**Chapter 19: Furnace Physique**

The lights in the master bedroom were bright.

He Lingji grabbed his bathrobe and was about to head to the bathroom.

Thinking of what had just happened in the living room, he glanced sideways at Qin Mang, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa reading a script. “Don’t fall asleep in public places again.”

Qin Mang was still annoyed. Hearing that, she lifted her long lashes and looked at him coolly, “You want to control everything? Even where people sleep now?”

“I *want* to sleep!”

Her beautiful face practically shouted *rebellious teen*.

He Lingji pushed open the frosted glass door, his thin lips letting out a single syllable, “Okay.”

Okay?

Qin Mang blinked, stunned. He gave in that easily?

He wasn’t going to say more?

That didn’t fit his usual uptight personality.

Sure enough, the next second, He Lingji added in a breezy tone, “If Mrs. He wants to make it into the tabloid oddities section, I won’t stop her.”

Tabloid *oddities*?

Qin Mang instantly understood what he meant. “Can’t you just talk like a normal person?!”

Before He Lingji entered the bathroom, she quietly asked, “Was it really me who did it?”

“You helped me put it on?”

His loosely rolled-up shirt sleeves gave him a lazy, homey look, lacking his usual aloofness.

He rarely rolled up his sleeves—he was always proper and serious.

Qin Mang recalled the used disinfectant wipes on the coffee table and the faint scent of alcohol on his fingertips. She figured he probably rolled up his sleeves to help her put on that tiny piece of sheer fabric.

Tsk.

At least he’s hygienic.

That’s… progress.

She leaned back on the sofa, looking up at his silhouette outlined by the light—more imposing than usual.

He Lingji’s lips curled slightly.

“I did it,” he said with a faint smile.

“I couldn’t resist Miss Qin’s beauty.”

Qin Mang: “…”

She grabbed the throw pillow beside her and hurled it at him.

*Petty jerk!*

*Thud.*

The pillow slid down the glass door.

She’d originally planned to ask him about that video from the business forum, but now she figured she’d just embarrass herself.

There’s no way He Lingji did that for *her*.

Probably just a convenient excuse.

Taking it seriously would be a mistake!

Qin Mang tapped the script with her delicate fingers.

Tap, tap.

The scenes marked in red pen were all interaction scenes.

From subtle eye contact, to ambiguous tension, to intense breakup scenes—the difficulty level only increased.

She sighed lightly: Forget it, stop overthinking. She had limited time, a tough task, and He Lingji was busy—who knows when he’d fly off on another business trip?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had to act fast.

Her gaze fell on the neatly folded warlord costume that the housekeeper had set aside. Qin Mang rested her chin on her hand and let out a long sigh.

When He Lingji came out of the bathroom, what he saw was a little head sighing dramatically.

His blow-dried hair was left natural, slightly tousled over his forehead. The contrast between his jet-black hair and pale skin was sharp. His tall, lean frame was wrapped in a blue robe, very similar in color to Qin Mang’s light blue lace one.

But the effect was completely different.

Qin Mang looked playful and innocent in that color.

He Lingji, with no pattern on his robe, gave off a cold, ascetic vibe.

As he moved, the lines of his muscles became faintly visible—eight perfectly sculpted abs, drops of water still sliding down his neck.

A wild, dangerous body.

Completely contrasting with his cool, handsome face.

Qin Mang felt like his personality was the same—like he had split identities.

But if he treated her the way he treated everyone else, she probably wouldn’t dare be this casual around him.

She’d have kept her distance long ago.

He Lingji didn’t leave right away. Instead, he stood there generously, letting Qin Mang take her fill of the view. “Like what you see?”

Qin Mang didn’t even blink. “Not bad. What, gonna charge me?”

“No. I’m shy.”

He Lingji said calmly, “You’ve made me blush.”

Under the bright lights, his skin looked like a porcelain sculpture—no trace of blushing.

Liar.

Qin Mang suddenly remembered that scene in the club that day.

Her fingers pinched his chin as she smirked, eyes trailing down his abs, drawing out her voice: “Oh?”

“Sure it’s not just you getting ha―”

“Human physiological reaction.”

He Lingji, despite the teasing, didn’t seem the least bit shy. In fact, he was completely unbothered.

“Shameless.”

Qin Mang choked a little and muttered.

…

So He Lingji, shameless as ever, lay on the bed fully relaxed, clearly planning to sleep.

No wonder he was so successful. Look at that self-discipline. It made Qin Mang start to doubt her own charm.

“It’s only 11 PM. Why are you sleeping already, you some kind of senior citizen?”

“An adult male should get no less than 6.49 hours of sleep. Mrs. He, I’m waking up at 6 a.m.”

Down to the minute.

His self-control was terrifying.

Qin Mang might have a temper, but she wasn’t unreasonable. Given he had a valid reason, and considering she usually slept till 11 for her beauty rest, she felt too embarrassed to keep him up.

As she moved about with soft rustling noises, He Lingji rubbed his brow and suddenly said:

“Come to bed.”

“If I have time tomorrow, I’ll rehearse with you.”

Qin Mang had just started tiptoeing toward the study for an all-nighter when she heard his deep, slightly raspy voice.

She turned around in delight.

Three quick steps and she jumped into bed, leaning close to his calm, seemingly sleeping face, asking again and again, “Really? Really? *Really*?”

He Lingji was getting a headache from her noise. “Quiet.”

Qin Mang, not sure if he could see, made a zipping-lips gesture. “Sleeping now!”

Before sleeping, she pressed her hands to her cheeks, curled on her side, eyes adjusting to the dark as she admired the man’s sculpted profile.

She whispered sincerely, “Hubby, you’re insanely hot tonight.”

He Lingji: “…”

The always composed and gentlemanly man finally cracked, covering her babbling mouth with his hand. “Sleep.”

Nestled in his cool embrace, Qin Mang let out a long breath.

Wow.

His body was heaven for someone who overheated easily.

But for He Lingji, Qin Mang’s little furnace-like body was nothing new—it was her habit of stripping in her sleep that was the real hell.

Woken again by the body-heat furnace in his arms.

He Lingji managed to stay composed.

With a practiced hand, he reached for the robe hanging by the bed and wrapped it around her, tying a double knot.

After all the effort, he was wide awake.

The clock on the wall read 1 a.m.

After a cold shower, he came out to see Qin Mang half-asleep, sitting up and tugging helplessly at the tight knot.

When she saw him, she held the tied sash toward him pitifully. “I can’t undo it.”

He Lingji, finally calm again, couldn’t help but laugh softly:

“You’re messing with me on purpose tonight, aren’t you?”

Something about that laugh made Qin Mang feel danger.

By the time she fully woke up—

It was half an hour later. She was still dazed.

“Why did you agree to that reporter interview?”

Still fuzzy, Qin Mang asked the same question the reporter had asked earlier—one she hadn’t dared bring up during the day.

He Lingji closed his eyes. Why did his wife always want to have heart-to-hearts at *these* times?

If not for how she melted into a puddle in five minutes, he’d seriously question his sanity.

His gray-blue eyes scanned her lovely face. His reply was vague: “I like doing good deeds.”

*You? A cold-blooded capitalist? Doing good deeds?*

Qin Mang almost said something snarky, but a thought suddenly occurred to her. Her eyes sparkled.

“Since Mr. He loves good deeds so much, and we’re the closest people in the world, let me give you a chance to earn some instant karma.”

Seeing her excitedly reach for the script again, He Lingji knew—if this kept up, she’d kill him eventually.

He yanked her back and sighed, “Tonight… I don’t feel like doing good deeds.”

“What do you *feel* like doing then?”

Qin Mang tilted her head up—and found herself staring into those deep, familiar eyes.

Suddenly, her slender hands cupped his face, forcing eye contact.

Eye contact scene. Eye contact scene. Eye contact scene!

That still counts as rehearsing, right?

**She really is a little clever fox.**

Qin Mang’s palms were always warmer than the average person’s—this time was no different.

He Lingji’s long fingers pressed against the center of her forehead.

Qin Mang was forced to fall back onto the sofa. The leather cushions bounced her up slightly, leaving her dizzy and lightheaded.

Just as she was about to get upset—

The next second.

She heard He Lingji’s concise words by her ear: “I want to—”

The sentence paused for a beat.

The last word, “sleep,” sounded out slowly and clearly next to her ear.

The night was ink-dark. Even the sound of the heavy rain outside seemed to come to a halt.

The next day was bright and sunny again, as if the thunderstorm from the night before had never happened. The sky was clean and fresh, as if it had been washed.

—

**He Group CEO’s Office.**

9 a.m. He Lingji had just finished a meeting. He leaned back in his leather office chair, his aloof and noble features tinged with a cold fatigue.

For once during work hours, he was thinking about personal matters.

If he accidentally fell asleep, he would lose control and start radiating heat.

It was fine at home, but if it happened outside…

Qin Mang was often outside.

His long, slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk—tap, tap—each sound tense and ominous.

He Lingji raised his intense eyes calmly and looked at the only female secretary in the team, Tao Qin. “Find the top sleep specialist, doesn’t matter if they’re domestic or international.”

Tao Qin’s position was below Cong Zhen’s, but her professional ability was on par—just in different areas.

However, He Lingji usually preferred using Cong Zhen.

So it was rare for him to assign her such an important task.

Tao Qin soon understood why.

It was for Mrs. He.

As it happened, there was currently a very skilled sleep specialist in Shen City—someone who had once worked with retired military officers and was highly regarded in the field.

She had retired in Shen City and lived in the old wealthy district on Wisteria Lane, not far from the He family’s old mansion. She had recently been rehired by the Shen City First Hospital’s psychiatric department.

—

Qin Mang slept all the way until noon. It wasn’t until the butler knocked on the door that she lazily opened it. “I don’t want to…”

Eat lunch.

Before she could finish, she saw Tao Qin, hair neatly combed, dressed in formal workwear.

Qin Mang recognized her.

She was He Lingji’s secretary.

“Secretary Tao? What’s the matter?”

Tao Qin respectfully greeted, “Good afternoon, Madam.”

“Mr. He asked me to take you somewhere.”

Qin Mang initially thought He Lingji finally had time to act with her. Her eyes lit up, and she changed into a beautiful, elegant qipao. She also grabbed the paper bag with the warlord outfit in it, and after some thought, added the wedding ring she forgot last night into her purse.

“No time to waste, let’s go!”

Tao Qin was momentarily stunned.

Didn’t Secretary Cong say Madam hated going to hospitals?

Why did she seem so eager?

That was until the private car from Lakeside Manor stopped at the entrance of Shen City First Hospital.

Qin Mang’s excited, beautiful face instantly stiffened. “He’s sick?”

“Or injured?”

“A car accident?”

A flurry of questions.

Tao Qin was caught off guard, but as a professional secretary, she quickly realized Madam was asking about Mr. He, and respectfully replied, “You’re here to see the doctor.”

…?

…!

Qin Mang immediately called He Lingji, not caring where he was. She raised her voice: “He Lingji!”

**“You’re the one who’s sick!”**

The man replied simply, “Don’t avoid treatment. See the doctor, then I’ll act with you.”

Qin Mang, full of pride, snapped back:

**“My foot!”**

**“I’m perfectly healthy!”**

**“I’ll live long enough to inherit all your assets one day!”**

**“If you won’t act with me, I’ll go find some fresh-faced, handsome little boy instead—bet he’ll be way more into character than your stiff, old-fashioned self!”**