Chapter45

They kissed in the car for several more minutes, and only when Meng Fanchuan was fully satisfied did he release Cen Zhen. People gathered around the car, walking away and then coming back, though they weren’t the same crowd as before, some still lingered, watching.

It was as if they were waiting to see if a female celebrity would suddenly step out of the car, her lips red and glowing from a kiss, alluring and captivating.

Cen Zhen had no other choice but to send a message to Chi Yu: "Are you at the set? If you are, can you come to the entrance? There are too many people, and I can't get out of the car."

Meng Fanchuan glanced at the message she sent, then opened the car door, saying, “What’s the problem? Just get out.”

Cen Zhen quickly stopped him.

Public is public. Cen Zhen could openly let Meng Fanchuan drive the car over out of respect for her boyfriend’s identity. She no longer wanted him to hide or switch to a different car to meet her.

But that didn’t mean just because he was there, she had to draw attention, as if she wanted the whole world to know.

Work still came first. Cen Zhen didn’t want their relationship to be too showy, too high-profile, or eventually bring attention from the whole set, disturbing the filming.

“…Things have been so noisy recently. Director Xie is a serious and professional person. I don’t want him to think that I’m relying on my relationship with you, being spoiled and indulging in a public romance, not focusing on the crew.”

“You came back to shoot even though you’re still sick, isn’t that enough?” Meng Fanchuan wasn’t happy that Cen Zhen came back to work while still sick. He let it slide out of respect for her.

“Being sick doesn’t mean I’m fragile.” Cen Zhen comforted him, then paused before saying, “I don’t want Director Xie to look down on me and regret choosing me.”

The phrase "look down on" made Meng Fanchuan understand Cen Zhen better. She had her own pride. She gave everything for this role, and if her personal feelings were to make her be questioned, he certainly wouldn’t want to see that.

“Then you should focus on filming these days,” Meng Fanchuan sighed, then took Cen Zhen’s hand. “I won’t disturb you.”

Cen Zhen sensed something, “Where are you going?”

Meng Fanchuan’s team had a lot of work for the upcoming spring racing season, including several driver transfers, media sponsorships, logistics coordination, and other tedious matters. Since he took over China Vision, he had asked Wang Yuan to organize a team to shoot a documentary related to F1, promoting the public exhibition race that Meng Fanchuan had invested in at the Shanghai International Circuit mid-year.

There were several events scheduled, and his schedule for the first half of the year was actually quite full. He was originally supposed to fly to London at the end of December, but because of his situation with Cen Zhen, it had been delayed until now. He had to go soon.

Having just confirmed their relationship, Meng Fanchuan didn’t want to leave, “It was already set for me to leave tomorrow, but I didn’t expect something like last night to happen.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“One week.”

Cen Zhen calculated the time, “By the time you return, it will be New Year.”

“I’ll come back as soon as possible.” Meng Fanchuan then asked, “Will the crew have a break for New Year?”

He wanted to take Cen Zhen with him to Hong Kong for the holiday.

But Cen Zhen shook her head, “Director Xie said we need to catch up on the schedule, so we might have to spend New Year at the set.”

“…”

For the first time, Meng Fanchuan felt that joining a crew was a long and frustrating matter. He had to make compromises, yielding to it.

“Let’s talk about it later,” he finally said, deciding not to bring it up for now. “Wait for me to come back.”

“Mm.”

Meanwhile, after receiving the message, Chi Yu and Mo Xiang hurried to the set from the hotel. After persuading the onlookers to leave, they knocked on the car window, signaling Cen Zhen that it was time to get out.

Just as Cen Zhen was about to get out of the car, Meng Fanchuan grabbed her hand from behind, “Will you miss me?”

Cen Zhen didn’t answer. She kissed his face, “I’ll tell you when you come back.”

After saying that, she quickly got out of the car. Meng Fanchuan watched her back, smiling helplessly. Then he remembered something and opened a hidden compartment in the passenger seat.

If Cen Zhen had been curious about the car, like Meng Wenruo, who would have immediately looked around everywhere, she might have already found—there were many of the tissues she was looking for.

Meng Fanchuan took a pack of tissues in his hand. He hadn’t realized that such a small action would make Cen Zhen remember it for so long.

She was so sweet.

Thinking of Cen Zhen’s serious tone and expression earlier, Meng Fanchuan couldn’t help but smile again, while also wondering to himself—

How could he naturally, without making her embarrassed, let her discover this?

While thinking, he turned the car around and started driving. Not far from the set, his phone rang. He glanced at it, and when he saw the caller ID, he hesitated for a moment. Initially, he hadn’t planned to answer, but in the end, he picked up.

Meng Fanchuan didn’t speak at first, listening to the person on the other side speaking hysterically. After hearing it all, he replied coldly, “Alright, wait for me. I’ll come over now.”

On the way back to the set, Mo Xiang told Cen Zhen that she had been receiving calls all night, almost without sleep.

“They’ve all been asking me if you and Young Master Meng are in a relationship.”“Even LW’s PR is asking around.”

Cen Zhen was surprised, “They’re that gossipy?”

“What do you know?” Mo Xiang glanced at Cen Zhen, “They’ve been considering you as an ambassador. If you’re really with Young Master Meng, they’ll definitely reconsider the title.”

“Not me?”

“What are you thinking?” Mo Xiang laughed, “They’ll consider whether one day you’ll become Mrs. Meng, and then they’ll feel like they’re elevating themselves by associating with you. By then, forget the ambassador title, they’ll probably offer you the global spokesperson role with both hands.”

The title "Mrs. Meng" made Cen Zhen pause. She lowered her head and didn’t speak, smiling but feeling a bit uninterested all of a sudden.

“What’s wrong? Did you see those nasty comments online?” Mo Xiang thought Cen Zhen was affected by public opinion and comforted her, “Don’t look at it. Who hasn’t been criticized before? To be famous, you need to have a strong mentality.”

After so much speculation, her boyfriend finally came into the open, possibly the second heir of a top-tier family. Whether it’s the teasing from ordinary netizens or the attempts to bring her down from competitors, of course, there would be all kinds of voices online.

In fact, Cen Zhen didn’t even look at it. Even if she occasionally saw a few words, she didn’t care. Maybe it was due to her focus and belief in her acting career—when it came to public opinion, she was surprisingly indifferent.

She calmly took her script and sat aside, “I’ll warm up for the afternoon’s scenes.”

Just after reading for a while, Xie Qingzong suddenly came out from the set and saw Cen Zhen. He was momentarily stunned, “Didn’t I tell you to take a day off?”

“I’m fine, I can continue in the afternoon,” Cen Zhen explained that Xie Qingzong didn’t arrange her scenes in the morning, but in reality, he had given her the entire day off.

Cen Zhen stood up and slightly nodded at Xie Qingzong, “Sorry, Director Xie, about yesterday…”

She was apologizing for the public opinion storm she had recently gotten involved in.

Xie Qingzong understood what she was about to say. Her assistant had mentioned the online issues, but in a way, he and Cen Zhen were similar. Immersed in work, he didn’t pay much attention to external matters. “I only care about your acting. I don’t care about your private life. If your acting isn’t good one day, I won’t care who your boyfriend is. I’ll replace you.”

His words were blunt, but they made Cen Zhen constantly remind herself that opportunities were hard to come by. She nodded and said, “I understand.”

As far as love was concerned, it seemed temporarily settled. The next day, Meng Fanchuan flew to London for work, and Cen Zhen focused on filming at the set. They chatted or video-called every day. Although there was a time difference, Meng Fanchuan would adjust his schedule to fit Cen Zhen’s.

Long-distance love also had its own kind of sweetness.

That day, a few scenes were delayed, and Cen Zhen finished later than usual, half an hour behind schedule. On her way back, Chi Yu told her, “Young Master just called you.”

During filming, Cen Zhen would leave her phone with Chi Yu.

“I heard it was me who picked up. He asked about you. I told him you were still filming. He just hung up after saying ‘oh,’ so cool.” Chi Yu clicked his tongue, “Is he like this in front of you?”

It was just as cool.

—If not for the sudden kiss he demanded across the screen the next second.

Cen Zhen smiled as she thought of his image, then took out her phone and called him back.

The call connected, but a distant girl’s voice was heard first, “Let me hear who your baby is!”

After that, the voice became clearer, “Hello?”

Cen Zhen already knew who it was. She smiled and asked, “Nuo Nuo?”

“It’s really you, Sister Cen?” Meng Wenruo laughed so hard that she had to cover her stomach, “Help, my brother saved your name as ‘Baby,’ so cheesy.”

A cool voice was heard next to her: “Call her ‘sister-in-law.’”

Meng Wenruo stifled her laughter and stood at attention, “Yes, sister-in-law.”

Cen Zhen: “…”

The phone was returned to its owner, and Meng Fanchuan’s low voice reached her ear. Even with the vast distance of the ocean between them, it still sounded hot enough to burn, “Are you done with work?”

Cen Zhen replied lightly, “Mm, how come Nuo Nuo is with you?”

“She was kicked out.”

“Ah?”

After Meng Fanchuan and Meng Songnian argued and left, Meng Wenruo started playing Cen Zhen’s promotional videos at home. She even edited the red carpet interview from the film festival. When Meng Songnian came home, he began playing them, promoting and brainwashing everyone.

The photos from that day were too dark, so Cen Zhen’s figure wasn’t clear. At first, Meng Songnian didn’t know who the person in the video was and wasn’t interested. It wasn’t until the host at the red carpet event mentioned Cen Zhen’s name that Meng Songnian looked up.

He took a few serious looks. At first, his mood was calm, but when he saw the interview, where the host asked if the dress was chosen by her boyfriend and if he would be jealous, Cen Zhen answered: “He really likes it.”

Meng Songnian put down his teacup with a cold snort, “Now he’s even researching women’s clothes.”

Under Meng Wenruo’s relentless brainwashing, the phrase “He really likes it” was like an echoing chant in his head, making him dizzy with rage. In a fit of anger, he kicked his youngest daughter out, “Go find your love-stricken brother!”

So, Meng Wenruo happily flew to the UK to complain to her brother and gain some credit, bringing in several million through various means.

However, Meng Fanchuan didn’t tell Cen Zhen about any of this. He deliberately closed the door and found a quiet place to speak privately with Cen Zhen, “How was the shoot today?”Cen Zhen had just arrived at the hotel room, “I’m fine, how about you?”

“Mm, also fine.”

A voice came through the phone, “Sister-in-law, he’s lying. He’s not fine at all. He misses you so much!”

Meng Fanchuan: “… Shut up.”

“Lalala, who told you to chase after sister-in-law and not tell me? Sister-in-law—” Meng Wenruo called out to Cen Zhen from afar, “My brother’s phone screen is full of your photos!!”

On the other end of the phone, the sibling’s playful bickering could be heard. Cen Zhen couldn’t help but laugh along with them, “Don’t bully Nuo Nuo.”

Just as she spoke, someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was Chi Yu bringing food, Cen Zhen walked over to open the door while still on the phone. But to her surprise, a stranger stood outside.

She didn’t recognize her.

But oddly enough, although she didn’t know the woman, as soon as she saw her, Cen Zhen instinctively knew her identity.

The smile that had just been on her face faded slightly.

“Have you eaten?” Meng Fanchuan, still unaware, asked on the phone.

Cen Zhen snapped back to her senses, quickly replying, “Mm, I’m about to eat. I’ll hang up first.”

She hung up and hadn’t yet reacted when the woman in front of her spoke, “Hello, I’m Qin Shiyao. Can we talk?”

Qin Shiyao introduced herself, confirming Cen Zhen’s intuition was right.

Even though Cen Zhen had known about this person’s existence for a long time, when she truly saw this young lady from a wealthy family standing in front of her, she didn’t feel as calm as she had imagined.

She didn’t speak, just paused briefly and stepped aside.

After Qin Shiyao entered, she looked around the room. When Cen Zhen gestured to a chair for her to sit, Qin Shiyao wiped it before sitting down. “This place is rather simple. Miss Cen, you must be working hard on filming.”

She smiled, “You’re even more beautiful in person than in photos.”

“Thank you.” Cen Zhen replied politely, “Miss Qin, if you have something to say, please go ahead. I still need to go over the script later.”

Qin Shiyao crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair, “To be honest, I’m afraid you won’t like what I have to say.”

Cen Zhen smiled faintly, “If you were afraid I wouldn’t like it, you wouldn’t have come here.”

Qin Shiyao noticed the subtle sharpness under Cen Zhen’s calm demeanor and straightened her posture a little, “You’re quite impressive.”

Cen Zhen furrowed her brows, not understanding her meaning, until the next words came—

“Even made Fanchuan go to my house to ask my parents for a divorce.”

Cen Zhen froze slightly.

Qin Shiyao didn’t like the look on Cen Zhen’s face, as if it was unexpected. They had already been together, so why act innocent and naive with her?

“But it was useless.” Qin Shiyao smiled, “Our marriage was arranged by the previous generation. As long as the Meng family hasn’t said anything, and his father hasn’t taken a stance, it doesn’t count.”

Cen Zhen wanted to say something, but she didn’t know how to respond to this.

Qin Shiyao continued, “Actually, you’re very beautiful. Even if you’re not with Fanchuan, you shouldn’t lack suitors.”

“People can chase after social class advancement to a certain extent, but if they take too big a step, in the end, only they will be troubled. When you eventually feel like you’re out of your depth, you might realize it’s actually more comfortable being an ordinary wealthy wife.”

Cen Zhen’s tone was calm, “You think I took your place.”

“No, you couldn’t take it.” Qin Shiyao said casually, “Fanchuan and I grew up together. I know him better than anyone. He loves freedom, and I won’t tie him down. He loves to play, and I just wait for him to finish. He will eventually settle down.”

“Like how he loved skiing when he was 18. He loved it so much, and now he doesn’t even play anymore.”

Cen Zhen’s gaze shifted to the side, and she didn’t respond.

“So I believe he likes you now, even sincerely, but do you believe it?” Qin Shiyao suddenly smiled mockingly, “I don’t mind.”

“…”

“Children raised in families like ours have their paths set from the moment they are born. Marriage? Our personal desires never matter. The final decision will always be the one that benefits the family and ourselves the most.”

“Fanchuan’s mother is from a prestigious family, and his sister-in-law is the top socialite of Hong Kong, with a family fortune in the billions. Even his sister’s fiancé is said to be the son of a high-ranking official in North City.”

“I don’t mean to look down on your profession, Miss Cen, but—”

“What do you have?” Qin Shiyao shot a sharp look at her, “Or rather, what can you bring to Meng Fanchuan?”

Without giving Cen Zhen a chance to respond, Qin Shiyao shook her head, “Don’t even say it. Even I am trying to climb up.”

She smiled and shrugged, “Fanchuan’s older brother married at 26, Fanchuan is 24, he still has two more years to play. It’s fine, I can wait.”

After a moment, Cen Zhen gave a very calm smile, “Are you done?”

Qin Shiyao frowned, surprised that Cen Zhen’s reaction was so indifferent.

“I already know everything you said.” Cen Zhen stood up, “But as for me and him, I don’t need outsiders to teach me how to handle it.”The words "outsiders" were bitten lightly but with weight. Qin Shiyao’s expression slightly changed, “You—”

Cen Zhen, however, didn’t continue. She just walked over and opened the door, “Miss Qin, please leave. I still have work to do.”

Qin Shiyao froze, as if all the long words she had just said had been directed at thin air, with this person in front of her being completely unresponsive.

“Miss Cen really has character.” She smiled coldly, grabbed her bag, and stood up to leave. When she passed by Cen Zhen, she stopped and looked at her, “Not bad, if you want a love that will make him alienated from everyone, I wish you both the best.”

Cen Zhen closed the door.

But she stood behind the door for a long time before walking over to grab some water. She drank it sip by sip, as if trying desperately to swallow something down. She finished most of the bottle before finally stopping.