Chapter 21: The Allure of Beauty

The next morning, Fu Linyuan's internal clock woke him at the appointed time. Gu Lingyi was still sound asleep in his arms.

He carefully disentangled the strands of hair wrapped around his arm and gently moved her little by little off his body.

The moment their bodies separated, a soft, reluctant murmur sounded in his ear.

“Kitty…”

Her voice was faint but clear and distinct.

Fu Linyuan’s movement halted instantly. He lowered his head, his hazy gaze lingering tenderly on Gu Lingyi’s sleepy face.

Then, from above, two familiar strokes came—slender, delicate fingers weaving through his hair just as she always did when stroking him.

Fu Linyuan’s eyes narrowed in pleasure, his dark irises tinged with a ring of light gold from the comfort.

A rich, resonant low sound rose involuntarily from his chest, eventually turning into an uncontrollable gentle sigh.

Yet the one who had stirred all this beneath him turned over without awareness, breathing steady and soft.

Fu Linyuan suppressed himself, lowering his head so that his high, straight nose lightly brushed against her rosy cheek.

Only when the golden hue in his eyes faded did he reluctantly rise.

…

Gu Lingyi slept deeply this time, even dreaming—something rare for her.

In the dream, the kitty was nuzzling and rubbing its big head against her in her arms. She lazily stroked it a couple of times, and the kitty happily ran out to play.

But then, it was slapped away by the zombie king with a single palm.

Her breath caught, and she jolted awake.

The bedside lamp glowed dimly, while the dark jacquard curtains blocked the bright daylight outside.

She sat up in a daze, rubbing her eyes.

The bedroom was silent, solemn and cold except for the warm yellow glow of the lamp.

Gu Lingyi called out weakly, her voice still soft and tender from sleep, “Fu Linyuan!”

No response.

She pouted and got out of bed.

Her eyes swept over the bedside table, where she finally noticed a note under the lamp.

The handwriting was strong and forceful.

01:

Breakfast is in the warming drawer.

Will be back before noon.

In the lower right corner was his signature: Yuan.

Gu Lingyi raised her brow, thinking Fu Linyuan must have written “01” just to keep things simple.

She crossed the bed sideways and reached for her phone on the other bedside table.

Silent all night, the screen displayed unread messages spanning two pages.

Up front was her manager Tang Shu:

“How do you have such skills? When did you practice?”

A while later came another message:

“Was that you shopping on Y1 trending? Ah!”

“How many times have I told you to report this kind of thing to me in advance!”

“Your fiancé is quite trendy, even has highlights! Don’t you know that’s very conspicuous? You’re a female star, every move is under scrutiny. You both need to keep it low-key!”

“Luckily no one recognized you. Before the trending dies down, you better tone it down! You finally regained some public favor!”

Three missed calls.

“You even put your phone on silent!”

Gu Lingyi replied with a period to show she had read it. The call came through shortly after.

Tang Shu: “Even if you’re sleeping, it doesn’t take over ten hours to reply!”

Gu Lingyi walked toward the bathroom, phone in hand. “I just slept in a little today.”

“A little?!” Tang Shu laughed angrily, “Look what time it is now!”

Just past eleven.

Gu Lingyi said nothing.

Tang Shu’s tone suddenly softened and grew hesitant, “You wouldn’t…”

She seemed to realize something, then exclaimed, “You were with your fiancé last night?”

Gu Lingyi answered candidly, “Yeah.”

Tang Shu was caught off guard by her straightforwardness. She bit her lip and whispered a warning, “Be careful, don’t cause a scandal during your rise.”

Gu Lingyi: “…”

Tang Shu rambled on for a while before getting to the main point: “There’s a commercial event in a couple of days. After your reputation turned around yesterday, the brand reached out!”

Gu Lingyi: “A promotional event?”

Tang Shu: “Yes, at Y&One. You know the brands that enter Y1 are all top-tier. They’ve never collaborated with a celebrity before; you’re the first…”

“You’ve got to perform well. Maybe they’ll make you their spokesperson!”

Tang Shu grew more excited: “Clear your afternoon. You’ll need to go over the script with them.”

“The whole event will be live-streamed!”

“Every word, every move must be perfect. Show the best of yourself!”

Gu Lingyi: “…”

“Understood.”

With that task settled, Gu Lingyi held her electric toothbrush in one hand and replied to the remaining messages with the other.

Several were from Yu Xi.

“Ahhh—I just finished work! Just saw the trending!”

“What’s wrong with those people, they just spout nonsense without proof!”

“I’m going to explain it all now!”

Perhaps upset that Gu Lingyi hadn’t replied for so long, Yu Xi also sent a few tearful emojis.

Gu Lingyi smiled softly and sent some comforting words.

After washing up, it was already half past eleven. When she went to the kitchen for breakfast, she heard a sound at the door.

It was the electronic voice confirming facial recognition. Gu Lingyi carried her breakfast to the door.

Fu Linyuan came in and saw her standing there, still holding the untouched meal.

He raised an eyebrow. “Just woke up?”

“Ahem…” A faint blush crept onto Gu Lingyi’s cheek as she stiffly replied, “I didn’t sleep much the day before yesterday, so I’m catching up today.”

“Mm.”

Fu Linyuan took the tray from her. “Don’t eat this. Drink some milk and go straight to lunch.”

Seeing that Fu Linyuan was preparing to take her out, Gu Lingyi trailed behind in slippers, a hint of regret in her tone. “No, my manager told me to be careful—you’re too conspicuous.”

Fu Linyuan halted, casually placing the tray on the kitchen island and turning around.

The sudden movement almost made Gu Lingyi bump into his chest, her almond-shaped eyes glaring at him in displeasure.

Her gaze dropped involuntarily as she grew tired of staring.

Fu Linyuan wore a tailored dark gray shirt, sharply cut. He had undone two buttons at the collar upon entering, revealing a faint glimpse of his chest muscles beneath the V-shaped opening.

It looked very tactile.

Gu Lingyi’s attention instantly wavered, her hand at her side itching to move.

Fu Linyuan sighed and raised his hand. His large palm easily covered the upper half of her face, blocking her bright eyes.

His voice carried a hint of amusement. “You’re this obedient?”

“Of course!” Gu Lingyi peeled his hand away with both hands.

Fu Linyuan took her hand and led her back to the bedroom. “Go change.”

“No way,” Gu Lingyi held him back, earnest. “You just trended yesterday. That patch of white hair on you is way too eye-catching!”

She added silently: And you’re so tall.

And your figure is too good.

In short, too conspicuous!

Fu Linyuan: “…”

“Don’t go out to eat. Let’s order delivery!”

Fu Linyuan pondered for a moment, frowning slightly. “No private chef either?”

His bone structure was sharp and striking—high brow ridge, deep-set eyes with a slight upward tilt, his gaze aggressive.

At this moment, those eyes were calm, the fierceness withdrawn, his look deep and quiet.

His usually upturned lips were pressed into a straight line.

He seemed almost wronged.

Gu Lingyi: “…”

Sorry, Tang Shu!

Until they got into the car, Gu Lingyi still couldn’t figure out how she ended up going with Fu Linyuan.

Her phone lit up with Tang Shu’s reply after she had reported to her.

“Male charm is a curse! Male charm is a curse!”