Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 35

Chapter 35:  A Relationship Without a Contract Is Like Dust—Gone with the Wind

Life on the cruise was still eventful. Because of the previous incident between Shen Mengke and Chen Xingxing, the production team made a point to keep the two separated in all scheduled activities. Over the course of three days, they hadn’t exchanged a single word on camera.

Most of the time, Shen Mengke was with Shu Yun—playing games, watching performances, or going on one-on-one dates.

It felt like they had gone back to the way things were before Shu Yun left the country—teasing each other, joking around, natural and sincere.

Chen Yanxing, on the other hand, seemed busy with something. He locked himself in his room every day, constantly on the phone or texting. Other than meals, he barely came out.

After each day’s filming wrapped up, Chen Xingxing would occasionally run into Chen Yanxing, but it usually ended with her throwing a few sarcastic remarks his way, which he completely ignored, as if she didn’t exist.

Only once was Shen Mengke brought up. She had just turned the corner in the hallway when she heard her name. Her steps halted, but she didn’t walk out.

She overheard Chen Xingxing saying something about “mother” and “the Chen family”…

Shen Mengke, of course, understood the Chen family’s attitude toward her—or rather, their attitude toward people like her. Her hand tightened unconsciously around her cup. But then she heard Chen Yanxing say:

“She’s disgraceful? And you’re not? Just a clown singing and dancing on stage—what are you, really?”

“She doesn’t rely on her looks—her acting alone made her famous. Could you do the same? Without your face, what do you have left? So who’s really the disgrace here?”

Shen Mengke’s lashes fluttered slightly. She lowered her eyes and stared at her purple thermos. Then, suddenly, she smiled silently. It was the first time she realized someone might not care about her face.

“Famous in the entertainment industry?” she then heard Chen Xingxing scoff. “Is she even relevant anymore? If not for you, I wouldn’t even know someone like that still existed.”

“Chen Yanxing! Would you dare bring her home? Would you dare bring her to the ancestral hall? Would you dare write her name in the family registry?”

“Mom’s arranged so many blind dates for you, but in the end, aren’t you going to marry a man? All those people who played with actresses—how many actually married one?”

None.

Shen Mengke answered for him in her heart.

To some, actresses were just things—trophies to show off or exchange. They shine under spotlights and are discarded in the shadows.

That’s fate.

She never stepped forward. Instead, she turned and walked away from the source of the drama.

Only after she left did Chen Yanxing speak again, voice cold: “Who I’m with is none of your business. And besides, in this country, same-s3x marriage isn’t legal. As for those arranged dates…”

He gave a sarcastic laugh. “Only idiots like you would obediently play along.”

With that, he turned and left. Chen Xingxing, furious, stomped her foot and threw her phone at him. It landed at his feet and shattered into pieces.

He stopped but didn’t turn back. “Quit your spoiled-brat act. No one on this ship is here to indulge you.”

An older sister disciplining a younger one—it all looked perfectly normal.

And in a way, Chen Yanxing wasn’t wrong. Outsiders knew nothing about the internal affairs of the Chen family. When two Chen family members were present, everyone instinctively deferred to the elder.

So if Chen Xingxing acted up, and Chen Yanxing said she was just “being childish,” that became the final word.

For the first time, Chen Xingxing experienced what it felt like to be utterly powerless—trapped on a cruise ship, destination unknown. Unless she jumped overboard, there was no way anyone would take her seriously.

Not that Chen Yanxing would care. She’d probably be glad to see her gone.

Eventually, she calmed down and looked at her broken phone on the floor. She didn’t bother picking it up and simply walked away.

What’s there to gloat about? It’s just three days.

During those three days, Chen Xingxing imagined countless ways to get back at Chen Yanxing after the cruise. But none of them came to pass—because Chen Yanxing disappeared.

Well, not exactly. On the third day, during the return journey, a small boat caught up with the cruise ship. They came for Chen Yanxing. It didn’t affect filming, so neither Shen Mengke nor Chen Xingxing knew anything about it.

All Shen Mengke knew was that when she returned to her room, Chen Yanxing was gone—along with all her belongings, as if she had never existed.

Shen Mengke was flooded with complicated emotions. She knew they had no official relationship, knew this whole assistant act was just a rich kid’s game. But still, it felt like she had lost something precious.

Her lips curved in a bitter smile, but there was no laughter in it. See? A relationship without a contract—gone the moment the wind blows.

Still, before she left, Chen Yanxing packed all of Shen Mengke’s things too. The two people who boarded together—only one disembarked.

A staff member tried to help Shen Mengke with her suitcase, but she declined. Yet someone else took it from her.

She looked up and saw the smiling figure standing in the sunlight.

They were the last ones off the ship. Fans had gathered outside again. Shu Yun held a pair of sunglasses and gently put them on for her.

“Someone wants to see you,” Shu Yun said.

For some reason, Shen Mengke suddenly found herself unable to move.

It felt like her feet were cemented to the floor.

“Who?” she asked.

Shu Yun didn’t answer. She just took her hand and said, “You’ll see.”

Instinctively, Shen Mengke didn’t want to meet this person. But she couldn’t stay on the ship forever.

The moment they stepped out of the cabin, the sound of screaming fans snapped her back to reality.

Logic told her she shouldn’t be holding Shu Yun’s hand right now—but Shu Yun didn’t care. And neither did she.

Call it a late rebellion. She just wanted to act out, for once. Who cares what the internet says?

With that thought, Shen Mengke gripped Shu Yun’s hand even tighter.

Shu Yun glanced at her, surprised, then smiled and walked out with her, hand in hand.

The internet was going to explode again after this.

The two walked out boldly, hand in hand. Many fans were stunned—then the screaming got even louder. Each fandom called for their idol, but the hands never let go.

Camera shutters clicked from all directions. The scene was chaotic. Yet in the midst of it all, Shen Mengke clearly spotted a familiar face and voice.

She stopped, about to move forward, when Shu Yun suddenly pulled her back. “Too many people. Let’s get to the car first.”

Shen Mengke was dragged away.

Now she was grateful for the sunglasses Shu Yun had given her. They shielded her from completely breaking down in public.

A black van was waiting at the end of the fan-formed tunnel. Shen Mengke didn’t even look around—she just climbed in, not even sure if it was the right car.

Before getting in, Shu Yun waved to the fans and quickly followed.

The door shut, cutting off the noise and stares. But Shen Mengke just sat there, motionless, her expression unreadable behind the glasses.

Shu Yun stared at her for a long time. When the car finally pulled away and the crowd faded, she spoke:

“She came to me a week ago.”

Shen Mengke took a deep breath and removed her sunglasses. “Why would she come to you? You looked into me?”

It was a question, but the tone said she already knew the answer.

Even at their most intimate, Shen Mengke had never shared details about her family. The only person she mentioned was her grandmother, who had passed away three years ago.

“Yes,” Shu Yun admitted. “You’ve been unhappy ever since I returned. If I wanted to cheer you up, I had to start with your family.”

Shen Mengke’s gaze snapped to her.

Three seconds of silence passed before she shouted, pounding on the front seat, “Stop the car! I want out!”

The driver slammed the brakes, startled. The car pulled over.

They happened to be near a shopping mall. Pedestrians turned to look at the luxury van that suddenly stopped.

Both women lurched forward from the inertia. Before she’d even recovered, Shen Mengke had opened the door.

Just as she was about to get out, Shu Yun hugged her from behind and forced the door shut with one hand.

“Lock the doors. Drive!” Shu Yun commanded.

Everyone knew whose orders mattered.

Shen Mengke was once again trapped inside the car. She stared blankly at the passing buildings, the crowd. A sense of powerlessness overtook her.

“Your mother is dead,” Shu Yun said suddenly.

Shen Mengke flinched violently, her resistance vanishing. Still, she kept her gaze outside, never turning back.

“What are you looking at?”

The question came from Chen Yanxing.

She turned to the woman beside her, raising her handcuffed wrists. “When are you letting me go?”

“After we board the plane,” the woman replied.

Three days ago, just as she boarded the ship, Chen Yanxing received a strange phone call from an elderly woman crying and claiming to be her mother.

Though the woman rambled incoherently, Chen Yanxing listened quietly, then hung up without a word.

She thought it was just another lunatic. But the woman—Xia Lingxuan—coughed up bl00d from the stress and collapsed on the spot.

Lin Qian had just arrived in Jiangcheng with Xia Jihe to see Chen Zhiyu when she got the emergency call and rushed back to Mingcheng.

Though it was an old illness, years of good care helped Xia Lingxuan recover quickly. Once conscious, she demanded to see Chen Yanxing. After repeated, vague calls were ignored, she stopped answering any calls from Mingcheng.

In the end, it had to be face-to-face. Xia Jihe took leave, didn’t notify Jiangcheng or Chen Yanxing, and gave no warning.

She didn’t give Chen Yanxing a chance to react—just explained things simply and tried to take her off the ship.

Chen Yanxing refused.

So Xia Jihe handcuffed her.

Unlike the play cuffs she once used with Shen Mengke, these were real.

Staring in shock, Chen Yanxing finally asked, “Who are you?”

Xia Jihe smiled. “Xia Jihe, from the Mingcheng Criminal Investigation Unit. Your sister.”