**Chapter 32: Spending Money Like Water**

When they returned to the Lakeside Estate, it was nearly five in the morning. The sky was still dark.

Qin Mang kept her face hidden beneath a small blanket in the car the entire way back.

No particular reason.

She just couldn’t bear to show her face.

In the master bedroom, He Lingji had already showered. When he came out, he saw Qin Mang lying bonelessly on the sofa, her face covered by the thin blanket, motionless.

The man casually threw on a bathrobe. His short, damp hair still dripped with water.

Drop by drop.

Sliding along his Adam’s apple, trailing down in winding lines.

In the darkness of the night—

It felt like danger was lurking beneath the surface.

Yet he didn’t seem to care, taking a few strides forward and lifting the thin blanket.
“Mrs. He, are you trying to suffocate yourself out of shame and anger?”

Qin Mang covered her face with her delicate fingers.

She turned her back to him.

Probably because she’d had her head under the blanket too long—

Her usually fair cheeks were now flushed with a rather unnatural rouge, even her ears matched.

Her dainty, curvy figure curled up, making her appear vulnerable and pitiful.

He Lingji reached out and touched her neck.

The long-trapped warmth and dampness spread up his cool fingertips.

A rare trace of pity appeared in his eyes.

“Still hurting?”

“It hurts! It hurts like hell!”

Qin Mang finally couldn’t hold it in.

She smacked his hand with a loud *slap*, her watery eyes now lit with twin flames.
“Who told you to skip all the proper prep work?”

“How about I stab you with a red-hot iron rod for two hours and let you feel what I feel?”

That metaphor—

Instead of angering him, made He Lingji chuckle. He bent down and picked her up effortlessly, his tone mild.
“Held it in for months. Couldn’t anymore.”

“Sorry.”

The sudden apology made all the curses Qin Mang had lined up get stuck in her throat.

And just like that, she was already being carried into the bathroom.

Wait a second?

Qin Mang suddenly processed what he said.
Held it in for months? Couldn’t anymore?

So… this was somehow her fault?

Before she could come up with a sharp yet elegant comeback—

Suddenly.

The shower turned on. Warm mist poured down, soaking Qin Mang and making her close her eyes.

“For the next few days, no baths. It’ll help avoid infection.”

His cool voice came through the sound of the water, laced with a strange gentleness.

After a whole day of chaos—

Qin Mang was exhausted.

She almost fell asleep in his arms while showering.

Luckily, He Lingji could steady her with one hand, and it didn’t stop him from helping her wash up.

Qin Mang felt perfectly justified.

If he hadn’t tortured her so much last night, she would’ve been fast asleep by now.

She was so tired she wanted to pass out the moment she laid down—but who would’ve thought—

He Lingji hadn’t forgotten to apply medicine for her.

The faint herbal scent filled the air, tinged with a cooling sensation.

Qin Mang ran hot by nature—every inch of her was like that.

So the moment the cold ointment touched her skin—

She snapped wide awake and reflexively kicked out.

Only for He Lingji to easily catch her slender ankle.

His long, cool fingers looked elegant, but carried a quiet threat as they gripped her foot and pressed her back down.

Deadly beautiful.

And dangerously commanding.

“Don’t move.”

“Almost done.”

Under the dim amber lighting—

Qin Mang buried her face into the pillow, muffling her voice.
“Can’t you hurry up?”

The slowness was driving her crazy—

He Lingji remained calm.
“Relax.”

Qin Mang bit her lower lip, resisting the urge to kick him in the face.
“…You damn jerk! So annoying!”

If she had to go through this twice a day, she might—

Before she could finish the thought, He Lingji stood up unhurriedly.
“Twice a day. I’ll apply it again tomorrow morning.”

Qin Mang: *Ahhh!* This torture happens **twice** a day!?

After he finished applying the medicine—

He Lingji pulled off the mint-green lace nightie she had wrapped in her robe, his voice calm and firm.
“Don’t wear this tonight.”

“It’ll irritate your skin.”

He even tossed her silk robe onto a rack just out of her reach.

“You’d throw it off in the middle of the night anyway.”

Qin Mang stared at the dangling mint green lace.

After all that—

He Lingji was tired, too.

He sent a quick message to Secretary Cong to delay the morning meeting, then lifted the quilt and climbed into bed.

His handsome face was brushed with subtle fatigue.

The aftereffects of several strong drinks were also kicking in.

He rubbed his brow with long fingers, turning off the last light.

The huge room fell into silence and darkness.

Heavy curtains blocked the faint morning light outside.

This was the drowsiest time of day.

Qin Mang tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
“…This is weird.”

She lay there wide awake for over ten minutes—

He Lingji was almost in deep sleep.

Qin Mang turned and looked at his sleeping profile, then pressed her lips flat and reached out to poke his eyelashes.

Why did a grown man have such long lashes?

“Stop it.”

He Lingji’s voice was husky, his hand closing over her wrist.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Go get my panties.”

Qin Mang didn’t want to get up, so she poked him again.
“I’m not used to this.”

“I don’t feel secure.”

When he didn’t move—

She poked him again and again.

“Go get them.”

“Honey\~”

He Lingji, annoyed beyond belief, kept his eyes closed, pulled off the robe he’d just changed into after his shower, and slipped it onto her.

The movements were smooth and practiced.

Then he wrapped his long arms around her, holding her firmly in place to stop any more nonsense.

“Can you sleep now?”

The robe still carried his body heat.

It now hung loosely on her slim waist, empty and oversized.

Qin Mang was stunned.

…Huh?

**You can do that??**

More importantly!

Qin Mang clutched at the silky robe, too afraid to look down.

This damned man!

So shameless!

“He Lingji, you—”

“Not sleeping?”

In the pitch dark, he suddenly opened his eyes. His gray-blue pupils were deep and still, like whirlpools—overflowing with dominance.

Qin Mang, who was about to make more trouble, froze.

Obediently shut her eyes.

“I’m sleeping.”

Sometimes you just had to back down.

Otherwise, she’d only suffer more.

He Lingji, that damn dog, was capable of **anything** when pissed off.

—

The next morning, Qin Mang was jolted awake by a series of calls from Fu Yuan.

“Where were you last night?”

“Did you get photographed?”

“Where are you now?”

Three questions in a row left Qin Mang dazed for a solid three seconds.

She looked around.

The familiar and luxurious décor—it was the master bedroom of the Lakeside Estate’s wedding suite.

She sat up in a panic, then gasped from the painful pull.

Crap.

The paparazzi staking out her building probably knew she hadn’t come home last night!

She’d been too embarrassed to think of it yesterday.

Before she could respond—

A veined, masculine hand reached from behind and took her phone.
“She’s with me.”

Fu Yuan went silent.

After a pause, she tried to be polite.
“President He… it’s not a good time for Qin Mang to be living with you.”

He Lingji stood beside the bed, dressed sharply in a suit, as if he was heading straight into a boardroom.

Elegant and refined, cold and abstinent.

But the words he said were: “Last night, she—”

Qin Mang realized what he was about to say.

Regardless of her current situation, she suddenly lunged forward to snatch the phone.

At the same time, she raised her voice to interrupt him, “Sister Fu, I’ll head back this afternoon!”

*Click.*

The call ended.

She knelt by the bed, looking up angrily at He Lingji. “Who let you spout nonsense…”

Suddenly, she noticed something sliding down from her waist.

Qin Mang’s slender body flinched.

As if in slow motion, she lowered her head, her pupils gradually widening—

Only to see her fair knees covered by a layer of pitch-black fabric.

Ahhhhhh!

Qin Mang immediately grabbed the edge of it.

Above her, the man let out a low, pleasant chuckle, laced with implication: “Didn’t expect Mrs. He to be so fond of He’s—”

The last two words.

Echoed in Qin Mang’s ears.

Having been led by the nose all night, Qin Mang finally calmed down. She curved her red lips into a smile, stood up slowly, and loosely tied the black fabric around her waist.

Standing on the bed, she looked down at He Lingji’s cold and noble face.

Her porcelain-like fingertips lifted the man’s chin.

Leaning in slightly.

A soft, seductive voice slowly spilled out, “I *do* like it—”

Since she was injured anyway, she might as well tease this dog man to death!

Her eyes glimmered with a smile. She glanced to the side and, seeing his reaction, smirked even more. “Oh my, seems like President He likes it too.”

Thinking of her weak and wilted state last night.

And now this dazzling, bold demeanor.

He Lingji’s eyes darkened; his pale gray-blue pupils were devoid of emotion.

In the end, he simply picked up the ointment they used last night from the bedside, scooped out a bit with his finger, and slowly said, “He prefers applying medicine to Mrs. He.”

Qin Mang: “!”

What a refined scoundrel!

…

Right after He Lingji went to the company, Qin Mang returned to their pre-marital residence in the city center.

Separate living!

They must live apart!

Floor-to-ceiling windows covered an entire wall. The ultra-luxurious flat offered a sweeping view of the city’s most prosperous district—every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

It was also known as the most traffic-congested area.

At the moment, she was lazily leaning on a lounge chair by the window.

In the natural light.

Fu Yuan clearly saw the marks imprinted on the girl’s snow-white neck.

Even the little red mole on her nose seemed over-saturated with decadent allure.

Fu Yuan couldn’t help but get a headache.

“Can’t you ask President He to restrain himself a bit?”

If President Ruan hadn’t sent all the paparazzi to the police for a verbal warning last night…

They would’ve been caught!

Qin Mang fluttered her lashes and let out a cold laugh. “Who knows what kind of fit he was throwing yesterday.”

Like he took some kind of potion or something.

Didn’t he know they weren’t well-matched in size?

Suddenly, Qin Mang seemed to realize something.

They hadn’t been this mismatched before.

What happened yesterday?

Could it be that he had never gone all the way before?

Frowning, Qin Mang couldn’t figure it out.

Fu Yuan, exasperated, could only think: only Mrs. He would dare talk about President He this way.

She didn’t dare chime in.

So she changed the topic: “I’ve cleared all your schedules for the next half month. As long as you’re not caught alone with another man, do whatever you like.”

Consider it a vacation.

Just in case this little ancestor decided to quit without warning again.

Hearing this, Qin Mang’s lips slowly curled upward.

“Now that’s more like it.”

She picked up a high-end gemstone exhibition brochure from the nearby rack, occasionally circling items with a red marker.

Planning to check them out in person.

Meng Ting glanced over casually.

Then gasped.

“Holy crap—”

It was the first time he truly felt the financial power of a wealthy heiress.

Looking at her wildly marked-up brochure, he cautiously asked, “The ones you circled… are those what you’re planning to buy?”

Qin Mang lifted her lashes and glanced at him.

“What kind of taste is that?”

Meng Ting: “…”

What did she mean?

Qin Mang pointed her fair finger at the centerpiece sapphire shaped like a planet. “The ones I didn’t circle—those are the ones I actually want.”

Meng Ting’s eyes widened.

Just that one sapphire…

Would cost over a hundred million!

These filthy rich people!

Initially, Qin Mang was worried He Lingji would follow her to the city center.

After all, he had strongly refused to live separately.

Who knew he’d leave on a business trip the very same day.

He only sent the housekeeper to deliver ointment.

And—

His daily necessities.

Qin Mang leaned against the doorframe, eyeing the servants behind the housekeeper who looked like they were moving in. “What’s this now?”

The housekeeper respectfully said, “President He was worried you wouldn’t take care of yourself.”

“He sent us over on purpose.”

“And his things?”

The housekeeper’s expression was perfectly composed. “President He will also move in once his business trip ends.”

Qin Mang: ?

Before she could voice her refusal—

The housekeeper added, “President He said this is shared marital property. He’s entitled to live here.”

What the hell?!

That dog man actually covets her pre-marital assets!

She moved here to avoid the paparazzi.

After all, this mysterious location would make them lower their guard.

Now He Lingji was making a high-profile move to follow her here too?

Was he afraid no one would link them together?

The housekeeper presented a card with both hands.

“This is your pocket money from during the filming period.”

The He family had deep roots and had preserved many traditions.

For example, a fixed monthly allowance.

This fixed amount could be spent however one liked.

To prevent surprises, extra discretionary funds would be prepared, and the rest would go into various investments.

Qin Mang lowered her curled lashes. She recalled how, ever since she entered the entertainment industry, her uncle had cut off her allowance, claiming it was time for her to show filial piety.

But it was really just to force her to quit the industry.

So currently, most of the money she had at her disposal came from what she earned as an actress!

Money was *really* hard to earn.

She’d worked her butt off for two years and still didn’t make as much as one month’s allowance used to give her!

On one hand, the gemstone brochure she wanted to buy from.

On the other, letting He Lingji move in.

Three seconds later.

Qin Mang decisively stepped aside, card pinched between her fingers, eyes curving with a smile: “Hurry and bring in my dear husband’s luggage.”

“How can a married couple live apart!”

Once the housekeeper came inside—

Qin Mang changed the tone, “I can spend the money however I want, right?”

The housekeeper smiled slightly. “Of course.”

But what she never expected—

Was that someone could actually max out an eight-figure limit.

In just a few days.

Qin Mang was thrilled.

She kissed her gemstone exhibition booklet.

Her precious babies!

You’re all coming home with me.

Lately, Qin Mang had been busy filming, studying, and taking on various jobs. It had been a *long, long* time since she lived in such a lavish, luxurious way.

There just wasn’t time before.

Now that she was on break—

She called up her bestie who had just returned from Antarctica and flew abroad.

After a wild shopping spree—

They attended a gemstone exhibition.

This one was beautiful.

That one was gorgeous.

Sapphire—elegant.

Ruby—vibrant.

Yellow diamond—graceful.

Emerald—mysterious—

She wanted them *all*!

As expected of the world’s largest gemstone exhibition.

Even the rarest of gems could be found here.

Some were display-only and not for sale. Qin Mang simply threw money at them.

She had grown up in luxury. As long as she liked something, she *had* to get it—no matter the price!

Even Yu Yuxi, who was standing beside her like a little assistant carrying her bag, was stunned.

She had made such a fuss before, saying she didn’t want a business marriage and wanted to pursue love.

She was wrong.

Looking at how extravagantly Qin Mang was spending money, who the hell would still want love?

Even when the little lioness was at her maiden home, she never spent money so freely!

After smoothly signing another order, Qin Mang, still feeling unsatisfied, sent a message to her little uncle:

**Little Lioness Awoo Meow:** \[Little Uncle, your niece sincerely thanks you.]

**Qin Yan:** \[?]

**Little Lioness Awoo Meow:** \[For picking such an excellent and generous husband for me!]

**Qin Yan:** \[?]

**Little Lioness Awoo Meow:** \[Love you to death!]

Qin Yan finally caught on:
**Qin Yan:** \[How much of his money did you spend?]

**Little Lioness Awoo Meow:** \[What do you mean by “his” money? We’re all one family!]

**Qin Yan:** \[……]

When Qin Yan found out how much Qin Mang had spent at this gem exhibition, he fell silent for a few seconds.

Suddenly, he felt relieved.

Good thing he married this money-wasting creature off.

Otherwise, she’d be squandering the Qin family’s ancestral fortune.

Qin Yan looked out the window and chuckled lightly.

Let her waste the He family’s money instead.

He was getting old.

No match for He Lingji, who was young and good at making money.

After thinking for a few seconds, Qin Yan sent a kind message to his niece’s husband:
**Qin Yan:** \[A married daughter is like water thrown out—don’t pour her back in.]

Far away in Shencheng, the butler looked at the series of bills coming in. At first, he was gratified that Madam was finally willing to spend the He family’s money—she was truly integrating into the family.

Then came shock. Wasn’t she treating it *too* much like her own home?

In the end, his face went blank from numbness.

Did Madam go abroad to buy an entire country?

When Qin Mang learned she had maxed out the card, she stared at the final gem, the crowning piece—a blue planet sapphire.

It was so blue, transparent, and mysterious.

When she saw it in the exhibition booklet, it had reminded her of He Lingji’s blue eyes in the dark.

Mysterious like the deep sea, pure and elegant.

If she missed it this time, who knew when she’d get another chance?

Thinking of what the butler had said—spend as much as she wanted—Qin Mang naturally told him to transfer the money.

The butler: “…Yes.”

He was already contacting the bank to transfer funds.

Since it was an eight-figure transaction, He Lingji would be notified when the reserve funds were mobilized.