**45**

The content of the day was very lighthearted. Whether it was the sunlight streaming into the taxi or Chi Sheng happily spinning around while holding Ruan Yinmeng, it all felt like a beam of golden light.

The plot had been heavy and oppressive for a while, and the entire crew was shrouded in a gloomy cloud. Now, it was as if the sunlight from the story had shone through, dispersing the dark clouds.

With their spirits lifted, the group began to clamour for some relaxation.

Meilan was also in a good mood. After being coaxed by Shao, she agreed to cover the bill tonight.

Ning Zhi had become familiar with the crew, and seeing everyone’s enthusiasm, she was eager to join in the fun.

She turned to look for Shen Yizhi, wanting to know if he was going.

But Shen Yizhi was still upset with her. He glanced at her coldly and then walked outside.

Ning Zhi thought that if she didn’t go, she would miss out on the excitement here, so she hurried to catch up.

Except for that building, the jeering and laughter were left far behind.

Tonghua Alley was quiet, with only the evening sunlight and the branches swaying in the wind.

Shen Yizhi stopped when he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and Ning Zhi stopped as well. Shen Yizhi glanced at her twice: “I have a dinner engagement tonight, you go have fun with them.”

Ning Zhi let out an “ah,” looking somewhat disappointed, and said, “Alright then.”

Shen Yizhi frowned slightly, walked forward on his own, stepped out of the car, and when he opened the door, he still looked back.

Ning Zhi was still standing on the steps. The dusk sunlight filtered through the lush green shade of the paulownia tree, casting mottled shadows on her, giving her soft hair a fuzzy edge.

The disappointment on her face still lingered. Seeing Shen Yizhi turn back, she forced a smile and shook her hand: “See you tomorrow.”

Shen Yizhi felt even more stifled by her smile, with no outlet to vent.

She coldly asked, “Do you want to go with them, or with me?”

Ning Zhi was momentarily stunned, then immediately reacted, taking three steps in two strides to her side, eyes shining: “I’ll go with you.”

She noticed that Shen Yizhi was unhappy, but she didn’t know why. Everything seemed normal—acting normally, speaking normally. She went over the past two days in her mind but still couldn’t figure out what had made Shen Yizhi angry.

Once they got in the car, Ning Zhi hid timidly to one side like a little quail. Shen Yizhi didn’t pay her any attention and closed his eyes to rest.

He didn’t say where they were going, nor did he mention the nature of the dinner engagement.

After hiding for a while, Ning Zhi felt she couldn’t stay like this. She needed to be more proactive, so she tentatively started a casual conversation: “Has Director Mei decided on the music? I know a film scoring team that’s really good.”

She chose her topics very skillfully, and her tone was perfectly controlled.

If Shen Yizhi paid attention to her, that would be great. If he ignored her, she could very naturally mention the name of that music team, then say, “I’ll just talk to Director Mei,” showing an attitude of “there’s no point telling you,” which would easily defuse the awkwardness of being ignored.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yizhi opened his eyes and glanced at her lightly but firmly. Ning Zhi couldn’t continue her performance in the latter half, hesitated for a while, and then bluntly asked, “Why are you angry?”

“Am I angry?” Shen Yizhi retorted.

Yes! Obviously! Ning Zhi shouted loudly in her heart, but when she met Shen Yizhi’s gaze that seemed to say, “I dare you to say you are,” she could only lower her brows and mutter insincerely, “No.”

Shen Yizhi curled the corner of his lips and turned his head to look out the window.

After that, no one spoke again.

The car drove into a Chinese-style courtyard. The yard was deep, with lush vegetation, and in the center was a fountain formed by an artificial rockery, exuding a touch of the elegance and grandeur of the Republic of China era.

Shen Yizhi led Ning Zhi inside and gave a name to the approaching waiter. Ning Zhi recognized the name—it was the owner of a film and television company.

At this moment, Shen Yizhi told Ning Zhi, “We’re discussing a collaboration, nothing too formal. You just come along to get acquainted with the people.”

Ning Zhi composed himself and adjusted to a social mode.

The private room they were heading to arrived quickly, and the tables were all full. Ning Zhi glanced roughly around and recognized a few big shots. Then, looking again, she realized her boss Su Xin was also there.

They obviously didn’t expect Shen Yizhi to bring people along. They sized Ning Zhi up and down as if inspecting an object, but their jokes were directed at Shen Yizhi: “Yizhi, didn’t expect to see you here.”

Ning Zhi could tell the words were quite flippant, as if she were just one of Shen Yizhi’s playthings.

She felt somewhat uncomfortable but knew these people were not ones she could afford to offend, so she just smiled and greeted them.

Shen Yizhi turned around and gently took her hand, bringing her to his side. He introduced her, “Ning Zhi, the female lead in Meilan’s new movie.” Then he introduced everyone at the table to her one by one.

After this round of introductions, the attitudes of the group shifted subtly. With this kind of atmosphere, even a plaything must be treated with genuine affection.

Shen Yizhi was indeed here to discuss cooperation, but the project was quite large—too big for just one or two companies to handle. So someone took the lead and gathered everyone together. However, it was only an initial contact, just to get a feel for things. How it would ultimately turn out depended on what came next, so the meal was quite relaxed.

Ning Zhi knew she had no say here, so she obediently listened on the side, noticing that Shen Yizhi spoke very little, only chiming in when necessary, but no one at the table ignored her.

As the conversation went on, it turned into gossip. Ning Zhi heard a lot of secrets, most of which were true.

Suddenly someone asked, “Why didn’t Mei Lan come? Didn’t you call her?”

We did, called her a hundred times, but if she doesn’t want to show up, what can we do?

“Yizhi, Mei Lan, what are you so busy with? What kind of lousy movie is so exhausting that you can’t even take a bite of your food?” The person who spoke first tossed the question to Shen Yizhi.

Shen Yizhi was peeling shrimp for Ning Zhi, placing them on her plate, and wiping her hands: “Say that to her face.”

It was well known how serious Mei Lan was about movies; who would dare say that in front of her?

The person was left feeling awkward, shrinking their neck, but their eyes quickly darted to Ning Zhi, smiling as they asked how she knew Shen Yizhi, whether Shen Yizhi treated her well, their tone carrying a subtle hint of flirtation.

Shen Yizhi was worried that Ning Zhi, being so naive, wouldn’t be able to handle teasing, but Ning Zhi responded quite cleverly and handled it well.

The words to defuse the situation were on the tip of her tongue, but there was no need to say them. Shen Yizhi turned to look at her profile, seeing her gentle brows and eyes, hearing her speak with a smile in her voice, “We met on set. Yizhi has been very kind to me and taught me a lot.”

Her tone was sincere, but what she said was half true, half false, like a seasoned player who knew the rules well. She was no longer the person in front of Shen Yizhi who only dared to cautiously reveal her thoughts but never dared to say what she wanted. Nor was she the one who, at a slightly stern tone, would cower like a little quail on the side, afraid to speak.

Amid the clinking of glasses, Shen Yizhi suddenly felt she was a stranger, and recalled the six missing years between them. It was those six years that had turned Ning Zhi into someone she no longer recognized.

By the latter half of the dinner, the person who talked the most had drunk too much and insisted on dragging others to drink. Somehow, they ended up beside Shen Yizhi.

Shen Yizhi lazily paid him no mind, but she couldn’t resist the stubborn drunkard, so she had to drink two glasses with him. However, the drunkard was still not satisfied, holding a bottle of red wine and slurring, “We have to finish this whole bottle.”

Ning Zhi knew Shen Yizhi’s alcohol tolerance was average and was afraid she’d be harmed by drinking too much, so he found a gap and timely spoke up, “Manager Liu, I’ll drink with you.”

If he had been interrupted like this right after entering, the drunkard would probably have gotten angry and, without mercy, asked, “Who are you to drink with me?”

But after the meal, having exchanged a few words with her and finding it quite interesting, plus Shen Yizhi obviously being special to him, he said, “If you’re drinking with me, one bottle won’t be enough, it has to be three.”

While speaking, he had someone bring the wine.

Ning Zhi glanced at the quantity and alcohol content, felt she could handle it, and smiled as she agreed.

Shen Yizhi watched from the side, seeing Ning Zhi drink cup after cup with a cheerful smile, her expression calm and composed. He even saw her slyly pour out half a cup when the drunkard wasn’t paying attention.

Shen Yizhi couldn’t help but smile, but the next moment he recalled the movie where Ruan Yinmeng, to protect her and Chi Sheng’s innocence, drank three bottles in a row and ended up hospitalized.

It didn’t seem like there were any similarities, except for the coincidence of the number three bottles; everything else was completely different.

The intoxication suddenly surged up, and Shen Yizhi felt dizzy. The continuous sourness of the past two days reached its peak at this moment.

“Enough,” she spoke.

The drunkard was still causing a scene, but someone sharp-eyed nearby noticed Shen Yizhi’s unusual expression and half coaxed, half dragged him away.

Out of the three bottles of wine, only one was finished in the end. Ning Zhi had a good tolerance for alcohol; only her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her eyes remained clear, showing no sign of drunkenness.

“Drunk people are so scary,” she whispered to Shen Yizhi.

Shen Yizhi glanced at her but said nothing.

As the drinking crowd dispersed, Shen Yizhi went to the restroom, and Ning Zhi waited outside. Su Xin walked over, and Ning Zhi smiled and greeted her, “President Su.”

They had just exchanged a few words at the dinner table. Su Xin wasn’t sure about Shen Yizhi’s attitude, so she didn’t say much. But now that there was no one else around, her smile took on a teasing tone.

“I heard earlier that Shen Yizhi likes younger guys. Didn’t expect the rumor to be true.”

Ning Zhi’s first reaction was disbelief. How could Shen Yizhi possibly like someone like that?

She was about to ask where the rumor came from when Shen Yizhi returned.

Su Xin didn’t stay long; she just greeted her and then left.

Ning Zhi, however, was brought down by this obviously unreliable rumor. She knew this industry was restless, and all kinds of false rumors existed. When she first debuted, many people had confidently claimed that she had a powerful background.

But she just felt very uncomfortable.

Shen Yizhi raised her hand and placed it on her shoulder. Ning Zhi saw a shimmering waterlight spreading in her dark eyes, which were so deep they seemed to pull people in.

Ning Zhi suddenly didn’t dare to look any longer and turned her eyes away.

“What are you thinking about?” Shen Yizhi spoke, her voice low and gentle, yet carrying her usual casual indifference.

Ning Zhi instinctively felt that Shen Yizhi was very different at this moment. She couldn’t help but look back at her for a while before looking elsewhere, humming with some dissatisfaction: “It seems like they think I’m your kept little star.”

Shen Yizhi smiled: “You’re not happy?”

Of course not. Ning Zhi was about to say this, but when she met Shen Yizhi’s eyes, soft as spring water, she stopped, her heart inexplicably racing. She let out a cold snort to hide it.

Shen Yizhi’s smile deepened, and she asked slowly, “Aren’t you even willing to be my little dog?”

Ning Zhi immediately blushed with shame. This was what she had told Shen Yizhi last time. She had been upset and confused then, even saying such words, which now Shen Yizhi was using to tease her.

She bit her lip, glared angrily at Shen Yizhi, and said in frustration, “Stop talking.”

Her anger was so obvious, as if she was completely unwilling to bring up the matter.

The smile in Shen Yizhi’s eyes vanished completely, turning cold. He nodded slightly and faintly tugged at the corner of his lips: “That’s true, after all, it’s all in the past.”

After speaking, she glanced at Ning Zhi once more and then walked straight outside.

Ning Zhi instinctively felt that something was off about that sentence, but as soon as she left, he had no time to ponder and hurriedly followed.

The driver had been waiting outside for a while and opened the door for them. Shen Yizhi leaned against the window, eyes closed, pressing her temples repeatedly.

Ning Zhi glanced at her from time to time, slowly getting closer. She smelled a faint scent of alcohol on her and suddenly wondered if Shen Yizhi had drunk a bit too much.

But she wasn’t quite sure, after all, she hadn’t had many drinks.

She still needed to sober up; there was filming tomorrow, and it would be miserable if she had a headache.

Ning Zhi sent a WeChat message to Yang Yang asking if she had prepared any hangover medicine.

Yang Yang quickly replied that she did.

Then just have Yangyang bring it over later. Ning Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.

“Who are you talking to?” Shen Yizhi suddenly asked.

Ning Zhi hurriedly put away her phone, carefully watching her expression. Unfortunately, it was too dark, everything was blurry, and only her eyes appeared especially bright and moist.

“Yangyang,” she replied.

Shen Yizhi glanced at her, not quite believing it—who knew she had a few more 0929s hidden in her phone.

Ning Zhi gently touched her arm.

Shen Yizhi looked at her coldly but didn’t pull away.

Ning Zhi smiled, finding her really cute like this.

Shen Yizhi’s expression grew even colder, and she suddenly said, “Ask the evening question again.”

The evening question? Ning Zhi was momentarily stunned, recalled for a moment, and then remembered what the evening question was.

She obediently repeated, “Why are you angry?”

Shen Yizhi frowned, as if very reluctant to mention it. She glanced lightly at Ning Zhi, making Ning Zhi’s heart flutter.

After a moment, with some reluctance, she said coldly and seriously, “Because you think Ruan Yinmeng is better than me.”