Kuang Ye carried Mu Wan into a room on the third floor. Her face flushed red, and only then did she dare lift her face from his chest. She pouted, “You’ve ruined my reputation again.”

Kuang Ye used his usual trick, smiling. “No worries, the seafood dinner will seal their lips.”

Mu Wan glared at him, then asked the question that had been bugging her. “How did you get the recording tape?”

Kung Ye kissed the corner of her eye and corrected her, “I didn’t get it; I already had it. Ever since you turned fifteen, as long as you competed in S City, I’ve kept the recordings.”

Mu Wan was startled. “Why?”

Kuang Ye looked at her, his lips curling into a gentle smile. “Because it was the only way I could see you.”

Back then, he was working at a shady internet café near her high school, but someone like Mu Wan, an excellent student, would never step into such a place. So, when she was shining brightly on stage, he would quietly watch her from a distance.

At the time, he hadn’t planned to return to the Kuo family and thought every time he saw her would be the last. Luckily, major competitions like the Stern often sold tapes of their performances. He spent a fortune buying them just to see her.

“You participated in three Stern competitions, from the preliminary rounds to the finals. I bought tapes of every round. The staff selling the tapes even recognized me.”

“So when you ordered the destruction of the recordings, that particular tape was already in my possession.”

Mu Wan had always known that Kuang Ye had secretly liked her for years, but she hadn’t realized how much effort he’d gone to just to see her. A pang of guilt surfaced in her eyes.

“Ah Ye, I’m sorry. I should have noticed you earlier.”

In her previous life, she had only become aware of his existence after her death. What a terrible woman she’d been.

Kuang Ye silenced her with a kiss. Over a month of longing poured into their passionate embrace, bold and tender, as lips and teeth intertwined. The room’s temperature rose rapidly.

The faint sound of water amplified the tension, making her heart race and her ears flush red. As they tumbled onto the soft bed, Kuang Ye leaned over her, his head slipping under her sweater. Mu Wan was startled, her porcelain-white face and creamy skin turning crimson.

“Being able to hold you like this already makes me content.”

His warm breath against her skin sent shivers across her body.

“Jiejie, I helped catch the bad guy who threw eggs. Can I get a little reward for that?”

Suddenly, he pressed forward. Mu Wan almost let out a moan but swallowed it back when she remembered they were still at the office.

Kuang Ye, of course, only became more brazen.

Terrified by this rascal, Mu Wan whispered, “Not here… Wait until we’re back at the apartment.”

Kuang Ye’s eyes darkened. He pulled himself out from under her clothes, his gaze falling on her now-disheveled appearance. His voice deepened.

“Jiejie, are you sure you can wait until the apartment?”

Mu Wan was speechless.

Feeling the heat coursing through her body, she swallowed hard. Finally, discarding her shyness and listening to her desires, her long, slender legs hooked over his back as she grabbed his shirt and tugged him down.

Kuang Ye chuckled lowly, his laughter vibrating in his throat.

“My honest Jiejie, Ah Ye loves that about you too.”

Soon, the room’s temperature soared, fueled by both the air conditioning and their passion.

As Mu Wan surrendered to pleasure, only two thoughts lingered in her mind: how wonderful this was and that she needed to take the bedding home to wash it.

——

Meanwhile, Jian Jia’s employees were gleefully feasting on their seafood dinner.

The PR team, armed with the Stern competition tape, quickly uploaded the full-length final performance. The key moments featuring both Mu Wan and the wrist-cutting competitor were highlighted, and they tagged the former judges and several prominent figures in the classical music world.

The caption read: “The innocent need no defense. Stop the malicious slander!”

Online debates had reached a fever pitch. Seeing Jian Jia’s clarification video, netizens immediately clicked on it, only to be intimidated by the hour-plus runtime.

Netizens: “…”
[“Couldn’t they have edited it down?”]
[Jian Jia Official: “No. Otherwise, they’ll accuse us of malicious editing!”]

After watching the video at double speed, discussions finally erupted across the internet.

[“I don’t study music, but even I can tell Mu Wan was the most composed among all the contestants. She played so well!”]
[“As a professional music student, I can confirm this. Mu Wan was amazing, while the other girl, Qin Shu, was too nervous and made several mistakes.”]
[“Finally, the truth is out! I knew our Wan wan wasn’t that kind of person. Fame really does attract trouble. I’m going to edit a clarification video and shove it into those haters’ faces!”]

Public opinion shifted dramatically in Mu Wan’s favor.

Just then, someone posted a new comment:
[“OMG, go watch the last episode of Travel the world! Mu Wan was incredible. Screw Mosi Entertainment, I hope they go bankrupt soon!”]