Chapter 125: My Little One

“I never would have guessed, Chen Ci, that you’re so afraid of Xiang Kui,” Jiang Yao teased with a smile.

Ruan Mianmian watched the playful banter among the group before her, feeling a subtle pang of loneliness.

In truth, she had only met Chen Ci and the others a few times. Their relationship wasn’t close—at best, they were merely polite acquaintances.

Come to think of it, Ruan Mianmian didn’t have any truly close friends here.

Jiang Ce lowered his gaze, catching the hint of melancholy in Ruan Mianmian’s eyes. He leaned in and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Hmm?”

The faint scent of alcohol on his breath brushed against her cheek, causing her to instinctively shrink back.

Ruan Mianmian smiled quietly. “I don’t think I have any really close friends here.”

After all, she hadn’t known anyone here for very long. Their connections weren’t exactly distant, but they weren’t intimate either.

Jiang Ce’s gaze suddenly deepened as he asked meaningfully, “Do you want to go back to Lanshi?”

After all, Ruan Mianmian was a native of Lanshi, and she had come to Jiangcheng only to follow Jian Yanzhi.

Back then, her focus was entirely on Jian Yanzhi; she paid little attention to anyone else.

Ruan Mianmian smiled faintly, uncertain how to answer.

She couldn’t tell Jiang Ce that neither here nor Lanshi was where her heart truly longed to be.

Jiang Ce lifted his hand gently, brushing the stray strands of hair from Ruan Mianmian’s face and tucking them behind her ear. His voice remained soft and steady.

“You know, the headquarters of Chenxing is still in Lanshi. Once things settle here, I’ll take you back.”

Ruan Mianmian nodded.

She understood Jiang Ce came here because of the land in Crescent Town. Once the matter was resolved, he would return to Lanshi—his true base of operations.

After the dinner at Lilac Garden, Chen Ci suggested they all go sing karaoke—after all, it was a rare gathering and they should enjoy themselves.

Seeing Ruan Mianmian’s lack of enthusiasm, Jiang Ce spoke up, declining the invitation.

“We’re planning to head back.”

“Come on, Master Jiang, that’s a bit of a buzzkill,” Chen Ci teased, then winked at Ruan Mianmian. “Mianmian, you should go. If you go, he definitely will too.”

Xiang Kui stepped forward, grabbing Ruan Mianmian’s hand with a smile. “Yeah, it’s still early. We haven’t really talked yet. Let’s go together.”

Ruan Mianmian bit her lip. She wasn’t good at refusing invitations in settings like this.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ce suddenly stepped forward, pulling her firmly into his arms. A faint, mysterious smile curved his lips as he shook his head.

“No. Our little one needs to rest.”

Little one…

This strange term made her cheeks flush and heart race.

“Ahem—ahem!” Chen Ci feigned a cough twice and then nodded. “Alright, alright, Master Jiang has spoken. We must obey!”

Jiang Ce remained silent, glancing down at Ruan Mianmian.

At that moment, Zhong Yu stepped forward and said, “I have some things to take care of, so I won’t join the fun.”

“Seriously?” Chen Ci’s mouth opened in surprise. “You’re all not going? Then who will keep our beautiful Jiang Yao company? No way, Zhong Yu, you have to go!”

Xiang Kui laughed so hard she bent over and joined in the teasing.

Even the slow-witted Ruan Mianmian began to catch on.

So today was a deliberate setup to match Zhong Yu with Jiang Yao?

No wonder Chen Ci had been trying so hard to get them to compliment each other and urging Zhong Yu to be attentive earlier!

Ruan Mianmian found herself enjoying the spectacle.

Jiang Ce suddenly pinched her waist, snapping her back to reality. She looked at him, but he avoided her gaze and addressed the others, “We’ll take our leave now. We’ll meet again another day.”

“Roger that! We’ll see you off, Master Jiang!” Chen Ci struck a grand pose.

Before Ruan Mianmian could wave goodbye, Jiang Ce pulled her away.

Once their figures disappeared outside, Jiang Yao casually remarked, “Master Jiang? Chen Ci, why are you so attentive to him? Who exactly is he?”

Chen Ci shot her a mock glare and smiled. “Haven’t you heard of the illustrious Master Jiang of Lanshi?”

“No. Tell me.”

Jiang Yao propped her chin on her fingers, gently shaking her head.

“Tsk!” Chen Ci looked at her like a child who needed education, then switched tactics. “You know Chenxing Entertainment under the Chenxing Group, right?”

“Of course!”

Chenxing Group was one of the country’s top enterprises, and Chenxing Entertainment was the leading company in the entertainment industry. Most of the nation’s top idol groups and accomplished actors and singers came from Chenxing Entertainment.

It was no ordinary entertainment company.

Countless people fought tooth and nail for a contract, but Chenxing Entertainment didn’t necessarily accept everyone.

Chen Ci smiled mysteriously and pointed to the spot Jiang Ce had just occupied. “His.”

“What?”

Jiang Yao’s almond-shaped eyes filled with confusion. “You mean this Master Jiang is the owner of Chenxing Entertainment?”

“That can’t be right!”

Xiang Kui was equally shocked. “I thought our Lu Bao’s boss was a man named Lin—very masculine-looking!”

The Lu Bao she mentioned was Lu Bai, a rising genius singer and dancer who had taken the entertainment world by storm within just a year of debut, with stunning looks, exceptional songwriting, and top-tier acting skills.

Hearing this, Chen Ci rolled his eyes at her. “Always going on about Lu Bao. Do you think a famous star like him even knows who you are?”

“Mind your own business! Anyway, Lu Bao’s my guy. If you’ve got guts, come hit me!”

“You! I might just take you on!”

Jiang Yao watched the two bickering and couldn’t help but cover her mouth to laugh.

“Hey! You two, stop interrupting. So, is Master Jiang really the owner of Chenxing Entertainment or not?”

She looked at Chen Ci for an answer.

Xiang Kui suddenly caught on, teasing Jiang Yao, “You seem pretty interested in Jiang Ce today. Just a heads-up—he has a girlfriend.”

Jiang Yao rolled her eyes disdainfully. “Please, a company like Chenxing is a golden ticket for a small-time artist like me. I’m just doing some research, aren’t I allowed?”

“So you’re interested in Chenxing Entertainment—easy fix!”

Chen Ci pulled out his phone, searched for a moment, and handed it to Jiang Yao. “Here’s Jiang Ce’s WeChat. Add him and ask around. When he becomes a top-tier star, don’t forget about me.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but she remained composed.

“Thanks a lot.”

Without hesitation, she took out her phone.

Xiang Kui hadn’t quite caught on when Jiang Yao already nodded her thanks to Chen Ci.

Since Zhong Yu ultimately declined to join the karaoke, the group was ready to call it a night.

“Zhong Yu, why not walk our beautiful Jiang Yao part of the way? You’re going in the same direction anyway.”

Zhong Yu silently stared at Chen Ci, probably pressed for time, and didn’t refuse.

“Get in the car.”

Watching Jiang Yao climb contentedly into Zhong Yu’s car, Xiang Kui felt an unfamiliar pang in her heart.

“Chen Ci, was it really a good idea to give Jiang Yao Jiang Ce’s contact info just like that?”