Chen Die felt a bit dizzy.

Indeed, starting from that bottle of red wine, this bastard had been plotting something.

Chen Die sprang up from the sofa, looking fierce, but before she could say anything, Wen Liang bent down to place the slippers at her feet and said softly, “Put these on first.”

“…”

Chen Die slipped on the slippers and pointed at him, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Wen Liang raised an eyebrow.

“Leave, leave now,” Chen Die started driving him away.

Wen Liang remained shamelessly seated, steady, and unmoved.

So Chen Die stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve to pull him up, and pushed him toward the door. Wen Liang allowed himself to be pushed along until they reached the doorway, where he suddenly caught her wrist and pressed her against the door.

Taking advantage of his height, he looked down at her, “What are you doing now?”

“My movie is about to be released,” Chen Die put on airs, “I might become famous tomorrow, so it’s better if Mr. Wen doesn’t appear at my home late at night.”

As she finished speaking, she broke free from Wen Liang’s grip when he wasn’t paying attention and slammed the door shut with a “bang.”

Then she turned around, leaned against the door, and raised her hand to cover her chest.

Her heart was beating so fast.

Chen Die was indeed very worried about the audience’s reaction after “Flower Hairpin” was released.

But on New Year’s Eve, Wen Liang’s actions made her heart race irregularly, and after drinking red wine, she started feeling drowsy after watching the snow from the window for a while.

Outside, firecrackers continuously exploded, and even with the curtains drawn, she could sense the fireworks in the sky brightening and dimming, making her sleep restless.

By the time the Spring Festival Gala began its New Year countdown, the sound of firecrackers became even more intense. Chen Die was awakened from her dream, her throat dry enough to smoke.

She got up and poured a glass of water. The firecrackers outside probably wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

Chen Die cradled her water glass, shuffling slowly in her slippers to the window to watch the fireworks.

Thousands of lights.

The premiere of “Flower Hairpin” also officially began screening at midnight, and everyone in the crew’s group chat began superstitiously forwarding lucky koi messages.

Chen Die glanced at it, then, draped in her robe and leaning lazily against the window frame, she also forwarded a lucky koi message.

After standing for a while, Chen Die’s gaze suddenly caught something outside the window, in the parking lot—a black Bentley.

She couldn’t see the face clearly, only the faint crimson glow inside the car.

He was smoking.

Chen Die couldn’t move away, quietly watching for a while, and then saw the car window slowly roll down as Wen Liang looked up in her direction.

Chen Die wasn’t sure if Wen Liang could see her, since the room was dark, and he probably couldn’t see clearly from that distance.

A moment later, Wen Liang turned his gaze away.

Then, Chen Die’s phone vibrated, and Wen Liang sent her a message.

[Wen Liang: Happy New Year.]

Because of this text message, she ended up not sleeping well that night at all.

The next morning when Chen Die woke up, “Flower Hairpin” was already trending.

“Director Feng’s productions are always masterpieces, this is so good!!!”

“On New Year’s Day, I cried like a dog in the theater, wuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu.”

“Qi is consistently stable as always, and Chen Die is also super surprising!!! That look in her eyes at the ending was truly amazing, wuwuwu, the beautiful sister’s skill level is so high, isn’t she just too likable!”

“I was originally worried that casting a newcomer as the female lead would be a disaster, but I never expected!!! It’s such a pleasant surprise!!!”

“Sister, I can!!! Get on top of me!!!”

“Flower Hairpin is so good aaaaah!!! Everyone go see it!!! What a beautiful love story!”

“Chen Die has a bright future, her acting is so good, she truly portrayed a woman’s righteousness and spirit.”

“I’ve already bought tickets to go to the theater tonight for a second viewing!! It’s too good!!!”

…

Fang Ruan also called her, shouting excitedly.

Although she had guessed Chen Die would become popular, she hadn’t expected that this battle would receive so many good reviews just hours after the movie’s release. At this rate, the movie’s box office would continue to climb steadily, and since Chen Die was a newcomer working with Qi Cheng and Feng Zhi, her acting received even more attention, making it very possible for her to achieve instant fame.

Chen Die felt like laughing after listening to Fang Ruan’s excited outburst.

With the pressure lifted, she lay on the bed lazily and joked, “How could I achieve ‘instant fame’ so easily? I’m already satisfied enough with the current feedback.”

But Fang Ruan’s vision was indeed more unique than hers.

As the “Flower Hairpin” box office soared and sparked discussions, Chen Die’s acting skills and appearance became hot topics. Even if it wasn’t quite “instant fame,” it was a very, very beautiful battle.

In five days, the box office exceeded 800 million, leading all films in the Spring Festival season.

Chen Die’s Weibo followers quickly increased by 6 million.

Videos and photos from previous promotional activities across various locations were also reposted. Chen Die rarely posted on Weibo, and there wasn’t much previous content, which further aroused everyone’s curiosity.

So the set of military training photoshoots that had gone viral when Chen Die first entered university as a freshman resurfaced.

Besides this, someone also dug up a compilation of Chen Die’s cuts from the performance department’s final exam performances.

Some reporters even went to her alma mater specifically to interview her former mentor, Professor Ying Shu. Ying Shu had always liked Chen Die and didn’t hesitate to accept the interview, full of praise for Chen Die during her student days.

Chen Die now had her fan groups, support clubs, voting teams, and even anti-defamation teams, pretty much gathering all the fan configurations of first and second-tier celebrities.

Fans even gave themselves a name—Pink Butterflies.

“As a male fan, I strongly request changing the fan name. Saying I’m a ‘Pink Butterfly’ is, really, really embarrassing, I can’t say it out loud!!!”

“Aaahhh I found Chen Die’s dance performance at her high school New Year’s party, damn Chen Die is so amazing, I was electrified!”

“Is Chen Die’s beauty even human, how can a human possibly look like this!!! Beauty that even the heavenly realm cannot surpass!!”

“As a career fan, I can’t allow you to only see our sister’s appearance. Although sister’s appearance is truly unparalleled in the world, her talent is also unparalleled in the world. Hello? Are there any directors or screenwriters who have seen our beautiful sister?”

“If Qi is a man torn from a manga, then Chen Die is a woman torn from a manga! Even her daily life is like a photoshoot, wuwu…”

Chen Die suddenly became busy, with many temporary jobs added.

These days, Wen Liang was also busy, and they didn’t contact much. She didn’t know what he was busy with.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Die was invited to participate in a film creators’ special interview along with Qi Cheng.

Only after arriving did she discover that Chen Shuyuan was also at this interview.

She had majored in directing in college but indeed lacked some talent in this area. These days, she was arranged by Lin Quan to intern at this magazine, handling camera work.

She followed the magazine’s mentor to interview Qi Cheng, while Chen Die was interviewed by someone else.

“Your performance in ‘Flower Hairpin’ has received unanimous praise from the audience. Everyone appreciates your acting skills, and I’ve heard that you graduated from film school with top grades in your professional courses, is that right?” asked the interviewer.

“Yes, I’m certainly happy to receive everyone’s recognition, but the movie’s success is the result of all crew members’ joint efforts. The script of ‘Flower Hairpin’ itself was very good.”

Interviewer: “Everyone also really likes your on-screen couple with Qi. They say you have great chemistry. Did you feel that way while filming?”

This question was setting a trap.

Chen Die smiled and threw the question right back: “My opinion doesn’t count, does it? If people can see our chemistry, it means we acted with pretty good rapport.”

After a few more questions, the interview ended.

Before long, Qi Cheng’s interview also concluded.

The person in charge came over to shake their hands: “Trouble you both to go to the changing room to change clothes and then we’ll go over there to take a group photo.”

“Alright.”

Chen Die walked into the makeup room and saw Chen Shuyuan bent over fiddling with a camera. Hearing the movement, she turned around, and their eyes met.

She snorted contemptuously and continued working on the camera.

Chen Shuyuan truly hated Chen Die.

She had been smooth-sailing, achieving her current success just half a year after graduation, and now everywhere she went, she could hear people discussing her.

And the previous horse-falling incident had been discovered by her grandfather. Chen Shuyuan looked down on Chen Die for always acting so high and mighty, but wasn’t she the one who ran to her grandfather to tattle, causing her to be severely scolded, having her allowance cut significantly, and even being sent out to work during the New Year holiday?

Chen Die took the clothes and went into the changing room, changed, and came out.

As she passed by Chen Shuyuan, she was stopped.

“Hey,” Chen Shuyuan called out.

Chen Die stopped and turned back to look at her with an expressionless face.

“Don’t think about returning to the Chen family. I won’t allow you to come back. You chose to go with Wen Liang back then, and now that Wen Liang doesn’t want you anymore, that’s your problem. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. There’s no such good thing in this world.”

What a mess of nonsense.

Chen Die didn’t understand, nor did she want to understand.

“Chen Shuyuan, are you bored?” Chen Die looked at her with a bland gaze. “From beginning to end, the one who has always seen me as an imaginary enemy is you.”

Chen Die gave a light laugh, yet it was filled with mockery, and she tilted her head slightly: “Can you be a bit more confident? Stop always worrying that I’ll defeat you. When have I ever intended to compete with you?”

Having all her pretenses exposed in front of others, Chen Shuyuan’s face flushed from her neck upward, almost steaming.

Humiliated and embarrassed.

Chen Die turned to leave.

Chen Shuyuan clenched her fists and suddenly angrily shouted at her back: “What do you have to be proud of? When Wen Liang’s marriage news comes out, won’t everyone be laughing at you?”

Chen Die’s footsteps halted and she turned back: “What did you say?”

“You don’t know?” Chen Shuyuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately started laughing. “You don’t know that Wen Liang is now dating a rich man’s daughter? Both families are very supportive. I estimate that the engagement will be announced soon. Do you think they’ll invite you then? After all, you’ve accompanied Wen Liang for so long.”

Now Chen Die understood why Chen Shuyuan was worried about her returning to the Chen family.

Even Chen Shuyuan knew about it, yet she was completely unaware. Wen Liang had never mentioned it to her.

Even just recently on New Year’s Eve, Wen Liang had gone to her home to have dinner together, watched the first snow, and even sat in his car waiting until midnight to send her a Happy New Year message.

But what about besides that?

Wen Liang had never told her anything else, and Chen Die believed that Chen Shuyuan’s words just now were not made up out of thin air.

Her last dignity only supported her enough to look at Chen Shuyuan and laugh lightly: “You’ve got it wrong. No matter how you look at it, I was the one who broke up with him. If you’re so concerned about me and him, why don’t you look at your four-year pursuit of Lu Chuan and what that resulted in.”

After changing clothes, Chen Die met up with Qi Cheng.

Together, they took several sets of photos in front of the photoshoot backdrop. The person in charge thanked them and shook hands before concluding.

Qi Cheng noticed that her expression didn’t seem right after changing clothes. He tugged at her arm and asked in a lowered voice, away from the crowd: “Are you okay?”

“Hmm?” Chen Die looked up somewhat dazedly, then belatedly shook her head, “I’m fine.”

Qi Cheng was concerned: “Have you been too busy with work lately? Should I call your manager to come pick you up?”

“No need.” Chen Die forced a smile at him. “I’m fine, go ahead with your business.”

The people around gradually dispersed.

Chen Die stood by the window for a while and finally called Chen Shao.

“Hey, little sister, you’re calling your brother on your own?” Chen Shao’s voice was as carefree as ever.

Chen Die spoke slowly: “I have something I want to ask you.”

Chen Shao heard the seriousness in her tone and paused, becoming serious as well: “What happened?”

“It’s about Wen Liang,” Chen Die took a deep breath and asked softly, “Do you know about his plans to get married?”

“Hmm? That? Well, it can’t be considered him and the Ye family’s daughter making plans. I heard it’s more that both sets of parents have that intention. Hasn’t Wen Liang told you about it?” Chen Shao unusually spoke up for Wen Liang, “With Wen Liang’s temperament, he definitely wouldn’t agree to it.”

“I see,” Chen Die said, then hung up the phone.

Early in the Lunar New Year.

Chen Die stood at the floor-to-ceiling doors of the building, looking at the crowds coming and going outside.

This snowfall had continued on and off from New Year’s Eve until today, piling up high mounds of snow on the ground. Now it had cleared up, with the sun shining brightly down, reflecting off the snow with a blinding light.

Regarding Wen Liang’s character, Chen Die trusted him.

He wasn’t the type to two-time, and would completely disdain doing so.

Wen Liang wouldn’t possibly be sweet-talking her on one side while discussing marriage with another woman. Chen Die believed everything Chen Shao had said.

What truly angered her was that Wen Liang had once again placed her in such a situation.

Shortly after the college entrance exams ended, Chen Die began anxiously waiting for her scores.

Before getting her scores, she learned from Auntie Zhang that Wen Huaiyuan seemed to have intentions of matchmaking Wen Liang with a wealthy daughter whose father was in politics.

At that time, Chen Die had no concept of business marriages, and receiving this news was like a huge catastrophe.

Her secret crush, her girlish feelings, might soon be forced to an abrupt end.

Wen Liang often didn’t return to the West Suburbs villa to sleep.

Chen Die tossed and turned on many nights, unable to sleep. She seemed to be caught in a vicious cycle.

There were no women around Wen Liang, and her relationship with him was ambiguous—she was the closest and most special to him. She had the right to act cute with Wen Liang, and also the right to throw little tantrums, but she couldn’t grasp any source of real emotion.

Chen Die was at a loss, secretly asking Auntie Zhang, but Auntie Zhang didn’t know the specifics either.

She regarded this woman, whose name she didn’t even know, as her rival.

When she heard the words “marriage,” for a moment her heart contracted with sourness, her eyes stinging and warm, feeling defeated and helpless.

She sat on her bedroom bed and sniffled softly.

She worried not only about what would happen if Wen Liang got married.

But also, what would happen to her if Wen Liang got married?

Would she have to move out? Chen Die didn’t think there was any woman who could tolerate her husband still paying for an 18-year-old adult girl’s food and education.

So she definitely would have to move out.

Then, what about her? Where would she go?

This question troubled Chen Die for an entire night, engulfed by the growing waves of panic and loss, until finally she lowered her eyes, and a tear fell straight from her eye.

Later, one day, Wen Liang finally returned to the villa for dinner.

Chen Die asked as if casually: “Brother Wen Liang, are you getting married?”

“No,” he answered quickly, almost dismissively.

Chen Die responded with an “Oh,” but even though she got an answer, she still couldn’t figure out what was going on, feeling a bit irritated as she picked at her food, not knowing how to ask for confirmation again.

After a while, Wen Liang laughed and mocked her: “What’s a little kid like you asking about these things for?”

“Who says I’m a kid?” Chen Die pouted, very dissatisfied, “Only you treat me like a child.”

After that day, Chen Die still couldn’t put her mind at ease.

Later, she learned from Auntie Zhang that Wen Liang’s marriage arrangement had fallen through before it even began.

At that time, Auntie Zhang shook her head and said to her: “With the young master’s temperament, I really don’t know what kind of woman could handle him.”

Chen Die stood next to Auntie Zhang, coldly thinking: It would be better if no one could handle him.

She didn’t think too much at the time, only that as long as Wen Liang didn’t get married, it would be fine.

Little did she know her words would come true—she couldn’t handle him either.

Of course, that was all in hindsight.

After one “rival” left, Chen Die continued to worry about whether new “rivals” would appear.

At that time, Chen Die was 18, still two years away from the legal marriage age. She didn’t know how many “rivals” Wen Liang would bring her in those two years.

Chen Die used a foolish method, but it was the only one she could think of at the time.

That was to create something that would keep her by Wen Liang’s side—she walked into Wen Liang’s room in the middle of the night and climbed into his bed.

…

Now, so many years had passed, yet it was still the same situation.

Chen Die took out her phone and dialed Wen Liang’s number.

He picked up quickly, and from his voice, Wen Liang seemed to be in a good mood: “Are you done with work?”

“Yes, I’m at the New Auto Building. Can you come over? I have something to tell you,” Chen Die said.

“Alright, wait for me a bit,” Wen Liang agreed without hesitation.

Chen Die put down her phone, stood quietly at the window watching the scenery outside for a while, then went to find a seat.

This matter could be big or small.

In Chen Shao’s view, it was just a family arrangement. Even if they met and chatted, it wasn’t worth mentioning. Adults naturally had to comply with some formal arrangements, as long as it didn’t lead to marriage in the end, it was OK.

In Chen Shuyuan’s view, Wen Liang was playing her for a fool, and the fact that Chen Die still didn’t know about it showed that she was dispensable to him, becoming her handle for mockery and contempt.

However because Chen Die was only 16 when she first met Wen Liang, her feelings were trivial and insignificant.

She had once so fearfully and helplessly worried about what would happen if Wen Liang got married, and then secretly gloated when she learned that Wen Liang wouldn’t get married.

Chen Shuyuan’s words in the makeup room today once again pulled her back to that sourness from before.

But why, even though she had already broken up with Wen Liang, and even though her career had started very successfully, was their relationship still like this?

Only she was feeling sour and sad.

Wen Liang quickly arrived at the New Auto Building.

The first floor was spacious, with many people coming and going. He scanned the area and easily found Chen Die.

She wore a mask covering her chin, still stunningly beautiful amidst the crowd.

Wen Liang curved his lips and strode over: “Chen Die.”

Chen Die turned around, stood up, and got straight to the point: “Wen Liang, are you being arranged to get married?”

Wen Liang paused, then frowned: “Who told you that?”

“Don’t worry about who told me, just tell me if it’s true or not.”

“The marriage arrangement was Fu Wanmei’s doing, it has nothing to do with me, and I would never let it happen.”

“You would never let it happen.” Chen Die laughed lightly: “You’re always so confident about yourself. Indeed, no one can force you to accept what you don’t want, but you still allow this news to spread. You only care about the result, but have you thought about what impact this news would have once it spread?”

“Have you considered how I would feel being blindsided by this news when I had no idea? Have you thought about how I would feel? Why should I have to always follow behind you all these years, catching all the baggage you throw at me? Why?”

Wen Liang frowned as he looked at Chen Die.

He never knew that Chen Die had previously been haunted by the fear of “marriage” for so long.

This fear was deeply buried, and emotions could easily rebound from rock bottom.

But he didn’t understand these things, and couldn’t comprehend why she was so angry about what could even be called a rumor.

“Chen Die.”

He reached out to grab her wrist, but Chen Die avoided it.

She turned her head away, her eyes rimmed with red from anger and grievance.

Wen Liang missed his chance, withdrew his hand, and tried his best to suppress his current irritation: “What do you want me to do? I can publicly refuse, publicly declare—anything is possible. Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. No one will laugh at you because of this.”

“I just want you to stop appearing in front of me from now on, and stop irresponsibly saying those things to me,” Chen Die said, looking at him.

Wen Liang’s voice was deep: “Chen Die, calm down first.”

After saying this, the two fell into temporary silence.

A moment later, Wen Liang sighed, opening his arms, wanting to pull her into his embrace.

Chen Die stepped back, turned her head away, and a tear fell.

Wen Liang was stunned.

He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had seen Chen Die’s tears.

She didn’t cry when they broke up, nor when Lin Quan bullied her, but now, because of something like this, Chen Die cried.

Wen Liang suddenly felt an indescribable irritation rising in his heart. Chen Die was crying, but he had no idea how to comfort her.

He also didn’t know why, over so many years, Chen Die had hardly ever cried in front of him.

She wasn’t such a strong girl, at least not when she first came to Yan City. Back then, she would cry in bed when thinking of her parents, and also cry when bullied by Chen Shuyuan at school.

But Chen Die gradually discovered that Wen Liang disliked girls crying—he found it annoying.

She had discovered this at age 16, and after that, she rarely cried in front of him again. Eventually, it became a subconscious habit, until today.

After the first tear fell, emotions became even harder to control. Chen Die bit her lip to hold back the unstoppable sobbing and the anger and grievance, afraid that once she opened her mouth she would fall apart. She could only call his name in a muffled voice.

“Wen Liang, stop coaxing me.”

She said: “I don’t want to see you again.”