Chapter 26: The Bar

An hour passed, and the atmosphere was stagnant.

Behind her, Liu Qin and a few others wanted to step forward but dared not because of Xu Dian’s dark expression. Only Meng Ying, with a smile, showed no fear.

Back in university, whenever Meng Ying saw Xu Dian, he was always smiling. This man loved to smile, and with his almond-shaped eyes, he appeared particularly lazy and charming.

He also had a handsome appearance. Whenever he smiled at a woman, they would almost always gasp.

Every time they went to the finance department, it wasn’t just Meng Ying who admired Xu Dian. Many other girls would also stare at him. It was said that Xu Dian had received an offer from Harvard University but didn’t attend, as the Xu family had encountered some problems. He gave up on Harvard and stayed at Licheng University, even though the family was in turmoil during that time.

Still, he always wore a smile, and no one could detect any other emotions on his face.

At this moment, however, it was unusual.

“Meng Ying.” Gu Yan’s voice called out from a distance. He didn’t approach but only observed from afar. Since Meng Ying had rejected his pursuit, he probably guessed that she would still get tangled up with the one she had feelings for.

Meng Ying turned around and responded, “Coming.”

She then looked back at Xu Dian, about to speak, but Xu Dian raised an eyebrow and smiled. That coldness seemed to vanish completely as he said, “Then wait until you have time to find me.”

“Hmm? A girlfriend?” He added, then opened the car door and sat back in, rolling up the window halfway, lowering his eyebrows, and lighting a cigarette.

With the window half-closed, his face could be seen from the outside. The half-profile appeared somewhat sharp, and Meng Ying quietly watched for a few seconds. Then, she turned and walked around the black Hummer, heading toward Gu Yan. Gu Yan and the others had already climbed the stairs and were waiting for her. She smiled and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem,” Gu Yan smiled and led the way up.

Meng Ying, along with Liu Qin and the others, followed. Liu Qin glanced back at the black Hummer, unable to see clearly but vaguely catching a glimpse of Xu Dian’s blurred, handsome face.

For some reason, she felt a bit of unease.

She quickly took a few steps forward.

Inside the Hummer.

Xu Dian leaned back in his seat, his lips tilted as he held the cigarette, neither inhaling nor removing it, as the smoke swirled around him. His brows carried a somewhat hazy expression.

Within that haze, there was a touch of coldness, which seemed ready to break through at any moment.

A short while later, the car started, and the black Hummer finally drove off, like a wolf moving aside.

“The snacks here are nice, all authentic Cantonese,” Gu Yan waved, signaling for someone to bring over a cart. Meng Ying took a tissue to wipe off her lipstick and then smiled, saying, “I’ve eaten here before, brought by Xu Qing.”

“Am I late, then?” Gu Yan asked with a smile. Meng Ying wiped her lipstick. Her lips remained rosy, and her makeup had been removed except for the lipstick, which still adorned her face, but she still looked beautiful.

Gu Yan then sat across from her, giving her a glance.

Meng Ying smiled and said, “I was actually going to invite you for a meal.”

Gu Yan laughed.

Liu Qin and Shen Chong were talking, asking him some questions about being a manager. She wasn’t very professional, as she was a newcomer, but Shen Chong was a well-known manager, on the same level as Guan Xiao. The six of them ate, drank, and chatted, but no one mentioned what had happened earlier at the door.

Liu Qin, holding her phone, was a bit excited. “Meng Ying, Senior Gu, you two are trending again…”

She said this with a smile but didn’t elaborate on the trending topic. Meng Ying glanced down and saw the hashtag: #Gu Yan Meng Ying, please get together#.

Gu Yan also looked down, and after seeing it, he raised his head. Meng Ying did the same, and their eyes met. After a few seconds, Meng Ying smiled and said, “Senior, looks like I’m riding your coattails again.”

Gu Yan paused for a moment, then smiled back. “You’ve done it quite a few times already. But this time, maybe it’s me riding your coattails.”

There was another trending topic about Meng Ying.

#Meng Ying’s Red Birthmark#

The trending topic continued to rise rapidly.

Below that, there were two more trending topics.

#Yang Tong is really going to be shelved# #What will happen to Yang Tong’s dramas and endorsements?#

Meng Ying casually clicked on the “shelved” topic and saw a fan commenting under the post with a debunking: “Yang Tong is just going for training, she’s not being shelved! Wasn’t Meng Ying also resting before? Why is it called ‘resting’ for her, but for our Tong Tong, it becomes ‘shelved’? Can we stop with the double standards?”

Meng Ying scanned the comment briefly before exiting the post.

They ate late-night snacks until almost 10 PM. The next morning, Gu Yan would be heading off to shoot his next movie, so the group didn’t stay long and all headed home. After getting into her car, just as the door was about to close, a hand blocked it. Gu Yan walked to the car door, already wearing sunglasses and a mask, fully geared up.

From the reflection in his sunglasses, Meng Ying could only see her own face.

She smiled and asked, “Senior, what’s up?”

Gu Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, “You’ll be filming Twins next, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Good luck,” he said.

Meng Ying nodded, “You too.”

“Mhm.”

After saying that, the door slammed shut. From the car window, Meng Ying watched Gu Yan walk toward his car. As she leaned back in her seat, her phone began to buzz.

She picked it up and saw it was Xu Qing.

Xu Qing: I’m at the sushi restaurant on the third floor. I just saw you guys, are you leaving now?

Meng Ying: Yes, you didn’t even say hi earlier.

Xu Qing: I was watching the show.

Xu Qing: Xu Dian seemed really angry. His eyes lost all their warmth.

Xu Qing: With the way you rejected him, I think he’s going to give up.

Xu Dian… what kind of man was he? This man had always been spoiled by women. Flowers, kneeling, apologies—he had done it all, which was already his limit. After agreeing to a casual relationship with Meng Ying, it seemed like he had fallen into her trap. If he was willing to get caught, it showed that he had feelings for her. But even within that trap, things still didn’t go the way he wanted.

Tsk.

Meng Ying: Haha, well, let him give up. It’s not like I started this.

Xu Qing: You really don’t care?

Xu Qing: Bet he won’t come after you again. You make me some egg tarts.

Meng Ying: I also bet he won’t come after me. So, you make me some egg tarts?

Xu Qing: Eh, what kind of bet is this? It’s no fun at all.

Xu Qing: But you really don’t care, huh? Tsk, impressive.

Meng Ying smiled, not replying. She put her phone down and closed her eyes to rest. A year ago, this man was on a pedestal, but even a year later, his bad habits were still the same.

So what?

What does it have to do with her?

Back at home, Meng Ying had worked up a sweat. She hurried to the bathroom to take a shower. Afterward, when she sat by the bed, she noticed that she had been added to a new WeChat group.

It was the group for the Twins production team.

The director for Twins is Director Lin, known for his expertise in realistic genres. He had previously directed a psychological crime film that won several major awards. At the moment, not many people were in the group chat. The original author of the story was second in the list of members, chatting with others and occasionally posting cute little emoticons.

Li Yuan’er was also present, occasionally commenting with “Hahaha…” to laugh along with Tang Yi’s jokes.

The male lead was also in the group, but he hadn’t spoken yet.

Meng Ying left the group after briefly scanning the activity.

From the looks of it, Twins would be starting filming soon, with most of the main cast already in place. Director Lin, aside from being skilled in realistic themes, was also known for drawing out emotional performances from actors, using their personal emotions in the scenes. Some people even said he was good at “training” his actors.

Meng Ying picked up the script and flipped through it.

The script was only partially written, with another portion still being worked on.

The next day, she was scheduled for a magazine photoshoot. This shoot was a last-minute change for Meng Ying. Originally, it was meant for Yang Tong and another female actress, but since Yang Tong had been partially shelved, the opportunity fell to Meng Ying. The theme was a uniform style. The first outfit was a blazer paired with shorts. The blazer was a Korean-style piece that reached just above the shorts, showing off a long leg. When Meng Ying stood in front of the camera, everyone on set couldn’t help but gaze at her long legs.

Her legs were beautifully proportioned.

They were long, fair, and straight, with a slight sheen to her skin.

“Nice,” the photographer gave a thumbs-up, saying, “Great, now turn sideways, half-bend, yes…”

The magazine’s creative director, who initially thought that changing the model would affect the outcome, was pleasantly surprised by how well Meng Ying was doing. He stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes slightly sparkling.

At that moment, the curtain next to them was lifted, and the director turned to see Xu Dian, who was holding a cigarette at a slant. He froze for a moment and quickly called out, “Mr. Xu.”

Xu Dian didn’t respond but simply looked over.

Meng Ying had just stood up. When she lifted her eyes, she happened to meet Xu Dian’s gaze through the curtain. His hand, with clear knuckles, held the curtain open. Their eyes locked across the distance, and Xu Dian’s lips curled into a faint smile, one that wasn’t quite a smile, but something in between. After a moment, he relaxed his hand and let the curtain fall.

He left.

Meng Ying paused for a second, then smiled and turned back to continue the shoot.

After the shoot, Liu Qin said, “Ah, I just found out that this magazine is actually under the Xu family’s company.”

Meng Ying hummed in response as the makeup artist started removing her makeup. The makeup artist said, “Yes, our company acquired it last year. Now, they’re not just doing magazines, but also short videos and such.”

“Ah, I see,” Liu Qin nodded, then glanced at Meng Ying, thinking to herself, Since Yang Tong was replaced with Meng Ying, could it be Xu Dian’s idea?

But Meng Ying kept her eyes closed, and since they couldn’t communicate at that moment, Liu Qin let it go.

After about three days of shooting for the magazine, Meng Ying received the notification that filming for Twins would start the day after tomorrow. The timing was perfect, leaving her with one more day to rest.

Indeed, ever since Xu Dian left that day, he hadn’t contacted Meng Ying again. His last words, “girlfriend,” felt like a farewell.

As night fell and the city lights began to shine, the air seemed to hold a quiet anticipation.

Jiang Yu pushed the door open, holding a cigarette, and walked in. Xu Dian and Zhou Yang were already in the middle of a game. Zhou Yang, holding a cue stick, lazily leaned against the table, staring at the balls, especially focusing on Xu Dian’s cue stick. He clicked his tongue and said, “The past couple of days… not chasing after anyone, and now you’re giving up already?”

Xu Dian applied force with his wrist, pushing the cue stick forward. Three balls went into the pockets at once. He stood up straight, grabbed some chalk powder, and the reflection on his glasses flickered.

His peach blossom eyes glanced at Zhou Yang for a moment, then he bent down and continued to pot the balls, not giving Zhou Yang a chance. Jiang Yu leaned against the pool table and said, “How about I just introduce someone new to you? Just because you’ve been with her and talked to her, you can’t forget her? That’s not really your style.”

“Still got the nerve to talk about others?” Zhou Yang looked at Jiang Yu, sarcastically mocking him without holding back. Jiang Yu stiffened, his face darkened as he replied, “I’m married, what else do you want me to do? What about you…”

Jiang Yu arrogantly pointed his cue stick at Zhou Yang. “You’ve had your share, right? You’re worse than Xu Dian.”

Everyone said Xu Dian was cold-hearted, that he didn’t care for women, but at least he wasn’t indecisive. Zhou Yang, on the other hand, changed women like he changed clothes. Zhou Yang smiled in amusement, “You guys can do it too. It’s not like you can’t, yet you’re still jealous of me, huh, Xu Dian?”

Xu Dian didn’t respond. He stood up, leaned against the pool table, and slowly wiped his cue stick. His long legs rested against the tea table’s crossbeam, and his expression was somewhat solemn.

Jiang Yu sat on the couch and said, “Xu Dian, you’re clearly in a bad mood.”

Zhou Yang laughed, “He’s been in a bad mood for a while now.”

His mood had been bad since that one day.

“A new bar opened on the basement floor. How about we go check it out?” Zhou Yang suggested, turning his body. Jiang Yu extinguished his cigarette. “Sure, let’s go.”

They pushed open the bar door.

The loud noise of the door opening caught the attention of several women at the bar. Three tall men walked in, instantly attracting the women’s gaze. The man at the back wore silver-rimmed glasses, his expression indifferent. He wore a black shirt with an open collar, long black legs, exuding an aura of restraint.

The women instinctively raised their glasses and followed them. The three men took their seats in the VIP silver booth. The man in the black shirt took off his glasses, lifting his eyelids and glancing in their direction.

The women’s legs went weak immediately.

Li Yuan’er stood quietly behind them, sipping her drink, and observing him.

After they sat down, Xu Dian bent down, lazily pressing his fingers on his glass. His eyes were fixed on the liquid inside, reflecting an emotionless gaze.

He took out his phone and glanced at the message.

He glanced at the message he had sent to Meng Ying, the one she hadn’t replied to.

The past few days, every time he picked up his phone, he would check it. He scoffed, flipped the phone over, took a sip of his drink, and a hint of perfume entered his nostrils.

In his line of sight, there were now a pair of legs, and then that fragrance hit him directly as someone sat next to him.

“Mr. Xu?” Li Yuan’er’s voice was sultry.

Xu Dian straightened up, one hand bracing on his knee, and glanced over.

“It really is you… I thought I was seeing things. Ah, you’re still our training instructor,” Li Yuan’er said with a playful smile, stretching the word “instructor” out as she spoke.

Xu Dian leaned back, crossing his long legs. “I’ve only taught one person, and you’re not one of actors, so don’t call me that.”

“Where’s the problem? Li said you’re our instructor, but you’re just busy,” Li Yuan’er propped her chin up with a smile, her gaze fixed on him.

Xu Dian glanced at her with a half-smile, but didn’t respond.

He was always like this.

No matter which woman, he never took the initiative. He always maintained this indifferent, aloof attitude.

And yet…

So many women flocked to him.

On the opposite side, Zhou Yang and Jiang Yu were watching this scene with amusement, not taking Li Yuan’er seriously. However, Jiang Yu leaned over and nudged a dice cup toward Xu Dian, tapping it against his knee, saying, “Why not play with the pretty lady? The two of us will just play our own game…”

Xu Dian glanced at Jiang Yu.

He didn’t say anything.

He just pushed the dice cup away.

Li Yuan’er smiled and leaned forward to take the dice cup.

The scent of perfume hit Xu Dian again. He furrowed his brow and raised his wrist. The fragrance was familiar.

It was cherry blossom.

The exact scent that Meng Ying often used.

His expression darkened, and he closed his eyes, leaning back without speaking.

This movement accentuated the sharpness of his long neck and jawline, which Li Yuan’er couldn’t help but focus on, drawing closer to him.

Zhou Yang, sitting across from them, winked at a few women while leisurely fiddling with his phone.

A few seconds later.

He smiled, tossing his phone onto Xu Dian’s lap. Xu Dian opened his eyes, slightly impatient, and looked down. He saw a screenshot of a chat.

It was from Gu Sui.

The chat history between his wife and Meng Ying.

Xu Qing: [image]

Xu Qing: Xu Dian went to the bar, and there’s a woman with him. Looks like it’s Li Yuan’er. She’s sitting really close to him.

Meng Ying: I’m about to sleep. Goodnight.

Xu Qing: Hey, aren’t you going to look at the photo?

Meng Ying: What’s there to see? What does it have to do with me?

Previous

Next