Chapter 76: Falling Face-First into the Mud

“It’s really refreshing—would you like some?” Mo Qi handed over the cold Sprite. “I just drank from the bottle, so you’d better drink it without touching it.”

Shen Yijue paused for a moment, but still accepted the Sprite and took a sip directly from the bottle.

Once you’ve crossed that line of an indirect kiss, the second time it happens, there’s hardly any awkwardness left.

Mo Qi noticed Shen Yijue’s slight frown. “Not a fan of carbonated drinks like this?”

He screwed the cap back on, holding the damp bottle, and sat down on the other swing nearby. “I’ve never tried it before.”

Judging from his bearing and the way he carried himself, it was clear, even without knowing how much money he currently had, that Shen Yijue had grown up in a privileged environment, at the very least with material abundance.

For someone like him, never having tried Sprite—a drink so common among the general public—made perfect sense.

“If you’ve never had Sprite, then I bet you’ve never tasted ice cream either.” Mo Qi swung gently, smiling. “You have no idea what you’re missing—lying down on the cool floor in summer, fanning yourself and eating popsicles, the feeling is so good it almost makes you want to fly.”

As she spoke, memories of her days in the orphanage surfaced. “I used to love lying on the floor next to the director’s rocking chair, listening to her tell stories while I ate popsicles. I’m an orphan, so to me, the director was the closest thing to family.”

But the director had passed away when she was eighteen. Mo Qi still remembered arriving at the hospital, the director holding her hand and smiling kindly as she said, “Little Qi, you’re not an orphan.”

A cold, bitter smile tugged at Mo Qi’s lips. So what if she wasn’t an orphan? She’d never wanted to return to her biological parents, and now she wanted it even less.

Shen Yijue turned to look at Mo Qi. How was it that just a moment ago, she seemed so warm, yet now she’d wrapped herself in icy armor again?

He stared at her profile, her face lowered slightly, and suddenly reached out to grab the rope of her swing, giving it a tug.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Mo Qi, caught off guard, nearly tumbled backward.

Shen Yijue steadied her by the back of her head and, without a word, kissed her.

Mo Qi’s eyes widened. His handsome face was so close. She knew exactly what he was doing, but her mind froze; she couldn’t figure out why he was suddenly acting this way!

“King Shen!” Mo Qi tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. “Shen Yijue, this is a residential area—there are cameras here.”

He still didn’t let go. Instead, he punished her with a sharp nip on her lips.

She gasped in pain. Damn him! Just because he didn’t care about gossip didn’t mean she didn’t!

Annoyed, Mo Qi braced her hands against his shoulders and gave him a hard shove.

The swing jerked away under the force, but Shen Yijue hadn’t had time to release his hold on the back of her head.

There was a loud thud as the two opposing forces collided—Mo Qi went sprawling, landing flat on her face.

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Shen Yijue didn’t immediately move to help her up.

Mo Qi lay on the ground, certain she’d scraped her kneecap. But that was secondary—the real pain was in her chest, which had hit the ground first and even slid forward a bit.

Fuming, she picked herself up, shot a glare at Shen Yijue, and marched angrily toward the apartment.

She stormed all the way back, only to realize at the door that she didn’t even have a key—she couldn’t get in!

The elevator dinged. Shen Yijue approached, silently regarded her for a couple of seconds, then took out his keys and opened the door.

“Your apartment key has always been in the little drawer by the entryway,” he said, opening the drawer, where a set of keys sat alongside a fair bit of cash.

“The cash is for groceries and household expenses. If it’s not enough, I’ll add more,” he continued, handing her the keys.

Mo Qi, deflated, calmed down and realized she didn’t even know why she’d been so angry in the first place.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the keys and heading into the living room, where she collapsed onto the sofa, pretending to be dead.

Lately, she couldn’t help but lose her temper at Shen Yijue for no reason. Why? Was it because she believed he’d never get angry, or that even if he did, he’d never just abandon her?

This wasn’t a good sign. Clearly, she needed to find a way to escape from Shen Yijue as soon as possible.

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her knee.

Opening her eyes, she saw Shen Yijue expressionless as he rolled up her pant leg. He took out the first aid kit and carefully disinfected the scrape on her knee, then applied medicine.

Mo Qi was a little stunned.

What would you feel if a man who was always so cold and aloof, who barely spared anyone a kind word, was now kneeling before you in silence, tending to your wounds with such care?

A jumble of emotions welled up inside her. Feelings that had once been blurry now grew clearer. Yet, instead of wanting to open her heart, all she wanted was to run away in fear.

“Once bitten by a snake, you’ll fear ropes for ten years.” Mo Qi muttered quietly, raising her arm to cover her eyes.

“What? Does it hurt?” Shen Yijue asked, glancing up.

She shook her head, not answering, but she could feel his touch on her knee grow even gentler as he finished dressing the wound.

When he was done, Mo Qi stayed in the living room, watching acrobatic videos on her phone while Shen Yijue headed upstairs to his study to work.

After a while, she exited the video app and logged into QQ.

There was a friend request waiting. The verification message read: “Tang Bin.”

Mo Qi hesitated, then accepted the request.

A second later, a smiling emoji popped up from the other side.

“Hello, Miss Mo.”

She glanced up at the stairs before replying, “Hello, Director Tang.”

“I wonder what you thought of my invitation this morning, Miss Mo?”

“What invitation? You must be joking, Director Tang.” Mo Qi feigned ignorance.

“I’m quite serious.”

She stared at the four characters in the chat box, still unsure how to respond, when another message arrived.

“I’m preparing a film about tracking the real lives of wolves, and I’m short a supporting actress. Would you be interested in auditioning?”

“Tracking real wolves? You mean on the open plains?”

“No, there have been too many films shot on the plains. I intend to go deep into the mountains.”

Going into the mountains—her phone might not even get a signal out there.

Tang Bin sent another message: “First, let me be clear. This film has artistic value, but it may not be a box office hit.”

Mo Qi weighed her options and asked, “May I ask why you’re inviting me, Director Tang?”

“I’ve watched your competition videos. You have quite a bit of talent—after some more experience, you could really make it big. I always like to give newcomers a chance. But there’s another, more important reason: I rather enjoy competing with Shen Yijue for talent.”

“You do like to joke, Director Tang.” Mo Qi replied seriously, “I have three more competitions ahead, so I might not have the chance to work with you.”

“We’re not starting filming until next month. The schedules won’t overlap at all. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider, Miss Mo?”

Mo Qi gritted her teeth. She did want to escape from Shen Yijue, but she doubted Tang Bin was much better.

“Director Tang, may I have a few days to think it over?”

“Of course.” Tang Bin was refreshingly agreeable.

Mo Qi finally breathed a little easier.

“Not going to bed yet?” Shen Yijue’s voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Mo Qi instantly stiffened. Why was he here?

(You know what happens next.)

“Director Tang, may I have a few days to think it over?”

“Of course.” Tang Bin was refreshingly agreeable.

Mo Qi finally breathed a little easier.

“Not going to bed yet?” Shen Yijue’s voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Mo Qi instantly stiffened. Why was he here?