Chapter 15: Are you disappointed that I didn’t do anything for you?
A powerful roar startled Cen Wan and Xiao Lin. They turned around subconsciously and were met by a huge crowd.
The man was full of momentum: "Are you two from our company? Which department?"
Xiao Lin was frightened by the scene and reflexively moved closer to Cen Wan.
Cen Wan raised her hand and pulled her behind her, then spoke calmly, "We are from Mei Ran Studio. We have collaborated with your company on an art exhibition project, and we are here to have a meeting with Manager Liu today."
The man went to see the person in charge of this floor.
"That's what happened."
The man looked at Shen Yixiao: "Mr. Shen, look..."
At a distance that was neither far nor near, Cen Wan met Shen Yixiao's deep eyes. The two of them just stared at each other quietly, one noble and arrogant, the other cold and indifferent.
A group of people stood behind him, somewhat confused.
Chen Yu looked at Cen Wan and then at Shen Yixiao, feeling puzzled.
Isn't this Miss Cen? Why is Mr. Shen asking this question even though he knows the answer?
“Boss Shen…” Chen Yu spoke tentatively.
"Let's go." Shen Yixiao retracted his gaze, turned around as if nothing had happened, and continued his inspection work.
After entering the elevator, Xiao Lin patted his chest and said, "I was scared to death. The oppressive feeling was too strong. I thought it was because I was talking about Mr. Shen behind his back and was heard."
Cen Wan lowered her eyes, and the moment Shen Yixiao turned around, her heart also lifted.
However, since he decided to treat him as a stranger, she just needed to do her job well.
Just as she left the building, Cen Wan's phone vibrated again. It was a message from Zhou Yang: [Wan Wan, remember the class reunion tonight. You must come. I'll be waiting for you!]
Cen Wan was stunned. She had almost forgotten about it, but she wasn't busy today and didn't know what excuse to use to refuse. Besides, she had a pretty good relationship with her roommates back then.
She glanced at Xiaolin and said, "You will officially start working at Xingchen next Monday. You should have a good rest this weekend."
"Oh yeah!" Xiao Lin smiled happily, "Thank you, Sister Wan!"
-
Cen Wan finally went to the class reunion.
When she pushed open the door of the box and walked in, there was silence for a moment, and everyone turned around to look at her.
Two years after graduation, Cen Wan could no longer remember the faces of many people. At a glance, some faces seemed familiar, but she had no impression of some at all.
"Wanwan, here!" Zhou Yang smiled and waved at her, breaking the momentary awkwardness.
Cen Wan nodded slightly to everyone, then walked over to sit next to Zhou Yang.
"It's a pleasure for a busy man like you to attend our gathering."
Cen Wan explained with a smile, "I didn't stay in South City much before. It wasn't that I didn't come to see you on purpose."
Zhou Yang poured her a drink and said with a smile, "Now that you're back, we should get together more often. We can't just go our separate ways after graduation."
Cen Wan: "Okay."
At the dinner table, everyone was talking about school events of the past, and someone mentioned Shen Yixiao.
"If we can get into Xingchen Media, then we won't have to worry about not being able to sell our paintings."
"Shen Yixiao was a famous figure in the school back then, not to mention he's now the crown prince of the Shen family. How could we possibly reach him?"
A girl glanced at Cen Wan and said sarcastically, "Isn't his ex-girlfriend here?"
As soon as the words fell, the table suddenly became quiet and the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Cen Wan tightened her grip on the cup and pursed her lips.
Zhou Yang frowned and looked at her: "Lin Xiyao, don't look for trouble!"
Lin Xiyao snorted coldly, "Am I wrong? With Cen Wan, my ex-girlfriend, here, maybe I can sell a few more paintings by asking for mercy?"
The male classmate who had just mentioned this immediately came to the rescue: "I was just saying it casually, jokingly."
Back then, the love affair between Shen Yixiao and Cen Wan was a sensation. Although no one knew why they broke up later, everyone knew that things were very strained and no one mentioned it anymore.
Lin Xiyao had no intention of gently brushing it off. She sneered, "Oh, I forgot. You've already broken up, Cen Wan. Do you regret it? I guess Chen Yixiao doesn't even want to look at you right now."
"Lin Xiyao, shut up!" Zhou Yang slammed the table. "It's just that Wanwan outshined you when we were selecting the school beauty, and you're still holding a grudge after all these years!"
"Zhou Yang, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Alright, alright, we're all old classmates now, so let's not bring up the past anymore."
"It's a class reunion, and everyone is friendly."
The others tried to smooth things over. Cen Wan stopped Zhou Yang, who was about to start a quarrel, and patted her arm: "I'm fine."
She looked at Lin Xiyao and said calmly, "What happened between Shen Yixiao and me is over. You and I have never been in competition. After this dinner, we are just strangers."
"So, please don't bring up these things during a happy gathering. It really spoils the fun."
Lin Xiyao's face flushed red, and she was furious but unwilling to admit defeat. "Why are you pretending to be so noble? Back then, the teachers all said you had a talent for painting, but now, have you achieved anything famous?"
"You know the painter Jiang Yunlan who was just signed by Xingchen? She's a talented woman with aura, the daughter of the Jiang family, and a perfect match for the Shen family. She's countless times better than you!"
Cen Wan looked at her expressionlessly: "So? What does this have to do with me?"
"You..." Lin Xiyao was furious. She hated Cen Wan's nonchalant look the most!
Zhou Yang openly gave Cen Wan a thumbs-up and said pointedly, "Watching a clown is not bad to eat with."
Just as they were about to quarrel, others hurriedly stopped them.
"We still have one dish that hasn't arrived yet, hurry up and rush it!"
"Pour some drinks for Xiyao, drink, drink..."
The topic was changed and everyone started chatting about other things.
Cen Wan studied traditional Chinese painting in college, and her classmates are now well-established in various fields. Some continue to paint, working in art academies, galleries, and museums, or as freelance artists, while others become teachers or pursue other careers.
Cen Wan only chatted with Zhou Yang and a few of her roommates. Zhou Yang married a wealthy second-generation man with good conditions and stopped painting. She stayed at home peacefully as a full-time housewife.
"Wanwan, you're so talented and your teachers all praise you. Are you really going to give up painting just like that?" Zhou Yang was still a little puzzled.
A trace of regret flashed across Cen Wan's eyes, then vanished in an instant. She smiled and said, "I quite like my current job. I'm in close contact with nature, working on my paintings every day. I don't have to worry about whether anyone will buy them or whether they can help me make money... At least, I feel at ease."
Zhou Yang also knew that this line of work wasn't easy, so he didn't ask any more questions. "As long as you're happy, it's all good. How you live is good."
After dinner, everyone didn’t want to leave and clamored to go to KTV to continue having fun.
Since Cen Wan was here, Zhou Yang wouldn't let her go easily: "Let's just have our fun and ignore those monsters and ghosts."
Cen Wan couldn't refuse, so she followed him.
In the luxurious big bag, the squad leader ordered a lot of drinks and snacks.
Under the colorful flashing lights, Cen Wan sat in the corner and did not participate in their great cause of overthrowing the world.
Zhou Yang chatted with her for a while, then couldn't hold back any longer. "I'm going to sing a song. Wanwan, do you want to come?"
Cen Wan smiled and shook her head: "I don't like singing, you go ahead."
Zhou Yang: "Then I'll be back soon."
Cen Wan sat on the sofa, reached out to take a bottle of drink, unscrewed the cap, and couldn't help but look down at her hands.
She hadn't touched a paintbrush in two years.
However, when she heard Zhou Yang ask that, her heart was still stirred.
She took a deep breath, stopped thinking about the past, took the drink and drank it in small sips.
The atmosphere in the box was bustling with activity. The sound of tuneless singing mixed with various kinds of fun came into her ears. Cen Wan felt a little stuffy, so she said something to Zhou Yang and prepared to go out for some fresh air.
As soon as I opened the door of the box, I bumped head-on into the person coming out from the opposite side.
"Ms. Cen, are you here too?"
Cen Wan was stunned for a moment before she opened her mouth to greet him, "What a coincidence, Master Ji is here too."
Ji Yuanchen: "Since we've met, why not have some fun together? It's just right..."
"No need," Cen Wan interrupted him directly, "I just came out to get some fresh air. Young Master Ji, please do as you please."
After saying that, Cen Wan nodded at him and walked straight towards the terrace at the end of the corridor.
Ji Yuanchen hadn't finished speaking yet, his mouth slightly open, looking at her back, then turned back to the box.
Standing on the terrace, isolated from the smell of cigarettes and alcohol and the noisy sounds, Cen Wan looked at the brightly lit city in front of her with a dazed expression.
Since she decided to stay in South City, she has run into Chen Yixiao more and more often. And those people and things from the past always remind her of the past days.
"Chen Yixiao..." Cen Wan murmured softly.
The night breeze was cool, like a gentle hand brushing the ends of her hair. She looked at the bustling traffic in the distance, the city's neon lights shining brightly, as if they would never end.
She stood on the steps and leaned over to get a better look at the city.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a panicked voice came from behind her. Before she could turn around, she was picked up by the waist and took two steps back.
Cen Wan turned around in surprise and met Shen Yixiao's dark and trembling pupils.
He held her waist with one hand and her wrist with the other, his expression was cold and there was still fear in his eyes.
Cen Wan was stunned, her clear and bright eyes staring straight at him.
Shen Yixiao's grip on her slender waist tightened little by little, his dark eyes looked at her gravely, his voice cold: "What did you want to do just now?"
Looking at his deep and cold eyes, Cen Wan blinked, then realized that he had misunderstood.
"I just want some fresh air."
Shen Yixiao looked at her delicate and fair little face, which did not look fake, and his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down.
Shen Yixiao was still holding her. Cen Wan could feel the burning breath from his body, and the skin on her waist and wrists seemed to start to heat up slightly.
She moved her wrist, trying to pull her hand out, but Shen Yixiao held it tighter, and his tall figure pressed down towards her little by little, his clear breath mixed with the faint aroma of wine enveloping her little by little.
Shen Yixiao looked at the person in his arms, his eyes wandering over her face inch by inch, entangling her as if it were something substantial.
Cen Wan stared into his inky black eyes and subconsciously tried to escape, but he held her tightly in his arms. Her crow-feather eyelashes trembled constantly: "Chen Yixiao, you..."
Shen Yixiao stared at her with burning eyes, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, and an uncontrollable restlessness rose in his heart.
It had been a long time since she had called herself in such a light and soft voice.
Cen Wan felt uneasy at his aggressive gaze and bit her lip. "Can you please let me go first?"
Shen Yixiao released her wrist, but his other hand still held her waist tightly. His gaze moved down to her tender and moist lips, and his eyes darkened.
Cen Wan subconsciously stepped back until her back hit the glass fence and she had nowhere to retreat.
Shen Yixiao trapped her in his arms, lowered his head and pressed her down little by little.
Suddenly, the buzzing sound of a cell phone rang between the two of them, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere.
Cen Wan immediately raised her hand and pushed him: "I've been out for too long, it's time to go back."
Shen Yixiao didn't stop her this time. She pushed him aside and made way for her.
It was Cen Wan who was stunned.
Shen Yixiao put his hands in his pockets, his voice lazy and tired: "Why, I didn't do anything for you, are you disappointed?"
Cen Wan didn't answer, but pursed her lips: "Then, I'll leave first."
After saying that, he left quickly without looking back.
Shen Yixiao looked at her thin and slender figure and looked down at his hands.
He still remembered the uncontrollable panic and fear she felt when she climbed the stairs, and he also remembered the feeling when his fingers couldn't help but tremble.
Shen Yixiao looked at her fleeing back, his hands clenched into fists, and the darkness in his eyes gradually faded away.
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