I Want You - Chapter 9

Shang Congzhi’s wrist, soft as if boneless, twirled the small fan. Her exquisite features betrayed a hint of loose laziness, yet her tone remained quite polite: “Good morning, neighbors.”

“May I enjoy the cool air here?”

“Of course, Teacher Shang, please.” Producer Xu, being a man who smooths things over, naturally wouldn’t offend someone for no reason—especially a stunning beauty. On such a hot day, she was a delight just to look at.

“Then, thank you.” Shang Congzhi sat down unceremoniously in the seat next to Song Yan, leaning against the fan blowing cold air. This neighboring crew certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.

Mu Xinglan unhurriedly poured a glass of warm water and pushed it in front of her. Shang Congzhi took a sip with perfect composure. “The tea is brewed well.”

Seeing Mu Xinglan personally pour water for Shang Congzhi, Song Yan’s expression faltered slightly. It must be… out of politeness. President Mu was, after all, a man who paid great attention to etiquette and was a true gentleman.

She unobtrusively moved between them, sitting beside Mu Xinglan. Although there was nearly a person’s worth of distance between them, her shoulder naturally leaned toward him as she gave Shang Congzhi a gentle smile: “Miss Shang, I’ve heard much of you. Finally, we meet.”

At that moment, Qin You returned after taking a phone call and leaned down to whisper a few words into Mu Xinglan’s ear.

Following this, Mu Xinglan stood up. With elegant and composed movements, he put on his suit jacket: “That will be all for today. Regarding the actors’ rest area I mentioned…”

Producer Xu nodded repeatedly: “I remember, I remember. Rest assured, I’ll arrange for people to build it tomorrow.”

“Safe travels, President Mu.”

Song Yan also rose, smoothing her skirt while smiling brightly: “Thank you for visiting us on set, President Mu.”

In the entire area, only Shang Congzhi remained firmly seated, turned drowsy by the steady cool breeze. Looking at her like this, Mu Xinglan felt that building an actors’ rest area was an absolute necessity.

He paused in thought before leaving: “Build it as soon as filming ends tonight. It can be used directly tomorrow.”

Producer Xu: “…” If one didn’t know better, they would think he was moved to tears by President Mu’s concern for the actors. Who could understand his bitterness?

With several people gone, the space under the tree opened up, making Shang Congzhi feel even more comfortable. Especially since those who left were men in suits; they looked hot just by existing. Being a workplace elite really wasn’t easy—having to accompany the boss on inspections in the sweltering heat. The main point was that the boss didn’t fear the heat and couldn’t empathize at all with the suffering of those below him.

As Shang Congzhi drifted off, Song Yan’s slightly worried voice rang out: “In this heat, President Mu has to visit us on set in addition to his work. It’s truly too exhausting for him.”

Shang Congzhi lifted her eyelids, finally looking directly at Song Yan. With just one look, her gaze froze.

Originally, Shang Congzhi hadn’t taken Song Yan seriously. Now that she was close, looking at her caused another woman to trance-like appear in her mind—one who also loved floral dresses and had a gentle, moving smile.

Ji Jiasu.

Compared to Song Yan’s acted-out gentleness, Ji Jiasu was the truly elegant and refined lady who seemed to have stepped out of a misty Jiangnan landscape. Mu Xinglan and her—one a refined gentleman, the other a gentle lady, the elders of both families had once praised them as a match made in heaven. They were well-suited in looks, family background, interests, and personality; the families intended to bring them together.

Everyone thought they would naturally end up together, but no one expected a single night of drinking by Shang Congzhi to ruin it. Instead, she became Mrs. Mu.

“Is there something dirty on my face?” Song Yan touched her cheek, puzzled by Shang Congzhi’s stare.

Shang Congzhi’s long lashes flickered as she pulled herself back from the memory. She laughed softly: “Teacher Song is so moving that I was dazed.”

So gentle and moving—it’s the kind of personality that fits with Mu Xinglan. No wonder they were chatting so happily just now.

To be complimented on her looks by a girl of such dazzling beauty felt like sarcasm to Song Yan. Yet, Shang Congzhi’s eyes were remarkably sincere.

Producer Xu, standing nearby, clapped his hands: “You two really get along like old friends. It’s fate. If there’s a chance to film a ‘sisters’ movie together in the future, it will definitely be a hit.”

Looking at the two stars—the older one refined and gentle, the younger one exquisite and lush—Producer Xu felt a burst of inspiration, wanting to write a script personally.

Shang Congzhi saw it was nearly time for work. She was reluctant to leave the cool air, but she also didn’t want to see Song Yan’s face; it kept reminding her of unpleasant things. When she was unhappy, she didn’t bother hiding it. She stood up slowly: “As for filming together, let’s forget it. If I end up taking the top billing over Senior Song, I’d be quite embarrassed.”

Song Yan’s expression changed, nearly failing to maintain her gentle facade.

Producer Xu: “…” Is this what having a ‘background’ looks like? Look at that confidence—it’s too d*mn much. She was basically saying: If we do a dual-lead movie, I’m definitely the first lead.

Watching Shang Congzhi’s departing figure, Song Yan smiled lightly: “I really envy young people.” Newborn calves don’t fear tigers.

Producer Xu tried to smooth things over: “You are also very young. Come, come, let’s have some tea.”

On a midsummer night, the daylight heat was swept away, replaced by a suffocatingly dull stillness.

In the dressing room, Shang Congzhi removed her makeup and changed into a thin, light T-shirt and loose olive-green cargo shorts before walking lazily toward the hotel. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on the bed, turn on the AC, and never get up!

Outside the hotel room.

Shang Congzhi’s thick lashes drooped: “You guys go back and rest.”

Su Lian looked at her: “Are you okay alone?” His gaze fell on her knee. “Let Xiao Tang finish applying the medicine before leaving.”

“It’s not like I can’t reach it myself. Go back.”

Shang Congzhi turned, swiped her card, and pushed the door open. Seeing her figure disappear, Su Lian signaled the others to leave. “Let’s go, everyone go back and rest.” This hotel had excellent security and was under the Mu Group. There were no safety concerns.

However—

As soon as Shang Congzhi pushed the door open, she saw a man sitting formally in front of the coffee table. His handsome face was framed by the thin silver-rimmed glasses he usually wore for work. The lights were fully on, plating him in a pale, thin glow. With his usual laptop in front of him, Mu Xinglan looked at the screen with perfect composure. Noticing the sound of the door, he merely raised his eyes casually.

He didn’t speak.

Shang Congzhi’s dark pupils constricted suddenly. Mu Xinglan! She blinked hard, realizing it wasn’t a heat-induced hallucination. Was it not enough for him to scare her in the car earlier? Was he that bored that he was in her room again?

She took a deep breath to stay calm. She walked over to the coffee table, crossed her arms, and looked down at him coolly: “President Mu is quite bold. Using your authority to sneak into an actress’s room—are you trying to use ‘unspoken rules’ on me? I won’t submit, so give up on that idea!”

Seeing him staring at the screen in silence, Shang Congzhi felt he was ignoring her on purpose. Her foot, clad in a flat flip-flop, kicked the man’s shin directly: “Hurry up and…” Get up. He really acted like this was his territory, so relaxed.

Before she could finish, she heard the man say a word in English to the screen: “Apologies.”

Shang Congzhi: “…”

Wait, what was he doing? Her foot resting on his shin froze as she peeked at the laptop screen. It was filled with multiple video windows, almost all of them blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.

“???”

Holy crap, he’s in a video conference. Shang Congzhi’s red lips pressed tight as her brain exploded. Oh my god. What kind of massive ‘death scene’ is this!

In the next second, before she could pretend nothing happened, she heard Mu Xinglan—still looking perfectly formal and composed toward the camera—continue in fluent English: “My apologies, my wife is being a bit naughty. We’ll stop here for today and continue tomorrow.”

With that, Mu Xinglan closed the laptop with one hand. Before it shut, Shang Congzhi heard muffled laughter from the other side.

Awkward. It was so d*mn awkward.

Before she could even interrogate him, his long fingers grabbed her ankle. Shang Congzhi’s ankle felt like it had been burned; the heat from his palm instantly spread through her thin skin, making her heart tremble uncontrollably.

“You…”

“Don’t move. Let me see your knee.”

After touching her smooth skin, Mu Xinglan’s fingertips paused for a moment. Masking the emotion in his eyes, the man rose from the sofa. The hand originally on her ankle moved up to wrap around her slender shoulder, while his other hand went under the crook of her legs, easily and naturally carrying her to the sofa.

Her shorts, which originally reached her knees, rolled up with the movement. It happened to reveal the wound that had been wrapped in long socks all day. Because she had showered, the thin scab had softened, its edges sticking to the skin—it looked even worse than it had in the morning.

She was caught off guard by the series of actions. Just as she was about to lash out, she saw her exposed knee and couldn’t help but furrow her brows. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Mu Xinglan’s brow was furrowed even deeper than hers.

On the coffee table sat the ointment Mu Xinglan had used for her this morning.

A minute later, Shang Congzhi sat like a boss, placing her long, fair leg on Mu Xinglan’s thigh, letting him serve her by reapplying the medicine.

“President Mu is quite the ‘virtuous’ one. You’ll surely be a virtuous husband and a good father in the future.”

Hearing her sarcastic words, Mu Xinglan didn’t get angry. After finishing the ointment without a change in expression, he raised his eyes: “You have the opportunity to try it for yourself; no need to be envious.”

“Who the f— is envious?” Shang Congzhi’s curse was ‘voluntarily’ swallowed back under Mu Xinglan’s gaze, which was as calm as water. She definitely wasn’t afraid of this “dog man.” She was just a kind fairy who respected her elders.

When Mu Xinglan went to shower, he carried Shang Congzhi to the bed to lie down. He didn’t allow her to run around.

Shang Congzhi: “…” So what exactly is he here for? To supervise me?

There wasn’t much to browse on Weibo. She casually opened the endlessly pinging WeChat group for the film crew’s staff, only to find everyone discussing a heated topic:

“Did you guys know? That mysterious tycoon from the Mu Group actually showed up at the neighbors’ set to visit Goddess Song!”

“I heard President Mu’s private life is very clean. Coming to visit in this heat—that must be true love!”

“Supposedly, because President Mu thought it was too hot and exhausting for Teacher Song to film the playground scenes, he specifically had people build a temporary rest area. What kind of legendary boyfriend is this?”

“Oh my god, refined business tycoon VS low-key beautiful A-list star—I ship this CP!”

Just then, Mu Xinglan emerged from the bathroom wearing a black silk bathrobe, looking lazy and casual. He walked straight over and sat by the bed.

Song Yan’s familiarity when mentioning Mu Xinglan flashed through Shang Congzhi’s mind. She glanced at the still-scrolling WeChat messages. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes slanted upward as she looked at him leisurely: “Oh, President Mu, did you climb into the wrong bed?”

However, Mu Xinglan’s gaze was fixed on her slender waist, exposed by her slightly rolled-up T-shirt.

“What happened to your waist?” The man’s usually crisp, magnetic voice lowered. He suddenly grabbed the girl’s wrist, his movements appearing somewhat urgent, and flipped the hem of her shirt up.

On the white hotel bed, the scene suddenly began to drift toward the vibe of a late-night action movie.

Although Shang Congzhi often talked tough, in reality, every bit of sexual contact she had ever had with a man came from the person in front of her. With her movements controlled by him, her willow-thin waist could only struggle helplessly under his palm.

Originally, Mu Xinglan’s gaze had been as still as water as it landed on the faint bruise on her lower back. But the friction between his palm and the delicate skin of her waist was hot and smooth. Emotion surged in his originally clear eyes.

Just as Shang Congzhi could no longer endure this position, a voice—faintly husky, came from behind her: “Zhizhi.”

“Do you still like me?”

What? Shang Congzhi didn’t react.

In the next second, Mu Xinglan grabbed her shoulders and flipped her over. Her fair chin was lifted. She was forced to meet the man’s eyes, which had turned somewhat dark.

This Mu Xinglan felt a bit strange to her, yet also a bit familiar. Uncontrollably, her body recalled a certain surging memory faster than her brain could. It made her unable to hold her ground, as if she might be devoured whole if she wasn’t careful.