CHAPTER 27
The next morning came far too quickly.
Shi Yunxi had barely finished tying her hair into a neat ribbon when Starlight's internal phone rang. Lin Meixi poked her head into the dressing room, looking uneasy.
"Yunxi… CEO Mu wants to see you."
Yunxi's grip tightened on her hair tie. "Mu Lingchen?"
Meixi nodded. "Yes. He personally called the director and requested you come to his office at the Mu Group headquarters. Immediately."
A faint tremor ran through Yunxi's fingertips.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't good.
But she inhaled slowly and exhaled even slower. "All right. I'll go."
Meixi looked as if she wanted to say something—warn her, protect her, stop her—but Yunxi only offered a small reassuring smile before walking out.
⸻
The Mu Group headquarters was a world of steel, glass, and cold prestige. Floors polished to a mirror shine reflected her every step as she entered the executive elevator.
By the time she reached the top floor, her calm mask felt too tight.
Two assistants stood at attention outside the door.
"Miss Shi, please proceed."
She nodded and stepped inside.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
The enormous office was silent—large windows revealing the skyline, cool air brushing lightly against her skin. A black suit jacket hung neatly on the coat stand. The scent of sandalwood drifted through the room: clean, crisp, unmistakably masculine.
Mu Lingchen sat behind his desk, long fingers turning a silver pen slowly between them.
His eyes lifted to her.
Cold.
Observant.
Unhurried.
"Miss Shi," he said, voice low and controlled. "Sit."
She obeyed, keeping her expression steady.
He watched her for several seconds without speaking, and that alone made her pulse pick up.
"I have some questions," he finally said.
"Regarding?" Yunxi asked, keeping her tone polite.
"Regarding my son," he replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "And regarding… you."
Her heartbeat stuttered.
"Me?"
He leaned back in his chair, elbows resting on the armrests. "Mu Rui's attachment to you is… abnormal. He has never behaved like that with a stranger."
"I only helped him," Yunxi said quickly. "Any child would cling to someone who rescued them."
Mu Lingchen lifted one eyebrow. "You're certain it is only that?"
Her fingers curled in her lap.
"Yes."
Silence stretched.
He tapped the pen once on the desk.
Then—
"There is something else."
Yunxi's throat tightened.
He continued, quieter this time.
"Three years ago… I was drugged during a business ambush. I lost consciousness in a hotel room."
Her blood froze.
Not here.
Not now.
Please not this.
"I remember nothing," he said calmly. "Just fragments—blurry shapes, faint scent, soft breathing."
Yunxi's nails dug into her palm.
This cannot be happening.
"I woke up alone," he continued. "And the next day, I learned someone else had been placed in that room."
Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
He lifted his gaze.
"Tell me, Miss Shi. Where were you that night?"
Her breath caught.
She forced her voice steady.
"I—I was not anywhere near that hotel. I was home. Sick."
His eyes narrowed. "You are certain?"
"Yes."
"Absolutely certain?"
"…Yes."
Her voice wavered despite her effort.
Mu Lingchen stood slowly, walking around the desk until he stood in front of her—towering, imposing, his presence a cold shadow that pressed against her lungs.
He looked down at her, studying every line of her face.
"You don't lie well," he murmured.
Her breath stopped.
She couldn't breathe—
couldn't think—
her mind buzzing with panic.
"W-Why would I lie to you?" she whispered.
"That," Mu Lingchen said softly, "is exactly what I intend to find out."
Fear jolted through her spine.
She stood abruptly. "I have to return to the set. If there's nothing else, CEO Mu—I'll take my leave."
Before he could respond, she bowed quickly, turned, and walked toward the door with hurried steps.
"Miss Shi."
She froze.
His voice was low—dangerous.
"This conversation is not over."
Yunxi didn't turn around.
If she did, she was afraid her expression would betray everything.
She pushed open the door and stepped out, her breath rushing out in a trembling exhale the moment it closed behind her.
Only when she reached the elevator did she dare place a hand over her chest.
Her heart was a storm.
He does not know.
He cannot know.
He must never know.
But today—
For the first time—
She realized something terrifying:
Mu Lingchen has begun to suspect her.
And the wall between their pasts… had a crack.