Chapter39

Meng Fanchuan didn't want to hear any rejection from Cen Zhen, so even if their relationship reverted to how it used to be, he would accept it.

What’s wrong with being a benefactor? Spending money on someone you like is only natural.

As long as Cen Zhen doesn’t push him away, anything is fine.

So after saying that, Meng Fanchuan kissed Cen Zhen's lips again, not giving her a chance to refuse.

Cen Zhen was kissed until her body slid down, and Meng Fanchuan supported her from behind. His burning palm pressed against her hollowed-back dress, causing a tingling sensation that spread through her, making Cen Zhen tremble slightly. She instinctively tightened her grip on the person in front of her.

But the next second, she was lifted and quickly placed on the bed.

He leaned down, clearly losing control. Cen Zhen’s attire was thin, the fabric of the dress practically non-existent. Their bodies pressed closely together, and she quickly felt something hard against her.

From the dazed kiss, she became confused. Cen Zhen furrowed her brows, as if trying to discern what the unfamiliar sensation was. However, in just a moment, she realized what it was and immediately pushed Meng Fanchuan away in shock.

“?” Meng Fanchuan was suddenly pushed back.

Cen Zhen breathed lightly, but felt too embarrassed to speak.

Wait, could it have been a misperception while she was disoriented?

He… was a bit exaggerated.

Cen Zhen swallowed, trying to calm her dry throat, and changed the topic. "It's better if you don’t come looking for me these days."

Her mind was still blank, thinking about the overwhelming sensation she had just felt. Blushing, she continued, "I... I need to settle down and prepare for the shoot."

Meng Fanchuan didn’t quite understand and sighed deeply. "What does me coming to find you have to do with filming?"

Cen Zhen lowered her head and said honestly, "When you come, I get distracted."

It had been like this when she learned to ski. The moment he appeared, her heart couldn’t help but circle around him.

Now, thinking back, when did she start liking him? Cen Zhen couldn’t tell.

"I need to completely calm down before filming starts." Cen Zhen, with a congested nose from the kiss, whispered in a pleading tone, "Is that okay?"

Meng Fanchuan was reluctant but didn’t want to be the kind of person who clung to her incessantly.

With patience, he asked, "How long should I not see you?"

Cen Zhen originally planned to say a month, but when the words reached her mouth, she felt like that was too long and changed her mind. "How about one week?"

The two words came out stiffly, "Not good."

Cen Zhen pressed her lips together and said faintly, "Then two weeks."

Sure enough, Meng Fanchuan fell silent. After a pause, he reluctantly and unhappily kissed her. "Cen Zhen, you're heartless."

"...Who’s heartless?" Cen Zhen muttered as the words spilled out from her lips. "I kindly let you stay, and this is what you’re doing?"

Her words held him in check.

At that moment, he did seem like a beast.

Meng Fanchuan couldn’t help but laugh at himself, though he was angry. He sat up. "Then tell me, what should I do now?"

A man and a woman, deeply in love, alone in this room in the dead of night—should they really be discussing the meaning of life?

Cen Zhen got off the bed, inserted her room card into the slot to turn on the lights by the bedside, and then said, "Do whatever you want, but I need to change clothes and give them to Chi Yu. You’re free to do as you please."

Cen Zhen took the clothes to the bathroom and shut the door. Her slender figure slightly swayed in the frosted glass, and Meng Fanchuan knew what she was doing. He withdrew his gaze and suddenly wondered if the temperature of the air conditioner in the room was set too high.

He felt uncomfortably hot.

The fabric of Bella Wang's dress was thin and delicate, feeling fragile to the touch. After changing in the bathroom, Cen Zhen carefully checked the dress, afraid that she had damaged it during the brief moments with Meng Fanchuan, which would be hard to explain to others.

It took some time to check, but fortunately, the dress was unharmed. After she came out of the bathroom, she found the room empty.

Confirming that Meng Fanchuan was really not in the room, Cen Zhen sent him a message: "Where did you go?"

Meng Fanchuan had originally wanted to test whether Cen Zhen would soften. He hadn’t intended to do anything that could cause her trouble or draw any negative attention.

He never planned to stay the night.

The brief moments earlier… were already him losing control."The driver is here to pick me up. I'll head back first."

Second reply:

"Focus on your acting."

With these words, he agreed to Cen Zhen's request—not to disturb her.

Cen Zhen bit her lip in the empty room and typed a message: "Good night."

Just two simple words, but they were filled with her sincere feelings. Cen Zhen knew that they had probably already passed through that empty period without each other.

She picked up the dress and went next door to knock on the door. To her surprise, Mo Xiang was also in Chi Yu's room. Cen Zhen handed the dress to Chi Yu and asked, "Sister Xiang, you're still not resting?"

Mo Xiang shook her head, looking both relieved and troubled. "You're trending. How can I sleep?"

Xie Qingzong’s movie had been drawing attention in the industry for quite a while. The lead role, especially the key character Li Tao, had not been revealed to the public. Now, with the official announcement at the film festival, the buzz had reached its peak.

Soon after the event, Cen Zhen's name skyrocketed to the trending list, and the topic's reading volume had already exceeded a hundred million.

If it were any other unknown actor suddenly joining a big director’s film, netizens might have suspected someone was helping them rise to fame. But not with Xie Qingzong.

He was known for using new talent and never chose actors based on their star power. At over fifty and still unmarried, films were his other half. After decades of filmmaking, he had helped several actors win Best Actor and Best Actress awards. No one questioned his ability to pick talent.

Cen Zhen being chosen by him could only mean one thing—she had the talent.

"Never heard of this name? Where did she come from?"

"Not familiar with the little sister? Search for the promo video of the Mingzhou Ski Festival. She controlled me with a single glance for four minutes!"

"So Director Xie is giving us a little appetizer first, and now the real show begins?"

"She's definitely not the traditional beauty, but for some reason, she's very charismatic. Old Xie knows how to pick people. This face is high-class."

"Such a dress can easily be worn badly, but she pulls it off."

"Is she going to Cannes? I’m already looking forward to her red carpet appearance."

Online, people showed great interest and curiosity about this rising star. If it were only this, Mo Xiang wouldn’t be so worried. But it seemed the interview after the red carpet had drawn another wave of gossip and curious netizens.

"She’s only 21 and openly admitted she has a boyfriend? The little sister is a bit bold…"

"Does no one want to know who her boyfriend is?"

"Boyfriends that are willing to be admitted at such a young age are usually childhood sweethearts or long-term relationships, right?"

"From the way she talked in the interview, it seems like they have a very good relationship."

"It could also be a classmate, right? Classmates are great too! From school to wedding dress!"

"Her boyfriend supports her wearing such a sexy dress, he must be an open-minded man who supports her career!"

"This generation of netizens is not good. Ten minutes passed and they still haven’t figured it out? /laugh-cry"

So the topic suddenly veered off-course, and a small group of people started to become curious about Cen Zhen’s boyfriend. Around 8 p.m., the topic "#Cen Zhen’s boyfriend#" quietly climbed onto the trending list.

Cen Zhen was stunned when she found out. She never expected that the two casual sentences she had spoken would spark such a discussion.

Mo Xiang sighed, "Do you not understand what it means that Director Xie picked you? Don’t they understand either?"

Among the actors that Xie Qingzong had mentored, even the worst had won one of the top three domestic awards, and the best had even made a name abroad.

This meant that Cen Zhen would likely be considered for one of the top three domestic Best Actress awards in the future. As for how high she could go, that remained uncertain.

As for the boyfriend of a soon-to-be Best Actress, netizens, who were eager to gossip, naturally wanted to know everything.

Cen Zhen hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. "So, what should we do now…?"

"What should we do?" Mo Xiang repeated these words softly, "What do you think we should do?"

Even though Cen Zhen’s relationship with Meng Fanchuan was still unclear, who would dare to let the second young master of the Meng family be put on the trending list for netizens to scrutinize?

The platform would probably be trembling with fear and would voluntarily take it down.

This matter was tricky. Mo Xiang sighed deeply and could only say, "The company has already suppressed the trending topic. You don’t need to respond to anything. The more you say, the more mistakes you’ll make. Once tonight’s heat passes and new topics come up, netizens will naturally lose interest."

Chi Yu, who had been silent all this time, quietly raised her hand. "But, will Young Master see the trending topic?"

Cen Zhen’s heart skipped a beat: "..."

Meng Fanchuan indeed didn’t follow the trending topics. His Weibo was filled with posts about cars, F1, skiing, and other extreme sports.

The entertainment industry?

It was never in his sight.

But he now had a sister who was passionate about acting, and that changed everything.For example, on the way back, the driver quietly drove in front, while Meng Fanchuan sat in the back seat, expressionless, looking at a series of screenshots and messages sent by Meng Wenruo.

She was sharing the latest "digging" news with him—

"They're saying online that Sister Cen's boyfriend might be a childhood sweetheart?"

"Or maybe a classmate."

"Ugh, who knows if it's true or not. I thought I could have an actress sister-in-law to teach me acting."

Meng Fanchuan didn't respond to his sister. He frowned as he looked at the comments speculating about Cen Zhen with various men. It was both laughable and infuriating.

Some people were really pitiful.

What childhood sweethearts, what school to wedding dresses? Couldn't it be love at first sight, irresistible attraction, or fate?

Meng Fanchuan tossed his phone aside, not wanting to look at it anymore, fearing he wouldn’t be able to control his temper if he kept reading.

Cen Zhen had asked him not to visit her on set, and while he didn’t want to disturb her, a week was too long, and he wasn’t sure when he would lose control and head over there.

After a long period of reflection in the back seat, Meng Fanchuan seemed to have made a decision. He took his phone back and called Wen Hui.

The driver, who had been following Meng Songnian around, was now driving alone. Meng Songnian had gone to Europe on a business trip, so the driver had come home to rest for a few days. He received a call from the housekeeper in the evening, saying that the young master’s car had broken down several dozen kilometers from his residence, so he rushed over to pick him up.

The driver, who had seen Meng Fanchuan grow up, was stunned by the words Meng Fanchuan had just said to Wen Hui. He couldn’t believe it for the first time in his life.

After the film festival, Meng Fanchuan indeed didn’t visit Cen Zhen again. He barely even sent messages on WeChat, only greeting her briefly morning and night. At other times, he didn't disturb her at all.

Cen Zhen had the peace she wished for. She woke up early every day, spent her mornings reading the script, and in the afternoons, she would go to Li Tao’s house to walk around. She’d stay there for hours, immersing herself in the character's state.

As Mo Xiang had said, the heat from the trending topic passed, and discussions dwindled. Though there were still a few scattered posts, they had no real impact.

During this time, the cast and crew of the film gradually arrived at the hotel. Five days later, Falling officially began filming in the small town.

A film's opening ceremony always involves some ritual, and Xie Qingzong disliked high-profile events. He declined all media coverage and opted for a private opening ceremony for the crew. The weather was favorable, and the staff had already set up the banner early.

The last time they filmed the promotional video, there was also a small ceremony, but nothing like today’s grand opening. Three cameras covered the event, and there were incense burners, candles, and various fruits and drinks on the altar, symbolizing good fortune. The whole scene appeared simple yet solemn.

What Cen Zhen didn’t expect was that outside the ceremony site, fans had created a giant flower wall display in her honor. According to Chi Yu, a group of girls had carefully chosen a high-class blue color called "Capri Blue" as the support color for her fan group, because they felt Cen Zhen's beauty was as mesmerizing as the sea of Capri Island.

To be so sincerely liked before even having any official works made Cen Zhen both touched and surprised. She couldn’t go out to see it herself, but the photos Chi Yu had taken made her feel like the blue was oddly familiar.

After a moment’s recollection, she remembered that it was the same shade of blue as the brooch she had chosen for Meng Fanchuan the first time they met in Hu City—low-key but sharp.

Cen Zhen froze, then suddenly lowered her head and smiled. It seemed that no matter how things turned, there was always some strange fate between them.

The core team gradually arrived at the ceremony site. Soon after, Xie Qingzong appeared in his simple winter coat, followed by a number of unfamiliar faces. The scene became lively, and by 10 a.m., the host took the stage to officially begin the opening ceremony.

After the formalities, the process continued. A speech was inevitably required to motivate the crew, and the order of speeches was also important, based on their influence. The first speaker was the producer, the investor, the one who provided the funds.

When the host called for the producer’s representative to give a speech, Cen Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively looked toward the side of the stage, expecting to see that familiar figure, but to her surprise, a middle-aged stranger took the stage.

He spoke on stage, and Chi Yu murmured from below, "I thought the young master was coming."

Seeing Cen Zhen remain silent, Chi Yu continued murmuring, "It seems like the young master hasn’t come to see you for several days."

She coughed and asked cautiously, "You two... didn’t have a fight, did you?"

Cen Zhen calmly responded, "I asked him not to come."

"Ah?" Chi Yu wasn’t sure what their relationship was like now, pouting, "But I saw Aunt Hui’s WeChat location was in Hu City these last few days."

Implying that there might have been some misunderstanding, causing Meng Fanchuan to return to Hu City from North City.

Cen Zhen had been focusing on her role these days and hadn’t noticed these things. She was slightly surprised, but then thought that maybe Wen Hui had returned to Hu City for work, and it had nothing to do with Meng Fanchuan.

Once the producer finished speaking, Director Xie Qingzong gave his speech, followed by several other rounds. Chi Yu, losing patience, said she was going to wander around, and Cen Zhen followed her, though as the lead actress, she had to stay standing at the side of the stage.

Fortunately, the speeches didn’t last long. After about 15 minutes, the crew members went to offer incense and pray. Xie Qingzong handed out opening red envelopes, and the final few lead actors, along with him, unveiled the camera’s red cloth, marking the official start of the filming.

Cen Zhen received her first opening red envelope, excited to take a photo as a keepsake, when suddenly, Chi Yu walked up to her with a serious expression. "There’s something going on."

"What?"

Chi Yu had just been bored and went to look at the dozens of flower baskets displayed at the site. Unexpectedly, she noticed something important.

She didn’t say anything but pointed mysteriously toward the area where the flower baskets were placed. "You’ll know if you go take a look."

Chi Yu’s expression didn’t seem like she was joking. Since Mo Xiang wasn’t at the scene today, Cen Zhen had to pay extra attention. She followed Chi Yu over.

At the opening of Xie Qingzong’s movie, flower baskets sent from the industry were arranged in rows and piles, so many that they were impossible to count. This film didn’t have any big stars, and Cen Zhen was still a newcomer, so most of the flower baskets were sent in honor of Xie Qingzong. But it was already rare for Cen Zhen to have a few in her name.Qiao Tingting and Bai Yan both sent her flower baskets.

Qiao Tingting said: "Wishing Zhenbao a smooth shoot and great success!"

Bai Yan wrote formally: "Wishing 'Falling' a successful start."

A few other classmates, with whom she had been on good terms in the past, also sent flower baskets. Cen Zhen glanced over them and didn't think anything was wrong. She was about to ask Chi Yu what was going on when her gaze was caught by a card attached to a wheat-ear shaped flower basket.

"The best Li Tao, wishing a successful start."

Signed: Song Wang

Cen Zhen’s heart skipped a beat.

Why did he send one too?

Song Wang and Xie Qingzong had never cooperated nor had any relationship. Now, under Li Tao's name, it was clearly meant for her.

No wonder Chi Yu had brought her over here. Cen Zhen felt a burst of annoyance in her heart. She looked around, and since everyone was still chatting, no one was paying attention to them. After a brief thought, she whispered to Chi Yu, "Find a chance later to take the card out and throw it away."

Chi Yu nodded. "Okay."

Cen Zhen turned to leave, but Chi Yu stopped her. "Wait, you haven't seen what I was talking about."

"?!" Now it was Cen Zhen’s turn to be stunned.

Wasn't Chi Yu talking about Song Wang?

In the moment of confusion, Chi Yu pulled her forward. As they neared the end of the aisle, a much more refined flower basket came into view.

Chi Yu stopped in front of it, bent down, and gestured toward it with a mysterious motion as if saying, "Please enjoy."

Cen Zhen slowly walked forward, but before her eyes could fully focus on the basket, someone suddenly called her name: "Sister Cen!"

Both turned around to see it was Meng Wenruo.

She wasn’t sure how she had gotten in, but it didn’t seem to need much of an explanation. The scene at the opening ceremony wasn’t a big deal for the third miss of the Meng family to attend, especially when the investor behind it was Meng Fanchuan.

However, Meng Wenruo didn’t seem to know this. She happily walked up to Cen Zhen, "Wishing you a successful start. I got caught in traffic on the way and couldn’t make it to the opening ceremony. Here, this is for you!"

The young girl was always so enthusiastic. She handed Cen Zhen a beautifully wrapped gift box. Cen Zhen felt a bit embarrassed. "Wenruo, you’re too kind."

"No, no. We’re friends, I should show my support," Meng Wenruo said, casually looking at the flower baskets around them. "I only found out after I arrived that everyone sends flower baskets for the opening ceremony. Next time, I’ll definitely send you one too…"

Meng Wenruo’s words suddenly became softer as she looked at the card on the flower basket. "…a big one."

Her gaze fell on the card, looking surprised, which made Cen Zhen realize the reason she had come over. She turned around to look.

It was a good thing she didn’t look earlier; now, she was frozen in place.

The blessing was the usual four characters: "Successful start."

But the signature was a bit unusual—

"Boyfriend"

Cen Zhen: ???

Meng Wenruo forced a laugh and, within seconds, felt pity for her brother again. "The flower basket from Sister Cen’s boyfriend… it’s so beautiful."

Cen Zhen’s heart raced. She quickly explained, "No, it’s not necessarily for me."

Meng Wenruo took a closer look and found the undeniable evidence: "But there are hazelnuts in the flower basket."

Cen Zhen: "…"

Hazelnuts were the nickname for Cen Zhen's fans, so it was rare for an ordinary flower basket to contain them.

So, it was clear who this flower basket was meant for.

Meng Wenruo blinked and sincerely complimented, "Sister Cen’s boyfriend is so thoughtful."

Both she and Chi Yu looked at Cen Zhen, causing her to awkwardly force a "happy" smile. "…Yeah."

But the smile was so awkward that she paused and then excused herself to call Meng Fanchuan.

It rang twice before being answered—

"Hello." The voice she hadn’t heard in days suddenly filled her ears, and the sound caused a slight tremor in her heart, making her inexplicably flutter.

The words she wanted to ask were on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped herself and changed to something else: "Where are you?"

There was a slight pause on the other end. "At the company."

Cen Zhen froze for a moment. Combining the fact that Wen Hui had been located in Hu City, she couldn’t believe it. "You… are in Hu City?"

"What else can I do?" Meng Fanchuan seemed helpless. "If you won’t let me see you, I can only stay farther away."Being too close to Cen Zhen, Meng Fanchuan couldn’t control himself. Not wanting to disturb her while she was getting into character, he simply flew back to Hu City. There, he got updated on the company’s ongoing projects and even attended a few meetings.

He hadn’t been interested before, but now, because of Cen Zhen, he was gradually trying to change and accept things.

"And you?" Meng Fanchuan casually asked, "Was the opening ceremony smooth today?"

Cen Zhen snapped back to reality from her surprise, lightly huming in response. She wanted to ask about the flower baskets, but didn’t know how to naturally bring it up.

Meng Fanchuan could tell she was hesitating. "Is there something you want to say?"

Cen Zhen’s ears turned slightly red, her lips parted, "…Why didn’t you tell me beforehand that you sent a flower basket?"

Meng Fanchuan asked, "What flower basket?"

Cen Zhen froze, then instinctively said, "The one from my boyfriend."

There was a brief silence, and then Meng Fanchuan’s voice came through with a low chuckle, "Why do you think the one from your boyfriend is the one I sent?"

Cen Zhen was speechless, only realizing that Meng Fanchuan had intentionally set up a trap for her.

Feeling tricked, she muttered in frustration, "Forget it then."

"I’m sorry, I was wrong." Meng Fanchuan immediately responded, "It was me."

After a slight pause, he added with a helpless tone, "If you don’t let me see you, am I not allowed to send a flower basket?"

Cen Zhen bit her lip, her heart racing. "But you can’t sign it like that."

"What’s the problem?" Meng Fanchuan replied nonchalantly, "Anyway, the whole world knows you have a boyfriend."

...Logically, it made sense.

But his actions were quite bold.

Cen Zhen was caught off guard by his response. She knew he was taking advantage of her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"So do you like it?" Meng Fanchuan’s tone was playful, every word loaded with meaning, "The flower basket from your boyfriend."

Cen Zhen lowered her head, trying to say no, but her lips betrayed her as they curled upward. She decided not to argue with him. "I’m not talking to you. I need to go shoot."

She hastily hung up the phone. Standing there for a moment, she pressed her lips together, but that slight curve couldn’t be hidden, quietly spreading a ripple of warmth.

But it was only for a brief moment. She quickly composed herself and turned to Meng Wenruo. "Sorry, Wenruo, we’re about to start filming. I need to go prepare."

Meng Wenruo nodded in understanding. "Mm-hmm, go ahead!"

Cen Zhen was about to leave with Chi Yu, but after a few steps, she suddenly remembered something. She turned back, feeling a bit embarrassed, but still pulled out the "boyfriend" card from the flower basket and carefully tucked it into her script.

Meng Wenruo watched this whole scene unfold and couldn’t help but reflect on it. She couldn’t resist sending a message to Meng Fanchuan:

"I just came to see Sister Cen at the opening ceremony. Her boyfriend sent her a super beautiful flower basket!"

"I saw that she seemed to be talking to her boyfriend on the phone. You wouldn’t believe how sweet her smile was when she hung up."

"Before leaving, she secretly took the card from the flower basket…"

She sighed deeply and summed up: "Forget it, bro. She really loves him. Let’s bless them."

After a flurry of messages, Meng Wenruo finally received a reply from her brother.

The words appeared calmly on the screen, two characters falling with unhurried grace:

"Thank you."