Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: “Someone Like Me, Do I Deserve Ms. Chen Er?”

“Why did you come to this show?”

On the lake, the small boat swayed gently. Shen Mengke looked down at the clear water when a question suddenly came from beside her.

She froze for a moment, then looked up at Chen Xingxing. “What else could a dating show be for? To date, of course.”

“Then where’s your partner?”

Shen Mengke frowned. “I don’t have a partner.”

In the afternoon, the production team had separated the four groups, and Shen Mengke and Chen Xingxing were assigned to row a boat on the lake.

Shen Mengke wore a hat and sunglasses. Due to Chen Xingxing’s inexplicable malice, her expression behind the sunglasses was not pleasant, but unfortunately, Chen Xingxing couldn’t see it.

Chen Xingxing chuckled, reaching out to touch the cool lake water. “Then what is Chen Yanxing to you?”

Hearing that name, Shen Mengke was stunned at first. She hadn’t expected Chen Xingxing to know, as Chen Yanxing had said she didn’t want too many people to know about their relationship.

She subconsciously believed that Chen Yanxing wouldn’t introduce her as a girlfriend, and certainly not a ‘friends with benefits,’ but she ultimately didn’t know the true relationship between the two sisters, even though they were twins but didn’t look very alike.

Shen Mengke fell silent. Since she didn’t know what Chen Xingxing’s perception of her relationship with Chen Yanxing was, Shen Mengke couldn’t answer casually for a moment.

“Is it okay to directly say her name on the show?” Shen Mengke didn’t answer, but instead countered.

Chen Xingxing shrugged. “Who cares? I’d love for everyone to know that Chen Yanxing is dating a girlfriend like you.”

Shen Mengke’s gaze instantly turned cold. Through the sunglasses, through the dark lenses, she looked at Chen Xingxing. “Someone like me? What do you mean by ‘like me’?”

Before any question is asked, there must be an answer in one’s heart, whether it’s A, B, C, D, or good or bad. Questions asked always carry suspicion, doubt about oneself, or doubt about others.

She didn’t know Chen Xingxing’s purpose for joining this show, but it was clearly not for dating.

Otherwise, Chen Xingxing would have rejected her team-up request.

Chen Xingxing was willing to team up with her, yet she deliberately provoked her with words. Chen Xingxing was certain that even if this segment were aired, it wouldn’t ruin her.

Or perhaps, she had the power to prevent this segment from being aired at all.

Shen Mengke suddenly sneered, interrupting Chen Xingxing before she could speak. “I don’t care what you think of me. As for Chen Yanxing… if she dares to go public on the show, I can naturally be a perfect girlfriend for her.”

“Whether you believe it or care about it, no one cares at all. It’s enough if someone believes it.”

With that, a deathly silence fell over the boat.

Neither of them spoke. Only the sound of oars stroking the water and the occasional breeze intermingled in their ears.

For a long, long time, so long that Shen Mengke thought it was almost dark, Chen Xingxing suddenly spoke.

She let out a light, contemptuous laugh. “True love? Can a one-night stand have love?”

Shen Mengke suddenly looked up at her.

“Chen Yanxing probably didn’t tell you, but I have photos… or would you like to see the video?”

It was like a huge boulder suddenly crashed into the lake, sending massive waves crashing over her.

Heavy, painful, and cold.

Her clothes and hair were completely drenched, but the water on her body seemed endless, unable to dry, and the increasingly heavy water droplets pulled her down, down into the depths of the lake, into the abyss.

Shen Mengke’s eyelashes trembled, her lips slightly parted, but she couldn’t utter a single word for a long time. She even forgot to breathe.

Photos, videos… she didn’t need to guess what they were.

No one could remain calm enough at this moment. Shen Mengke pursed her lips, the last bit of stubbornness keeping her from taking off her sunglasses, allowing her to maintain a shred of dignity behind the dark lenses.

Her heart was trembling, her hands were trembling, and her breath was trembling.

She was utterly furious but still held onto a last shred of rationality. This was being filmed for a show.

“Miss Chen, do you know what crime your dissemination and threats constitute?”

The more Shen Mengke feigned calmness, the more wildly Chen Xingxing laughed.

“Who did I threaten? I’m inviting you to watch together! As for spreading it… I’ve only shown it to my good sister. She should quite like it, right?” Chen Xingxing said, suddenly raising her voice in surprise. “Eh? Didn’t Chen Yanxing show it to you? That shouldn’t be… or did you not know when it was filmed?”

“From how you looked then, you seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot, quite slutty…”

Shen Mengke took a deep breath, finally raised her hand and removed her sunglasses. She raised an eyebrow at Chen Xingxing, “Oh really? Show me.”

Chen Xingxing smirked. “Are you sure? Under the camera?”

“I’m sure, and I want you to play it publicly right now.”

Chen Xingxing’s perpetually smug face finally showed a crack. “Are you out of your mind?”

“How am I out of my mind? You’re clearly the one who doesn’t want to live. We’ll see who’s finished when the show airs.”

Chen Xingxing thought Shen Mengke had some extraordinary means, but it was just this. She immediately relaxed, leaning back in the boat. “Do you think… I’ll give them a chance to air it?”

Shen Mengke stood up, her exquisitely beautiful eyes reddened at the corners from the sudden intense emotion. The touch of red at the corner of her eyes seemed to merge with the sunset behind her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, the outer corners upturned, like a fox, incredibly captivating.

Chen Xingxing stared blankly for a moment, not even noticing Shen Mengke walking towards her.

The small boat rocked a few times, and Shen Mengke was already standing in front of her.

She bent slightly, one hand pressing on the edge of the boat behind Chen Xingxing.

Her long, dark, lustrous hair slid from her shoulder, sweeping Chen Xingxing’s collarbone and disappearing into her neckline.

Shen Mengke’s sudden proximity made Chen Xingxing instinctively hold her breath. Shen Mengke was too beautiful, hopelessly beautiful, beautiful without needing a price.

Shen Mengke curved her lips, staring at Chen Xingxing. “Do you really think that just because I came from a small place, I have no connections at all? Do you really think your Chen family can cover up everything?”

“Chen Xingxing, for all these years, people in the industry have flattered you and deceived you, but that doesn’t mean you can really do whatever you want. And… Chinese law won’t give you a break just because you’re from the Chen family. As long as it existed, it’s evidence, evidence to convict you.”

After she finished speaking, she stood straight and asked the boatman to row back. She would vomit if she stayed on the same boat as Chen Xingxing any longer.

Chen Xingxing watched Shen Mengke’s retreating figure, unable to recover for a long time. She, Chen Xingxing, had been pampered and spoiled since childhood. How could she have endured such humiliation?

Her eyes were red, and her whole body trembled with anger, but she still gritted her teeth, avoided the camera, and didn’t make a sound.

From an angle Chen Xingxing couldn’t see, Shen Mengke’s hand was also shaking, and shaking very badly.

Yes, she had no connections, no power. She was utterly alone, a solitary figure in the industry, an orphan.

The boat quickly docked, and Shen Mengke directly got off and walked back to the small courtyard.

Alone.

Chen Xingxing remained on the boat, watching Shen Mengke’s back, not speaking, not moving, not knowing what she was thinking.

The production crew looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a moment.

According to the original plan, after the lake tour, the two of them were supposed to have dinner together. Now, it seemed difficult for them to even be under the same roof.

This was Shen Mengke’s first time showing such an expression at work, in front of so many people, but she genuinely couldn’t control herself and didn’t feel it was the time to control herself.

She returned to her room, originally intending to pack her bags and leave directly, but then felt it would be too humiliating. Chen Xingxing was clearly the one who provoked her first, and Chen Xingxing was clearly the one who made the mistake. Why should she leave?

So she changed her clothes, found the white orchid brooch Chen Yanxing had given her, grabbed her phone, and left the room.

“You…”

The director knew something had happened to them, so he specifically came to find Shen Mengke first.

Shen Mengke smiled at the director. “Can I take a leave tonight and borrow a driver?”

“You… are you coming back?”

“What are you saying? I can’t afford the breach of contract penalty.”

Hearing her say that, the director finally felt relieved and assigned a driver to Shen Mengke.

“Where to?”

“Yaozhou.”

In the basement of Yaozhou, there was a club, like a bar, with people singing, dancing, and dressed in various costumes.

Shen Mengke didn’t know what kind of club this was. She only knew that everyone was equal here, as the Yaozhou attendant told her. In this club, there was no distinction between high and low social status; everyone would only obey their own desires. Even if her social status was high, she could very likely kneel at the feet of desire.

Shen Mengke found it novel, and at this moment, she precisely needed such a place.

The moment Shen Mengke entered Yaozhou, the scan information from the chip on her brooch was sent to Chen Yanxing’s phone. This was one of Yaozhou’s special functions.

Chen Yanxing was stunned when she saw the message. She had just been discussing Shen Mengke with Ren Zhou. Since the trending topic started last night, after Ren Zhou noticed something was wrong, she pulled up Shen Mengke’s resume and some related topic records from over the years, concluding that someone was secretly causing trouble.

Ren Zhou said many things that Chen Yanxing was confused about, but she understood one thing: someone was targeting Shen Mengke.

So, she looked up from her phone, looked at Ren Zhou, and said, “Prepare another contract.”

“What contract?”

“Assistant. Don’t celebrities all have assistants? When Shen Mengke comes, let me be her assistant.”

Ren Zhou was stunned at first, and after confirming that Chen Yanxing wasn’t joking, she chuckled. “No, is she even coming? From what she said today, it seems she’s hesitating again.”

“Besides, you’re going to be an assistant? Are you professional? You don’t even understand the industry’s dark side when I tell you about it. You’d be faster burning incense and praying for her in your temple.”

“Isn’t it just serving people tea and water? What’s so difficult about it…” Chen Yanxing said, then paused, picked up the contract on the table, and stood up. “She’ll come.”

Ren Zhou saw her actions and knew what she was going to do. She frowned and said, “Her contract hasn’t expired yet. You can’t sign with her now.”

Chen Yanxing glanced at her and said, “I know, I’m just showing it to her.”

“Prepare the contract for me as soon as possible. Doesn’t she think I’m doing nothing all day? I’ll give her a job.”

With that, Chen Yanxing walked out of the office.

Ren Zhou looked at Chen Yanxing’s back and it took her a while to realize who “she” was referring to.

A few days ago, Chen Xingxing had a fit, saying that her assistant of many years was no longer useful and she wanted to replace her, and even suggested that Chen Yanxing become her assistant.

She said that Chen Yanxing had no job anyway, so being Chen Xingxing’s assistant would be a way to repay the Chen family. Yesterday, her mother called Chen Yanxing back to discuss this matter.

But clearly, Chen Yanxing didn’t obey.

When Ren Zhou first heard this, even she, an outsider, couldn’t help but laugh in anger. She knew that Chen Yanxing had been left in the mountains for several years without care or concern. What was there to repay?

And to be Chen Xingxing’s assistant? Everyone knew how arrogant Chen Xingxing was every day, unhappy with everyone. Letting Chen Yanxing be her assistant was clearly intending to make Chen Yanxing’s life difficult.

As Ren Zhou thought, she began to tidy up the scattered documents on the table. Thinking this way, being Shen Mengke’s assistant wasn’t a bad idea. She didn’t know what her temper was like, but at least she was good-looking and pleasing to the eye.

When Chen Yanxing found Shen Mengke, she was already drunk, leaning back on the sofa with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

The dim yet dazzling lights flickered on her face, a face so exquisitely beautiful without reason. Her head tilted back, further elongating her already slender neck. She was like a swan with her neck exposed, fragile yet possessing a fatal allure, as if carelessly offering her life and beauty into others’ hands to be played with and defiled.

An inexplicable fire ignited in her heart. Chen Yanxing shifted her gaze to the table in front of Shen Mengke. There were five or six empty wine glasses on the table. Shen Mengke, oblivious to danger, had also opened several bottles of wine, both white and red. Some had been partially drunk, while others hadn’t even been touched.

Chen Yanxing took a deep breath. Yaozhou’s prices were outrageously expensive. She wasn’t afraid of drinking herself into bankruptcy.

In that brief moment of distraction, when her gaze refocused on Shen Mengke, someone was already sitting beside her.

Shen Mengke also opened her eyes, leaning lazily against the sofa and looking at the person.

She slightly turned her body, just enough to block Chen Yanxing’s view of Shen Mengke. Chen Yanxing couldn’t see Shen Mengke’s expression, nor could she hear what they were saying. She could only see that the person talking to Shen Mengke was laughing very happily. They clinked glasses, drank together, and even leaned close to whisper in each other’s ears.

Chen Yanxing frowned, holding the document, and walked over.

She stood behind Shen Mengke, unceremoniously grabbing Shen Mengke’s shoulder and pulling the two apart.

Her happiness abruptly interrupted, Shen Mengke, already fuming, turned around. The moment she saw Chen Yanxing, her beautiful eyes narrowed, and she looked even more displeased.

She hadn’t heard what Chen Yanxing said to that person; she only vaguely heard the person apologizing and then leaving.

Shen Mengke’s brows were almost furrowed together. Why was she apologizing? And why to Chen Yanxing? Why did she leave?

Shen Mengke shook her head. She felt dizzy and her mind was a mess. She poured herself a glass of wine, stood up, and was about to call back the person who had left.

“Hey…”

The wine glass in her hand was suddenly snatched away. Shen Mengke frowned, looking at the culprit. “What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?” Chen Yanxing countered.

“Drinking! You scared my person away, who’s going to drink with me?”

“Your person?” Chen Yanxing looked at her, then suddenly tilted her head back and drank all the wine in the glass. “I’ll drink with you,” she said.

Shen Mengke was stunned for a moment, then rolled her eyes after realizing what happened. She folded her arms and sat back down. “No, I don’t want you.”

“Then who do you want? Have you forgotten we signed a one-on-one contract?” Chen Yanxing suddenly bent down, leaning close to Shen Mengke, using the contract in her hand to gently lift Shen Mengke’s chin, slowly turning her face towards herself. “Or, Miss Shen, do you have a new target and want to terminate this relationship?”

“New target?” Shen Mengke looked at her face, her gaze quickly falling on the papers. “What is this?”

“A contract, your contract with Fanxing.”

Shen Mengke turned her head away. “I don’t want to sign it anymore.”

“Why?”

Shen Mengke suddenly sneered. “One Chen Xingxing is interesting enough. Isn’t Ren Zhou close to you? Who knows what tricks you’ll pull behind my back again. I can’t take another round.”

Out of nowhere, why bring up other people?

Chen Yanxing frowned. “What do you mean?”

Shen Mengke ignored her, raised her hand to push Chen Yanxing aside, casually picked up a bottle of wine, and stood up, her eyes scanning around as if she were looking for a new target.

“Sister came out tonight to have some fun, don’t block my way.”

Pushed so suddenly, Chen Yanxing stumbled, accidentally knocking over a bottle of wine on the table, wetting the contract.

Chen Yanxing didn’t even glance at the contract, dropping it on the table. Her expression turned grim as she looked at Shen Mengke. “Having fun?” She tilted her head slightly. “Then what about me?”

“What about you?” Shen Mengke turned back, her eyes staring at her without emotion, making her appear utterly cold. She sneered, “What are we? Chen Yanxing, I don’t want to play with you anymore.”

With that, she lifted her foot to walk away, but Chen Yanxing suddenly grabbed her.

Almost in an instant, Chen Yanxing scooped up her waist and threw her back onto the sofa. Shen Mengke felt a bit dizzy from the sudden movement. It took her a while to clear her vision of the swirling stars and see Chen Yanxing clearly.

Some of the wine in her hand had spilled during the change of posture, splattering onto Shen Mengke.

She was wearing a low-cut white dress today, and with the alcohol soaking into it, her chest was somewhat visible. Fortunately, the lighting was dim, and fortunately, Chen Yanxing was blocking her.

Shen Mengke, pressed onto the sofa by Chen Yanxing, didn’t resist. She looked up at Chen Yanxing, a slight curve on her lips. “What? Didn’t you say I could end the relationship anytime? Regretting it?”

“No regrets,” Chen Yanxing said, snatching the bottle from Shen Mengke’s hand and taking a large gulp directly from the bottle.

Shen Mengke watched her. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or the lighting, but she saw a bit of liquid spill from Chen Yanxing’s mouth, slide down her neck, and disappear into her collar.

She looked at Chen Yanxing’s chest rising and falling with her breath, at Chen Yanxing’s exquisite jawline. She inexplicably felt that Chen Yanxing was overly sexy at that moment.

She only took one sip, then grabbed the bottle and placed it on Shen Mengke’s shoulder.

The sudden coolness made Shen Mengke momentarily sober. She watched Chen Yanxing kneel on the sofa with one leg, leaning slightly. The hand that had been on her waist moved up along the curve of her body and instead grabbed her hand.

“The precondition is when you’re sober,” she said.

“I’m very sober,” Shen Mengke retorted, unconvinced.

Chen Yanxing chuckled softly. “You’ve drunk a table full of wine and you tell me you’re sober? Do you know where this place is, daring to casually flirt with people here…”

Her voice grew softer and softer. By the latter half of the sentence, Shen Mengke could no longer hear clearly.

But the anger sparked by Chen Xingxing this afternoon, now fueled by alcohol, spread wildly, and now it had burned onto Chen Yanxing.

Her eyes reddened, staring at Chen Yanxing with displeasure. Her lips slightly parted, just about to speak, when she suddenly heard a click. Such a small sound wouldn’t attract any attention in the noisy club, but it was too close; Shen Mengke heard it.

She twisted her head in disbelief and saw Chen Yanxing pull out a pair of handcuffs from somewhere, cuffing her own hand to Shen Mengke’s.

Shen Mengke looked at her in shock and suspicion, blinking twice rapidly. For a moment, her heart felt complicated, and she didn’t know what to say first.

“What are you angry about? Did I offend you?”

Chen Yanxing wasn’t stupid; she could tell that Shen Mengke was displeased with her tonight, but it was perplexing. Aside from some online chats, Chen Yanxing hadn’t had much contact with Shen Mengke in a long time.

Hearing this, Shen Mengke sneered, “Someone like me, do I deserve Ms. Chen Er?”

“Do people from your Chen family even look at people from the entertainment industry?”