The recital was about to start when Nan Chen and Ouyang Qing arrived.
As they had bought tickets for the VIP seats, they were seated right in front of the stage, close to the pianist.
Taking out her phone, Ouyang Qing turned on the camera and started taking selfies.
Nan Chen was reluctant to get in the same shot as Ouyang Qing. But for the sake of courtesy, he gave in.
Ouyang Qing took the first shot, then leaned in closer for the second shot.
She had picked the perfect angle where she seemed to be kissing Nan Chen.
However, in reality, there was a distinct distance between them.
After taking the shot and filtering the image to make herself look good, Ouyang Qing posted it on her social media with the caption. The first time I accompany you to a recital. The first timeâ¦
It was a simple caption, yet the ellipsis at the end gave room for imagination.
Nan Chen was so immersed in the music that he didnât know what Ouyang Qing was doing.
At the end of the performance, the audience applauded.
The musician came to the front of the stage and greeted the audience.
âI feel so happy, Chen,â Ouyang Qing said coyly to Nan Chen.
Nan Chen remained silent, as he didnât know what to say.
Itâs just a recital. Whatâs there to be happy about?
âChen, I remember you play the piano too, right?â
âIâm an amateur.â
Truth be told, Nan Chen had the urge to play one song after listening to the performance. He had been so busy that he hadnât touched the piano for a long time.
âI would love to listen to you play if thereâs a chance. Would you play for me?â Ouyang Qing asked, casually holding his arm.
âWeâll see,â Nan Chen replied tersely, flinching.
However, when Ouyang Qing held his arm again, he thought it would be rude to push her away so he let her be.
Halfway through the recital, Ouyang Qing got up to leave with the excuse of wanting to use the washroom.
She made a few calls, asking people to blow up her social media post to the media.
Ouyang Qing had just returned from abroad not long ago. Given how she seldom appeared in public, it wasnât known to many that she was the second child of the Ouyang family.
Unlike Ouyang Qing, one could easily recognize Nan Chen as soon as the picture went public.
What Nan Chen didnât know that before the recital was over, rumors of his scandal were already a hot topic on the internet.
âThe cold and aloof Sir Chen is seen with a new love interest who comes from a mysterious rich family.â
âThey are a fine couple. Sir Chenâs spoken for.â
Netizens had also flooded the internet with all sorts of comments.
âGod! My idol is taken. My life is hopeless!â
âWhat is life thenâ¦â âHow could my idol sleep with someone else but me? I donât believe in love anymore!â
âMy dear Chen, I know youâre just captivated by her looks. Iâm still your true love!â âI know you will come back!â
And one of the comments that received the most likes was, âI want to be rich and get myself a hot chick too.â
Ouyang Qing and Nan Chen walked out together after the recital.
âChen, thereâs something I have to tell you. But please forgive me, I didnât do it on purpose.â Ouyang Qing pulled a pitiful face again.
Nan Chen looked at her and prompted her to go on with his gaze.
âI was so happy to be here at the recital with you today. I couldnât help but posted an update on the moment on my social media account.â Ouyang Qing feigned innocence.
Nan Chen had seen her taking pictures just now, but he thought it was something trivial.
There was nothing to fuss about, as it was normal for a girl to show off on social media.
âBut somehow my post was circulated online and thereâs a heated debate on the internet saying that Iâm your girlfriend. Itâs fine with me, but Iâm afraid itâll affect you. Itâs all my fault. Please forgive me. I wonât do it again.â
Ouyang Qingâs pitiful look had such destructive power that Nan Chen couldnât bear to lash out at her.
He simply said, âItâs all right.â
It wasnât an unusual occurrence for Nan Chen. Many female stars had used his name to create hype and he almost never responded to them.
Besides, he loathed to let fly at the girls even if it brought about a bad reputation to his name.
âAre you sure? Thank you, Chen. Youâre the best. That nearly scared me to death. I thought you were going to be mad at me.â
âJust this once. There are a lot of dull people on the internet,â Nan Chen said.
âOkay, I got it,â Ouyang Qing said sweetly.
Seeing that Nan Chen was silent, she continued, âChen, can we go have grilled beef? Pretty please.
Itâs been so long since Iâve had that. But itâs on me this time. Consider this my way of apologizing to you.â
âIâm busy tonight. Maybe next time.â
âBut why? Itâs so late already. Donât work overtime, Chen. Please have dinner with me, pretty please? If you donât go, Iâll take it that youâre still angry with me,â Ouyang Qing whined.
âIâm not angry, but Iâm really busy.â Nan Chen was unmoved.
âChenâ¦â
âIâll ask the driver to send you back,â Nan Chen said frigidly.
âWhy?â Ouyang Qing continued acting in a pettishly charming manner, seeing that it had worked before.
But Nan Chen did not give in; in fact, he was a little annoyed about her.
Ouyang Qing was tactful enough to stop whining upon sensing Nan Chenâs indifference.
She didnât want to lose more by getting into his bad books.
She had had everything planned for the night. She was going to get herself drunk and have Nan Chen send her to the hotel.
But since Nan Chen was unwilling to cooperate, she could only stop when she saw fit.
âAll right. I was just kidding. Go ahead if youâre busy. Weâll meet again another day.â
Only then did Nan Chen nod his head.
âOh, one more thing,â Ouyang Qing stopped Nan Chen. âCould you get me on the production team for that movie? Iâd like to learn more.â
âThe production team is all professional. Itâs only right to let the professionals do what theyâre good at,â
Nan Chen said in a cold tone.
In other words, it was a no.
âDonât worry, Chen. Iâm only there to learn. Itâs not like I have the final say in anything. I swear itâs genuine when I said I want to learn. Just promise me, will you please?â
âGo ahead and speak to them then,â Nan Chen said, letting her have her way as he didnât want to waste any more time with her.
Ouyang Qing had her own plans. She knew that the more she participated in the filming, the more she had the chance to interact with Nan Chen and drive a wedge between Ning Ran and him.
She was confident that the relationship between Nan Chen and Ning Ran would only go from bad to worse.
Next Chapter q