Chapter31

The encounter came completely unexpectedly, at a time when neither was prepared.

It had been less than a month since their last meeting, yet Meng Fanchuan still looked the same as before: tall and straight, his black windbreaker slightly open, exuding an unrestrained and wild aura.

He seemed to freeze for a moment as well, countless emotions swirling in his eyes, but in the end, he turned his face away, keeping a distance.

The brief eye contact felt so fleeting that Cen Zhen thought it might have been her overthinking during the walk earlier. She had spent too much time thinking about him, perhaps to the point of imagining things. After all, what were the chances of running into him again in a city of tens of millions? The probability seemed almost negligible.

But when she hurriedly lowered her gaze and then gathered the courage to look again, the person in front of her had already coldly averted his gaze and passed by her.

It was as though he were a stranger she met on the street, unwilling to spare even a glance.

As he left, Cen Zhen stayed frozen in place, her heartbeat gradually slowing. Just then, someone from the private room rushed out, "Brother! Don't go, brother!"

Meng Wenruo followed out of the private room, only walking a few steps when she suddenly noticed something and turned back. Upon seeing the familiar figure, she exclaimed in surprise, "Cen Jie? What are you doing here?"

But before Cen Zhen could respond, Meng Wenruo quickly apologized and continued chasing after her brother. "Sorry, I need to catch up with my brother!"

In the blink of an eye, the girl had disappeared from sight. Cen Zhen took a few steps forward and saw through the open door of the private room a whole family seated around a table. They all looked well-dressed, with an air of relaxed elegance. The man in the main seat, over fifty years old, had a slightly displeased expression, while the woman beside him, with fair and smooth skin, was gently patting his back and listening to him speak.

Could that be Meng Fanchuan's parents?

Not far away, a cold-faced man in a well-tailored suit, who should be... his older brother?

At the same time, outside the restaurant, the valet noticed Meng Fanchuan suddenly walking out and quickly rushed to help him with the car. Just then, Meng Wenruo chased after him and stopped him, "Brother, don't go!"

Out of breath, Meng Wenruo added, "Take me with you!"

Meng Fanchuan gave a silent smirk, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Meng Wenruo, very experienced, responded, "What to eat? After Dad finishes scolding you, he'll start on me. Since you’re running away, why should I stay?"

Meng Songnian often said he had two younger ones, one more rebellious than the other, which made him so angry that he had to take blood pressure medicine before he even turned 60.

"Go back." Meng Fanchuan didn’t want to disturb the family dinner because of himself. "Mom’s still inside, don’t make her unhappy."

Meng Wenruo sighed, "Then I’ll go back and comfort Mom, but you have to promise me you’ll come with me to see a play tomorrow."

"What play?"

"Ah, I told you about it. It has many famous actors, and I can learn from them—"

"Alright." Meng Fanchuan, with little patience, interrupted his sister, "I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Now go back and eat."

"It’s a promise!" Meng Wenruo smiled and turned to go back into the restaurant. She suddenly remembered something and turned back, "By the way, brother, I just saw Cen Jie. Did you see her?"

At this moment, the valet drove the car up to them. Meng Fanchuan’s expression shifted slightly, and he spoke calmly, "I didn’t see her."

Meng Wenruo asked, "... Huh?"

Before his sister could say more, Meng Fanchuan got into the car. The night concealed all his emotions, and as he closed the door and stepped on the gas, the powerful engine sound suppressed the turmoil inside him.

The car drove aimlessly onto the city expressway, the supercar accelerating like a wild beast in the dark, carrying all of Meng Fanchuan’s suppressed emotions as it sped down the overpass.

He didn’t know how long he had been driving or where he had gone until he finally randomly stopped the car.

Rolling down the window, Meng Fanchuan sat quietly inside, looking at the pitch-black surroundings. He suddenly recalled a night just like this, when after arguing with Meng Songnian, he went to find Cen Zhen.

Back then, she had gently hugged him and said she wanted to cheer him up.

Meng Fanchuan almost wanted to laugh.

It was truly ironic. He hated her lies, and he was indeed angry, but after such a long time apart, the moment he saw her—

Meng Fanchuan didn’t want to admit it, but the truth was, when he decisively walked away, it was because he was afraid that if he looked at her for one more second, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from holding her in his arms.

—

Cen Zhen didn’t wait for Meng Wenruo. After washing her hands, she returned to the private room.

"Quick, Zhen Zhen, try this appetizer, the red oil clams. I’m telling you, it’s amazing." Jo Tingting, who had no idea what had just happened in those few minutes Cen Zhen was out, was still immersed in the joy of tasting the food. She handed Cen Zhen the chopsticks, "So thick, so crispy, so fragrant!"

Cen Zhen silently took the chopsticks and put the dish into her bowl, but her mind was still replaying the moment when Meng Fanchuan had coldly walked away from her.

He really intended to make them strangers now, not even willing to exchange a greeting when they met.

This dinner, which was supposed to be a joyful welcome feast, felt tasteless to Cen Zhen, but she managed to hide it well in front of Jo Tingting, at least not letting it affect her best friend’s mood.

At eight in the evening, the two of them left the restaurant. When Cen Zhen got in the car, she specifically looked around. There was no sign of Meng Fanchuan’s car in the parking lot. He must have left and not come back.Perhaps this is how it should be, Cen Zhen thought. The two of them, who had once been so unpleasant to each other, could never be friends again if they met.

Meng Fanchuan didn’t cancel her movie or, like Shen Zesheng, retaliate by suppressing and blacklisting her. That in itself was already him showing mercy.

On the way back to the hotel, Cen Zhen received a call from Bai Yan.

Bai Yan’s play had been running since mid-month. Cen Zhen had once promised to come, but after what happened, she didn’t even have the courage to step into Beicheng, let alone attend the play. Now, she had to come because of Xie Qingzong’s movie, but everything had already changed.

“I saw Tingting’s post on WeChat Moments. You’re in Beicheng?” Bai Yan asked on the phone.

“Yes, senior.” Cen Zhen replied, feeling a bit apologetic. “Sorry, I wasn’t able to attend your opening performance.”

“You’ve been busy with work, it’s fine. The play will run until the end of the month, and there are still several shows. You can come anytime.”

Since Cen Zhen was already in Beicheng, she decided to go. She had some free time tomorrow, so she said, “Then tomorrow. I’ll come to the theater tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you then.”

After hanging up, Cen Zhen was about to ask Jo Tingting to accompany her, but Jo Tingting shook her head. “Don’t ask me, senior. I’ve already been to his play for three days in a row. I’ve memorized the lines.”

“…”

Cen Zhen could only give up. “Then I’ll bring my assistant.”

Though she had planned to ask Chi Yu to accompany her, Cen Zhen didn’t expect that Chi Yu had already made other arrangements for the next day.

“My mom’s side knows I’m on a business trip in Beicheng, and they insist I come over for a meal.” Chi Yu said with some difficulty. “I already asked Sister Xiang for time off…”

Going to the play was a last-minute decision for Cen Zhen, and she couldn’t interrupt others’ plans. She decided to go alone, though she briefly considered asking Mo Xiang, but in the end, didn’t.

She knew her stubbornness in wanting someone to accompany her was only because she was afraid that when she was alone, she would constantly be reminded that this was the play she originally planned to attend with Meng Fanchuan.

She had made many plans that involved him.

But now, none of them could be realized.

Cen Zhen sighed and decided to just go with the flow and head to the theater by herself.

The play starring Bai Yan gathered many top-tier actors from across the country, and the quality of the production by the National Theater was unquestionable. Therefore, the play was sold out almost every day, and tickets were hard to come by. Many young actors came repeatedly to observe and learn.

Cen Zhen had made an appointment with Bai Yan in advance. At 6:30 PM, she arrived at the VIP entrance of the theater’s lobby. After waiting for a few minutes, Bai Yan appeared from the actors’ passage, smiling brightly as he walked up to her. “Zhen Zhen, thanks for coming.”

In fact, Cen Zhen felt like she didn’t deserve the thanks. Bai Yan had even prepared the tickets for her in advance. “Thank you, senior, for giving me the opportunity to learn.”

Bai Yan took two tickets out of his pocket. “I saved two middle seats for you.”

He then glanced at the person behind her. “Who are you with?”

Cen Zhen opened her mouth, about to make an excuse, but at that moment, Bai Yan’s assistant came over and said the director was calling for a meeting. Bai Yan hurriedly waved to Cen Zhen. “I need to go. We’ll talk after the show.”

“...Alright.”

After Bai Yan left, Cen Zhen looked at the tickets in her hands for several seconds, and a soft sigh escaped her lips.

Her phone rang—it was a notification that the flower basket she had ordered had arrived. She went outside to receive it and placed the basket at the entrance of the theater. Just as she was about to take a photo, a voice suddenly called out from behind her. “Cen Jie?!”

Cen Zhen froze. The only person who called her like that was Meng Wenruo.

She turned around and saw Meng Wenruo running toward her. The little girl was wearing a pink woolen coat and a fluffy hat, looking very cute.

But behind the cuteness, the familiar cold aura followed closely.

Meng Fanchuan had his hands in his pockets, casually following his sister. Perhaps because he saw Cen Zhen, he stopped a few meters away and didn’t move forward.

He shifted his gaze to the side.

Cen Zhen’s heartbeat quickened, but she remained calm and said to Meng Wenruo, “No Ruo, what a coincidence.”

“Yeah! I came to see Teacher Ji’s play. I heard he performed really well, and there’s also Teacher Guan and Teacher Bai Yan…”

Recently, Meng Wenruo had been very obsessed with acting and was determined to enter the entertainment industry. She had tried to sneak away to Shanghai but didn’t make much of an impact. Now that she was back in Beicheng, she had to satisfy her love for acting by watching movies and plays.

“I didn’t see you after I came back to the restaurant yesterday.” Meng Wenruo said, “It’s a good thing we ran into each other today. Why are you in Beicheng? Are you here for work? How long are you staying?”

The little girl asked several questions in a row, and Cen Zhen could only smile faintly in reply, “Mm, I’m here for work.”

Meng Wenruo noticed the flower basket behind Cen Zhen and remembered that she and Bai Yan were both from the same mentor, so she quickly realized. “Cen Jie is here to see a play too?”

As she spoke, she looked at the two tickets in Cen Zhen’s hand. “Did you come with a friend?”

Cen Zhen hesitated for a moment and lowered her gaze. “Mm, but he had something come up and can’t make it.”

“Then is the ticket you have free now?” Meng Wenruo suddenly became excited and pulled Meng Fanchuan, who had been standing behind her, into view. “Can you give it to my brother? I want him to come with me, but I could only get one ticket last minute.”

The familiar figure suddenly stood so close to her again, and Cen Zhen felt nervous, avoiding his gaze.

Meng Fanchuan’s eyes briefly swept over her, and he spoke gently, “No need.”“Who said you don’t need to? You promised to watch this with me today, no backing out.”

Meng Wenruo would never let Meng Fanchuan slip away with an excuse. She turned around, intending to continue talking to Cen Zhen, when she saw Cen Zhen hand over the extra ticket. “I’ll give it to you.”

Without waiting, Cen Zhen walked straight into the theater.

Meng Wenruo took the ticket in her hand and compared it with her own. She exclaimed, “Although it's three seats away, it’s still in the same row!”

Meng Fanchuan wasn’t at all interested in such a lengthy play. He had purposely told his sister that he could only get one ticket, but if he wanted to watch, the theater’s director would personally welcome him—he wouldn’t need a ticket.

Looking at the figure that had already walked into the theater, Meng Fanchuan felt an unexpected surge of irritation that had no outlet.

“Come on, brother.” Meng Wenruo, still oblivious to the situation, dragged Meng Fanchuan inside. She immediately spotted Cen Zhen sitting in the middle.

She was so strikingly beautiful that even amidst the noisy crowd, even with a mask, her eyes still shone like ripples over a lake, captivating everyone.

Meng Wenruo had her own assumptions about the relationship between Meng Fanchuan and Cen Zhen. It was clear that her brother had feelings for Cen Zhen. When they first met, he had been polite and gentlemanly toward her, but later, for some unknown reason, he stopped talking.

Meng Wenruo speculated that her brother’s confession had been rejected, hurting his pride.

She had asked him about it, but he only gave a cold laugh and refused to say anything.

So now, with zero experience in relationships, Meng Wenruo firmly believed that the two of them needed more chances to be together to spark something. Without hesitation, she pushed Meng Fanchuan to sit beside Cen Zhen and quickly ran to the other side of the row.

“I want to watch the performance in an immersive way, you should sit with Cen Jie, brother.”

Cen Zhen: “…”

Meng Fanchuan: “…”

One wave of audience after another settled into their seats, and the theater was gradually filled with the tide of people. Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan sat quietly together, neither of them saying a word.

It wasn’t until the house lights dimmed and the stage curtain slowly rose that Cen Zhen finally exhaled a little. Her heart was racing, and though she couldn’t see Meng Fanchuan’s face, she could feel his presence next to her. His familiar scent seemed to invade her, and though the crowd was surging both onstage and in the audience, it felt as though they were sitting on an isolated island, just the two of them.

In her eyes, her heart, in every breath, it was all him.

Cen Zhen never expected that the ticket she had originally kept for him would somehow end up back in his hands like this.

Was the heavens toying with her or mocking her?

Cen Zhen lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment, unaware of the gaze that had fallen on her from beside her, equally restrained and difficult to endure.

Who knew the unspoken conflict in Meng Fanchuan’s heart? From the initial love at first sight to their reunion in Shanghai, he had once held this woman at the very core of his heart, cherished and adored her. But when the truth was revealed, he felt nothing but fury.

Yet he couldn’t forget her.

After days of deliberately avoiding news related to Cen Zhen, Meng Fanchuan realized that he could never forget this person.

She had appeared so unexpectedly and vibrantly in his life, and he had even imagined how he would stand beside her at the pinnacle, watching her be bathed in starlight, dreams coming true.

But in the end, it was all just a bubble. How could he accept that?

Meng Fanchuan simply couldn’t accept it.

In the dim light, he endured and buried those emotions, pulling his gaze away from Cen Zhen.

Under the curtain, he felt the overwhelming emotions flooding in, and it was no longer clear who was the audience and who was the actor in the play.

Two hours later, the 110-minute play finally came to an end amidst the audience’s sustained applause.

Bai Yan’s performance had been a success. Cen Zhen had gone from being anxious and restless at the beginning to being fully immersed in his emotional performance. She had been drawn into the story and plot, and her thoughts finally began to calm down.

As the performance ended, the audience began to exit one by one. Meng Wenruo’s seat was near the aisle, so she had already left and was waiting outside. Meng Fanchuan rose quietly and walked toward the exit. Cen Zhen silently followed him, suddenly remembering how in the past, whenever they walked together, he would always grab her hand—sometimes intertwining their fingers, sometimes enveloping her hand in his palm, always showing affection in various ways.

As she was lost in thought, Cen Zhen became distracted and didn’t notice the stairs ahead. She missed a step and lost her balance, about to fall.

In an instant, Meng Fanchuan almost instinctively reached out to steady her.

At the same time, when Cen Zhen sensed the danger, her body instinctively moved toward him.

They seemed like strangers, but at the same time, there was something strangely familiar about them.

Their hands met again in a fleeting moment, only to quickly pull away, as if it was an accidental touch in the vast crowd—both unfamiliar and cold.

Cen Zhen steadied herself, lowering her head, but a sudden pang of bitterness rose in her chest, her nose stinging. She swallowed hard, trying to push the pain down.

“Brother.” Meng Wenruo noticed some audience members were going up to the stage for pictures with the actors, and she was eager to join. “I’m going to take a look. Wait for me here!”

Meng Fanchuan couldn’t stop her. Meng Wenruo, being fearless, had already run to take a selfie with the female lead.

The theater was nearly empty, and as Cen Zhen stood with Meng Fanchuan, the awkwardness was palpable. She spoke, “Then please let Wenruo know I’m leaving first.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Bai Yan appeared from the corner of the stage. “Zhen Zhen? Are you leaving already?”Before the performance began, Bai Yan had mentioned to Cen Zhen that they would talk after the show. Now that he had come off the stage, Cen Zhen had no choice but to pause and say to him, “Senior, your play was really good. I learned a lot from watching it.”

Bai Yan smiled and thanked her, his gaze falling on Meng Fanchuan beside her. “So this is the boyfriend you mentioned in your interview?”

Cen Zhen: “…”

Cen Zhen froze, not quite processing what he said. Before she could react, Bai Yan had already extended his hand to Meng Fanchuan. “Hello, we met at the snowfield.”

Meng Fanchuan paused for a moment, though he didn’t speak. He still made the rare gesture of shaking Bai Yan’s hand.

“Zhen Zhen mentioned last month that she would bring someone to support me, and asked me to save two tickets for her.” Bai Yan smiled at Meng Fanchuan and continued, “I guessed it would be her boyfriend.”

Cen Zhen’s face turned red up to her ears, and she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to cover Bai Yan’s mouth. But this was a public place, and she was a public figure—there was no way she could do that. Instead, she hurriedly tried to change the subject, “Senior… over there, it seems like some audience members are looking for you.”

Bai Yan turned around and saw that indeed someone was looking for him. He nodded to Cen Zhen. “I’ll go take care of it. Thank you again for coming to support me today.”

After he left, Cen Zhen stood there, unsure of what to do or how to end the awkward situation.

The awkwardness spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. After a long while, Cen Zhen finally mustered the courage to say, “I’m sorry, it was a misunderstanding on Senior’s part.”

“Oh.” The man beside her spoke calmly, as though not bothered by the misunderstanding, but after a pause, his chest rose and fell with a slight irritation. He then spoke with some displeasure, “So, Miss Cen, who was the ticket actually reserved for?”