Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The photo had been sent over by Cheng Nuo two hours earlier. Because the pattern on the plate was intricate and beautiful, it closely resembled the pattern on the cheongsam worn by the female lead in a Republican-era drama that Cheng Yan had directed last year, so he remembered it very clearly.

Just now, when he saw He Wei’s shoes, he immediately recalled it.

Seeing that Yan Huai didn’t speak, Cheng Yan sighed and asked again, “Don’t tell me your father doesn’t like this kind of thing?”

Yan Huai’s lips curved slightly.

How could he not like it?

Yan Ruijing spent hundreds of thousands last year just to bring this plate home. He couldn’t bear to let it get scratched or bumped, and every so often he would carefully wipe away the dust that had fallen on it.

He personally handled the entire process because he didn’t trust anyone else.

Recently, though, it had gotten a little better. After all, liking new things and tiring of the old is the nature of most men. After Yan Ruijing found a new “favorite,” the frequency with which he carefully wiped that plate had finally decreased.

Cheng Yan’s phone screen had already dimmed. Yan Huai raised his gaze and casually glanced at the woman not far away who was lightly sipping juice, then asked in a flat tone, “Whose is it?”

“One of Nuo Nuo’s friends is planning to sell it. Don’t worry, it’s definitely genuine.”

Yan Huai’s lips curved faintly. “Which friend of hers?”

Cheng Yan went “huh?” and said, “Are you buying it or not? Why are you asking so many details if you’re not going to?”

Yan Huai said nothing. He took a glass of red wine from a passing waiter’s cart, his gaze landing on He Wei. As she lifted her glass, he pressed the rim against his lower lip, then tilted his chin slightly and drank the red wine in one go.

Cheng Yan didn’t notice his gaze. After turning the screen back on, he opened WeChat and scrolled through his chat history with Cheng Nuo.

Although the siblings had a good relationship, they didn’t really chat often. Scrolling casually, he quickly reached the top, and there were only a few brief messages that didn’t mention who owned the plate at all.

Cheng Yan rubbed his chin. “Nuo Nuo didn’t say who it was, just that it’s a very good friend.” He looked at Yan Huai. “Stop staring at He Wei. Are you buying it or not?”

Only then did Yan Huai withdraw his gaze. The meaning in his eyes deepened, and the corner of his lips curled slightly. “Buy it.” “……”

Cheng Yan made an OK gesture and quickly typed a line to Cheng Nuo: 【The buyer is confirmed!】 The other side replied instantly: 【Who! Is he rich?!】

Cheng Nuo: 【Brother, make sure you find a sucker and squeeze him for more money!】 Cheng Yan: 【……】

That “sucker” was currently standing right next to him watching.

Cheng Yan typed “Yan Huai” into the message, but before he could send it, the man beside him spoke: “Don’t say it’s me who’s buying it.”

“What’s wrong?”

What else could it be?

He was afraid that if his name was mentioned, the girl would be frightened and refuse to sell it.

Cheng Yan glanced at him. Not insisting on an answer, he deleted the name and retyped a line: 【A friend. Very rich.】

Only then did Cheng Nuo feel relieved. 【Then I’ll ask my friend when she’s free, set a time to meet, bring the item, and talk details?】

Cheng Yan handed the phone to Yan Huai. “Okay?”

“Mm.”

Yan Huai lowered his eyes, the corner of his lips lifting slightly for a moment.

He was thinking about what expression He Wei would have when she found out the person buying her item was him.

Shock, embarrassment, or fear.

No matter which one it was, as long as it appeared on her face, just one glance would be enough to put him in a good mood.

These days he had been too exhausted from work, and just seeing her seemed to relieve some of the fatigue.

Yan Huai set the empty wine glass aside and looked at He Wei again.

He Wei was standing slightly sideways to him at the moment, talking to a young man. She wasn’t tall— even in ten-centimeter high heels, she was still a head shorter than the man.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman. They actually looked quite harmonious together.

After half a glass of wine, Cheng Yan leaned in and sighed, “Good-looking people really have it easy. Whoever they stand with, they’ve got CP chemistry…”

Cheng Yan was a rather strange person. When he wanted to talk to you, he could ramble nonstop without a single pause; when he didn’t want to pay attention to you, he wouldn’t even spare you a glance.

Yan Huai had always belonged to the first type of person he would talk endlessly to.

Cheng Yan lifted his chin toward that direction. “The newly crowned Best Actor, the male lead of our crew, and also He Wei’s senior from the same school…”

That’s why people say fate is something truly wonderful.

Yan Huai didn’t respond to this. He cut off Cheng Yan, who was about to continue talking about the strongly “CP-like” pair, and asked, “What’s going on with her shoes?”

Cheng Yan: “……”

He thought that topic was already over.

“You made her wear them?”

Cheng Yan rubbed his nose and coughed lightly. “She’s an actress… For an event like this, she has to dress up a bit. Ah Huai, I’m doing this for her own good.”

What he said wasn’t wrong.

If someone showed up at a gala in sportswear and flat shoes, no advertiser would ever take interest in her.

He Wei had just entered the industry. Every bit of hardship she endured now was paving the way for her future.

Yan Huai’s brow was still faintly furrowed, his expression neither good nor bad.

Cheng Yan was used to his unpredictable, gloomy demeanor. They had known each other for over a decade, their relationship wasn’t built overnight, so he spoke without much restraint. He patted Yan Huai on the shoulder meaningfully: “Feeling heartache already?”

There was another half-sentence he didn’t dare say out loud—there would be plenty more chances for him to feel heartache later.

Just in his own drama The Imperial Princess Ascends, there would be multiple scenes that stretched from afternoon filming all the way to three or four in the morning, not to mention rain scenes and water scenes.

Cheng Yan toyed with an empty wine glass and raised an eyebrow. “If you’re that heartbroken, why don’t you just invest in a big female-lead production for her? Hire top-tier actors to support her, problem solved.”

Yan Huai raised an eyebrow slightly as well, a deeper meaning spreading in his eyes. “That would depend on whether she’s willing to act in it.”

Cheng Yan: “……”

He thought Yan Huai had completely lost it.

Totally bewitched by a woman.

Just as he finally caught a chance to tease him again, the man turned his head slightly and asked, “What size shoes does she wear?”

It was obvious who the “she” referred to.

Cheng Yan let out a light scoff. “How would I know… The audition form doesn’t even list shoe size…”

“Cheng Nuo?”

“……”

Cheng Yan thought to himself, fine, he’d just help this love-struck, friendship-neglecting guy one more time.

Half a minute after sending the message to Cheng Nuo, he immediately received an extremely shocked reply as expected: 【Holy shit, bro, you’re not trying to hit on Weiwei, are you?】

Cheng Yan forced himself to fabricate an excuse: 【There’s a banquet. I’m taking her with me and planning to get her a pair of shoes.】

【Oh.】 Through the cold screen, he could almost hear his younger sister letting out a sigh of relief. 【You scared me to death.】

She quickly sent over a number.

Size 37.

Yan Huai glanced once more at He Wei, who was chatting and laughing with the Best Actor, his eyes darkening slightly. He took out his phone and made a call.

When He Wei received the good news from Cheng Nuo, she had already finished her third glass of juice.

After confirming the meeting time with her “sugar daddy buyer,” she went to the restroom because she had drunk too much water.

There weren’t many people in the restroom at this moment; it was quiet. He Wei stood in front of the mirror fixing her makeup. She wiped off her lipstick with a makeup remover wipe and reapplied it when the system’s voice suddenly rang in her mind:

“R-reporting, Host, detected a—an abuse point.”

He Wei’s hand holding the lipstick shook, smearing it far beyond the edge of her lips.

“But due to the main system’s instructions, I cannot tell the Hos—host.”

He Wei: “……”

She thought to herself that the main system was probably that author who had it out for her.

The system’s confidence was lacking; its voice trembled as it continued softly:

“The main system says yo-you’ve performed well this time. Today’s abuse point is a ki-kind of test. If you pass it successfully, there will be corresponding rew-wards…”

“The system says you will definitely su-succeed…”

He Wei: “……”

This so-called “main system” probably had some serious misunderstanding about either her or the original author.

If success could be achieved just by being told to succeed, she wouldn’t have needed to reload her save ten times.

He Wei sighed and used a tissue to wipe the lipstick off the corner of her face. “Sweetie…”

“Y-yes, yes?”

“Can you give me a little hint?”

“……”

The system suddenly fell silent.

After He Wei finished fixing her makeup, it seemed unable to resist her pleading and said weakly, “There will be a s-scene later where your choice will affect the male lead’s favorability, and, and… today’s abuse points aren’t just one.”

Damn it—

What kind of garbage author and garbage main system was this?!

He Wei’s lips instantly turned down in frustration, and she almost smashed the mirror.

The system stammered even more: “Hos-host, p-please don’t get ex-excited…”

He Wei didn’t even feel like speaking anymore. She packed up her things, washed her hands, and left the restroom.

The banquet was held on the top floor of the hotel. A few steps out of the restroom led directly to a balcony area.

She had only walked a few steps when her phone rang…

She took it out and saw the caller ID: Yan Chen.

He Wei stopped, then answered the call.

The man’s voice on the other end came through after a few seconds, his tongue slightly slurred, clearly from having drunk quite a bit: “He-Wei…”

This must be the scene the system just mentioned.

He Wei didn’t respond.

Yan Chen continued, “I just saw you standing with a man, talking… you looked very close…”

He Wei wanted to say, “What does it have to do with you?”

But considering that once she said that, Yan Chen’s favorability might instantly drop to zero, she forced herself to hold it back.

“He-Wei…” Yan Chen paused for a few seconds. “I’m waiting for you by the pool on the north side of the rooftop balcony.”

He Wei: “……”

The other end didn’t even wait for her reply and directly hung up.

He Wei tightened her grip on the phone and asked the system, “Is this the scene?”

“Y-yes.”

The system continued, “Hos-host, the main system is forcing me offline for the night. P-please take care of yourself!”

As soon as the words fell, there was a “beep,” and the system’s mechanical, silly voice disappeared from her ears.

He Wei stopped walking. Thinking of what the system had said—that her choice would affect Yan Chen’s favorability—she gritted her teeth and had no choice but to turn toward the balcony.

The balcony was connected to the hotel interior by two white carved doors. This time, He Wei learned her lesson. As soon as she stepped outside, she took out her phone and opened the compass to find north.

As expected of a five-star hotel, the balcony was spacious and exquisitely decorated. Rows of lights lined the railings, illuminating the entire outdoor space brightly.

He Wei was not wearing much. Her outfit was off-shoulder, and the skirt had a slit. The early spring night wind wasn’t warm yet, and it swept over her, chilling her to the bone.

Cold. Very cold.

She had been inside for a few hours, and by nightfall, it seemed the temperature had dropped even further.

He Wei hugged her arms, rubbing them to generate warmth while following the compass direction north.

She had only walked a few minutes when her phone rang again.

Still Yan Chen.

He Wei exhaled and answered, “Hello?”

“He-Wei… are you here yet?”

“I’m here.”

The other end was quiet—not like a lively banquet hall. After a few seconds, Yan Chen seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “I knew you would come.”

He Wei: “……”

Then, before she could even take another step, she heard him say, “But I had something to do and left earlier. It’s too cold outside tonight, He-Wei, hurry back inside and don’t catch a chill.”

He Wei’s expression went blank.

Now he’s thinking she might catch a cold? What was he doing earlier?

“Alright then, I’ll call you later when I’m done.”

With a “beep,” the call ended.

He Wei felt like she wanted nothing more than to tear that scumbag to pieces.

She exhaled, then exhaled again. Just as she turned around to walk back, she heard the faint “creak” of a door closing.

He Wei’s steps stiffened. Something immediately felt wrong.

As expected, when she looked up, she saw that the door leading to the hotel interior corridor had been shut from the inside.

He Wei hurried over. “Wait a—”

The person inside had no intention of waiting for her. They shut the door and immediately locked it.

When she reached the door and knocked a few times, there was no response.

It looked like the first “abuse point” had already arrived.

He Wei let out a breath and almost curled into herself. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Instead of contacting Cheng Nuo first, she directly called Cheng Yan.

The phone rang a few times, but no one answered.

He Wei hung up and called again.

This time it only rang once before the other side picked up quickly. Before he could even speak, He Wei rushed out, “Cheng Yan-ge… I think I’ve been locked on the balcony—”

Before she could finish, the phone buzzed once and shut off automatically.

Great. The second “abuse point” arrived immediately after.

He Wei was so angry she almost threw her phone to the ground—but then she glanced at the phone she had just painstakingly saved up to buy, and instantly calmed down again.

She was glad she hadn’t reacted too slowly and had at least managed to call Cheng Yan first.

The only frustrating thing was that she didn’t know whether Cheng Yan had even understood that half-sentence.

The night was especially cold. On the balcony, there wasn’t a single living thing except her.

He Wei looked around and noticed a table and chairs not far away. She quickly hugged her arms and walked over, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

After standing in high heels for hours, her feet and legs were sore and weak.

She nearly resigned herself to her fate, sitting there waiting for Cheng Yan to come. In the end, she really couldn’t hold on anymore, so she simply took off her heels and set them aside, bending down to massage her calves.

Her phone was off due to low battery and couldn’t even be turned back on.

He Wei didn’t even know what time it was anymore.

That damn Yan Chen—if she didn’t put a few more “green hats” on him, she’d be letting him off too easily.

He Wei curled her lips slightly, then lay down on the table, shrinking into a small ball, and surprisingly started to feel a bit drowsy in the cold night.

Her consciousness gradually blurred. Faintly, she thought that this time she probably hadn’t passed the test and would have to reload again.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when, just as she was about to fall asleep, she seemed to hear the door opening, followed by steady footsteps drawing closer, one after another.

He Wei blinked. As the footsteps became clearer and finally stopped right beside her, she slowly became more awake.

The next second, a suit jacket carrying a man’s body heat was draped over her shoulders.

He Wei instinctively shrank back slightly. Now fully awake, she turned her head and looked up. The man stood against the light; his expression was impossible to make out clearly, and even his features were blurred in her eyes.

But in that moment, she felt that the man in front of her was incomparably handsome—almost like her hero.

Then the hero spoke, his voice deep and unreadable: “Wearing high heels, and running out onto the balcony at this hour… He Wei, you don’t seem very well-behaved today.”

To be precise, she had never been very well-behaved.

Just that today, she was especially disobedient.

He Wei: “……”

She felt like this voice sounded familiar.

But after being exposed to the cold wind for too long, her mind was also a little hazy. She only felt that the voice was like a flame in winter, or like a handful of charcoal delivered into the snow—her entire heart softened, and with a blink, tears almost welled up in her eyes.

It was no exaggeration to say that at this moment, the man in front of her was like the last straw that could save her life.

He Wei sniffled. Just as she was about to stand up, she was pressed back down onto the chair by the man’s hand on her shoulder.

She looked up, tears and mist rising in her eyes.

The man crouched down, closing the distance, and He Wei finally saw his face clearly.

He spoke, his voice slightly hoarse: “Don’t cry.”

The corners of the girl’s eyes were red, her nose tip also red, making her look even more pitiful. Yan Huai’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly.

“I was going to—”

He Wei froze completely.

The next second, the man leaned closer to her ear and said in a low voice:

“I was going to kiss you.”