The Stand-in of the Movie Emperor's First Love

The rumors online were spiraling out of control, and my face was burning so red it felt like it could catch fire.

Meanwhile, the one responsible for this mess, Silas, was still on set, doing wirework, completely unaware of the chaos brewing online.

With no other option, I unlocked his phone and posted a picture of his sinusitis diagnosis in the comments.

[The dry climate is really tough on those with sinus issues.]

I’d been managing Silas’s social media for a while, so this wasn’t anything new.

As soon as I posted that, the furious online chatter came to a screeching halt, the silence almost deafening.

It took a moment for people to process, and then a fresh wave of comments flooded in.

[Silas, have you considered working for a clickbait site? Because if you do, I’m calling the cops.]

[I need to stop overthinking everything. My heart can’t take it.]

[Anyone else suddenly feels a little defeated?]

[So ‘dry’ was just describing the weather, not… anything else?]

[Am I the only one who’s been sweating buckets in Orlando?]

[Whoever posted that, you’ve earned yourself a job writing headlines with Silas!]

And on it went, but at least the conversation had returned to something resembling normalcy.

Seeing things settle down, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But when I turned around, I ran right into Silas, who had just finished his scene.

He was wearing a white shirt, slightly damp with sweat, which clung just enough to highlight his strong chest, giving him a sort of understated allure.

His damp hair fell over his forehead, partly hiding those intense eyes.

I was momentarily stunned.

It wasn’t until he called my name that I snapped out of it, quickly swallowing and managing a response.

Noticing my flustered reaction, a small, knowing smile curved on Silas’s lips. His voice was soft and teasing.

“Today’s shoot is done. How about I take you out for a walk this afternoon?”

“Uh… sure,” I mumbled, still a bit dazed. Then I remembered the whole Instagram fiasco and hurried to explain as I followed him, sticking close behind.

I told him I’d used his phone to clarify things, conveniently leaving out the more… interesting comments from the fans.

“You’re pretty sharp, aren’t you?”

Silas’s narrow eyes twinkled with amusement as he listened to me. He just nodded and didn’t ask any more questions, his expression giving nothing away.

Was he upset? It didn’t seem like it.

Was he complimenting me? That didn’t seem right either.

I was completely confused. Just as I was about to catch up and ask him more, Silas gently held me back with his long fingers.

He pointed to a sign near the door, his smile turning into a playful grin.

I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw four big letters.

[Men’s Bathhouse]

My face flushed bright red, and I scrambled away in the opposite direction, mortified.

Behind me, Silas’s smile was both charming and gently teasing.

…