SECOND CHANCE: WHEN THE ICE KING MELTS

In the glitzy world of entertainment, Zhou Zhe was an anomaly—a Movie King as cold as ice, with an ascetic aura and a pristine reputation. However, that tranquility shattered during a live interview.

When asked about his romantic past, Zhou Zhe didn’t flinch. He nonchalantly replied, “Only once. That time, she pressed me against a wall and kissed me for an entire hour.”

The studio fell silent. Within minutes, the hashtag “Movie King Forced Kiss” exploded on social media. Who was this daring girl who could subdue the screen’s most untouchable icon?

In another corner of the city, Lin Hi—an actress known for her sharp “villainess” roles—stared at her phone in shock. Her heart raced. Years had passed, but Zhou Zhe’s deep, dark eyes still had the power to make her tremble. Her best friend, Jiang Zhi, called immediately, laughing hysterically: “Oh my god, that is so your style, Lin Hi! An hour? Your tongue must have gone numb, right?”

Lin Hi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How could she forget that fateful night years ago, when she was a bold high school “queen bee” who used the future Movie King as a test subject for her first kiss?

While netizens hunted for the mystery girl, Ha Y—an actress famous for her “White Lotus” innocent image—posted memes of a girl kissing a boy against a wall. The public immediately assumed she was the one. The fire grew when Zhou Zhe “liked” her post.

Lin Hi felt a pang of betrayal. She and Ha Y were arch-rivals. Zhou Zhe’s action felt like a public slap in the face. Distraught, her phone buzzed. It was Zhou Zhe.

His voice sounded tipsy and husky over the line: “Let’s make up… the kind where we kiss all night.”

Lin Hi hung up. She dismissed it as a drunk prank. To distract herself, she focused on her new role in The Peerless Princess. It was her chance to pivot from “villainess” to a resilient, gentle heroine. But fate was cruel. On the first day of filming, she discovered Ha Y had snatched the lead role using her newfound fame as the “Movie King’s ex.” Even worse, the male lead was none other than Zhou Zhe.

The atmosphere on set was suffocating. Zhou Zhe remained cold, but his eyes secretly followed Lin Hi everywhere.

One evening, he appeared at her hotel room door looking dangerously provocative: wrapped in a single towel, wet hair, and soap suds on his collarbone. He claimed his shower was broken.

Once inside, his icy facade crumbled. Seeing a pair of men’s slippers (which she kept for safety), he pinned her against the wall, his voice thick with jealousy: “If you don’t have a boyfriend, why did you hang up on me last night?” Before she could react, he strolled into her bathroom. The ensuing embarrassment—when he accidentally washed her private laundry—dealt a devastating blow to Lin Hi’s pride.

The true breaking point came during a scene where she had to jump into a freezing river during her period. The icy water and abdominal pain caused her to lose consciousness. Due to technical negligence and Ha Y faking a faint to steal the spotlight, everyone forgot Lin Hi was still underwater.

Through the haze, she heard a loud splash. When she woke up in the hospital, she saw a disheveled Zhou Zhe, unshaven and red-eyed with terror. He held her so tightly it was hard to breathe, as if she would vanish if he let go.

The clip of Zhou Zhe frantically saving Lin Hi leaked online, exposing Ha Y’s lies. Public opinion flipped overnight, supporting Lin Hi while condemning the “White Lotus.”

Lin Hi became an overnight sensation. To escape Zhou Zhe—who had turned into a clingy, sulking “puppy”—she fled to her parents’ house. To her horror, she walked in to find Zhou Zhe eating dinner with her parents like a doting son-in-law.

That night, forced by her mother to share the living room, they finally confronted the truth. Zhou Zhe confessed: “Back then, I acted cold because you said you only liked ‘ascetic’ types. I sent a love letter, but you never read it.”

Lin Hi laughed until she cried at the years of misunderstanding. Behind the Movie King’s frozen exterior was a heart that had always beat for her. She cupped his face and kissed him: “Congratulations, Movie King. You’ve successfully reunited with your ex.”

Her mother’s voice grumbled from behind the door: “Why is he so shy? I don’t hear anything!” making them both burst into laughter. Zhou Zhe dimmed the lights and whispered in her ear: “I’ll study the ‘Men’s Virtue’ code. In this life, I’ll be your world, your earth, and your man alone.”