Chapter 38: Pure-hearted
Faced with the other man’s max-level mockery, He Ting stood rooted to the spot, his face red with anger.
What the hell did he mean by string bean? How was he a string bean?!
He also believed in keeping fit. He also had pecs and abs. It was just that his build was a little leaner than the other man’s, so how did that make him a string bean?!
Slander. Barefaced slander. No—it was defamation!
He’s defaming me! He’s defaming me!!!
He was so furious it was practically no different from dragging the other party straight into court on the spot.
Grinding his teeth, He Ting made it abundantly clear that he could accept someone hitting him, but he absolutely could not accept someone calling him a string bean!!
Glowering at Huo Beixing, He Ting snapped, “What kind of thing are you saying?!”
Huo Beixing couldn’t even be bothered to lift his eyelids. “The truth.”
He Ting: ……
Not only did Huo Beixing have no intention of apologizing, he grew even more arrogant.
The other man clearly couldn’t beat him. If that didn’t make him a string bean, then what did? And not just any string bean—a string bean coveting his wife.
If he hadn’t promised his wife not to go around starting fights outside, he’d have already pounded the man into the ground and sent him off to keep the marmots company.
Otherwise, would he still have the chance to shout at him now?
Wasn’t it all because he was too kind? That’s what Huo Beixing thought to himself, though he didn’t forget to declare his sovereignty either. “Even if you want to steal my wife, it’s useless, because my wife loves me more.”
Who do you think you are, trying to fight me for him?
As he said that, he grabbed the man and lifted him up in one motion, forcing him to look levelly at the bite mark on his neck.
There was still that irrepressible trace of foolish innocence in Huo Beixing’s tone, but He Ting was far too angry right now to think about the way he spoke.
Looking at the bite mark on Huo Beixing’s neck, he knew it had been left by An Yi.
An Yi must have struggled fiercely in the bathroom and bitten him.
Only then, hearing the man call him “wife” over and over, did He Ting finally come back to his senses. Some time ago, hadn’t there been news that something had happened to Huo Beixing and he’d entered into a marriage alliance?
Like he had suddenly seized on Huo Beixing’s weakness, He Ting said, “You’re married, and you still go around fooling with An Yi. Don’t you feel ashamed?”
Tilting his head, Huo Beixing asked, “If I don’t fool with him, who else am I supposed to fool with?”
He Ting: ……
What a shameless bastard of a scumbag.
He Ting said, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell your wife about you and An Yi?!”
Huo Beixing looked at him as though it were the most natural thing in the world, not the slightest bit afraid. “Why would I be afraid?”
He Ting: ?
Huo Beixing said, “An Yi is my wife.”
Who exactly do you think you’re threatening here?
He Ting: ……
Hearing that piece of news come directly from the other man’s mouth, He Ting felt as though his soul had left his body. He stood there completely dumbfounded.
Bits of memory slowly surfaced in his mind. He remembered someone telling him that Huo Beixing’s arranged marriage partner was plain-looking, so indistinct in the photos that you couldn’t even tell what he really looked like. But at the same time, he had completely forgotten that the marriage alliance was with the An family—and that An Yi’s surname was also An.
He Ting stood there stiff as an ice sculpture in winter.
Just then, An Yi came out of the bathroom after washing his face. When he saw Huo Beixing still holding He Ting by the collar, he asked, “What are you two doing?”
The moment he heard An Yi’s voice, Mr. Huo Beixing, who had just been glaring at He Ting with utter contempt, immediately let him go, draped an arm over his shoulder, and flashed a brilliant smile. “We’re getting along very well.”
He Ting: ……
Who the hell is getting along well with you?
Once he realized the series of things he had done before basically amounted to acting like the other man’s mistress, a deep sense of shame rose up in He Ting. But strangely, that shame wasn’t directed at Huo Beixing—it was directed at his own thoughts.
Subconsciously, he still believed that An Yi had been forced into this, that a large part of the reason he had agreed to the marriage alliance was because of family interests.
He looked at An Yi, his expression one of wanting to say something but stopping himself. He knew perfectly well that a person ought to have moral bottom lines, or else what was the difference between them and beasts? His lips moved several times, opening and closing, but in the end he still said nothing.
Then, like a heartbroken young boy, he dashed out the door.
Farewell, my love.
These past few days of feelings and time together had all, in the end, been wasted.
But if the two of them ever got divorced, he would definitely pursue him actively—and set off two days’ worth of firecrackers while he was at it.
He firmly believed that Huo Beixing would divorce sooner or later. He would wait for the day that Huo Beixing got his retribution.
After He Ting left, only the two of them remained in the room.
Huo Beixing picked up the bouquet of pink roses he had brought from the bed and handed it to An Yi. Unlike how overbearing he had been when dealing with He Ting just now, he instantly turned shy all over.
—
Meanwhile, after the paparazzi and media captured Huo Beixing driving over to watch the brand’s internal elimination round, they embellished the story with abandon and posted his photos online.
Huo Beixing was already someone who came with enormous built-in discussion value. What’s more, among the people attending the elimination round this time was Lu Mingnan, the person he had previously been linked to in rumors. Lu Mingnan had just finished airing a wildly popular drama one month ago, and as a rising young leading actor, his traffic was no small matter. Add the two of them together, and the topic would only go from hot to explosive. Besides, it wasn’t impossible that the two of them had rekindled an old flame.
Although Huo Beixing had never once personally acknowledged Lu Mingnan as his rumored partner, he had never acknowledged any of the people he played around with before either. But at the same time, he never denied them, which was enough to make many people believe the rumors wholeheartedly.
Though one month ago Huo Beixing had admitted to a dark-skinned lover, that person was far too different from what people imagined a proper “sister-in-law” should be. No one thought it would last, and given how quickly the people around him changed, no one bothered to remember too carefully.
After the news came out, the craziest group by far were the CP fans of Huo Beixing and Lu Mingnan.
“AHHHHHHHHHHH Grandma, the CP you shipped got remarried!!”
“My god, what am I seeing, what am I seeing!”
“Bei Ming You Yu has risen from the ashes! Oh ho!!!”
“I knew it, I just knew it. Huo Beixing was our Mingming’s first love at eighteen. Okay, he’s a scumbag, but who could resist that face?”
“This is what they mean by if you keep thinking about something, eventually there’ll be an echo in return, right?”
“This ship can officially leave my list of tragic unfinished regrets. The two of them need to be ruthlessly happy!!!”
“Lu Mingnan shines alone. No CPs, no invitations.”
“I’m really sick of CP fans. What if the two of them just happened to attend the same event?”
“Someone drag the person upstairs out!”
“No way. President Huo brought a bouquet of pink roses with him. Why would he bring flowers to watch a competition!”
“Don’t mind me, don’t mind me. Even if the sky falls, those two still have something going on!!!”
“Please pay more attention to Lu Mingnan’s work and less to his private life. He’s not an idol now, he’s an actor. Even if he dates, there’s no need for him to report it to anyone.”
Sitting in the makeup room, Lu Mingnan looked down at the video on his phone. There sat Huo Beixing in the car holding a bouquet of pink roses, as elegant and suave as he had been the first time Lu Mingnan met him. He watched the clip over and over again, his eyes full of admiration and yearning.
President Huo had come.
He had also come here to watch the elimination round.
Lu Mingnan was overjoyed, the smile on his face impossible to suppress. Did that mean he would get to see President Huo in a little while?
At the same time, Lu Mingnan’s manager and assistant were also delighted.
The assistant was happy mainly because Lu Mingnan would get to see Huo Beixing.
The manager, besides being happy about that, had one more reason than the assistant did.
A free chance at scandal-based publicity. They’d be fools not to use it to push Lu Mingnan’s popularity even higher.
More importantly, Lu Mingnan himself had no resistance whatsoever to this kind of rumor marketing. He wouldn’t quarrel with the company over it.
Too excited to sit still, Lu Mingnan urged the makeup artist to hurry up and do his makeup, and to do it more carefully.
He hadn’t seen Huo Beixing up close for three years.
Although he had kept an eye on him the whole time, and every time he saw Huo Beixing’s endless stream of scandals he felt heartbreak in secret, he himself was busy with work and was a public figure, so there was simply no way for him to go see him.
The first time he ever met Huo Beixing was at a drinking party.
That day, he had just finished the final round of an idol survival show and successfully debuted in the center position, officially stepping into the entertainment industry. His heart was full of the joy of realizing his dream, and he felt like the happiest person in the world.
That night, his company boss brought him to an extremely grand banquet and told him that everyone inside was a major figure, not people he could afford to offend. He had to build good relationships with them, and only then would his star path shine brightly.
The boss taught him how to handle interpersonal relationships. Lu Mingnan listened obediently, planning to be careful in everything.
The moment he entered, he saw the president of the biggest sponsor behind their survival show and enthusiastically greeted him.
He was a newcomer just entering the entertainment industry, and there were quite a few entertainment figures at the banquet as well.
His boss led him around to toast people one by one.
Fortunately, his alcohol tolerance was good. After several rounds of drinking, he wasn’t really drunk, only a bit flushed in the face, with his cheeks slightly red.
Just as his boss was about to let him find a place off to the side to stay by himself and rest, a big boss who looked to be in his early thirties walked over holding a wine glass.
The man’s eyes fixed themselves tightly on Lu Mingnan as he chatted and laughed with the boss.
Lu Mingnan was still green. When a big boss offered him a drink, there was no reason not to drink it. But who could have known that after that glass went down, the man’s arm would wrap around him as well?
Alarm bells instantly exploded in his head. Feeling the hand wandering over his lower back, he instinctively wanted to slap it away. But the moment he raised his arm, the boss grabbed it hard and shot him a meaningful look, telling him silently that resistance was best avoided.
At once, Lu Mingnan remembered what the boss had told him before they entered—he needed to curry favor with the major figures here, because as long as even one of them felt the slightest displeasure toward him, he could debut today and vanish from the public eye tomorrow, frozen out entirely.
Looking at that big boss’s face, the disgust and revulsion in Lu Mingnan’s heart only grew stronger. The hand on his lower back made him deeply uncomfortable.
So this was what they meant by currying favor and flattering people—
the hidden rules of the entertainment world.
Lu Mingnan’s body began to tremble slightly.
Then the boss spoke.
“Are you free tonight?”
That greasy voice entering his ears made him feel intensely sick. Between the dream he had always clung to and his own self-respect, he was so tormented that he couldn’t make a choice.
He had already made his debut through his own efforts. So why did he still have to go through something like this?
He wanted to say no.
But that “no” also meant ruining this big boss’s mood.
Lu Mingnan clenched his fists and remained silent for a long time.
His own boss merely smiled and offered the man another drink. He had seen this sort of thing countless times; it was the most ordinary thing in the entertainment world. After all, agreeing didn’t mean one suffered a loss. The man would give Lu Mingnan a large amount of resources in return. You lost something, but you gained something too.
“Little Lu is of course free. I’ll give him the next two days off.” Then he patted Lu Mingnan. “You’d better keep President Li good company.”
Lu Mingnan’s lips were pressed tight, his face pale as dirt, his hands trembling.
Just as the big boss was about to pull him away, Lu Mingnan suddenly felt an arm wrap around his waist.
It was completely different from the previous man’s touch—firm, taut, and powerful.
With a gentle pull from that force, he was instantly removed from the big boss’s control.
Then a pleasant, lightly teasing voice sounded from above him.
“Isn’t this President Li? Long time no see.”
Huo Beixing held Lu Mingnan with one arm while the other hand remained tucked in his pocket. The suit on his body was worn with impressive force, his peach blossom eyes slightly raised. His tone clearly didn’t place much importance on the other party at all. He offered only the most casual politeness, yet every movement and gesture carried an air of unrestrained flirtation.
Lu Mingnan’s eyes widened as he looked up at the man speaking. The scent of expensive cologne lingered around his nose.
President Li had originally planned to take this little star off for a good time, only for Huo Beixing to suddenly cut in and snatch the man away.
He hadn’t expected Huo Beixing to come steal him.
Looking at him, President Li said, “President Huo, that’s not exactly honorable of you.”
Huo Beixing looked at him. “Honor? You want to talk to me about that?”
As for martial virtue, he had none.
Everyone knew that Huo Beixing was hopelessly promiscuous. If he took a liking to someone, he’d always get them into his hands and play around with them.
President Li smiled without smiling. “President Huo already has plenty of people around who are considerate. Why compete with me?”
“You don’t understand, President Li.” Huo Beixing pulled Lu Mingnan forward, looping an arm around his neck and pinching his face so the other man could take a proper look. “I just happen to like this type.”
With that, he turned and walked away with Lu Mingnan, lazily waving a hand. “Excuse me.”
Lu Mingnan was in a complete shutdown state, simply letting Huo Beixing lead him away. The hand at his waist was burning hot, so hot it felt as though it might set him on fire.
He was taken out of the banquet and brought up to the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel. After bringing him inside, Huo Beixing went to the bathroom to shower.
Lu Mingnan’s heart pounded. He knew what was supposed to happen next. His heartbeat thudded wildly, and very soon the man emerged from the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
His body was the best Lu Mingnan had ever seen—broad shoulders, narrow waist, perfect proportions. Water droplets that hadn’t yet dried traced down the V-line at his abdomen. His hormones were intense, and he radiated masculine charm.
Lu Mingnan swallowed.
But then Huo Beixing noticed that he was still there and seemed startled. “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Lu Mingnan: ???
Blushing, Lu Mingnan stammered, “Didn’t… President Huo bring me…”
“Oh…” Huo Beixing seemed to understand. “There’s nothing for you here anymore. You can go.”
Lu Mingnan was a little dumbfounded and pointed at himself. “I… go?”
Huo Beixing crossed his arms and looked at him with a light laugh. “I’m not interested in asses that aren’t round.”
Although nothing happened between the two of them, Lu Mingnan had always been deeply grateful that Huo Beixing saved him. It was also the first time he had ever developed romantic feelings toward another man.
And because paparazzi had photographed Huo Beixing taking him to the presidential suite, everyone in the industry later assumed that he belonged to Huo Beixing. After that, no one dared touch him again.
As time passed and the benefits Huo Beixing brought him grew greater and greater, Lu Mingnan liked him more and more, always hoping that someday he’d be able to see him again.
Once his makeup was finished, Lu Mingnan went happily to the competition venue. The moment he entered, he started looking for someone—but there was no sign whatsoever of Huo Beixing.
On the other side, because An Yi was there for the competition, and because he had told him to go back early when he left, Huo Beixing reluctantly said goodbye to him and only then came out of the dormitory, planning to head home.
But only halfway down the road, a large group of media suddenly swarmed up and began trying to interview him.
“President Huo, may I ask whether you came here purely to watch the competition?”
“President Huo, have you seen Lu Mingnan?”
“President Huo, what do you have to say about the rumors linking you and Lu Mingnan?”
One question came after another, and surrounded by people, Huo Beixing couldn’t even hear a single complete question properly.
Then someone sharp-eyed spotted the bite mark on Huo Beixing’s neck.
“President Huo, do you have a new lover now?”
“President Huo, who bit your neck? Is it related to Lu Mingnan?”
“May I ask whether you and Lu Mingnan have any special relationship?”
Hearing that, Huo Beixing frowned and looked at the media with obvious displeasure. Very seriously, he said, “Please do not spread sexual rumors about me. It causes me a great deal of distress.”
He was his wife’s pure-hearted little boy.
