After Sharing Senses with the Paranoid CEO, the Infamous Starlet was Forced into Pampering Chapter 1

Chapter 1: There’s an Earthquake, and Where are My Pants?

[Seismic waves approaching! Orange earthquake warning. Intense tremors expected. Please seek emergency shelter!!]

[60… 59… 58!!]

When the sharp, ear-piercing earthquake alert blared from the phone, Xia Mu was in the middle of lathering up with body wash in the shower.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and warm water meandered down Xia Mu’s spine. The slick, white foam expanded in his palms, gathering into tiny snowy mountains in the hollows of his collarbones before sliding slowly down his torso. It lingered briefly in the small of his back before finally following the curves of his body to join the water at his feet.

Xia Mu was just beginning to enjoy the gentle embrace of the bubbles when the harsh, mechanical synthetic voice suddenly shattered the relaxation.

Flustered, Xia Mu hurriedly rinsed off the foam. In his frantic movements, his elbow slammed hard against the cold metal storage rack.

His mind went blank as he rushed out of the bathroom, grabbing an oversized white T-shirt from the edge of the bed and pulling it on. Xia Mu’s gaze fell on the center of the large bed, where a cat was sleeping lazily.

“Aren’t animals supposed to be able to predict earthquakes in advance? Why are you still sleeping?”

Xia Mu’s eyes were wide with shock. He scooped the cat into his arms and grabbed a bag of cat food and some water with his other hand.

[23! … 22! …]

The cold, panic-inducing countdown continued. There wasn’t enough time. Xia Mu didn’t even manage to grab his phone from the nightstand. However, before heading out, he managed to snag two cans of cat food, murmuring incessantly to comfort the cat in his arms, who had been forced into an abrupt wake-up:

“It’s okay, it’s okay, Xiatian. I’m right here. Don’t be afraid.”

Xia Mu’s voice trembled slightly, and his heart hammered against his ribs like a drum.

He didn’t dare take the elevator, so he ran down the fire escape in his slippers. Fortunately, he lived on the second floor of the hotel. It was only when he stood outside on the open garden path that Xia Mu gradually began to recover. The cat in his arms was a bit stressed and scratched his arm several times, leaving stinging red marks.

Xia Mu kept soothing it. Because he had been so frightened and tense just moments ago, he hadn’t noticed his surroundings at all.

Due to the earthquake, quite a few people were standing in the garden seeking safety. The way those people were looking at him was… a bit strange.

Xia Mu looked down and completely froze. Because he had rushed out in such a panic, he hadn’t had time to find any pants to put on. His underwear was already in the wash, and the other pairs were still tucked away in his suitcase.

The earthquake countdown had made Xia Mu terrified of wasting even a second looking for clothes, so he had scrambled out wearing nothing but that oversized white T-shirt.

At this moment, Xia Mu’s only saving grace was that the T-shirt was somewhat long, barely managing to cover his backside.

Everyone in the hotel had come out to seek shelter. The garden was only so big, and people were standing quite close to one another. The whispers of the surrounding crowd reached Xia Mu’s ears with crystal clarity.

“Hey, look over there. That guy looks like he came out without any pants.”

“My god! It’s winter—isn’t he cold?”

“He probably ran out right in the middle of a shower, didn’t he?”

“Wait, his face looks a bit familiar.”

“Holy crap, that’s Xia Mu! You know… from that drama that’s a huge hit right now? What was it called? He’s the third male lead, that really cute fox spirit.”

“For real? What’s he doing here?”

“His legs are so white. They’re long and straight, too—I’m so jealous.”

“I heard there’s a film crew shooting nearby. Do you think he was hooking up with some actress?”

“I don’t think so. He looks like he was just showering when the earthquake hit. Who has time for pants in a crisis like that? Plus, he even brought his cat with him.”

“Cat: This life with him has been worth it.”

“…”

Xia Mu bit his lip, instinctively wanting to cover his face with his hands. He had always been an obscure, 18th-tier actor in the entertainment industry. He had finally managed to land a role as the third lead in a hit drama, only for something like this to happen.

Moreover, everyone around him had their phones out. Xia Mu could catch the faint glimmers of camera flashes.

There also seemed to be a dark, damp, and obsessive gaze—slimy and persistent—stuck to his body. It made Xia Mu feel incredibly uncomfortable.

With one hand clutching the cat, Xia Mu used the other to awkwardly and repeatedly tug down the hem of his shirt. But if he covered the front, the back would be exposed.

He really didn’t want to see a headline on the trending searches tomorrow saying: [Shock! Third Male Lead of Hit Drama Streaking in Broad Daylight! Suspected Exhibitionist.]

Furthermore, it was winter. He hadn’t felt the cold when he first escaped, but now Xia Mu was shivering uncontrollably.

But there were too many people around. Xia Mu had no other choice. Even though he couldn’t pinpoint that specific gaze, he could feel someone staring at him.

Xia Mu continued to softly comfort the stressed cat in his arms, never daring to let go. He took small steps toward the left, where a tall tree stood. At the very least, it could shield part of his body.

Seeing Xia Mu’s actions, Li Yanzhou, standing not far away, narrowed his eyes, a trace of disdain flickering at the corner of his lips. In the darkness, his gaze was like that of a leopard that had been hunting for a long time, admiring the prey within its grasp. Li Yanzhou pressed his thin lips together and said:

“The coat.”

The person beside him quickly handed a down jacket to Li Yanzhou.

Li Yanzhou began walking toward Xia Mu. The name mark on his abdomen throbbed with waves of heat.

Because Xia Mu’s entire body was freezing, even though Li Yanzhou was wearing a down jacket, he could feel a bone-chilling cold enveloping his own body.

Li Yanzhou took a deep breath and pressed his hand lightly over the spot below his abdomen. A flash of displeasure crossed his face; he loathed the name that had been etched onto his body since birth:

[Xia Mu]

Even if Li Yanzhou felt resentment, everyone in his family was like this. Their bodies would all manifest the name of their fated partner. The name mark usually appeared on the wrist, the back of the neck, the calf, or similar areas.

As the distance between them and the owner of the name—their fated partner—grew smaller, the area of the name mark would become burning hot.

The appearance of name marks was divided into congenital and acquired types. However, there were a very small number of people for whom the moment the name mark appeared on their body, it was accompanied not just by heat, but by the simultaneous emergence of shared senses.

Li Yanzhou didn’t understand why every one of them took such pride in having a mark carved into their skin. It felt as if one’s destiny was entirely controlled by another person.

If it were just the name mark alone, Li Yanzhou wouldn’t be this frustrated. Unfortunately, he also possessed shared senses.

According to the family tree, out of so many people in the clan, only two had ever experienced shared senses. He had somehow run into this one-in-a-million probability.

For example, right now, even though he was wearing a long down jacket and was bundled up from head to toe, he still felt as if he were rolling around naked in the freezing snow.

Li Yanzhou’s arms didn’t have any wounds, yet they stung with a sharp pain. Even his head, tucked inside a fuzzy hat, felt as if it had been frozen in an ice cellar for three days.

Li Yanzhou really wanted to pry open Xia Mu’s head and see why he never knew how to take care of himself!

Just as Li Yanzhou was about to reach Xia Mu, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Screams erupted all around, filled with sudden terror.

The ground beneath their feet was no longer a solid support. The fountain in the center of the garden was shaken so hard that water sprayed in all directions, and the branches of the large tree beside Xia Mu trembled violently.

Seeing this, Li Yanzhou’s breath hitched. He didn’t even think about seeking cover; instead, he sprinted toward Xia Mu.