Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: “What’s wrong with having a girlfriend? It’s just someone to sleep with, not like I’m marrying her — there’s no need to be responsible.”

Outside the bathroom, Chen Yanxing sat on the sofa, observing Shen Mengke’s WeChat.

She had just opened a photo of Shen Mengke in her Moments when a sharp scream rang out from the bathroom. Her hand shook, and she accidentally gave the photo a “like.”

Realizing it, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. She was about to remove the like but hesitated. Instead, she switched direction and saved the photo.

Shen Mengke’s Moments exuded a vibrant life — full of photos of cats and dogs, blue skies and clouds, food and scenery, and her ever-present smiling face.

Her profile background was a picture of a sea of clouds taken from a mountaintop — vast and majestic, yet oddly comforting. Chen Yanxing stared at it for a long time until her eyes ached, then slowly backed out layer by layer, browsing through every bit of WeChat information related to Shen Mengke, finally stopping at her profile picture: a fluffy Bichon Frise happily running in the sunlight — silly but adorable.

There was nothing depressing in Shen Mengke’s WeChat. Even her username was just a sun emoji.

People can fake things, but faking this kind of joy? That was difficult. Shen Mengke seemed to be truly living a happy life.

After seeing all that, Chen Yanxing found it hard to believe the messages she had seen earlier on Shen Mengke’s phone.

Thinking about it, she downloaded Weibo on this brand-new phone.

The water in the bathroom soon stopped running. Chen Yanxing put away the phone just as Shen Mengke came out — barefoot and wrapped in a blanket. Her long, thick hair hadn’t been dried at all and was still dripping, water running down her face and body onto the floor.

Shen Mengke glanced at her, then looked at the curtain, which had been drawn open. She frowned, but before she could say anything, Chen Yanxing had already gotten up and pulled the curtains shut.

The room dimmed instantly, but Shen Mengke’s mood clearly improved. She turned on the bedside lamp and noticed the clothes scattered on the floor the night before had been neatly folded and placed on the bed.

She glanced at Chen Yanxing, who was sitting on the sofa with her back to her, head lowered, playing with her phone.

The screen was blank, and her finger kept randomly tapping. No telling what app she had opened.

Shen Mengke chuckled silently, got dressed, and carelessly dried her hair with a towel, making sure no more water dripped from the ends before tossing the towel back into the bathroom.

Perfect timing — Fan Shi arrived at the door.

“Hello, good morning!” Shen Mengke opened the door and greeted her agent with a cheerful smile.

Fan Shi gave her a helpless look and shut the door behind her. “Didn’t you say last night you were just going out to clear your head? How did clearing your head turn into…”

Fan Shi paused mid-sentence when she spotted Chen Yanxing sitting inside. “You actually slept with her?”

Shen Mengke smiled and nodded.

Without answering directly, she walked over and pulled the curtain open again. Sunlight streamed in, lighting the floor between Fan Shi and Chen Yanxing.

“Let me introduce you — Fan Jie, Fan Shi, my gold-star agent.”

She sat on the armrest beside Chen Yanxing and added, “Fan Jie, this is Chen Yanxing — my girlfriend.”

Fan Shi’s gaze shifted from Shen Mengke to Chen Yanxing, her voice surprised, “From the Chen family?”

Chen Yanxing looked up and met Fan Shi’s eyes.

Fan Shi was sharply dressed in a brown casual suit and black high heels, her softly curled hair tied into a low ponytail, with pearl earrings on her ears.

The contrast between her and Shen Mengke’s laid-back vibe was striking — anyone could instantly see what kind of person she was.

Shen Mengke grinned proudly at Fan Shi, as if her expression was saying, “Impressed? My girlfriend’s pretty awesome, huh?”

Chen Yanxing remained calm as she stood up. The fact that Shen Mengke knew her identity meant Shen Mengke herself was no ordinary person — and neither would be the people around her.

With that in mind, she walked over and shook hands with Fan Shi. “Nice to meet you, Fan Jie. Please take care of me.”

Fan Shi awkwardly raised her hand and shook back.

Shen Mengke straightened her clothes a bit. “Fan Jie, where’s the stuff?”

“Oh, in the bag.”

Fan Shi pulled out two caps and two disposable black masks, handing them over. “The car’s ready. If she’s your girlfriend, you two heading out together?”

Shen Mengke’s hair was still damp and wearing a hat was uncomfortable. She shoved it back into Fan Shi’s bag, earning a glare.

Shen Mengke smiled, put on her mask, and looked at Chen Yanxing. “What do you think?”

“I don’t want our relationship to be under too much spotlight,” Chen Yanxing replied.

Shen Mengke nodded. “OK. Fan Jie, let’s go. You head out half an hour later — people should be gone by then.”

The door closed behind them. Fan Shi couldn’t help but whisper, “What’s going on? Are you going public?”

Shen Mengke looked at her and smiled, “What are you talking about? Just a fling. Didn’t she say she didn’t want too much attention?”

“You’re calling someone your girlfriend and it’s just a fling?”

“So what? A girlfriend is just someone to sleep with. It’s not like we’re getting married — no need to be responsible.”

Most of the time, Fan Shi didn’t agree with Shen Mengke’s views, but as long as it didn’t affect her or her career, she wouldn’t interfere. She simply reminded her, “Be careful. Don’t get caught on camera.”

Shen Mengke nodded nonchalantly.

The car was parked right outside the hotel. Shen Mengke got in quickly. Even so, she vaguely heard something — turning to look back, she saw shadows in the distance. She sneered. They weren’t even pretending anymore — openly taking pictures.

Fan Shi glanced back too, then looked at Shen Mengke, unable to help herself from asking, “I don’t care if you’re dating, but… how did you end up with someone from the Chen family?”

“What about it?” Shen Mengke ran her hand through her now less-wet hair, casually replying.

“The Chen family looks down on the entertainment industry. You better be careful not to get played.”

Shen Mengke paused and looked at her. “Isn’t Chen Xingxing in the entertainment industry too?”

Fan Shi scoffed. “Can you compare yourself to her? She’s the Chen family’s favorite — always had protection. Have you ever seen a single scandal about her? People who criticize her one day get their accounts banned the next.”

She sighed and handed Shen Mengke a towel from the car. “They think this industry is filthy — but Chen Xingxing? She’s not.”

Shen Mengke chuckled. She suddenly thought of Chen Yanxing’s odd expression earlier when she’d mentioned Chen Xingxing.

“Fan Jie, do you know anything else about the Chen family? These twin sisters don’t look alike at all, and their names are wildly different — one is called Yanxing, the other just casually named Xingxing?”

“Yanxing became a nun. Maybe Xingxing got spoiled because she was more ‘adorable’?”

Fan Shi shook her head. “No idea. But I heard ‘Chen Xingxing’ might be a stage name.”

Shen Mengke nodded — that made sense.

Chen Yanxing didn’t leave the hotel until an hour later, exiting from the back entrance. She got into a black car wearing a cap.

“Hey? Nice hat. Where’d you get it?”

Just as she got in, someone reached out to grab the cap from her head.

Chen Yanxing instinctively pulled back, frowning. “Don’t touch.”

“Tch, stingy. It’s just a hat — I’ll buy you ten.” The girl handed over a phone. “Here, I got your phone back. My phone—”

Chen Yanxing hesitated as she took the phone, then looked up. “Ren Zhou.”

Ren Zhou paused, sensing something serious in her tone.

“What is it?”

“You treat me pretty well, right?”

“…Huh?”

“That phone — let me keep it.”

“…”

Ren Zhou laughed in disbelief. “Miss Chen, are you short on phones?”

“Fine, keep it. I don’t even know what you’ve been doing up in the mountains all these years. Got your phone stolen? Don’t go around saying you’re my friend — it’s embarrassing.”

Chen Yanxing smiled but said nothing.

She suddenly thought of Shen Mengke stepping out of the bathroom, hair still wet. Subconsciously, she reached up and touched the cap on her head.

“Eh? Wrong hat?”

Fan Shi had gone home with Shen Mengke and was just about to put away a cap when she noticed a familiar pattern.

“What?” Shen Mengke took it and looked. It wasn’t the one she usually wore — this was her fan-support hat, with her name “SMK” on it.

Since they were both black and similar in material, the only real difference was the lettering. Her usual one had just a simple “K.”

“Huh, you’re right.” She shrugged and hung it up casually. “Whatever. Just a hat — they all look the same.”

Fan Shi thought the same and didn’t dwell on it. “Get some rest. Don’t go browsing online — I’ve got it handled.”

“I’ll get you a day off from the set—”

“No need.” Shen Mengke ran her fingers through her hair and interrupted, “Just a half-day. I’ll go in the afternoon.”

“You’re sure you’re ready?”

Shen Mengke nodded. “Mm.”

Fan Shi studied her carefully and, seeing she wasn’t forcing it, nodded. “Okay, I’ll have Xiao He pick you up later.”

Xiao He was Fan Shi’s assistant. Since Shen Mengke wasn’t famous and didn’t have much work, she hadn’t been assigned her own assistant. When Fan Shi was busy, she’d ask Xiao He to help out.

After Fan Shi left, Shen Mengke finally relaxed, collapsing onto the sofa like a puddle.

She closed her eyes, unable to stop her thoughts from drifting to the night before. The memories came in broken fragments — no real sequence or logic. She hadn’t been drunk, but somehow, she’d blacked out.

The room suddenly dimmed again. Shen Mengke sensed something, opened her eyes, and looked outside.

The sky had turned gray again. Looked like it was going to rain.

It had been raining a lot lately — as if the heavens wanted to tear some destined connection apart.

Soon, the downpour began. The parasol trees outside swayed wildly in the wind, shedding leaves all over the place.

Shen Mengke closed her eyes again. The storm brought her back to that bed — back to that hot, humid night. She remembered the look in Chen Yanxing’s eyes when she got aroused, like a wolf fixated on prey — dangerous and intense.

Still, Shen Mengke moved closer, eventually letting herself be pinned to the bed. Everything had happened so fast. Their mutual consent seemed almost nonexistent — they were just two beasts giving in to primal desire.

As the pleasure built up, her breathing became labored. Her neck stretched instinctively, and in that intoxicating dreamscape, she reached an overwhelming climax.

Outside, the storm had quietly passed. A fresh breeze, carrying the scent of earth, brought unexpected comfort.

At that moment, the source of all her pleasure — Miss Chen, second daughter of the Chen family — had just returned home, only to be greeted by interrogation and scolding.

It had rained heavily. Chen Yanxing handed her dripping umbrella to a servant as she stepped in, her shoulders still wet.

She took off her hat and walked into the living room, just in time to hear footsteps from upstairs — it was Chen Xingxing.

Chen Yanxing narrowed her eyes, studying her from head to toe, before another voice pulled her attention away.

“Where were you last night?”

Chen Zhiyu had been sitting on the sofa, waiting for her daughter to come home.

Chen Yanxing immediately lowered her gaze, hiding all emotion, and approached. “Mother.”

“Do you know how many people waited for you last night?” Chen Zhiyu asked.

Chen Yanxing nodded, offering no explanation.

Though she was used to her daughter’s indifferent manner, it still made Chen Zhiyu furious.

“Say something! Where did you go last night? I called and you didn’t answer — had the nerve to turn your phone off!”

Chen Yanxing raised her eyes slightly, her expression blank as she looked at her mother on the sofa. “I lost my phone.”

Chen Zhiyu laughed in disbelief. “Lost your phone? Has the Chen family ever withheld money from you? Can’t buy a new one? You didn’t even come home after losing it? What — were you in a death match with the thief?”

From upstairs, Chen Xingxing let out a contemptuous chuckle. At the sound of her voice, Chen Yanxing’s lashes quivered slightly. She replied calmly, “I got lost.”

She said it with full confidence, not a hint of guilt.