**Chapter 25 – Above the Scenery**
Under the moonlight.
Above the scenery.
The livestreamer’s prop.

He Lingji’s cold, pale fingers slowly lifted one end.
It was the dance dress previously wrapped and put away with sheer fabric—now, circle by circle, it was being meticulously put back onto Qin Mang’s body.

The vivid colors of the gauze
formed a decadent scene hidden in the night, like an enchanting, lingering dream.

In that dream, crimson fabric fluttered in all directions, slowly blanketing a landscape of glaciers and frost. Eventually, the red silk transformed into blazing fire—melting the dangerous and icy terrain bit by bit.

Through the screen and in reality, each held a different kind of beauty.
Naturally, to He Lingji, reality was far superior.
At the very least, he didn’t have to deal with billions worth of assets in a bathroom.

…

Just as He Lingji was about to put her down,
Qin Mang’s gaze shifted and her tone drew out: “Don’t move.”
He Lingji’s eyes narrowed in thought. “You like it?”

Qin Mang lowered her gaze, eyes falling on the man’s perfectly contoured waistline, his abs sculpted and powerful—dangerously alluring.

Each time she saw him, that photo He Xucheng had shown her back at the old house popped into her mind—the one taken beside a helicopter.
His camo pants had accentuated his long legs and narrow waist, cool and wild.

So she answered honestly, “I like it.”
That seductive waist—who wouldn’t like it?

He Lingji’s lips, seemingly soaked in color, curved into a rare faint smile.
He’d never hidden anything. With a teasing smirk, he nodded slightly. “I see.”
“Mr. He understands now.”

Other than the mysterious, enchanting red spider lily tattoo on his back, Qin Mang liked his waist the most.

Still, she felt He Lingji’s idea of “understanding” was slightly different from hers.
Unfortunately,
He Lingji didn’t give her any time to think.

Seeing that Qin Mang had finished speaking and started spacing out again, He Lingji’s gaze darkened:
“Mrs. He, when are you going to fix this habit of burning bridges after crossing them?”

“Hm?”
Qin Mang blinked her long lashes innocently.
Had she?

That entire night, Yu Qing couldn’t eat or sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered He Lingji’s bone-chilling words at the banquet and the mixed expressions of everyone as they left—mockery, amusement, pity.

No matter what expression it was,
he couldn’t accept any of them.

Worse,
he didn’t even know how he had offended such a powerful figure.

It was like a blade hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.
That kind of dread was tormenting.

The living room was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke.
Thick and swirling—it showed just how foul his mood was.

By the next morning,
Yu Qing was summoned to the company by his assistant. He arrived to see a sharp-dressed professional:
Cong Zhen.

Yu Qing had just seen him yesterday.
He was the chief secretary to the man in charge of the He Group—He Lingji himself.

But this time, standing behind Cong Zhen was the famous legal team of the He Group.

“Secretary Cong?”
“Did President He send you with instructions?”

Yu Qing paused for a long time, steadying his erratic heartbeat. He couldn’t panic in front of his subordinates.
If the leader lost his composure, how could he command others?

Cong Zhen smiled slightly, calm and composed. “Good morning, President Yu.”
“I’m here on behalf of Miss Qin Mang to discuss contract termination with your company.”

Qin Mang?
Termination?

Yu Qing’s just-settled expression cracked instantly.
He wasn’t a fool. He immediately realized why He Lingji had suddenly turned cold yesterday.
So that was it.

He muttered, “Qin Mang really has some skills… managed to latch onto…”

Cong Zhen’s smile vanished. “President Yu, mind your words.”
“Miss Qin is not someone you can insult.”

He placed a folder on Yu Qing’s desk, reversing the roles. “Once you’ve calmed down, we’ll talk about the termination.”
“I’ve got all day.”

…
Two hours later,
after sending off the He Group team, Yu Qing collapsed into his office chair, drained.
He finally understood the weight of the person he had offended in his moment of greed.

His secretary handed him a cup of tea.
Ever since Qin Mang had poured coffee on him, Yu Qing couldn’t stand the smell of it—
It felt like it had seeped into his bones.

He muttered to himself, “No wonder she acted so arrogantly.”
So she had such a powerful backer.

The secretary hesitated. “Are you really going to give Teacher Qin…”

Now, in front of the entire company, he had lost both face and dignity.
Yu Qing let out a bitter laugh. “Being able to keep Hezhou Entertainment now is thanks only to the former chairman.”

If the former chairman hadn’t had the foresight to offer Qin Mang a contract with freedoms akin to top-tier stars, there would’ve been no escape this time.
But if Cong Zhen knew what Yu Qing was thinking, he’d definitely laugh at how naive he was.

The reason they didn’t make a move against Hezhou was simple:
It was already a dying company—He Group didn’t need to bother.
Besides, if they acted the moment “Mrs. He” terminated her contract and the company collapsed the next day, the public would be full of conspiracy theories.
Who knew what rumors would start?

The next morning, when Qin Mang woke up, her eyelids were swollen.
He Lingji, in this regard, was domineering, intense, and had a destructive streak. He liked seeing her cry. The more she cried, the fiercer he got. The fiercer he got, the more she cried. A vicious cycle.

As usual,
President He—who hadn’t been to the office in 20 days—finally left early for work.

Qin Mang punched her bed in frustration.
Who’s the one burning bridges now?!

She looked at the time.
10:30 AM.

Qin Mang didn’t have time to stay mad. She rushed to the bathroom.
The ever-elegant and perfectly presented heiress, for the first time, went out with no makeup. After a quick wash-up, she stepped out in slippers.
She was ready to storm the He Group and bring back the legal team.

Qin Mang had it all figured out:
She and He Lingji were married, so the He Group was their shared asset.
As Mrs. He, using the legal team was perfectly reasonable, right?

But as she descended the stairs,
she suddenly saw Meng Ting sitting in the living room.
She froze mid-step.

Standing on the glowing staircase, she looked down at him suspiciously. “Why are you here?”
More importantly, how did he get in?

This was Meng Ting’s first time at the lakeside estate.
Fortunately, Secretary Cong had brought him over personally, and security had led the way. Otherwise, he’d definitely have gotten lost.
Or maybe not even made it in.

No wonder Qin Mang once said that no paparazzi could get near her new home.

Beyond the main villa, there were additional luxury buildings, each several stories high. Not far away was a helipad, and different types of flowers even had their own private gardens—this was just the tip of the iceberg.

What he saw along the way
was only a fraction of what there was.

Meng Ting got goosebumps just thinking about it—Qin Mang had really suffered when she entered showbiz.
No wonder President He forced her to quit.

“You really were a noble lady who came down to suffer.”

That sentence gave Qin Mang goosebumps too.
“You sick?”
Meng Ting: “…A little.”
Eye infection.

**“Why is he so bad at choosing his reincarnation!”**
Qin Mang was in a hurry to get to He’s Group and didn’t have time to chat, so she quickly went downstairs. “What are you here for? To take me to apologize to Yu Qing?”

Meng Ting immediately laughed.
He guessed Qin Mang hadn’t checked her phone.
He handed her the tablet directly. “No. Look at the trending topics.”

**Trending topics?**
Qin Mang’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. She lowered her eyes to look at the screen, and her gaze froze for a second.

* \#QinMangPeacefullyTerminatedContractWithHerFormerAgency
* \#FormerAgencyWishesQinMangAGlitteringFuture
* \#ModelExampleOfAnAmicableSeparationInTheEntertainmentIndustry

Meng Ting had the password to Qin Mang’s Weibo. After getting the news from Cong Zhen, he was the first to share it.
He even set up an official account for Qin Mang’s studio.

Although—
So far, the entire team only had three people including the artist.
Aside from Meng Ting, A Tong also left Hezhou Entertainment.

Fans were thrilled.
After all, Qin Mang had been signed with Hezhou for two years and made no progress—terrible resources, worse PR.
With her incredible potential, she’d been overshadowed by Shen Wanyin, who managed to rise to fame with both acting skills and popularity, despite being a bloodsucker. Meanwhile, the actual star, Qin Mang, didn’t even have a single notable work.

So once the termination was announced,
Fans went wild with joy.

* “Congrats, congrats! You’ve got your own studio now. You’re finally free!”
* “Aaaah! I’ve been waiting for this day forever!”
* “Of course Qin Mang will shine bright! No more being held back by a trashy agency!”
* “Hahaha, give the company some credit, at least?”
* “I want to, but seriously, think about it—how many times did they do anything right when Qin Goddess got into trouble?”
* “Not once!”
* “Thankfully our Mang-mang got through it herself. Bitterness over, sweetness begins.”
* “…”

But some raised questions: Was Hezhou Entertainment crazy? Just letting go of a cash cow like that? Aren’t they notorious for squeezing their artists dry? What if they expose dirt on Qin Mang later to get revenge?

Can’t deny it—
When it comes to knowing how entertainment companies work, fans really get it.

Qin Mang no longer felt the urge to rush out.
She sat down leisurely, her jade-like fingers scrolling through the comments.

Public opinion was calm.
Everything was going in her favor—totally unlike Hezhou’s usual behavior.

Qin Mang still remembered how arrogant and confident Yu Qing had been, certain that she’d come crawling back.
**“Why did Yu Qing suddenly become so well-behaved?”**

Meng Ting had been holding back all morning. Finally hearing her ask, he eagerly recounted in vivid detail what happened that morning at Hezhou HQ with Cong Zhen.

As a literature major, Meng Ting turned a simple story into a rollercoaster narrative.
He finished with a sigh of admiration, “It had to be President He stepping in.”

Then he grinned mysteriously. “By the way, when are you going to the company? President Yu still has to apologize to you in front of everyone.”

Qin Mang finally smiled for the first time that day.
Under the dazzling white lights, her beauty shone like a goddess. Even barefaced, her radiant features were undeniable.

Now she understood what He Lingji meant by “getting revenge” for her.
He really did the right thing.
Didn’t lie.

Just as she was wondering how to thank him—
The butler brought over a fruit platter.
He pointed to the navel oranges placed separately on a crystal plate and said,
“Sir said you’ve been fond of navel oranges lately, so he had these specially prepared for you…”

The flesh was delicate and juicy. The moment the plate was set down, a sweet citrus scent wafted over.
Although her favorite fruit was actually lychee, the oranges looked delicious, so she didn’t mind that He Lingji hadn’t gotten her preferences quite right.

Wait a second—**oranges?**
Qin Mang picked up a slice with a small fork and was just about to eat it when her hand suddenly trembled.

A particular position from last night flashed in her mind.

Now she understood what He Lingji meant by “got it.”
**He didn’t get anything!**
Who said she liked oranges?
**What she liked was *his waist*!**

Any gratitude she felt toward He Lingji evaporated into that plate of juicy oranges.

Qin Mang’s pretty little face turned cold.
If not for a shred of rationality—

Forget it.
He was her benefactor.
Can’t attack him… yet.
Hold it in.

A few minutes later,
Under the puzzled gazes of Meng Ting and the others, Qin Mang suddenly turned and went upstairs.

She took time to apply flawless makeup and changed into an elegant, flowing emerald green gown. When she stood on the staircase, she looked like the finest jade in the world. Her long curly hair was casually pinned up with a green satin ribbon that hung gently over her pale, delicate shoulders, accentuating her luminous skin.

As she moved, the ribbon swayed.
At the end, faintly embroidered, was a cute little white lion.

It was her personal emblem.
Since childhood, nearly every custom-made item she owned had that mark.

Meng Ting was dumbfounded.
**“What are you doing?”**
All this makeup just to go see Yu Qing?
Does he deserve that?

Qin Mang stood by the coffee table, her fair fingers gesturing for the servants to pack up the fruit plate she had only eaten one orange from. She smiled at Meng Ting with a hint of cool elegance.

Her soft, airy voice said,
**“Of course—I’m off to reward my dear husband, who worked all night and still got up early for work\~”**

Meng Ting: “…”
Why did that sound like she was about to commit husband-murder?

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