Shi An'an sat down, gripping the cup in front of her tightly.
She fought her way through the harsh realities of the entertainment industry to secure her place, whereas Bian Yue was just lucky to be born into it. How was she any better?
A flash of disdain crossed the woman's face, which Bian Yue noticed but chose to ignore.
Shi An'an smiled at Bian Yue, not conceding any ground, "I have work this afternoon. It's not like Miss Bian, who only needs to sip afternoon tea to make money. My time is precious, so let's get to the point."
Bian Yue nodded, sitting slightly straighter like a good student, "Go ahead."
Shi An'an pursed her lips seriously, "Miss Bian, Li Sihe and I are genuinely in love. Could you please let Li Sihe go and wish us well?"
Bian Yue wanted to laugh, couldn't hold it back, and her laughter stabbed at Shi An'an's heart.
Shi An'an's face changed color.
Bian Yue took a leisurely sip of tea, "Shi An'an, I've seen plenty of women playing the mistress, but trampling right on my face, you're the first."
The words struck a nerve; Shi An'an's face turned deathly pale with anger and she couldn't keep up the pretense, standing up abruptly.
"Bian Yue! Stop being shameless! What's the point of holding the title of Sihe's fiancée? His heart isn't with you!"
Bian Yue nodded in agreement, "He has plenty of women in his heart, does Miss Shi not feel crowded?"
"Bian Yue, I thought you were smarter! Since that's the case, I won't waste my breath on you!"
Shi An'an finished speaking, snorted, and got up to leave.
A sharp-eyed waiter came over and handed Shi An'an a long bill.
"Miss, please settle the bill." The waiter blocked Shi An'an's way.
Shi An'an picked up the bill, her eyes moving straight to the amount at the bottom, staring wide-eyed at the waiter, "Why is it so expensive?"
"This restaurant clearly marks its prices, honest with young and old alike." Bian Yue propped her chin, looking at the shocked beauty, "Since you invited me to dinner, how could it come cheap without this price tag?"
Shi An'an knew Bian Yue was making things difficult for her, took out her phone to show the payment code, paid the bill and walked out, heart bleeding but with teeth clenched.
"Wait a second," Bian Yue suddenly said.
Shi An'an impatiently turned her face, "What else?"
Bian Yue took out a rain umbrella from her bag, walked to Shi An'an, opened it, revealing a light-colored damask pattern umbrella, and smiled, "Sign this for me, my best friend is a fan of yours."
Shi An'an's face turned as dark as soot, her signature moved swiftly across the umbrella, and she left abruptly.
Bian Yue sighed, waited for the signature to dry, then silently put the umbrella away.
She didn't notice that as they were confronting each other, the door of the private room behind them slowly opened.
Xie Zhang had brought the Shen Family's little princess today, causing the main character to be absent from the carefully arranged welcome banquet. Afraid of accounting to the Shen Family, he had chosen this secluded place, unexpectedly ran into acquaintances—Li Sihe's little princess.
A princess is a princess; even a single back view exudes an aura of noble elegance.
Li Sihe had been promiscuous in the past two years but, due to the engagement with Bian Yue, maintained some decorum in front of her.
Xie Zhang saw Bian Yue and the glamorous actress opposite her, who was Li Sihe's new favorite.
At this moment, the little pet was signing for the princess, and after signing, she left humiliated and with her tail tucked.
Xie Zhang clicked his tongue, withdrawing his gaze.
Just in time to see a tall man walk out from the private room.
"Mr. Shen, done with your call?" Xie Zhang pointed in Bian Yue's direction, "That! Li Sihe's fiancée! The one who took off your tire when you were about to go abroad two years ago!"
Shen Jinci glanced in the direction Xie Zhang pointed.
With just that one glance, his eyes accidentally met Bian Yue's as she turned.
Bian Yue was 22 this year, and as a producer, she had seen her share of exquisite and perfect male faces.
But no matter how hard she searched her mind, she couldn't find a face that could even slightly overlap in aura with Shen Jinci's.
He was like a sliver of light falling on eternal snow, covering his inherently glacial nature with impeccable aristocratic etiquette.
His complexion was very fair, yet his features were strikingly bold. They should have been a pair of gentle eyes, but the look in them was so deep, it was intimidating.
Top-tier looks, unfathomable scheming.
Xie Zhang stood at 185 cm, and Shen Jinci was slightly taller than that. Standing next to the usually steady Xie Zhang made him seem like an innocent child.
Bian Yue had never seen him in any public setting, but at that moment she saw him, she knew the man was anything but ordinary nobility.
When their gazes broke apart, alarm bells went off in Bian Yue's mind, and she instinctively wanted nothing to do with this man, clutching her umbrella ready to flee.
But Xie Zhang, always one to stir things up, enthusiastically called out to Bian Yue, "Hey! Bian Yue! Out breaking hearts again?"
Bian Yue paused, glaring at Xie Zhang, words shooting out one by one, "Break your head."
With that, she left without the slightest hesitation.
Xie Zhang stood there bewildered, stunned by the verbal attack, finally widening his eyes in anger, looking at Shen Jinci.
"Is that girl crazy!" Xie Zhang exclaimed in disbelief, "She used to be so obedient, and now every other word's an insult!"
Shen Jinci's expression remained calm and stern, he didn't react. He walked down the stairs with composed steps.
His demeanor was extraordinary and profound, so much so that just passing by drew gazes from women.
Xie Zhang sighed and followed, glancing down inadvertently at the lighter in Shen Jinci's hand.
A red plastic case, it looked like some second-rate trash from the last century.
Xie Zhang scoffed at the sight, wondering what Shen Jinci saw in it.
"Why are you still using that lighter? I remember you had it two years ago when you went abroad." Xie Zhang remarked in astonishment, "That little piece of plastic holds fuel this long?"
The man's grip on the lighter tightened slightly as he stepped off the ship, beneath a sky where fine rain fell like threads.
Shen Jinci bit down on a cigarette, absentmindedly cupping a flame in his hand, the flicker of firelight reflecting off the cool silver band of his finger, long and fair.
His head tilted slightly, lighting the cigarette, the dim sky punctuated by a pale scarlet flare.
His fluid motion was inexplicably sensual.
Xie Zhang tugged his coat tighter, sighing, "If I'd known I'd run into Bian Yue, that demon, I'd have gone to the open sea to eat dead fish with turned eyes rather than come here today."
The black Maybach was longer than the common models, with a license plate number of consecutive 1s, parked stably along the road.
The attendant stepped out, respectfully opening the door.
Shen Jinci extinguished the cigarette he'd taken a few drags of, his manner elegant like a medieval noble.
He bent to enter.
Xie Zhang leaned over, seeing Shen Jinci take the seat by the car door, raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Shen, could you scoot over a bit? Otherwise, how am I supposed to sit down?"
Shen Jinci's face was half-hidden within the car, the interplay of light and shadow deepened the inscrutability of his emotions.
He spoke laconically, "Squeeze."