Chapter67

At the beginning of March, the weather in Beicheng warmed up. At 8 PM, Meng Fanchuan’s sports car stopped at the entrance of Wanyue Hotel.

Tonight was his friend Jiang Zhou's birthday, and the party was being held at a clubhouse owned by Wanyue. When he had received the call from Jiang Zhou earlier, he hadn't promised to come.

Whether it was family background or abilities, both Meng Fanchuan and his brother Meng Qinghuai belonged to the top tier of second-generation elites in Beicheng. As such, they would often receive invitations to weddings or birthday parties from people in their circle. The invites were merely formalities; whether or not they attended was entirely up to their mood.

Meng Fanchuan was someone who deeply disliked being fawned over, so he rarely responded to such invitations. The reason he decided to come today was purely because he had just returned to the country and was already irritated by Meng Songnian.

Even though he had repeatedly told Meng Songnian that he would never, and could never, be in a relationship with the young lady from the Qin family, Meng Songnian would still bring up the arranged engagement in front of him.

After some heated words, Meng Fanchuan was too lazy to argue further. Unable to escape, he decided to drive out for some fresh air. Remembering Jiang Zhou’s birthday party, he drove straight to Wanyue.

Now, the car was parked at the entrance of Wanyue.

This overly eye-catching car and its ridiculously ostentatious license plate made it clear to everyone at the hotel who was inside. However, the young master remained in the car for a long time, seemingly not intending to get out. The doormen exchanged glances but no one dared to approach him.

Meng Fanchuan was annoyed by Meng Songnian’s words, and his mood soured. He rolled down the car window, took out a cigarette, but didn’t light it.

The irritation inside him had already reached a point where even smoking felt unappealing.

He rested one hand on the outside of the window, pressing his temple, staring at the crowd moving about outside. For a long time, his gaze was aimless and unfocused.

It wasn't until he accidentally saw a figure that he paused, his gaze subtly fixating.

There was a girl standing at the hotel’s revolving door, seemingly waiting for someone, her head slightly tilted as she looked in a certain direction.

At first, Meng Fanchuan only saw her back. She was wearing a white dress, her long hair casually flowing down her back. The wind blew gently, lifting the tips of her hair, revealing her fair and long swan-like neck.

While Meng Fanchuan was still looking, she suddenly turned around.

The sight before him was striking.

Even his breath seemed to stop for a second.

It seemed like she also looked in his direction, and their gazes met in the air for a few seconds, but Meng Fanchuan knew—

She couldn’t see him in the car, or perhaps, she wasn’t looking at him at all.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, she waved her hand in the direction of the car, offering a faint smile.

Another girl, around the same age, ran up to her. The two of them exchanged a few words at the door before entering the hotel together.

Watching her disappear from his sight, Meng Fanchuan turned his gaze away, and after a few seconds, he suddenly lowered his head, finding himself amusing.

In just those brief minutes, it seemed like he had been captured by those eyes.

How could he describe this girl? Her glance was more dazzling than the stars, yet that smile of hers was not fully in her eyes, holding a trace of distant indifference.

Half innocence, half beauty, she appeared untouched by dust, yet exuded a wild beauty.

Staring at a woman for so long, Meng Fanchuan thought to himself that he had probably gone mad.

He had lost all interest in lighting the cigarette he had earlier taken, so he got out of the car, casually tossing the car key to the valet at the entrance and asking, “Where’s Jiang Zhou’s room?”

“Right this way.” The staff waiting at the entrance quickly led him, fearing they might offend this unpredictable young master.

The clubhouse was on the first floor, an establishment under Wanyue. Since the birthday party was for the boss, the best and most luxurious room was naturally reserved. Meng Fanchuan followed the attendant, walking towards the end. As they passed the door of another room—

The door was slightly open, and Meng Fanchuan's gaze inadvertently fell inside, and he immediately spotted the girl from earlier.

Perhaps even he didn’t realize, but in those few seconds, he subconsciously slowed his pace.

Inside the room, the stench of smoke and alcohol lingered. The girl was quietly sitting in one corner, seemingly out of place in such an environment. She exuded an air of unease, as if this was her first time attending such a gathering.

When Meng Fanchuan looked again, a man had sat next to her and was handing her a drink.

On the other side of the wall, Jiang Zhou’s birthday party was in full swing.

Jiang Zhou hadn’t known Meng Fanchuan was coming, since this man was famously antisocial and didn’t give face to anyone. So when Meng Fanchuan pushed open the door and entered, everyone in the room was stunned. Jiang Zhou was the first to react and came forward, “Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?”

Otherwise, it would have been strange for the party to already be starting before Meng Fanchuan arrived.

But Meng Fanchuan didn’t mind. He casually found a spot to sit and clinked glasses with Jiang Zhou. “Do your thing, don’t mind me.”

He was just here to pass the time. After a few drinks, he’d leave.

However, Meng Fanchuan’s attempt at peace didn’t quite go as planned. He rarely came out to socialize, and now that he had made a rare appearance, the other second-generation elites in the room were eager to get close to him.

After all, just last year, they had all heard about how Meng Fanchuan’s racing team had raked in $300 million, not including the marketing revenue from the team’s drivers.Meng Fanchuan was an extremely unique existence in Beicheng. While other second-generation rich kids of the same age either diligently inherited the family business or spent their days indulging in luxury, surrounded by women, and constantly involved in scandals with celebrities and internet influencers, he was different.

He had no interest in the family business, and no interest in women either. He was famously bold and unruly, doing things his way, and playing in a league that these other second-generation kids could never catch up to.

In their eyes, Meng Fanchuan made money too easily. He traveled abroad several times a year, invested a little money, signed a few drivers, bought some race cars, and then just waited for the millions to roll in.

Mution had secured third place in the overall standings at the Bahrain Grand Prix in February, which made these people extremely envious. They subtly approached him to inquire about how F1 operations worked.

However, Meng Fanchuan wasn’t in the mood for any of it tonight. He was too lazy to engage in socializing and reluctantly went through a round of drinking for Jiang Zhou’s sake, but his mind kept circling back to the image of the man next door handing the girl a drink.

Amid the noisy crowd, Meng Fanchuan suddenly asked Jiang Zhou, “Who organized the gathering next door?”

Jiang Zhou was caught off guard. “I didn’t notice. Why? Do you know someone there?”

Meng Fanchuan shook his head.

A person he had only seen once couldn’t be considered an acquaintance.

Meng Fanchuan took a sip of his drink and didn’t ask further. His phone vibrated—someone was calling. The room was too noisy, so he stood up and walked outside, leaning against the wall as he answered the call. It was work-related, and he listened inattentively, occasionally responding, until suddenly, a figure appeared before him.

She was stumbling, unsteady on her feet.

It was the familiar white dress.

Meng Fanchuan froze for a moment, straightening his posture and looking in her direction. The voice on the other end of the phone faded away as the person kept talking, but at that moment, Meng Fanchuan couldn’t care less.

In just a moment, he followed her.

Each private room in the clubhouse had its own bathroom, but this girl had chosen to go to the public restroom outside, clearly trying to avoid something.

— Drinking.

She didn’t want to drink anymore.

She was bent over the sink, vomiting heavily. Her slender figure appeared fragile, and her hair, dampened by water, was messy and clung to her dress. She looked completely disheveled.

Meng Fanchuan stood behind her for a while, not knowing where this sudden feeling of compassion came from. He slowly walked up to her and handed her the tissues from his pocket.

The girl seemed stunned for a moment, looking up.

At that moment, their gazes met, so close, so clear.

And even more mesmerizing.

The girl’s eyes were red at the corners, her gaze hazy with alcohol, her look soft and blurred, with a hint of confusion and helplessness.

Her eyes, completely unaware, felt like an arrow straight to Meng Fanchuan’s heart.

His heart involuntarily fluttered.

His voice was surprisingly calm as he spoke, “Drink less, little girl.”

The girl lowered her head again and wiped her face with the tissues he had given her. She seemed to murmur a thank you, though Meng Fanchuan couldn’t hear clearly.

A waiter passed by at that moment, and Meng Fanchuan abruptly called out to him.

He seemed to be acting on some impulse tonight—

Ever since he had seen this girl at the door, his actions had become inexplicable.

“Take her upstairs to my room to rest.” Meng Fanchuan gave the instruction without hesitation, his voice calm.

The waiter hesitated for a moment, glancing at the girl hunched over the sink, then at Meng Fanchuan.

This young master had a good relationship with the hotel owner and had a room here. He often stayed over when there was a disagreement at home, which they all knew.

The waiter didn’t ask further, immediately agreeing and helping the drunk girl leave.

As he watched them walk away, Meng Fanchuan felt a light rise in his chest.

It felt like his heart was suspended, but for no reason, and it was completely inexplicable.

When he returned to the private room, Meng Fanchuan’s plan to leave early was canceled. He endured the whole night, listening to meaningless chatter, until the drinking session finally ended at 2 AM.

“Should I have someone drive you back?” Jiang Zhou asked as they were about to leave.

Meng Fanchuan had already walked out of the hotel. He paused for a moment, then changed his mind. “No.”

He turned back and said, “I’ll stay here tonight.”

Meng Fanchuan had a room at Wanyue. Sometimes, when he had a disagreement with his family, he would stay here for a few days. Jiang Zhou didn’t pay much attention and didn’t know that, at that moment, Meng Fanchuan’s usual room now had an additional woman in it.

“Alright, I’ll leave first.”

“Okay.”Meng Fanchuan silently said goodbye to his friends and then went back upstairs.

He opened the door to his room. The lights were on, and a figure was quietly lying on the large bed.

Before falling into a deep sleep, she had probably intended to call someone. The zipper of her bag was open, and some papers had fallen out, scattered on the carpet beside the bed.

Meng Fanchuan took a few steps closer and stood by the bed.

The girl was fast asleep, her face flushed from the alcohol. The collar of her white dress had slipped off one shoulder, revealing her fair skin which was just barely visible through her messy hair.

Meng Fanchuan glanced at her, pulled the blanket over her, and covered her up, hiding any trace of her exposed skin.

Cen Zhen woke up again, not knowing what time it was.

The surroundings were quiet and warm. She drowsily opened her eyes and found herself lying in a soft bed.

At first, she was startled, but when she looked down—

Her clothes were still on, intact.

The panic slowly subsided. Her thoughts returned, and she vaguely remembered what had happened before she fell asleep.

This year was Cen Zhen's final semester of university.

Many of her classmates had already started getting roles in movies and TV shows during their sophomore and junior years. Cen Zhen was beautiful, and many film crews had approached her, but her mentor had always advised her, "Wait, be patient, it's better to wait until you're more stable."

Although becoming famous early was tempting, without the talent to match it, fame and wealth would soon fade away, and it would be impossible to hold onto them.

So while others made money from advertisements and acting with their youth, Cen Zhen spent her time practicing lines and rehearsing plays at school. Finally, in her last semester, her mentor allowed her to start auditioning.

A classmate who had already landed several roles invited her tonight. He said it was a gathering of industry people, and he would take her to meet them and see if there were any audition opportunities.

Cen Zhen had carefully brought her portfolio, but she hadn't expected to be continuously fed alcohol by a man who claimed to be a senior.

It was her first time attending such a drinking event, but Cen Zhen knew that staying there any longer might be dangerous. So, while she still had a little clarity, she made an excuse to leave the private room. The last thing she remembered was standing in front of the sink—

She thought she had seen a man.

But... she couldn’t recall it clearly.

This was the first time she had drunk so much. Cen Zhen had a terrible headache and couldn’t remember what happened afterward or how she ended up in this unfamiliar room.

But, no matter what, she knew this was not a place she should stay. After all, she couldn’t be sure if the man who had been feeding her alcohol was the one who booked the room.

Though her mind was still foggy, Cen Zhen quickly threw off the covers, got out of bed, and hastily gathered the things that had fallen on the floor, shoving them into her bag, ready to leave.

But after a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

Although she hadn’t fully turned to look, her sharp intuition told her—

There was someone else in the room.

A man.

The presence was undeniable and impossible to ignore.

He must have been watching her.

Like a hunter watching its prey, waiting for it to wake.

Cen Zhen’s heart began to race uncontrollably. She stood frozen in place for a long while, then finally gathered the courage to look over.

Sure enough, a strange man was sitting on the couch. He was younger than she had expected, but the sense of danger he emanated was not diminished in the slightest by his youth.

His black shirt was loosely buttoned, and his posture was somewhat lazy as he reclined on the couch. When he saw her looking over, he spoke, “Are you leaving?”

Cen Zhen didn’t know how to respond.

She was completely bewildered by everything happening around her.

After a brief silence, she cautiously asked, “Who are you?”

Meng Fanchuan was taken aback for a moment and then smiled inexplicably.

It had been a long time since anyone had asked him such a question. Everywhere he went, he was always surrounded by people, held in high regard, and now, for the first time, someone was asking him: Who are you?

Meng Fanchuan looked at her for a few seconds, then patiently replied, speaking slowly:

“Meng Fanchuan.”

“Meng Fanchuan?”

Cen Zhen searched her memory for any associations with this name. After a while, she confirmed, “...I don’t know you.”

“Now you do.”Meng Fanchuan naturally picked up on her words. He stood up, walked slowly over to her, and glanced at the audition materials that had fallen, then looked at her again.

“Cen Zhen, right?”