Chapter3

The sudden appearance of the man startled Cen Zhen, and after seeing his face clearly, she was even more stunned.

Even though they had only met briefly, she instantly recognized the man in front of her as the one she had seen at the suit store the previous day.

He was wearing the custom suit he had tried on in the fitting room yesterday, dressed in black, leaning casually against the wall, exuding an indifferent arrogance and nobility.

But to be precise, Cen Zhen had first recognized the pin on his chest.

The deep blue shards of light connected in a line, sparkling like stars, their sharp brilliance piercing through the night.

Cen Zhen didn’t know how he ended up here, but there was no time to think about it. She quickly hid the smile she had earlier. "Sorry, I didn’t see anyone else here."

She was about to leave when Meng Fanchuan stopped her. "Where are you going?"

Their meeting yesterday didn’t really count as an acquaintance. Cen Zhen glanced at him coldly. "Sir, I don't think I know you."

Her implication was clear: Why should my movements concern you?

"True, you don’t know me." Meng Fanchuan snuffed out the cigarette in his hand, speaking in a relaxed tone, "But the woman registered under my name has left, so how am I supposed to attend the banquet?"

The scent of flowers wafted in the terrace wind, and it took Cen Zhen a few seconds to regain her focus from the words "under my name." She quickly recalled how she had suddenly been allowed entry earlier and instantly understood the situation.

She froze for a moment. "It was you... who let me in?"

Meng Fanchuan didn’t answer, but his expression clearly conveyed the answer.

Cen Zhen should have figured it out. Song Wang already had a female companion and had made arrangements for her and the assistant to have dinner. Of course, he wouldn’t have cared whether she could get in downstairs.

But what Cen Zhen didn’t understand was—

A hint of wariness appeared in her eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

"Why?" Meng Fanchuan chuckled nonchalantly, lowered his head and thought for a moment, then casually said, "Maybe... I just enjoy helping people?"

... What kind of reason was that?

Cen Zhen lightly furrowed her brow, considering how to handle his unwarranted kindness, when Meng Fanchuan tilted his head to look outside and, with an indifferent tone, added, "Does having met once count?"

Thinking he was referring to their brief encounter at the suit store, Cen Zhen’s unease and wariness eased a bit. After all, a single encounter seemed more reasonable compared to the random kindness of helping others.

"Thanks for your help, but I—"

The words of refusal were on the tip of her tongue, but Cen Zhen suddenly stopped.

Wait, why should she refuse?

She had taken this banquet seriously, dressed up and arrived, so why should she leave in embarrassment because of Song Wang's mistake?

Song Wang could have Zhong Qing, but why couldn’t she have... this man, who she didn’t even know the name of, but seemed decent enough?

Wasn’t that fair?

"I mean..." Cen Zhen quickly embraced her boldness in those few seconds, gently inhaling before she extended her hand to the man. "Shall we go?"

Meng Fanchuan’s eyes showed a hint of surprise.

He hadn’t expected much. He had simply helped when he saw her being rejected downstairs before going up. His previous words had been casual, but now... he hadn’t expected her—

She seemed to have become bolder, though the hand she extended still held some naivety.

Meng Fanchuan chuckled lightly, standing up straight and offering his arm to her. Cen Zhen pretended to remain calm as she linked her arm with his. They hadn’t planned this in advance, but their silhouettes walking together somehow felt perfectly matched.

Cen Zhen admitted she was a little nervous. Going to a banquet full of high-society people with a stranger man seemed unbelievable.

"This is the first time I’m someone else’s companion," Cen Zhen said as they walked towards the third floor.

She had intended to inform Meng Fanchuan that she had no experience, but unexpectedly, he responded with, "Hmm? Am I so honored?"

His reply caught her off guard, and Cen Zhen was amused for the first time.

The unfamiliar atmosphere between them lightened, and as they walked up the stairs, Cen Zhen casually asked, "Did you come to accompany Young Master Meng too?"

"You know him?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Meng Fanchuan realized it was a pointless question.

Sure enough, Cen Zhen shook her head. "No."

"Then," Meng Fanchuan raised an eyebrow, barely perceptible, "Did you come here for him?"

Of course not.

But not before, now…

"Kind of," Cen Zhen knew she was venting some frustration, but it didn’t matter, as she was talking to a stranger who had no clue about the context.

She walked a few steps without showing any emotion and quietly said, "Isn’t everyone here trying to get to know and network with Young Master Meng?"

After a pause, Cen Zhen turned to look at him, her beautiful eyes seeming completely clear. "Aren’t you?"

Meng Fanchuan, walking beside her, smiled faintly but didn’t respond further.

—

Inside the banquet hall on the third floor, the dinner that was supposed to start at 7 p.m. had been delayed by five minutes.

The so-called distinguished guest had not arrived yet. The people inside were holding their champagne glasses, seemingly chatting eagerly, but their eyes would occasionally glance toward the door, hoping to catch sight of the young man entering first.

Some people were whispering—

"Could he really not come?"

"Who knows? He’s always unpredictable. It wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t show up."

"Even Old Master Hua doesn’t get any respect?"

"Shh, I think he’s here—"

With the sharp observation of one person, all eyes turned toward the entrance.The third floor had once been the dance room of the Hua family's matriarch when she was young. The whole room was covered with fishbone-patterned grapefruit wood floors, and the ceiling was adorned with vintage French light fixtures and fans. As the arched door swung open, warm-toned lighting illuminated the two people who had entered, creating a scene like the stunning final shot of an old film.

A handsome and aristocratic young man, standing next to a strikingly beautiful young woman.

It was truly a feast for the eyes.

This was Cen Zhen’s first time attending such an occasion. She had imagined blending into the crowd as a curious onlooker, but to her surprise, upon entering, she became the center of attention.

Her fair shoulders and back were straight, but her grip on Meng Fanchuan’s arm subtly tightened. “Why is everyone looking at us?”

Meng Fanchuan lowered his head slightly and spoke slowly, “We’re late.”

His voice was low, sending a shiver like an electric current from his hair to Cen Zhen’s cheek, causing her to feel faint warmth.

Cen Zhen pulled back a little, uncomfortable. She thought to herself that high-society dinners had some strange rules—being late meant being openly scrutinized like this.

As they made their way through the crowd, Cen Zhen unexpectedly saw Song Wang, his face full of surprise.

He was standing quite far away, holding a glass of champagne, the smile he had been wearing while talking to someone still lingering at the corner of his mouth. He stood there, stunned.

Cen Zhen lightly glanced over him as if she hadn’t seen him, and at that moment, a voice came from beside her. “Fanchuan?”

A man walked toward them in a white suit, with a gentlemanly Windsor knot on his shirt. He greeted them with a warm smile. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

Cen Zhen silently thought to herself, oh, so his name is Fanchuan?

The man approaching to greet them was Hua Xun, the youngest member of the Hua family, around the same age as Meng Fanchuan.

Meng Fanchuan glanced at his white prince charming attire and chuckled lightly. “Dressed like this, are you here for a blind date?”

The two were clearly familiar with each other. Hua Xun clicked his tongue and jokingly replied, “How did you know?”

Then his gaze landed on Cen Zhen. “How about this beauty, is she available for a date?”

Cen Zhen: “...”

Meng Fanchuan didn’t respond to the comment. The slight tilt of his eyes, languid yet sharp, was enough to let Hua Xun know that his joke was not to be taken lightly.

Hua Xun immediately switched back to his gentleman persona, smiling charmingly at Cen Zhen. “Hello, I’m Fanchuan’s friend, Hua Yizhou.”

Cen Zhen was reluctantly introduced. “Hello, I’m Cen Zhen.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“...”

Cen Zhen’s boldness lasted only for that brief moment. Facing two unfamiliar men, her discomfort grew.

She gently pulled her arm away and said to Meng Fanchuan, “You two chat, I’ll go have a drink over there.”

Before Meng Fanchuan could speak, Cen Zhen unilaterally ended their temporary companionship.

She walked toward the buffet table, unintentionally seeing Song Wang again in the same direction.

He was standing with his senior, Zhong Qing, his smile restored, moving between different guests as they exchanged drinks. He seemed completely at ease, a side of him that Cen Zhen didn’t recognize.

Cen Zhen took a glass of champagne and stood in a corner. She felt like an irrelevant bystander, watching the sparkling lights and the glitz of the room, feeling a sense of unreal disconnection.

A few women came over with their champagne glasses, picking out their favorite desserts while chatting cheerfully.

“...I didn’t expect him to be this handsome in person.”

“Both brothers from their family are exceptional, but the older one is married. As for the younger one, I heard he’s quite the playboy.”

“Did you see the other pin he was wearing? HRGri’s high-end jewelry. I asked about the price just recently, it’s this much.”

“The Meng family is old money, a pin isn’t much.”

“Hmm? I thought it was old power? You know, someone who—”

“Really? Where did you hear that?”

Their gossip blended into the loud buzz of the room. Cen Zhen heard it, but didn’t pay it much attention. She lowered her head and drank from her glass, until a voice suddenly came next to her.

“Hey, you must know what kind of background they have, right?”

Cen Zhen was momentarily stunned. She looked up and saw a woman holding a champagne glass, smiling with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey, you’ve had enough, let’s go.” Before Cen Zhen could speak, someone pulled the woman away, and they all left, leaving Cen Zhen confused.

She guessed they were talking about the second young master of the Meng family, but why would they think she knew anything about his background?

She assumed the woman was just drunk and had asked the wrong person. Cen Zhen finished the drink in her glass, planning to step outside to get some fresh air when Song Wang unexpectedly appeared in front of her.

The two of them stood face to face in the midst of the crowd, and no one seemed to think it odd.

“How did you get in?” Song Wang asked.

Cen Zhen found his question sarcastic. “Didn’t you invite me?”

Song Wang was taken aback. He shook his glass and, in a low voice, explained, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I could do, right?”

Cen Zhen turned her face away, coldly saying, “No one forced you. This was your choice.”

During the four years when Song Wang pursued Cen Zhen, what he saw most was her cold and distant demeanor. She seemed like a high-up white rose, with many men falling over themselves to be under her. He had tried everything to win her over, and after half a year of effort, he had finally earned her smile, but in this moment, it felt like everything had returned to the past.

Song Wang suddenly became agitated, suppressing his voice as he said, “Can’t you stop being so serious? You came in with Meng Fanchuan, didn’t you? The men who came over to give you their business cards, I saw you accept them all.”

Indeed, several men had come over to give Cen Zhen their business cards earlier, but Cen Zhen didn’t see a problem with it. In social settings, one couldn’t avoid the most basic etiquette.

But Cen Zhen didn’t want to explain that now. She furrowed her brow. “Meng... Fanchuan?”

She had caught the surname “Meng” and instinctively felt something was off.

Song Wang didn’t understand why she looked so surprised. “What? You came in with the second young master of the Meng family, and you don’t even know his name?”

Cen Zhen: “...”

—The second young master of the Meng family.

These words were drowned in the noise around them, and no one else could hear.

But they struck Cen Zhen’s mind with a loud crash.

No wonder those women had asked her about the second young master of the Meng family. Since she had entered with him, they had naturally assumed they knew each other well.

Cen Zhen’s expression froze, and her palms quickly became sweaty.Yesterday, she had accidentally barged into his fitting room, and today, she was attending the banquet under his name, even saying things like she came for him and wanted to get to know him...

Cen Zhen felt her breath become uneven. She instinctively looked up, but couldn’t see Meng Fanchuan anywhere in the crowd.

She had no idea where he went.

But strangely, this somehow made Cen Zhen feel relieved. She quickly put down her glass and said to Song Wang, “I’m going out for a bit.”

Cen Zhen intended to leave all her awkwardness and embarrassment behind here. It was best if she never saw this distinguished young master again. She quietly began to move toward the exit of the banquet hall, but just as she rounded a group of guests, she was leisurely blocked by a tall, black figure.

“Been drinking for so long?”

“...” It was truly a case of fate’s irony.

His voice was nonchalant, but Cen Zhen’s heart raced like a drum.

She tried to stay calm and said, “Sorry, I have something to take care of, so I need to leave now.”

Meng Fanchuan looked at the watch on his wrist. “So early?”

“Mm.”

“Alright, but...” Meng Fanchuan paused briefly, then, in a slow and unhurried tone, reminded her, “Miss Cen, isn’t there something you still need to do?”

Cen Zhen was caught off guard, confused, and looked up. “What?”

The man, holding a wine glass, stared at her for a moment, then lightly curled the corner of his lips.

“Didn’t Miss Cen say—”

“You wanted to get to know me?”

Cen Zhen: “...!”