HIM Chapter 14: Dedicated to the Goddess of Beauty
Despite Bo Qin repeatedly saying he wasn’t hungry, he was still firmly seated on the carpet by Mama He.
“How can you not be hungry, you’re a young man,” she said. “I had Liu Ma cook wontons for you. Liu Ma made them herself. They’re so delicious.”
She squatted down to meet Bo Qin’s gaze. “Be good.”
Under her gaze, Bo Qin had no resistance.
The wontons were made with a corn and pork filling, with thin wrappers and plenty of filling. The corn had a slight sweetness, and the rich bone broth was so fragrant that Bo Qin almost swallowed his tongue.
He Xizhou sat on the sofa across from him, probably just having finished a shower. His hair still held a trace of moisture, and Bo Qin vaguely caught a familiar cold fragrance. He Xizhou was reading a book, his black shirt unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a straight collarbone. The shirt’s outline traced his chest muscles, exuding an unconscious sex appeal.
His body, temperament, and face were all top-tier, and on top of that, he had power, wealth, and influence.
Bo Qin thought, people really can make you feel inferior.
He Xizhou supported his head with one hand and held the book with the other. The pages were not crinkled. Bo Qin glanced at the title of the book—4e6 Elden Lake. He thought, this person is intense. He usually only picks up this book during sleepless nights to read a few pages as a sleep aid.
Bo Qin sat cross-legged on the floor eating wontons, occasionally glancing at He Xizhou through the steam, feeling a bit guilty as if he were disturbing someone’s study time. But Mama He was sitting next to him watching fan-made videos, occasionally discussing them with Bo Qin.
Bo Qin whispered, “Auntie, can I eat at the dining table?”
Mama He didn’t even look up. “It’s fine, no need for such formalities. The dining room is so big and quiet; it’s boring.”
Suddenly, she excitedly lifted her head. “I saw a fan video of yours. It’s really well edited. Let me cast it for you.”
Bo Qin: “... No, it’s fine.”
He saw Mama He stand up without a hint of joking in her expression and panicked. “Auntie, maybe not, He Xizhou—Xizhou’s reading, and he’s really busy. I’ll finish eating and go to sleep.”
Bo Qin unintentionally referred to him as Xizhou-ge, and immediately felt a chill run down his spine, his teeth aching from the awkwardness.
He Xizhou closed the book. “It’s fine.” He looked at Bo Qin and smiled. “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Work’s not urgent for now. I’d like to see Xiao Qin's fan video too.”
He emphasized the “Xiao Qin” part.
The way he said "Xiao Qin" made Bo Qin’s teeth chatter.
Mama He had successfully infiltrated Bo Qin’s fan group, quickly becoming a key figure due to her “financial ability” and her skills at trolling others in the fandom. She could buy albums, control sales, manipulate comments, and support campaigns all in one go, ranking among the top in Bo Qin’s fan community.
Of course, Bo Qin didn’t know any of this.
But he did know that Mama He was definitely a motherly fan.
When he realized this, Bo Qin almost cried from the emotional weight. He thought, “Finally, I have a proper mom fan!”
Mama He cast the video, and Bo Qin was so embarrassed he almost wanted to cover his face.
The video was titled How Can I Eat My Bunny.
Bo Qin thought, “How could this be so embarrassing?”
The video was quite popular, filmed during his breakout year after Windstorm became a hit. It was for a variety show meant to promote the drama. He had worn a pink onesie with bunny ears on top of his head, awkwardly holding a carrot plushie while dodging balls thrown at him and answering questions.
Back then, after being silent for a year and suddenly coming back to fame, with the death of a loved one and betrayal from a friend, he hadn’t yet developed the solid, unshakable confidence he had now. His facial expression at the time had a certain fragility, and his body was slim, which made him appear more... delicate.
He clumsily jumped around, the bunny ears bouncing atop his head.
The background music was a Japanese song, and the screen was filled with pink filters.
Bo Qin thought inwardly: ...Just kill me now.
Mama He: “Ahhhh, so cute, baby!”
The three-minute video, which Bo Qin had reluctantly watched back in the crew because Director Wang had insisted, was now hard to watch again. He turned to grab an apple to distract himself when he saw He Xizhou, leaning on a pillow, legs crossed lazily, raising an eyebrow at him, his gaze lingering for a moment.
Bo Qin almost collapsed.
The video automatically played the next one, and Bo Qin glanced at the title: Dedicated to the Beauty Goddess, Both Venus and Aphrodite...
The title was too long for him to read the rest, but the scrolling text showed the end: The Ultimate Pure and Charming Style.
...He had a bad feeling.
The background music started, and to his surprise, it was a song he had made in his early years. The style was post-rock, dominated by guitar with a low, hypnotic atmosphere. It was never formally released due to its immaturity, yet somehow, his fans had found it and used it as the background music for the video.
Each of his videos had a specific theme and style. The bunny costume video was sweet, the previous one was salty, and this one was... more sensual?
The camera was clearly slowed down, with ambient, relaxing music. It captured moments like his throat moving when he drank, his fingers on the piano keys, a glimpse of his bare waist as he removed his hoodie, and his hair falling to one side as he untied his headband. Though all of it was beautiful, it didn’t seem... appropriate.
There was a strange sense of desire.
Mama He realized the video might not be suitable for a group watch, so she tried to ease the mood. “Looks like there’s a bullet comment, let me check it out.”
Bo Qin’s eyelid twitched. Before he could stop her, the screen was flooded with all kinds of colorful comments:
“Ahhh, wife, wife, I can’t take it!”
“Wuwu, my beautiful wife!”
“Honey, honey, look at me, look at me!”
“Jiao Jiao (a nickname)!”
“Such a filthy screen, I’ll clean it.”
“Su’s looking in the wrong direction.”
“Her eyes are so red, I’ll kiss him.”
The comments were all variations of these phrases, some even in bold red font.
Mama He: “...”
He Xizhou: “...”
Bo Qin: “...”
Some people are alive, but they might as well be dead.
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