Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: “Have You Already Found a New Agency?”

It was a week later when Shen Mengke finally saw Shu Yun again. Before that, she had first gone to meet Director Qing.

The day after she and Chen Yanxing separated, Chen Yanxing sent her a new contract—with one additional clause: “s3x must be consensual.”

Shen Mengke couldn’t help but laugh when she saw it, but she wasn’t in Jiangcheng at the time, so she let the matter sit for the moment.

Director Qing didn’t live in Jiangcheng. After deciding to halt production, she had returned to Ming City.

That same day, after leaving the hospital, Shen Mengke went straight to the company and signed the contract.

She was like a perfect marionette—doing whatever her boss told her, without saying a word.

Fan Shi knew that Shen Mengke wasn’t happy, but that was all—just unhappy.

What upset her was that this whole thing hadn’t been discussed with her beforehand. What upset her was her boss making unilateral decisions, even if that person was her boss.

That night, Shen Mengke flew to Ming City, and Fan Shi accompanied her.

“You really had to hobble all the way to Ming City like this? It’s not like Qing would disappear if you waited a few days,” Fan Shi said.

Shen Mengke sat on the sofa, holding the hot water Fan Shi poured for her. She watched as Fan Shi unpacked her toiletries and lazily replied, “I didn’t want to stay in Jiangcheng anymore.”

Fan Shi looked at her and teased, “What? Heartbroken?”

Shen Mengke clutched her chest dramatically. “Yeah, my heart’s not even beating anymore.”

She was beautiful—especially when she pretended to be pitiful. That pair of eyes, full of feigned grievance, could make anyone drop their guard. Maybe this was how Xi Shi looked to Dongshi back in the day.

Fan Shi chuckled. “Cut it out. But honestly, that variety show is a travel program. You’re not actually going there to fall in love. Just treat it like a vacation.”

Shen Mengke smiled but didn’t reply.

After all, it was still a show filled with cameras—every move and word being monitored. How could she truly relax?

She stayed at the hotel for a day, and her foot was mostly healed. On the third day, Fan Shi took her to Director Qing’s residence.

Ming City’s villa district was nestled along the mountainside. The car paused at the entrance while the guard confirmed their identity before slowly driving in.

Sycamore trees lined both sides, lush and green, blocking the view of most of the houses.

All the homes here looked similar—the only differences were the house numbers and the people living inside.

When the car came to a smooth stop, Fan Shi went ahead to ring the doorbell. Shen Mengke slowly got out of the car. Her foot still hurt, and the moment it touched the ground, she winced.

Fan Shi quickly returned to support her. Just as they reached the door, it opened right in front of them.

Shen Mengke looked up and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw who opened it. “You…”

It was Jiang Ranjran. She smiled and stepped aside. “Ms. Shen, please come in.”

Shen Mengke exchanged a glance with Fan Shi—both could see the surprise in each other’s eyes.

But after all, this was someone’s private matter. Maybe Jiang Ranjran, like Shen Mengke, was also here to see Director Qing?

Shen Mengke gave her a slight nod and entered the house with Fan Shi’s help.

Jiang Ranjran’s gaze fell to her foot. As she closed the door, she asked, “What happened to your foot?”

“Oh, I twisted it.”

Jiang Ranjran gestured for the staff to bring tea and invited Shen Mengke to sit on the sofa.

Once the tea was poured, Jiang Ranjran finally spoke. “Aunt Ruan has been waiting for you to come. I’m sorry she can’t meet you in person, but she asked me to give you this.”

As she spoke, she pushed an envelope that had been on the coffee table toward Shen Mengke.

Shen Mengke had noticed the envelope as soon as she entered. These days, very few people wrote letters, but on that envelope were three neatly written characters.

Now that it was fully in front of her, she could read it clearly: Shen Mengke.

Each stroke was sharp, like a sword, like a knife.

For a moment, Shen Mengke didn’t dare reach out to take it. She looked up at Jiang Ranjran. “Aunt Ruan?”

Jiang Ranjran smiled and nodded. “My mother is good friends with Aunt Ruan. Privately, I’ve always called her that.”

Shen Mengke had never imagined that the two of them had such a connection—an idol with a mixed reputation and a director with a career full of accolades. On the surface, they couldn’t have been more different.

But Shen Mengke, though curious, didn’t pry into other people’s private matters. She just nodded in understanding and asked, “Did something happen to Director Qing? I still have some questions—”

“Aunt Ruan said she already knows all your questions,” Jiang Ranjran interrupted her directly. “But… she doesn’t have the answers. Inside the envelope is Director Chu Fu’s business card and a letter of recommendation. Aunt Ruan already spoke to Director Chu Fu about you and showed her your work. If you reach out, there will definitely be a role for you.”

“Aunt Ruan also said that actors must learn to be content. At a certain age and with certain life experience, it’s impossible to portray things beyond your own range.”

Shen Mengke fell silent for a moment as she looked at her, then picked up the envelope and said, “I’ll be in Ming City for a week. If Director Qing is willing to see anyone during that time, please contact me.”

Jiang Ranjran nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

It was obvious Jiang Ranjran didn’t want to spend more time on small talk. Shen Mengke took the envelope and left.

As she watched the car disappear from view, Jiang Ranjran turned around and closed the door. When she looked up, she met the eyes of Ruan Xiangzhu standing on the second floor.

Jiang Ranjran smiled and walked upstairs. “Aunt Ruan, why are you out?”

Ruan Xiangzhu didn’t look at her. Her eyes stayed fixed on the door. “It’s nothing. You can go now.”

Jiang Ranjran frowned slightly and spoke with a hint of bratty stubbornness, “I’m not leaving. Who’ll take care of you if I do?”

“Li Hua is back.”

“Oh? Where? I didn’t see her!” Jiang Ranjran folded her arms and leaned on the railing. “Aunt Ruan, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Ruan Xiangzhu gave her a helpless glance and turned to go back into her study.

Jiang Ranjran watched the door open and close again, pouting in frustration. In the end, she just stomped her foot and went downstairs to plan lunch.

…

In the car, Fan Shi asked, “You’re staying in Ming City for a week?”

“Yep.” Shen Mengke casually tucked the envelope into her bag, scrolling through Weibo comments and messages as if it didn’t matter at all. “My contract is about to expire, isn’t it?”

Though it sounded like a question, her tone held no real curiosity. Fan Shi’s expression immediately changed. “You…”

“Relax, I won’t back out of the variety show I already signed. But I won’t be renewing the contract.”

“You already found a new agency?”

“No… I just don’t want to do this anymore.”

As Shen Mengke’s words fell, the car plunged into silence.

Her fingers gradually slowed as she scrolled through her phone. The long blocks of text on screen began to blur.

There were plenty of other ways to make money. At worst, she could go back to making music with Jiang Zhixing. She couldn’t keep wasting herself like this in the entertainment industry.