Chapter 60: Don’t Go Away

“I… I can explain. A few days ago, Auntie messaged me asking for a photo to set me up with someone. I thought it was harmless, so I sent one,” Yan Xing stammered, his words only making Xu Dian’s expression darker. Yan Xing swallowed hard, realizing he was digging himself deeper. He never expected that the person Auntie was trying to set him up with was none other than Meng Ying, the woman his boss was currently pursuing.

Xu Dian let out a cold laugh and lowered his head, intending to send a voice message to Zhao Yue. However, he found that his phone screen was locked. He swiped the phone and handed it to Meng Ying, raising an eyebrow. “Unlock it.”

Meng Ying propped her chin on her hand, took the phone, but instead of unlocking it, she slipped it into her bag. She smiled sweetly at Yan Xing. “I think you’re not bad, actually.”

Yan Xing jumped up in panic. “No, no, I’m not good at all!”

With that, he quickly fled, casting a nervous glance at Xu Dian before leaving. Xu Dian’s eyes were icy, his fingers tapping the table as he stared at Meng Ying. The atmosphere grew tense.

Then, he glanced at Qiao Qi, who was sitting with his arms crossed, meeting Xu Dian’s gaze. After a few seconds, Qiao Qi reluctantly stood up, vacating his seat with a look of defeat.

Xu Dian sat down next to Meng Ying.

Across from them were Hu Ye, Zhao Yue, and Zhu Min’er. The three of them had been watching the scene unfold. When Xu Dian sat down, Hu Ye chuckled, while the other two averted their eyes.

This young master Xu had a fierce aura, and they knew better than to provoke him.

Zhu Min’er initially looked away but then glanced back at Xu Dian a few times. The man was wearing a black shirt and trousers, his collar buttoned all the way up to the top. Without his glasses, he looked both handsome and dangerously attractive.

She then looked at Zhao Yue beside her and, after a moment of hesitation, looped her arm through his. Zhao Yue was startled, and the two of them began playfully pushing and shoving each other.

Xu Dian rested his arm on the back of Meng Ying’s chair, his gaze fixed on her.

Meng Ying, still propping her chin on her hand, acted as if he were invisible.

Xu Dian picked up his phone and opened the chat with Zhao Yue, typing a message.

**Xu Dian:** I’m in Geneva too.

**Zhao Yue:** Wow, what a coincidence!

**Xu Dian:** Stop pretending.

**Zhao Yue:** Pretending? What do you mean?

**Xu Dian:** Meng Ying is mine.

**Zhao Yue:** I think Yan Xing is a good match.

Looking at the message on WeChat, Xu Dian turned off his phone screen and placed it on the table, refusing to look at it again.

Since they had already ordered earlier, the food arrived quickly. The table was filled with Chinese dishes: fish-flavored shredded pork, mapo tofu, and more.

Xu Dian used a spoon to scoop some fish-flavored shredded pork into Meng Ying’s bowl. Meng Ying lowered her head, glanced at the food, and then silently continued eating. Hu Ye, while picking up some dishes, asked Xu Dian, “Is Zhou Yang in charge of the military technology division?”

“Yes,” Xu Dian replied, watching as Meng Ying ate the food he had served her. His brows relaxed slightly, and he became even more enthusiastic, picking up a large piece of fish for her. Hu Ye noticed this and said, “Aren’t you going to pick out the bones from the fish?”

Xu Dian paused with his chopsticks.

He looked at Hu Ye. “Do I need to pick out the bones?”

Hu Ye: “…”

Xu Dian then turned to Meng Ying, reaching out to take the piece of fish back.

Meng Ying silently tapped his hand with her chopsticks. “Don’t touch it. I can handle it myself.”

Xu Dian: “…”

This young master probably didn’t even know how to pick out fish bones. Just being able to serve her some food was already a miracle. Meng Ying’s tone was light but carried a hint of disdain, which made Xu Dian grit his teeth. He picked up another piece of fish and placed it in his own bowl, staring at it and poking it with his chopsticks.

At that moment.

Zhao Yue, sitting across from them, spoke up. “Actually, this type of fish doesn’t have bones. There’s no need to pick them out.”

The entire table fell silent.

A few seconds later, Xu Dian put down his chopsticks.

After dinner, it was dark outside. Meng Ying had eaten quite a lot. From yesterday morning until this afternoon, they had been eating Western food—curry, burgers—so finally having a Chinese meal was a treat. Xu Dian’s phone rang, and as he answered it, he instinctively reached out to hold Meng Ying’s hand. However, Meng Ying walked past him, holding her bag.

He stared at his empty hand for a moment, then lowered it and turned to follow her.

The group headed downstairs. Outside, the streets were brightly lit, though most of the open shops were either cafés or bars. Meng Ying covered her mouth as she yawned.

She turned to look at Hu Ye.

Hu Ye said, “The car’s here. Let’s head to my place first and review today’s footage.”

“Sure, teacher,” Meng Ying nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the man beside her still on the phone, his tone low and barely audible. Whatever the person on the other end said, he let out a cold snort, his expression icy.

After hanging up, Xu Dian stepped down the stairs, turned around, and looked at Meng Ying.

At this angle.

He was only slightly taller than her. Backlit, his peach-blossom eyes seemed to glimmer with amusement. He placed one foot on the step, bending his knee lazily, his posture slightly flirtatious. “Should I take you to Hu Ye’s place?”

Meng Ying instinctively took a step back. “No need.”

Xu Dian held that pose for a few seconds before retracting his leg. “Fine.”

Then, he shot a sharp glance at Yan Xing.

Yan Xing quickly stubbed out his cigarette and went to drive the car.

Xu Dian opened the car door. Tall and long-legged, his silhouette was imposing as he bent down to get in. Once inside, he pulled out a cigarette and flicked open his lighter. Before lighting it, he paused, leaned out the window, and raised an eyebrow. “Meng Ying, last chance. Are you coming or not?”

Meng Ying replied, “Not coming.”

His expression darkened, and he turned back. “Drive.”

The car hadn’t gone far before it screeched to a halt. Everyone watched as Xu Dian strode back over, stopping in front of Meng Ying. He grabbed her chin, his voice low and threatening. “If you take a liking to any of the men in those photos, I’ll make sure they regret it.”

Meng Ying clenched her teeth, using her small bag to push against his shoulder. She deliberately taunted, “What’s it to you? Who do you think you are?”

Xu Dian looked at her angry expression and suddenly laughed, taking a step closer. “What do you think?”

“You. Are. Nothing.” Meng Ying shot back, each word deliberate.

Xu Dian: “…”

Just as he was about to take another step forward, Zhu Min’er suddenly grabbed Meng Ying’s hand and pulled her away, exclaiming, “Oh, the car’s here, the car’s here!”

Zhao Yue then stepped in to block Xu Dian, while Hu Ye gave him a pointed look before hurrying past him to get into the car. Qiao Qi walked by Xu Dian, smirking. “Oh, nothing at all, huh?”

And then, the next second.

Xu Dian viciously kicked Qiao Qi’s knee, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

“Damn it!” he yelled.

Xu Dian stepped on his back, bending down leisurely. “Say it again, huh?”

The others had already gotten into the car, startled by the scene. Meng Ying happened to be near the car door, watching as Qiao Qi knelt before her.

She then looked at Xu Dian’s fierce demeanor and his casual attitude, as if she was seeing the version of him from their freshman year. In her daze, she met Xu Dian’s gaze.

His peach-blossom eyes no longer held their usual amusement but were instead filled with deep, unreadable emotions, among which was a strong sense of possessiveness.

A man’s possessiveness.

“Xu Dian, let him go,” Hu Ye said, stepping out of the car with a sigh.

Qiao Qi was sweating from the pain, reaching out. “Mr. Hu, …”

Finally, Qiao Qi managed to get into the car. He cursed, rubbing his shoulder blade, enduring the pain. Zhu Min’er patted his shoulder and asked, “How did you offend him?”

Qiao Qi glanced at Meng Ying, cursed again, and didn’t answer.

The car started.

Meng Ying looked away, leaning back in her seat.

Outside the car.

Xu Dian stood in the same spot, hands in his pockets, lips pressed tightly together, staring at the side of her face through the window. Yan Xing, who hadn’t seen anyone get in, watched the car drive off. He got out of the car and walked over to Xu Dian, saying, “Stop staring, she’s gone.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve touched her,” Xu Dian said in a low voice, almost like a confession.

“What?” Yan Xing was stunned for a few seconds. “And then?”

What are you thinking about now, man? You haven’t even won her over yet.

Back at the villa, Qiao Qi was still rubbing his shoulder blade, clearly in pain. The others expressed their sympathy before heading to the third floor to review the day’s footage, analyze, and learn.

Hu Ye stood in front of the projector, analyzing and critiquing.

He had high hopes for Meng Ying, giving her a high score. After finishing his critique, he turned off the computer and said, “Many people develop feelings because of the roles they play. Gu Yan was like that too. He would fall in love with someone while filming one project, then switch to someone else for the next. After finishing a project, he would feel a sense of loss, struggling to get out of character.”

The group sighed in unison, and Zhao Yue immediately asked, “Teacher Gu was like that too? Did he ever date any of those actresses?”

“Yes, he almost got married once. A lot of people were ready to give him red envelopes, but then he started filming his next project and snapped out of it,” Hu Ye said, raising an eyebrow. “This is normal, which is why I don’t recommend relying too much on emotional immersion. You need to learn technical empathy, like what I’ve been teaching you these past few days. Meng Ying has started to grasp it today, and she’s picking it up quickly. Not bad.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Meng Ying.

Meng Ying smiled.

She hadn’t known that Gu Yan had such a past. No wonder he could tell she was immersing herself too deeply in her role.

He’d been through it himself.

Then, Hu Ye turned to Qiao Qi. “As for you, you actually have the most potential.”

Because the more emotionally complex a person is, the better they can understand and separate emotions. Qiao Qi’s personality gave him a natural advantage. Meng Ying raised her hand and asked, “What about Qin Jun? Is he like that too?”

“Qin Jun? That top-tier celebrity?” Hu Ye thought for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. “That guy doesn’t need to worry. He’s a playboy who lives for the moment. Nothing to fear there.”

“Hahahaha!” The group burst into laughter, while Zhu Min’er opened Qin Jun’s Weibo. Only Qiao Qi, still in pain, couldn’t laugh. He didn’t even dare to look at Meng Ying anymore. He was furious.

Being kicked to his knees in front of a woman he had some feelings for was beyond humiliating.

As a man, how could he kneel like that!

The class ended late that night, and as they left the villa, they could feel the deep silence around them. Several areas were already dark, with no lights on.

Since everyone lived in different places, no one noticed that Meng Ying was a bit nervous. She crossed the first intersection and quickened her pace.

Just as she was about to cross the second intersection, a black car pulled up beside her. She turned her head and saw Xu Dian’s handsome face.

He leaned out. “Scared?”

Meng Ying clenched her teeth. She couldn’t bring herself to say she wasn’t scared this time.

Xu Dian raised an eyebrow.

As if sensing something, the car slowly made a turn and stopped at the staircase entrance of her apartment. Meng Ying hurried up the steps, ready to go inside, when Xu Dian’s teasing voice came from behind her. “There’s a town nearby that specializes in collecting Asian women. They sell them, harvest their organs. The prettier you are, the more danger you’re in…”

Before he could finish.

Meng Ying spun around, standing on the steps, glaring at him with gritted teeth.

Xu Dian paused.

A second later, he opened the car door and said, “I was lying.”

Meng Ying: “Get lost!”

Xu Dian: “…”

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