Chapter25

Dinner was eaten at home.

Although the younger sister was disobedient and arrived suddenly, since she was already here, they couldn't just leave her outside. However, Meng Fanchuan didn’t expect that this usually aloof sister would get along so well with Cen Zhen.

At the dinner table, the two girls were chatting about topics related to acting, and it made him feel like an outsider.

"I’ve watched that promotional video so many times, really!"

"Your dancing is so beautiful. When the camera first came on, I said, 'Wow, so beautiful.'"

"That look you gave when you were in the bamboo forest, about to strike the male lead with a sword... the contrast was really something. Who understands how I felt at that moment? I had goosebumps…"

Both of her older brothers graduated from prestigious universities, and Meng Wenluo was no different. She was a top student from Columbia University, but during her studies, she took elective courses in drama and became deeply interested in acting.

Now in her final year of university, Meng Wenluo gave up her internship in New York and returned to China, hoping to join a film crew to experience acting. However, once she returned, her father, Meng Songnian, "forced" her to return to the company as an intern.

As the third young miss of the Meng family, the family’s beloved little princess, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, how could her parents allow her to enter such a complicated world as the entertainment industry? She could be chewed up and not even know it.

But Meng Wenluo had always been close to Meng Fanchuan, and the more her parents tried to stop her, the more determined she was to pursue it.

This time, she secretly came to Hu City, hoping to approach Meng Fanchuan and see if he could give her a small opportunity.

Seeing Cen Zhen now, Meng Wenluo felt a sense of starstruck excitement and pride. Her praises were so much that even Meng Fanchuan couldn’t stand it, tapping the table to remind her, "Meng Wenluo, tone it down."

But Meng Wenluo just smiled and said, "Brother, did you bring Teacher Cen here to teach me acting and cheer me up?"

Meng Fanchuan sneered, "You think too highly of yourself."

"Huh?" Meng Wenluo blinked in confusion and looked at Cen Zhen, "Then..."

Not wanting Meng Fanchuan to say anything more, Cen Zhen quickly changed the subject. "Did your brother make you angry?"

Meng Wenluo’s attention was indeed diverted. She snorted, "I also like acting. I wanted to stay in Hu City so he could sign me, but he won’t let me. He insists the company doesn’t sign people."

Cen Zhen: "…"

Cen Zhen coughed nervously, sneaking a glance at Meng Fanchuan. He was sitting across from her casually, showing no signs of guilt for deceiving his sister. When he saw her looking at him, he even raised an eyebrow playfully.

Just then, Uncle Wei and the servants walked out of the kitchen, bringing in the final dessert.

Before Uncle Wei could introduce it, Meng Wenluo turned to Cen Zhen. "Teacher Cen, try this, it’s my favorite."

Cen Zhen, taken aback by her enthusiasm, politely nodded, "Miss Meng, just call me by my name."

"In that case, I'll call you 'sister,' and you can call me 'Nuo Nuo,'" Meng Wenluo said as she brought a small portion of the dessert to Cen Zhen. "So, did you get to know my brother because you helped the company with the promotional video?"

Cen Zhen froze when she saw the dessert in front of her—

Coconut cream pie.

This was the same dessert Uncle Wei mentioned the last time she visited—the coconut cream pie that every girl loves.

Meng Wenluo: "Sister Cen?"

Meng Fanchuan noticed that Cen Zhen suddenly seemed distracted. Though he didn’t know the reason, he still stepped in to help her out. "Why all these questions? Don’t talk too much while eating."

Meng Wenluo pouted. "You’ve started acting like Big Brother now."

At the Meng family, the eldest, Meng Qinghuai, was cold and composed, the most proper of them all. But sometimes, his excessive sense of propriety made him seem less personable. Meng Wenluo, who was seven years younger than him, was somewhat intimidated by him. She felt more relaxed with her second brother, Meng Fanchuan.

"I get it!" Meng Wenluo suddenly said as if she had figured something out. "It must be because Sister Cen is visiting, so you’re pretending to be proper."

"…"

Meng Fanchuan had never encountered such a sister who could ruin the mood so easily. Unsure whether she was joking or being mischievous, he silently gave her a "you wait for it" look. Meng Wenluo flashed a slight smile and turned her gaze toward the window. "Huh, is it raining?"

Cen Zhen looked outside and realized that it had started drizzling.

"Sister Cen, why don’t you stay at our place tonight?" Meng Wenluo suggested when she saw the rain. "It’s dangerous to go down the mountain in the rain."

She then turned to ask Meng Fanchuan, "Brother, is that okay?"

Meng Fanchuan sat up straight, casually lifting his tea cup and sipping it as he said, "Whatever."

Meng Wenluo turned back to invite Cen Zhen. "Then, Sister Cen, will you stay with us?"

Cen Zhen actually wanted to politely decline.

Last time, she had misunderstood Meng Fanchuan’s intentions and stayed over. But today, since the siblings were reunited and the rain wasn’t heavy, it seemed a bit odd for her to stay for no reason.Just as she was about to refuse, the words already prepared in her mind, Cen Zhen unintentionally met Meng Fanchuan’s gaze—

He wasn’t being casual; his eyes clearly expressed a sense of "this is necessary" and "there’s no room for refusal."

Cen Zhen was pushed back by his gaze, and she had to retract her words, "Alright then, I’ll stay. Sorry for the trouble."

The servants gradually began clearing the table. Meng Fanchuan had planned to find an opportunity to spend some time alone with Cen Zhen, but his sister said she was going to make a video call to their mother, Zhuang Jiayi, and dragged him into the frame with her.

Meng Fanchuan had no choice but to ask Cen Zhen to wait on the sofa. "I’ll be over after saying a few words."

"Mm."

The video call quickly connected. The woman on the other side of the phone had a very pleasant voice—a gentle and cultured mother. Cen Zhen listened for a few sentences before standing up and leaving.

Although there was nothing private in the conversation, it still felt somewhat inappropriate to listen in on other people's chats.

She decided to step outside for some fresh air and see if the rain had let up. When she reached the door, she saw Uncle Wei moving some potted plants back inside.

"Uncle Wei?" Cen Zhen noticed he was busy and asked, "Do you need any help?"

"Thank you, it’s already all sorted," Uncle Wei replied as he carried the last potted gladiolus back into the glasshouse, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. "These plants were all grown by the old master, and I usually take care of them myself. I don’t trust others with them."

"Why is Miss Cen outside?"

"They’re video calling with Madam Meng."

Uncle Wei nodded and said, "Then I’ll go check on the glasshouse. If you need anything, just call me."

As Uncle Wei turned to leave, Cen Zhen suddenly called out to him, "Uncle Wei."

"Hmm?"

"Last time you said..." Cen Zhen hesitated, taking a breath before continuing, "You said coconut cream pies are a favorite of girls. Was that referring to Miss Meng?"

Uncle Wei paused for a moment. "Of course."

It seemed like he understood the misunderstanding and quickly explained, "Miss Cen, I can assure you, you’re the first woman to visit this villa, apart from the Meng family."

Just as he finished speaking, a soft chuckle came from behind.

Uncle Wei bowed slightly and left. Cen Zhen turned around and saw that, at some point, Meng Fanchuan had also stepped outside and was standing by the door, looking at her with a cryptic expression.

"It seems like Teacher Cen’s jealousy came earlier than I expected."

Her face turned bright red, and Cen Zhen awkwardly turned away. "What? I was just chatting with Uncle Wei."

She immediately took the initiative, "Why did you come out?"

Meng Fanchuan, playing along and not exposing her, walked over and stood beside her, lowering his eyes. "I came out to keep you company."

Cen Zhen, still pretending to be calm, quickly blinked her lashes. "I’m not going to run away."

Meng Fanchuan: "Who knows?"

He wasn’t unaware that she had run before.

Six months ago, after she had drunk too much, he booked a hotel room for her to rest. Meng Fanchuan planned to check on her the next morning, to see if she was sober and maybe invite her for breakfast, to get to know each other and become friends.

But when he arrived, the hotel staff told him that Cen Zhen had left at 4 AM.

Without a word, she just ran off.

His thoughts returned to the present, and Meng Fanchuan shot Cen Zhen a meaningful look. "With arms and legs, if you run, there’s nothing I can do."

As he spoke, his hand naturally reached out and grabbed hers, as if truly fearing she might run away.

But the villa was surrounded by either mountains or the sea. Unless Cen Zhen had some kind of issue, where could she possibly run to?

What strange thoughts was this man thinking?

Meng Fanchuan’s palm was warm and firm. Cen Zhen looked down at their linked hands, pursed her lips, and, unexpectedly, her fingers slightly curled, slowly returning the grip.

Sensing her response, Meng Fanchuan didn’t speak, just gently rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, tracing the contours of her bones.

The rain pattered softly in front of them, and the damp sea breeze blew against their faces. Whether it was the sound of the rain or the ocean breeze, some hidden affection began to grow quietly amidst the persistent rain, the slanting light and shadow casting over their faces. Neither of them spoke, simply leaning into each other in a tacit understanding.

"Why are both of you out here?" Meng Wenluo’s voice suddenly broke the mood. "I’m done with my call."

Cen Zhen quickly reacted, immediately pulling away from Meng Fanchuan and creating some distance between them.

Meng Fanchuan: "…"

He was truly fed up with this sneaky, almost illicit-feeling situation.

Oblivious, Meng Wenluo happily walked to the door and stood between them. "What are you two looking at? The rain?"

For the first time, Meng Fanchuan thought about getting someone to send Meng Wenluo back to Beicheng overnight.He suppressed all his speechlessness and turned to look at his younger sister. "Aren’t you going to sleep?"

Meng Wenluo: "Brother, it’s only eight-thirty."

"Teacher Cen has a schedule tomorrow." Meng Fanchuan said expressionlessly. "She needs to rest early."

"Oh." Meng Wenluo believed him, lowered her head and thought for a moment. "Then, Cen Jie, could you sleep with me tonight? I want to ask you how to truly free my nature. You’re the first actor friend I’ve met, and I’m really curious. I have so many questions."

"No."

"Yes."

Two voices echoed in unison. Meng Wenluo automatically ignored her brother's and happily dragged Cen Zhen upstairs. "Then, brother, we’re going now. Goodnight!"

Meng Fanchuan: "…"

After being pulled a few steps by Meng Wenluo, Cen Zhen turned around and saw that Meng Fanchuan had an expression of helplessness but couldn’t act on it. She pursed her lips and turned back, asking Meng Wenluo, "Do you usually act like this with your brother at home?"

"Haha, no. It’s only because you’re here, Cen Jie, that I’m braver today." Meng Wenluo blinked. "But I really rarely see him being so polite to a girl. The way he used to—"

Meng Wenluo suddenly stopped speaking, and Cen Zhen looked over.

"His devilish temper." Meng Wenluo quickly reacted and corrected herself, "Devilish character. In Beicheng, everyone avoids him. Even my dad can’t control him."

Cen Zhen didn’t hear anything odd and smiled. She thought to herself, so Meng Fanchuan really did have a bad temper. She had heard people talk about it at the company, but she thought it was just a rumor. Now even his younger sister was confirming it.

Meng Wenluo didn’t know about the relationship between Meng Fanchuan and Cen Zhen, but she had already guessed that her usually unapproachable second brother might have some feelings for her. After all, he had taken a girl home for dinner. Even if she were a little slow, she could guess that much.

Meng Wenluo secretly thought, if that’s true, then I’ll be in the right place at the right time. I could follow my sister-in-law into the entertainment industry. She couldn’t even imagine how happy she would be.

"Hey, Cen Jie, your hair is wet." When they were almost at the bedroom, Meng Wenluo noticed some rain had dampened the strands of Cen Zhen’s hair. She took out a pack of tissue from her pocket and handed it to her. "Wipe it off. I’ll have someone run you a bath."

Meng Wenluo opened the wardrobe, intending to find a new set of pajamas for Cen Zhen.

But she didn’t realize that Cen Zhen stood frozen at the door with the tissue in her hand.

Though the colors were different and the scent wasn’t exactly the same, the familiar packaging was unmistakable. This was the same tissue the stranger had given her half a year ago when she had been drunk!

"Nuonuo." Cen Zhen immediately walked inside and asked, "Where did you buy these tissues?"

Meng Wenluo squinted and smiled. "Does it smell good?"

"…Mm."

"This was custom-made by our family’s perfumer. She blends all my essential oils and fragrances. She has her own brand in Beicheng, and a lot of celebrities support her. If you like it, I’ll have someone send you a few boxes."

The servant had mentioned this last time, but Cen Zhen hadn’t paid attention.

No wonder she hadn’t been able to find the same tissue in any of the major supermarkets—turns out it was from the perfumer’s personal brand. Cen Zhen shook her head. "No need. Could you give me the address? I’ll visit when I go to Beicheng next time."

Girls always like fragrant things, so Meng Wenluo didn’t think much of it and directly sent her the address of the brand’s store in Beicheng.

Cen Zhen looked at the address in her phone and suddenly felt as if that blurry figure from half a year ago was somehow closer to her again.

The pink one was custom-made for Meng Wenluo, but what about the black one? Was it also custom-made?

If she asked the perfumer, would she be able to find out who he was?

Cen Zhen still regretted that, on that messy night, she hadn’t even said a word of thanks to the stranger.

On the other side, after reluctantly returning to his bedroom, Meng Fanchuan finished his shower, changed into comfortable loungewear, and lay down on the bed, idly flipping through a magazine, but he couldn’t focus on a single word.

The more he thought about it, the more amusing it became, and the more unwilling he felt.

He had brought Cen Zhen back to clear up the misunderstanding, comfort her, and maybe spend a quiet evening alone. But in the end, he had become the lonely one.

He flipped through a few more pages of the magazine carelessly, then tossed it aside. Meng Fanchuan got up from the bed.

The bedrooms of the three siblings were not far apart in the villa. Meng Fanchuan turned and knocked on the door of the room next door.

After waiting for a few seconds, Cen Zhen opened the door.

She had just finished showering, her long hair still slightly damp and hanging down her back. She froze when she saw it was Meng Fanchuan. "What’s up?"

Meng Fanchuan’s gaze lingered on her skin, still flushed with the afterglow of the shower, before quickly shifting away. Seeing that no one else was in the room, he asked, "Where’s Nuonuo?"

"She’s taking a shower. Are you looking for her?"

"No."

"…"

Cen Zhen looked at Meng Fanchuan in confusion. He had his hands in his pockets, and he wasn’t even sure why he had come here in the first place. Now, faced with her gaze, he just casually said, "I can’t sleep alone."Cen Zhen reacted to his words and slowly shook her head. "…I don’t accept three people sleeping in one bed."

Meng Fanchuan was at a loss for words, and he was amused by her thought process. "Who wants to sleep with her in the same bed?"

Oh, so he didn’t want to sleep in the same bed as his sister, which meant—

Cen Zhen’s gaze subtly changed again. Meng Fanchuan saw her overthinking and helplessly patted her head. "What are you thinking? I just came over to check."

Although she wasn’t sure why Meng Fanchuan came over, Cen Zhen still moved to the side. "Then, do you want to come in and look?"

"Just this." Meng Fanchuan saw that the bathroom was quiet and reached out to pull Cen Zhen into his arms. His voice dropped to a whisper near her ear. "I just need a goodnight kiss, and then I’ll leave."

What else could he look at? His entire focus and attention were on the person in front of him.

But Cen Zhen was startled by his sudden action. She wanted to turn around to check where Meng Wenluo was in her shower, but Meng Fanchuan held her face steady. "She hasn’t come out yet."

The two of them, freshly showered, were pressed close together. The scent of their bath products mixed softly, indistinguishable, blending into each other as their breaths intertwined. They were standing right at the door, neither opening nor closing it. Cen Zhen was a bit nervous, afraid that Meng Wenluo might suddenly come out or a servant might pass by. She reluctantly agreed to Meng Fanchuan. "Then... just one kiss."

Meng Fanchuan didn’t speak, simply lowering his head to kiss her. His soft lips gently pressed against hers, moving slowly, tenderly, as if every inch from lips to teeth to tongue to the inside of the mouth was saying "goodnight."

Her hair slipped through his fingers, their breaths intertwined, subtly colliding with each other before they stopped just before they lost control.

Meng Fanchuan let go of Cen Zhen.

Though he released her, the kiss seemed to linger in their eyes, their gazes locked, filled with intense, uncontrollable heat. Cen Zhen lowered her eyes, not daring to breathe too forcefully. "Can I go back to sleep—"

Suddenly, without warning, the words she hadn’t finished were sealed by his lips, swallowed down her throat.

The second kiss was far deeper, lingering so long that there were stumbling footsteps in the scene, the sound of objects falling in the hallway, and indistinct murmurs.

Finally, Meng Fanchuan’s palm pressed into the soft curve of Cen Zhen’s waist. With a slight lift, he picked her up—

Five minutes later, Meng Wenluo finally finished her shower.

Excited by the thought of chatting with a professional actress before bed, she happily hummed a tune as she walked out of the bathroom. "Cen Jie, I’m done."

The empty bedroom had no one in it.

Meng Wenluo looked around in confusion.

"Cen Jie?"

Where did they go?!