“A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to Zalina, Arie, Hui Yen, Alketa, Julie, Piotr, Catherine, Mandy, Lia, Kara, Jan Loise, Maria, Laura, Vesna, Aileene, Jenifer, Tatjana, Ivy, Justine, Felicity, Chloe, Arsenia, Zobayda, Ashley, Olena, and Dung Hanh for your incredible support! ?✨ Many of you have been here time and time again, and I can’t even put into words how much that means to me. Thanks a million for sticking around and being part of this journey—you’re the best! ???”

Chapter 62: Opportunity

“Nope,” Meng Ying replied, unable to resist teasing him as she saw his confident demeanor.

Xu Dian’s expression darkened. He clenched his jaw and leaned closer, but Meng Ying suddenly pulled her hand back and took two steps away. “I have to go to class. You should go rest,” she said, avoiding his gaze. She turned and walked quickly toward the road. Hu Ye’s assistant’s car had already arrived and was waiting at the entrance. Since there were no other cars around, Meng Ying broke into a light jog, opened the car door, and got in. Hu Ye sat in the passenger seat, glancing at the black car in the distance. He had been worried last night.

But when he saw Xu Dian’s car from the window, along with the faint orange glow of a cigarette, his worries suddenly vanished.

Xu Dian often hung out with Zhou Yang and the others, and he was quite skilled with firearms. Here, gun ownership was legal, but what mattered most was courage—and Xu Dian had plenty of that. There was no need to worry.

Still, it seemed like he had stayed up all night?

Hu Ye turned to look at Meng Ying.

Meng Ying nodded at him.

Hu Ye smiled.

He thought to himself, *Meng Ying is really something special. Any other woman would have been so moved that she’d throw herself at him by now.*

He lowered his head and typed a message.

**Hu Ye:** You stayed up all night guarding her. Did you ask for anything in return?

**Xu Dian:** She’s had me blocked on WeChat for over two years.

Hu Ye read this and pondered for a moment. A few seconds later, it clicked—he wanted to be taken out of her blacklist.

**Hu Ye:** “…”

**Hu Ye:** That’s it?

On the other end…

*That’s it.*

Xu Dian frowned. Then, Hu Ye sent another message: **You’re way too pathetic!!!**

Xu Dian: “…”

He turned off his phone, placed it on the seat, and started the car. As he drove off, he glanced at the side mirror. The other car was still parked, and he could vaguely see Meng Ying’s profile through the window. He picked up his phone again, brought it close, and opened the chat window at the top of his list. He tapped into it, held it to his mouth, and said, “Meng Ying.”

The chat window was mostly empty, except for four or five messages he had sent before.

He had thought this one would also be blocked.

To his surprise.

The message sent successfully.

Suddenly.

The black car screeched to a halt.

Xu Dian stared at the chat window. A few seconds later, he cursed under his breath, lowered his head, and rubbed his lips, letting out a low chuckle.

Then.

He typed again.

**Xu Dian:** That dress you wore this morning suited you perfectly. Beautiful.

After sending it, he felt satisfied. But a few minutes later, his smile faded slightly. *If I had known she’d already unblocked me, I should’ve asked for something more!*

Meng Ying’s phone buzzed twice in her bag. She took it out and saw two messages from **[Xu]**. The first was a voice message, and the second was text.

After blocking him for over two years, the chat history had been cleared automatically, but the chat box still carried a faint sense of their past interactions.

She ignored it and didn’t listen to the voice message.

Meng Ying glanced at it and didn’t reply, putting her phone away. Zhu Min’er happened to get into the car and sat beside her. Zhu Min’er sighed, dark circles under her eyes, clearly having slept poorly.

Zhu Min’er instinctively looped her arm through Meng Ying’s. “I’m so tired.”

Meng Ying glanced at her. “Get some more sleep.”

“Mm.”

As the car started, Zhu Min’er scratched her neck. Meng Ying noticed faint red marks on her neck, like hickeys.

Huh?

She turned and looked at the other car driving alongside them, its window rolled down. Zhao Yue was also yawning. Meng Ying raised an eyebrow. *Did those two…?*

Fake it till you make it?

Whatever, it’s none of my business.

This was the third day. After today, this fake relationship would come to an end. The final day was supposed to end with a fight, so the entire day was spent building up the emotions. They had to come up with their own reasons to argue. Qiao Qi thought for a moment and suddenly came up with an idea. He pushed Meng Ying against the wall, his face dark as he accused her, “You cheated. Even if it’s emotional cheating, it’s still cheating.”

Meng Ying quickly caught on, staring at Qiao Qi as she organized her words. She turned pale and began to retort, even countering that he had cheated too. Qiao Qi was momentarily stunned, then completely enraged. The two of them started arguing fiercely, with Meng Ying even kicking Qiao Qi at one point. They pushed and shoved, their argument escalating for a while until Meng Ying finally snapped, “We’re breaking up!!”

“Fine! Who cares!” Qiao Qi shouted back loudly. Then, the two of them stormed off in opposite directions. Meng Ying took a few steps, then took a deep breath.

Hu Ye and the assistant nearby said, “Alright, that’s enough.”

Meng Ying turned back to look at Hu Ye.

Hu Ye smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, asking, “Are you back to yourself now?”

“Yes, this time it was quick. I feel so light now,” she replied, her eyes still slightly red, but the redness faded as she spoke.

Sigh.

The fake relationship was over.

Time to let go.

However, Zhu Min’er and Zhao Yue didn’t seem to handle their breakup as well. Their emotions were on point, but when they returned to the villa, it was clear they were still immersed in their feelings, unable to detach. It was similar to how Meng Ying had felt when filming *Twins*. Hu Ye noticed this too, but he didn’t point it out.

“Those with lower scores will have to stay a bit longer. Also, remember that drama comes from life. No matter what roles you encounter in the future, you need to experience these feelings firsthand. It’s best to prepare one to two months in advance so you can deliver a great performance. Now, let’s take a look at today’s results.”

They watched two recordings.

No one spoke.

Especially Zhu Min’er and Zhao Yue. Hu Ye looked at them and was about to say something when the door behind them opened.

Xu Dian walked in, loosening his tie. He glanced at Meng Ying, then chose a seat and sat down.

Hu Ye: “…”

The others also glanced at him. Meng Ying caught a glimpse of him in the mirror but didn’t turn around. She kept her eyes on Hu Ye, who coughed and said, “Tomorrow, we’ll switch it up. Meng Ying will pair with Zhao Yue, and Zhu…”

“Again?” Xu Dian’s icy voice cut through the room, his tone cold and sharp.

His low voice, though calm, felt like it was wrapped in frost, chilling the entire classroom. Zhu Min’er and Zhao Yue finally snapped out of their daze. Zhu Min’er opened her mouth to speak, but Zhao Yue just rubbed his forehead, unsure of what to say.

Hu Ye coughed lightly, avoiding Xu Dian’s gaze and instead focusing on the others. “What? Can’t even handle this much?”

“No.”

Xu Dian’s voice came from the back.

“Shut up,” Meng Ying turned her head, glaring at Xu Dian, who sat with his long legs crossed, exuding an overwhelming presence.

Xu Dian was taken aback by her sharp tone. “…”

He adjusted his glasses, gritted his teeth, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Actually—”

“Shut up,” Meng Ying cut him off again.

Xu Dian uncrossed his legs, leaning forward, his intense gaze locked onto Meng Ying. After a brief stare-down, he finally looked away, clenching his jaw.

A second later, he stood up and walked out of the room.

The room fell silent for a few moments. Zhu Min’er looked at Zhao Yue for help, but Zhao Yue averted his eyes. Qiao Qi glanced at Zhu Min’er and clicked his tongue. “Teacher, are you sure about pairing them up?”

Hu Ye scanned the group but didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to Meng Ying and said, “You’ve worked hard.”

Meng Ying shook her head. “It’s fine. I understand why you arranged it this way.”

Those two had taken their fake relationship too far, even crossing physical boundaries. Hu Ye’s arrangement was meant to wake them up, to make them realize that this wasn’t a real relationship. If they had to sleep with their co-stars every time they filmed a romance, it would be a disaster.

Even someone like Gu Yan, who was professionally trained, could get caught up in the emotions of a role, let alone Meng Ying and the others. They had to put in twice the effort to succeed.

Meng Ying also wanted to learn and improve. She couldn’t afford to get emotionally involved every time she acted.

After Hu Ye’s explanation, Zhu Min’er and Zhao Yue had nothing left to say. They exchanged a glance but quickly looked away, afraid of being noticed.

When class ended, it was a bit earlier than the day before, but still late. Meng Ying grabbed her small bag and headed downstairs, saying goodbye to Mi Xue. As she walked out, she saw Xu Dian leaning against his car, playing with his phone. When he noticed her, he paused.

Meng Ying glanced at him, then continued walking toward the street. Xu Dian, with his hands in his pockets, followed her just like the previous night. The streetlights cast long shadows, and his figure stretched out behind him.

Meng Ying felt a sense of reassurance in her heart.

She walked upstairs, and the light flicked on as soon as she reached the landing. She noticed that the light seemed to have been tampered with. She glanced back and saw Xu Dian’s shadow still lingering.

He was leaning against the wall.

As if waiting for her to go upstairs before he left.

Meng Ying averted her gaze and went inside. After entering, she took out her phone, sat on the sofa, and opened the chat window with Xu Dian.

**Meng Ying:** Did you fix the light?

He replied quickly.

**Xu Dian:** Yeah.

The page showed that he was typing. Meng Ying watched for a few seconds, but when it seemed like he was still typing, she put her phone down, grabbed her pajamas, and went to take a bath. She soaked in the tub for a while, and by the time she came out, half an hour had passed. Meng Ying dried her hair, blew it dry, and then sat back on the sofa before picking up her phone again.

There were three new messages.

All from Xu Dian.

Meng Ying opened them.

**Xu Dian:** That year during the New Year, I realized you came to see me. When we graduated, I recognized you taking photos by the fountain. Then we met again three years ago outside the fashion show. I’m not making excuses for myself. I was a jerk, and I treated you terribly.

**Xu Dian:** But now, all I think about is you. Only you. Give me a chance.

It was the first time he had typed so much. Meng Ying finished reading, her emotions tangled. She didn’t reply, putting her phone down and walking to the balcony. The curtains fluttered around her, tangling around her hand. She looked down and saw a black car parked below—Xu Dian’s car.

Meng Ying paused.

After a moment, she turned around, grabbed her keys, and went downstairs. When she reached the ground floor, she saw the car door open, and a long leg clad in suit pants stepped out onto the ground.

Meng Ying walked over.

She saw the man leaning casually against the car, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his hand still clutching his phone, his eyes closed.

As she approached, Meng Ying stood in front of him and tapped lightly on the car roof. Xu Dian opened his eyes and saw her. They locked eyes for a second. Meng Ying’s gaze was clear, her tone calm. “I’ll give you one chance.”

The atmosphere froze for a few seconds.

**Xu Dian:** “Really?”

The cigarette fell from his lips, burning the back of his hand, but he didn’t even notice. He grabbed Meng Ying’s wrist tightly, his grip firm. Meng Ying looked down at him and said, “Giving you a chance doesn’t mean you can start grabbing me.”

Xu Dian stiffened: “…”

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