That day marked the final wrap-up. Shen Jing personally saw a Maybach with Shanghai license plates and a string of nines in its number pull up at the film set entrance. Dappled tree shadows danced over the car. Through the tinted rear window, the vague, tall figure of a man could be seen. He leaned back against the seat, his profile partially obscured, looking mysterious and profound. One hand swiped across his phone screen, which flickered intermittently.
It was Zhou Luchen.
From a distance, he seemed to glance her way.
Shen Jing hastily averted her eyes.
Then Lu Siyuan, sashaying her slender waist, got into the car, and the Maybach drove away.
Shen Jing kicked at some wild grass poking up between the paving stones. She truly didn't understand why she kept running into Zhou Luchen every time she was in Shanghai. He could get drunk, kiss her senseless while taking her back to her hotel, only to look at her as if she were an insignificant stranger the next time they met, completely unfazed.
Her senior gently nudged Shen Jing's arm. "What's wrong? See someone you know?"
Shen Jing replied distractedly, "Let's find a place for dinner."
"Didn't you eat the boxed meal from the crew?" her senior asked.
Shen Jing, still looking in the direction the car had gone, said, "I didn't get enough meat."
Her senior teased, "You used to have such a small appetite, always the last one to finish eating."
"Is that so?" Shen Jing switched the bag she was carrying to her other hand.
「In those few days.」
Xing Fei's distant cousin was getting married in a remote small city. She insisted on dragging Shen Jing along, saying the scenery was particularly lovely, with mountains and rivers, and even a national-level scenic area.
It was quite far, a fifteen-hour train journey.
It was an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces, but the local specialties were delicious. The streets and alleys were just as bustling, yet the pace of life was very slow.
It was just too hot, unbearably so even in autumn.
The wedding was held in a hotel.
The master of ceremonies was giving a speech on stage.
Xing Fei whispered, "My cousin met someone on a blind date and settled down right away. She was so eager to get married; I don't understand the rush."
Shen Jing held a cup of lemon black tea in her left hand and a soft little cake in her right, choosing not to comment on another family's affairs.
"Are you really not going to contact Zhou Luchen?" Xing Fei couldn't help but complain. "Last time I saw him, he was hanging out with a big celebrity, and that celebrity is my favorite goddess! Always so noble and aloof, with that rich lady persona—I never expected her to be so flirty in private. She's truly kept by a sugar daddy; her body was clinging to Second Young Master Zhou like an octopus. It completely shattered her image."
Shen Jing took a sip of her black tea, knowing it was Lu Siyuan.
The bride made her official entrance, followed by two flower children, while the mother of the bride, looking at her new son-in-law, teared up more and more.
After a deeply moving exchange of vows as solid as mountains and deep as seas, the bride and groom exchanged rings.
Shen Jing, sitting near the ceremonial stage, saw the bride's super sparkly five-carat wedding ring.
Xing Fei really was talkative.
"Let me tell you, my cousin's ex-boyfriend was extremely wealthy, supposedly a rich young master from Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou. They dated for a year and then amicably broke up."
"That five-carat diamond ring was bought with her ex-boyfriend's money. My cousin paid for the banquet and even her wedding dress herself—isn't it like something out of a soap opera?"
"And the groom has no pride at all," Xing Fei commented. "Marrying a wife without even having the money to buy a wedding ring. How can they get married? Such a freeloader."
Shen Jing didn't hear Xing Fei's rambling, her gaze fixed on the bride. That...
That bride was Chen Yao's girlfriend! About half a month ago, she'd seen her on Chen Yao's social media feed, posting affectionate photos that were deleted two hours later.
Xing Fei, noticing Shen Jing wasn't listening, followed her gaze. "Do you know my cousin?"
Shen Jing turned her head. "You might not believe this, but I've seen your cousin on Chen Yao's social media feed."
Xing Fei almost choked on her juice.
Just as the bride and groom were about to kiss, the music suddenly stopped, and the venue lights flickered erratically.
A bizarre scene flashed through Shen Jing's mind: Is Young Master Chen here to crash the wedding?
But no, that was just wishful thinking—it was an equipment malfunction.
The groom's relatives, being superstitious, kept muttering curses about the terrible hotel choice, saying it was their precious son's only wedding, and it was too shabby.
The rest of their complaints were in a dialect Shen Jing couldn't understand.
Xing Fei winked at an older woman. "Auntie, we can't lose face! Argue with them!"
And so, relatives from both sides started quarreling—over the betrothal gifts, the marital home; the vicissitudes of human relationships in everyday life were actually more dramatic than television.
Shen Jing picked up an orange and started peeling it, escaping the chaotic scene.
Outside the hotel, a black SUV was parked. A young man in casual clothes, wearing dark sunglasses, leaned against the front of the car.
Shen Jing immediately recognized him as Chen Yao.
He smiled and waved.
Shen Jing tossed the orange peel into a trash can and slowly walked over.
"You really came to watch."
Chen Yao rested his hand on the car's hood. "Came to see how badly she married. I feel much better now. Spending my money to marry someone else! And I even bought her a car and a house in Shanghai; I practically offered her the moon."
Shen Jing handed him half the orange. "There's only one moon in the universe. If you plucked it, what would everyone admire during the Mid-Autumn Festival? We office drones rely on that day off."
Chen Yao couldn't help but chuckle twice, taking the orange she offered.
"Even if I'm rich, I can't stand being walked all over like this!"
Shen Jing observed Chen Yao carefully. She really couldn't tell if he had any genuine feelings or if he was purely upset about being played by that girl.
"Satisfied now that you've made a scene?" she asked.
Chen Yao tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "I feel much better now that I've vented."
Shen Jing ate her orange. She couldn't judge this situation.
"Get in." Chen Yao walked around the front of the car. "Keep me company for a drive. I'm not familiar with this place."
It was already 7 p.m., though not yet dark.
The place was indeed remote, lacking the hustle and bustle of a big city and its dazzling nightlife, but there was tranquility and simplicity everywhere.
Roadside kebab stands, pancake vendors, and fruit tea stalls were everywhere. The people living here must be very happy, Shen Jing mused.
The groom was mocked by his relatives for wanting to marry without paying for the wedding banquet. This city was truly small, so small you could walk through it all in an hour.
They encountered the groom.
The groom was a notorious local hoodlum, intent on extorting money, specifically from Chen Yao.
He demanded 500,000 yuan.
The nerve of him, asking the Eldest Young Master of the Chen Family for 500,000 yuan! Chen Yao's businesses earned more than that in a single day.
Even so, Young Master Chen wouldn't give him a dime.
But that night, Chen Yao still got into trouble and was taken to the police station.
The groom, a despicable thug, had his friends ambush Chen Yao's car at an intersection and vandalize it.
When the glass shattered, shards flew, and Shen Jing received several cuts on her arm.
A young master like Chen Yao wasn't one to take bullying lying down. He got out of the car and kicked the groom hard.
"I've never seen anyone dare to piss on my head, Chen Yao's head!"
The groom desperately demanded compensation, claiming that one kick had crippled him.
Shen Jing, the only witness, was also at the police station.
This was her first time being called into a police station; she was terrified Chen Yao would get into serious trouble.
"Officer," Shen Jing greeted. After the officer briefly treated her wounds, he began to ask about what happened.
The police officer asked, "Are you from out of town?"
Shen Jing nodded. "Yes, I'm here for a wedding."
The officer said, "So it's a dispute between an ex and the current partner. Which one are you friends with?"
Shen Jing shook her head. "Neither."
The officer smiled. "Then whose wedding were you attending?"
Just then, an older policeman entered and called the officer from the interrogation room. "Someone's here to post bail for Chen Yao. A lawyer will be over later for a discussion. This is now suspected to be malicious extortion. One party has already sent people; if they press charges, this won't be simple..."
During the long wait, snippets of conversation drifted in from outside. Shen Jing slowly turned her gaze towards the slightly ajar door.
Unexpectedly, the familiar figure in a black suit entered her line of sight.
Then someone pushed the door open.
That person said respectfully, "Second Young Master Zhou, this way, please."