Chapter 20.1: Love Can Be Bought (1)

Cen Xiangyang’s curiosity was piqued.

“Are there any other terms for it other than dream weaver?” he asked.

Ji Fanyin chuckled in response.

Well, the other term would be a romance scammer.

She ignored Cen Xiangyang’s question and rose to her feet, saying, “The movie premiere is about to begin soon. I’ll be heading out to take my seat. What about you?”

Father Ji and Mother Ji, who had entered the VIP Lounge, were currently heading her way.

Cen Xiangyang also rose to his feet. “I’ll come with you. What’s your seat number?”

The two of them quickly compared their seat numbers. One of them was a slightly known director whereas the other was a humble movie reviewer. Needless to say, their seats were far away from one another.

“Let’s talk after the movie premiere.” Cen Xiangyang took out his phone. “You’re working in the film industry too since you were able to get an invitation here, right? Shall we exchange contacts?”

He spoke in such a natural manner that it didn’t feel like he was flirting at all, more like two individuals exchanging contacts for work.

It happened that Ji Fanyin viewed him as potential Fish No. 3, so she accepted his offer and took out her phone. However, this exchange was put to a halt by Song Shiyu.

The approaching Song Shiyu first directed a nod toward Cen Xiangyang before he turned to Ji Fanyin and said, “Ji Fanyin, your parents are worried about you.”

Ji Fanyin couldn’t help but notice that Song Shiyu’s gaze had lingered on her phone screen for a little too long, as if there was something on it that was of interest to him. 

“I’ve already greeted them earlier.” Ji Fanyin couldn’t be bothered to hold a conversation with Song Shiyu outside service hours, so she decided to take her leave. “If you may excuse me.”

She bade Cen Xiangyang farewell before walking out of the VIP Lounge, leaving the two men behind. 

She knew that it didn’t matter whether they exchanged contacts here or not. Cen Xiangyang wouldn’t give up that easily.

“Mr Song, are you acquainted with Miss Ji too?” asked Cen Xiangyang. “Ah, she is Xinxin’s older sister after all. I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you’re acquainted with both sisters given the close ties you have with the Ji Family. I must say, the two sisters really resemble one another. If Miss Ji could just change her disposition a little, she would completely be able to stand in as her younger sister.”

The words ‘stand in’ stabbed into Song Shiyu’s heart like a sharp thorn, making him frown in discomfort. 

It was a fact that he thought of Ji Fanyin as Ji Xinxin’s substitute.

“Speaking of which, Mr Song, you have Miss Ji’s contact number, right? Could you forward it to me?”

Song Shiyu: “…” I’ve deleted it and haven’t added her back yet.

“Don’t mess with her,” Song Shiyu said as he rubbed his temples to alleviate the throbbing pain in his head. “No matter what, she is Xinxin’s older sister.”

Cen Xiangyang was stunned for a moment before laughing heartily, “Oh? What do you mean by ‘mess with her’? All I want to do is to befriend her. Mr Song, don’t you think that you’re overstepping your boundaries here? In what capacity are you warning me? Xinxin’s boyfriend? Or an ordinary friend?”

Despite being too busy to attend Ji Xinxin’s farewell banquet, Cen Xiangyan was still aware of the events that transpired that day. 

Compared to the others who had yet to confess to Ji Xinxin, Song Shiyu, who had been rejected by Ji Xinxin, was clearly out of the race. 

“Even if I’m just an ordinary friend, I’m still closer to her than you are,” replied Song Shiyu with a graceful smile. “Ji Fanyin isn’t as easy to deal with as you think, Cen Xiangyang.”

The old Ji Fanyin was a passive person who quietly accepted what others dished out to her, but the current Ji Fanyin was capable of hiding her own feelings in order to protect herself… 

… though in Song Shiyu’s view, her disguise was still far too vulnerable. 

Often, he thought how wonderful it would be if he could just place Ji Fanyin’s affection for him into Ji Xinxin. If he could, the three of them wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

Cen Xiangyang shrugged off Song Shiyu’s warning with a smile and replied half-jokingly, “Mr Song, your words are really misleading. I almost thought that the one you love isn’t Xinxin but her older sister.”

Song Shiyu smiled in response to that remark, but on the inside, he was sneering.

If I really had feelings for Ji Fanyin, I would have long gotten together with her given her devotion toward me. It’s simply impossible to force a person’s feelings. 

Seeing that Song Shiyu wasn’t bothering to reply anymore, Cen Xiangyang chose not to harp on the topic either. He gracefully gestured Song Shiyu outward to make their way to their seats. 

Along the way, he noticed that Song Shiyu’s complexion looked a little awful and asked concernedly, “Mr Song, are you feeling unwell? You should head home if you’re ill. You shouldn’t push yourself too much.”

Song Shiyu shot Cen Xiangyang a glance and said, “Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.”

It was in the midst of summer, but several days of consecutive flash rains had caused the weather to turn a little chilly. It was easy to catch a cold under such conditions and Song Shiyu was, unfortunately, one of the victims. 

However, he turned a blind eye to his cold and remained focused on his work.

For some reason, he had started to think that earning money was of utmost importance. As long as he had enough money on hand, he could even buy love that was just like the real one. 

All he needed was an endless stream of cash.