Chapter59

After the premiere at the end of November, Falling officially hit theaters across the country in mid-December.

With numerous previews, the movie's reputation had already fully fermented, and the overwhelming positive reviews seemed almost too perfect, making some netizens suspicious—could it really be that good?

So many people’s curiosity was piqued that on the first day of the movie’s release, they rushed to buy tickets to judge for themselves. Originally an extremely sincere work, it naturally received the most genuine feedback:

"Xie Qingzong has never chosen the wrong person!!! Old Xie is amazing!"

"A scumbag like the stepfather deserved that ending. Li Tao did well to kill him, but why did she have to commit suicide at the end? It’s so tragic."

"Actually, if she hadn't met the adopted sister again, she might have been able to move on slowly."

"She couldn’t move on. She’s long since given up on this world. The fate her mother destroyed, no one loved her."

"Yes, no one loved her, but she still did her best to protect that sister..."

"The look she gave when she stabbed the stepfather gave me goosebumps. Cen Zhen really nailed it!"

"The last seven minutes, shot in one take, can absolutely be called a masterpiece. Xie Qingzong really knows how to pick people and direct, the scene of the bloodstained white dress falling in the snow is both ironic and impactful."

"I’m a fan now. Can the top stars of domestic entertainment learn from you, Sister Zhen?"

"I’m already looking forward to Sister Zhen’s Cannes red carpet!"

With his fiancée’s first film out, Meng Fanchuan naturally showed support. He went all out and booked 100 IMAX screenings at the top ten cinemas in Hu City. All employees of Zhongshi Group were given three free movie tickets with their work ID, allowing them to bring family and friends to watch.

Meng Fanchuan thought he had done something extravagant, but to his surprise, Meng Songnian quietly issued an internal directive, mandating all managers and above to watch the movie, with other employees having the option to choose. Everyone who watched could get reimbursed with their ticket stub and also participate in a special lottery at the group’s year-end annual meeting.

In addition to various valuable gifts like smartphones and home appliances, the grand prize was even a luxury ten-day European trip for two.

Not only did they offer you free tickets to watch the movie, but they were also sending you gifts.

When Meng Fanchuan saw this internal email, he almost laughed in anger. Yawan Group's headquarters alone had over ten thousand employees, not counting the branches and overseas offices. Meng Songnian was practically paying out of his own pocket to support Cen Zhen.

Along with Meng Fanchuan’s contribution, the father and son duo’s combined efforts directly pushed Cen Zhen’s box office up by nearly eight million.

Cen Zhen was stunned when she found out and asked Meng Fanchuan, "Do you think Uncle is spending too much?"

Meng Fanchuan reassured her, "He buys my mom a necklace for tens of millions without batting an eye. A few million is nothing to him."

Though it was “nothing,” it was still a thoughtful gesture from an elder. When Cen Zhen later went to thank Meng Songnian, he acted as if it was nothing, saying, "Come to the Yawan Charity Gala with Fanchuan in a few days, and that will be your way of repaying my support."

Only then did Cen Zhen learn that Meng Fanchuan had never attended the Yawan Group’s charity gala before.

Though he had nearly the same shares as his brother in Yawan, he never involved himself in the company’s matters. Yawan’s charitable reputation was largely built by Zhuang Jiayi, and it had considerable influence both in the industry and across Asia. Every year, at the end of the year, Meng Songnian would attend the event with his wife, sometimes hoping that Meng Fanchuan and the family would show up as well, but he always refused to cooperate.

In the past, they had indulged him, but this year was special—his elder daughter-in-law was pregnant, and Meng Qinghuai had already said he would stay at home to accompany his wife. His younger daughter went even further, sneaking off to Hengdian to do some extra work.

A young lady running extra work on set—what was going on?

Meng Songnian, looking at Cen Zhen with resentment, said, "He’s been publicly showing off with you."

Cen Zhen: "..."

That photo of them holding hands had garnered over two million likes online. Cen Zhen didn’t know if Meng Songnian had seen it, and awkwardly swallowed before saying, "No worries... I’ll definitely convince him."

Cen Zhen immediately went home to carry out her mission. When the conversation reached Meng Fanchuan’s ears, he was clearly not happy. "Do you know how many people attend that event? The schedule is packed, and the entire evening is filled with noise."

"Oh." Cen Zhen pretended to be angry, turning her back. "Well, there will be a lot of people at the wedding too. Grandpa even said over video the other day that he wants to have a three-day banquet. So many people, maybe we shouldn’t get married after all."

"Wrong." Meng Fanchuan quickly admitted his mistake, turning Cen Zhen’s face back to him. "I’ll go, but you’re not allowed to say anything about not getting married."

Cen Zhen secretly smiled, having successfully completed Meng Songnian’s task but knowing she had accidentally touched on something Meng Fanchuan didn’t like. She soothed him, "I was just joking."

Then she kissed him again. "If I don’t marry you, who else would I marry?"

Meng Fanchuan thought, there are so many people.

After Falling was released, it dominated the box office for the year-end and still held a commanding lead. Cen Zhen’s acting in it was outstanding, and her fanbase surged to over ten million.

Among the ten million fans, some called her "Sister" while others called her "Wife." Dividing it evenly, that meant she had over five million invisible rivals.

How terrifying was that?

Meng Fanchuan couldn’t tolerate it.

"We have to get married after the New Year." He said firmly.At the end of December, the annual charity gala of Yawan Group was held as scheduled.

The reason Meng Fanchuan didn’t enjoy attending such galas was simply because of his personality. People who are used to a free and unrestrained lifestyle dislike the business world’s social climbing and flattery. While Meng Fanchuan could handle it effortlessly, such as when he attended the welcome banquet hosted by the Hua family when he first arrived in Hu City, he accepted their hospitality graciously, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it.

The private dinner at the Hua Mansion was relatively intimate, but at Yawan, it was purely a vanity fair. Various familiar faces of new and old money gathered together, and Meng Fanchuan couldn’t even summon the energy to pretend.

For example, tonight, the second young master of Yawan, who rarely appeared at such events, made an exception. Everyone knew that he had recently proposed loudly, and a good thing was approaching. Even though this group of people generally didn’t care much for celebrities, they still tried to flatter him a little: "Miss Cen’s movie was very good, very socially insightful."

Even though it was a deliberate attempt to please him, they were still praising Cen Zhen. Meng Fanchuan, hearing it, gave a rare smile and said, "Thank you for your support."

Before attending the gala with Meng Fanchuan, Cen Zhen thought the so-called charity event would be much like the ones she’d heard about: full of stars, performances, and donations. But when she arrived at the venue, she realized there was a clear division between the social classes.

She thought that the charity galas hosted by fashion magazines in the entertainment industry were already pretty high-end, and she even expected to run into some of her industry colleagues, so she thought the night would be quite easy-going.

However, she did meet a colleague—only one senior, who was there because they were serving as the charity ambassador for the night, fulfilling their duties.

When Meng Fanchuan told Cen Zhen that the guests at this gala were all billionaires, and that the man who had just praised her movie for its depth owned an entire building on Wall Street in the United States, Cen Zhen was shocked and widened her eyes.

It turned out that the real charity nights for the elite had their own very realistic entry barriers.

"Take a look at whatever you like. I’ll take a picture for you later," Meng Fanchuan said. He was only attending because Cen Zhen had asked him to, but now that he was there, he might as well support his mother’s work by donating something.

He handed Cen Zhen a booklet, and she opened it.

The theme of tonight’s charity gala was to raise funds for children affected by recent wars, so the first page of the booklet was filled with photos of children who had lost their homes in the midst of war. Then followed the introduction of the gala’s structure, including the chairperson Zhuang Jiayi, the charity ambassador, the list of foundation board members, and even invited United Nations personnel.

At the very end of the booklet were descriptions of the items to be auctioned during the gala.

Most of the items were antique jewelry from top luxury brands that had never been sold to the public. Cen Zhen carefully looked through and pointed to a diamond bracelet, saying to Meng Fanchuan, "This one is quite beautiful."

Meng Fanchuan nodded. "Then it’s this one. Consider it your New Year’s gift."

Cen Zhen was slightly stunned and said seriously, "But I didn’t prepare a gift for you..."

Meng Fanchuan chuckled at her words, lazily pinching her cheek. "You can give yourself to me."

"…Be serious."

While the two were whispering, Meng Songnian and Zhuang Jiayi walked over arm in arm. Both were dressed formally tonight, and although they were both over 50, they had an air of sophistication. Zhuang Jiayi, in particular, wore a misty pink gown that shimmered with elegance, her figure gracefully accentuated, and it was impossible to tell she had already borne three children.

"Zhenzhen," Zhuang Jiayi smiled and held Cen Zhen’s hand, looking her over with satisfaction. "The high couture from Hodri this season is indeed stunning. It really suits you."

A few days ago, Cen Zhen had received 16 dresses from Zhuang Jiayi’s assistant.

Apparently, they had been sent directly from international runways. After Cen Zhen was left speechless, she realized that the family seemed to have the same approach to everything.

When Meng Fanchuan was displeased, he would clear out a store’s entire inventory. Now, his mother was the same, directly buying all the designs from the runway and even thoughtfully sending a designer to personally adjust the dresses based on Cen Zhen’s measurements.

"Thank you, Auntie," Cen Zhen sincerely thanked her for the 16 haute couture dresses.

"Time to stop calling me that." Zhuang Jiayi smiled, patting Cen Zhen’s head.

The two women chatted while Meng Songnian, noticing Cen Zhen’s bare neck, frowned and asked Meng Fanchuan, "Why didn’t you prepare any jewelry for Zhenzhen?"

Meng Fanchuan knew exactly how to dress for the Meng family’s charity gala, so earlier, Wen Hui had sent several brands with lookbooks to let Cen Zhen choose, but she had refused all of them. She said the dress from Zhuang Jiayi was already luxurious enough, and she didn’t want to wear anything too flashy that would overshadow it.

Meng Fanchuan didn’t insist. When Meng Songnian asked, he casually replied, "I’ll take some pictures for her later."

"You should’ve done that earlier," Meng Songnian grumbled. "You make so much money every year; it’s time to give back and do something good."

Meng Fanchuan: "…"

Being a businessman driven by profit, after watching the F1 exhibition match and realizing the enormous profits behind it, Meng Songnian had already started thinking about branching out into investments with his son.

Just then, a man in a suit approached and respectfully invited Zhuang Jiayi, "JOEY, would you and Mr. Meng like to open the dance this year?"

Zhuang Jiayi waved her hand with a smile, "Maybe not. Let Vincent and his wife do it instead?"

Before the man could respond, Meng Songnian had already taken his wife’s hand, "Don’t refuse. No one here dances better than you."

Dancing in social settings was quite a normal thing, and Yawan’s charity night always included this tradition. This year, once again, it was up to the chairperson, Zhuang Jiayi, and her husband to open the dance.

Amid applause, the German symphony orchestra began playing, and Meng Songnian very gentlemanly extended his hand to Zhuang Jiayi, then placed his arm around her waist as they gracefully danced to the music.

After they had danced, the rest of the guests joined in. Meng Fanchuan casually asked a passing waiter for a drink, leaning back casually when, unexpectedly, a man walked up to Cen Zhen and extended his hand, "Miss Cen, may I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Before Cen Zhen could respond, a hand had already wrapped around her waist—

"I’m still standing right here." Meng Fanchuan said with a smile, but his tone made everyone feel a chill.

The man who had invited her to dance awkwardly stood there for a few seconds before sheepishly walking away.

Meng Fanchuan set his glass down, his arm tightening around Cen Zhen’s waist as he directly pulled her into the dance floor.

Caught off guard, Cen Zhen exclaimed, "...I thought you couldn’t dance."Just like with all the tedious socializing, some things Meng Fanchuan was born to learn, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed them.

Ballroom dancing wasn’t difficult, but compared to skiing and racing, it felt somewhat pretentious. Meng Fanchuan really couldn’t muster any interest.

“At times like this, even if I can’t do it, I have to,” Meng Fanchuan said. Even though it was just an ordinary social etiquette, he didn’t want other men to keep eyeing Cen Zhen.

Cen Zhen had learned dance since she was young, so an ordinary waltz wasn’t a big deal to her. But seeing Meng Fanchuan handle it so easily, she couldn’t help but be curious, “Have you danced before?”

“Just once,” Meng Fanchuan replied.

“...With who?”

“During my high school graduation ball when I was 17,” Meng Fanchuan said without catching the slightly off tone in Cen Zhen’s voice. “With a girl from Monaco.”

That time, he was forced to dance his first dance in his life, feeling completely uncomfortable.

“Hmm, it must have been a very fond memory,” Cen Zhen said calmly, “Do you still remember where she was from?”

“…”

Meng Fanchuan finally noticed the hint of jealousy in Cen Zhen’s tone and couldn’t help but laugh to himself. He lowered his head and leaned close to her ear, “Isn’t this jealousy a bit unnecessary?”

Cen Zhen bit his shoulder as he came close. “Who’s jealous of you?”

The little couple’s actions were clearly observed by Meng Songnian, who was not far away.

“Look at what they’re doing,” Meng Songnian commented.

Zhuang Jiayi turned to glance and laughed, “Aren’t they dancing pretty well? Ah Chuan never used to participate in these kinds of events.”

“Are they dancing?” Meng Songnian said, unable to bear looking at the couple getting all lovey-dovey. “They’re flirting!”

Zhuang Jiayi paused, “Meng Songnian, you stepped on my foot.”

With just her full name, she had control over all the men in the Meng family.

Meng Songnian immediately retracted his gaze from his youngest son, turning his attention to comforting his wife, “My bad, don’t be angry.”

In a corner where no one could see, the older Meng was soothing his wife, while the younger Meng was also comforting his.

After the dance ended, the charity gala officially began. Zhuang Jiayi, as the chairperson, went on stage to give a speech about the background and purpose of the evening, then introduced the UNICEF commissioner, followed by some formalities and a performance from a children’s choir. Finally, they got to the main event: the auction for donations.

The guests present, each with at least a net worth of several billion, of course, came prepared to support. Whether it was a vintage pair of earrings or a rare pearl necklace, they casually tossed out several million, considering it their ticket to the evening.

The antique bracelet that Cen Zhen liked was only put up for auction near the end. According to the introduction, the bracelet had been kept in a jewelry museum previously worn by British royal family members and was only on display. The craftsmanship and diamond clarity were top-tier, and tonight was its first auction in the country.

Meng Songnian quietly said to Zhuang Jiayi, “I know you like this one.”

Zhuang Jiayi smiled, “What if someone else likes it too?”

Meng Songnian was confident, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you.”

It wasn’t surprising that Meng Songnian was so confident. This bracelet was the final piece of the auction because the starting price of 8 million was already very high. While these people came to show support, they still had their limits.

As for money, he had plenty of that.

Once the starting price was announced, someone immediately raised their paddle. “8.5 million.”

“9 million.”

“9.5 million.”

The auction rules were to increase bids by 500,000, but Meng Songnian wasn’t in the mood for patience. He just wanted to secure it in one go. As he was about to double the price, a lazy voice from the side interrupted, “20 million.”

Meng Songnian: “…?”

Looking over, he saw his son, nonchalantly gazing at his wife’s hand, as if deciding which wrist would look better with the bracelet.

For a moment, Meng Songnian’s mind went blank. He never expected his son to suddenly jump in and bid.

But even if it was his son, that wouldn’t do—

He straightened his suit and was about to raise his hand when Zhuang Jiayi discreetly stopped him. “You know his personality, don’t raise the price with him.”

Meng Songnian knew his son very well. Since Meng Fanchuan had spoken, he would definitely go through with it.

If he raised his hand now, not only would it be an awkward back-and-forth, but it would also look bad in front of others.

…That brat.

Meng Songnian’s chest heaved for a moment before he managed to suppress his frustration under his wife’s gentle persuasion.

The doubling of the bid made it clear to everyone present that Meng Fanchuan was determined to win. No one else raised their paddles, and with a final strike of the gavel, the bracelet was successfully won and placed on Cen Zhen’s wrist.

It was Meng Fanchuan who personally helped her wear it.

After the gala ended, Meng Fanchuan took Cen Zhen to say goodbye to his parents. Zhuang Jiayi gave Cen Zhen a hug and said, “The bracelet is beautiful.”Cen Zhen also liked it, “Fanchuan said the donation was for your foundation, but I ended up getting a bracelet for free.”

Zhuang Jiayi laughed as well, “He’s right, but without you, he wouldn’t have donated that money. So, this is a good deed you both did together.”

Cen Zhen smiled awkwardly, then said goodbye to Meng Songnian, “Uncle, we’re leaving now.”

Meng Songnian grunted in response without looking at her, but he kept his eyes fixed on Meng Fanchuan.

The look in his eyes was like thousands of nails aimed at Meng Fanchuan.

“It’s not like that.” Meng Fanchuan, feeling helpless under the intense gaze of his father, who seemed to be in a hormonally unstable mood, said, “I showed up, and the money’s been donated. What else is there to be unhappy about?”

“Happy?” Meng Songnian sneered, speaking slowly, word by word.

“You… tonight, very good.”