Thank You for the Invitation, I Successfully Held Hands with the Best Actress - Chapter 18

The recent rain had left numerous puddles on the ground, reflecting the suddenly lit street lamps and fleeting shadows of passersby. The overcast sky slowly cleared, but the dark night descended even faster.

The faint, fresh scent of post-rain moisture clung to Mu Qiuyan’s running sleeves. She pulled up the zipper of her tracksuit jacket, covering half her face, leaving only her eyes exposed. Her cap was pulled low, and despite spotting many suspicious paparazzi with their “long-lens cameras” during her run, few recognized her.

Jogging was Mu Qiuyan’s way of dispelling her worries—when her body was exhausted, she had no energy left to dwell on “a certain someone.”

As she turned behind the villa, the night grew darker. The empty road had few people, with only a few lit windows in the distance.

Mu Qiuyan stopped, securing the loose strands of hair by her ears with a clip as she caught her breath. Suddenly, she heard a faint noise behind her—like footsteps, yet sharp and grating. The sound came and went abruptly.

A chill ran down her spine. Without turning, she took a few cautious steps forward, and the noise followed like a shadow.

Feigning calm, she slowly moved toward the convex mirror at the road’s bend and stole a glance.

In an instant, her hair practically stood on end. Her first instinct was to bolt toward the lit house. The person behind her, caught off guard, abandoned all pretense and gave chase, their heavy footsteps growing louder.

“Help! Is anyone there?!”

“Actress Mu! Actress Mu! I’m your fan—I’m not suspicious, I swear!” The man suddenly called out, his voice hoarse.

Mu Qiuyan turned, skeptical, raising her voice. “Then stay right where you are!”

The man wore a long brown overcoat over a pair of blue jeans, his face hidden behind a black mask. His head was bowed, his gaze shifting nervously, avoiding hers.

On his feet were rubber brown rain boots—the source of that eerie squeaking sound.

But his posture was odd—his arms were tightly wrapped around his chest as if freezing.

Hesitantly, he took a few steps forward. “My daughter adores you. I just wanted to get your autograph for her. Would that be alright?”

He bowed deeply, his tone pleading.

Mu Qiuyan hesitated but eventually nodded when she saw no immediate threat.

The man thanked her profusely. “It’s brighter under the streetlight over there. Let’s go there.”

Still wary, Mu Qiuyan kept her distance, scanning the surroundings. No lurking paparazzi, no cameras—it should be safe…?

But out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught the man’s face—twisted into a vicious grin. His arms loosened, reaching inside his coat—

Only to be abruptly tackled to the ground by a figure darting from the side.

Ning Yu, face livid, stomped heavily on the man’s back, pinning him down with a murderous glare.

“Ouch, hiss—that hurts.” The man’s right arm was pinned underneath, now aching unbearably. Yet Ning Yu’s gaze remained steely, her foot not relenting for even a second, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Mu Qiu-yan was stunned. “You—”

“Call the police!” Ning Yu cut straight to the point, her entire demeanor cold and domineering. The usual gentle smile was nowhere to be seen on her shadowed face. Pressing her lips into a thin line, the fury in her eyes was almost palpable.

At the mention of “police,” the man pinned forcefully to the ground immediately began struggling. “No, don’t call them! You can’t!”

Mu Qiu-yan shot him a frigid glare and pulled out her phone to report the incident.

The man writhed violently, trying to break free, but Ning Yu only pressed down harder with her foot. “Hah—why shouldn’t we? Harassing an omega in public? Someone like you won’t just get off with a couple of days in detention.”

“I—I didn’t even lift her clothes before you kicked me down!” the man retorted shamelessly.

Ning Yu sneered. “Save that talk for the police—while you’re still naked.”

The man pleaded, “Let me go, I swear I won’t do it again!”

“Swear? Who’d believe you? People like you don’t learn unless they’re taught a lesson.” Her voice dripped with disgust.

She then turned to Mu Qiu-yan and instructed, “Turn around. Don’t dirty your eyes.”

Mu Qiu-yan obediently turned away, hearing rustling fabric and the man’s pained groans behind her.

“What are you doing?! Be careful—I’m warning you—OW!”

Ning Yu struck him square in the face, then used the sleeves of her coat to bind him tightly to a lamppost. “Stop yelling. The more noise you make, the more attention you’ll draw. That’s not what you want right now, is it?”

Bare-chested, the man’s lower half was wrapped tightly in Ning Yu’s coat, while his unfastened jeans had slid down to his calves. Anyone could guess what he’d been up to.

His mask had been torn off, revealing a somewhat familiar face. Ning Yu narrowed her eyes, her tone mocking. “Hey, big guy, haven’t we met somewhere before?”

The man turned his head away, refusing to show his face. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Aren’t you that livestreamer from this afternoon? Switched from broadcasting to harassing women—busy schedule, huh?” Ning Yu smirked, though her voice remained icy. “Honestly, what’s the point of stalking celebrities? You’d get way more views just livestreaming yourself. Oh wait, I forgot—platforms are cracking down on indecent content. Guess you’re stuck here doing your little performance art.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Ning Yu borrowed a marker from Mu Qiu-yan and scrawled the word “PERVERT” in bold letters across both his cheeks.

Standing nearby, Mu Qiu-yan tilted her head curiously, trying to peek, when suddenly her vision went dark—a warm hand gently covering her eyes. The woman’s voice was tender, laced with amusement. “Trying to sneak a look? Don’t blame me if you get an eye infection.”

Her hand, hanging at her side, was taken by Ning Yu, who led her several meters away before finally lowering the hand shielding her eyes.

The warm touch on her wrist, the ambiguous closeness of walking side by side in the darkness, her heartbeat racing uncontrollably—when light returned, Mu Qiuyan blinked, and Ning Yu’s face gradually came into focus.

The distance between them was so close that she could see the fine down on Ning Yu’s face and her own reflection in those pupils, still frozen in that fleeting moment of emotion.

The atmosphere was just right…

It was an inexplicable intuition that struck Ning Yu. Staring at Mu Qiuyan’s delicate, rosy lips, she unconsciously swallowed.

Just right… for a kiss.