{"id":797,"date":"2025-10-09T19:44:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T19:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sakuratranslation.com\/public-entertainment-circle-09\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T20:14:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T20:14:21","slug":"public-entertainment-circle-09","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/sakuratranslation.com\/hi\/chapter\/public-entertainment-circle-09\/","title":{"rendered":"Public [Entertainment Circle] 09"},"content":{"rendered":"

**Manjusaka (Red Spider Lily)**
The official social media account for *A Dream of Beijing* announced the female lead on the same day.
The picture they used was a candid from her audition.

The woman looked stunning\u2014her features were beautiful and cold, with a mysterious vibe. Her simple black embroidered qipao only highlighted her perfect looks. Just looking into her eyes made people imagine an entire story.

This time, unlike last time when people only praised her looks in a qipao, there were many sincere compliments about her acting and how well she fit the role.

> \u201cAs expected, the only one who can beat Qin Mang is another Qin Mang.\u201d
> \u201cSay what you want, but Qin Mang\u2019s eyes are full of spirit. She pulls you right into the story.\u201d
> \u201cWho doesn\u2019t love a beautiful and hardworking actress?\u201d

Inside a beauty salon, Qin Mang had finally relaxed a bit after auditioning for Director Zhou\u2019s film, so she invited Wu Yuxi to get facials together.
Afterward, Qin Mang was lounging lazily in a silk robe in the lounge, while gossip-loving Wu Yuxi read fans\u2019 comments to her with a mysterious smile.

Suddenly, her expression changed.
\u201cWhere did this idiot come from? Saying you got the role not with talent, but through connections?\u201d

Qin Mang slowly opened her eyes, her dark pupils shining, and picked up her phone lazily:
\u201cOh?\u201d
Connections?
Which one exactly? That \u2018passing by\u2019 guy?

Wu Yuxi asked, \u201cThis comment is about to hit the top of your Weibo. Want to delete it?\u201d
\u201cDelete what?\u201d
Qin Mang snorted and replied with her main account:

> \u201cGo on, tell me. Which mountain did I rely on?\u201d

Right after posting it, she counted:
\u201cOne.\u201d
\u201cTwo.\u201d
\u201cThree\u2014\u201d

Her phone rang loudly.
Meng Ting wailed, \u201cAre you trying to kill our PR team?!\u201d

Qin Mang calmly brushed him off.
\u201cThey were already useless. That\u2019s why Shen Wanyin crushed them for two years.\u201d

After she hung up, Wu Yuxi asked, annoyed, \u201cWhy\u2019d you even sign with this dying company? They have no resources and weak PR.\u201d

Qin Mang had almost forgotten why she signed with them.
Maybe it was because since the beginning, Meng Ting promised her freedom, never forced her to do what she didn\u2019t like\u2014and he kept that promise.

Wu Yuxi didn\u2019t really get it, but she changed the topic:
\u201cBy the way, isn\u2019t President He getting into the film business? Ask him to get you a top team.\u201d

\u201cHim?\u201d
Thinking about He Lingji\u2019s usual behavior, Qin Mang clicked her tongue, \u201cHe never does charity.\u201d

Wu Yuxi glanced at the love bites visible under Qin Mang\u2019s robe and smirked, pretending to be innocent. She poked her collarbone, \u201cAren\u2019t you two close?\u201d

Qin Mang took a sip of red wine, lips curving with amusement.
\u201cLegally… friends with benefits?\u201d

Wu Yuxi: speechless.

Qin Mang added casually, \u201cPresident He\u2019s stamina\u2019s not bad. Good for fun now and then.\u201d

Wu Yuxi: Only you would dare treat President He like a toy.

That \u2018toy\u2019 had been busier than Qin Mang lately, even though she was about to join a film crew.
They lived under the same roof but hadn\u2019t seen each other in days.

But Qin Mang wasn\u2019t idle either.
As the officially announced lead of a major S+ film adaptation, offers flooded into Meng Ting\u2019s inbox.
After careful consideration, Meng Ting chose a big film festival\u2019s opening ceremony for her first public appearance.

He stressed, \u201cYou *have* to look drop-dead gorgeous! Blind all the haters!\u201d

Qin Mang wore a silver-white gradient fishtail dress that showed off her perfect figure. Though it looked simple, it was full of intricate details. The way the dress moved with her steps made her shine like a goddess. Unlike the vintage qipao before, she now looked like a celestial being descending from the sky.

People could criticize her acting, but no one could say she lacked presence. She confidently drew the media\u2019s attention on the red carpet.
She absolutely stole the show.

Despite many watching her, Qin Mang calmly took a seat in the third row. She didn\u2019t have a film nominated, and this seat was something Meng Ting had worked hard to get her\u2014\u201cJust to let you experience it,\u201d he said.

So that next time, when she\u2019s nominated for Best Actress, she\u2019d be ready.
Qin Mang agreed completely.
She *was* going to win Best Actress one day.

While the actresses around her sat stiffly, afraid to look bad on camera, Qin Mang looked relaxed. But her natural elegance still showed through.

She enjoyed the idol group\u2019s dance performance on stage.
They were full of energy, slim waists and long legs moving like flowing water.

She couldn\u2019t believe she\u2019d once mistaken He Lingji for someone else. They weren\u2019t even on the same level.
No wonder just one interview video of him had made fans obsessed for so long.

Qin Mang’s eyes drifted.

Near the end of the show, someone suddenly sat next to her\u2014someone with a strong presence.
She slowly turned her head and saw a man in a suit, with long black hair tied back casually. Very recognizable.

\u201cDirector Lin?\u201d

Lin Chenxuan had a naturally handsome face, but his long hair didn\u2019t make him look feminine at all.
After receiving the *Soul Night* script, Meng Ting had told her all about this top director\u2014it was hard to believe he looked so young in person.

Lin Chenxuan examined her face closely.
It was the kind of face that had a story\u2014perfect for his character.

\u201cHave you thought about the script I gave you?\u201d
\u201cIf the timing clashes with *A Dream of Beijing*, I can delay it. That role is very challenging.\u201d

He didn\u2019t like small talk and got straight to the point.

Qin Mang remembered the script and said politely, \u201cIt\u2019s a bit… bold. I\u2019m not experienced in that kind of role.\u201d

People had started noticing them.
Seeing her hesitation, Lin Chenxuan, for once, showed some social awareness. He handed her his phone.
\u201cThis place isn\u2019t great for talking. Let\u2019s connect later.\u201d

—

Qin Mang didn\u2019t think much of giving Lin Chenxuan her contact info.
A top director like him wouldn\u2019t be short on actresses, right?

Later that night, almost midnight, she was home.
She was exhausted, but couldn\u2019t sleep.

Lying in bed, tossing and turning, she suddenly sat up and decided to get some air.

Passing the coffee table, she noticed the two scripts she left there. She paused, then bent down and stuffed *Soul Night* into a drawer.
She picked up the other one.

She was joining the crew in two weeks.
There were still skills she needed to work on\u2014like how to smoke seductively.

The top floor of the mansion had a large rooftop terrace. The dome ceiling, a special design from He Corp, could show a changing starry sky.
It was open now.

Tonight was beautiful. The sky was full of stars, like gems.
Qin Mang suddenly remembered she hadn\u2019t added to her gem collection lately.
She needed to ask around about any upcoming auctions.

Ten minutes later\u2014
She sat in a large black chair, wearing a fiery red mini dress.
She crossed her legs like the character in the film would, her pale, smooth legs swinging slightly.

Meanwhile, in the living room, He Lingji came home late again.
Seeing the butler hesitating to speak, he asked calmly, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d

The butler replied, \u201cMadam hasn\u2019t gone to bed yet. She\u2019s on the rooftop.\u201d

\u201cAt this hour?\u201d
He looked at his watch\u20141 a.m.
\u201cWhat kind of fresh air is she enjoying?\u201d

He was about to head to the bedroom but changed his mind and walked to the top floor, loosening his collar as he went.

He didn\u2019t take the elevator. He walked.

When he opened the heavy door, he saw\u2014
Beneath the starry sky,
The girl held a thin cigarette between her delicate white fingers. She stared at the glowing tip for a while before finally bringing it to her lips.

Her lips, full and bright, bit gently on the cigarette. Surrounded by smoke, she looked like a dream.
It was dangerously seductive.

She\u2019d just taken a puff\u2014
When a hand, like carved jade, suddenly appeared and gently took the cigarette from her lips.

\u201cCough, cough, cough…\u201d
Startled, she choked hard on the smoke.

\u201cYou f\\*\\*\\*ing… trying to kill me?\u201d
Her voice was hoarse from coughing.
She glared at the culprit.

That damn man never acts like a normal

The man casually played with a thin cigarette between his fingers. His fingertips still held the faint, wet feeling of her lips. Suddenly, he gave a playful smile and said, \u201cHiding here to smoke?\u201d

He was already tall, and now he was standing against the light, looking down at Qin Mang who was sitting in a chair. The way he stood made her feel a strange kind of pressure. She raised her chin proudly and said, \u201cI\u2019m not hiding.\u201d

\u201cI\u2019m smoking openly.\u201d

\u201cGive it back!\u201d

He Lingji calmly put out the cigarette, then picked up the woman who still refused to go back to sleep. He said in a flat tone, \u201cSmoking before bed will give you a deadly disease.\u201d

Qin Mang: \u201c?\u201d

Does he think I\u2019m a three-year-old?

If one puff could give you a deadly disease, half the world would be gone.

But men were stronger than women, and she couldn\u2019t fight back. So she had no choice but to let He Lingji carry her back to the bedroom like she had lost all hope.

She watched as he threw her into the bathtub and turned on the shower.

Qin Mang crossed her arms and said, nearly breaking down, \u201cI already took a shower!\u201d

\u201cTake another one.\u201d

He Lingji treated her like a toy, washing away all the cigarette smell from her. Only then did the frown on his face soften.

Qin Mang was speechless the whole time: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d

Just as she was starting to enjoy being taken care of, she looked up at her \u201cnot-so-professional\u201d bath assistant.

His white silk shirt was wet from the shower water and stuck to his body, almost see-through, as he turned to hang up the showerhead.

As she stared at his half-bare back, her lazy expression suddenly froze.

Under the wet fabric, there were black patterns winding down his back!

She thought she was seeing things.

She raised her wet little hand and rubbed her eyes.

Hiss\u2014

Now it was even blurrier.

He Lingji noticed her expression and let out a quiet laugh.

\u201cTurn around. Let me see again!\u201d Qin Mang\u2019s brain finally started working.

She was annoyed she hadn\u2019t noticed before\u2014He Lingji had been hiding a big secret on his body!

He Lingji didn\u2019t want to keep wearing the wet shirt either. He took it off without hesitation, letting his wife see everything clearly, and then reached for his belt.

The silk shirt slid down his back and fell to the wet tiles.

Under the bright lights, nothing could be hidden.

Qin Mang\u2019s breathing became lighter.

A mysterious red spider lily bloomed on his back, its petals winding around his shoulder and down, covering half his back. The color went from light ink to a darker shade, like a flower blooming lazily in the depths of a dark abyss, or a masterpiece carefully carved by God himself. It looked natural, like it had always been there.

It looked like a tattoo\u2014but far more mysterious.

Water drops rolled down the flower design.

Qin Mang also thought it was a tattoo. She reached out with her pale finger and touched it, then smiled, \u201cWhat is this? A sign from your rebellious teen years?\u201d

He Lingji\u2019s low voice, made a bit rough by the water, replied, \u201cI\u2019ve had it since I was little.\u201d

\u201cHuh?\u201d

\u201cA birthmark?\u201d

\u201cSomething like that.\u201d

Qin Mang felt a little bitter. This man really was blessed\u2014even his birthmark looked like it was drawn on by a famous artist. She couldn\u2019t help but reach out again, her fingers itching to trace the complex, mysterious pattern.

He Lingji quickly finished his shower, clearly not wanting to stay on the topic.

Just then, feeling her touch, he changed the subject: \u201cWanna do it?\u201d

Though\u2026 he had an early trip tomorrow.

Not much time.

Still, if his wife had any needs, he would do his best to meet them\u2014as her husband.

Even in bed.

Qin Mang hadn\u2019t planned on it.

But she couldn\u2019t sleep now, and this mysterious flower had definitely stirred something.

Maybe she could treat He Lingji like a sleep aid\u2014tire herself out and fall asleep after.

That might work.

…

He Lingji, aiming for speed, dried her off and carried her back to bed.

Five minutes into the main event\u2014

On the big bed, the girl\u2019s toes curled up like little white pearls.

Her voice let out a soft, sweet sound.

He Lingji exhaled slowly, his jaw tight. Under the warm yellow light, his cool gray-blue eyes looked cold and restrained.

The next second, before he finished, he pulled away and left.

After a moment, Qin Mang recovered and tried to hug him to change positions. She also wanted another look at that spider lily. But he confused her by moving away.

She hesitated. \u201cYou\u2026 you’re done already?\u201d

He Lingji didn\u2019t get mad at her words. Instead, he gave a strange reply: \u201cYou\u2019re the one who\u2019s done.\u201d

Qin Mang thought about it for a few seconds, then looked at him with wide eyes: \u201cAre you saying\u2026 I finished too fast?!\u201d

He Lingji slowly pulled the blanket out from under her and gently covered her up. His calm voice said:

\u201cMiss Qin, have you considered this\u2014\u201d

\u201cHm?\u201d

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m just that good.\u201d

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