He Yunxing didn’t let any emotion show on his face, his expression remaining impassive, but he closed his eyes slightly, containing all his emotions within them.
He walked straight to the desk, placing both hands on the solid black wooden surface, bending slightly as he leaned in.
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, meant only for the two of them. “I thought noble people were forgetful, but it turns out Mr. Shen remembers the love ban clause quite well.”
CEO Shen had been idly spinning a pen between his fingers. Upon hearing He Yunxing’s words, he let out a low chuckle, tossing the pen aside as he leaned forward with interest. “What do you mean?”
“Literally,” He Yunxing said, his tone unhurried. “It means there will be more chances to run into Mr. Shen in the underground garage.”
He only mentioned a location, yet Shen Shen instantly understood his meaning.
The underground garage…
Shen Shen’s secret girlfriend was also from Yi Qian Entertainment. When their schedules allowed, that was their usual meeting place.
There had been moments, in that hidden corner, when emotions got the better of them…
Shen Shen paused before coughing lightly, smoothing out his expression with practiced ease.
He Yunxing’s meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
Shen Shen was allowed to secretly date a rookie actress, yet the company conveniently ignored the love ban in her contract.
Instead of getting angry, Shen Shen smirked. “I’m just shamelessly using double standards—what’s it to you?”
He Yunxing tapped his fingers against the table. “Bring Xu Mo next time. Let’s have a meal together.”
Shen Shen scoffed, his tone shifting lazily. “Sure, I’d love that.”
The Shen and He families had always done business together. The two had known each other since childhood, practically growing up side by side. But with their families based in different cities, they hadn’t been particularly close.
It wasn’t until He Yunxing was recruited by Yi Qian while studying at Shengdian that they started crossing paths again. And later, when Shen Shen took over Yi Qian Entertainment, their interactions became more frequent.
But Shen Shen didn’t linger on the topic. “I can turn a blind eye to certain things, but trending on the hot search is a double-edged sword. The higher-ups won’t be happy. You’ll have to handle it.”
He Yunxing nodded. “I understand.”
Shen Shen shifted his gaze to Bian Li, who was standing by the door. Though she kept her distance, her curiosity was obvious—she couldn’t stop sneaking glances in their direction.
The moment she noticed his gaze, she instantly averted her eyes, head ducking down like a startled rabbit.
Shen Shen’s expression was unreadable as he asked, “How long have you two been together?”
He Yunxing raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“I said, how long have you been together?” Shen Shen leaned back in his chair, his posture lazy yet deliberate.
He Yunxing didn’t answer, merely pressing his lips into a straight line.
Shen Shen crossed his arms, rubbing his index finger against his lips as if deep in thought.
Then, with an infuriatingly slow grin, he said, “You can’t possibly still be a virgin after all this time, right? I thought—”
He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his words laced with obvious mockery.
Before he could finish, the office door swung open.
A young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses strode in, speaking in an amused tone, “Shen, Xiao Mu just told me that if you keep bothering her, it won’t just be about blocking your number next time.”
The man barely finished his sentence before realizing the room wasn’t empty.
Not only were there other people present, but those people happened to be the two biggest trending idols under Yi Qian—the same two who had basically set the entertainment industry on fire that morning.
The young man faltered, looking between Shen Shen and the two idols before swiftly covering his mouth.
“Ah, my bad! Wrong room. You guys carry on.” He hurriedly retreated, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
The moment the door clicked shut, He Yunxing raised an eyebrow, his voice casual. “Same goes for you.”
Shen Shen: “…”
Annoying.
Still, he wasn’t one to back down so easily. With a flick of his wrist, he gestured toward Bian Li.
“Come here.”
Bian Li hesitated, pointing at herself. After getting confirmation, she took slow, careful steps forward.
Her brows were furrowed tightly. She had already felt something was off when He Yunxing leaned in over the desk earlier.
She had braced herself to be scolded, but instead, the two men had ended up standing way too close, whispering, smirking, and even casually chatting.
No matter how she looked at it, something was definitely wrong.
Shen Shen asked again, “How long have you two been together?”
He was clearly asking a question he already knew the answer to.
Only two people in the room understood why he was asking.
And one person was still completely in the dark.
Bian Li was still replaying the young man’s words in her head, but Shen Shen’s tone suddenly caught her attention.
For some reason, the way he asked the question sounded oddly similar to the dramatic queen in a love defense reality show.
He Yunxing was about to stop Bian Li from answering, but before he could, the girl blurted out a response without hesitation. She spoke so quickly it was as if she was afraid of being misunderstood.
“Boss, we are not together! Not even for a day!”
Hearing Bian Li’s almost desperate sincerity, Shen Shen glanced at someone standing to the side with a sour expression. Amusement flashed in his eyes, and the mischief buried in his bones surged up.
He pretended to be deeply understanding and drawled, “Oh? Is that so?”
So it turned out that he and He Yunxing shared the same bitter fate in love.
At last, he wasn’t walking this road alone. Shen Shen’s mood suddenly improved.
Then, pointing at the documents spread across the table, he said, “I won’t say much more. You already know better than me what kind of impact this has had. The company has done its best with PR, but if this happens again, it’ll come out of your salary.”
Bian Li nodded quickly. “Got it!”
Then, as if eager to defend both herself and He Yunxing, she added, “Actually, this really wasn’t our fault. I don’t know who tripped me at the time, but I accidentally fell. It was Senior who helped me up.”
Bian Li had been embarrassed earlier, but only because of the unexpected closeness between them. To be honest, she should be thanking He Yunxing. Given how careless she could be, she might have hit the armrest next to the seat if not for him.
No one could have expected that in such a dim, quiet environment, someone had anticipated everything in advance—capturing their every move in photos without missing a single detail.
After hearing Bian Li’s explanation, Shen Shen gave He Yunxing a knowing look.
There weren’t many people this naive these days.
He wasn’t sure whether to call her foolish or just too simple-minded.
Regardless of who had tripped her, someone as cold and reserved as He Yunxing would never let anyone sit on him willingly.
Afraid the fire wasn’t burning hot enough, Shen Shen fanned the flames, nodding along with Bian Li’s words. “Fine, we’ll put this matter aside for now. Just make sure you remember the contract terms.”
Who would dare ignore the boss’s words? Bian Li nodded so hard it looked like she was pounding garlic.
—
Although Shen Shen had used his influence to let the two of them off the hook for now, the company’s top management wasn’t so forgiving.
The board of directors held an emergency meeting overnight and then announced an indefinite postponement of the two groups’ upcoming collaborations. The delay was significant, causing several projects and activities to be shelved to prevent any further appearances of them together.
Only after the situation cooled down—when fans stopped making a fuss and moved on—would things return to normal.
Compared to how other companies handled scandals, this was already considered a light punishment.
When the three members of Ace heard the news, their reactions varied.
Regardless of their feelings, they couldn’t afford to dwell on it—an intense schedule lay ahead. After a brief break at the start of the year, Ace was once again caught up in their hectic routines.
Their national tour at the end of last year had been a complete success, paving the way for bigger opportunities. With their dominance in the Asian music scene secured, the group was now making strides into the global market.
To expand their reach and give back to fans worldwide, the company had been meticulously planning Ace’s world tour for the past six months.
Now, the time had come to set off.
Beyond concerts, they would also participate in interviews and variety shows across different countries. Their schedule was so packed that it left no room to breathe.
This was a rare opportunity to break into the global industry. They had to seize it.
It also meant Ace would be abroad for over half a year, with very few chances to appear in domestic events.
Ning Xuechu even posted on his WeChat Moments, joking about stuffing himself with a huge meal before they left—so he wouldn’t spend the tour missing good, authentic local food.
Even if Bian Li hadn’t checked, she would have known about their schedule. She wasn’t someone who was out of touch with the news. Plus, Ace’s Weibo updates frequently made the hot search.
Thinking about it, she hadn’t seen He Yunxing since that last meeting in Shen Shen’s office. There was no particular reason—they had both just been overwhelmingly busy.
But for some reason, the sudden distance unsettled her.
No matter how much time had passed before, they had never gone this long without seeing each other.
Now, finally given a rare day off, she lay flat on her bed, too lazy to even scroll through her phone.
No matter what she did, she kept thinking of him.
Bian Li covered her face in embarrassment. She could feel it—her favorability toward He Yunxing was growing by the day.
And with this short separation, those feelings weren’t fading. If anything, they were spreading like wild weeds, growing unchecked at the source.
She could feel it so clearly—her heart was tightly tethered to him. At the same time, a quiet voice in her mind whispered that this wasn’t one-sided.
He Yunxing should feel the same.
She was still lost in thought when a soft knock sounded against the balcony door. Twice. Slow and steady. Just like last time.
Bian Li’s ears perked up. Then, without hesitation, she slid out of bed barefoot and pulled open the curtain.
She didn’t want to analyze why she was so excited. All she knew was that the moment she saw the tall figure standing outside the French window, her heart swelled with warmth—overflowing with joy.
A cool night breeze swept in as He Yunxing stepped inside, carrying a bag in one hand.
As Bian Li closed the window, they stood face to face, neither speaking for a long moment.
Even in silence, a quiet understanding filled the air between them.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” He Yunxing finally said. “I probably won’t be in the country for a long time.”
Bian Li nodded. “I know.”
Not only did she know, but she also understood why he had come.
She wanted to ask—to hear him say it out loud—but the ache in her chest twisted like a tightly wound rope. Neither of them wanted to be the first to let go, so they remained tangled in this unspoken pull.
He Yunxing set the bag down on her desk. “For you. Take it.”
“What is it?”
“Gummy candies and soda,” he said casually. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “And bear biscuits.”
Bian Li blinked. His voice was so soft she barely caught the words.
“Mm…”
He Yunxing let out a quiet laugh and reached out, pinching her cheek. “Eat fewer snacks.”
She let him, the slight pressure sending a ticklish sensation straight to her heart. In a small voice, she mumbled, “…Then why did you buy them for me?”
He Yunxing’s dark eyes locked onto hers. His voice was light, but his meaning was unmistakable.
“Is it that hard to understand? If you want to eat, you can only eat what I buy for you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his usually clear and distant tone softened—carrying the faintest trace of warmth.
“Wait for me to come back.”
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