”

Chi Suisui nodded, her gaze immediately falling on the tablet.

“I watched your previous interviews beforehand to avoid any issues.” Lin Jingmu spoke warmly, smiling.

His fans adored this persona of his.

As he finished speaking, Lin Jingmu noticed she seemed a bit more radiant. Her beauty rivaled even some of the actresses he had met in the industry.

Her lively eyebrows and eyes were especially beautiful.

Lin Jingmu, usually unfazed by the many faces in the entertainment circle, was now captivated and couldn’t help but fix his gaze on her face.

He was moved: “Reporter Chi?”

Chi Suisui retracted her gaze, calmly and professionally asking, “Mr. Lin, can we start the interview now?”

As if her previous radiance was all an illusion.

Lin Jingmu followed her previous gaze to the tablet, where last Friday’s interview was playing, showing He Xingwang’s stern face clearly.

Obviously, her gaze was fixed on that face.

Half of Lin Jingmu’s gentle smile vanished, and his gaze towards Chi Suisui became more complex.

“Reporter Chi, let’s begin.”