Chapter36

After Chi Yu experienced a blackout, Cen Zhen also felt the same sensation.

How could Meng Fanchuan suddenly appear in a hotel in a small town two hours away from the city, and even be sitting so openly in her room?

Cen Zhen instinctively placed her hand on the desk behind her, trying to steady her shaking heart and the sudden wave of awkwardness.

The moment their eyes met, the image of their passionate kiss from the night before strangely flashed in her mind. Her heart raced, her face uncontrollably flushed, and she opened her mouth, attempting to act calm and composed:

"Why are you here?"

Meng Fanchuan answered casually, "To deliver Miss Cen's watch."

"..."

Such a piercing response.

He clearly knew that the watch was his.

The moment Cen Zhen saw Meng Fanchuan, she realized she had overlooked the biggest possibility—he had been in her room yesterday. If the watch had been carelessly left in a conspicuous place, he must have seen it.

But now, it was too late for regrets.

With the passionate kiss behind them and the hidden watch in the foreground, no matter how skilled Cen Zhen was at acting, she didn’t know how to extricate herself.

Chi Yu, standing beside her, tried several times to speak but couldn’t find the right moment. That was until she saw Meng Fanchuan suddenly stand up and slowly walk toward them.

The sense of pressure was faint, subtle yet heavy, clearly signaling to Chi Yu that it was time for her to leave.

She should have left already, if not for seeing Cen Zhen in a somewhat awkward state.

But what could a small assistant like her do in a situation between a couple? She had been standing there like a third wheel for a long time, and now she was thick-skinned enough to leave.

Chi Yu excused herself and left. As soon as the door closed, the air in the room seemed to thin out.

Cen Zhen’s breathing quickened. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and couldn’t understand why she just couldn’t escape Meng Fanchuan’s world, why he could find her even after she ran so far.

But since he was here, as Mo Xiang had said, things had to be faced. Avoiding them wasn’t a solution.

So, without waiting for Meng Fanchuan to speak, Cen Zhen took the initiative and pushed all the problems onto the wine she drank, "I was drunk last night."

Meng Fanchuan wasn’t bothered, "So what?"

Meng Fanchuan stood in front of her, his tall figure blocking the light from the ceiling, enclosing her as if he were the shadow of madness behind the door last night.

"So—" Cen Zhen’s throat was dry, struggling to sound natural, "I don’t remember."

"Don’t remember what?" Meng Fanchuan asked calmly, "Don’t remember what you did, or don’t remember what you said?"

Cen Zhen froze. Did she say something? What did she say?

Her legs felt unsteady, and she tried to defend herself, "No matter what I said, I was drunk, just treat it as nonsense—"

"Can’t do that," Meng Fanchuan interrupted her, pausing for a moment before lowering his voice, "You said you missed me. How can I just treat it as nonsense?"

Cen Zhen’s hands instinctively gripped the desk behind her. Her eyes widened, and her voice got stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

She... what was she even doing...!

How could she have said that?

"...I was drunk, I said random things. I—" Cen Zhen started to speak in confusion.

Cen Zhen did her best to cover up and explain, but Meng Fanchuan didn’t contradict her. After a few seconds of calm, he asked, "So now you’re sober, you look at me and say you haven’t thought of me?"

His gaze pressed on her directly, inescapable.

Cen Zhen wanted to say no, but her lips moved again and again, and in the end, the words wouldn’t come out.

She couldn’t lie, nor could she be insincere.

From the beginning, Cen Zhen was already at a disadvantage in this battle. She silently lowered her head, and after a long while, stubbornly mumbled, "I think about a lot of people every day, thinking about you doesn’t mean anything."

"What about the watch? Didn’t you throw it away?"

Cen Zhen gave a very practical reason, "Such an expensive watch could buy a house back in my hometown. Throwing it away would have been foolish."

"…"

Last night, she had been so dependent on him, but now, after waking up, she wanted to draw a clear line.Meng Fanchuan was helpless. He lowered his head, trying to take her hand, but as soon as his fingertips touched hers, Cen Zhen sensitively pulled away.

A momentary sense of disappointment flashed across him, but Meng Fanchuan didn't insist. He knew where the crux of the problem lay, and said, "Actually, I came today to take you to meet someone."

Cen Zhen: "Who?"

But Meng Fanchuan didn’t answer, only saying, "You'll know once you come with me."

As his words fell, Cen Zhen hesitated and didn’t move. She wasn’t sure whether to trust Meng Fanchuan. Suddenly telling her to meet someone—who could it be? His circle was completely different from hers, and they had no overlap. Who would she need to meet?

After thinking for a moment, she quietly refused, "I won’t go."

But Meng Fanchuan seemed to have no intention of giving her a chance to consider. He directly grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. "You must go."

Cen Zhen was pulled out of the room. She blurted out, "Meng Fanchuan, don’t be so overbearing."

She was startled by her own words, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. Cen Zhen vaguely felt like she had said this somewhere before, but couldn’t remember where.

During this brief moment of distraction, Meng Fanchuan had already brought her into the elevator. A cleaning uncle was there, tidying up. Cen Zhen wasn’t wearing a mask and didn’t want people to see the scene of a movie heroine tangled up with a man. In a panic, she quickly turned around and buried herself in the man’s chest to block herself.

Meng Fanchuan was caught off guard, pausing for a moment, then silently smiling and cooperating by wrapping his arms around her.

The cleaning uncle did glance at them curiously, scanning Meng Fanchuan up and down before silently looking away, thinking to himself that young people in love were really something else—hugging in the elevator.

When the elevator reached the first floor, the cleaning uncle walked out with a bit of envy.

As the door closed again, Cen Zhen felt like her face had been swept away by the cleaning uncle’s broom, and she couldn’t get it back.

Was she still drunk? Why did she bury herself into his arms…

When the elevator door on the -1 floor opened, Cen Zhen took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She looked up to explain to herself, "Sorry, but please don’t misunderstand. I just didn’t want anyone to see—"

"It’s okay." Meng Fanchuan responded politely, then casually stepped out of the elevator, "Compared to what you did last night, this is nothing."

"…"

Cen Zhen froze on the spot.

Meng Fanchuan walked a few steps ahead, noticing she hadn’t followed, then turned around and gave her a half-smile, "You really don’t remember anything?"

His tone made the hair on the back of Cen Zhen’s neck stand up.

"It’s fine if you don’t remember." Meng Fanchuan casually unlocked the sports car with a remote, "Get in."

Cen Zhen’s heart raced because of his few words, yet she didn’t dare ask. She silently walked up to the car. Just as she was about to get in, her gaze unintentionally landed on the slightly raised lines on the side of the car.

This was the distinctive design of Meng Fanchuan’s "Black Knight" car door. Cen Zhen’s gaze lowered slightly, thoughtfully tracing the lines on the black car door.

Suddenly, memories began to flood back without warning, frame by frame—

She had hooked her arms around Meng Fanchuan’s neck, and she had kissed him first.

They had kissed on the busy street…

No wonder her lower back ached when she woke up this morning. They had leaned against the car door for so long…

"What are you thinking?" Meng Fanchuan noticed Cen Zhen was in a daze by the car. "Get in."

He didn’t know that Cen Zhen’s heart had spiked to 120 beats per minute, recalling how their passionate kiss had started from the car.

Cen Zhen’s fingers subtly curled in, forcing herself to appear calm as she sat beside Meng Fanchuan, never having wished so much for herself to disappear like a wisp of air.

"Why is your face so red?" Meng Fanchuan, not understanding why Cen Zhen had suddenly acted like this, reached out to touch her. "Are you not feeling well?"

The sudden contact felt like an electric current running through her. Cen Zhen, feeling guilty, straightened up and said, "I’m fine."

Meng Fanchuan didn’t ask further, pressing the gas pedal and driving away.

The small town was slow-paced, and most young people had gone to the city. By night, it was unusually quiet. Meng Fanchuan didn’t speak on the road, and that was a relief to Cen Zhen, giving her enough time to calm her emotions.

Although she hadn’t fully recalled what happened last night, from the fragments she did remember, if something really did happen between them, it would make sense.

It was just a little absurd, given the circumstances.

Cen Zhen took a deep breath, preparing to silently accept the situation. At that moment, Meng Fanchuan’s phone rang. He answered it and replied to the caller, "We’ll be there soon."

Cen Zhen then remembered the main point of the outing and asked him, "Who exactly are we going to meet?"

Meng Fanchuan: "Someone I shouldn’t have met in the past, but now I must meet."

Cen Zhen was left confused by his words. It wasn’t until a few minutes later when the car stopped in front of a teahouse that she understood. Meng Fanchuan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, seemingly reassuring her, "There’s no one inside. Let’s go."

At this point, Cen Zhen’s curiosity was piqued. Who was this person that was meant to be met now, but not in the past? She followed him out of the car and into the teahouse. Soon, they arrived in the empty lobby, where she saw Wen Hui.

She was momentarily stunned, and before she could react, she saw a woman standing up slowly from a seat next to Wen Hui.

That tall figure…Cen Zhen froze, her steps suddenly stopping. Painful memories surged, and her body seemed to instinctively resist moving forward.

Meng Fanchuan noticed her retreat and the sudden unease. He lowered his hand and naturally took hers. "It’s okay, I’m here."

At that moment, Cen Zhen's mind was blank. Meeting the model in front of her had marked the beginning of her painful realization of reality. She didn’t want to face it again, yet Meng Fanchuan had forcibly brought her in front of this person.

"Young Master Meng." The model, named Judy, spoke. Her posture appeared respectful, but it was hard to miss the bitterness in her eyes.

Meng Fanchuan ignored her, pulling Cen Zhen to sit down. Wen Hui, seeing that her task was complete, quietly left, saying, "I’ll wait outside."

They sat around a small glass round table. With the three of them face to face, some things were already understood without words.

For example, Meng Fanchuan hadn’t let go of Cen Zhen's hand.

Cen Zhen kept her head lowered, unsure of why Meng Fanchuan had brought her to meet this model, to meet his ex. This only made her feel more lost.

She tried several times to pull her hand away from his, but couldn’t. It was only when she suddenly heard Meng Fanchuan call out to the woman, "Miss Judy," that she paused.

"Speak, Miss Judy." Meng Fanchuan's tone was cold, "Tell me about how we 'dated.'"

Judy's lips moved slightly, as if she was thinking of what to say, but Meng Fanchuan was impatient and interrupted, "Or you can just answer my question directly."

Meng Fanchuan’s voice grew harsher as he stared at her. "Were we in a relationship?"

Judy paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"Did I ever touch even one of your fingers?"

She shook her head again.

"Did I ever say I liked you?"

Judy closed her eyes. She wished the man in front of her had once liked her even a little, choosing her, but no... She was very clear that he hadn’t.

"No," Judy answered calmly.

"You know exactly what role you played and what you did. Why did you say those things to her?" Meng Fanchuan’s voice was cold and firm. "What were you trying to achieve?"

Judy’s face turned pale.

She didn’t deny that she felt a flash of jealousy when she saw Cen Zhen standing next to Wen Hui, but to accuse her of lying—she couldn’t accept that.

Judy was jealous that Meng Fanchuan had moved on, jealous that he spent energy on someone else, but she knew that even if it wasn’t Cen Zhen, it would be someone else. A man like him could never stay faithful. Her being by his side for a week had already been beyond her expectations.

What she told Cen Zhen wasn’t entirely false. She truly wanted to warn her not to be foolishly obsessed like she had been.

But she hadn’t expected that after so long, Wen Hui would call her and force her to fly from Shenzhen to North City to apologize to his lover.

Judy had calculated everything except—

Meng Fanchuan was serious about the woman in front of him.

"Sorry," Judy said with a self-deprecating smile, "I didn’t know Young Master Meng truly loved Miss Cen."

She took a breath and then explained to Cen Zhen with a feigned nonchalance, "Young Master Meng and I were just acting. I took his money to play the role of one of the women around him, but when we were out of sight of others, he wouldn’t even spare me a glance. Perhaps—"

Judy’s gaze shifted, a trace of loneliness in her eyes as she looked at Meng Fanchuan. "Before today, Young Master Meng probably didn’t even know my name."

But Meng Fanchuan turned his face away, not wanting to look at her.

However, his gaze then shifted to Cen Zhen.

It seemed like she hadn’t fully processed Judy’s words yet. Her eyes were slightly wide, her face full of surprise and confusion.

Meng Fanchuan’s expression softened when he saw her reaction, but remembering the month they had been apart, and how Cen Zhen had suffered, he couldn’t help but feel anger.

"Everyone has to be responsible for their actions." Meng Fanchuan coldly threw out the words. "Miss Judy should also give me an explanation."

Judy knew very well that Meng Fanchuan was warning her, or perhaps he was mercifully offering her a way out.

Judy had enjoyed glory on the runway, and she had her pride.

But in front of Meng Fanchuan, that pride was nothing. She had agreed to take the money, essentially treating herself as something that could be bought. But now, she had overstepped.

She had intruded into Meng Fanchuan’s world, disrupting his life. Judy knew she was standing on the edge of a cliff. Whether she would fall into the abyss or retreat was all in the hands of the woman in front of her.

Judy saw through everything, and that pride no longer mattered. She picked up her tea and walked over to Cen Zhen, nodding slightly. She spoke clearly, "I’m sorry, Miss Cen. I had ill intentions. I was jealous of you. If anything I said caused misunderstandings or trouble, I’m very sorry. Please forgive me."

But this was all too sudden for Cen Zhen.

Her thoughts hadn’t yet shifted from the fact that Judy wasn’t Meng Fanchuan’s ex, and now Judy was apologizing in such a humble manner, which left Cen Zhen at a loss.

She didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t want to drink the tea in front of her either. After a while, she turned to Meng Fanchuan and said, "…Forget it, let her go."

Meng Fanchuan had brought Judy to meet Cen Zhen because he wanted Cen Zhen to handle it herself.Now, Cen Zhen didn’t want to entangle herself with her, so Meng Fanchuan naturally followed her wish and tilted his chin toward the door. "You can leave now."

"Thank you." Judy knew she might have passed a certain test. She placed the teacup down, returned to her seat to grab her bag, and when she walked back to Cen Zhen, she paused briefly. A smile suddenly appeared in her hollow eyes, but it wasn’t one of anger or hatred. It was strangely like pity, a faint smile that quickly faded as she lowered her gaze.

After the sound of her high heels disappeared from the tea house, there was a long stretch of silence between Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan.

The issue with Judy had been clarified, but why Judy even existed—Meng Fanchuan didn’t want to hide that any longer.

"My parents arranged a marriage for me, but I didn’t want it." He said calmly.

At that time, after using every method to resist in vain, Meng Fanchuan simply gave up and started acting like a libertine, purposely making himself out to be a playboy who mingled with women in the hopes that the Qin family would give up on the idea of marriage.

But after a week of playing the role, Qin Shiyao didn’t react at all. On the other hand, Meng Songnian became furious, his blood pressure skyrocketing. After a big argument between father and son, they had the following discussions about going to Shanghai.

Meng Fanchuan told Cen Zhen everything in detail, "Now you understand what happened?"

The sudden impact of the truth was too overwhelming. Cen Zhen silently processed it, with many things she wanted to say but unsure how to begin. Perhaps it was because her emotions had been piled up too long over the past month, and now that she should let go, she didn’t know what to say.

In the end, she simply nodded, signaling that she understood.

Meng Fanchuan patiently looked at her. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

At this moment, Cen Zhen’s mind was in a bit of a mess. All the relationships between people seemed different from what she had imagined. Her preconceived thoughts were disrupted, and she still needed time to process and digest everything. But aside from that, there was indeed one question that had been bothering her.

She opened her mouth but hesitated, unsure how to ask.

Meng Fanchuan saw her hesitation and could probably guess that it was the same question she had asked while drunk the night before.

He turned and let out a light breath, speaking to the air as if answering his own question.

"I haven’t kissed many women. You’re the first."

"Aside from Nuo Nuo, you’re the only one who’s sat in the front passenger seat."

He paused, and the last part came out—"I like you."

It was real.

But just as he was about to speak, Cen Zhen panicked and covered his mouth. "Don’t say it—"

Her entire face turned visibly red, and she quickly added, "Who asked you these questions…"

Meng Fanchuan smiled softly as his lips brushed against her palm, and he gently took her hand away. "Who asked?"

As he spoke, his lips skimmed her palm like a soft breeze, sending a ripple through her. She quickly pulled her hand back, flustered and angry, closing her eyes in frustration and vowing never to drink again.

"...I wasn’t going to ask that!" Cen Zhen couldn’t remember how many crazy things she had said. Afraid that Meng Fanchuan would continue repeating, she quickly tried to regain control.

Meng Fanchuan shifted in his seat, his expression all ears, as if waiting for her to speak. "Then go ahead and ask."

After waking up to this awkwardness, Cen Zhen no longer cared about the remaining embarrassment. She had to get things clear, or else she would be tormented by her thoughts for days while shooting.

She took a deep breath and, feeling too embarrassed to even raise her head, finally asked, "Last night, did we... do that?"

Meng Fanchuan didn’t quite understand. "What?"

Cen Zhen could clearly feel her cheeks burning uncontrollably, but the question had already escaped her lips, and she needed an answer.

"I’m asking, last night, did we... do that?"

Now Meng Fanchuan understood, and a laugh escaped from his heart. "Don’t you know if we did or not?"

His sudden straightforwardness made Cen Zhen’s face turn even redder as she defended herself. "How would I know... I was drunk!"

The air was quiet for a moment.

Meng Fanchuan let out a soft chuckle, turned his head with a hint of regret, and said, "I would have liked to."