Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 13

Chapter 13:  She Seemed Both Domineering and Casual, and Shen Mengke Found It Increasingly Confusing

It had just rained during the day, and by night, the stars had come out.

The puddles on the road reflected the bright moonlight, creating a beautiful scene in that tiny space, as if a perfect painting had been laid out.

Shen Mengke strolled by the roadside. It was already late at night, and there were hardly any people left outside.

Shops nearby were preparing to close, with only a few stores still hosting men who drank and chatted, forcing the owners to wait for them to leave.

The sound of conversations and clinking glasses buzzed in her ears as Shen Mengke walked slowly and asked, “Where are you?”

There was a pause on the other end of the call, then came the reply, “Yaozhou.”

Calling Chen Yanxing had actually been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Shen Mengke had casually bought a bowl of wontons from a small shop, intending to empty her mind. But instead, her thoughts became even more active.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the meeting with Chen Yanxing earlier that day, and then the encounter in Yaozhou. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Why should Chen Yanxing develop such negative misunderstandings about her because of Xu Shinian’s setup, and why should she be forced to expose their relationship in front of Xu Shinian? That was a major risk!

The later it got, the more her mind raced. She started mentally replaying every decision, imagining better ways to handle things. The more she thought, the more annoyed she felt, and so she pulled out her phone, intending to confront Chen Yanxing.

Her thoughts were unusually clear, but her finger hesitated on the call button.

She knew well: night is when emotions run high—but regret comes easy the next day.

She was about to give up when someone bumped into her shoulder.

In truth, the stench of smoke and alcohol hit her before the physical impact, followed by a shadow falling across the table.

Shen Mengke frowned and looked up.

The man staggered unsteadily. He was with three others—two yelling at the shop owner for buns and wontons, and another, slightly more sober, was supporting the man who bumped into her. He said apologetically to her, “Sorry about that.”

The drunken man extended a half-eaten skewer toward her and slurred, “Miss, have some.”

Shen Mengke frowned, stood up, and slipped her phone into her pocket, not noticing that the call had already connected.

She turned back and glanced at the nearby barbecue restaurant—some people inside were peeking in her direction.

Already irritated, Shen Mengke didn’t want to deal with them and turned to leave.

But before she could take a step, the drunk man blocked her path again.

She instinctively stepped back and heard him say, “Let’s be friends, yeah?” He started to pull out his phone.

Shen Mengke sneered. “Move.”

“What’s the rush, pretty—AH!”

Before he could finish, she had kicked him squarely in the groin.

The man screamed and staggered back, crouching and clutching himself. One of his friends rushed to help him up while the other two came forward, their expressions turning hostile.

“Sorry, he’s drunk—” said the relatively sober man, still supporting his friend, trying to deescalate. After all, this was Huayuan, a community full of rich folks and celebrities. No one wanted trouble here. Plus, Shen Mengke didn’t look like an average person—far too pretty, too composed.

Shen Mengke sighed, not sparing them a glance. “If you can’t control him, I’ll break him.”

With that, she turned and left the store.

After walking a few steps and confirming no one was following, she suddenly laughed.

She remembered how someone once taught her:

“Don’t be polite with men. The moment you’re polite, they’ll stop being polite with you.”

“Kick right here. As hard as you can. Break it if possible. It’s just a lawsuit.”

“If you don’t have the strength, come work out with me tomorrow…”

Back then, Shen Mengke had wanted to say no—but eventually, she couldn’t refuse and was dragged into a half-month of intense fitness training.

Her phone vibrated in her bag. Shen Mengke quickly hid her smile and pulled it out while walking.

Message from: Boss – Little Taoist: Are you okay?

Chen Yanxing had texted her—and was still on the call with her…

Hearing the faint sound of her voice on the line reignited her anger. Why did she have to eat wontons outside her neighborhood while he was partying in Yaozhou?

She said, “Chen Yanxing, you already have a girlfriend. Stop flirting around.”

Even if she knew their relationship was fake, even if she had no right to say such a thing—even if she knew the label “girlfriend” didn’t bind him at all.

A sudden wave of bitterness hit her. From graduation until now, it had been nearly five years. She was still lukewarm in the industry—more known for rumors than work, more famous for scandals than for her name.

Aside from her Baidu profile, any platform search for “Shen Mengke” would immediately show a list of controversies.

Seeing too much injustice makes it hard not to become resentful.

Why could others succeed so easily, but not her?

“What?”

His voice came through the phone, confused. Shen Mengke let out a short laugh, a self-mocking snort.

She kicked into a puddle. Water splashed on her ankle and pants, cold and wet. A shiver ran up her spine, and suddenly, she felt sick—like a host body haunted by a parasite.

“Nothing,” she said. “My phone was in my bag. I must’ve bumped it. I’m hanging up.”

Before he could respond, she ended the call.

She had almost said the words, “Chen Yanxing, just keep me as your mistress.” She had been that close.

When she entered the industry, Shen Mengke was full of pride—refusing to trade her body for success. But over the years, there had been more than a few moments when she nearly crossed that line…

She feared one day she’d break—fade into the industry quietly, and leave just as silently.

Her vision blurred. Shen Mengke looked up at the moon, half-covered by dark clouds, and slowly made her way home.

The moon was the same moon—but viewed by different people, from different places, it looked entirely different.

The lights of Yaozhou had stolen the moonlight’s rightful brilliance, illuminating the sky with human vanity.

Late at night was when the wildness began.

Within Yaozhou, a sense of unbridled indulgence filled the air. Sitting in that kind of atmosphere, Chen Yanxing looked distinctly out of place.

Even seated in a corner, she looked like she wanted to leave. After Shen Mengke hung up, Chen Yanxing seemed puzzled.

Was Shen Mengke… checking up on her?

They had only just parted ways…

…

Xu Shinian took a leave of absence, and Shen Mengke, by association, also got some time off.

Director Qing said there were problems with the script and that it needed adjustments—but Shen Mengke had a feeling the issue wasn’t the script.

She had a vague sense that something was going on. But checking online, everything seemed calm.

This was when connections really mattered.

For two days, Shen Mengke stayed at home. She and Chen Yanxing only met once—when Chen brought her a new contract. They met at a café outside her neighborhood. The whole exchange lasted less than ten minutes. Shen Mengke signed the contract, and Chen left.

She sat alone in the café, watching the coffee in front of her grow cold. Something about Chen Yanxing’s attitude toward the contract seemed off.

She seemed to care—but then again, she didn’t even ask for Shen Mengke’s input before printing it. She’d already signed it herself. Every contract signing took less than ten minutes.

But if she didn’t care, why deliver it in person? A simple assistant could’ve done that. And she only came to sign the contract—there was no small talk.

She seemed both domineering and casual, and Shen Mengke found it increasingly hard to figure her out.

Only when the coffee was completely cold did she stir the delicate latte art into oblivion and drink it all.

Across from her sat an identical cup of cold coffee.

They met again the next day.

It was Du Junyi’s birthday—of the Du family in Jiangcheng. Normally frugal, this time the celebration was extravagant. Rumor had it several major celebrities were invited.

Shen Mengke didn’t know much about the business scene, but she knew this was a rare opportunity. So, she reached out to her friend—a rich kid more interested in music than in inheriting the family business—Jiang Zhixing.

Jiang Zhixing had been her deskmate all through high school. They were quite the pair. She still didn’t understand why a rich kid had chosen to attend a small county high school.

She never asked, and Jiang Zhixing never told.

That night, Shen Mengke wore a rare couture gown. Seeing the flashy red sports car parked outside her building, she chuckled.

Jiang Zhixing personally got out to open the door for her. “Beautiful lady, please.”

Shen Mengke paused on her for a moment, then got in.

As the door closed, Shen Mengke looked at the girl in a crisp white suit and suddenly remembered a phone call from a few days ago.

Back when Shen Mengke called to ask if she was going to Du Junyi’s birthday party, Jiang Zhixing immediately knew she wanted to attend and yelled into the phone, “Xiao Tian! Go fish that invitation out of the trash for me!”

Shen Mengke had gone quiet hearing that. Back in high school, they played music together, even formed a band.

Of course, the motivation was an infamous teenage crush.

At first, it was just the two of them. Jiang Zhixing didn’t even play music.

But in their second year, after being placed in the same class again, Jiang Zhixing fell hard for a girl named Ruan Lihua.

It was intense. Everyone knew she liked Ruan—except Ruan herself. But Jiang was too shy to confess.

Upon learning Ruan liked bands and played multiple instruments, she forced herself to start one, dragging Shen Mengke along for moral support.

The original band had just three people, and Jiang was barely learning. But she had a great voice, and Ruan brought two more friends to round it out.

They played together for a year. Then came graduation—some went to college, some moved on. The band faded away.

After the college entrance exam, Jiang finally built up the courage to confess—only to find that Ruan had gone abroad.

No warning. She just left.

And with that, that teenage crush ended with no closure.

Shen Mengke later went to college in another city. She and Jiang lost touch.

They reconnected after Shen’s first acting role. Her agent brought her to a business event, where she ran into Jiang—now known as Young Master Jiang.

Back then, everyone thought she was about to make it big—but she kept flopping, and her agent eventually stopped taking her to events.

She and Jiang stayed in touch.

Over the past two years, Jiang tried reviving the idea of starting a band again—but people came and went, and nothing ever solidified.

Everyone knew the truth—those people didn’t care about music. They were just chasing Jiang’s money.

Still, Jiang wouldn’t give up. She often wandered around music departments of nearby universities. And sure enough—she’d brought another “junior” back with her.