Chapter 31

Shen Cheng said, “So what are you planning to do now?”

Leng Xiang replied, “I’ve thought it over, and I still think I should move out of your place.”

Shen Cheng looked up and asked, “Why?”

Her apartment was plenty big, and since she lived alone, having two people there was no issue at all.

“She knows I was living here, and she didn’t find me last time. If I don’t contact her, she’ll definitely come looking again,” Leng Xiang said. “I’ll move out first. If she comes to you again, just tell her I’ve moved away. Once she realizes she can’t catch me, she won’t keep bothering you.”

If she couldn’t avoid the trouble, she could at least hide from it.

Shen Cheng thought it made sense and said, “You’re right. Now that she knows you’re here, she’ll definitely come back.”

If Leng Xiang didn’t move out, Liu Lingshu would corner her sooner or later.

But then Shen Cheng reconsidered and said, “What if she can’t find you and goes to make a scene at your company instead?”

Leng Xiang said, “She won’t burn bridges with me that quickly.”

“She knows full well that if she does that, she won’t get another cent out of me.”

Shen Cheng said, “Having such a troublesome family… sigh.”

Leng Xiang said, “That’s not my family.”

Leng Xiang lowered her gaze and added, “I don’t have a family.”

Shen Cheng only had a vague idea that Leng Xiang’s family was shameless—they’d demand money from her and cause a fuss if she didn’t give it.

No one knew what her life had been like before she turned fourteen.

She closed her eyes briefly, a flicker of vulnerability passing through them before it vanished.

When Leng Xiang opened her eyes again, she was calm once more. She said, “She came by yesterday?”

Shen Cheng confirmed, “Yes, yesterday morning. I told her you weren’t home, but she wasn’t satisfied and poked around a bit before leaving.”

Leng Xiang said, “Based on what I know about her, she might show up again tomorrow. I’ll book a hotel for now. Keep an eye out for any apartments for me.”

Seeing her like this made Shen Cheng’s heart ache a little.

Leng Xiang had never done anything wrong—how had she ended up with parents like that?

And yet Leng Xiang acted like it was no big deal. She was used to moving; back when she had no money, she’d switch to cheaper places to save cash.

But this time, she didn’t need to skimp.

After all, she had over three million in her account now.

Shen Cheng said, “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out and check for good listings. You have money now anyway—you could even buy a place.”

Still, three million-plus wasn’t enough for a comfortable, secluded apartment in B City.

Leng Xiang wasted no time. As soon as she said it, she went back to her room to pack.

Liu Lingshu showing up was one reason, but she also didn’t want to impose on Shen Cheng anymore.

She was used to being independent. She’d only moved in because she had no other choice at the time—she’d been desperate and had to trouble Shen Cheng.

But now that she had money, she really shouldn’t stay any longer.

If Shen Cheng knew that was her thinking, she’d be furious.

While packing, Leng Xiang unexpectedly found a photo tucked into the deepest hidden pocket of her suitcase.

She hadn’t checked that spot in ages. She pulled the photo out.

Without lamination, it had yellowed with age, clearly old. Leng Xiang flipped it over and saw it was a photo of Jiang Sisi.

Leng Xiang: “…”

When had she ever stuffed a photo of Jiang Sisi into her suitcase?

She ran her fingers along the yellowed edges.

Jiang Sisi looked exceptionally young and fresh in the photo—it was a publicity shot from her high school days when her dad had forced her into hosting Welcome to Star. She was just shy of eighteen and already chatting effortlessly with guests about entertainment gossip.

Leng Xiang had been sixteen or seventeen then, obsessed with the show and naturally idolized Jiang Sisi.

She’d secretly kept the photo, and it had followed her through moves and trips, buried in the suitcase’s depths for who knew how many years.

Thinking of the Jiang Sisi now…

Leng Xiang’s face darkened as she slapped the photo down.

Liking Jiang Sisi was definitely one of her most embarrassing black history moments.

·

That very afternoon, Leng Xiang moved out of Shen Cheng’s apartment.

She hadn’t brought much when she arrived, and she took even less when she left. But for some inexplicable reason, she slipped the old photo of young Jiang Sisi back into the suitcase’s hidden pocket, pretending she had never found it.

Finding an apartment was tricky, so she first booked a long-term stay at a discreet hotel.

Sure enough, just as Leng Xiang predicted, the next morning Shen Cheng spotted Liu Lingshu again.

As she headed out for work, there was Liu Lingshu standing quietly at her apartment door. When she saw Shen Cheng emerge, she looked up with a stiff smile that carried a hint of flattery.

Liu Lingshu was thin and tall, her slender wrists tucked into an old sweater, her protruding bones and rough, callused hands visible as she lifted them.

Objectively speaking, even after years of hardship, she was still beautiful.

She seemed so harmless and fragile that the complex security hadn’t turned her away.

Her beauty was like a flower on the verge of wilting—wrinkles framed her eyes, but when they crinkled, they held a unique charm.

Every petal had curled and yellowed; life had bent her back, and she exuded an air of someone at the end of her rope, making one wonder what she must have looked like in full bloom.

Shen Cheng closed the door casually and said, “Leng Xiang has already moved out.”

As Shen Cheng walked toward the elevator, Liu Lingshu hurried after her in small steps. “Do you know where she went?”

Shen Cheng said, “No idea.”

Liu Lingshu fidgeted with the hem of her clothes and coaxed, “Come on, you’ve been looking after her since she was little…”

Shen Cheng said, “I don’t know. Please leave.”

As the elevator doors were about to close, Liu Lingshu hovered outside, staring but not daring to enter.

She’d even walked up the stairs to get there. After all these years in B City, she still didn’t know how to use an elevator.

·

Unable to find Leng Xiang, Liu Lingshu quieted down for a while and stopped showing up.

A suitable apartment turned up quickly, in a complex near the fourth ring road—great privacy, keycard access, solid security.

Shen Cheng asked if there was anything uncomfortable about it or any downsides.

Leng Xiang tsked and said the only problem was the price.

She was used to pinching pennies, and suddenly having money felt disorienting.

In her new place, Leng Xiang spent her days poring over the script. When she wasn’t reading it, she was watching Jiang Sisi’s old movies.

She’d seen a few before, but this time she dissected every scene of Jiang Sisi’s directing style and binged her entire filmography.

By the schedule, the Luxury Goods crew would start principal photography in about half a month.

Leng Xiang had nearly finished the script and, bored out of her mind, dropped by Black Pool Bar.

It was before ten, and the bar hadn’t revealed its wild side yet.

Masked guests were scattered at the bar and in small booths, speaking softly. The music was gentle and slow, dancers swaying languidly on stage.

Leng Xiang sat at the bar. The bartender, mid-cocktail, spotted her and winked.

Even with her mask on, he recognized her…

He finished the drink, slid it to the waiting guest, then mixed the low-alcohol blue cocktail she’d missed last time and pushed it toward her enthusiastically.

It was the one the Black Pool Boss had said was inspired by Leng Xiang herself.

She swirled the slender glass, watching the liquid spin—deep blue with flecks of gold shimmering through.

A captivating color.

Was that how she looked in the Black Pool Boss’s eyes?

Leng Xiang took a sip. It was light on booze, with a fruity sweetness.

The bartender said, “It looks intimidating with a high ABV, but the base is actually sanshou juice—sweet, low alcohol, perfect for you.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Her tolerance wasn’t that bad, okay?

She glanced around and asked, “Is your boss… not here today?”

Last time she’d gotten drunk, the Black Pool Boss had told Jiang Sisi right away—but that was separate. The boss had settled her upstairs, brought medicine and water; she owed her a thank-you.

The bartender said, “She doesn’t come every day. She’s busy.”

Leng Xiang asked, “What does she do?”

The bartender gave her a look. “Runs a bar.”

He thought and added, “Oh, right—she owns the hotel too. Upstairs is part of Black Pool’s operations.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Wasn’t that common knowledge in these circles?

Seeing her deflate, the bartender chuckled. “Black Pool’s rule is no real identities, as you know.”

Leng Xiang recalled asking to see the boss’s face before, and she’d gotten the same refusal.

Fine, whatever.

She was genuinely curious about the Black Pool Boss.

First, diffusing her situation and soothing both sides.

Then explaining to the bartender, balancing everyone.

She won loyalty and goodwill effortlessly.

Most intriguingly, Leng Xiang felt a faint sense of familiarity around her.

Just then, her phone rang.

Leng Xiang pulled it from her pocket.

It was Jiang Sisi calling.

The bartender sneaked a peek at the screen, saw the caller ID, and held his breath.

He glanced at Leng Xiang, the phone, then back.

Late night, Leng Xiang drops by when the boss is away, and now the boss calls her late at night.

And Leng Xiang doesn’t know the boss is Jiang Sisi.

This was getting interesting!

Jiang Sisi was her director now—basically her boss. She had to take it.

Leng Xiang answered.

Jiang Sisi said, “Where are you right now?”

Leng Xiang said, “At Black Pool Bar.”

Jiang Sisi let out a short laugh. Leng Xiang frowned at the sound. “What do you need?”

Jiang Sisi said, “Something. Come to my place.”

Leng Xiang exclaimed, “Your place?!”

The bartender quietly covered his eyes.

Jiang Sisi said, “Yeah. I’ll WeChat you the address. Come now.”