Chapter21

Cen Zhen was stunned by Meng Fanchuan's sudden suggestion.

Has he gone mad? Hong Kong? Tomorrow?

"I’m still in training, and besides, even if it’s a two-day break, there’s only tomorrow left."

"We’ll come back the day after tomorrow morning." Meng Fanchuan didn’t give Cen Zhen a chance to refuse, pausing briefly, then adding, "I’ll come back with you."

Although Cen Zhen didn’t know why Meng Fanchuan wanted to go to Hong Kong, the fact that he asked her, and even said he’d accompany her back, gave her enough face. If she rejected him now, she would be ungrateful.

She could only lower her head and murmur a response, then suddenly remembered something and tried to resist one more time. "But I didn’t bring my pass."

This was nothing to Meng Fanchuan. He casually said, "Where did you leave it? I’ll have someone bring it over before tonight."

Cen Zhen: "…"

Very few people knew that Cen Zhen was going to Hong Kong. Wen Hui had only told the coach that she was taking her to the city for a day to rest and recover.

Even Chi Yu was kept in the dark. The next morning, she sent Cen Zhen a message, aggrieved: "Where did you go? Why didn’t you take me?"

At that time, Cen Zhen was already on Meng Fanchuan’s private plane, holding the documents that Wang Yuan had arranged to be sent overnight. She was nervously awaiting the flight to Hong Kong.

At 7 AM, someone came to pick up Cen Zhen from the hotel, and they drove all the way to Mingzhou Airport. With the help of the airport ground staff, they arrived at Meng Fanchuan's exclusive parking spot.

Cen Zhen didn’t know the brand of the plane, but when boarding, the entire crew was waiting at the door, smiling and greeting her in fluent English: "Good morning, Miss Cen."

It was only then that she realized Meng Fanchuan had his own private jet.

Earlier, she had thought his excuse was too fake—how could there be a flight that hadn’t even transferred after two days and nights? Now, she realized how naïve she had been.

His private jet could fly whenever he wanted.

Now that Chi Yu was asking, Cen Zhen didn’t want to lie, but she really didn’t know how to explain her undefined relationship with Meng Fanchuan. After thinking for a moment, she replied:

"Wen Ayi found a doctor to take me for therapy, it’s a bit far, you should just rest at the hotel."

Chi Yu then felt relieved. "Alright, let me know if you need anything!"

The plane had now reached cruising altitude, and there was Wi-Fi onboard. Wen Hui was drinking coffee and dealing with business, while Meng Fanchuan was reading an automotive magazine. The cabin was very quiet.

Just as Cen Zhen was about to put her phone away and take a nap, she suddenly saw a new friend request notification on WeChat.

She clicked it and saw that it was from the ID "Lewis," the last person added to their group in the film crew.

Meng Fanchuan, sitting beside her, casually glanced over. "Who added you?"

Cen Zhen innocently shook her head. "I don’t know, I don’t recognize him."

Cen Zhen didn’t know who Lewis was or what position he held in the film crew. She wasn’t someone who randomly added people, so she carefully clicked "Reject" and sent a message: "Who are you?"

At that moment, the person next to her suddenly let out an amused laugh.

Cen Zhen didn’t know what Meng Fanchuan was laughing at, but he also picked up his phone and started messaging someone. Soon, her phone buzzed again, and Lewis had sent her another friend request.

The message on the screen was irritable: "Cen Zhen, you’re really something."

It was the second time Meng Fanchuan had said this.

The arrogant, reckless Young Master Meng had grown up with the first person to hang up on him being Cen Zhen. The first person to make him humble and coax her was also Cen Zhen. Now, he was the one actively adding her, only to be met with her rejection message: "The other party has rejected your friend request."

Cen Zhen stared at the message for a second, then immediately turned to Meng Fanchuan.

She opened her mouth, seemingly in disbelief, "Why are you in the group?"

Good question.

But Meng Fanchuan didn’t want to answer.

"I’m the boss. Why can’t I be in it?"

Cen Zhen: "…"

What he said seemed to make sense.

No wonder no one ever asked him to change his business card when he joined the group. It seemed Director Xie must have known his identity from the start.

Cen Zhen lowered her head and silently accepted his friend request. "Sorry, I didn’t know it was you."

"Is that so?" Meng Fanchuan gave her a sideways glance. "What if you knew it was me?"

Cen Zhen pursed her lips and thought for a moment. Maybe—"Of course, I would have added Young Master Meng first."He should like hearing that answer.

Sure enough, Meng Fanchuan chuckled lazily, "You’re acting sweet."

"Who’s acting sweet?" Wen Hui, sitting nearby, heard Meng Fanchuan suddenly speak Cantonese. She momentarily looked away from her computer, knowing full well that he was talking about Cen Zhen, but still deliberately said, "If you want to say Cen Zhen has a sweet mouth, just say it openly. Why use a dialect? Are you bullying her because she can’t understand?"

Cen Zhen: "…"

Actually, she understood.

But right now, she could only act clueless, her cheeks subtly tinged with a guilty pink.

This blush caught Meng Fanchuan’s eye, but he interpreted it as Cen Zhen’s embarrassment towards him. He lowered his head and chuckled a couple of times, no longer teasing her, and took out his phone to exit the film group chat.

"The group is too noisy, from now on just send me the behind-the-scenes stuff directly."

God knows how Meng Fanchuan patiently sifted through over 99+ messages in the group chat every day to find Cen Zhen’s behind-the-scenes footage. And he’d been doing this for a whole week.

It was truly bizarre.

At 10 AM, the plane finally landed smoothly at Hong Kong International Airport.

Just like when they arrived, Meng Fanchuan didn’t need to deal with any of the tedious procedures or channels. The longest walk was the distance from the stairs to the terminal.

Cen Zhen followed him, and as they left the cabin, she heard him ask the captain in English, "Are my brother and them arriving tomorrow?"

The captain nodded and answered, "They’ll be coming with Mr. Meng."

As an 18th birthday gift, the three Meng siblings each received their own private jet, usually managed by different airlines. Meng Songnian had hired a professional European air service team, always hoping they could travel whenever they wanted without being restricted.

The group got into a car, and Wen Hui turned to Meng Fanchuan, asking, "Are you sure you’re coming back tomorrow?"

Meng Fanchuan nonchalantly replied, "If we meet, we’ll just argue. Why stay?"

Cen Zhen didn’t understand what they were talking about, and in fact, she didn’t know why Meng Fanchuan was in Hong Kong either. At this moment, she looked out the window—

The car had already left the airport and was now driving on an elevated highway, with local red taxis constantly passing by. In the distance, the blue-green sea shimmered, and towering skyscrapers slid quickly past behind them.

Cen Zhen finally started to feel the reality of arriving in Hong Kong. She paused for a moment and turned to ask Meng Fanchuan, "Where are we going?"

Meng Fanchuan calmly answered her, "We’re going to visit my grandfather."

Cen Zhen: "?"

Cen Zhen opened her mouth and immediately rejected, "Young Master Meng, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

To understand more about Meng Fanchuan, Cen Zhen had previously researched and learned that his grandfather’s surname was Zhuang, and he was a well-known philanthropist in Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was returned to China in ’97, he donated a large collection of cultural relics to the government, and his family had married into the Meng family of Mainland China’s top business conglomerate, Yawan Group, actively promoting economic cooperation between the two sides.

The Zhuang family in Hong Kong was of such high status that even the Chief Executive would extend his hand first when meeting them.

How could she, with her background, go to such a prestigious family?

Meng Fanchuan’s little canary?

Even if she had ambition, Cen Zhen only ever wanted opportunities related to her career. She would never, and didn’t want to, put herself in a position where people might suspect her of trying to cling to a rich family.

Meng Fanchuan furrowed his brows, "What’s inappropriate about it?"

There were others in the car, and Cen Zhen didn’t want to be too direct. She could only lower her gaze, "Just think of me as shy, I’m just here to accompany you."

Meng Fanchuan was about to say something, but Wen Hui suddenly interrupted, "I’ll book a room for Cen Zhen. She can also change into some clothes."

It was 28 degrees in Hong Kong today, unbearably hot. Cen Zhen had packed thick clothes for Mingzhou, and now she was wearing a thin, ill-fitting shirt of Wen Hui’s.

Meng Fanchuan noticed the subtle look from Wen Hui and swallowed what he was about to say, "Alright, wait for me at the hotel. I’ll come over after lunch."

Cen Zhen let out a sigh of relief, "Okay."

The two groups temporarily parted ways in Central. Wen Hui took the familiar stylist to accompany Cen Zhen to pick out some clothes. When she got back into the car, she said to Meng Fanchuan, "What you said earlier might scare her."

Meng Fanchuan didn’t understand, "It’s just to meet my grandfather."

"How are you planning to introduce Cen Zhen to Grandpa Zhuang?"

"Colleague? Employee? Or girlfriend?"

"None of the above. A girl will feel pressure too."

By now, Wen Hui had already realized how much Meng Fanchuan cared about Cen Zhen, but when this care started, whether it was real, and how long it would last, she couldn’t tell.

After all, no one knew if Meng Fanchuan was just using the same tactic in a different place.

The car was heading toward the peak, and Meng Fanchuan’s gaze was fixed on the window, as if he was lost in thought, not responding to Wen Hui for a long time.

Compared to the many lavish villas at the peak, the Zhuang family’s house was hidden halfway up the mountain, very low-key. Meng Fanchuan arrived at 11 AM, and the house staff had already prepared lunch when they received news that the second young master was coming."Grandpa." After Meng Fanchuan arrived home, he squatted down to hug his grandfather, Zhuang Tai. "Happy Birthday."

Wen Hui also presented the black glaze rabbit hair cup she had brought earlier. "Grandpa Zhuang, this is the birthday gift that Ah Chuan personally chose for you."

After Madam passed away a few years ago, Zhuang Tai had fallen ill, and since then, he had been in a wheelchair. He put on his glasses to examine the gift and then smiled, patting Meng Fanchuan. "Good boy, deserving of love."

Among the three siblings, Meng Fanchuan had the deepest bond with his grandparents. When the eldest brother, Meng Qinghuai, entered an international school to study elementary school, Meng Songnian and his wife were fully invested in raising their eldest son, so they sent Meng Fanchuan to Hong Kong to attend kindergarten, where he was cared for by the workers of the Zhuang family.

Before he returned to Beicheng at the age of 7, Meng Fanchuan grew up carefree, always by his grandparents’ side. This made it impossible for Meng Songnian to apply the same strict upbringing tactics on his second son as he did with the eldest one.

Naturally rebellious, the father-son bond was weak.

The maid came to notify them that lunch was ready. Meng Fanchuan pushed Zhuang Tai toward the dining room while chatting casually. "How’s your health lately?"

"Quite good." The old man stretched his neck, looking past Meng Fanchuan. "I heard you brought a girl back. Why don’t I see her?"

Meng Fanchuan hadn’t expected his grandfather to be so well-informed. He exchanged a glance with Wen Hui. "She’s busy."

Zhuang Tai nodded. "So, are you two in a relationship?"

Meng Fanchuan slowed his pace, seemingly considering the relationship with Cen Zhen.

Indeed, he had feelings for her. If their first encounter in Beicheng was a fleeting moment in the crowd, then their reunion in Hucheng, where she barged into his fitting room, made Meng Fanchuan feel that perhaps there was some destined connection between them.

However, her previous relationship had just ended, and he wasn’t sure if she was ready to start something with him.

Seeing that his grandson wasn’t responding, Zhuang Tai sighed with a tone of regret. "Come on, if you like her, put in some effort to pursue her. Don’t know when you’ll get that cup of tea." (Meaning: Don’t wait too long to confess your feelings.)

He often nagged Meng Fanchuan, urging him to settle down, find a good girl, start a family, and stop arguing with his father.

Meng Fanchuan had grown used to it and always listened patiently. Today, it seemed his grandfather was especially excited because he had brought a girl back. The whole meal, the old man was talking about how he had pursued his wife back in the day.

"Well, did you learn anything?" Zhuang Tai confidently imparted some tips for pursuing a woman to his grandson.

Meng Fanchuan smiled helplessly. "Yes, learned it."

Just as he finished speaking, Wen Hui’s phone rang. She stepped away to take the call, and when she returned, she told Meng Fanchuan, "Sally said there’s some trouble on Cen Zhen’s side."

"Cen Zhen?" Zhuang Tai, upon hearing the name, murmured, "That name sounds good."

When he heard the girl was in trouble, Zhuang Tai urged Meng Fanchuan to go help her immediately.

Actually, Zhuang Tai’s birthday was tomorrow, and other relatives were supposed to arrive tomorrow as well. However, due to the deep estrangement between Meng Fanchuan and his father, he came a day earlier to accompany his grandfather to avoid any awkwardness.

What he hadn’t expected was to suddenly decide to bring Cen Zhen along.

"Go, don’t keep her waiting."

The meal was finished, and the cake had already been cut. Now that the old man had spoken, Meng Fanchuan had no choice but to leave him for now and let Wen Hui stay with him.

"I’ll leave first, but I’ll come back to accompany you later."

"Alright."

The driver was already waiting outside. As Meng Fanchuan reached the door, he suddenly stopped. A strange emotion pulled at his heart. He hesitated for a moment before turning around and walking back to Zhuang Tai.

He squatted down next to his grandfather and found a picture of Cen Zhen on the small terrace that she had taken, telling him softly:

"Grandpa."

"This is Cen Zhen."

Inside the hotel room in Central, the famous fashion stylist Sally was finally waiting for Meng Fanchuan.

"What’s wrong?" As soon as he entered, Meng Fanchuan asked.

"Meng Sheng, we selected the latest and most popular styles for Miss Cen. This one is haute couture, and this one is a limited edition," Sally pointed at the items and said to Meng Fanchuan. "And these are new items that haven’t been released yet, but Miss Cen doesn’t like any of them."

When picking clothes for someone from the Zhuang family, Sally and her team brought out a display that could rival the Hong Kong version of VOGUE. Within just two hours, they had gathered the newest, most expensive, and rarest items from major department stores for Cen Zhen.

However,

She didn’t like any of them.

At this moment, Cen Zhen was sitting among a pile of clothes. When she saw Meng Fanchuan arrive, she seemed like she wanted to say something but didn’t speak.

Meng Fanchuan noticed her hesitation and nodded at Sally. "It’s none of your business, you can leave now."

After everyone cleared out, he sat next to Cen Zhen and asked, "You don’t like any of them?"

The clothes Sally had chosen were naturally beautiful.

Beautiful, and expensive.At least for Cen Zhen at the moment, she couldn’t afford to spend on clothing that cost six or seven figures.

Cen Zhen didn’t want to be like Song Wang, desperately trying to elevate herself to a height that didn’t belong to her. She also didn’t want to completely degrade herself into a golden canary wrapped in wealth.

"I want to dress simply," Cen Zhen suggested to him. "A T-shirt is fine."

Meng Fanchuan glanced at the young woman in front of him, suddenly remembering how, when he first met her in Beicheng, she was wearing a simple white T-shirt, quietly sitting in the corner of a private room, looking so pure that she didn’t seem like someone who belonged in that kind of setting.

—Girls can feel pressure too.

Recalling Wen Hui’s words, Meng Fanchuan nodded and immediately turned around to make a call. "Bring me a simple white T-shirt."

Cen Zhen was surprised that Meng Fanchuan actually listened to her and stared at him blankly. "Aren’t you angry?"

"What’s there to be angry about?" Meng Fanchuan didn’t understand her cautiousness. "You can wear whatever you want, it’s your choice."

Cen Zhen’s heart fluttered slightly and then completely relaxed. "…Thank you."

Sally was quick, and within minutes, she sent over three different styles of white T-shirts. Although the prices of two or three thousand were still outrageously expensive, at least Cen Zhen now had the confidence to wear them.

She went to her room to change and, when she came out, she felt inexplicably happier. She asked Meng Fanchuan, "Where do we go this afternoon?"

Meng Fanchuan replied, "You decide. Where do you want to go?"

Actually, Cen Zhen had been to Hong Kong once before.

At that time, she had arranged with Song Wang to attend the Qiao Tingting girl group’s concert, and after watching it, they planned to spend a couple of days sightseeing and checking off some places they wanted to visit. But later, Song Wang had some impromptu activities and couldn’t make it, leaving her to return home disappointed.

Now, since Meng Fanchuan was asking, Cen Zhen naturally started by politely asking him, "What about you? Where do you usually like to go?"

Meng Fanchuan casually thought for a moment. "The racecourse?"

True to his hobby, Cen Zhen nodded and stood up understandingly. "Then I’ll go with you to watch the horse race."

Meng Fanchuan gave her a faint glance, seemingly a little helpless, then pushed her back down. "I’m asking you, not to accompany me."

Cen Zhen looked at him, unsure if he was joking. After a brief pause, she asked hesitantly, "Anywhere is fine?"

What kind of question was that?

Was there anywhere in Hong Kong that Meng Fanchuan couldn’t go?

Meng Fanchuan laughed, but as he continued laughing, he suddenly stopped, his expression serious as he said, "I can’t go to the Chief Executive’s office."

The atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds—

Cen Zhen opened her mouth and couldn’t help but laugh. "What nonsense are you talking? Why would I need to meet the Chief Executive?"

This was the second time Meng Fanchuan saw Cen Zhen’s unreserved smile after the little terrace scene. Her lips naturally curled up, smiling so genuinely and vividly.

It made him realize that there were people in this world whose smile, just like that, could be unforgettable.

"Let’s go, Miss Cen, wherever you want to go." Meng Fanchuan pulled her up, adding, "Meeting the Chief Executive is fine too."

His joke unknowingly closed the distance between him and Cen Zhen, and even Cen Zhen herself didn’t realize it, but as he held her hand, a subtle, unconscious smile lingered on her face.

For an actress, what Cen Zhen wanted to do was nothing more than some childish dreams of paying homage to Hong Kong films. She just wanted to walk through the old and bustling streets, searching for memories of those movies she once loved.

Although Meng Fanchuan had no interest, Cen Zhen was enjoying the sights, and he was watching her. That was already the greatest interest for this trip.

The black sedan drove slowly, stopping here and there. They watched Chungking Express on Goldfish Street in Mong Kok, Infernal Affairs on Stone Slab Street, and King of Comedy in Shek O Village.

Cen Zhen was immersed in her childhood dreams, and whenever she turned back in delight, she would always see that familiar figure.

He might be smoking, or casually leaning on the side, sipping iced lemon tea. Or maybe, annoyingly, he would be holding his phone, secretly taking pictures of her.

But amidst the bustling crossroads, he was always there behind her, silent and still, just like a movie hero waiting for a romantic encounter.

It made Cen Zhen occasionally feel like she was the heroine in his movie.

They were embarking on a passionate love story.

By the time they finished the last location, it was already dark. The harbor lights were bright, and the streets were buzzing with cars, while neon lights flickered.

"All done?" Meng Fanchuan handed Cen Zhen the iced milk tea he was holding. "Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

Cen Zhen was very happy today, or rather, this was the most carefree and relaxed half-day she had in a long time. She took the milk tea and sincerely said, "We’re done, thank you."

"Then let’s go eat?"

"Sure."

As they just sat in the car, Cen Zhen suddenly noticed something and asked Meng Fanchuan, "Can we take that?"

Meng Fanchuan followed her gaze and said, "..."Many years later, Cen Zhen would always remember that night she spent with Meng Fanchuan.

The second young master of the Meng family, who had been chauffeured in luxury cars since childhood and always traveled by private jet when going abroad, for the first time ever accompanied Cen Zhen on a double-decker sightseeing bus.

"Do you guys call it a ding-ding car?" Cen Zhen asked curiously after getting on the bus.

Meng Fanchuan: "..."

He wasn’t really sure, vaguely remembering that it was called that for trams, but he couldn’t be bothered to clarify. "Maybe."

Cen Zhen pressed her lips together, not feeling disappointed.

The weather that night was perfect. The upper deck of the bus wasn’t crowded, just them and a pair of tourist mother and son sitting at a distance from each other.

Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan sat side by side. She looked at the enchanting sunset in the distance, the neon lights of the bustling streets, and the ebb and flow of the sea waves.

And Meng Fanchuan was looking at her.

Looking at her clean white T-shirt, her long hair tousled by the wind, her every frown and smile, every breath.

"You’re... very similar to that day," Meng Fanchuan’s voice suddenly came through the wind.

Cen Zhen turned her head, not understanding his cryptic words. "What?"

Meng Fanchuan then realized that she didn’t remember him.

But that brief encounter, he had remembered for so long.

"It’s nothing." Meng Fanchuan shook his head. "Do you want to take a picture? I can help you."

On such a wonderful night, of course, Cen Zhen wanted to take a photo as a memento.

It was because he was sitting beside her that she had shyly hidden her girlish heart, but now that he had brought it up, Cen Zhen accepted without hesitation and handed her phone to him. "Thank you."

Meng Fanchuan took the phone and opened the camera.

"Is this okay?" Cen Zhen faced Meng Fanchuan, her body slightly leaning against the bus, her hair gently blown by the wind and brushing against her face. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and even a casual smile seemed like an inadvertent blessing to the world.

Meng Fanchuan looked at her through the lens, his hand paused in the middle of the screen, but he didn’t press the button.

How could he press it? The floating lights, the flashing neon in the background, all faded in comparison. She was breathtakingly beautiful in every frame, impossible to choose from.

Meng Fanchuan slightly moved the phone away.

He no longer just looked at her through the lens, but gazed at this real, vibrant figure in front of him.

Their eyes met. Cen Zhen sensed the emotions swirling in his gaze, and her smile faded, her heart suddenly racing.

Yet, she didn’t avoid the direct gaze he was giving her.

The sunset was as fiery as ever, slowly stirring a silent tide in their eyes, and in that moment, everything seemed to fall into a subtle, overwhelming disorder.

The "ding-ding" of the traffic lights, the steady stream of pedestrians, the red taxis weaving around street corners, the tram’s clinking sounds... all intertwined to form a busy yet romantic soundtrack.

But at the moment when Meng Fanchuan leaned closer, all the sounds froze.

Cen Zhen gently closed her eyes, not avoiding.

As the double-decker bus slowly moved on, as the lazy breeze of Victoria Harbour tousled her long hair, as his kiss finally landed on her lips.

Cen Zhen suddenly remembered a phrase—

"I’m not sure if the next stop of the bus is Tin Hau or Causeway Bay,

I only know,

That tonight, the gentle breeze of Hong Kong,

Has blown me into a state of infatuation and confusion."