The next day, Lin Mei woke up to the sound of her phone ringing.
She tried to slip out of Huaze Lei's embrace, but the man, who seemed to be asleep, suddenly opened his eyes and handed her the phone.
She answered the call and was immediately startled by the loud voices of her sister-in-law, Huaze Yu Mei, and her friend Shen Fei shouting on the other end.
"Mei Mei, where are you? We're late!"
"Oh— I'm still at home, but don't worry, I'll be there soon. We'll meet there. Kisses, muah."
"Oh my God…"
"Send me a message and tell me where you are. I'll take you there," Huaze Lei said firmly.
"But, husband, I already arranged to go with them. I even asked your opinion yesterday, and you didn't object."
"I object now. I want to take you to the filming location myself. I also need to see where you'll be staying."
Lin Mei had no choice but to change her plans. When her friends found out the reason, they could only laugh at her. Huaze Yu Mei even thanked her brother for being so careful with her sister-in-law.
Unfortunately, that relief didn't last long. Huaze Lian soon appeared, announcing that he would accompany them as well. Their parents, along with him and Huaze Lei, were worried about Yu Mei and her friend. It seemed Huaze Yu Mei still planned to take her revenge on her brother.
Meanwhile, Lin Mei was overwhelmed. Not only did she have to pack all her luggage because of the unexpected situation from the day before, but she and Huaze Lei also had lunch at Golden Bird Village first. Only after lunch did they board a private jet.
She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her friends, who had to take a connecting flight.
They arrived at the hotel at 3 p.m., even earlier than the others. At that moment, Lin Mei felt incredibly lucky to have such a rich and possessive husband. Thanks to him, she arrived at the filming location before anyone else — even before most of the actors.
The advantage of arriving early was that only the production team witnessed Huaze Lei changing her room assignment. Instead of sharing with Huaze Yu Mei and Shen Fei, Lin Mei was moved to the penthouse. The rooms were arranged next to each other, with only one remaining room occupied by the director — who happened to be her brother-in-law, Huaze Lian.
There were likely other residents in the opposite wing of the penthouse, but Lin Mei wouldn't see them at all. Their section had a private elevator inside each room that led directly to the ground floor.
Huaze Lei's intention was clear: to protect her. And, admittedly, to make it easier for him to enter her room. The filming would last several months, and there was no way he could stay away from her for that long. He fully intended to visit often.
That explained why Xiao Wei carried Huaze Lei's suitcase upstairs while Huaze Lei himself carried Lin Mei's.
For the next three months, this would be Lin Mei's home — which naturally meant it was his home too. What Lin Mei didn't know was that Huaze Lei had already transferred much of his work there. Since the cities were close, he could manage everything remotely and only return to the company when absolutely necessary.
He had calculated everything carefully. Even if there were losses, he would find a solution — because his marriage mattered more than the corporation.
The second person to arrive was the male lead, Qiao Chen, the young master of the Qiao family.
What surprised Lin Mei wasn't only the strange sense of familiarity she felt toward him, but also the way her husband treated him. Huaze Lei greeted Qiao Chen like an old friend.
Only then did Lin Mei discover the truth — the two were best friends.
Huaze Lei actually had a best friend, and it was none other than Qiao Chen: the famous actor of the entertainment industry and one of the three young masters of the Qiao family.
What shocked her even more was hearing Huaze Lei ask Qiao Chen to take care of her during filming. Of course, as a senior actor, it was natural for him to look after a newcomer — but the level of trust her husband showed felt unusual.
Huaze Lei was strange. Very strange.
What Lin Mei didn't know was that Huaze Lei and Qiao Chen had been childhood friends — brothers in everything but blood. Huaze Lei knew exactly what kind of woman his friend liked, and Lin Mei was not that type.
Instead, she resembled Qiao Chen's missing younger sister.
Huaze Lei saw it clearly. He noticed the hope in Qiao Chen's eyes as he looked at Lin Mei — as if silently asking, Could she be my sister?
Huaze Lei shrugged and whispered back.
"I can't be certain, but one thing is clear — she looks very similar to your family. She resembles the girl in the childhood photo you showed me. Her second name also matches. It could all be coincidence… but use this time to confirm it. If she is your sister, then we may have found Shen Siqian's sister as well. She has a close friend with the surname Shen, who happens to be my sister's childhood friend. That's too strange to ignore."
"When did you realize all of this? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Qiao Chen asked.
"I noticed it unconsciously," Huaze Lei replied. "But I was too in love to think clearly — until I saw the look in her eyes. She's not just confused about our friendship. She feels familiarity and doesn't understand why."
"How do you know so much?"
"Did you forget my rebellious phase? I studied psychology for a while. People reveal a lot without realizing it."
"You idiot," Qiao Chen said coldly. "If she really is my sister, I'll kill you. She's only twenty. You already married her — she should still be enjoying her youth."
"At least with me, she's protected from any idiot," Huaze Lei replied calmly. "And everything between us was consensual. Don't forget that. I would never force a woman — especially not the love of my life."