Chapter47

The two of them paused downstairs at the hotel.

Having already heard from the video call that Meng Fanchuan would be returning to Hong Kong tomorrow, Cen Zhen knew that tonight was just a brief meeting. Although she was reluctant, she couldn’t help but ask, "How many days will you be staying in Hong Kong?"

Since Zhuang Tai had just recovered from a serious illness, and all the Zhuang family’s children were returning to Hong Kong for the New Year, there would be a family gathering—many people, many things to take care of, and it was uncertain how long it would last. But no matter what, it wouldn’t exceed the official holiday period.

Meng Fanchuan still answered her, "As soon as possible."

Cen Zhen nodded, "Then have a good New Year. I’ll wait for you to come back."

Meng Fanchuan lowered his head to gently touch her hand, pausing for a moment before replying, "You too."

Neither of them mentioned leaving, but Cen Zhen wanted time to slow down, to stretch out their moments together. However, she knew he must be tired after just flying back, and tomorrow he would leave again. The time difference was all over the place. Ultimately, she took the initiative to break the silence, "Then I’ll go upstairs. Drive carefully."

Meng Fanchuan gave her a hug, holding onto her for a while before letting go. "Okay."

She thought returning would ease her longing, but after meeting him, she realized her desire was far from satisfied.

When Cen Zhen returned to her room, Xiao Yunqi was watching TV on the bed. She was stunned when she saw Cen Zhen come back so early, "Is it over already?"

Cen Zhen lay down on the bed, dazed.

Xiao Yunqi turned off the TV and waved her hand in front of Cen Zhen, "Mom just booked the tickets for tomorrow. Since Director Xie gave you time off, it’s a good opportunity for you to go home with Mom for the New Year."

"Mm." Cen Zhen was still lost in thought. After a brief pause, she suddenly remembered something and looked at Xiao Yunqi, "Aren’t you waiting for him to come back?"

Cen Zhen had completely forgotten to arrange for Meng Fanchuan to meet her mother downstairs earlier.

But now, he had already left.

Xiao Yunqi snorted lightly, "Not waiting anymore. This year, I’m spending the New Year at your aunt’s house. I need to go back early to help."

"Sorry." Cen Zhen sat up seriously, not daring to say that Meng Fanchuan had actually already come. She could only make up an excuse, "He… he’s really busy with work."

"I know." Xiao Yunqi didn’t seem to mind much and waved her hand dismissively, "You’re already helping him even before you’re married."

"Married?" Cen Zhen felt a bit awkward, "Why is that coming up now?"

"Fine, I won’t say anything." Xiao Yunqi walked over to pack her luggage, "Remember to prepare some signed photos to take back. Your cousin asked for several, and she says her classmates all like you. She’s so proud of it... Oh, and my two students also want some."

Xiao Yunqi kept chattering about how many people at home liked Cen Zhen. To them, Cen Zhen was an unreachable star. But they didn’t know that this unreachable star also had something she longed for but couldn’t reach.

The next day was the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the last day before New Year’s Eve. The people from the crew were leaving one by one, but some didn’t want to travel around, so they decided to stay in Beicheng for the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, they planned to go to Guanghua Temple near Shichahai to pray for good fortune and wish for the smooth completion of the film.

On this day, Chi Yu also left Beicheng.

Cen Zhen secretly stuffed a red envelope into her suitcase. When they said goodbye, Chi Yu reluctantly hugged her, "Take care of yourself when I’m not around."

Cen Zhen laughed, "Assistant, we’re just on a short break."

"But we’ve never been apart," Chi Yu had gotten used to spending every day with Cen Zhen. She sniffed and couldn’t help but ask, "Why didn’t you tell Young Master we’re taking time off?"

Director Xie had originally planned to continue filming as usual, but later, for some unknown reason, he changed his plans. It was probably because there were so many people in the crew with families, and considering family reunions, he ultimately gave everyone a few days off, with work resuming on the fourth day of the New Year.

Cen Zhen lowered her head and was silent for a while, "I told him he might come to find me after New Year’s Eve."

Chi Yu didn’t understand, "What’s wrong with him finding you?"

"Then he wouldn’t spend the New Year with his parents or grandfather. What if he ends up arguing with his family…" Cen Zhen shook her head, "I don’t want him to do that for me."

Qin Shiyao had said many things to Cen Zhen that day, but the last sentence struck her deeply.

— A love that leads to being abandoned by everyone.

How could Cen Zhen bear to let Meng Fanchuan give up his family for her?

She couldn’t, and she wouldn’t.

Cen Zhen forced a light smile, "Isn’t this good? Everyone can go home and have a good New Year."

After sending Chi Yu off, Cen Zhen and Xiao Yunqi boarded the flight back to Hangzhou.

Cen Zhen was from Hangzhou. After her father passed away, every year for the New Year, she and her mother would go to one of her aunts' or uncles' houses.

When people near her aunt’s house heard that Cen Zhen was back, they all came over to see her. Some wanted her autograph, others wanted a photo. On New Year’s Eve afternoon, Cen Zhen patiently greeted and entertained everyone, spending most of her time receiving the neighbors and friends.

She was so busy that she almost wrote the first character of someone’s name wrong, almost writing "Meng" instead.

This year, her aunt’s family had their New Year’s Eve dinner early, and by 6:30 pm, they were already cleaning up after the meal. As they finished cleaning, Cen Zhen asked Xiao Yunqi, "I just heard my cousin say she’s going out. Are we going somewhere later?"Xiao Yunqi smiled and said, "They’re going to watch the fireworks outside."

Cen Zhen was curious, "Who’s setting them off?"

Xiao Yunqi cut some fruit and brought it to the table for the elderly, then wiped her hands and said, "Let’s go, we’ll watch them together."

It was New Year’s Eve today, and in Hangzhou, fireworks were only allowed at specific times and in designated areas.

Xiao Yunqi and her aunt led the children out, and Cen Zhen didn’t think much about it. After all, it was a long New Year’s Eve night, and there was nothing to do. It would be better to get some fresh air and walk around than to keep thinking about him.

The closest area where fireworks could be set off was by the Qiantang River. The family walked towards the river. Although it wasn’t far, it still took about seven or eight minutes. On the way, Cen Zhen received a WeChat message from Meng Fanchuan:

"Have you finished eating?"

Cen Zhen replied that she had, then asked him the same question. To her surprise, Meng Fanchuan replied, "Not everyone has arrived yet."

There were at least thirty people from the Zhuang family, including the children and grandchildren. With so many people, it was hard to have everything on time. One of her younger cousins was even still on a flight, having just finished work, so Zhuang Tai had arranged for dinner to be at 8 o'clock.

Zhuang Tai’s eldest daughter-in-law had spent a month in Hong Kong tasting dishes at various restaurants, eventually choosing the old-brand Jialong Restaurant. Jialong didn’t dare to slack off and sent the young master to personally create the menu. Various luxury ingredients like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, fish maw, and dried scallops were all named with auspicious terms, representing good luck and everything going according to plan.

At the moment, Meng Fanchuan’s family was waiting at the mountain top to pick up Zhuang Tai for dinner. A few younger relatives from the family had also arrived, and occasionally made small talk. Meng Fanchuan wasn’t in the best mood, so he went to the balcony to smoke and sent Cen Zhen a WeChat message.

Cen Zhen felt sorry for him, thinking he hadn’t had a meal yet: "Are you hungry? Want to eat something to fill your stomach?"

Meng Fanchuan sent her a picture of some pastries: "I ate."

Then he pointedly added: "Too bad the wife cake doesn’t have a wife."

Cen Zhen pursed her lips, pretending not to understand his words. At this moment, her younger cousin handed her a magic wand, "Sis, we can light this later!"

Cen Zhen smiled and took it, "Okay."

She instinctively took a photo of the magic wand by the river, intending to send it to Meng Fanchuan with a "Happy New Year!" But after taking the photo, she realized that the Qiantang River was too obvious. He was so smart that he would figure it out immediately.

Forget it.

They arrived at the riverbank right at 7:00 pm, which was the designated time for fireworks to be set off. Many children were holding small fireworks, chasing and laughing, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.

"Auntie, didn’t you say we were going to watch the big fireworks? Where are they?" her younger cousin tugged at Xiao Yunqi’s sleeve and asked.

Cen Zhen also looked at her mother, "What big fireworks?"

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a loud "bang" in the distance. Cen Zhen instinctively turned around and saw a beautiful arc of colorful fireworks suddenly shooting up from somewhere across the river, exploding into beautiful blossoms in the sky.

"Wow!!" her younger cousin clapped her hands, "So pretty!"

The night sky was lit up with fireworks, one after another, dazzling people’s eyes. Passersby all stopped to look, exchanging comments.

"Is there an event here?"

"Did your district government organize this?"

"It’s so grand."

"Do you like it, Zhen Zhen?" Xiao Yunqi walked over to her daughter and asked.

"Mm." Cen Zhen was immersed in the breathtaking display. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "Mom, how did you know there would be fireworks here?"

Xiao Yunqi smiled, then paused for a moment, "Actually, I saw Xiao Meng the other day."

Cen Zhen froze, "What?"

"He came to the hotel to find you before he went to the restaurant. I was the one who opened the door." Xiao Yunqi skipped over the details of their conversation that night and simply said, "He seemed nice, polite, and I was very pleased with his manners. The most important thing is that he really cares about you."

This was so sudden. Cen Zhen didn’t expect that Meng Fanchuan and her mother had already met, and neither of them had told her about it.

Why?

After a brief pause, Cen Zhen seemed to understand and asked Xiao Yunqi, "So, the fireworks?"

"He arranged them for you." Xiao Yunqi smiled softly, "That night, before Xiao Meng left, he suddenly asked me what you liked. He wanted to give you a New Year’s gift."

"..."

"I told him that when you were young, you loved watching your dad set off fireworks during the New Year. After your dad passed away, we rarely did this anymore. He said he would prepare them for you, to make you happy."

Cen Zhen froze in place.

So, he knew she had time off.

He knew everything...

"How do you feel, happy?" Xiao Yunqi asked.

Cen Zhen looked at the sky. She should be happy, but for some reason, the tip of her nose felt a bit sour. All the suppressed longing inside her was like the fireworks pouring down from the sky, impossible to hide.

"By the way, Xiao Meng left a gift for you. It’s a small box, not sure what it is. I put it on your bedside table. When we get home—" Xiao Yunqi was still talking when she saw her daughter pass the magic wand she was holding to her.She froze, "Aren't you setting it off?"

Cen Zhen tied up her hair, wrapped her scarf properly again, and said, "Mom, I'm going to find him."

"Find who?" Xiao Yunqi didn’t react in time. By the time she realized what was happening, Cen Zhen had already run far ahead.

Xiao Yunqi stood holding the magic wand, stunned for a moment. Although she thought her daughter’s behavior was a bit crazy, she turned back to look at the sky—

No, wait until the fireworks finish before you leave.

At 7:00 pm, the gates of the Zhuang family’s house at the mountaintop slowly opened. Bright headlights lit up, and several luxury cars drove out in an orderly fashion.

To indulge his grandson, Zhuang Tai chose to ride in the business car sent by the Meng family, specifically asking Meng Fanchuan to accompany him.

Meng Qinghuai then drove another car with his wife and sister following behind.

The old man had his reasons for this. Earlier, he clearly noticed the subtle relationship between his son-in-law and grandson. The two hardly spoke when they met, so he specially picked this opportunity to ask what was going on.

To his surprise, when he asked, Meng Songnian coldly snorted, "He's doing well now, in a relationship. He even went to cancel his engagement himself. I can't interfere."

Meng Fanchuan sat in the front, watching the night scenery, too lazy to respond.

Zhuang Tai remained calm, replying, "I know he's dating. That girl is quite beautiful."

Zhuang Jiayi was stunned, not expecting her father, all the way from Hong Kong, to know about it. "When did you find out?"

"Before I was hospitalized last year."

"…"

Zhuang Jiayi and Meng Songnian exchanged glances. They had assumed that the girl was someone Meng Fanchuan had just started dating, but it seemed he had been seeing her much earlier than they thought.

It wasn’t what they had expected. Meng Songnian cleared his throat and insisted, "He just doesn't want to get married, so he's putting on a show for me."

Zhuang Tai, speaking in Cantonese, patiently responded in Mandarin, "If he likes her, that’s fine. He’s finding a girlfriend, not you."

This statement silenced Meng Songnian, and he didn’t dare to rebut his father-in-law. "Dad…"

"I have a good eye for people. That girl has a great face." Zhuang Tai pointed at Meng Songnian, "When I first saw you, I knew right away. Did I make a mistake?"

Meng Songnian: "…"

The old man complimented people effortlessly. With such a high compliment, Meng Songnian didn’t know what to say. He could only nod in agreement. When they got out of the car at the restaurant, he angrily asked Meng Fanchuan, "Are you still acting in front of your grandfather?"

"Yeah," Meng Fanchuan lazily smiled at him, "You can wait. I’ll act out a marriage certificate for you."

"…"

Because of the big family reunion tonight and the many relatives present, Meng Songnian finally swallowed the harsh words. In the crowd, someone called out "Brother-in-law," and when he looked up again, he had transformed from an angry father to a smiling, composed, and elegant top-tier mainland entrepreneur.

Meng Songnian knew what his role was tonight. At his wife’s family’s gathering, he held onto Zhuang Jiayi, acting steady and poised, only focusing on playing the role of a good husband.

The young master of Jialong Restaurant personally led the head chef to greet them at the elevator. As they passed, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhuang family handed out red envelopes to everyone, adding to the festive and lucky atmosphere.

The entire Jialong Restaurant had closed for the evening, claiming it was a private gathering, without disclosing the real reason, to avoid the media making up stories about family discord.

But sometimes the media wasn’t just making things up. Last year, when Zhuang Tai nearly got into trouble, a few uncles had fueled the fire, subtly creating several rumors. In the end, when the old man was fine, those rumors were suppressed, but it was only temporarily.

The New Year’s Eve dinner began at 8:00 pm, but they hardly ate, as there was much drama to watch.

Several younger cousins surrounded Zhuang Tai, presenting him with longevity peaches and thousand-year-old ginseng, competing for his favor in a way that could rival a TVB drama, making Meng Fanchuan want to laugh.

Bored, he decided to call Cen Zhen, wondering what she was doing and if she had already seen the fireworks he set off for her.

At 8:30 pm, her phone was off.

At 9:00 pm, her phone was still off.

Meng Fanchuan knew that if she was with her mother, nothing would have happened. She was probably out playing and had run out of battery.

He didn’t think much of it, returned to the banquet, and occasionally had to drink with some of the elders, to which he casually responded with a few polite words.

The evening was noisy, and the dinner didn’t end until nearly 11:00 pm.

Some of the uncles were still discussing who would take the old man home, but Zhuang Jiayi didn’t participate. After saying goodbye to her father, her family left the restaurant first.

The Meng family had a house in Hong Kong, and the family split into two cars to head back. As they just reached the ground level after leaving the parking lot, Zhuang Jiayi suddenly realized she had left her shawl upstairs. She instructed the driver to go get it, but Meng Fanchuan volunteered, "I’ll go."

After several hours of noise, he needed some fresh air.

The Meng family’s rule was that before marriage, children couldn’t be exposed to the media, so mainland media had only seen the eldest son of the Meng family. Meng Fanchuan and Meng Wenruo had always been well protected, let alone the Hong Kong media.

So when Meng Fanchuan offered to go up and get it, Zhuang Jiayi didn’t think much of it, only saying, "Go quickly and come back soon."

Meng Fanchuan got out of the car, crossed the street, and walked while calling Cen Zhen again. It was already 11:00 pm, and her phone was still off.The fireworks had already finished. Could she still be out playing?

But that didn’t really match her personality.

Although the people at the entrance of Jialong didn’t know exactly which young master Meng Fanchuan was, they had seen him with Zhuang Tai earlier. Now that he was coming, they hurried to respectfully open the door for him.

Meng Fanchuan lowered his head and walked straight in, texting Cen Zhen as he walked, "Where did you go?"

The banquet was on the second floor. After entering, he headed straight up, but suddenly he heard a voice speaking Mandarin behind him.

Meng Fanchuan thought he must have drunk too much tonight, hearing things. The voice sounded so much like Cen Zhen's.

He turned around and saw a figure in a long down jacket standing in the reception area on the left side of the first floor, speaking to the doorman. Her long hair was casually tied in a bun, but it looked somewhat messy, with a few stray strands hanging by her ears. She seemed like she had just come from a rush.

The boldest thing Cen Zhen had ever done in her life was quitting the dance she had studied for over ten years to switch to acting.

But after today, she might reconsider. She had actually done something so reckless, so full of courage: on New Year's Eve, she took a pass and rushed to the airport, just to meet the person she had been thinking about.

Even the heavens seemed to help her. She caught the last flight to Hong Kong at 8:20 PM, and by the time she landed, it was already 10:30 PM. From Meng Wenruo’s Moments, she saw they were dining at a place called Jialong, so she took a taxi straight there.

Cen Zhen couldn’t believe it herself. She was supposed to be at home watching the Spring Festival Gala, but four hours later, she was standing on unfamiliar ground in another city.

She hadn’t really thought about what she would do once she got here. Maybe just to see him from a distance? Or perhaps meet him when no one was around, face-to-face, to say "Happy New Year" and thank him for the fireworks.

But now, thinking about those things didn’t matter.

Cen Zhen felt very frustrated. When she arrived, she found out that the guests had already left.

What was worse, she had been in such a hurry to leave that her phone was dead.

Cen Zhen didn’t speak Cantonese, so she could only ask for help in Mandarin: “Do you know where I can find a power bank nearby?”

The doorman told her to walk a few streets to a shopping mall. His words were a bit fast, and she didn’t quite catch the street names. Cen Zhen repeated his directions to confirm:

“Is it a left turn ahead, 100 meters?”

"Yes, and if you don’t find it there, you can go to the nearby Hongshun Street 7-11."

"Hongshun Street, okay."

Amidst the polite exchange, a man's voice suddenly cut in, “Cen Zhen?”

The figure that had been trying to remember the street names seemed to freeze for a moment, then turned around in disbelief.