The next day, after breakfast, the two set off for Tahiti.

The temperature there is usually around 27°C. In Tahiti, the rainy season is from November to April, making the climate especially humid during this time.

Shang Xinglu changed into her clothes on the plane, and to avoid sun exposure, she wore a tropical-style hat. But as soon as she stepped off the plane, she was still scorched by the blazing sun.

Shang Xinglu wilted and leaned into Lin Heng’s arms.

Yes, that’s right, I’m such a dramatic, pretentious, and theatrical Xinglu!

Lin Heng didn’t mind and helped her along.

But Shang Xinglu immediately regretted it.

…It’s so hot.

Being so close made it even hotter.

Shang Xinglu quickly pushed away, “I’m fine!”

Lin Heng: “…”

Seems like your little act is over.

They arrived at the hotel, and in the comfort of the air conditioning, Shang Xinglu finally regained her senses.

They decided to rest for a while, and today, they wouldn’t go out but instead stroll around the area near the hotel.

The heat from earlier made Shang Xinglu change into a cooler outfit.

She wore a short tank top, lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone. Her long legs swayed in the air, and when Lin Heng came out of the shower, the first thing he noticed was her slender waist, which was so enticing.

His gaze darkened, and he walked over to playfully pat her little backside, saying, “Put on a jacket.”

Shang Xinglu pouted, “Put on what? It’s so hot outside. I want ice cream.”

Lin Heng: “Then you’ll keep getting a stomach ache?”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

She remembered eating ice cream during her period and the fear of menstrual cramps.

“No, I won’t eat it…,” Shang Xinglu turned over, disappointed, and collapsed onto the bed.

Lin Heng persisted: “Put on a jacket.”

So Shang Xinglu grabbed a light, thin, and somewhat see-through cover-up to wear.

Her slim waist was barely visible beneath it.

Lin Heng: “…”

It’s like it’s worse to wear it than not.

Shang Xinglu smiled mischievously and skipped over, wrapping her arms around the damp Lin Heng’s neck. “What are we eating later?”

Lin Heng: “Anything you want.”

Shang Xinglu looked at him, her eyes squinted into a smile, filled with stars.

“Then I want ice cream.”

Lin Heng immediately refused: “No.”

Shang Xinglu: “You just said anything! Wow, President Lin is a big liar!”

Lin Heng: “…”

He realized that since they started their vacation, Shang Xinglu’s mood had been unusually high, and she was even more clingy and easy to talk to.

As for her acting skills, they had grown in parallel.

He firmly said, “No means no.” He grabbed her waist, pulled her onto his lap, slid one hand into her hair to hold her head, and kissed her directly.

The sudden kiss caught Shang Xinglu off guard, but she quickly responded eagerly.

The two were very familiar with each other’s bodies, and just one kiss ignited a deeper and more passionate desire.

Lin Heng laid her on the bed, leaned in to kiss her, their lips and tongues entwined, kissing her sensitive ears and her delicate neck, while his hand teased her most sensitive areas.

In this dizzying moment, Shang Xinglu didn’t forget to make mischief.

Oh! President Lin’s abs, back muscles, and all sorts of muscles—I’m coming for you!!!

But before long, Lin Heng just held her in his arms, unmoving.

The sound of his breathing in her ear was heavy.

At this point, Shang Xinglu didn’t dare to move.

She could feel that Lin Heng… was different.

She stayed still for a moment.

Then she slowly shifted to face him directly.

Shang Xinglu said sincerely: “Lin Heng, I don’t quite understand…”

“Hmm?” Lin Heng’s voice was still hoarse, carrying an indescribable sensual undertone.

Shang Xinglu’s face turned bright red.

But she still asked: “You know it’s inconvenient for me, but you still want to tease me. Aren’t you afraid of… bursting?”

Lin Heng: “…”

Suddenly, Lin Heng recalled the fear from half a year ago when he was tricked by someone.

He then thought: “…”

Finally, after some soul-searching, and with a little help from different channels and methods (omitting 500 words of detailed description), Lin Heng managed to release some of the pent-up tension in a different way, and they were finally able to go downstairs for a stroll.

They chose a restaurant for dinner. Halfway through their meal, someone came over to greet them.

They spoke in Chinese.

Even without turning around, Shang Xinglu could tell they must be someone she knew.

She turned around…

…and indeed, she recognized them.

Ye Songtao, the chairman of Kaihua International, and his female companion.

Ye Songtao seemed familiar because she’d seen him at various banquets and on finance magazines.

But when she looked closer, she was even more surprised—his female companion was Li Xinyue, whom she had met while filming an advertisement.

When Li Xinyue saw Shang Xinglu, her smile froze on her face, and she looked extremely awkward.

Thankfully, Ye Songtao just introduced her casually: “This is Li Xinyue, Miss Li.”

There was no need for extra words.

But she didn’t realize—there was no need for any introductions. Everyone had eyes; they all knew exactly what she was doing.

No one needed to spell it out.

Ye Songtao, of course, knew Lin Heng and also knew Shang Xinglu.

He had heard that Lin Heng and Shang Xinglu were divorced, yet here they were on vacation together. That didn’t seem like a divorce at all.

Naturally, he was curious about their relationship.

Not to mention, Shang Xinglu was now Yin Yao’s business partner.

After divorcing his wife, Ye Songtao was now looking to marry again, and he had set his sights on Yin Yao.

Of course, not many people knew about this yet.

But the fact that he was vacationing with a female companion and was seen by Yin Yao’s business partner—well, that wasn’t exactly ideal.

Ye Songtao pulled Li Xinyue close, whispering a few words intimately in her ear.

Li Xinyue looked displeased but had no choice but to suppress it. After Ye Songtao murmured a few more words, she reluctantly left.

Running into Lin Heng here, Ye Songtao wanted to take the opportunity to chat.

But just as he sent his little sweetheart away, Lin Heng spoke up:

“Mr. Ye, my wife and I would like to enjoy some private time. Perhaps we can arrange another day?”

Ye Songtao was utterly embarrassed and cursing internally.

Lin Heng’s words were polite, but the distant look in his eyes was impossible to ignore.

Ye Songtao had no choice but to leave.

This minor episode at dinner did nothing to dampen Shang Xinglu and Lin Heng’s vacation mood.

Before setting off, Shang Xinglu had fantasized about the kind of vacation where a couple stayed cooped up in their room all day, lost in each other.

Thinking about it made her giggle to herself. Then, she suddenly scolded herself—

“Lu Lu, oh Lu Lu, when did you go from being a model socialist successor to someone who needs to be censored for inappropriate thoughts?!”

No, no, that wouldn’t do.

So, on the second day of vacation, Shang Xinglu devoted all her energy to various activities.

She didn’t participate much in underwater activities, but she could still go sightseeing, get a spa treatment, or even try skydiving!

And she actually did.

…Then she jumped three times.

She was having the time of her life.

Lin Heng: “……”

What should I do if my wife is too fearless? Waiting online, very urgent.

While Shang Xinglu was having a blast in Tahiti, a scandal broke out on Chinese social media.

#Shocking! Supporting actress from Peach Blossom Spring, Li Xinyue, spotted vacationing with a wealthy businessman!#

#Price tag? The unknown private life of an actress#

Here’s how it happened.

Li Xinyue was vacationing in Tahiti and posted a geo-tagged update on her verified Weibo account, showing that she was staying at a six-star hotel.

She uploaded nine photos.

Nothing unusual—lots of actresses post vacation pictures.

But as luck would have it, Ye Songtao also posted about being in Tahiti.

Of course, as a businessman, Ye Songtao had fewer Weibo followers than even a third-tier celebrity.

However, Tahiti was not a common travel destination for Chinese tourists due to its limited visa approvals each year.

One of Li Xinyue’s anti-fans decided to do a quick search.

…And stumbled upon something big.

At that particular time, only two people had posted about being in Tahiti.

And they were staying at the same hotel.

Of course, it could’ve been a coincidence—Tahiti was a public travel destination, after all.

So the anti-fans scrutinized the photos further.

In one of Li Xinyue’s room service pictures, aside from the luxurious meal, there was also a complimentary bottle of champagne from the hotel.

Engraved in elegant cursive on the bottle were the words: “Mr. Ye & Ms. Lee.”

Li Xinyue had blurred out the text, but internet sleuths—hidden Sherlocks among the netizens—managed to restore the original image using various photo-editing tools.

This… was practically undeniable proof.

Fans tried to defend her.

“What if Xinyue’s boyfriend’s last name is also Ye? That’s not evidence of anything!”

“Even if it’s Ye Songtao, what if they’re dating normally? Why assume she’s an escort with a price tag?”

While netizens were feasting on this scandal and fan wars were raging, a gossip account suddenly posted a so-called “fan-submitted tip-off.”

The fan’s profile picture and key details were blurred out, but the message read:

“I’m also vacationing in Tahiti, and I happened to witness this scandal firsthand last night! Key info is censored for privacy, but here’s what happened:

I was dining at a restaurant when I saw a certain fairy-like celebrity and her husband. They were both ridiculously good-looking, so my friend and I kind of followed them to another restaurant. Since we were all Chinese, the lady was really nice—she even greeted us and reminded us to stay safe.

Then, this ‘Mr. Ye’ showed up with Li Xinyue and started chatting with the celebrity couple.

Ye and Li were acting intimate, but his attitude toward her was very… um… let’s just say he treated her like someone who comes when called and leaves when dismissed.

Li Xinyue was visibly upset but still left when he told her to.

As someone who saw it all, I honestly don’t think they’re in a normal boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Whether there was money involved… I can’t say for sure.”*

Once this came out, the internet exploded.

Combined with the previous evidence, netizens were convinced.

Li Xinyue’s fans still tried to fight back, but others mocked them:

“What now? Do you need her to post the invoice she sent to Mr. Ye before you’ll believe it?”

Because this involved an entertainment industry scandal, Li Xinyue’s career was at a peak due to the success of Peach Blossom Spring, a major period drama.

And the bigger the rise, the harder the fall.

Meanwhile, Shang Xinglu was casually enjoying breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

Lin Heng?

He was out on his morning run.

At that moment, Li Xinyue stormed in, shoving her phone—displaying the scandal—onto the table in front of Shang Xinglu.

“I already apologized last time, and you said it was nothing! In the end, you didn’t even use my scenes! Did you really have to do this to me?!”

Shang Xinglu was still half-dazed.

…What the hell was she talking about?

Li Xinyue demanded, “What do you want? Just say it!”

Shang Xinglu took a sip of her coffee.

She had no clue what was going on, but having been around Shi Rui and her group long enough, she had plenty of experience with these kinds of fights.

Narrowing her eyes, she exuded an air of dominance, the same kind she had in business meetings.

“Take it away. I can’t be bothered.”

She tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

Knock, knock.

It wasn’t loud.

But Li Xinyue shuddered involuntarily.

…She had the eerie feeling that what Shang Xinglu was really saying was:

“Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like this?”