Chapter 59: You Hurt Me

On the second day of acting as a couple, they didn’t need to go to the villa. Instead, they headed straight to the city center. When Meng Ying arrived, the others were already there, having breakfast on the street. They waved at her as she approached. She nodded and walked over, taking a seat next to Hu Ye. After sitting down, she took out the watch and put it on.

Qiao Qi, having finished his breakfast and coffee, crumpled the cup and tossed it into the trash bin. When he turned back, he was stunned. “Why did you change your watch?”

Meng Ying fastened the watch and replied, “The store called last night and said there was an issue with the one I bought yesterday, so they exchanged it for this one.”

She adjusted the watch on her wrist, extending her hand to admire it.

Qiao Qi narrowed his eyes. “I’m wearing a black one too, and yours is also black. But these two designs are completely different, aren’t they?”

Upon closer inspection, he realized that Meng Ying’s watch was worth more than twice the price of his.

“Are you sure it was just an exchange?” Qiao Qi asked, eyeing the black watch on her fair wrist, which made her skin look even paler. He was clearly skeptical. Meng Ying glanced at him and said, “What else could it be?”

The watch she had bought yesterday cost her 80,000 yuan. It was a matching pair with Qiao Qi’s, and she had planned to sell it after finishing these classes.

“How are we supposed to act like a couple now? Our watches don’t even match,” Qiao Qi grumbled, clearly annoyed. Meng Ying found it amusing. “What? Are you saying you need matching props to act?”

Qiao Qi choked on his words: “…”

He looked away.

So, his genuine feelings were just a prop to her.

A few seconds later, he turned back to Meng Ying. “Yesterday, Teacher Hu said you were channeling your emotions. You must have had someone in mind, right? Was it the person who treated you as a substitute?”

In *Leisure Time*, Meng Ying had talked about this relationship, and many people, including Qiao Qi, had seen it.

Meng Ying paused and said, “No.”

She absentmindedly touched the watch while gazing at the flow of cars and people in the distance, her expression distant. Hu Ye, having finished his meal, called over two assistants, each holding a camera. Meng Ying stood up as well. Hu Ye looked at her and smiled. “Meng Ying, you can fool Qiao Qi, but you can’t fool me.”

Meng Ying met his gaze but didn’t respond.

Hu Ye continued, “From start to finish, the person you’ve been channeling is the same one, isn’t that right?”

Meng Ying smiled and locked eyes with him. “Teacher, if you say so, then it must be true.”

Today, Meng Ying’s performance was better than yesterday’s, but she was calmer, her emotions perfectly balanced. Unlike yesterday, when she had been so immersed that she almost lost herself, today she was more composed. Qiao Qi, on the other hand, was more invested than yesterday. They continued acting until around 5 p.m., by which time Meng Ying’s emotional intensity had faded significantly. Hu Ye said they could take a break. Meng Ying leaned against a pillar, lazily basking in the sun as she watched Zhao Yue and Zhu Min’er in the distance. Their performances had improved a lot today, and Zhu Min’er was surprisingly good at acting coquettish, leaving Zhao Yue somewhat flustered.

Just then, a black car slowly pulled up.

It stopped in front of the café from yesterday. The car window rolled down, revealing an arm wearing a black watch resting casually on the edge. The hand hung loosely, exuding a lazy, indifferent vibe.

The design of the black watch looked somewhat familiar—similar to Meng Ying’s, but without the diamonds. Instead, it had other materials.

As for the car, it looked even more familiar—like Xu Dian’s.

Qiao Qi was in the middle of speaking when he suddenly noticed the watch on the arm resting on the car window. He quickly realized something and exclaimed, “I remember now! Cheond released a limited-edition ‘Black Friday’ starry couple’s watch last month. Only five pairs were made. Yours must be the women’s version of that watch!”

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Meng Ying’s hand.

Meng Ying lifted her hand, avoiding his grasp, but her wrist remained upright, the delicate black watch snug against her skin.

Qiao Qi took a closer look.

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath.

Meng Ying lowered her hand and walked toward the black car. The driver’s seat was occupied by an Eastern man, and behind him sat Xu Dian, the owner of the arm. He was holding a phone, seemingly in the middle of a call. When he noticed Meng Ying approaching, he turned his head.

Then, following her gaze, he instinctively tried to pull his arm back inside.

Meng Ying stepped forward, grabbing his arm and bending down to look at him. “This watch—”

Before she could finish, Xu Dian, now much calmer, smirked. In one swift motion, he grabbed Meng Ying’s hand. Caught off guard, Meng Ying was pulled closer to the car, her face now inches from his.

She tilted her head slightly. Today, she wasn’t wearing any makeup, and her ears were adorned with light blue earrings, giving her an exotic touch.

Xu Dian’s eyes darkened. “The watch—I sent it to be exchanged. Yours really did have a problem.”

“What problem?” Meng Ying asked, her voice soft. They were too close, their breaths mingling. A faint scent wafted from his collar, making Meng Ying instinctively want to pull back. But he tilted his chin, pulling her even closer. His gaze flicked behind her, where Qiao Qi stood on the steps, watching.

Xu Dian gritted his teeth slightly, then leaned in, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered, “The second hand wasn’t accurate.”

Her cheeks flushed, and Meng Ying frowned, trying to pull away. But he only tightened his grip. Their skin touched, and she frowned even more deeply. Xu Dian noticed this and glanced down, realizing his fingers were gripping just above the edge of her short sleeve—a spot that happened to be one of Meng Ying’s sensitive areas.

Kissing her there would make her blush all over.

His fingertips lightly grazed the spot, gently rubbing against her skin.

Meng Ying struggled harder.

“Let go,” she demanded.

He chuckled softly. “I didn’t want to come today. I was afraid I’d lose my mind seeing you being all lovey-dovey with him. But now, I think it was worth it.”

Meng Ying regretted coming over. She shouldn’t have approached the car in the first place.

“Xu Dian.”

Xu Dian leisurely admired her, “Even your frown is so beautiful. It’s even more captivating when it’s tinged with desire.”

In the front seat, Yan Xing couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed the car door open and stepped out, only to see Qiao Qi standing there with a dark expression. Yan Xing walked over and blocked Qiao Qi’s view, saying, “Xu Dian isn’t exactly a saint, but if it weren’t for his mercy last year, your Qiao family might not have been able to make a comeback, right?”

Qiao Qi’s face darkened even more. He shifted his gaze back, slowly locking eyes with Yan Xing.

Yan Xing, calm and composed, even offered him a cigarette.

Qiao Qi pushed the cigarette away, his pride stung. He felt even angrier. The reason he only dared to provoke Xu Dian subtly, rather than openly compete with him, was precisely because of this.

The soft spot on Meng Ying’s arm was her sensitive point, her weakness. If someone accidentally grabbed it and touched it a few times, she would feel weak and lose strength. This made it difficult for her to struggle now. Xu Dian, however, kept gently rubbing that spot, and Meng Ying had to endure it.

Then, she leaned closer.

Seeing her beautiful face approach, Xu Dian’s breathing slowed. In that moment of distraction, Meng Ying yanked her hand free and grabbed Xu Dian’s shirt, pulling him closer.

Their eyes met.

“You think I don’t dare?” Meng Ying sneered.

Xu Dian smiled, his entire expression softening. “I’d rather you hit me or scold me than ignore me. Do you really hate me that much? So much that you can’t even stand to look at me?”

As he spoke, the smile in his eyes faded, replaced by a faint trace of regret.

Just like yesterday.

And now.

This man was acting sorry in front of her.

Meng Ying forcefully let go of his shirt and said, “Stop pretending to be pitiful.”

With that.

She turned and walked away, unfastening the watch from her wrist as she went. Spotting a trash bin nearby, she considered throwing it in but decided it was too wasteful. Instead, she tucked the watch back into her bag.

Watching her retreating figure, Xu Dian raised a hand to cover his eyes for a few seconds before lowering it. His eyes were filled with restraint as he calmly buttoned up the collar Meng Ying had pulled open.

Yan Xing, having finished his cigarette, walked over and kicked the car door lightly. “I never thought you’d be so shameless when chasing a woman.”

“Does she even know that the watch she’s holding is worth millions? She almost threw it in the trash,” Yan Xing remarked, clicking his tongue. Xu Dian rubbed his chin and asked, “Where’s Hu Ye?”

“He was here just a moment ago. Oh, over there.”

Xu Dian turned his head and saw Hu Ye talking to Zhu Min’er in the distance. His assistant was holding the camera Xu Dian had thrown away yesterday. Xu Dian nodded, lit a cigarette, and said, “Tell him I’m treating everyone to dinner tonight.”

“Oh, sure.”

Meng Ying found a bench and sat down. Only when the heat on her arm had subsided did she relax, leaning back lazily. Qiao Qi, who had been following her, hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting down beside her. He asked softly, “You two… didn’t know each other before, did you?”

Meng Ying opened one eye to glance at him, then closed it again, not responding. The breeze blew, tousling her hair. Qiao Qi admired her for a moment, then sighed inwardly, thinking, *Forget it, I can’t compete with Xu Dian.* He asked, “Want some coffee?”

Meng Ying opened her eyes and nodded. “Sure.”

Qiao Qi stood up and went to order. Meng Ying stayed seated, enjoying the quiet moment. When Qiao Qi returned with two cups of coffee, she took one and thanked him. They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Qiao Qi spoke again. “You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

Meng Ying gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

Just then, her phone buzzed several times. She pulled it out and saw a series of messages from her aunt.

**Auntie:** Yingying, how are things in Switzerland?  

**Auntie:** Take care of yourself over there. You haven’t replied to my messages—are you really busy?  

**Auntie:** It’s okay, reply when you have time.  

**Auntie:** I’ve been looking at a few potential matches for you. Let me show you.

Following the messages were several photos of men. Meng Ying clicked on one and zoomed in. One of the faces looked familiar—it was the man who had been driving Xu Dian’s car in Geneva.

Before she could look up, a hand reached over and snatched her phone. Startled, she looked up to see Xu Dian, his face dark as he glanced at the photo. He then turned a cold gaze toward Yan Xing, who was sitting nearby.

Yan Xing, covering his face, cursed under his breath. “Auntie, how could you do this to me?!”

Meng Ying blinked, confused, as Xu Dian handed her phone back, his expression unreadable. He then walked away without a word, leaving her and Qiao Qi sitting in stunned silence.

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