Su Ning had never experienced anything like this before, especially when he thought back, he felt incredibly awkward.

Waking up from Shen Mingzheng’s embrace had cleared his head, prompting him to ponder more.

Their large flat apartment was designed with limited rooms, focusing most space on the living area, and only having three bedrooms—one master, one secondary, and a study, plus a barely serviceable maid’s room. Shen Mingzheng had initially intended to leave Su Ning in the guest room and sleep in the study himself, but when he brought in a hangover remedy, he found that Su Ning had kicked off all the covers.

The alcohol made him feel hot, but uncovered in this weather, he was bound to catch cold.

Shen Mingzheng carefully covered him again, only to find him uncovered once more later, even his shirt unbuttoned.

Left with no choice, Shen Mingzheng had to stay and watch over him.

The bed was large enough for two, so Shen Mingzheng ended up staying. They had started on opposite sides, but somehow ended up close together by morning.

Not that he minded; Su Ning slept soundly for once, using Shen Mingzheng as a human pillow until the morning.

Now, as Su Ning shifted in bed and Shen Mingzheng woke up too, their eyes met, and Su Ning didn’t know what to say.

He was embarrassed about last night and struggled to find words, eventually blurting out, “Um, we’re going to be late for work.”

It was already ten in the morning. Both were unaccustomed to disrupting their circadian rhythms by sleeping in so late.

But Shen Mingzheng seemed unfazed, as if it was just another morning, reminding him, “Today is Saturday.”

He seemed completely unconcerned about them waking up together, then got up and casually began to change his shirt, turning slightly away from Su Ning.

“Does your head hurt?” he asked Su Ning. “If there’s nothing urgent, let’s have breakfast at home.”

Su Ning was aware it was Saturday; he was just trying to divert the topic.

He opened his mouth to speak but paused, just watching Shen Mingzheng’s exposed back, toned from exercise, naturally muscled and defined.

As an agent, Su Ning had seen many male artists shirtless for makeup trials; normally, this shouldn’t be a big deal. But Shen Mingzheng’s physique was particularly striking, not at all what one would expect from his delicate, almost ethereal facial features.

No wonder he managed to carry a drunken Su Ning home and handle his antics.

But after staring for a while, Su Ning averted his gaze. However, before he did, he noticed what looked like a bite mark on Shen Mingzheng’s shoulder.

That, that must have been from my drunken nonsense, Su Ning thought to himself in silence.

Contemplating further was just too embarrassing.

After spilling water on his bed last night, Su Ning had wanted to sleep there, possibly thinking it cooler and more comfortable for airing out the alcohol.

But Shen Mingzheng wouldn’t have it and carried him back to the main bedroom instead. Reluctantly, Su Ning had ended up on his lap, and in a moment of irritation, he bit him on the shoulder.

Because lifting him hadn’t been easy, and after some struggle, Shen Mingzheng’s shirt had come undone, Su Ning bit directly onto his skin. Despite the pain, Shen Mingzheng didn’t let go, and the mark was quite deep the next morning.

Su Ning apologized awkwardly, “Sorry… maybe wear something high-necked.”

He was now completely sober, got off the bed, and picked a high-necked shirt for Shen Mingzheng, then quickly found some ointment to apply to the mark.

He couldn’t fathom why he’d gotten so drunk on whatever Liang Xiaoliang had brought.

While applying the ointment, they were very close, and Su Ning asked, “Does it hurt? Why didn’t you treat it last night?”

He heard Shen Mingzheng chuckle.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” he said. “It’s quite interesting, isn’t it?”

Laughing off a bite mark? Although Su Ning’s teeth were neatly aligned, enduring a bite and still finding it amusing was beyond him.

After applying the ointment, Su Ning said, “There, all done.”

But he didn’t manage to step back.

Suddenly, Shen Mingzheng pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Su Ning’s waist.

Su Ning, caught off guard, ended up sprawled across Shen Mingzheng’s lap, still holding the ointment bottle.

“The ointment’s going to spill!” Su Ning, focused on the wrong thing, secured the bottle before asking, “What’s up?”

Shen Mingzheng gently stroked his back, “About last night, I didn’t get to ask you. Su Ning, repeat what you called me in front of Lü Fei?”

“Family. What about it?” Su Ning replied, “Isn’t that what you are… Ah.”

He gasped.

Shen Mingzheng pulled him closer, Su Ning’s shirt lifting to expose his waist. Su Ning was ticklish, and Shen Mingzheng’s fingers on his skin made him squirm, unable to resist leaning into Shen Mingzheng’s embrace.

It seemed Shen Mingzheng felt emboldened by that word.

“Or I could bite you back, so you stop teasing me,” Su Ning offered, unsure of what Shen Mingzheng wanted, expressing his apology in his own way, “Is that okay?”

Instead of escaping, he just shifted to a reclining position in Shen Mingzheng’s arms, looking rather compliant.

Shen Mingzheng hadn’t considered that biting back was an option.

After a moment, he agreed.

From Su Ning’s angle, he couldn’t see Shen Mingzheng’s face, only feeling his breath tickling his neck.

Shen Mingzheng did bite, but Su Ning didn’t really feel pain.

Instead, a tickling sensation spread from his neck throughout his body, causing his face to flush, perhaps a longer-lasting effect than pain.

Unable to bear it, Su Ning pushed him away, and when he stood up, his limbs felt weak. He checked the mirror to find a red mark where Shen Mingzheng had bitten.

There was no injury, so ointment was useless.

That morning, Su Ning also ended up wearing a high-neck sweater, and at a glance, the two seemed to be wearing matching outfits.

After the morning’s events, they had brunch at home, Shen Mingzheng cooking Su Ning’s favorite dishes, appearing in a great mood.

Su Ning had real business to attend to in the afternoon, and though it wasn’t on the way, Shen Mingzheng still drove him. As Su Ning got out of the car, his high collar was tucked in, and Shen Mingzheng helped adjust it, earning a glare in response.

Once Su Ning left, Chen Tao, who was driving, asked, “Boss, was it interesting?”

Shen Mingzheng smiled, “Very.”

Chen Tao closed his mouth.

He had attended the premiere of “Unrivaled Picture” that morning and returned quickly after. After Su Ning had left, Shen Mingzheng straightened up and inquired about the event.

“The movie was… alright,” Chen Tao said, “But I think this might not go as smoothly as Pinnacle hopes.”

Shen Mingzheng nodded, “I know.”

Meanwhile, Su Ning also inquired with Su Hongda, who had attended the premiere. The film lasted one hour and forty minutes and had ended a while ago.

In fact, from the start of the movie, Su Hongda had been so bored he started chatting with Su Ning, and by morning, Su Ning’s phone was flooded with his messages.

“Are you up? Seriously, you need to handle your liquor better. If there’s another drinking event, let me handle it.”

“Saw that Lü boss from yesterday, looked pretty sober. Brought his fiancée, sits next to me, what’s her name, Xiaoxue? She was wearing huge sunglasses. If I looked like her, I’d wear them too. Taking them off, she was prettier than the actresses in the movie, wouldn’t that make people uncomfortable?”

And many more trivial messages.

Regarding the film “Unrivaled Picture,” Su Ning had seen a summary. It told the story of a small country receiving a divine prophecy about a calamity that would destroy their nation in ten years unless they worshipped a reincarnated holy maiden. By offering the maiden back to the heavens during a celestial ceremony, they could avert the disaster.

This prophecy was called “Unrivaled Picture.”

The country soon found the maiden, the princess and the king’s sister. However, in the ninth year, a general returned from a campaign with a peasant girl who looked exactly like the princess and matched all other descriptions of the maiden.

Even the country’s sage could not tell them apart, leading to a new prophecy revealing one as the holy maiden and the other as a demoness born from resentment. No one could distinguish them, but the demoness had to be killed, and the maiden worshipped—mistakes were not an option, thus the prophecy’s name “Unrivaled.”

The entire country struggled to differentiate the two to avoid disaster.

Liao Yuansi played the sage, depicted as a patriotic man willing to sacrifice everything for his country, even drawing his own blood to create a formation to convert the demoness and ultimately ensure the maiden’s ascension saved the nation.

Other characters revolved around this plot, with a love triangle involving the general, the princess, and the peasant girl he brought back.

The story mixed patriotic sacrifice, love and hate, political intrigue, and fantasy elements in a high-ambition film trying to convey a lot. The trailer showed excellent special effects, and the visual quality was highly praised. Positioned as the only blockbuster during the New Year holiday period and leveraging Liao Yuansi’s star power, the audience had high expectations.

Su Ning thought the plot was not particularly novel, but commercial films consider more than just the story.

If the story met the basic threshold, with good acting, star power, impressive effects, and enough screenings, plus effective marketing during a major holiday period, it could reach its ambitious goal of two billion yuan—such strategies have succeeded before.

So Su Ning asked Su Hongda, “So, how was it really?”

Su Hongda took a while to respond: “You’re awake? Well, I don’t know how to put it, just check the trending searches later.”

“I don’t know if I’ve caused you trouble this time.”

Su Ning was puzzled by his meaning.

Premieres generally involve praising the film, even if it’s poor; the attending media are usually paid to be positive.

But whether by accident or someone’s design, the host had randomly selected Su Hongda to share his thoughts. As a coal magnate without much understanding of the industry’s nuances, encouraged by the host to speak freely, he stood up and spoke his mind.

“Most of the film is well done, and the actors tried hard. It’s just the story…” he began, “Those two young girls being picked by a bunch of old men to live or die, well, they know there’s a disaster coming, right? With ten years, if you’re so capable, why not just run away with everyone? Why torment young girls? Go somewhere else, who cares about disasters then, right? Gods shouldn’t be like that.”

He spoke honestly, then added, “The effects are good, really good, the rest is fine. Seven out of ten, it’s worth a watch on New Year’s Day.”

Su Hongda thought he was being generous.

Speaking like that was practically forgiving, considering Pinnacle should thank him—he personally rated the film a six but added a point for courtesy, showing high EQ.

As soon as he sat down, he noticed the frosty expressions onstage, especially from the Film Emperor Liao Yuansi, who looked haunted.

A silence fell, then someone in the media or another guest chuckled, quickly suppressed; the host deftly redirected the conversation.

The premiere wasn’t live broadcasted, but this segment still got out, and Su Hongda trended online.

He didn’t understand; he was just sharing his experience as an ordinary viewer. Even Lü Fei beside him shook his head, saying he was too blunt.

Only Ji Xue, the strikingly beautiful young woman, smiled reassuringly at him, saying, “It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

Moved by her gesture, Su Hongda continued praising her to Su Ning.

“She’s really nice,” he said. “Now I see why people say coal tycoons support female stars. If I were still in that business, I’d sponsor her just for that comment, not for anything else, just to feel good about it.”

“What, it’s not like I wanted to go or give a review. Can’t an audience member speak their mind these days?”

He couldn’t grasp the entertainment industry.

Su Hongda felt wronged enough.

Fortunately, Su Ning was understanding. Laughing over the phone, he said, “It’s fine, just go home and rest. I see plenty of support for you on social media, don’t take it to heart.”

With that assurance, Su Hongda felt a bit better, then worried, “I haven’t caused any trouble for you with the Shens, have I?”

“No,” Su Ning assured, “If there’s any trouble, it won’t be because of you. I have everything under control.”

Having sent Su Hongda to the premiere, he was prepared for any outcome, and his dispute with Pinnacle wouldn’t hinge on just one comment.