Disguised as a Man, She Has Eight Men Fighting Over Her - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Lin Cheng reacted quickly. She rubbed her cheek against his knuckles with lingering devotion. As if burned, the man snatched his hand away.

On camera, it looked like an imperial brother’s last trace of familial tenderness—only for that forbidden love to disgust him completely in the end.

With her final strength, Lin Cheng drew out a tragic smile.

“May we never meet again in our next lives.”

Her head tilted, and her eyes slowly closed.

Director Fu called cut at precisely the right moment.

“Excellent! Absolutely perfect!”

He applauded involuntarily. “This goes in the trailer! The movement and atmosphere were exactly right. Wrap!”

The late-night set instantly filled with noise.

Xie Zhi remained where he stood, eyes closed, his broad sleeve concealing fingers still damp with tears.

Strange. In that moment, he had only thought her tears should not be wasted on sorrow.

What should they be used for, then?

He inhaled deeply. Several seconds later, he opened his eyes, his usual clarity restored.

Lin Cheng was still sitting on the ground, tear tracks on her face, looking pitiful and easy to bully.

He hauled her up and stared darkly at the red marks his hand had left on her neck.

He had barely used any force. How had he still…

The little mouse was terribly delicate.

“Good acting.” He pulled her out of the pavilion, offering the praise without reservation.

Lin Cheng instinctively lifted her chin.

Of course. She had ranked second overall in the Special Operations Command Class. Battlefield disguise and infiltration made acting mandatory.

Aloud, she modestly said, “It was all right.”

The instant they entered the studio, Fu Shan hurried over.

“What a find. What a find!”

“The crew said you were impressive on some variety show. You can shoot a bow?”

Lin Cheng looked embarrassed. “A little. Everyone exaggerated.”

“Enough modesty.” Director Fu waved. “No more eunuchs tomorrow. We’re missing a covert guard. Report to the action director tomorrow afternoon.”

Lin Cheng could only nod awkwardly. “Thank you, Director Fu.”

She now owned three houses: her left atrium, her right atrium, and the shattered remains of her heart upon learning she had work tomorrow.

Director Fu assumed she was stunned with joy.

“Go rest. I need a word with Little Zhi.”

Only after Lin Cheng vanished into the night did Fu Shan look away.

“Where did Ji Hanzhou dig up talent like that?”

Xie Zhi drawled, “You wouldn’t understand. Did you keep me merely to ask that?”

“Of course not.” Fu Shan grew serious.

“Your father knows you’re here. He asked me when you’ll report back to the Special Operations Command Class. There’s no overnight grudge between father and son. Lower your head and make one call…”

Xie Zhi merely sneered and said nothing.

Fu Shan shook his head and clapped him heavily on the shoulder.

“Fine. I delivered the message. Think about it.”

Meanwhile, Lin Cheng finally found her way back through the dark. The building was silent and all its lights were out.

Sweat clung uncomfortably to her body. She grabbed a towel and hurried to the corridor bathroom, hoping to shower before Xie Zhi returned.

After washing herself and her dirty clothes, she discovered miserably that she had brought only the towel.

Still, everyone was asleep, and Xie Zhi needed at least half an hour to walk back.

She wrapped herself in the towel, carried her wet clothes out, and saw a figure approaching through the flickering corridor light.

Her heart jumped. She retreated into the innermost shower stall.

There were two showers on the floor. She planned to wait quietly, then slip out while the stranger washed. Wearing only a towel, with her clothes wet, she would be exposed if the man she had sensed saw her.

Water soon rushed next door, splashing beneath the partition onto her foot. Lin Cheng held her breath and tried to sneak away.

She opened the door and peered out. The corridor was empty.

She had taken only two steps when the neighboring door abruptly opened.

Xie Zhi had noticed the shadow crouching beneath the partition throughout his shower. When it finally moved, he burst out to catch the suspicious lurker.

Instead, he saw long, luminous legs, their wet skin flushed pink and gleaming with water.

Above them were pale arms hugging a bundle of laundry.

Finally, he met Lin Cheng’s terrified eyes.

“Tch. Little mouse, why do you shower like a thief?”

Her heart nearly burst from her throat. But he seemed not to notice anything, so she answered openly, “Brother Xie Zhi, keep washing. I’m going back.”

He did not stop her. His dark gaze followed her slender back—and the small, rounded curve the towel failed to cover.

Lin Cheng only felt that the part of her which should have been chilly was inexplicably burning.

Back in the room, she dressed quickly. Her behavior had seemed natural, and the clothes against her chest had concealed everything important.

But she had overlooked one difference between men and women.

Women wrapped towels above the chest. Men wrapped them around the waist.

Next door, the water resumed.

Under the shower, Xie Zhi closed his eyes. Water dripped from his dark-purple hair and jeweled his face, yet an irresistible, devastating smile curved his lips.

He should have noticed earlier.

Those legs were impossibly smooth, without even visible pores, let alone hair. The softness he had felt around her waist, the fine skin beneath his fingers at her throat, and now the way she wore the towel…

How interesting.

He did not want to expose her. He wanted to tease her properly.

But before he got the chance, Lin Cheng cried.

At the end of the corridor, he heard her familiar voice in the stairwell. Hidden in the dark, he saw her sitting on the steps, half her face lit by her phone.

“Mom? What made you call?” Her eyes were bright with delight.

Whatever came from the phone froze her smile.