Chapter54

After the first photo was posted, a second, third, and even more photos followed. Some netizens even created a dedicated thread to collect all the New Year's Eve fireworks photos from Victoria Harbour. In no time, countless photos flooded the internet, offering various angles of that unforgettable night.

During the New Year period, Hong Kong was filled with tourists, and countless people witnessed the grand spectacle. As the identities of the two main characters were revealed, people slowly realized that Zhen was indeed Cen Zhen.

The Zhen who was blessed by Lewis for her dreams to come true—was Cen Zhen.

He said she was his girl, he said he liked her, he said "Dear Zhen."

All his affection was conveyed through these simple words, confessed under the grand fireworks at Victoria Harbour.

If anyone had doubts about Cen Zhen's relationship before, once these photos were revealed, the only thing left on the internet were people going crazy over their love.

“I can’t imagine, how much must he like her to do this?”

“Doesn't anyone find the phrase ‘Bless my girl, dreams come true’ really moving? The second young master is clearly supporting Cen Zhen's career!”

“Exactly!! I mean, if she has such a boyfriend, why suffer acting in movies? It's obvious Cen Zhen has her own dreams, and this man is supporting her!!”

“The more I dig, the more I ship this, girls, I just saw a behind-the-scenes photo from last year's Ski Festival promo, turns out the second young master was there too, and even personally taught Zhen Zhen how to ski!”

“Ahhhhhh this is the perfect rich family romance!!!”

“Love is about respect and support, and this second young master gives both to Zhen Zhen.”

“This kind of love is the best, you shine, and I’ll always be behind you.”

“I admit, this brother-in-law is really okay.”

That night, no one knew that Meng Songnian, for once, picked up his phone. Under Meng Wenruo’s recommendation, he browsed through various trending discussions and learned more about his son and Cen Zhen’s past from the “gossip” dug up by netizens.

He saw a photo of them skiing together at the snow resort, with the girl looking adorable in her turtle-shaped knee pads, while his son, handsome since childhood, stood by her side in a ski suit.

Meng Songnian saved the photo, stared at it for a long time, took off his glasses, and fell into silence. After a while, he smiled helplessly and shook his head.

—Everything she likes, he dislikes.

Maybe, starting today, should he, as a father, try to accept his son’s interests?

That night, Mo Xiang was also busy.

She, still at the Shanghai office, spent the whole night answering countless phone calls. The brands that had been waiting on the sidelines to see how Cen Zhen’s career developed were now almost fighting over each other to throw olive branches at her. With the labels of “Xie Qingzong's premium selection” and “Competing at Cannes,” Cen Zhen’s starting point was already high. Now, with the revelation that she was the future daughter-in-law of a top-tier family, Cen Zhen’s future possibilities seemed endless. If they didn’t sign her now, they might never get the chance.

But Cen Zhen turned down all these offers for the time being.

Right now, she just hoped that Falling could wrap up smoothly, and then she could focus on preparing for the next film. During the New Year, Mo Xiang had sent her several scripts, two of which had interesting stories and were still under negotiation.

The explosive announcement from the Meng family unexpectedly reached Xiao Yunqi in Hangzhou.

Her mother saw the news online and immediately called her, asking anxiously: "Wasn't Xiao Meng saying he was involved in the automotive industry? How did you suddenly become the daughter-in-law of a multi-billionaire family...?"

Xiao Yunqi was confused by the shocking descriptions online. When Meng Fanchuan had introduced himself to her, he had only mentioned he was involved in competitive racing. Xiao Yunqi had assumed it was some form of the automotive industry and figured he probably had a little money based on his looks and demeanor. But she never imagined he was this outrageously wealthy.

"Also, didn’t you go to North City for the New Year? Why are you suddenly in Hong Kong? Ah, you two…" Xiao Yunqi was completely confused by the news and would occasionally pull up the photos again to double-check, wondering if she was misremembering, whether the Xiao Meng she knew was the same person, and whether her daughter was involved.

Nothing seemed to match.

Cen Zhen just laughed and replied, “Don’t worry about what he does, or what family he’s from, just focus on the person.”

She had always liked Meng Fanchuan—the person, not the fame, fortune, or status, nothing else mattered.

As for her friends, they were nearly blowing up her phone. Among them, Qiao Tingting was the most exaggerated, writing all kinds of long posts accusing her of not being upfront, of hiding her relationship, and making her join the internet in eating the “good friend’s gossip.”

Her best friend had to be appeased, and Cen Zhen finally managed to calm Qiao Tingting’s anger by promising, “Next time, I’ll come and buy all the tickets to your concert to watch.”

As the Spring Festival came to an end in North City, the Falling film crew was also nearing the end of shooting.

Thanks to the double heat of Xie Qingzong and Cen Zhen, this movie had gained unprecedented attention. Especially after Meng Songnian personally took Cen Zhen to participate in Meng family business matters, indirectly confirming her status as the future daughter-in-law, the media gathered outside the set every day, and Cen Zhen would be blocked whenever she finished work.

The media had hoped to snap intimate pictures of the young master and the female star after work, but surprisingly, after a week of staking out, they didn’t capture anything.

After all, who would have expected Meng Fanchuan to predict the difficulties they would face in meeting later? So, after the Lantern Festival, he moved into the set hotel. During the day, he would travel with the crew’s shuttle, and at night, he would return to the hotel with the shuttle. Once the door was closed, it would be their private world, and they stayed inside.

“Chi Yu just came back and said there are still media downstairs.” Cen Zhen had just finished her shower and, with her arms around Meng Fanchuan’s neck, asked, “Do you want to go home? You haven’t been back for several days.”

“I haven’t seen you for two weeks. Now that I’m finally with you, are you kicking me out?”

“...I’m not kicking you out.” Cen Zhen moved to sit in front of him expertly, “I’m just afraid Uncle and Aunt miss you.”

Meng Fanchuan sneered, “Right now, they probably miss you more.”Chapter 54 (continued)

It was heard that the box meals on the set weren't very tasty, so Zhuang Jiayi directly arranged for their family chef to send special meals to Cen Zhen every day, with different dishes each time. Although Meng Songnian wasn't as obvious as his wife, he would occasionally ask during his phone calls if Cen Zhen’s filming was going smoothly.

They didn’t care where their son was, only concerned about whether their future daughter-in-law was eating well and whether work was going smoothly.

Noticing that Meng Fanchuan seemed a little upset, Cen Zhen comforted him, saying, “They love me because they love you.”

She said earnestly, “Uncle and Aunt really love you.”

Meng Fanchuan pulled her into his arms and gently nudged his nose against hers, “What about you?”

Cen Zhen was tickled by his action and deliberately answered, “Hmm... hard to say.”

“Hard to say?” Meng Fanchuan chuckled, pressing her firmly against him. “Cen Zhen, I’m afraid you can’t back out of this one. Your fans have already acknowledged me as your brother-in-law.”

Somehow, someone had managed to dig up Meng Fanchuan's Weibo account. His page had no content, and the only post was a birthday greeting from last year sent by the official account.

As a result, Cen Zhen's fans lined up under the birthday post to call him “brother-in-law,” creating thousands of layers of comments. Meng Fanchuan appeared unfazed, maintaining a calm expression. But in truth, whenever he had free time, he’d pull out his phone and check, finally realizing how beautiful and delightful the words "brother-in-law" were.

Meng Fanchuan pressed Cen Zhen onto the bed and kissed her lips meaningfully, “I’m giving you a chance to answer again. If you still say ‘hard to say,’ I’ll say it’s hard tonight as well.”

“Don’t…” Cen Zhen knew exactly what he meant, quickly surrendering and soothing him, “Of course, I love you. I love you even more than Uncle and Aunt.”

They were close, and Meng Fanchuan buried his face in her neck, his lips lightly brushing against her skin, “Then kiss me.”

Cen Zhen turned her head to avoid his kiss, laughing, “No.”

But as she laughed, Meng Fanchuan habitually grabbed her wrist, and while casually circling his finger on her wrist, Cen Zhen’s body softened under his skilled kiss, instinctively responding to his desire.

The room fell silent, except for the sound of kissing.

When their kiss deepened, Cen Zhen suddenly remembered something and, in a daze, asked, “...What about the marriage fortune you got at Wong Tai Sin? You promised to tell me when you came back.”

Meng Fanchuan gently rubbed her delicate curves with his palm and replied carelessly, “I didn’t bring it with me. I’ll show it to you another day.”

It was just a fortune; it wasn’t a thesis, something that could be explained in one sentence. Why did it need to be brought back to show?

Cen Zhen felt that Meng Fanchuan was trying to avoid something, pushing excuses left and right.

“Did you get something bad?” Cen Zhen pushed him away for a moment, looking at him with comforting eyes, “Actually, my ability to handle things is much stronger now. You don’t need to worry that I can’t handle it.”

“Is that so?” Meng Fanchuan smiled playfully, pushing her legs apart with his knee, “Let me see how strong you are.”

“…”

It wasn’t clear how long had passed, but the room was filled with warmth as Meng Fanchuan slowly picked Cen Zhen up and said gently, “We need to practice more, we’ve only just begun.”

Cen Zhen’s face was flushed red, still struggling to control her heavy breathing, in a defeated posture as Meng Fanchuan wrapped her in a bathrobe and carried her to the sofa.

She bit her lip, still immersed in the overwhelming aftereffects, watching the man in front of her change the bed sheets. The wave of emotions surged, causing her heart to race.

At the place where the crew was staying, it didn’t matter for the others, but everyone knew the female lead’s room belonged to the popular Cen Zhen. If she asked someone to come in the middle of the night to change the wet sheets, she would be embarrassed. So, she had previously asked the maid to bring clean sheets to her room every day, so she could change them herself.

At home, even slippers were handed to the young master by servants, but here with his girlfriend on set, Meng Fanchuan had done everything for her.

In the mornings, he squeezed the toothpaste for her, at night, he ran her bath water, and every late night, he would personally change the bed sheets for them.

Sometimes, his assistant Chi Yu didn’t even know what to do anymore. She nervously asked Cen Zhen, “The young master isn’t planning to fire me, right? Why is he trying to do my job?”

Cen Zhen smiled and replied, “He’s been going through brother-in-law syndrome lately, just let him.”

Chi Yu: “…”

Soon after, the Falling film crew officially wrapped up.

In fact, many of the actors had finished their scenes earlier, but Cen Zhen’s part continued until the very end. The final scene was a seven-minute continuous shot, which took two full days of filming before Xie Qingzong was satisfied. That scene was Li Tao’s internal monologue before she took her own life, moving from her unwillingness, complaints, and pain to the release she felt as she fell from a great height. In that moment, her eyes were closed, and tears slid down her smile.

Xie Qingzong had high standards, and Cen Zhen had high expectations for herself as well, with the script covered in her dense annotations. This scene was silent, yet the most powerful in the entire film. Cen Zhen’s performance was entirely conveyed through her facial expressions and eyes.

Xie Qingzong once said that the highest level of acting was to not act at all.

When all her reactions were purely physiological responses to the role, she became the character, and all the emotions felt completely authentic.

Cen Zhen was probably the kind of actor Xie Qingzong was talking about. After the seven-minute continuous shot was completed, although Xie Qingzong didn’t say anything outwardly, he couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration. Some people’s cinematic presence was innate, and they were born to do this work—these kinds of people had limitless potential in the future.

In early March, after not posting on Weibo since the start of filming, Cen Zhen finally shared a photo holding a bouquet of flowers with a simple three-word caption.

@Cen Zhen: Wrapped up.

Her fans eagerly replied:

“Baby, congrats on finishing the filming!!”“Now that the filming is wrapped up, have a good rest and take the opportunity to properly date your brother-in-law, haha.”

“The flowers are so beautiful, did the second young master send them?”

“Sis, bring your brother-in-law along, I want to see!”

“Looking forward to Falling hitting the screen soon!! Looking forward to Li Tao! Looking forward to Zhen Zhen dominating Cannes!”

“Congrats on wrapping up, hope your relationship goes smoothly! Brother-in-law, take good care of Zhen Zhen!”

Looking at the feedback in the comment section, Mo Xiang, the manager, also felt a rare sense of ease. She had managed many celebrities before, and rumors were inevitable when filming or attending shows. Sometimes dealing with fan wars was particularly painful, but Cen Zhen’s comment section was incredibly harmonious. At least when it came to her relationship, there was barely any negative comment.

An artist’s rise to fame requires both luck and talent, and Cen Zhen was one of the rare people who had both in equal measure.

The reason why her relationship was accepted and blessed by the public was not only because the Meng family gave her their full support, but also because she had publicly announced it before she became famous, making everything seem logical and reasonable now.

Every step of fate has its response. She did something that no other new artist dared to do at the time, and now, the blessings she received were only natural.

Two days later, the Falling film crew held a wrap-up banquet.

All the actors and staff were notified that the banquet would be held at the Wanyue Hotel in the city center, starting at 7 PM sharp.

“I heard it was arranged by the investors. Since we didn’t have an opening banquet, they want to make the wrap-up banquet grand. I also heard the media was invited.”

“That’s so impressive! Haha, I’ve never heard of anyone having their wrap-up banquet at a luxury hotel like this.”

“I don’t care, I just want to eat a big meal!”

When Cen Zhen saw the notification in the group about the location being at Wanyue, she immediately knew it was Meng Fanchuan’s idea. She asked him, “Why did you choose this place?”

Meng Fanchuan replied, “Didn’t you say that Wanyue is destined for you, and you met the most important person in your life here?”

“When did I ever say that?” Cen Zhen thought Meng Fanchuan was jealous, and seriously corrected him, “The most important person in my life is you.”

Meng Fanchuan chuckled softly, “Same thing.”

Cen Zhen had been busy filming, and Meng Fanchuan hadn’t found the right time to bring up the tissue issue, not wanting to affect her mood. But now that filming was over, he planned to tell her today.

At Wanyue, the place where they had first met.

Meng Fanchuan said it was the same, but Cen Zhen didn’t understand what he meant. Just then, her phone rang. It was her mother, Xiao Yunqi, calling with a slightly helpless tone:

“Zhen Zhen, um... some people suddenly came to pick me up to go to the North City for your wrap-up banquet. Is this true?”

Cen Zhen looked up at Meng Fanchuan, who lightly nodded, and she understood. She comforted her mother, “Yes, it’s Fanchuan’s people who came to pick you up.”

Twenty minutes later, Xiao Yunqi was standing in front of a private jet, greeted by a whole crew of smiling staff. She finally had a tangible sense of what it meant to be “the daughter-in-law of a billion-dollar family.”

Meanwhile, after hanging up, Cen Zhen asked Meng Fanchuan, “What made you think of going to pick up my mom?”

“You accompanied me during the New Year, so now that filming is over, I’m bringing her to North City. We’ll spend a few days with her together.”

Cen Zhen was momentarily moved. She hugged him, tilting her head to look up at him, “Is it really that good?”

Meng Fanchuan leaned down to kiss her lips, matching her posture, “In exchange for me being so good, if I make a mistake later, you’re not allowed to be unhappy.”

Cen Zhen blinked in confusion, “What would you do wrong?”

In fact, Meng Fanchuan wasn’t sure how Cen Zhen would feel once he told her about the tissue matter—whether she would feel embarrassed or even angry.

So he thought about it and decided to give her a heads-up, “It’s like this…”

Meng Fanchuan tried to find the best way to bring up the subject naturally, “I helped a girl before, and now that girl is back to look for me.”

He felt he had hinted clearly enough, and that if Cen Zhen thought about it for a moment, she would know exactly what he was talking about.

But his girlfriend completely misunderstood the focus of his words. Her eyes widened, “…She came back to look for you?”

It seemed like she understood why he had told her not to get upset. “So you’re going to meet her, right?”

Meng Fanchuan paused for a moment, then nodded, “Yes.”

The atmosphere between them suddenly became tense. Meng Fanchuan noticed that Cen Zhen didn’t seem very happy and was about to explain everything to her when she suddenly nodded and said, “Then you can go.”

Meng Fanchuan: “?”

Meng Fanchuan was caught off guard. “Wait, Miss Cen, aren’t you even a little jealous?”

“I’m not that petty.” Cen Zhen smiled gently. “I know you love me, I trust you.”

“…”

Now, Meng Fanchuan was starting to doubt whether Cen Zhen truly loved him that much.

He wanted to say more, but Cen Zhen was called by Xie Qingzong. There was a media interview in the afternoon, and she needed to head to the wrap-up banquet for a press visit.

Cen Zhen kissed him comfortingly on the lips, “I’ll see you at the hotel later. By the way, when are you going to meet that friend?”The young master stiffly replied, “Just tonight.”

Cen Zhen: “?”

Her gentle and considerate girlfriend finally reacted, and in one sentence, using both her name and surname, expressed all her dissatisfaction: “Meng Fanchuan?”

Meng Fanchuan: “…”

He immediately shut his mouth, “Just joking.”

Cen Zhen was very busy today.

As the female lead of the movie, and with the label of being a top-tier fiancée attached to her, during media interviews, aside from talking about the movie and the filming process, it was inevitable that questions about her relationship with Meng Fanchuan would arise. The one-hour all-crew interview eventually stretched to two hours. By the time it ended, the other actors were already in the back waiting to eat, but she was still being dragged by reporters, being asked how Meng Fanchuan had pursued her.

With twenty minutes left before the meal, Cen Zhen had finally managed to escape the media. After quickly changing, she was about to head back to the back area when Mo Xiang received a call from Xiao Yunqi, who had come to find her. The mother and daughter exchanged pleasantries for a moment. Xiao Yunqi immediately pointed out how much better Cen Zhen’s complexion looked.

“Looking at Xiao Meng, you can tell he really takes care of people.”

Cen Zhen hadn’t thought much of Xiao Yunqi’s comment, but Mo Xiang beside her unexpectedly smiled a little. From her smile, Cen Zhen sensed something meaningful. In an instant, she realized what was going on, and her face turned red. She hurriedly urged her mother to go sit in the back area, “You and Sister Xiang sit at one table. After the meal, wait for me.”

“Okay, okay.” Xiao Yunqi, attending her daughter’s event for the first time, was in a good mood. After walking a few steps, she turned around, seemingly remembering something. She pulled a small box from her bag and handed it to Cen Zhen. “This is the New Year gift Xiao Meng had me give you. You left before you could open it, so here, don’t lose it.”

Cen Zhen was slightly stunned, staring at the small box in her hands, unsure what it contained.

Xiao Yunqi leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Could it be an engagement ring?”

The word made Cen Zhen’s heart skip a beat. “Don’t say such things.”

Xiao Yunqi chuckled and walked away with Mo Xiang. Cen Zhen stood there holding the small box, planning to open it immediately, but recalling Xiao Yunqi’s words about an “engagement ring,” she hesitated...

What if it really was a ring?

Should she open it in such a noisy place?

Cen Zhen stared at the small box for a long time. After a pause, she decided to temporarily put it into her handbag, planning to find a quiet place after the meal and open it properly.

When she returned to the back area, most of the cast and crew had already arrived. Only the director and producers were missing. The scene was bustling with noise. Cen Zhen didn’t see Meng Fanchuan, so she was about to step out to call him when she saw him walking in with Xie Qingzong, followed by a group of people.

No matter how many times she saw Meng Fanchuan in formal attire, Cen Zhen was always impressed. Many male stars in the industry were well-dressed, but none could wear a suit like him, effortlessly combining elegance and a youthful carefree vibe.

Walking in with Xie Qingzong, Meng Fanchuan’s gaze immediately fell on Cen Zhen. She hadn’t expected to run into him halfway and was about to turn back when he casually stretched out his hand towards her in front of everyone.

The moment Meng Fanchuan entered, everyone’s eyes in the room had already fixed on this noble young master.

Now, as he reached out his hand to Cen Zhen—

The onlookers’ attention shifted to Cen Zhen, who, after a brief pause, smiled and reached out her hand to meet his.

The relationship between the two of them had long ceased to be a secret in the crew. As they walked in holding hands, the room burst into one round of cheers after another. Cen Zhen pursed her lips, feeling a little shy, but she calmly accepted everyone’s gaze.

“Oh my god, the way the second young master reached out to hold her hand was too loving. I’m stunned.”

“They’re officially showing off their love now.”

“So sweet! So sweet! Ahhhhhh!”

“He really looks so in love, haha.”

“I’m going to have to toast the second young master later, thanking him for buying me a 188-dollar milk tea.”

“Hahahahaha!”

“The uncle standing next to Director Xie is the representative of the investors, right?”

“The big investor still hasn’t shown up even though the filming’s wrapped up.”

“...They sent a representative. With such a high-profile wrap-up banquet, that’s already pretty good. The big boss must be busy.”

Amidst the chattering, Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan sat at the main table. Normally, Meng Fanchuan should have sat with the producers, but to avoid unnecessary speculation, he sat beside Cen Zhen as her boyfriend.

The atmosphere outside was lively, with the couple whispering to each other.

“Aren’t you going to meet that girl?”

“I will,” Meng Fanchuan replied lazily. “I’ll meet her later.”

Cen Zhen thought he was just being stubborn with her, so she smiled and gently scratched his palm. He responded by tightly holding her hand. “I will really go meet her.”

“Fine, you go.”

The wrap-up banquet began, and Cen Zhen stopped arguing with him. She pulled her hand away and lightly clapped as she watched the stage.

Before the meal began, a few words were always said. Since their crew didn’t hire a host, Xie Qingzong gave a speech, mentioning how difficult the past months had been for the actors. In the middle of his speech, he referred to Cen Zhen:

“Everyone knows I have high standards. Many actors hear about Xie Qingzong’s projects and want to join, but they’re afraid to. Why?” Xie Qingzong said. “My strictness is famous, and you’ve all seen it in these months. Many people were even scolded to tears. I want to thank everyone, every single crew member, and a special thank you to Zhen Zhen.”“Li Tao is a very difficult character to portray. In addition to the physical kicking, beating, and torment that everyone can see, I believe there is a mental toll as well. Before playing this role, I even arranged for her to have a therapist, but fortunately, Zhen Zhen’s performance was excellent. There may have been one or two moments when her emotions weren’t stable during the process, but in the end, she pushed through.”

“She’s great.” Xie Qingzong paused, cleared his throat, and humorously added, not forgetting to mention Meng Fanchuan, “I guess the boyfriend’s support was indispensable.”

Laughter erupted from the audience, followed by another round of teasing and screaming.

Cen Zhen sat in the audience, her face red and warm from the teasing, while the person next to her remained calm throughout, occasionally smiling faintly and clapping, exuding a confident “Yes, it’s me” vibe.

At this moment, Xie Qingzong invited Cen Zhen to the stage. “Now, let’s have our leading lady say a few words.”

Cen Zhen knew she would definitely be called on to say a few words at the wrap-up banquet, so she had prepared herself. She made her way up to the stage from the side, standing next to Xie Qingzong. She had originally thought she would just recite her rehearsed speech, but when she stood on the stage and looked at her colleagues and friends, people she had spent the past few months with, all her prepared words lost their meaning.

An actor’s emotions are rich and overflowing, and in that moment, Cen Zhen suddenly felt deeply moved. She spoke from the heart:

“Actually, before I took on this role with Director Xie, I had a long period of low points. I even thought that my dream of becoming an actor might never come true, so I am incredibly grateful to Director Xie for giving me this opportunity. His firm belief in me allowed me to pick up my pursuit of this dream again.”

“I’d like to thank the producers, the costume and makeup teachers, the logistics team, and all the other colleagues who have given me warm memories during these months. This is my first film, and I believe it will be the most important starting point in my life. I’m truly grateful to have had all of you here with me on this journey.”

At this point, Cen Zhen was already choking up. Those dark days of constant setbacks were still fresh in her mind. Remembering the difficulties of persevering through it all, she couldn’t hold back the tears, but they were tears of happiness.

From the audience, someone called out, “Give Zhen Zhen a tissue!”

But just as the speaker frantically fumbled for a pack of tissues, someone had already walked over and handed her a tissue.

Cen Zhen looked up to see Meng Fanchuan walking over to hand her a tissue, and the lump in her throat became even more bittersweet, because she knew what she was about to say next.

She took the tissue and continued, “Director Xie just said that this film has a lot of emotional toll. Yes, Li Tao is indeed a character with many complex psychological transformations. I had to empathize with her despair, gloom, and distortions. It was certainly suffocating, but…”

Cen Zhen wiped away the tears that had slipped down to the corner of her lips. “But because there’s someone who has always been by my side, unconditionally supporting me, giving me the best emotional support—”

At this point, Cen Zhen suddenly stopped.

Her nerves were sharply triggered by something, and the distant yet unforgettable scent from deep in her memory suddenly entered her senses so clearly that it almost overwhelmed her.

Her thoughts scattered, her heartbeat quickened, and she stared blankly at the white tissue in her hand, pausing for a moment, as if she had understood something. She looked at Meng Fanchuan in the audience in disbelief.