**Chapter 20: A Wildfire in the Heart**
“Under the Night Sky” was the grandest pleasure venue in Deep City\u2014and also the most mysterious. Opulent and dazzling on the outside, the massive building stood at the end of the city\u2019s most bustling night district, evoking memories of indulgence and decadence akin to the ten-mile foreign settlements of old.
It only opened two nights a week, otherwise completely deserted.
Every Thursday and Saturday, at precisely ten minutes past midnight, the place would open its doors. Guests had to undergo strict screening before entry.
Ironically, this exclusivity only increased people\u2019s eagerness to get in and see for themselves.
Qin Mang had been well-protected since childhood and strictly managed by her uncle. She rarely came to places like this.
Inside the sprawling venue, everything was soaked in a glamorous haze of alcohol and temptation. Shadows flickered through the space, filled with the lure of spirits, smoke, and indulgence.
\u201cThis bar\u2019s so ridiculously flashy\u2014no wonder your brother\u2019s making a killing.\u201d
That was the first thing Qin Mang said as she entered behind Wu Yuxi.
This place belonged to Wu Yuxi\u2019s older brother, Wu Yuan, which was the only reason she could sneak Qin Mang in through the back.
\u201cHehehe, the theme tonight is a masquerade! Otherwise, I wouldn\u2019t have dared to bring you. Quick, put on a mask. Even though photos aren\u2019t allowed here, people gossip. You\u2019re a red-hot celebrity now!\u201d Wu Yuxi personally helped her put on a black peacock-feather mask.
In a richly colored qipao that hugged her graceful figure, Qin Mang stepped into the main venue.
She looked like a blinding ray of sunlight falling into a kaleidoscopic cocktail.
Only her porcelain chin was visible beneath the mask. Her red lips curled in a subtle, poised smile\u2014composed and natural, like a seasoned visitor to such nightlife.
Wu Yuxi was stunned.
Qin Mang glanced around lazily. \u201cWhere are those fresh-faced pretty boys you promised?\u201d
\u201cDidn\u2019t you say there\u2019d be a new model performance tonight?\u201d
By “models,” she wasn\u2019t referring to the usual kind\u2014these were male models, newly recruited.
Compared to Qin Mang\u2019s calm demeanor, Wu Yuxi\u2019s earlier excitement began to fade, her rational side kicking in\u2014especially after hearing her friend talk so casually about looking for pretty boys.
Her mind involuntarily conjured an image of Qin Mang\u2019s husband\u2019s cold, striking face. She shivered. It felt like she was aiding and abetting a married woman in hiring… escorts. The guilt was real.
\u201cAren\u2019t you afraid of Master He…?\u201d
\u201cThere are rumors… that his temper isn\u2019t exactly mild…\u201d
Wu Yuxi had only met He Lingji up close once, as a bridesmaid at Qin Mang\u2019s wedding.
She had been too intimidated to say a word to him.
Her knowledge of him came solely from rumors\u2014and from Qin Mang\u2019s stories.
\u201cAfraid of him?\u201d Qin Mang casually leaned on the bar and ordered a drink, a cold chuckle curling at the edge of her red lips. Her eyes, seductive and dazzling beneath the mask, lifted slowly.
\u201cHe won\u2019t act with me, so I have to find someone else.\u201d
Otherwise, how would she win Best Actress?
As for seeing a doctor?
She wasn\u2019t sick! Why should she see one?
Thinking of Tao Qin\u2019s explanation earlier that day, Qin Mang\u2019s cold smile deepened.
He Lingji may look elegant and aloof, but at his core, he was domineering and controlling. He never asked her what she wanted\u2014he just assumed she did.
No wonder he agreed so quickly last night.
It was just another transaction.
\u201cMaybe he\u2019s just worried about your health?\u201d Wu Yuxi offered weakly.
Qin Mang reached out and touched her forehead. \u201cXigua, are you okay? Talking nonsense now?\u201d
\u201cOur dear President He insists on exactly 6.49 hours of sleep every day. If I wake him up in the middle of the night for two hours of \u2018business,\u2019 his sleep gets seriously disrupted.\u201d
Worried about her?
Absolutely not.
He was just afraid of her messing with his sleep schedule.
That \u201cbusiness\u201d was loaded with implication.
Wu Yuxi, the queen of risqu\u00e9 humor, instantly understood.
\u201cWhoa! Gotta hand it to Master He\u2014two hours each time?\u201d
Qin Mang had just taken a big swig of her cocktail and nearly choked.
\u201c\u2026Compared to my five minutes, his two hours\u2026\u201d
It *was* a bit excessive.
No\u2014*way* too excessive!
He overshadowed her in every way.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
And there weren\u2019t even any fresh-faced pretty boys to make up for it!
Wu Yuxi cleared her throat. \u201cJust wait a bit longer.\u201d
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor, inside a semi-private lounge.
From here, you could overlook the entire ground floor, yet from below, only the elegant railings were visible. The lounge itself remained completely hidden, like a space separated from reality\u2014debauchery below, serenity above.
This was where the owner resided.
Two very different men sat face-to-face, a chessboard between them.
Compared to the calculated strategy of Go, where all pieces clash directly, Western chess was more about conquest.
It was Wu Yuan\u2019s favorite pastime.
Just then, someone came upstairs and whispered into Wu Yuan\u2019s ear.
He didn\u2019t linger. A quick word and he left.
The room returned to silence.
A few seconds later\u2014
\u201cWhat did you do to anger that little lioness again? She\u2019s specifically asking for fresh, handsome male models. You two immortals clashing like this\u2014can\u2019t you leave my humble little venue out of it?\u201d Wu Yuan raised a glass of wine, teasing.
That \u201chumble little venue\u201d was false modesty.
After all, Wu Yuan was considered the king of Deep City\u2019s underground world, second only to He Lingji in the business realm.
This venue had been eyed by countless factions for years and still stood tall in the city\u2019s most coveted district.
He had invited He Lingji over personally.
Unlike Wu Yuxi, he couldn\u2019t just stand by while Qin Mang stirred up trouble here.
She wasn\u2019t the same as before.
She now belonged under the protective wing of the man sitting across from him. If something happened to her here, the Wu family couldn\u2019t afford the consequences.
So while he\u2019d promised his sister to help find a male model for Qin Mang, he immediately called over the man who made male models irrelevant.
Behind the bead curtain, pale light outlined He Lingji\u2019s cool, refined features. He twirled a king chess piece between his long, elegant fingers, seemingly nonchalant.
\u201cLittle lioness with a temper,\u201d Wu Yuan said.
He imagined her puffed-up, fuming expression.
The nickname fit.
\u201cMale models?\u201d He Lingji\u2019s thin lips parted, the two words echoing with layered meaning.
Wu Yuan fiddled with his lighter, failing to light it twice before tossing it aside. \u201cWe welcome all kinds here\u2014male and female entertainers alike.\u201d
\u201cTime\u2019s about right, too,\u201d he added, opening the soundproof glass door.
Suddenly, the once-quiet lounge filled with the roar of excitement from below.
He placed a half-face white peacock-feather mask on the chessboard.
Ignoring the scattered pieces, he pushed the mask toward He Lingji. \u201cThere\u2019s no problem between husband and wife that a little game can\u2019t solve.\u201d
\u201cEspecially with our little lioness Qin Mang.\u201d
\u201cShe *loves* stimulation.\u201d
*Clatter\u2014*
The chess pieces toppled over with the sound.
The way Wu Yuan spoke about Qin Mang\u2014
He Lingji finally looked up, cold and indifferent. \u201cYour little lioness?\u201d
\u201cYours, yours,\u201d Wu Yuan rolled his eyes.
So much for the mysterious atmosphere he was going for.
No wonder Qin Mang wanted to find some fresh-faced boy toys.
Young women liked their thrills. He Lingji, always so aloof and detached, clearly wasn\u2019t the type to indulge her whims.
No wonder Wu Yuan didn\u2019t have high hopes for their arranged marriage.
Given Qin Mang\u2019s personality and youth, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if she regretted the impulsive decision once she met someone she truly liked.
But\u2014
Wu Yuan swirled his wine and noticed He Lingji pick up the mask.
If this high-and-mighty man really had feelings for the little lioness, then perhaps\u2026
He Lingji held the mask, veins faintly visible on the back of his hand, every inch of him exuding privilege and restrained detachment. Even the extravagant peacock feathers seemed touched with an otherworldly grace.
\u2026
Qin Mang had already downed three drinks.
Though she could hold her liquor, her black eyes were starting to glaze over.
\u201cWhere are the people?\u201d she mumbled.
Wu Yuxi turned to the assistant her brother had sent and urged him, \u201cWhere are they?\u201d
Assistant Yang, just having received the message, replied immediately, \u201cWaiting on the fifth floor.\u201d
**Fifth floor?**
Wu Yuxi was a bit confused. Wasn\u2019t that her brother\u2019s territory?
Assistant Yang explained, \u201cDidn\u2019t Miss Qin say she wanted to rehearse a scene with someone? It\u2019s too noisy down here, so President Wu specifically cleared out the fifth floor.\u201d
Some people were already having the time of their lives.
They were dancing intimately in the center of the stage.
Especially since this was a masquerade ball\u2014no one could recognize anyone\u2014everyone was enjoying themselves even more.
They had been here for an hour. Given her usual popularity, she\u2019d normally have a stack of contact info by now.
But this time, not a single one.
The two of them were sitting at the bar, and even three meters away, no one approached\u2014not even anyone passing by.
Qin Mang thoughtfully took a sip of the cocktail specially made by the bartender. The mix of apple brandy and herbs exploded in her mouth, clearing her mind a bit.
At that moment, Assistant Yang stretched out his arm gracefully. \u201cThe \u2018male model\u2019 is already waiting on the fifth floor.\u201d
\u201cMiss Qin, this way, please.\u201d
When mentioning the \u201cmale model,\u201d Assistant Yang, known for his perfect expression control, twitched for half a second.
Qin Mang didn\u2019t pay attention to him. She lowered her gaze to the cocktail she had just sipped, unwilling to waste it.
After a brief moment of thought,
She decisively carried the drink into the elevator. The amber liquid shimmered under the light, with a round, glossy black cherry floating inside, casting a magical glow.
The elevator took her straight to the fifth floor.
Qin Mang stepped out in her high heels, gracefully pushed open the half-closed glass door, and her slender silhouette stretched under the lighting.
Wu Yuxi was about to follow.
But the next second, someone grabbed her arm.
*Bang.*
She watched helplessly as the door closed right in front of her.
\u201cBrother?\u201d
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d
Wu Yuxi stumbled a little,
Turning her head to see the tall, familiar figure standing there. His fox-like eyes scanned her up and down, and suddenly she got alarmed: \u201cDon\u2019t tell me\u2026 the male model is you?\u201d
No wonder something felt off about this place today.
None of the usual club vibes!
Wu Yuan recalled the cocktail Qin Mang had held earlier.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
This business marriage couple\u2026 really was something.
Then his silly sister spoke again, \u201cWho\u2019s her husband?\u201d
\u201cHe Lingshi,\u201d he replied.
\u201cWho\u2019s He Lingshi?\u201d
Wu Yuxi was stunned. \u201cHe Lingshi is Qin Mang\u2019s husband.\u201d
Wu Yuan: Forget it. Dumb or not, she\u2019s still my sister.
\u201cHe Lingshi is a top figure in Deep City. If he wanted, he could control everyone\u2019s future.\u201d
\u201cQin Mang is his legally wedded wife, the future matriarch of the He family. And you brought her here to meet a male model for fun? Are you out of your mind?\u201d
Good thing he showed up today.
Otherwise, he wouldn\u2019t have known what ridiculous thing his dumb sister had done.
He Lingshi probably wouldn\u2019t do anything to Qin Mang,
But their Wu family might not be so lucky.
Wu Yuxi quickly looked at the tightly closed glass door.
Special material\u2014it was soundproof and one-way. You could see out from the inside, but not the other way around.
\u201cHiss hiss hiss hiss\u2026\u201d
\u201cAre you cosplaying a snake demon today?\u201d
\u201cSo that means\u2014\u201d
\u201cThe \u2018male model\u2019 inside is Mr. He?!\u201d
\u201cAhhhh! That\u2019s so romantic!\u201d
\u201cOh my god, oh my god, He Lingshi is totally in love!\u201d
\u201cI want to watch the male model and female client play out a scene!\u201d
Wu Yuan thought maybe he was just getting old\u2014he had no idea what these young people were thinking.
He recognized every word, but couldn\u2019t understand a thing they were saying when put together.
Finally, he dragged his silly sister\u2014who was about to try peeking through the door\u2014away.
With that special glass,
Even if she removed her ears, she still wouldn\u2019t hear anything from inside.
—
When the door suddenly closed, Qin Mang was slightly surprised, but quickly turned around with calm ease.
Through the lavish bead curtain, her gaze landed on the tall figure sitting on a black sofa not far away, wearing a half-face mask adorned with peacock feathers.
The military-style uniform exuded an overwhelming aura.
The white feathers looked especially cold and pure, setting off his unique gray-blue eyes\u2014calm and detached, like a cold deity on a high pedestal, untouched by the mortal world.
He Lingshi\u2019s gaze swept lightly over her black feathered mask.
Her red lips, beneath the decadent mask, appeared even more striking and luscious.
\u201cMale model?\u201d
Qin Mang walked over with her drink, her voice slow and slightly hoarse from the alcohol. Two words spilled out with ambiguous meaning.
\u201cOr\u2026 cosplay?\u201d
\u201cHm, Wu Yuan really knows me.\u201d
The same military outfit\u2014
Worn on Jiang Hengyan, it did nothing for her.
But on this man, even with a mask, it made her heart\u2014
Flutter.
She hated that lack of control.
Especially when she was losing control, and the other person remained above it all, unshaken.
She wanted to melt glaciers, freeze fire, and bring down gods from their pedestals.
So, Qin Mang brushed aside the bead curtain.
The glimmering strings swayed with a crisp, chaotic sound like light gauze wrapping the space.
As she leaned in, one hand braced on the man\u2019s knee to steady herself, the other raised the amber drink to his lips, tilting it slightly.
When his lips were stained with the liquor,
Qin Mang leaned close to his ear and whispered: \u201cDo you know what this cocktail is called?\u201d
The next second, her red lips slowly curled as she enunciated in elegant English:
**\u201cWidow\u2019s Kiss.\u201d**
Then her bright, beautiful face broke into a mischievous smile, like a child who just pulled a successful prank.
He Lingshi leaned back slightly, his icy gaze unmoved. Instead, he calmly held her delicate wrist so she wouldn\u2019t spill the nearly full drink.
\u201cCooled off?\u201d
His voice was low and cold, like he wasn\u2019t the least bit ruffled by her little trick.
Which made Qin Mang even more frustrated.
She sneered, then slammed the glass down onto the table with a *bang*.
Ripples formed on the surface, a bit of the liquid splashing out.
She picked up the cherry that had been soaking in the drink and bit into it as if she were biting someone\u2019s flesh.
Expressionless: \u201cNo.\u201d
\u201cWhy won\u2019t you see a doctor?\u201d
He Lingshi still hadn\u2019t removed his white feather mask, asking a question that had nothing to do with the flirtatious atmosphere.
\u201cYour constitution is different.\u201d
Qin Mang frowned, released his wrist, and lazily collapsed into the opposite sofa with no hint of warmth in her tone:
\u201cSeeing a doctor won\u2019t help. I was born this way.\u201d
As a child, because her body temperature was higher than normal, her uncle took her to countless top hospitals, both domestic and abroad.
Every diagnosis said the same: she was born this way, but it wouldn\u2019t affect her health.
Most of her childhood memories were of hospitals with different styles.
So now, even just seeing one made her instinctively reject it.
The man\u2019s fingers rested on the edge of his mask, his expression unreadable.
He asked a few more questions.
Qin Mang wanted to rebel a little.
But under his gaze, she gave up.
Forget it.
It was more important to make him give up the idea of dragging her to a hospital.
So she insisted she was really fine.
A few minutes later.
He Lingshi was too boring.
So boring that Qin Mang felt even her mask had become meaningless. She raised her hand to take it off\u2014
\u201cPut it back on.\u201d
Unexpectedly, He Lingshi slowly looked up and said flatly, completely unrelated to their previous topic.
Qin Mang\u2019s hand froze mid-air.
She felt like she couldn\u2019t keep up with this man\u2019s rhythm.
This mask was supposed to be part of a flirty game.
But he sat there like a stoic doctor doing a clinical check-up\u2014completely restrained and proper. Now he wouldn\u2019t even let her take the mask off. What was that supposed to mean?
Only then did Qin Mang realize\u2014he hadn\u2019t taken his off either.
The white peacock feather mask still hung by his face, as indifferent as always.
\u201cAren\u2019t we rehearsing a scene?\u201d
He Lingshi picked up the drink resting on the script and asked slowly, \u201cChanged your mind?\u201d
So sudden?
Qin Mang followed his motion and saw the script.
The one she\u2019d accidentally left in his car earlier.
He\u2019d brought the whole thing.
And \u201cchanged your mind\u201d made it sound like she was some coward who backed down at the first sign of trouble.
“Right is right. Who’s afraid of whom!”
“Right!”
In the dim lighting, the girl’s red lips and snowy-white skin echoed his concise, forceful style.
She had specially worn a delicate, sheer silk qipao that afternoon and hadn\u2019t changed out of it.
Perfect.
They were both already in costume.
He Lingji casually flipped through the script. His well-proportioned fingers, clean and defined, were so striking that they made the otherwise ordinary script seem refined and aloof.
He lit a cigarette. His long, jade-like fingers toyed lazily with a metal lighter, his movements unhurried yet exuding authority.
His slightly open coat revealed a shirt with several buttons undone underneath, exuding a wild, masculine allure. Yet the ornate feathered mask on his face brought an air of cold elegance\u2014a stark contrast.
In that moment, Qin Mang was completely pulled into the world of *Dreams of Old Beijing*.
“So what if it hides behind the law? The crime etched into its very bones will never be erased.”
Qin Mang had already memorized the script by heart and instantly recognized that line\u2014it was from the play.
The male and female leads were discussing how to expose the crimes of an utterly evil villain.
That line was a classic quote from the script.
She hadn\u2019t expected him to dive in so directly.
Then, he tossed the lighter to her.
According to the script, the female lead should catch the lighter tossed by the male lead, light her cigarette, and continue the scene while smoking.
But\u2014
The metal lighter had a peculiar mechanism. Qin Mang fumbled with it for a while and still couldn\u2019t figure it out.
She looked up. \u201cWhy won\u2019t it light?\u201d
He Lingji\u2019s gaze swept across her fingertips, his expression subtly darkening for a brief moment. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s broken.\u201d
\u201cBroken?\u201d
But she had clearly seen him light it earlier.
Qin Mang quickly realized\u2014He Lingji wasn\u2019t improvising by accident. He was *freestyling*!
As a professional actress, she couldn\u2019t lose.
Even if the scene had now completely veered off course, Qin Mang held the cigarette with her slender fingers, turned her gaze toward him, and flicked the tip. \u201cThen how am I supposed to light it?\u201d
She threw the challenge back at him.
Let\u2019s see how He Lingji would respond.
The man, still masked in lavish feathers, revealed the sharp and smooth contours of the lower half of his face. His lips curled ever so slightly.
Suddenly, He Lingji reached out and pulled the unlit cigarette from her fingertips.
Qin Mang instinctively opened her mouth, just about to say, \u201cWhat are you\u2014\u201d
Before she could finish, He Lingji had already slipped the cigarette between her lips, cutting her off.
Surprise flashed in her limpid eyes. Her teeth reflexively bit down on the unlit cigarette, her lips now dewy\u2014like a cherry soaked in amber-colored cocktail\u2014glossy, tempting, and seductive, as if begging to be kissed.
The next moment\u2014
He Lingji brought his own lit cigarette to hers. The burning tip touched the unlit one. In the instant they met, sparks flared up and smoke curled, as though igniting a wildfire at the tip of one\u2019s heart.
His voice was low and indistinct, like a god murmuring softly, but his words were intoxicatingly seductive:
\u201cLike this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can find the complete translated novel in the link below<\/p>\n\n\n\n