Chapter 226: A Chance Encounter

Shanghai bus station.

With a rare three-day holiday and unable to withstand his parents' repeated nagging, Lin Yang returned to this city he had been away from for so long.

Just after getting off the bus, he couldn't help but mutter: "What a crappy Hangzhou, it doesn't even have a high-speed railway."

Sitting on the subway back home, Lin Yang was aimlessly scrolling through his phone when, suddenly, the latest post published by Yu Youwei caught his eye.

Lin Yang's eyes suddenly widened, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Damn! Didn't old Shen say he had things to take care of for New Year's Day? How did he end up running off to Hengdian with a girl?"

He hurriedly sent a message to Shen Yan.

If he had known it would be like this, he wouldn't have bothered coming home; it would have been so much better to go to Hengdian and have a good time with the goddess Wu Yue'er.

After a brief exchange, Shen Yan replied with this: "The plan changed at the last minute."

Lin Yang asked why he didn't say anything, but the message was like a stone sinking into the ocean, receiving no response at all.

This left a bad taste in Lin Yang's mouth.

Since entering university, he had always felt that Shen Yan was the one he got along with best; the two of them played games together, went out to hang out, and even sat together in class—they were the kind of very close friends.

But now, Shen Yan had gone on a trip with a girl without telling him, which made Lin Yang feel that Shen Yan was very disloyal. In his view, although the girl's side might not welcome him, as long as Shen Yan spoke up, getting him to join in would be a matter of minutes.

Yet, Shen Yan didn't even mention a word and secretly ran off with the girl.

What kind of friend is this!

The day they were square dancing, Zhu Baoping kept pestering Shen Yan about what ways he had to make money outside, and Shen Yan replied that it wasn't convenient to disclose; on the way back, Zhu Baoping kept nagging about how Shen Yan was disloyal and kept everything hidden.

At the time, Lin Yang had scoffed, saying why should old Shen tell you his ways of making money—what if you stole old Shen's business?

Now, thinking back carefully, Shen Yan was indeed disloyal and didn't treat everyone as friends at all.

Hmph! If this friendship wants to be kept, fine; if not, whatever.

Forget it!

Thinking of the goddess Wu Yue'er, Lin Yang's eyes dimmed.

To be honest, the longer he was in contact with Wu Yue'er, the colder Lin Yang felt inside. When they first met, he thought that coming from the Great Magic Capital, he was more than enough to match a Shenyang girl like Wu Yue'er.

Although those around him didn't think highly of him, Lin Yang firmly believed that sincerity could move heaven and earth, and that Wu Yue'er would sooner or later be moved by his true heart.

Even after Wu Yue'er was so annoyed by his harassment that she turned against him, Lin Yang still didn't give up; he moved from the open to the shadows, planning to learn a little more about Wu Yue'er so he could make a targeted confession plan.

However, Wu Yue'er's behavior broke his perception step by step.

Wu Yue'er was actually working part-time as a model, and her income was quite substantial; first she bought an Apple phone, then she ate seafood feasts, and a single necklace cost over a thousand.

Facing such a capable woman, Lin Yang gradually lost the confidence to win her over.

He really liked Wu Yue'er.

If one were to say that love at first sight is just being attracted to looks, Lin Yang wouldn't deny that, but in the process of getting along afterward, he was indeed deeply attracted to this straightforward and courageous girl.

But he seemed to lack the ability to match her, which was very saddening.

Sigh!

Over at the Northeast iron pot stew place.

The group of four was devouring the food in front of them; it had to be said that food endorsed by so many stars really had some merit.

While eating, Yu Youwei said full of anticipation that she wondered if they would run into stars, like the Fairy Sister, Andy Lau, or something.

Just then, a very recognizable voice reached Shen Yan's ears—deep and crisp, yet at the same time giving one a sense of peace.

It seemed somewhat familiar.

Looking up, he saw three big men walking toward them led by a waiter; one of them had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a square face, and most eye-catching of all was that smooth, shiny scalp.

Who else could it be but Xu Zheng, whom he had met before?

As for the other two, they were Bo Ge and Bao Qiang, equally famous figures.

Shen Yan's table was located against the wall, and right next to it was the staircase, spiraling between floors like a winding dragon; upstairs were private rooms, undoubtedly the preferred location for public figures to eat.

Clearly, Xu Zheng also discovered Shen Yan's presence and recognized him; as they were only acquaintances, both just nodded slightly to acknowledge each other.

There was no intention of further interaction.

But just as Xu Zheng stepped over the stairs, preparing to go up, he didn't know what he thought of, but he retracted his steps and walked straight to Shen Yan's side.

Bao Qiang and Bo Ge both looked at him in confusion.

Did he run into an acquaintance?

"Little brother, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon." Xu Zheng greeted Shen Yan warmly.

Looking at the returning Xu Zheng, a trace of confusion flashed in Shen Yan's eyes, and he responded: "Yeah, what a coincidence."

The moment the three women looked up, they were all stunned in unison.

Yu Youwei couldn't help but exclaim: "Zhu Bajie?"

To this, Xu Zheng didn't show any annoyance; while surprised by the beauty of the three women, he nodded slightly and greeted: "Hello!"

Then he looked at Shen Yan again.

"Little brother, is it convenient for you to leave contact information, or if you have time now, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Shen Yan didn't answer immediately, but asked if the matter was complicated and how long it would take to discuss; Xu Zheng replied that it was uncertain, it could be two minutes, or it could be a long conversation.

This made Shen Yan even more curious.

His heart felt as itchy as if it were being scratched by a cat.

A star wanting to have a long conversation with him—what on earth could it be about?

Xu Zheng wasn't a huge star at the moment; a movie he had just released called "Ren Zai XX" had grossed over 30 million at the box office. This result wasn't very ideal, and it couldn't even make it into the top 50 annual box office.

However, Shen Yan knew this guy was a potential stock; if nothing went wrong, he would transition to being a director next, then go on a winning streak, win the Best Actor title, and enter the ranks of "ten-billion" directors.

He might as well listen to what it was about, so Shen Yan said to the three women: "You guys keep eating, call me if anything comes up."

Yu Youwei nodded blankly, clearly not having come back to her senses yet; on one hand, she was surprised by the sudden encounter with a star, but more so, she was astonished as to why Shen Yan would know such a person.

It sounded like the two of them weren't just simple acquaintances.

Compared to Yu Youwei's reaction, Chen Shanni was much calmer; let alone meeting Xu Zheng, even if those A-list celebrities were standing in front of her, she wouldn't give them much attention.

For her, someone who never chased after stars, celebrities were no different from ordinary people.

As for Wu Yue'er, who had previously had the experience of running into Fan Ye, she was just as steady as an old dog right now; Shen Yan was so capable, what was so strange about him knowing a few celebrities?

She said to Shen Yan, "Take your time, we're in no rush here."

Shen Yan grinned, then followed the three of them as they walked toward the private room upstairs.