Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: “I don’t Know Any Celebrities, Except You.”

“Shen Mengke…”

Shen Mengke, who was eating dumplings with Shu Yun, was completely unaware that she had fallen into another storm.

Chen Yanxing stood behind the desk, looking at the photos scattered on it. Without exception, they were all of her and Shen Mengke, and not just from that one night.

Chen Yanxing had been following her.

Chen Yanxing frowned, too lazy to even glance at Chen Yanxing, who was sitting to the side. She looked up at Chen Zhiyu, who was seated behind the desk.

“You refused to be Yanxing’s assistant because of her? I heard she even tripped Yanxing up on the show a few days ago?”

Chen Yanxing listened, letting out a cold, sarcastic chuckle. “Who tripped who? Mother, who dares to trip her up…”

Chen Zhiyu suddenly looked up, staring at Chen Yanxing. In an instant, Chen Yanxing’s unfinished words were choked back, unable to escape her lips.

“It’s already an act of grace to let you stay in Jiangcheng. Don’t get entangled with some actress every day and bully your sister. It won’t sound good if it gets out,” Chen Zhiyu said, sounding as if it were all for Chen Yanxing’s own good.

Chen Yanxing lowered her eyes, remaining silent, it was unclear how much of those words she truly took in.

“It’s like I said last time, if you’re staying in Jiangcheng, you need to be of some use. Don’t just idle around with Ren Zhou every day. At least she has a proper job, earning some dirty money. What about you? Just relying on the Chen family to support you?”

“Support me?” Chen Yanxing curved her lips, but no smile appeared. She suddenly reached out to pick up the scattered photos on the table, stacking them neatly in her hand, one by one.

“Actress, dirty money… What era is this? You still classify this as the lowest class. What about Chen Yanxing? Isn’t she just a singer?”

“Chen Yanxing!”

Hearing her name, Chen Yanxing suddenly stood up, frowning as she looked at her. “You’re not helping your own sister, and instead helping an outsider?”

Chen Zhiyu frowned when Chen Yanxing spoke, but Chen Yanxing had already stood up, so she couldn’t say anything. She simply looked up slightly at the two sisters.

“Sister? Outsider?” Chen Yanxing finally held all the photos neatly in her hand, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “She’s not an outsider, she’s my lover.”

Chen Yanxing’s eyes widened in surprise. “Lover?”

She laughed mockingly. “That Shen Mengke is practically kissing Shu Yun on the show; she hasn’t even admitted you’re her lover.”

Every word Chen Yanxing uttered was meant to provoke Chen Yanxing, but who knew Chen Yanxing showed no reaction at all? She remained poised, her fingers gently caressing the photos in her hand.

It was Chen Zhiyu who glanced at the two of them and asked, “Shu Yun? Which Shu Yun?”

Chen Yanxing sat back down indifferently. “The one from the Shu family, she seems to have just returned to the country.”

“Shu Yun likes Shen Mengke?” Chen Zhiyu asked.

As if knowing what Chen Zhiyu was thinking, the calm facade on Chen Yanxing’s face finally cracked. She looked up at Chen Zhiyu. “Mother…”

Chen Zhiyu’s gaze fell on the photos in her hand. “Outsider or lover, you’d better cut ties with her quickly. Entangling yourself with an actress, aren’t you ashamed?”

Chen Yanxing frowned but said nothing.

Chen Zhiyu looked up at her, knowing she was unconvinced, and only added, “I’ll let you off the hook regarding the marriage alliance with the Feng family; after all, that Feng family member isn’t a good person either. But you still need to contribute to the Chen family…”

“Alright,” Chen Yanxing interrupted Chen Zhiyu. Meeting Chen Zhiyu’s slightly angry gaze, she said, “Mother, let me join the Chen family company. Even if I start from the bottom, I’m willing.”

“No manners.”

Chen Zhiyu was only slightly annoyed that she had been interrupted, but when she heard Chen Yanxing’s next words, the anger in her eyes gradually turned into mockery. “You?”

She laughed, the laugh laced with scorn for Chen Yanxing’s presumption. “Do you think the Chen family company is a place just anyone can enter? Even at the lowest level, you need a bachelor’s degree. You haven’t even finished elementary school. Are you trying to ruin the company to get revenge on me?”

“Revenge? Why are you so certain I’m doing this for revenge on you? I…”

“Enough, don’t argue with me,” she said, then stood up, stating rather solemnly, “In a couple of days, I’ll host a banquet for you at Miaosi Bay in the city. It will be a ceremony for you to acknowledge your heritage. You can choose anyone close to your status there. On this point, I’ll give you freedom.”

Upon hearing this, not only Chen Yanxing but also Chen Yanxing on the sofa stood up. She looked at Chen Zhiyu in surprise, about to speak, but was interrupted by Chen Zhiyu. “You quiet down too. If you want to sing, then sing your songs properly, don’t meddle in other affairs.”

Chen Yanxing frowned, displeased but not daring to talk back to Chen Zhiyu. So she angrily stomped her foot and walked out of the study.

The door was abruptly pulled open and slammed shut. Chen Zhiyu frowned, but didn’t seem angry.

Then, her gaze fell back on Chen Yanxing. Seeing Chen Yanxing standing coldly to the side, she asked, “What? You’re not satisfied either?”

Chen Yanxing looked up. She rarely looked Chen Zhiyu directly in the eye like this. “Not satisfied,” she said.

Chen Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, but today she looked at her with surprising democracy. “Speak.”

“You were the one who didn’t let me go to school, and you were the one who forcibly sent me to the Taoist temple. You stripped me of all my right to choose. Are you still going to strip me of my right to choose my lover?”

“Why should I repay the Chen family, Mother? Honestly, besides this surname, what else has the Chen family given me?” She clutched the photos in her hand, looking at Chen Zhiyu. “If I can achieve something, will I then have the right to choose my own marriage?”

Chen Zhiyu curved her lips, looking at her with interest. “Are you saying, starting from the bottom?”

“No, I’m saying, I have achievements.” She looked at Chen Zhiyu, her face showing no emotion, but her heart was inevitably anxious. “Fanxing, it’s mine.”

Chen Yanxing had never confronted Chen Zhiyu so directly before, even matching her in aura.

She stood there, actually half a head taller than Chen Zhiyu, but Chen Zhiyu’s gaze was only surprised for a moment before becoming listless again. Her eyes fell on the cooled tea cup on the table in front of her, and she said blandly, “You’re not trying to say that Ren Zhou transferred the company to you, are you?”

Her lips held a hint of mockery. “You don’t understand anything. You think your little games…”

“No,” Chen Yanxing interrupted her again. “Have you never thought about why Ren Zhou’s company would be called Fanxing?”

“These past few years, I haven’t been in Jiangcheng, so I could only use Ren Zhou’s name to manage the company for me. Since she’s a Ren family member, you wouldn’t interfere.”

“She managed the company for you?” Chen Zhiyu looked up at her, frowning slightly but still unconvinced. “Why would she manage the company for you?”

Indeed, even the best of friends are always especially cautious when it comes to matters of profit.

“Because I haven’t been in the Taoist temple all these years.”

She finally said it, but her heart was pounding fiercely.

She was actually afraid, afraid of Chen Zhiyu, afraid of what would happen after she learned the truth.

Chen Zhiyu’s usually calm expression finally fractured. “What did you say?”

Chen Yanxing took a deep breath, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes, and said, “Mother, today I want to lay it all bare with you, to tell you that I have achievements, that I can achieve things. I don’t expect you to treat me like you treat Chen Yanxing, it’s just…”

“Look at me, okay?”

Chen Zhiyu finally calmed down. She didn’t respond to Chen Yanxing, but simply asked, “These past few years… where have you been?”

Chen Yanxing pursed her lips, closing her eyes with a hint of disappointment. When she opened them again, the pain from before seemed to be an illusion.

Sometimes, not answering is an answer.

“Then you don’t need to know. Anywhere and everywhere. If you want to investigate… then go ahead and investigate.”

Chen Zhiyu slightly raised her eyes, looking at Chen Yanxing as if she were a stranger.

Chen Yanxing took a deep breath. Facing that gaze, she suddenly lost the courage to confront her mother.

“You don’t believe me, or do you simply not want me to have any capabilities? I always thought that when I revealed Fanxing, you would at least smile because of my achievements, my worth.”

“For the past decade, I’ve lived in such fantasies…”

She lowered her gaze, her words tinged with a hint of grievance.

Chen Zhiyu’s gaze swept over her from top to bottom. After a long pause, she finally spoke. “You may leave now.”

Chen Yanxing looked up, a questioning gaze at Chen Zhiyu, but Chen Zhiyu said nothing, turning away.

She took two steps forward to the window, looking at the scenery outside, lost in thought, but unwilling to look at Chen Yanxing again.

Chen Yanxing pursed her lips, gripping the photos so tightly that one slipped out and fell to the floor.

She ignored it, turned, and walked out of the study.

At the corner of the second floor, Chen Yanxing leaned against the railing, looking down at her phone.

Hearing the movement, she looked up and smiled at Chen Yanxing. “Your lover and Young Miss Shu are trending.”

Shen Mengke, who had almost completely blocked online news, had no idea she was caught in another wave of public opinion.

After the dumplings were made, Shu Yun took a photo. Shen Mengke only glanced at her, eager to eat, and didn’t pay attention to what she was doing.

Shu Yun put down her phone after posting on Weibo.

Six years later, Shu Yun’s Weibo finally had a new update.

@ShuYun: A purely handmade dumpling [Image]

She didn’t explicitly state who she was eating with, but the photo she took revealed Shen Mengke’s phone and the corner of her clothes.

Shu Yun, because she entered the industry early, retired early due to illness, and had a good reputation and acting skills, had long been hailed as the “White Moonlight of the Entertainment Industry.” In the years since her retirement, her fans have increased rather than decreased. Even though the leaks from “Heartbeat Journey” came out a few days ago, a series of related topics, from Shu Yun’s return to China to the all-female dating show and then to Shu Yun participating in the dating show, had already pushed Shu Yun to the top of the trending list, remaining there for three full days before showing slight signs of fading.

But it hadn’t been officially announced yet. Now, it was different. This was Shu Yun’s first Weibo post since returning to China!

So, before the old trending topic completely disappeared, a new one immediately surged to the top again.

Fans were excited, the public was excited, and capital was even more excited.

Through a series of operations, #ShuYun’sFirstWeiboAfterReturningToChina instantly became the top trending topic. What followed was a series of analyses and speculations about this “White Moonlight of the Entertainment Industry.” There were those who praised blindly, those who analyzed and then predicted decline, those who simply admired her beauty, and even those who zoomed in on Shu Yun’s photo for analysis…

Who is Sister eating with? Can I join?

Is it with her mom? Shu Shu-zi seems to live with her mom.

Is Sister better? Will she still act?

It’s not her mom, is it? Why does this outfit look familiar?

There’s a reflection of someone on the phone on the table. Which Sherlock Holmes can figure out who it is?

This outfit! It’s Shen Mengke! I saw her in Mingcheng before, and she was wearing this!

Who is Shen Mengke?

Coincidence? How could they be eating together?

Did you forget the trending topic from two days ago? Shen Mengke also participated in that dating show.

No way… they’re already hooking up?

Without evidence, don’t just speculate. It’s just an outfit, it doesn’t prove it’s Shen Mengke.

Found it! Image attached! This is the clothing brand Shen Mengke endorses, which is a competing product to what Sister endorsed before she retired! [Image]

If that’s the case, no one would probably wear this outfit in front of Shu Shu-zi…

Even so… this isn’t a show. Privately, people can wear whatever they want, who cares?

However… isn’t that phone Shen Mengke’s? The photo of her trending two days ago, that’s the phone case, and the model matches.

I noticed that too, especially since there’s a crack on the screen. That can’t be a coincidence, right?

This Shen Mengke is too shameless, isn’t she? She’s already hooking up with my Shu Shu-zi?

…

Because of Shen Mengke’s consistently bad reputation, the comments immediately became one-sided, all cursing Shen Mengke and telling her to get out of the entertainment industry.

In the midst of the chaos, a comment quietly caught attention:

But… I’ve been a fan for over a decade. Don’t you really know that Shen Mengke and Shu Yun knew each other before their debut?

Chen Yanxing raised an eyebrow; she genuinely didn’t know that.

She glanced at Chen Yanxing, who was gloating beside her, secretly switched to Chen Yanxing’s account, and liked that comment with Chen Yanxing’s main account.

Then, under Chen Yanxing’s triumphant gaze, she returned the phone to Chen Yanxing and warned, “Delete all the photos from your phone. Don’t provoke her again.”

Chen Yanxing raised an eyebrow and scoffed, “Are you threatening me? What do you have to threaten me with?”

Chen Yanxing also laughed. “You can try, see if those things on your phone can last until tonight.”

This was a threat!

Chen Yanxing sneered, “She complained to you, didn’t she? What’s this? Even a mistress knows not to have two lovers, but she leaves you here to take the blame while she’s having a good time eating and drinking with Shu Yun.”

“Chen Yanxing, could it be… you didn’t give enough, and she dumped you?”

Chen Yanxing glanced at her, her face cold, and walked downstairs.

Chen Yanxing, ignored, couldn’t stand it. Watching Chen Yanxing’s retreating back downstairs, Chen Yanxing stomped her foot in anger, gripping her phone tightly as if to throw it, but halfway through, she silently pulled her hand back.

Chen Yanxing’s influence in the entertainment industry was not small, and not just in the entertainment industry. Even as they were speaking, Chen Yanxing was already trending.

Since entering the industry, she had never had a negative trending topic. This time, she accidentally got involved between Shu Yun and Shen Mengke. Fanxing, on the other hand, had been preparing for this. Because their boss wanted to sign Shen Mengke, Fanxing’s public relations team was constantly monitoring Shen Mengke’s movements and reported it to the boss the moment Shen Mengke started trending.

Almost simultaneously, when Chen Yanxing liked the comment, Ren Zhou saw the update. She curved her lips. She had long been annoyed with Chen Yanxing. Other people in the industry didn’t dare to mess with Chen Yanxing, but she did!

So, with a grand wave of her hand, she instructed the public relations and publicity departments to get involved, seizing the opportunity to throw in genuine and fabricated tidbits. Although she knew the trending topic would be removed soon, a little more was always better.

They could remove Chen Yanxing’s trending topic, but they couldn’t remove the public’s memory.

It was also a way to vent for Chen Yanxing. Looking at the trending topic climbing higher and higher, Ren Zhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Meanwhile, the person at the center of the storm finished her dumplings in silence, ushering in a second period of silence.

Shen Mengke had just put the dishes into the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Before she could react, Shu Yun had already opened the door.

And wouldn’t you know it, standing outside was none other than Chen Yanxing, who was in a bad mood after leaving the Chen family. The moment her eyes met Shu Yun’s, her mood worsened, her brows tightly furrowed, and annoyance plainly visible in her eyes.

She recognized the person standing before her as the one she had seen that night in Yaozhou. She hadn’t known Shu Yun before, but she had just seen the trending topic…

Chen Yanxing recognized her, and Shu Yun naturally recognized the person in front of her. Thus, Shu Yun’s originally relaxed expression instantly turned cold.

“Sis, who is it?”

Shen Mengke, wearing slippers and a relaxed expression, walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands casually as she asked. But all her ease froze the moment she saw Chen Yanxing.

How to describe that feeling? It was like being caught having an affair…

A fleeting moment of unnaturalness flashed across her face, but she still feigned composure as she looked at Chen Yanxing. “Why are you here?”

Chen Yanxing was already in a bad mood with nowhere to go, and then she thought of Shen Mengke, who was the fuse for her return to the Chen family today and could barely be considered a lover. That’s why she drove directly to Shen Mengke’s house, only to find another person who made her unhappy opening the door.

Seeing Chen Yanxing silent, Shen Mengke took a step forward, but Shu Yun was still holding the door. She could only peek through the gap between Shu Yun and the door, looking at Chen Yanxing, and softly calling her name.

Chen Yanxing glanced at Shu Yun, then looked at Shen Mengke, feeling increasingly irritated. “Is there food? I’m hungry,” she said.

“Huh?” Shen Mengke was momentarily stunned. She actually wanted to ask if the second young lady of the Chen family couldn’t afford food.

But the moment their eyes met, she swallowed the unspoken words. Chen Yanxing was slightly frowning, and when she looked at Shen Mengke, whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that Chen Yanxing looked so wronged, so wronged that she wanted to cry.

As if possessed, Shen Mengke nodded and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

“Dumplings.”

With those two words, the three fell silent again. Shu Yun released her grip on the doorknob and turned to look at Shen Mengke.

Whether intentionally or not, her turn completely blocked the eye contact between Chen Yanxing and Shen Mengke. “Mengke, is this your friend?”

When she asked this, there was a hint of expectation in her voice, but even she didn’t know what she was expecting.

Shen Mengke nodded blankly. “Sort of. Then…” she said, then peeked at Chen Yanxing. “Then you come in. We just ate dumplings today, there are still plenty left.”

Shu Yun bit her lip, slowly averting her gaze.

Do friends kiss each other? Do friends drink mouth-to-mouth? Do friends put their hands into each other’s skirts…?

Shu Yun didn’t know how to react for a moment. Her expression was terrible. She couldn’t believe there would be a day when even Shen Mengke would lie to her.

Chen Yanxing had already been invited in by Shen Mengke. Shen Mengke handed her new slippers.

Shu Yun looked at her and said to Shen Mengke, “I’m leaving now.”

Shen Mengke nodded, but her eyes didn’t even fall on Shu Yun.

Shu Yun wished she could take all the dumplings she had personally made.

Watching Chen Yanxing follow Shen Mengke into the kitchen, she picked up her bag and left Shen Mengke’s house.

Hearing the door close, Chen Yanxing leaned against the table and looked back. “I heard you call her ‘Sis’ just now? You have a sister?”

Chen Yanxing turned around, looking at Shen Mengke, who was taking dumplings out of the refrigerator.

Shen Mengke nodded, handed the plate to Chen Yanxing. “Go cook them yourself.”

Chen Yanxing chuckled, took the dumplings into the kitchen, turned on the water and the stove. “I never heard you mention her before?”

“She just returned to the country.”

Chen Yanxing acted as if she knew nothing, nodding.

Shen Mengke leaned against the kitchen door, arms crossed, watching Chen Yanxing busy in the kitchen. “I didn’t expect you to know how to cook! All you young ladies of wealthy families, one by one, you’re all full of hidden talents.”

“All of us? Who else?”

Shen Mengke chuckled. “My sister. Her name is Shu Yun. You should know her, right?”

“No, I don’t,” Chen Yanxing said directly. “I don’t know any celebrities, except you.”

Shen Mengke scoffed. “Oh please. You don’t know her, yet you know she’s a celebrity. And you have a famous sister too.”

As she spoke, her gaze couldn’t help but scan Chen Yanxing. She was dressed as simply as ever, but inexplicably, Shen Mengke felt Chen Yanxing’s aura was off today. The grievance she had seen earlier wasn’t fake, and now there was a bit more anger.

“Why didn’t you bring a contract today?” Shen Mengke teased her.

Chen Yanxing stirred the dumplings in the pot with chopsticks. “I didn’t come today to talk about contracts…”

She paused. “Actually,” Chen Yanxing turned around and looked at Shen Mengke. “Big star, how are you considering the assistant position?”

Shen Mengke feigned arrogance, raising an eyebrow. “All my money went to my former boss, so I can’t pay you a salary.”

“No salary needed. Just give me a place to stay, and I’ll cook for you. How does that sound?”

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Mengke’s eyes. “Miss Chen, have you run away from home? You don’t even have a place to stay.”

Chen Yanxing nodded then shook her head. “Chen Yanxing told my mother about us, and my mother, displeased that I ruined the Chen family’s reputation, kicked me out of the house.”

Shen Mengke looked at Chen Yanxing in surprise. For a moment, she thought Chen Yanxing was joking, but Chen Yanxing’s expression was too serious and sad, leaving Shen Mengke unable to voice any doubt.

“You…”

She wanted to comfort Chen Yanxing, but then she realized, wasn’t she the culprit behind this whole thing?

What she should be doing now is probably apologizing on the spot…