Chapter2

The abrupt sound of a bell interrupted the eye contact between the two.

The man lowered his gaze, and after briefly pausing on the accessory tray, he casually picked up the gemstone brooch and said, "What a coincidence."

SA, who hadn't sensed anything amiss, smiled back at him and replied, "Yes, just like your taste."

However, Cen Zhen felt that the man's words weren't referring to their mutual choice of the brooch, but rather the fact that they had met here—it seemed quite coincidental.

But perhaps it was just her overthinking. Although she couldn’t place where the strange yet familiar feeling came from, Cen Zhen was certain she didn’t know the man in front of her, and he quickly averted his gaze, leaving her with the slightly indifferent silhouette of his back.

"Sorry, I made a mistake." Regaining her composure, Cen Zhen bowed slightly to apologize, then exited the luxurious fitting room amidst a crowd of stunned stares.

Everyone in the room froze. Once the door was closed, a suited bodyguard frowned and asked the SA serving in the room, "Didn’t you say to clear the area? How did someone walk into the wrong place?"

The SAs, equally confused and unaware of what had just happened, were apologizing profusely when they heard Meng Fanchuan’s calm voice, "It’s fine."

He lowered his head, playing with the brooch. After a moment, he suddenly asked nonchalantly, "So who else have you hosted?"

Since Cen Zhen mentioned walking into the wrong room, there must have been other guests in the store. The SA immediately inquired through their earpiece, and half a minute later, they informed Meng Fanchuan, "There’s a small celebrity named Song Wang, but before you arrived, our colleague had already arranged for him to wait in the lounge downstairs."

Meng Fanchuan didn’t respond, his gaze still fixed on the brooch, his expression unreadable. A few SAs, unsure of his thoughts, exchanged glances in silence. Just as they were unsure how to proceed, the door was pushed open again. "What small celebrity?"

This time, it was Meng Fanchuan’s real assistant, Wen Hui.

Calling her an assistant might not be entirely accurate. Wen Hui was from Hong Kong, and when Meng Fanchuan’s mother had married into the Meng family in Beicheng, she accompanied her to the north. She had worked for the Meng family for over twenty years, adept at handling all matters. The three siblings of the Meng family even called her "Aunt Hui."

So, when Meng Fanchuan’s father ordered him to come to Shanghai to reflect on his behavior, the responsibility of looking after the bad-tempered second young master fell on her.

"Don’t get involved with any small celebrities again," Wen Hui said, dressed in a sleek, professional outfit that made it hard to tell she was already in her middle years. "You know your father dislikes that kind of thing."

Meng Fanchuan removed his jacket and casually loosened his shirt collar, sneering, "Is there anything I do that he likes?"

Wen Hui was momentarily speechless.

The two sons of the Meng family were very different. The eldest, Meng Qinghuai, was four years older than Meng Fanchuan and already had a solid foothold in Beicheng. Although both brothers received the same education growing up, they ended up with contrasting personalities.

Meng Qinghuai was as his name suggested, like clear, cold snow—disciplined, reserved, and composed.

Meng Fanchuan, in contrast, was more carefree, almost playing with life.

He had never been easy to manage. At eighteen, he studied abroad, but he took a detour to play snowboarding and even won a professional trophy. After finally graduating and returning to the company, he "went off track" again by forming a racing team and investing in F1 races. Although he made a lot of money, everything he did was in direct defiance of his father, Meng Songnian’s, restrictions.

"For the time being, you must tone down your behavior," Wen Hui patiently advised. "First, appease your father and get him to return to Beicheng, understand?"

Meng Fanchuan didn’t respond, just raised an eyebrow and tossed the antique gemstone brooch to Wen Hui. "This one."

After speaking, he walked out. Wen Hui caught the brooch in surprise, paused for a moment, then hurried to catch up, protesting, "Hey, you’ve already chosen it and still had me come here to help you pick?"

—

On the other side, after leaving the fitting room, Cen Zhen opened her phone and realized she had missed a message from Song Wang: "Where are you?"

Above it was another message Cen Zhen hadn’t seen: "They suddenly cleared the area. I’m waiting in the lounge on the first floor. You can come in later."

It was probably due to poor signal in the parking lot that Cen Zhen hadn’t received his message earlier, leading to the mix-up. She quickly went downstairs and finally found Song Wang in the not-so-spacious lounge.

Song Wang was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a magazine. When he saw Cen Zhen, he was surprised. "You’re already here?"

Cen Zhen’s heart was still racing, but she nodded and didn’t mention her earlier mistake.

Song Wang didn’t think much of it. He stood up and asked, "How does this look? I was only able to try it halfway before being told to come here and wait, so I haven’t fully checked it out."

Song Wang had chosen a blue-purple casual suit. The fit and cut were good, and at first glance, it looked handsome, but upon closer inspection, something felt slightly off, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

"This is the cheapest one in the store," Song Wang sighed. "Right now, I can only afford their ready-to-wear. Those haute couture outfits cost seven figures easily, made with some premium baby alpaca wool, and the workshop can only produce three or four meters a day."

Cen Zhen could hear the dissatisfaction in his voice, but the world of fame and fortune was never a level playing field. Competing with those at the top of the pyramid was only setting oneself up for frustration.

"This one looks good too," Cen Zhen comforted him. "It suits you."

Song Wang fell silent, his gaze deep for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He asked her, "Are you free tomorrow night?"

"Why?"

"The banquet at the Hua Mansion. I’d like you to accompany me."

Cen Zhen froze. "Me?"

"You're my girlfriend. Isn’t it normal to bring you to the banquet?"

It wasn’t that it wasn’t normal, but Cen Zhen thought—if they had to enter the fitting room at different times, how was it that suddenly she had to accompany him to a banquet?

"Aren’t you worried about being found out?"

"Everyone attending will have a companion. What’s so strange about that? Besides," Song Wang said with a self-deprecating smile, "Tomorrow’s focal point is that second young master of the Meng family. No one will care about a small character like me."

With that, he smiled and put his arm around Cen Zhen’s shoulder. "It’s Hua Mansion, after all. Let’s just treat it as an opportunity to broaden our horizons."

Hua Mansion was once the home of a famous historical figure from Shanghai in the previous century, now maintained by his children. It was a protected landmark by the Shanghai government and was never open to the public.

Occasionally, they hosted banquets, which were reserved for highly influential individuals.

So, Song Wang’s words made sense—even if they didn’t attend the banquet, just being inside was a rare opportunity.

"Okay," Cen Zhen agreed. "Then I—"

Song Wang seemed to guess what she was about to say and quickly interrupted, "Don’t worry, I’ve already prepared a gown for you. It should arrive by courier soon."

Many people had pursued Cen Zhen in university, but Song Wang wasn’t the most outstanding one. What he had was patience. He pursued her from freshman year all the way to senior year, and finally, just before graduation, she relented.

Cen Zhen also felt that Song Wang’s thoughtfulness was his greatest strength.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don’t be silly," Song Wang said, stroking her face. "Why are you thanking me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang, probably indicating some work was pressing. Seeing this, Cen Zhen said, "You go ahead. I’ll head home later."Of course, Song Wang was apologetic. It had been almost a month since they last met, and now they had just met for a brief moment before parting again. It looked like he was being dismissive and casual, but as much as he was sorry, he understood the importance of work. The path he was on wasn’t easy, and now that he had some popularity, he couldn’t afford to miss any opportunity to rise further.

“I’ll have Le Wei come pick you up tomorrow evening.”

“Okay.”

The two of them left the store a few minutes apart.

The next evening, just before 6 pm, Song Wang arranged for his assistant to pick up Cen Zhen as promised.

Cen Zhen wore the dress Song Wang had prepared for her. It wasn’t from an international brand, but it wasn’t inappropriate either, being from a young, domestic designer brand.

On the way to the Hua Mansion, Song Wang’s assistant, Xu Le Wei, kept stealing glances at the front passenger seat.

Cen Zhen casually leaned back in her seat. The wind blew a few strands of hair across her face, and in the dimming light of the evening, her profile looked like a soft, stunning painting.

The simple, cool black spaghetti strap dress hugged her slender figure, giving her an alluring, almost irresistible charm. It was the kind of beauty that made it hard to look away after the first glance.

“Le Wei, focus on driving.” When Cen Zhen noticed Xu Le Wei glancing at her for the third time, she gently reminded.

Xu Le Wei bit her lip and couldn’t help but praise her, “Zhen Zhen, you’re so beautiful, my eyes might be stolen by you.”

When Xu Le Wei first learned that Song Wang had a girlfriend, she was shocked. She couldn’t help but worry that this relationship might affect Song Wang’s career, but when she saw Cen Zhen in person—

Xu Le Wei immediately changed her mind: “Song Wang, you’re so lucky.”

And—“Cen Zhen not debuting is a huge loss for the entertainment industry.”

Xu Le Wei was sweet-talking, and Cen Zhen just smiled, reminding her again, “Focus on driving.”

Cen Zhen was in a good mood today. This was the first time Song Wang had brought her to a public event since they got together. Although they weren’t the main focus of the banquet, and no one would care about the small-time actor’s companion, it was still a rare chance for them to spend an evening together.

Driving through the brightly lit streets of the city, Cen Zhen’s surroundings slowly grew more tranquil and secluded.

She had only heard of the Hua Mansion but had never been here. Let alone visiting, in such a precious, high-end western district of the city, she rarely ventured.

It was a prime area where celebrities gathered, completely unrelated to her world.

Along the way, there were century-old plane trees lining the streets, lush and elegant, embodying the charming vintage style. After driving a few hundred meters, a French-style old villa appeared in her sight.

The villa was set around a lake, hidden within a garden of emerald greenery, each brick radiating a sense of retro modernity and grace.

The normally closed villa was brightly lit tonight, signaling the importance of the guests being entertained.

There were many luxury cars parked outside. Song Wang had said he was already inside waiting in the lobby on the first floor, but after Xu Le Wei parked the car and called him, there was no signal.

“It might be the old house affecting the signal,” Xu Le Wei explained, trying a few more calls, but they all went unanswered.

The two girls waited in the car for a while. As the time for the banquet approached, fewer people were around, and Xu Le Wei grew anxious but also puzzled.

Why hadn’t Song Wang come out to ask about her?

Wasn’t he worried without his companion?

But Xu Le Wei didn’t dare to voice it. The entertainment industry was fickle, and feelings here were as unreliable and cheap as they came. They could change at any moment.

“How about we get out and I’ll speak with security to see if they can let you in to find Wang Ge?”

Since there didn’t seem to be any other good option, Cen Zhen agreed to Xu Le Wei’s suggestion.

She got out of the car, her delicate high heels sinking into the grass, and her long legs creating a beautiful silhouette.

There was a doorman at the entrance confirming guests' invitations. Xu Le Wei explained with empty hands, “This young lady is Mr. Song Wang’s companion. Mr. Song’s phone is unreachable; can you let her in?”

Although Cen Zhen was extraordinarily beautiful and it was only natural for her to be invited, the security personnel, after attempting to call Song Wang’s phone with no success, said helplessly, “Sorry, miss, you don’t have an invitation.”

The evening in October was a bit chilly, and Cen Zhen’s slender shoulders seemed fragile in the wind. Xu Le Wei continued to argue for her, “Can’t you find someone upstairs to ask?”

“Forget it, Le Wei.” Cen Zhen didn’t want to make things difficult for anyone.

She started walking back, but after only a few steps, the security staff called out to her, “Miss.”

Cen Zhen turned around.

The doorman suddenly changed his attitude and, with a courteous gesture, said, “You can go in now.”

Cen Zhen and Xu Le Wei exchanged a confused glance.

Xu Le Wei quickly reacted, pushing Cen Zhen inside. “They must have contacted Wang Ge, go quickly.”

Thus, Cen Zhen was able to enter the mansion smoothly. As it was close to the start time of the banquet, she arrived late, and the place was empty. Thankfully, the doorman kindly told her that the banquet was being held on the third floor.

After thanking him, Cen Zhen walked toward the stairs.

The vintage spiral staircase had a nostalgic feel. From the first floor, she could see the massive crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the top floor, with bright light cascading down, as if she had just traveled back to an elegant and luxurious century.

Cen Zhen lifted her skirt as she ascended. Just as she reached the second floor, her phone rang.

It was a message from Song Wang: “Sorry, Zhen Zhen, I just ran into Teacher Zhong Qing at the door. She came alone and invited me to be her male companion. I really couldn’t refuse.”

Then, he sent a location for a Michelin restaurant, saying: “Le Wei will take you there for dinner. Order whatever you want.”

Zhong Qing was a senior in the industry. Although she had retired from acting after getting married, her husband was a prominent figure in the Shanghai circle. For her to invite Song Wang as her male companion was, in some sense, an endorsement of him.

Cen Zhen finally understood why she couldn’t reach Song Wang earlier. It was naive of her not to consider that he might stand her up.

Cen Zhen stood by the handrail, closing her eyes for a moment, feeling as if she had just swallowed a fly. If she hadn’t come to the banquet, it would have been fine, but now that she had come, she felt like the odd one out. It wasn’t easy to leave, but staying also felt out of place.

After a few seconds of calm, Cen Zhen reluctantly turned around to leave. But just as she was about to descend the stairs, she noticed an old stained glass door at the corner.

Looking through the glass, she could vaguely see a small terrace on the second floor.

Cen Zhen had seen an introduction to Hua Mansion online. Every piece of the historical architecture, with its era’s imprint, seemed like a work of art—so beautiful that it was overwhelming.

Being stood up was already disappointing, but leaving without seeing something of value seemed like a waste of her trip.

A faint noise came from the third floor, but the area where she was standing was unusually quiet. As if drawn by an invisible force, Cen Zhen paused for a moment before she suddenly decided to climb the stairs again and pushed open the old stained glass door.

On the other side, it felt as if she had wandered into some passionate night from the last century.

A curved Romeo-style balcony, soft and warm yellow brass wall lamps, ivy and roses intertwined on wrought-iron railings, and in the distance, the plane trees swayed. Even the air that brushed her face carried a sense of romance.Cen Zhen walked forward, placing her hands on the balcony railing, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, immersing herself in the relaxation that was hers alone. The unpleasantness of being stood up gradually faded away. After a while, she seemed to remember something and took out her phone from her handbag.

To outsiders, Cen Zhen seemed like an aloof beauty who was hard to approach, but in reality, the coldness was just a protective shell she had built.

At 21, Cen Zhen was still a girl at heart. She used the front-facing camera to take selfies. Since there was no one around, she raised the corners of her lips in a soft smile, tilting her head or cupping her face, taking several pictures before putting her phone down to look at them.

The night-time terrace made every shot feel cinematic, and Cen Zhen flipped through the photos like an ordinary girl, until she reached the last one. Just as she was about to take another shot from a different angle, she suddenly noticed something wrong and quickly swiped back.

Zooming in on her phone, she enlarged the photo, and her eyes widened in shock—

Why was there a man’s figure in her selfie?

Cen Zhen turned around in disbelief, and only then did she see a tall man lounging lazily in the corner under the dim yellow wall light. He was leaning against the brick-red wall with a cigarette dangling from his fingers, and he was calmly watching her.

When their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Done taking pictures?”