Thank You for the Invitation, I Successfully Held Hands with the Best Actress - Chapter 27

Mu Qiu’s voice carried a hint of panic, “I’m fine, don’t come in.”

 

 

Her skin flushed pink with lingering steam as the shower sounds ceased. Water droplets trailed downward, forming small puddles at her feet.

 

 

Ning Yu: “But your wrist…”

 

 

“I just scalded it testing the water temperature. It’ll fade soon.”

 

 

“Those are clearly marks. Let me see.” Ning Yu took another step forward but stepped into water. Her cotton hotel slippers, now soaked, made the rubber soles slippery.

 

 

Cursing under her breath, she reached for the wall but was too late. Her body lurched forward uncontrollably, one knee instinctively bending to brace the fall.

 

 

With effort, she barely stopped her nose from colliding with a warm, soft figure—separated only by a shower curtain. The thin, translucent barrier might as well not have been there.

 

 

“I…” Ning Yu lifted her head to apologize but was met with a sharp smack on the forehead and a forceful shove.

 

 

Half-kneeling, her pants soaked, one hand still against the wall, Ning Yu was already unsteady. Mu Qiu’s full-strength push sent her sprawling backward, her twisted leg cramping painfully, half-numb.

 

 

“Get out now!” Mu Qiu’s voice was laced with embarrassment and anger. “You pervert!”

 

 

Ning Yu, unable to move, stammered, “M-my leg’s numb.”

 

 

“Then crawl out,” Mu Qiu snapped, mistaking it for an excuse. “Drag yourself out, Miss Ning. Playing dumb won’t work.”

 

 

“My leg really is numb…”

 

 

Rustling sounds came from behind the curtain, followed by a zipper. Mu Qiu emerged in an off-white embroidered bustier gown.

 

 

The dress fit impeccably, accentuating her curves—elegant neck, straight back, lifted hips. The thigh-high slit revealed glimpses of her slender, pale legs.

 

 

She undid her ponytail, letting her hair cascade down in voluminous waves, adding a playful charm to her allure.

 

 

Ning Yu opened her mouth to speak, but her nose betrayed her first.

 

 

…

 

 

Damn it, this body’s useless!

 

 

Why the nosebleed again?

 

 

Mu Qiu narrowed her eyes, bending down dangerously close.

 

 

Ning Yu covered her nose and looked away, shrinking back.

 

 

Delicate feet stepped past her, then returned, stopping before her.

 

 

Confused, Ning Yu caught a roll of tissues tossed into her lap.

 

 

“Wipe your nosebleed.”

 

 

Ning Yu wiped gloomily. Why so embarrassing? Was her body really this weak?

 

 

After a while, her right leg regained feeling. She stood up, dripping, and shook her leg.

 

 

Mu Qiu shoved a bag into her arms. “Change quickly. If you dawdle, the birthday party will be over.”

 

 

 

Ning Yu took out the clothes from the bag, her brows furrowing slightly at the sight. It was a black long-sleeved bustier dress with intricate, luxurious patterns on the skirt, dotted with sparkling sequins and tiny diamonds embedded within the designs.

 

 

Wasn’t this from the same collection as the one Mu Qiuyan was wearing?

 

 

With a smirk, Ning Yu changed into the dress. Perhaps due to sizing issues, the hem barely reached her knees. As she tried to pull up the back zipper, she found herself struggling to reach it.

 

 

“Don’t move,” Mu Qiuyan’s voice came unexpectedly from behind as she stepped closer, her warm breath brushing against Ning Yu’s back. “You don’t need to pull it all the way—halfway is enough.”

 

 

Cool fingertips lightly grazed the zipper, inevitably brushing against smooth skin. A shiver ran down Ning Yu’s spine, and she bit her lip to suppress the tingling sensation creeping into her chest, her fingers tightening slightly.

 

 

Wasn’t this distance a little too close?!

 

 

“Done.”

 

 

Only after Mu Qiuyan stepped back did the pounding in Ning Yu’s ears gradually subside. Noticing Ning Yu’s flushed ears and trembling shoulders, Mu Qiuyan smirked before turning away.

 

 

Clutching her chest, Ning Yu finally managed to steady her breathing.

 

 

The long, wide sleeves perfectly concealed the scars on Mu Qiuyan’s wrists. She thought she had brushed past the topic, but Ning Yu hadn’t forgotten—this was a debt she intended to settle with Gao Mi.

 

 

With everything seemingly settled, Gao Mi crossed her arms disdainfully. “Ming Jue? You really think I liked her? If she weren’t the heir to the Ming Group, a woman whose heart belongs to someone else, why would I have even looked her way?”

 

 

Ning Yu’s eyes flickered. “So it was just for money? Then what does Mu Qiuyan have to do with it?”

 

 

“Because she’s insufferable, you know?” Gao Mi slammed a hand on the table, her vision no longer seeing Ning Yu but the aloof Mu Qiuyan from their university days. “You always acted so high and mighty, indifferent to everything, yet people still chased after you, adored you.”

 

 

“Getting close to Ming Jue was a goal I set the moment I saw her during freshman year. She’s wealthy—she could give me everything I wanted. Being with her would have made me happy.”

 

 

“But all of that hinged on one condition—you not being in the picture.”

 

 

“Ming Jue never spared a glance for anyone else. She’s the heiress of the Ming Group, its future leader. Unless she took a liking to someone, no one could ever catch her eye. Yet after all these years, you two never got together. If you don’t like her, why cling to her? Or do you secretly covet Ming Jue’s status?”

 

 

Ning Yu: You’ve severely underestimated Mu Qiuyan. After graduation, Mu Qiuyan rarely initiated contact with Ming Jue. Even when invited, she treated her as nothing more than an ordinary friend.

 

 

How to describe a white moonlight? Perhaps like the moon hanging in the sky—untouchable, yet endlessly mesmerizing in its glow.

 

 

The moon Ming Jue loved was one veiled in misty clouds, untouchable and immovable under the filter of first love. Every time she tried to approach, she retreated in reverence.

 

 

To be fair, Mu Qiuyan and Ming Jue had grown increasingly distant over the years. Words like “clinging” or “who clung to whom” hardly applied—they were far too passionate for the reality of their relationship.

 

 

 

“In college, I also wanted to play the lead role in that drama performance. I auditioned for it too,” Gao Mi said indignantly. “But the drama club president in charge of casting favored Mu Qiuyue. She got the role effortlessly, was noticed by a director, and her acting career took off smoothly from there.”

 

 

She wearily pushed back her hair and closed her eyes. “She always seemed so lucky—everything she wanted went smoothly, everything she desired was handed to her without asking. Yet she always wore that indifferent expression.”

 

 

“Everything I longed for was precisely what she valued least.”

 

 

Ning Yu fell silent, then flipped through her phone before showing the screen to Gao Mi.

 

 

Gao Mi stared blankly at the youthful, delicate face on the screen—familiar yet distant, a past she had long discarded.

 

 

Ning Yu said, “I regret to inform you that your fake socialite identity has been exposed online. The honeyed lies you painstakingly crafted for yourself were bound to be uncovered eventually. You’re no longer the wealthy heiress, no longer the elite socialite of the capital. You’re still just the jealous, insecure version of yourself.”

 

 

With that, the painstakingly built pedestal crumbled.

 

 

Gao Mi couldn’t help but cover her face and sob.

 

 

Not an ounce of pity rose in Ning Yu’s heart. She stood up, picked up the phone containing the recorded conversation, and headed for the door.

 

 

“Mu Qiuyue is sick, you know that?” Gao Mi shouted. “She’s hurt people before, you know that?!”

 

 

Ning Yu paused mid-step and turned to look at her.

 

 

Because of the Gao Mi scandal, First Heartbeat nearly faced cancellation. The production team worked around the clock to cut all footage, comments, and behind-the-scenes clips related to Gao Mi, practically labeling it the “Gao Mi-Free Edition.”

 

 

But since the issue stemmed from an invited guest, the show’s ratings still took a hit.

 

 

Thus, one week into the dating show, the official Weibo account announced that two new guests would be joining—one of them being Zhou Yi, the hottest rising star of the moment.

 

 

When star power falls short, bring in more star power.

 

 

A somewhat unconventional way to compensate.

 

 

Here to see my idol~ He’s only twenty this year—isn’t he too young for a dating show?

 

 

Right? The others are so much older. How could they possibly match?

 

 

My idol is so handsome and gorgeous—please don’t force any CP pairings on him!

 

 

Ugh, he’s clearly just here to save the show. If they try to force him into a relationship for clout, we fans won’t stand for it. We’ll protect him to the end~

 

 

What the hell? Did I stumble into a middle school fan war?

 

 

Typical Zhou Yi fans. You’ll only see one or two normal comments buried under all the spam. Sigh, another dating show ruined. Turning off the comments now.

 

 

Fellow Mu Qiuyue fans, let’s not engage. We mustn’t adopt this toxic flooding behavior.

 

 

Even before the livestream began, tensions were already high between netizens and fans. But what no one expected was that the real-life meeting would turn into an outright battlefield.

 

 

When Ning Yu saw a strikingly handsome man with a model’s aura stride into the Heartbeat House wearing sunglasses, all she could think was:

 

 

Is this guy out of his mind?

 

 

 

No other reason than the fact that he was followed by not one, not two, but four assistants carrying all sorts of bags and packages.

 

 

What made people question his sanity even more was how he marched straight toward Mu Qiuyao the moment he entered.

 

 

Then, right in front of the live broadcast cameras, he poured out his heart.

 

 

“Sis Mu! I’m your fan—I’ve always adored you! Would you pair up with me as a CP on the show?”

 

 

“I want to have a sweet, sweet romance with you, sis!”