Chapter 14.1

Zhou Jingyu’s disobedience infuriated Zhou Donghai, ruining a good opportunity. Zhou Donghai was livid that the girl was rejected. How could someone reject her without any regard for her feelings?

Zhou Donghai felt embarrassed to face his old friends. After hanging up, he called Zhou Jingyu again and gave him a severe reprimand.

Even after being scolded, Zhou Donghai was not done and sent a WeChat ID, insisting that Zhou Jingyu must add it by tonight before hanging up.

Zhou Jingyu didn’t agree.

He looked at the WeChat ID, didn’t bother to check it, and deleted it directly.

Zhou Jingyu, who appeared gentle on the surface, was actually stubborn to the core, much like Zhou Donghai. Throughout his life, unless he willingly did something, no amount of pressure would make him bend.

He had no interest in blind dates. Agreeing to Zhou Donghai once was enough. Agreeing again was out of the question. Even if Zhou Donghai claimed this person was the same as the last one, it was still unacceptable.

In contrast, he was more concerned about the chatty person he had talked to for a long time, despite not knowing who they were.

He wasn’t in a hurry, and simply waited for a response to his earlier message.

Wen Tang, after finishing the magazine cover shoot, finally checked her phone.

Previously, Wen Tang would initiate the messages, and Gong Yue would respond. This time, he had sent her a message first, which was a significant improvement!

Seeing the message made Wen Tang’s mood lift, but when she opened it, her smile froze.

“Is your name Wen Qing?”

“It’s a lovely name.”

…

…Wen Qing?

?????

Wen Tang was stunned.

Staring at the name, it was still the same, but the combination was almost unrecognizable.

Moreover, what’s so nice about the name Wen Qing? Clearly, Wen Tang is a much better name!

Her sharp mind took a moment to reboot.

Wen Tang finally realized why he had never asked her surname or full name despite adding her as a friend for so long. It wasn’t that he didn’t ask, it was just that he had always thought of her as someone else.

This woman named Wen Qing?

Wen Tang rifled through her memory and found no impression of that name. She turned to Ke Xin and Yang Yang and asked, “Do you know who Wen Qing is?”

Ke Xin and Yang Yang exchanged glances and both shook their heads. “Who? Don’t know.”

Wen Tang thought for a moment, “Maybe she’s a minor celebrity?”

People around Gong Yue were likely at a similar level, so it would be normal not to recognize someone from the minor leagues.

“I’ll check.” Yang Yang quickly took out her phone.

After a quick search on Baidu, Yang Yang exclaimed, “I know who she is now!”

Wen Tang and Ke Xin both turned their attention to her. Yangyang’s eyes widened as she said, “Wow! She’s the daughter of the chairman of Qiyang Group!”

Although Wen Tang didn’t know what Qiyang Group was, just hearing about the chairman and the daughter sounded impressive. Ke Xin also reacted with a “Wow.”

Wen Tang: “?”

Unbelievable.

Or perhaps this Wen Qing Gong Yue mentioned wasn’t a celebrity at all and didn’t appear on Baidu’s encyclopedia.

Seeing Wen Tang’s confused expression, Yang Yang looked down at her phone again and soon corrected herself. “Oh, no, no, I read it wrong! This Wen Qing, the rich girl who just returned from studying in France and doesn’t act anymore, isn’t the same one! There’s another Wen Qing!”

Confirming that she had not made a mistake this time, Yang Yang then read aloud from Baidu’s encyclopedia: “Wen Qing, profession: actress, singer; age 22 this year, debuted two years ago, an artist under Qilin Entertainment, appeared in TV dramas ‘The Ideal Sea’ and ‘I Am a Mermaid,’ participated in variety shows ‘Let’s Eat Together’ and ‘Let’s Travel,’ released an album ‘Brilliant Colors,’ with the title track ‘Brilliant Colors.’”

Ke Xin: “Turns out she’s not a wealthy young lady from a big group but just a minor actress!”

Then, puzzled, she added, “But I’ve watched ‘The Ideal Sea’ and followed it throughout. I didn’t see anyone named Wen Qing. And I haven’t heard of these variety shows or albums; when were they released?”

“Why aren’t you thinking straight?” Yang Yang quickly dismissed the rich girl Wen Qing and said to Ke Xin, “That’s why she’s considered a minor celebrity! She must have played some insignificant roles and likely only appeared for a few minutes. The variety shows and albums were released in the past two years but were poorly received and not widely known.”

There are countless minor celebrities in the industry. Some people dream of becoming stars for a lifetime without making a name for themselves. They’ve seen it all, especially someone who has only debuted for two years.

Ke Xin nodded in agreement. Since they didn’t know this minor actress, how could Wen Tang suddenly bring her up?

“Tang Tang, do you know her? Why are you asking about her?” Ke Xin turned to ask.

At this moment, Wen Tang was already looking at her phone, and indeed, as Yang Yang said, Wen Qing was a minor actress. Her representative works were few, and she only had small, unknown roles.

The rich girl Wen Qing Yangyang mentioned was also seen by Wen Tang. It wasn’t surprising that Yang Yang made a mistake because this Wen Qing’s entry was listed before the minor actress Wen Qing. The minor actress Wen Qing was so obscure that an outsider’s first glance would be at the richer Wen Qing, making Yang Yang’s initial observation understandable.

The rich girl Wen Qing, aged 24, had just returned from studying in France and would not be acquainted with Gong Yue, so she could be ruled out.

“I don’t know her.” Focusing on the encyclopedia, Wen Tang replied without looking up, “I just saw someone mention her and asked.”

Ke Xin: “Oh.”

Wen Tang ignored the wealthy young lady and focused on the minor actress Wen Qing. The information was so sparse that she quickly finished reading it.

Still feeling unsatisfied, she thought that as an actress, Wen Qing should have a Weibo account.

Wen Tang switched to Weibo.

Indeed.

Her Weibo had only a few tens of thousands of followers but was updated quite frequently.

Weibo was much more intuitive than Baidu.

There were many selfies, sweet and cute, youthful and beautiful. In terms of appearance, she was quite attractive and had the potential to be an actress, but just potential. With Wen Tang’s years of experience, she knew it would be very difficult for someone with just looks to stand out in the crowded entertainment industry.

Wen Tang browsed through some of her Weibo posts and found that Wen Qing had managed to land a role as the third female lead in a drama currently filming in Gannan, having been on set for a while.

So Gong Yue had mistakenly thought that the person he had been chatting with for so long was her?

When Wen Tang first added Gong Yue on WeChat, her plan was to create an identity as a minor actress and gradually approach him. After gaining his interest, she would reveal her true identity.

But unexpectedly, Gong Yue had mistaken her for someone else from the start.

If she confessed now that she was not Wen Qing and then used the same approach to tell him that she had mistaken another person for him, would it be too coincidental?

What if she denied it now?

Would he add the real Wen Qing and chat with her just as he did with Wen Tang?

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Wen Tang felt a bit reluctant. Yes, she was selfish and possessive. Even though they weren’t together yet, she didn’t want him to divide his attention between other women.

But now was the opportunity to tell him that she was Wen Tang?

No.

She had already tasted the joy of hiding her identity—being able to speak freely, asking for hugs when happy, seeking comfort when upset, acting coquettishly without the burden of maintaining a public image. Few could truly understand how precious this was for her, who had been under the spotlight since she was eight, with every aspect of her life on display.

Such hidden and undisclosed happiness, how could she easily destroy it?

She couldn’t do it, she really couldn’t bear to do it!

Besides, she had just discussed family matters with him; she didn’t want her image to crumble in his eyes.

The big star Wen Tang should always be flawless, in the spotlight and admired. She shouldn’t be pitiful, abandoned by her father and mother, left in the countryside with no concern.

… She would just let it be.

It’s fine, at most just half a month.

After all, before then, he and Wen Qing didn’t know each other, and even after adding each other on WeChat for half a month, he hadn’t realized he had added the wrong person, which meant Wen Qing wasn’t important to him.

Since he thought she was Wen Qing, let it be.

No need to deny or explain; at most, in another half month, he would come to the set, and then she would confess and apologize.

Let her stay hidden under another identity and continue chatting with him for another half month.

After closing Weibo, Wen Tang hesitated for a moment and sent a message.

[Candy: Senior, did you just find out who I am?]

[Candy: I thought you knew already.]

But feeling guilty, she nervously clutched her phone and waited.

Zhou Jingyu was also waiting. He saw Wen Tang’s message as soon as it arrived.

Looking at the two lines of text that just popped up in the chat box, Zhou Jingyu’s eyes darkened.

This was not the reply he had expected.

Not a denial.

Instead, an admission?

Wen Tang waited and waited, but Zhou Jingyu did not reply for a long time.

The more she waited, the more anxious she became.

Finally, unable to hold back, Wen Tang tentatively sent another message.

[Candy: Senior Brother?]

After about two minutes, she received a reply.

[Y: Mm.]

Wen Tang immediately felt a big sigh of relief and was about to say more, but then another message came from the other side.

[Y: It’s late. Go to sleep.]

Wen Tang glanced at the time and realized it was already 10 PM. After chatting for so long, she knew that Zhou Jingyu usually went to bed around this time.

[Candy: Oh, okay.]

[Candy: Good night, Senior Brother~]

After sending the message, there was no further reply.

Over the next two days, Wen Tang noticed that Gong Yue’s responses had become noticeably less frequent, almost like when they first started chatting, and even more distant.

He only replied with brief “mm” and “oh” responses, quickly dismissing her. No matter what she said, he seemed uninterested, often saying he was busy and would chat later, let alone asking for kisses, hugs, or being lifted!

Wen Tang was exhausted by his inexplicable behavior and couldn’t focus on her acting anymore!

The plan was to strike while the iron was hot and continue to make progress, feeling that their distance was rapidly closing, and she might achieve significant progress within half a month.

But now, not only was it difficult to close the distance, but even maintaining the current state was becoming increasingly challenging!

Everything changed after he mentioned Wen Qing’s name. Wen Tang couldn’t help but wonder if he already knew she wasn’t Wen Qing.

But that was impossible.

If he knew, why didn’t he question her directly?

If he was angry, why didn’t he block her but still replied?

In the end, Wen Tang could only conclude that perhaps he had encountered something recently that made him in a bad mood.

Ah!

The little cool guy was indeed hard to flirt with.

His thoughts were difficult to guess, and she couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried!