The next morning arrived far too quickly.
Shi Yunxi woke before dawn, her body aching with a tension she hadn't been able to shake since the previous evening. She dressed quietly, not wanting to disturb Shi Yichen or Shi Qing'er in the next room. Her hands trembled slightly as she tied her hair into a neat ponytail.
Today… she had no choice but to return to the set.
And face whatever Mu Lingchen planned.
She stepped out into the cool morning air, her breath puffing lightly as she walked toward the waiting car. Lin Meixi, her assistant, waved energetically from the passenger seat.
"Yunxi! You look… well, tired," Meixi observed bluntly.
"I'm fine," Yunxi lied.
They drove in silence until Meixi finally asked, "Did something happen on set yesterday? You disappeared with the CEO of Starlight, and you look like you aged five years overnight."
Yunxi froze. "Don't talk about him."
Meixi blinked at her tone. "Uh… okay."
⸻
On the filming set
The atmosphere on set was unusually tense.
Not because of the actors.
Not because of the director.
But because the CEO of Starlight arrived unannounced.
Again.
Mu Lingchen stepped out of his black car like a cold storm wrapped in a perfectly tailored suit. Every head turned. People whispered. Roulan nearly tripped over her own feet trying to stand straighter.
Only one person didn't look at him—
Shi Yunxi.
Which made him look at her.
His gaze found her instantly, sharp and unwavering, as though he had been waiting for her to arrive. Yunxi felt the prickling weight of his attention but forced herself not to react, flipping through her script with forced calm.
Mu Lingchen walked past the director, the cast, the staff.
Straight to her.
"Miss Shi."
Her fingers tightened around the script so hard the paper creased.
"…CEO Mu."
"We need to talk."
She swallowed. "We talked yesterday."
"No," he corrected, voice low. "Yesterday you ran."
A few staff members peeked over, whispering. Roulan nearly choked on her own breath.
Yunxi lowered her voice. "We're on set. People are watching."
"Then follow me somewhere they won't."
"I have a scene in ten minutes—"
He stepped closer, so close she had to tilt her chin upward to keep eye contact.
"Shi Yunxi," he murmured, "we're not done."
Her heart hammered painfully.
She knew this man.
Not personally—but by reputation.
Mu Lingchen was relentless.
Once he wanted answers, nothing stopped him.
She looked away. "I have nothing to say."
"Then listen," he said calmly.
Yunxi's breath caught.
Before she could respond, the director called out, "Yunxi! You're up in five!"
She exhaled in relief.
Saved.
For now.
Mu Lingchen didn't stop her as she hurried away—but his eyes followed her as if carving her silhouette into memory.
The moment she disappeared behind the set curtains, Song, his assistant, approached cautiously.
"CEO Mu, should I continue the investigation into that night three years ago?"
Mu Lingchen didn't look away from the direction Yunxi fled.
"Continue," he said.
"And tighten the net."
Song bowed. "At once."
⸻
During filming
Roulan approached Yunxi with a smirk, leaning slightly closer as makeup artists fixed her hair.
"You must feel very proud," she whispered mockingly. "The great Mu Lingchen looking for you twice now. I didn't know you had such charm."
Yunxi didn't answer.
Roulan's eyes narrowed at her silence. "Don't pretend to be pure. Did you do something to him?"
"No," Yunxi replied softly, "I did nothing."
Roulan scoffed. "We'll see."
Yunxi ignored the provocation.
But inside—
Her fear grew.
Mu Lingchen was closing in.
⸻
Later that afternoon
During a break, Yunxi went to the vending machine behind the studio. The air was quiet. Calm.
Until a familiar shadow stretched across the ground.
She tensed instantly.
"Running again?" Mu Lingchen's deep voice asked behind her.
She closed her eyes.
Of course he had followed her.
He stepped beside her, hands in his pockets, gaze unreadable as he watched her avoid him.
"Shi Yunxi."
She didn't respond.
He continued anyway.
"Three years ago—you said you weren't at that hotel."
"I wasn't," she said quickly.
His eyes darkened.
"You're lying."
Her shoulders stiffened.
"I am not."
He studied her carefully, the way her fingers fidgeted, the way her breathing hitched, the faint tremble near her jaw.
"You know," he said quietly, "I've dealt with countless people. Businessmen, criminals, politicians. I can tell when someone is hiding something."
She finally looked at him.
And for a moment—
her fear showed.
Mu Lingchen's eyes sharpened.
"…What are you so afraid of?"
Her lips parted—
But she said nothing.
Instead, she bowed her head and whispered, "I need to pick up my children."
The shock that flickered across his face was subtle but unmistakable.
"Children?" he repeated.
Yunxi froze.
She hadn't meant to say that.
Mu Lingchen stepped closer. "You have children?"
She clenched her fists.
"I don't need to explain my personal life to you."
She turned sharply and walked away, her footsteps uneven but determined.
Mu Lingchen remained standing there, staring after her with eyes darker than a storm.
"Children…" he muttered to himself.
And somewhere in his chest—
A suspicion began to form.
Dangerous.
Impossible.
Unacceptable.
But a suspicion he could no longer ignore.