After dinner, Wen Liang returned to the western suburbs.

Zhang Sao had her children and didn’t normally live there. She would leave after making dinner. Now that Chen Die was gone and Wen Liang wasn’t coming back, she only routinely cleaned the villa every day.

By the time Wen Liang returned, she had already left.

The spacious house was empty. Everything in the living room was arranged neatly, just as it always had been.

Chen Die had lived in the western suburbs for six years, but after she left, looking around the house, nothing seemed different. Realizing this, Wen Liang slightly furrowed his brow.

He recalled.

In the past, the things Chen Die owned in this house seemed to be only the clothes, shoes, and bags in the closet, the bottles and jars on the bathroom sink, and her textbooks from her student days.

Now all that remained were the expensive designer brands in the closet that Wen Liang had given her before. She hadn’t taken them.

They were gifts Wen Liang had given her on birthdays and New Year’s. Saying he “gave” them was an overstatement, as he hadn’t put much thought into them. For someone like him, sending expensive brand-name items required the least thought—most were directly selected and sent by his assistant.

He suddenly remembered the scene of the first time he gave Chen Die a gift.

Chen Die had been attending the high school he arranged for about a month, during which Wen Liang hadn’t returned much.

On a rare occasion when he did return, Zhang Sao happened to mention that Miss Chen was participating in a school program and had been urged by several classmates to go on stage to dance. She seemed quite worried about not performing well, so she had been staying at school to practice dancing after classes these past few days, returning late.

Wen Liang listened but quickly dismissed it, not taking it to heart.

It was only the next day when passing by a shop that he saw a pair of dance shoes in the window.

Satin-ribboned flat shoes.

Wen Liang bought them, and when driving back to the villa in the western suburbs, he happened to see the driver bringing Chen Die back.

The young girl was still somewhat timid when she saw him. She had just come from the school’s dance room, with sweat-dampened hair sticking to her temples and flushed cheeks.

Wen Liang glanced at her and turned to walk into the house.

Chen Die followed him in. She had seen Wen Liang fewer than five times, but from the comments and attitudes of those around him, she knew he wasn’t easy to get along with. Not daring to disturb him, she quietly greeted Zhang Sao and was about to go upstairs.

“Can’t see me?” Wen Liang spoke his gaze not on her, yet carrying an undeniable command.

Chen Die paused her steps, turned, and moved to his side, standing beside him like someone being punished. “Wen Liang Ge.”

The final “Ge” was so light it was almost inaudible.

She was embarrassed to call him the repetitive “Gege,” each time only saying “Wen Liang Ge.”

Wen Liang tossed the bag in his hand onto the table.

A white bag with a simple line drawing of a ballet dancer in the middle. The drawstring was made of silk, the same material as the dance shoe ribbons, very delicately packaged.

Chen Die didn’t react, standing there without moving.

Wen Liang raised his chin. “Open it.”

Chen Die’s actions followed his words. She pulled the string, and inside was a rectangular box with a dance shoe pattern on it.

She suddenly realized something, and her eyes widened as she turned sharply to look at him.

Wen Liang remained steady as ever, unmoved.

She opened it, and inside indeed lay a pair of dance shoes, so beautiful and delicate that she almost didn’t dare touch them.

“Are these for me?” she asked.

Wen Liang raised an eyebrow. “Who else would they be for? Me to wear?”

She smiled gently, cupping the dance shoes and touching them, then quickly putting them back, covering the box again. Her eyes were bright as she turned to look at him.

“Thank you.” Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she pressed her lips together firmly, then called out again, “Wen Liang Ge.”

That seemed to be the time she smiled most happily among all the gifts Wen Liang had given her.

Later on, she would only smile and say thank you, without any more of those vivid small expressions.

Wen Liang went upstairs and entered the guest room—before their relationship changed, Chen Die had slept in this guest room, and later, her university textbooks were also piled up in this room.

As soon as he walked in, he saw the shoe cabinet beside the wardrobe.

That pair of dance shoes remained there, all alone.

She hadn’t taken them.

In this home, there weren’t many things that belonged to Chen Die.

She probably never truly considered this a home.

Six years later, Chen Die took everything away in just one suitcase.

In the end, Wen Liang didn’t sleep in the western suburbs villa either.

The person had already left, and it would be sickeningly sentimental to sleep in the bed they once shared. Wen Liang found the very thought disgusting.

He woke up in his downtown apartment.

He received a call from Wen Huaiyuan, asking him to come home for lunch.

Regarding the bidding incident last time, Wen Huaiyuan was dissatisfied, but unfortunately, his health was declining day by day, and though he wanted to manage company affairs, he truly lacked the energy despite his willingness.

Wen Liang agreed and drove back to the main residence at noon.

When the servants saw him return, they were stunned for a moment before calling out, “Young Master.”

“You’re here,” said Wen Huaiyuan.

Though he had been ill for quite some time, his voice was still deep and steady.

“Mm.”

Wen Huaiyuan turned to a servant and said, “Go call Madam and Young Master down for lunch.”

Wen Liang pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table.

Wen Huaiyuan said, “You haven’t come home for meals in a long time. Come back more often to eat together in the future.”

Such polite talk had long since bored Wen Liang, to the point where he didn’t even have the interest to feign a response.

Soon, Wen Qian and Fu Wanmei came down the duplex stairs.

Fu Wanmei wore an elegant dress suit, and her expression turned cold the moment she saw Wen Liang. Wen Qian beside her, however, took the initiative to call out, “Brother.”

Fu Wanmei walked to the dining table without looking sideways, completely ignoring Wen Liang.

Wen Qian gently tugged at Fu Wanmei’s sleeve, saying softly, “Mom, don’t be like this.”

Fu Wanmei coldly snorted.

The meal hadn’t gone on for long when Wen Huaiyuan finally got to the point. “Aliang, what’s going on with that project in the Eastern City? Can the company’s funds manage it?”

“Yes,” he said without elaborating.

“I heard that you snatched this project from Chen Ke’s hands?”

Fu Wanmei let out a light snort, her voice sharp and mocking. “He even dared to lure away Chen Ke’s daughter. Is there anything he wouldn’t do?”

Wen Huaiyuan frowned. In his view, this was a blemish—his son acting like a hooligan, taking home a girl who wasn’t even of age at that time, causing the Wen and Chen families to be at odds since then.

Wen Qian spoke up for him. “Mom, Brother already knows he was wrong. Don’t bring up past things.”

“What do you know.”

“It’s true. Brother has already separated from that woman.”

Wen Huaiyuan was startled and asked, “What’s going on?”

Wen Qian said, “I saw that woman on the news. She participated in a television show, and many people are discussing it now.”

Wen Huaiyuan didn’t follow such things. He frowned and looked at Wen Liang. “What happened?”

“Just like that,” Wen Liang said flatly, without emotion.

Wen Qian looked up at Wen Huaiyuan’s expression.

After learning that Wen Liang had already separated from Chen Die, his expression relaxed.

Wen Qian intentionally created an image of brotherly harmony in front of Wen Huaiyuan. After thinking for a moment, he offered a suggestion. “It’s just that this woman has now entered the entertainment industry and is in front of cameras every day. I’m afraid she might say something unfavorable about Brother later. Perhaps we should give her some money to seal her mouth.”

Wen Liang found this amusing.

Fu Wanmei and Wen Qian were playing good cop, and bad cop, all to make the old man favor his younger son more and transfer the remaining shares to him.

“Wen Qian.”

He leaned back in his chair, and just those two words made one’s heart tremble.

The dining table fell completely silent.

Wen Liang’s gaze fixed unwaveringly on him, his eyelids pressed into a shallow crease. “Do I need to listen to you?”

Wen Huaiyuan slammed the table heavily. “Wen Liang! What attitude is this toward your brother!”

Wen Qian’s face turned pale. He opened his mouth, looking aggrieved, about to speak again when Wen Liang directly cut him off. “Shut up.”

His expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was icy cold.

After all, Wen Qian had been spoiled since childhood. Despite all those little tricks Fu Wanmei had taught him when it came to courage and presence, he was worlds apart from Wen Liang.

Wen Liang had lost his mother at a young age, was not favored at home, and had moved out to live alone early on, growing into the sharp, rebellious figure he is today.

Fu Wanmei glared at Wen Huaiyuan.

Before he could reprimand Wen Liang further, Wen Liang stood up and walked out of the house.

The surrounding servants looked at each other, not daring to speak or intervene.

The three at the dining table didn’t move either until Wen Liang slammed the door with a bang. Wen Huaiyuan sighed and no longer pursued the matter, waving his hand. “Let’s eat, let’s eat.”

Chen Die had been getting along well with Fang Ruan these days.

Tomorrow would be the official start of filming, with the location at the film and television base in Yan City.

“Check if there’s anything you’re missing?” Fang Ruan urged her.

Chen Die had rented a small apartment and moved out of Xia Ying’s place. Now she was sitting lazily by the sofa. “If I’m missing something, I can just come back for it. It’s so close anyway.”

“Where will you find the time to come back for things once filming starts!” Fang Ruan insisted.

Only then did Chen Die move her precious body, sitting on the fluffy carpet to check her luggage.

Fang Ruan sat beside her, unable to contain her curiosity. “What’s the relationship between you and Chairman Chen anyway?”

These days, there has been talk within the company.

The HR department said that Chen Die was personally invited by Chen Shao for an interview.

Although her qualifications made signing her unsurprising, the fact that they both shared the surname Chen, combined with these circumstances, seemed somewhat intriguing.

“Employer-employee relationship,” Chen Die answered quickly.

Fang Ruan rolled her eyes. “Are you his sister?”

Chen Die’s expression remained unchanged. “If I were his sister, would I need to live here?”

“…”

She couldn’t argue with that.

Fang Ruan was convinced.

She fell back onto the sofa, lying face up. A phone rang beside her, and Fang Ruan grabbed it and tossed it to Chen Die.

Chen Die looked at the caller ID, her black eyelashes fluttering slightly.

“Zhang Sao,” she answered.

“Oh, Miss.” Zhang Sao seemed surprised she had answered, pausing for a good while before continuing. “Please come back quickly. The young master returned to the main residence and is now furious. Only with you here can his temper be controlled!”

Chen Die took a sip of water, lowering her eyes. “I won’t be coming back, Zhang Sao.”

“Miss, I’ve been watching you and the young master for so many years. If there’s something wrong, can’t we sit down and talk it through properly? Just clear up the misunderstanding.”

“There’s no misunderstanding between us.”

Chen Die looked up to see Fang Ruan’s eager gaze, radiating gossip.

“…”

She got up and went to the bathroom, locked the door, leaned against it, and asked softly, “Zhang Sao, what do you think my relationship with Wen Liang is?”

There was silence on the other end.

Chen Die smiled. “You see, even you can’t say we have a romantic relationship.”

Zhang Sao didn’t know what to say, stammering for a while. “Well, well… that’s not necessarily true…”

“Let him be angry. He’s not as easily out of control as before. Nothing will happen, don’t worry.”

Chen Die hung up and immediately faced Fang Ruan’s scrutinizing gaze when she came out.

Although she couldn’t hear the voice on the other end of the phone, the single sentence “I won’t be coming back” was enough to fuel her imagination.

Fang Ruan asked, “You’re not some runaway young lady from a wealthy family, are you?”

It wasn’t strange for Fang Ruan to have this doubt. Everything about Chen Die suggested a unique quality that ordinary families could hardly cultivate.

Chen Die gave her a sidelong glance. “You might as well go directly ask Chen Shao.”

Fang Ruan said, “Directly calling the boss by name—confirmed blood brother.”

“…”

The next day, Chen Die joined the production.

Living in Yan City, she was the earliest of the main cast to arrive.

“Here comes our female lead,” Director Feng Zhi was very fond of her. As soon as she entered, he led the other staff in a round of applause to welcome her, making Chen Die somewhat embarrassed.

She went to the makeup room to change into her costume and sat in front of the mirror to begin makeup.

Soon, Qi Cheng and Wang Yun Xi also arrived.

This film was a female-led growth story. In the early stages, Chen Die’s appearance wasn’t meant to be particularly attractive, and Wang Yun Xi’s character was even more [explicit content].

After finishing makeup, Wang Yun Xi started a live stream, and fans quickly flooded in.

“Ahhhhh unnie I’m here!”

“So beautiful!! Has ‘Flower Hairpin’ started filming?”

“Is Qi God also there?”

Wang Yun Xi smiled and answered, “Yes, today is the official start of filming.”

She turned the camera toward Qi Cheng, who also greeted everyone.

The film had already officially announced Chen Die as the female lead.

Soon, everyone saw Chen Die also getting makeup done in Wang Yun Xi’s livestream. Her early-stage look was practically made to be unattractive.

Especially in contrast to Wang Yun Xi, who was now wearing bright, exquisite formal attire.

“The filters on Wild Kitchen God were way too heavy, seeing it this way, our Yun Xi unnie’s beauty completely crushes her.”

“Ah, today is also a day to cry for Yun Xi’s beauty.”

“Why should Yun Xi play second fiddle to a newcomer?”

“Plus one, and our Qi God too, actually having to play opposite a newcomer as the male and female leads.”

Wang Yun Xi was relishing the comments when the makeup room door suddenly opened, and the director walked in.

“Let me formally introduce our film’s executive producer to everyone,” he said.

Feng Zhi stepped aside, and a young man walked in from behind him, his voice pleasant. “Hello everyone, I’m Lu Chuan.”

Chen Die thought, “?”

Wang Yun Xi stood up, looking surprised. “It’s Director Lu as our executive producer. I especially love those two films you directed. I cry every time I watch them.”

Lu Chuan smiled modestly. “Thank you.”

He then nodded to everyone apologetically and turned to walk toward Chen Die.

“How are you feeling? Nervous?” Lu Chuan asked.

“It’s fine,” she replied.

Wang Yun Xi’s phone camera captured this, and the fans in the live stream went wild.

“What’s going on? This Chen Die has such strong connections, how does she even know Lu Chuan?”

“They went to the same school.”

“The one above, search online, you should still be able to find when classmates spread rumors about Chen Die, and Lu Chuan stepped in to refute them. They probably have a good relationship.”

“Chen Die… I’m envious. She can have a romantic BGM with Qi God and also have a quality man like Lu Chuan. Being beautiful means you can do whatever you want.”

“Don’t look through colored glasses. Chen Die pulls off this look too—downtrodden but beautiful.”

“I thought she looked good just now, but everyone was saying she was ugly, so I didn’t dare say it…”

Wang Yun Xi felt irritated, said goodbye to her fans, and turned off the live stream.

With Lu Chuan present, Chen Die felt much more confident during that day’s filming.

He was a director who knew how to explain scenes well. A few words from him would enable Chen Die to clearly grasp the character’s state of mind.

Added to her natural talent for acting, which had often been praised by her teachers at school, plus the company’s special training for several days.

The day’s filming went very smoothly.

Chen Die’s scenes were finished, and the next part was for Qi Cheng and Wang Yun Xi. The director went to personally arrange the set.

In the entire crew, she only knew Lu Chuan, so naturally, she walked to his side.

He was reviewing the footage they had just shot.

Chen Die leaned over to look.

“You did well,” Lu Chuan praised her.

Chen Die smiled. “You gave good guidance.”

Lu Chuan laughed and paused the screen, turning his head to look at her. “Since when have you been so formal with me?”

Chen Die thought for a moment. “I feel like I’ve always been polite to you.”

After watching the first few takes, Chen Die casually asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you were going to be the executive producer?”

“I didn’t originally plan to. Director Feng mentioned it to me several times, and I happened to have a schedule canceled, so I came,” Lu Chuan paused, then said slowly, “And besides, aren’t you here too?”

Chen Die instinctively felt there was something odd about this statement.

Lu Chuan immediately followed up with a question. “I heard you broke up with your boyfriend?”

If Chen Die couldn’t figure it out now, she would be truly dense.

In the past, Xia Ying had teased that Lu Chuan had feelings for her. Chen Die hadn’t taken it seriously. Lu Chuan was indeed nice to her, but he was nice to everyone, which didn’t prove anything. Besides, he had always known she had a boyfriend.

But now, this question was practically a direct shot.

“Mm,” Chen Die nodded. “How did you know?”

“Saw it on the school forum.”

“You still look at the forum?” Chen Die was somewhat surprised and laughed.

“Only occasionally,” Lu Chuan laughed along. “You’re a celebrity on the forum. As soon as I go in, there’s content about you on the homepage.”

Chen Die’s lips curved slightly, but she didn’t say anything.

Lu Chuan suddenly asked, “So are you single now?”

Chen Die didn’t play the ambiguous psychological game with him. They were all adults, and it would be more comfortable to interact after some things were clarified.

“If I were with you, Chen Shuyuan would torment me to death,” Chen Die said.

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected this response and laughed in surprise.

“There’s nothing between us.”

“But she’s liked you for four years.”

Lu Chuan sighed. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Chen Die couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s your reaction?”

“Don’t laugh, I’m troubled by this.”

“Why?”

To be fair, Chen Shuyuan was good-looking, and from a wealthy family, and her pursuit wasn’t crazy. She played the backup role very steadily.

“I’ve clearly expressed that she’s not my type, but she still spent four years on me. How to put it… perhaps it’s the inability to reciprocate that sometimes makes me troubled by guilt.”

Lu Chuan was indeed a gentleman from head to toe.

Chen Die suddenly thought of herself and Wen Liang, finding it quite relatable.

Beside them, Fang Ruan came over with Chen Die’s phone from the break room. “Your phone.”

On the screen was a string of numbers without a name, but Chen Die was so familiar with these digits that the moment she saw them, her heart skipped a beat.

Lu Chuan saw her hesitation and asked, “Who is it?”

“My ex-boyfriend,” Chen Die said casually.