It had been an elegantly decorated hot pot restaurant. Out of consideration, Jiang Wanting had even specially requested a private room.
After ordering the dishes, Jiang Wanting took out her phone and, out of habit, opened the trending searches on Weibo. The moment she looked at it, her heart skipped a beat. “It’s over, it’s over, Shen Zui, we’re on the trending list again.”
Hearing this, Shen Zui took out his phone with a dark expression, turned off airplane mode, and opened Weibo to check the trending content. His deep peach blossom eyes grew inscrutable. Wang Shan had called him more than a dozen times, but he put down his phone without any intention of calling back.
The man sitting across from her had a pair of deep, shadowy peach blossom eyes. The mole beneath the corner of his eye made him appear especially alluring and striking. His fair face carried a sharply defined, cold elegance.
Jiang Wanting suddenly felt a bit guilty. Had she caused him trouble again? Who would have thought that even wrapped up like that, his fans could still recognize him?
These must be die-hard fans, right?!
At that moment, a waiter pushed a cart in to serve the dishes. When she saw Shen Zui without his mask, her eyes widened in shock. “You…”
Two seconds later, she regained her professional smile and placed the dishes one by one. In the end, she still could not resist speaking. “Shen Zui, your buzz cut looks so handsome! I really like you.”
Jiang Wanting: “……”
He was truly popular—recognized wherever he went, with fans everywhere.
Before leaving, the waiter could not help but glance at Jiang Wanting. So Shen Zui’s fiancée was quite beautiful; they looked like a perfect match, both talented and attractive. Suppressing the faint bitterness in her heart, she pushed the cart out of the private room.
Shen Zui picked up his chopsticks with his long, well-defined fingers and dipped a slice of meat into the pot before placing it into Jiang Wanting’s bowl. “Eat.”
Jiang Wanting lowered her gaze, staring absentmindedly at the slice of meat in her bowl. So gentlemanly! When dining with a woman, he would take the initiative to serve her first. Who could not love a Shen Zui like this? At least, she loved him dearly.
“Thank you!” Jiang Wanting pressed her slightly upturned pink lips together.
It was rare for them to go out to eat together. No, this counted as a date, right? Jiang Wanting thought to herself. She needed to find topics to talk about with Shen Zui and deepen their relationship.
“Shen Zui, how often do you eat hot pot?”
“Rarely.”
“By ‘rarely,’ you mean almost never, right?”
“I control my diet.”
“Then you can’t eat spicy food, right?” Jiang Wanting noticed that Shen Zui only dipped his food into the clear broth and had never used the spicy one.
The reason she had ordered a divided pot was simple—just because of the word “mandarin duck.” Since she did not spend much time with Shen Zui, she did not know whether he could handle spicy food. From what she saw now, he probably could not.
Shen Zui’s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened slightly.
Seeing that he did not respond, Jiang Wanting knew she had guessed correctly.
“Good thing I ordered the divided pot. My mom said people who can’t eat spicy food will get stomachaches if they do. But in the north, eating spicy food in winter helps keep you warm. Too bad you can’t eat it.”
“You seem to know quite a lot.” Shen Zui ate his food slowly and methodically. His thin lips were slightly red, and every movement of his carried elegance and nobility.
“Of course.” Jiang Wanting picked up a slice of potato and placed it into his bowl.
“Oh right, which foods can’t you eat?”
Shen Zui fell silent for two seconds before parting his lips slightly. He glanced at the dishes on the table. “These are all fine.”
“I guess you don’t eat scallions, ginger, or garlic.”
Shen Zui paused slightly.
“I guessed right, didn’t I? You probably don’t eat cilantro either.” Jiang Wanting noticed he had not touched those condiments.
“Do you eat carrots?”
Shen Zui was silent for a moment. “No.”
“Other than these, there shouldn’t be anything else, right?” Jiang Wanting could more or less guess. “Oh right, do you have any allergies?”
“No.”
“I do.” Jiang Wanting made a pitiful face. “I’m allergic to mango.”
Shen Zui: “……”
“Mangoes are so delicious, yet I can’t eat them. It’s really such a pity.”
The meal had been quite pleasant overall, and in the end, Shen Zui paid the bill.
Jiang Wanting stared blankly at Shen Zui’s tall and slender figure from behind. So handsome! Such a handsome man was actually her husband!
“My manager is coming to pick me up. I’ll drop you off first.” Shen Zui said as he put on his mask and glasses.
Hearing this, Jiang Wanting lowered her eyes slightly in disappointment. Time had passed so quickly. She did not even know when they would meet again. By then, she would probably have already finished her exams.
In the car, Wang Shan sat in the front passenger seat, while Jiang Wanting and Shen Zui sat in the back.
The ride had been silent all the way until they reached Qianxing Garden.
After getting out of the car, Jiang Wanting bent slightly and said to the man inside: ”I’m heading back now. Be careful while filming.”
Shen Zui’s fingertips trembled slightly. He responded with a low, magnetic voice: ”Mm. Smooth exams!”
Hearing this, Jiang Wanting’s star-like black eyes lit up, and her lips curved into a smile. “Okay, thank you!”
After watching the girl enter the building, Shen Zui took out his phone and opened Weibo.
Wang Shan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “Ah Zui, next time you go out alone, can you let me know in advance?”
Shen Zui’s finger paused on the screen, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
“I know you don’t like others interfering with your private life, but this is already seriously affecting your reputation. The company’s arrangements are for your own good.” Wang Shan said earnestly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Wang Shan: “……”
Was he in a relationship?
She knew Shen Zui and his fiancée had been betrothed since childhood, but ever since Jiang Wanting appeared, everything seemed to have started drifting off course.
“Don’t accept any new scripts for me within the next six months.”
Wang Shan: “?”
“How many times have I joined productions back-to-back?” Shen Zui suddenly raised his eyes toward the front passenger seat. His gaze was deep and shadowy, his voice devoid of warmth.
Under his gaze, Wang Shan felt slightly uncomfortable. Shen Zui currently had three dramas waiting to air and a movie nearing completion. In fact, the company had already been considering whether to let him relax a bit and take a break.
Wang Shan curled her red lips into a smile and offered: ”What if there’s a good script? You won’t take it?”
“Depends.”
Wang Shan fell silent for a moment. This was not like Shen Zui. To be honest, she was somewhat worried that if the young master became dissatisfied, he might simply walk away.
She believed he was capable of doing that. The Shen Family was immensely powerful, and for someone as talented as Shen Zui to remain in the entertainment industry for a lifetime would truly be a waste.
“Alright, I’ll relay your opinion truthfully. But until the movie wraps, the company still has the right to intervene in your private life. After it wraps, they won’t interfere. What do you think?”
“Okay.”
The movie should wrap within this week.
After hesitating, Wang Shan still asked: ”Are you in a relationship?”
Shen Zui stiffened suddenly and lifted his gaze toward the front passenger seat. “What do you think?”
Seeing his gaze through the mirror, Wang Shan paused. “Don’t misunderstand, I just feel like you weren’t like this before.”
Shen Zui said nothing. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat.
Wang Shan smiled awkwardly. “Alright, I’ll just assume I talked too much.”
She had thought that Shen Zui and Jiang Wanting had no real feelings for each other. After all, it had been a childhood arrangement, and since his debut, Shen Zui could count his rumored relationships on one hand.
Right now, Shen Zui only cared whether he and Jiang Wanting made it onto the trending list or not—it did not matter to him. As long as Jiang Wanting’s face was not exposed, that was enough. He had not considered himself at all.
From her many years of experience in the entertainment industry, Wang Shan believed that whether Jiang Wanting revealed her face or not did not really matter.
After all, she was so beautiful.
Surely, Shen Zui’s fans would accept her too.