Chapter70

Because they added each other on WeChat, Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan's conversations became more natural and frequent.

In the week after the play, they both kept in touch frequently on their phones. Cen Zhen would send Meng Fanchuan behind-the-scenes clips of the graduation play rehearsals, telling him about the role she was playing. Meng Fanchuan was mostly the one listening, but occasionally, he would share some details of his own daily life.

For example, on Wednesday, Meng Fanchuan sent a picture of a tie clip and a gemstone brooch, asking which one Cen Zhen thought looked better.

Cen Zhen immediately chose the brooch. When Meng Fanchuan asked why, she paused for a moment and then typed:

"This color has a kind of quiet rebellious feeling, very much like you."

Cen Zhen didn’t realize she had made a typo at first because just after sending the message, someone called her.

She didn’t think much about it and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hello, Cen Zhen, I’m Mr. Shen’s assistant. I wanted to ask if you’re free recently; Mr. Shen would like to invite you for a meal."

Cen Zhen was momentarily confused, "Which Mr. Shen?"

The assistant smiled and said the name, "Shen Zesheng."

Cen Zhen froze. The image of that night when he repeatedly poured her drink came to mind, and her guard shot up immediately. "Sorry, I’m not available."

"Actually, I wanted to discuss—"

The assistant on the other end was about to say something, but Cen Zhen didn’t want to hear it. She hung up the phone directly.

Cen Zhen had been taken advantage of once, and she wasn’t going to let it happen again. A man who deliberately forces alcohol on women at a drinking party is not someone with good intentions.

She couldn’t afford to offend such capitalists, but she could avoid them.

After hanging up, the page automatically jumped back to the chat with Meng Fanchuan. She saw that Meng Fanchuan had already replied, but with a question mark.

Lewis: "?"

Cen Zhen didn’t know what he was confused about. She scrolled up through the messages and froze for a moment.

Panicking, she quickly typed an explanation: "No! I made a mistake, it’s really like you."

But there was no reply from his side.

Minutes passed, and still, no response.

This made Cen Zhen go from feeling embarrassed to uneasy.

Why wasn’t he replying? Was he angry? Or maybe his phone had run out of battery?

Cen Zhen scrolled back and forth through their conversation, reading it over and over, and realized that the sentence "I miss you" felt completely natural in the context.

Her gaze lingered on those three words—

Actually... she did miss him a little.

It was like a child who had tasted sugar for the first time—after a small taste, they could never forget that sweetness.

But how could she bring herself to say that? This was the first time she had ever felt like this, a strange feeling of curiosity about a man, being drawn to him, unable to resist.

Cen Zhen held her script, but her mind was no longer on it. She kept glancing at her phone beside her. Fifteen minutes later, the phone finally rang.

When the ringtone went off, her nerves jumped.

She looked at the screen, her pupils slightly shrinking at the flashing name. Cen Zhen quickly answered the phone, "Hello?"

"I’m at your school."

"What?"

"Want to come out and walk for a bit?" Meng Fanchuan said, blending in with a crowd of college students. "Your school’s sports field is pretty big."

"......"

Cen Zhen didn’t even change her clothes and quickly ran downstairs.

Her dorm wasn’t far from the sports field, so she arrived after a three-minute run. As she stood in front of Meng Fanchuan, slightly out of breath, she couldn’t believe it—just a moment ago, they were chatting, and now, here he was.

"How did you get here?"

Meng Fanchuan looked at her for a few seconds before lowering his head and lightly laughing. "You made a typo, but I’m not."

His "missing you" was real.He thought about her every single day. If it weren’t for the school gates between them, and if it weren’t for the fear of disturbing her graduation play rehearsals, he would have come to see her every day.

So, even though he knew Cen Zhen had probably made a typo, when he saw that message "I miss you," he couldn’t help himself. He grabbed his car keys and drove over.

Just a glance would be enough to satisfy him.

"Is the rehearsal going smoothly?" Meng Fanchuan knew his directness might make Cen Zhen uncomfortable, so he eased into the conversation with a more neutral topic, asking as they walked, "Can I come to watch when it happens?"

Cen Zhen was still processing that sentence, her heart racing. She instinctively walked beside him, replying, "Mm."

"I’ll invite you..." she trailed off, lost in thought.

"Okay."

The two of them walked side by side on the sports field, occasionally passing by a few classmates who stole glances at Cen Zhen.

To those who didn’t know her, they could only think that the girl was incredibly beautiful. Even with a bare face, she seemed to shine brightly under the dim light of the field.

To those who did know her, however, their gaze often shifted to Meng Fanchuan. After all, everyone knew that Cen Zhen, the famous cool and unapproachable girl from the drama department, was hard to pursue. It was already difficult enough to get her WeChat, let alone walk around the field with a guy.

So now, the attention of the onlookers was on them. They had unwittingly become the focal point of attention.

"Am I bothering you by coming over?" Meng Fanchuan suddenly asked.

Cen Zhen blinked, "Why do you say that?"

Meng Fanchuan noticed the looks they were getting. "The two people who just walked by kept staring at you. What I mean is—" He paused for a moment, "Maybe they’ll misunderstand something."

Cen Zhen understood what he was getting at. She lowered her head and kept walking, responding after a while, "I don’t think it’s a bother."

She didn’t care about what others thought. If she had to admit that she cared, it was because those minutes of not getting a reply from Meng Fanchuan had made her overthink.

But Cen Zhen was also curious, "How did you get in?"

As far as she knew, the school was strict about security in the evening.

"Is it hard to get in?" Meng Fanchuan didn’t know how strict the school’s security was. He had parked his car outside and walked in without being stopped. "The security guard just glanced at me and didn’t stop me."

"Maybe he thought you were a student from some department," Cen Zhen said. "You dressed so young today."

"…?"

Meng Fanchuan was speechless. He stopped and looked at her. "Miss Cen, I’m three years older than you, not thirty."

"Sorry." Cen Zhen couldn’t hold back a laugh and waved her hand. "I mean, you’re not dressed so formally today. If you were in a suit or shirt, you probably wouldn’t have been able to get in."

After saying that, Cen Zhen tilted her head and glanced at Meng Fanchuan, blinking, "If you said you were from the drama department, no one would question it."

Who didn’t know that the film academy produced stars? Anyone who could get into the drama department was a top-tier beauty or handsome guy.

Meng Fanchuan raised his lips slightly without a change in expression. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

And it was the truth.

Cen Zhen thought to herself and smiled gently.

The atmosphere between them lightened after these playful words, and their conversation flowed naturally. They walked around the sports field for several laps. Eventually, Meng Fanchuan glanced at his watch and restrained himself.

"Go back and rest, I should leave now."

Cen Zhen, however, still felt unsatisfied and wanted to keep walking in circles with him.

She wanted to hear more about his college stories, hear about his work, but she also knew that even if they walked all night, they probably wouldn’t run out of things to talk about.

So she nodded and, as she looked at the shadows of the two of them walking side by side on the ground, she suddenly stopped and faced Meng Fanchuan. She opened her mouth, hesitated several times, and finally spoke, "How about I treat you to dinner on Friday?"

Meng Fanchuan was taken aback for a moment, looking at her.

Under the dim lights of the sports field, their close eye contact made Cen Zhen feel a little shy and nervous. This was the first time in her life she had ever actively asked a guy out, and her heart was racing with the heat of his gaze. But she didn’t back down and continued, "You said before that I should treat you next time."

Little did she know, Meng Fanchuan had been wondering what excuse he should use the next time he asked her out.

So when Cen Zhen extended the invitation, Meng Fanchuan froze for a second, surprised by the sudden joy hitting his heart. But soon after, he masked his emotions, nodded calmly, "I’ll pick you up on Friday evening."

The clueless girl was very happy. "Okay."

The two of them parted ways at the entrance of the sports field. Cen Zhen walked towards the dormitory, but after taking a few steps, she couldn’t help but look back.

She turned a few meters away and said to Meng Fanchuan before leaving.

She said, "Actually, it wasn’t completely a typo."

Meng Fanchuan: "…"

Tonight, it was worth it.From Wednesday to Friday, just two days passed, but for two people who were falling for each other, not even a minute or second could pass without the shadow of the other.

Finally, it was Friday evening. Before they met, the air around them seemed sweet, filling them with joy.

Cen Zhen had chosen the restaurant early on Dianping and was ready to treat him. After getting into the car, she declared to Meng Fanchuan, "You’re not allowed to fight me for the bill today."

Meng Fanchuan nodded in agreement, "Even if Miss Cen takes me to a full Manchu Han Imperial Feast today, I’ll accept it."

They had already become comfortable enough to joke with each other.

Cen Zhen lowered her head, pressing her lips together. "I can't afford a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. If you want that, find someone else. I can only treat you to some plain porridge and side dishes."

Meng Fanchuan, while driving, calmly replied, "Lately, I’ve been into plain porridge and side dishes."

"…"

Cen Zhen tilted her head, hiding the smile at the corner of her lips. She really liked spending time with Meng Fanchuan. He was naturally laid-back, free-spirited, but at times also had an undeniable sense of order. For example, Cen Zhen had watched his work video, showing his involvement in extreme racing. During those moments, he displayed a completely different kind of focused state.

The smile still on her lips hadn't faded when Cen Zhen’s phone suddenly rang. Someone was calling.

She answered casually. The person on the other end said he was a director from a certain production team and wanted her to come for an audition immediately.

"Where?" Cen Zhen had indeed sent her materials to this production team, but was confused by the timing. "Now?"

The person gave an address to a café and said if she didn’t come, it would be considered giving up the audition opportunity, then hung up.

This was Cen Zhen's first audition, and it was for a top-tier popular IP. Of course, she wasn’t going to give it up. However, she was sitting in Meng Fanchuan’s car, and just a few minutes ago, she had promised to treat him to dinner tonight.

Cen Zhen felt a little apologetic. As she was considering how to tell Meng Fanchuan, he calmly spoke, "Where is it? I’ll take you."

Cen Zhen looked at him in surprise.

"I’m not hungry yet," Meng Fanchuan said. "We’ll eat after your audition."

"But I don’t know when it’ll be my turn. It might take a long time."

"Then it’ll be the same as last time—we’ll have supper."

"…"

After hearing that, Cen Zhen comforted herself. Maybe it would only take a few minutes, and if she had to wait a long time, they could reschedule.

Following the address provided by the director, Meng Fanchuan drove Cen Zhen to the café.

"I’ll wait for you in the car."

"Okay."

Cen Zhen hurriedly went into the private room the director had mentioned, knocked twice on the door, and entered after receiving permission.

She expected to see the production team, staff, and other auditionees, but to her surprise, there was only one man inside.

Shen Zesheng, holding a cup of coffee, smiled at her. "Come in, Cen Zhen."

Cen Zhen froze, looking out the door again to confirm that there was indeed only Shen Zesheng inside.

The image of that night when he kept pouring alcohol into her still fresh in her mind, Cen Zhen had no positive feelings for the man in front of her. She immediately wanted to leave but, feeling unwilling, she turned back to ask, "I was called here for an audition. How come Mr. Shen is here?"

Shen Zesheng crossed his arms and smiled, "Of course, it's for the audition. I’m auditioning. Is there a problem?"

"And the other actors?" Cen Zhen didn’t understand what he meant, then suddenly realized, "Am I the only one?"

Shen Zesheng continued to smile, "You should be thankful that you’re the only one."

"?"

"I’ll be straightforward. I’m the one funding this film. If you agree, the female lead role is yours." Shen Zesheng straightened up slightly, his tone soft. "You should know that I admire you. Follow me, and I guarantee I’ll use all my resources to make you famous."

All of Cen Zhen's hopes turned cold upon hearing these words.

She had rushed over, abandoning Meng Fanchuan, thinking that an opportunity had arrived, only to find herself facing a filthy deal.

She laughed bitterly, "Mr. Shen, you really think highly of me."

"Your face is worth it." Shen Zesheng stood up and walked in front of Cen Zhen, looking at her unforgettable face. "I think you're a smart person. You have great conditions, I have excellent resources. Even if we're not a perfect match, it's mutually beneficial. Since you’ve entered this industry, you should understand the importance of timing."

"Being with me, you’ll have one million yuan a month for pocket money, a house in the city that you can move into anytime, and I’ll prioritize you in any film I invest in."

Shen Zesheng laid out his "sincerity," "If you have any other conditions, you can tell me."

"Sorry," Cen Zhen said calmly, "I’m not interested, and I’m not cut out for this."

Shen Zesheng froze, not expecting to be rejected. His face immediately darkened. "Don’t be so pretentious, little girl."

"Or do you plan to dangle yourself in front of me to get a good price?"Cen Zhen argued firmly, "Not everyone—"

But she was interrupted by Shen Zesheng’s sarcastic remarks, "A girl like you entering the industry is already priced. Playing the innocent and pure act while in the entertainment industry, huh?"

He had already investigated Cen Zhen's background, a child from a single-parent family, ordinary and naive. He sneered, "This industry is never short of actresses. How many people sleep their way up from being a script supervisor or cameraman? You can’t possibly not know this."

Shen Zesheng, having his pride wounded, arrogantly looked at Cen Zhen as he sat back down at the table, "The opportunity you have right now, so many people would die for it. Are you sure you want to act so ungrateful?"

"I’m indeed ungrateful," Cen Zhen suppressed the discomfort his words caused, "Mr. Shen’s film isn’t suitable for me. I voluntarily give up my audition opportunity."

Having said this, Cen Zhen immediately opened the door and left.

She didn’t even wait for the elevator, running down the stairs instead.

Meng Fanchuan hadn’t expected Cen Zhen to finish so quickly. As soon as she got into the car, he was about to speak but noticed her strange expression—something had clearly happened, and her mood had visibly darkened.

"What’s wrong?" Meng Fanchuan asked.

Cen Zhen didn’t want to tell him about such a degrading "audition." She didn’t want him to misunderstand or form a bad impression about her work.

But at this moment, she couldn’t suppress her feelings anymore.

The faith and ideals of being an actress in Shen Zesheng’s words were nothing but cheap goods for body transactions. What was even more pathetic was that he was a famous investor, revered by everyone in the industry. He would award actors at major ceremonies, speaking grand words, but behind the scenes, he was the leader of a corrupt power-for-sex trade chain.

Cen Zhen felt like she couldn’t breathe, as if her chest was suffocating.

"It was Shen Zesheng," she said with a sense of grievance, "The audition was a lie. He told me... I could only get the role if I agreed."

Although Cen Zhen didn’t explain every word clearly, Meng Fanchuan understood.

He fell silent, but his gaze instantly grew cold. His hand, resting on the steering wheel, tightened slightly. After a clear rise and fall in his chest, he momentarily suppressed his emotions before turning to Cen Zhen and confirming, "Did he do anything to you?"

Cen Zhen shook her head. "I refused and left."

Thankfully.

Meng Fanchuan exhaled deeply but couldn’t hold back. He suddenly unbuckled his seatbelt, "Come upstairs with me."

Cen Zhen was shocked and widened her eyes. "Upstairs, for what?"

Although Meng Fanchuan had received a high-quality education and always knew when to be restrained, he wouldn't easily get angry over something or someone.

But if someone really provoked him, even the king himself couldn’t stop him.

"He said things that offended you," Meng Fanchuan said directly. "I don’t like it."

"…"

Yes, Shen Zesheng’s words were indeed unpleasant. Cen Zhen had wanted to pour the coffee over his head that night.

But she was just an ungraduated student, and Meng Fanchuan wasn’t part of the entertainment industry. They really didn’t need to make more trouble.

"Forget it. I don’t want to offend him any more."

"You’ve already offended him."

Cen Zhen was stunned.

"You’ve offended him the moment you rejected him."

"But—"

"What difference does it make to you whether you offend him once or twice? None," Meng Fanchuan tried to keep his tone calm. "But to him, he will know an actress named Cen Zhen, whose dignity will not be easily trampled on."

"…"

Cen Zhen’s heartbeat quickened. Meng Fanchuan’s words suddenly made her fall into a kind of wild, irrational madness. That feeling was probably—knowing something couldn’t be done but doing it anyway. Maybe she should be braver, even if she was just a tiny ant, to defend herself and the thousands of versions of herself on this path.

Besides, he was with her.

How wild and romantic that was.

Cen Zhen didn’t even know how she ended up being led upstairs by Meng Fanchuan. Her blood seemed to be boiling. When Meng Fanchuan asked which private room, she suddenly, full of fighting spirit, pointed to a spot and said, "It’s right there."

Before opening the private room door, Meng Fanchuan’s last words to Cen Zhen were, "Once you go in, do whatever you want. Don’t be afraid, I’ll back you up."

In the next second, he directly pushed the private room door open.

Shen Zesheng hadn’t left. Because of Cen Zhen’s "ingratitude," he was angrily calling the next prey over. When the noise disturbed him and he turned around, he saw Cen Zhen returning. He was about to laugh and wonder if she had changed her mind, but when he saw Meng Fanchuan standing behind her, he froze.

Shen Zesheng was of course familiar with Meng Fanchuan. Not only did he know him, but he had also tried more than once to build a relationship with the Meng brothers. Although Shen Zesheng had some say in the entertainment industry, outside of it, in the deeply secretive class of North City, he was practically unknown.

Last year, Shen Zesheng had lost a lot of money in the stock market. The entertainment industry was also in a downturn this year. He had been trying to get into the real estate industry, aiming to join the big ship of Yawan, but he had yet to find an opportunity.Shen Zesheng didn’t know why Meng Fanchuan was here, but subconsciously, he probably understood.

From the obvious look in Meng Fanchuan’s eyes, Shen Zesheng knew how unforgivable his mistake was.

Before things could get any clearer, a cup of coffee was unexpectedly thrown at his head.

Cen Zhen tossed the empty cup aside, not wanting to say any more unnecessary words, leaving only one sentence: "Shameless."

Meng Fanchuan calmly watched the whole scene. He even walked over to the table and grabbed a tissue to help her, and as he passed by Shen Zesheng, he whispered, "My girlfriend’s temper isn’t very good. Mr. Shen, don’t take it personally."

Shen Zesheng’s heart immediately sank.

Meng Fanchuan went back to Cen Zhen and wiped the coffee off her hand. After wiping it, he naturally took her hand in his, blatantly asking in front of Shen Zesheng, "Did that feel good?"

Cen Zhen swallowed, thinking he was so arrogant.

At the moment when the coffee was poured, she had indeed felt a sense of relief, but after that rush of adrenaline wore off, she began to worry whether Shen Zesheng would suddenly call the security and throw them out.

So, she quickly nodded, grabbing Meng Fanchuan’s hand and stepping back, "…Let’s go."

As they left the private room, Meng Fanchuan turned back to glance at Shen Zesheng. There were many things that didn’t need to be spoken, just that one look, and Shen Zesheng knew that tonight’s matter couldn’t be ended with just a cup of coffee.

Cen Zhen quickly pulled Meng Fanchuan downstairs, and after confirming that Shen Zesheng hadn’t followed, she stood by the road and laughed out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Meng Fanchuan asked.

"Didn’t you see his stunned expression? He definitely didn’t expect me to go back and pour it on him." Cen Zhen pursed her lips, seemingly not done yet. "I should’ve thrown two cups. He still hasn’t paid for the drink he forced on me last time."

"Want to go back up?"

Cen Zhen absolutely believed that Meng Fanchuan would actually do something like that, so she quickly stopped him, "Forget it, I’m already so happy."

After a pause, she lowered her head and said, "If it were before, I definitely wouldn’t dare do this."

Meng Fanchuan asked, "Why not?"

"He’s big capital," Cen Zhen replied, "He can control the fate of actresses at will. Today, I’ve offended him. Maybe he’ll blacklist me tomorrow, but like you said, I’ve already offended him, so I’m not afraid of going all the way. At least I feel good about myself."

Meng Fanchuan scoffed and laughed, "He won’t."

To be exact, Shen Zesheng didn’t dare.

But Cen Zhen didn’t understand. She looked back at Meng Fanchuan, "Why?"

As their gazes met, the nerves in their bodies seemed to finally wake up. Cen Zhen, slowly realizing something, lowered her head and noticed that their hands were still intertwined. Her face instantly turned red in embarrassment.

She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but as she did, Meng Fanchuan caught it and pulled it back, tightening his grip.

The force was even stronger.

Feeling the warmth of his palm clearly and distinctly, a current surged through Cen Zhen’s fingertips, spreading to her heart, causing her to feel a tingling sensation.

From the initial panic to being unsure, and finally, letting herself relax in his hand, she let him hold her. She heard him say—

"From now on, go ahead and do whatever you want to do." Meng Fanchuan looked at her, paused for a moment, and repeated the words he had said at the door of the private room, "I’ll back you up."