Thank You for the Invitation, I Successfully Held Hands with the Best Actress - Chapter 15

On the way back in the nanny van, the atmosphere inexplicably turned awkward. The camera, which had stopped working after boarding, was tightly clutched by the cameraman dressed entirely in black. Sitting on the right side of the vehicle, he stared silently out the window with the heavy equipment in his arms, desperately trying to make himself invisible.

Cameraman internally: I heard nothing. I’m just a deaf and blind little nobody.

The driver upfront maintained professional silence, focusing on the road—though his occasional glances in the rearview mirror betrayed his burning curiosity.

Ning Yu, who had been unjustly branded a pervert, held the bottle of mint water with a bewildered expression. “What did I do?”

Mu Qiuyaan fanned her flushed face. “What do you think? Where did this drink even come from? It’s definitely not a local product from the island. Spill it.”

Ning Yu hadn’t expected Mu Qiuyaan to be so sharp, which only deepened her confusion.

The blue liquid had been exchanged from the points store. Despite earning a hefty sum today, it still fell far short of what was needed for a miracle cure.

So, after negotiating with the system, Ning Yu decided to take it slow. The blue water wasn’t too expensive, and its healing effects were decent. Administered over multiple doses, it could gradually cure any illness.

But how to get Mu Qiuyaan to drink it? She couldn’t just say it was magic potion—Mu Qiuyaan would think she was insane. So, she had the system repackage it as an ordinary drink.

Yet somehow, she’d been caught.

“Uh… yeah, it’s not store-bought. I made it myself. It’s packed with tonics—ginseng, angelica, stuff like that. A… family recipe. Great for the body, especially for… uh, poor circulation.”

Ning Yu forced out the lie, but it was painfully flimsy. By her logic, why would traditional Chinese medicine turn out bright blue? Why would it taste refreshingly minty instead of bitter?

None of it made sense.

But Mu Qiuyaan’s expression suddenly shifted. She swallowed hard before hesitantly asking, “You… made it yourself? You… added the ingredients?”

Ning Yu, clueless about what “ingredients” Mu Qiuyaan meant, nodded eagerly. “Yeah, all me.”

Mu Qiuyaan’s face cycled through a series of emotions. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then turned away, refusing to look at Ning Yu.

It wasn’t unheard of for high-concentration pheromones to be extracted and processed into medication. Many suppressants and inducers even contained synthetic pheromones.

For someone like Mu Qiuyaan, whose glands were underdeveloped, ingesting measured doses could help balance her system and alleviate symptoms.

But there was a catch. Like a permanent bond, dependence could form over time, tethering her to the donor’s pheromones. The cycle of addiction and withdrawal could be worse than the pain of her condition—something Mu Qiuyaan knew all too well.

So… did Ning Yu know?

Two people on entirely different wavelengths were now hurtling toward a bizarre and precarious misunderstanding.

“When did you… find out about my… cough bl00d deficiency?” Mu Qiuyan almost blurted out her accusatory question, but remembering there were others in the car, she reluctantly played along with Ning Yu’s fabricated excuse.

Real bl00d deficiency? Had she accidentally stumbled upon the truth?

Ning Yu was stunned, thinking she’d successfully dodged the bullet, and casually replied, “It’s obvious at a glance.”

This only deepened Mu Qiuyan’s suspicions. The words from the sugar water shop queue suddenly resurfaced vividly in her mind—the schemes of a scumbag Alpha were unfathomable, and one could easily fall into their traps unawares.

And the ones setting these traps often wore this exact kind of harmless, gentle smile.

“So you’ve… given this mint water to others before? How many people have you tricked with this method?”

Ning Yu shook her head hurriedly, “No, I’ve only ever given it to you.”

Here it comes—the classic scumbag Alpha line: “You’re the only special one.”

In an instant, the meager goodwill and trust points Ning Yu had accumulated in Mu Qiuyan’s heart plummeted to zero, even showing signs of dipping into negative territory.

With an impassive face, Mu Qiuyan took back the mint water bottle from Ning Yu. She didn’t drink it, merely stuffing it into her bag before bending over to switch seats with the cameraman, turning her back to Ning Yu.

Ning Yu: …What just happened in those few minutes?

Why had Mu Qiuyan’s attitude toward her taken such a nosedive?

Pouting, Ning Yu glared at the cameraman who’d taken the seat beside her. The poor man broke out in a cold sweat under her gaze, keeping his eyes firmly fixed ahead as he dutifully played the role of background scenery. Though utterly confused by their conversation, he knew staying out of it was the wisest choice.

After much deliberation, Ning Yu tried explaining, “I really didn’t lie to you. This mint water is genuinely good for you. I’ve never given it to anyone else, Actress Mu~ Are you angry?”

If Mu Qiuyan was already suspicious of the blue water, how would she ever get her to take the medicine later?

Ning Yu’s expression was the picture of innocent confusion, her voice softening to a degree that would melt even the hardest heart. But Mu Qiuyan’s long-sealed heart was harder than steel, convinced this was just another act.

The evidence was right before her eyes—how could she not believe it?

Mu Qiuyan pressed her lips tightly together. The car window faintly reflected her slightly impatient eyes, a complex mix of emotions swirling within. A corner of her heart felt hollowed out, replaced by profound disappointment.

Ning Yu cautiously peeked over, “Actress Mu? Sister Mu? Mu Mu? Could you please acknowledge me?”

A vein throbbed at Mu Qiuyan’s temple as she gritted out, “Miss Ning, would you kindly shut your mouth?”

Ning Yu: “But I want to know—”

Cough cough cough! The “background scenery” suddenly erupted into violent coughing, cutting Ning Yu off mid-sentence.

Ning Yu: “Why are you—”

COUGH COUGH COUGH! The cameraman coughed even more forcefully, frantically signaling Ning Yu with his eyes.

Exasperated, Ning Yu pouted, “What’s going on? You won’t even let me speak.”

The cameraman found her adorable—Ning Yu’s meek, harmless appearance was deceptively convincing.

“Miss Ning… have you forgotten about your identity card?” he hinted vaguely.

Ning Yu belatedly remembered that damned maid’s duty: “When your CP partner makes a request starting with ‘Please…’, you must unconditionally fulfill it.”

So what she needed to do now was keep quiet…

The car fell into silence again as the two preoccupied individuals returned wordlessly to the Heartbeat House.

Upon arriving, Mu Qiu went straight upstairs while Ning Yu lingered at the stairwell, watching with a conflicted expression, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

What’s going on? Weren’t they getting along fine on the island?

The atmosphere feels off. Something must have happened in the car.

Did they fight? I was just starting to ship this CP—is it ending before it even begins?

Maybe Mu Qiu was affected by all the criticism Ning Yu received this afternoon. After all, a playboy alpha’s notorious romantic history doesn’t exactly inspire security in a relationship.

“Miss Ning, there’s something I’d like to ask you—if you don’t mind.” A hand suddenly landed on Ning Yu’s shoulder, gripping just hard enough to make her wince as she turned around.

It was Ming Jue.

Her face still wore a spring-breeze smile, though the warmth didn’t reach her eyes. “I have so many questions for you, you know?”