Chapter 82: Green With Jealousy

After the interview, it was over two hours later. There had also been a lucky draw for fans who attended the premiere, with prizes provided by *Twins* investor Huaying.

Liu Qin flipped through her tablet and said, “You can rest after this. Except for the magazine shoot these next two mornings.”

Meng Ying leaned back in her chair and nodded. “Okay.”

Her work was finally about to hit the big screen. Meng Ying was actually quite nervous now. She’d played leading roles before—*Nine Heavens* wasn’t a huge hit, and back then she hadn’t had the heart to care about it. She still hadn’t watched it. So she hadn’t felt this kind of tension before. Meng Ying opened her eyes and said, “I’ll treat you all to dinner.”

Liu Qin nodded. “Sure.”

Xiao Meng raised her hand. “Hot pot!”

“Then let’s go for hot pot.”

The car turned around and headed toward the hot pot restaurant.

The black business van pulled up, and Meng Ying, wearing a mask, stepped out. She climbed the steps with Liu Qin and Xiao Meng. After a few steps, she heard a deep voice.

“Meng Ying?”

Meng Ying whipped around.

Gu Yan had just gotten out of his car, a jacket draped over his arm. He took off his sunglasses, bent back into the car, and pulled out a thick notebook before walking over, his assistant trailing behind.

“Senior Gu, you’ve been really busy lately too, huh?”

Gu Yan’s eyes locked onto her deeply as he nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been swamped since I got back and haven’t had a chance to find you.”

Was it that he couldn’t find the time?

Or that he didn’t want to?

Only he knew the truth.

Meng Ying smiled as she climbed the steps. “I just got back from the roadshow too.”

“You’re here for hot pot too?” Gu Yan glanced at the restaurant and asked. Meng Ying smiled. “Yeah.”

“Together, then?” Gu Yan hesitated for a moment. Meng Ying nodded. “Sure.”

“I’ll treat. Let’s get a private room.” Meng Ying said to Liu Qin. Liu Qin glanced at the two of them, took the card, and went to arrange it. Soon, the group settled into a private room.

Gu Yan casually placed the notebook next to Meng Ying and said, “These are my notes. I’ve been meaning to give them to you. They were in the apartment I stayed at in Paris.”

The notebook was old-fashioned, slightly yellowed. Meng Ying flipped through a few pages—notes from his early acting days, filled with insights.

“This is too precious. I can’t take it.” Meng Ying closed it, pushed it back, her expression gentle.

Gu Yan: “…”

At that moment, Liu Qin came in with a waiter. Gu Yan masked his disappointment and took a seat. Meng Ying opened the menu and handed it to Gu Yan. “Senior Gu, you order.”

“You do it.” Gu Yan pushed the menu back, hands clasped on the table.

Today, he was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and jeans.

Meng Ying passed the menu to Liu Qin, letting her and Xiao Meng order. She lowered her head to send Xu Dian a WeChat message.

Meng Ying: I’m treating Gu Yan to dinner.

No reply came from his end.

It had been a while since she last had hot pot. Meng Ying ate until she was slightly sweaty. Gu Yan shared some details about filming in Paris, and their conversation inevitably drifted to Hu Ye’s classes. Meng Ying’s hand holding the bowl twitched slightly. The watch on her wrist stood out, and Gu Yan glanced at it a few times, recognizing the brand.

After the meal, Gu Yan got a phone call and left first.

He took his assistant outside to pay, but the waiter said, “Miss Meng left a deposit, and it’s already been deducted. You don’t need to pay again.”

Gu Yan put his card away.

After a moment, he nodded. “Alright.”

She was determined to treat them to this meal.

She absolutely wouldn’t let him pay.

With his assistant in tow, Gu Yan turned and descended the steps. At that moment, two cars pulled into the area. One was a black Hummer, its window rolling down to reveal Xu Dian lounging lazily against it.

He looked at Gu Yan.

Gu Yan stopped in his tracks, turning to meet his gaze.

They stared at each other.

Silence.

Even the wind seemed to still, an eerie quiet settling in. Both men’s expressions were calm, but a cold sharpness lurked in their eyes.

A few seconds passed.

Gu Yan shifted his gaze to another direction. A red Mercedes had pulled up there, its window rolling down as well. A glamorous woman lowered her sunglasses.

She said, “Gu Yan, long time no see.”

Gu Yan’s steps faltered as he looked over from a distance.

After a moment, he replied, “Long time no see.”

“Need a ride?” the woman asked softly.

“No need.”

With that, Gu Yan put his sunglasses back on and walked toward a car pulling up nearby. His assistant, forehead dripping with sweat, hurriedly opened the door, watching as Gu Yan got in.

After the silver business van drove off, the Hummer’s door swung open. Xu Dian tossed his cigarette, gripped his phone, and strode into the hot pot restaurant. He reached the private room and shoved the door open with one hand, his expression dark and cold.

Meng Ying peeked out and saw it was him.

“Have you eaten?”

“Want to eat together?”

Her voice was soft, gentle.

Xu Dian clenched his jaw, stepped inside, and yanked a chair out. He glanced at the seat across from him, then at Liu Qin. Liu Qin froze, startled, and stood up, unsure what to do. After a moment’s thought, she dragged the chair Gu Yan had sat in away. Then, with a gesture, she signaled Xiao Meng to pull the chair Gu Yan’s assistant had used aside too.

They cleared the dishes and utensils, tossing them into a nearby cart.

Only then did Xu Dian sit down.

He wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her lips with his finger and said, “If you’d told me earlier, I’d have booked you a fancier private room and arranged a few pretty girls for Gu Yan—one to serve food, one to dip sauce, one to pour drinks, and another to give him a back massage.”

His tone was dark.

He gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Meng Ying glanced at him. “There’s service that good?”

“Just say the word, and it’s there.”

Xu Dian wiped her lip again, rubbing it red.

Meng Ying dodged a little. “Then get me a few too.”

Xu Dian: “…”

“I’m worth ten of them,” Xu Dian huffed coldly, starting to cook lamb for her and preparing some enoki mushrooms. Meng Ying looked at him. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Then eat something yourself.”

Xu Dian picked up a piece of lamb and held it to her lips. “Eat.”

“Don’t make me feed you with my mouth—it wouldn’t look good.”

Meng Ying laughed. “You think it looks bad too?”

She’d eaten some spicy food, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling with amusement and a hint of moisture. When she smiled, it was like ripples on a small lake. The chaos in Xu Dian’s chest turned into a racing pulse, and all his anger, irritation, and hostility melted away. He picked up the drink by her hand, took a sip, a faint smile flickering in his peach-blossom eyes. “After we’re done, I’ll take you somewhere to unwind.”

“Where?”

“A gathering.”

“With who?”

“Zhou Yang and the others.” Then Xu Dian looked at her. “It’s about to premiere. Aren’t you nervous?”

Meng Ying paused, then reached out to hook her arms around his neck. “Yeah, a little.”

Xu Dian froze for a moment, then scooped her up with one arm, pulling her onto his lap. He lowered his voice. “Public place—watch your image.”

“You still have an image?” Meng Ying asked with a laugh.

Xu Dian: “…”

“There was a new product launch at the company just now. I didn’t see your WeChat message,” Xu Dian said, holding her close while picking up food to eat. Across the table, Liu Qin and Xiao Meng had already tactfully stepped outside to stand guard.

They had zero interest in staying inside to eat their dog food.

Meng Ying nodded with a soft “mm-hmm,” not pressing further.

Her gaze fell on his wrist—he wasn’t wearing a watch, leaving it bare.

The two of them ate, drank, and chatted for a while longer as the sky gradually darkened. Xu Dian took Meng Ying’s hand and led her out. Xiao Meng and Liu Qin were sitting on the sofas in the lobby.

As soon as they saw them emerge, they hurried to follow.

Meng Ying paused and said, “You two head back first. I’ll ride with him.”

Liu Qin slapped her forehead. “Right, I didn’t even think of that.”

Meng Ying smiled. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

After the goodbye, Meng Ying pulled up her mask and put on sunglasses. Xu Dian tugged her toward the parking lot. Outside, the sky had turned dark, but the hot pot restaurant was bustling, with cars pulling in one after another. Meng Ying climbed into the passenger seat. Xu Dian fastened her seatbelt, walked around, opened the driver’s door, reversed, and drove out of the parking lot.

They headed toward Shanshui Bay, a neighborhood where Xu Dian owned a villa. Meng Ying had visited two years ago, and now the area had undergone some changes.

On the left side, a triangular building that had once been under construction was now open for business—a car dealership.

Seven or eight luxury cars were parked out front.

Through the massive glass windows, six people could be seen inside. Some were inspecting cars, while others lounged lazily, playing cards. Xu Dian removed Meng Ying’s mask, planted a firm kiss on her lips, then pulled her out of the car. He pushed the door open, and as they stepped inside, the casually scattered group all turned to look.

Zhou Yang kicked the front tire of a red car nearby and said, “Come check this out. What do you think?”

Xu Dian, holding Meng Ying’s hand, walked over to the car.

A Maserati.

Meng Ying recognized the logo at a glance.

Xu Dian looked at her. “Like it?”

Meng Ying: “It’s alright.”

Zhou Yang grinned from across the car. “Just ‘alright’?”

Xu Dian shot him a cold glance.

Zhou Yang stifled a laugh, leaning against the car. “Your husband wants to buy you a car.”

“I can afford it, you know,” Meng Ying retorted.

Zhou Yang: “…”

The others burst into laughter. Li Yi, standing nearby, chimed in, “You should probably just stop talking.”

“Embarrassing.”

Zhou Yang: “…”

Xu Dian gestured to a waiter across the room. The waiter approached, and Xu Dian raised his hand, ordering three cars. “I’ll take all of them.”

The waiter glanced at Li Yi, who raised an eyebrow, cigarette in hand, and said, “Why are you looking at me? Go write up the bill.”

The waiter immediately brought over the invoice.

Meng Ying tugged at Xu Dian’s sleeve. “Are you really buying them?”

“They’ll be kept at home for when you need to go out. But it’s still better if I drive you or if you take the company car.”

He didn’t explicitly say they were for her.

Meng Ying felt that refusing would come off as pretentious. Suddenly, she realized that Xu Dian had become increasingly smooth with his words. Impressive.

After swiping the card, Xu Dian led Meng Ying over to where Jiang Yu’s wife, Liu Yan, and Xu Qing, who had just arrived, were sitting. Xu Qing pulled Meng Ying close and clicked her tongue. “He just didn’t want me to give you an apartment, so he deliberately had my husband call me here to show you cars. The moment I walked in, he signed for three cars…”

“What a petty man.”

It had been a while since Meng Ying had seen Xu Qing, so she smiled and said, “You’re already criticizing him as soon as you arrive.”

Xu Qing laughed. “Of course.”

Liu Yan suggested, “How about the four of us play cards?”

Yun Lu: “Sure, sure!”

Xu Qing brought out a deck of cards and placed them on the table. Meng Ying, remembering how awkward she had been the last time they played cards, coughed and slowly picked up her hand. They were playing *Dou Dizhu* (a Chinese card game). Yun Lu wasn’t playing, and Liu Yan was clearly an experienced player. Xu Qing was even more skilled. Meng Ying felt she shouldn’t call “landlord,” but her hand was too good.

In the end, she braced herself and called it anyway. Across the table, Yun Lu gave her a thumbs-up for encouragement, and Meng Ying smiled back. As they played, the men behind them continued chatting and laughing, occasionally playing cards themselves. Much of their conversation was about business matters that Meng Ying couldn’t fully understand.

Xu Dian’s voice was deep, laced with laughter, and carried a casual, almost sensual tone.

He picked up his cards, glanced at them, and was about to call “landlord” when Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. “Here, take a look at this.”

He turned his phone screen around.

Three new hashtags were trending on Weibo:

#Xu Dian chased Meng Ying right after dropping her off at her apartment, can you believe it?#

#Xu Dian has no heart#

#Celebrating Xu Dian getting cheated on#

Previous

Next