This feeling was like the sentiment of the old master when he sent her away a few months ago.

Suddenly, Jiayi found strength from who knows where, pushed the man hard, and ran out of the room.

In just a fleeting moment, Huo Zhenyang hadn’t come to his senses when he saw her escaping.

He held the phone in his hand, his gaze darkening as he watched her retreating figure with heavy eyes.

"Hello? Mr. Huo? Are you still there? Then I’ll come over now, okay?"

There was an abrupt silence on Jian Meiyi’s side, as she strangely called out a few times.

The woman’s urging voice echoed in the cramped room.

Huo Zhenyang narrowed his eyes, then slowly raised the phone to his ear and momentarily, his mood seemed to sour, and his pupils darkened, "Don’t come."

After speaking, the call was hung up.

On the other side of the phone, Jian Meiyi was instantly dumbfounded.

Just a moment ago, he was all tenderness and inviting her to his mansion, but now he had suddenly turned his face.

Mr. Huo’s mood truly changed in the blink of an eye.

The phone beeped endlessly, and after a long while, she threw her phone onto the bed, filled with disappointment.

——————**——————

There were still a few days before the audition.

Tang En’en called, she had seen "Mr. Huo attends the premiere of ’Perilous Moment’ with his fiancée" in a magazine.

Although there was no front-facing photo of Jiayi, Tang En’en guessed that Jiayi had returned and dialed Jiayi’s old phone number in the city once more.

Unexpectedly, the phone number that had been off for several months was actually reachable this time.

Having returned to G City and not yet had a chance to meet En’en, Jiayi was thrilled and arranged a time to meet her outside Huo Garden.

The two met at a café in the city center’s Building C.

As soon as they met, Tang En’en rushed up to her and playfully punched Jiayi a few times, "You left G City without saying a word, you heartless thing!"

Jiayi smiled bitterly, and within her dry smile, there was also a touch of being moved; she and En’en embraced.

Spending an afternoon sitting on the sofa in the café, Jiayi thoroughly clarified to En’en the reasons for leaving G City and then going on to H City.

They chatted and drank coffee until it was almost evening.

"So, you came back this time for your godfather in H City, for the classmate who got hurt trying to save you, to expose Mu Qingran... but not for Boss?"

Tang En’en sipped through her straw, blinked her eyelashes, and thought, wow, with Boss’s stoic face, he must be exploding with jealousy.

A stone had been thrown into Jiayi’s heart-lake. Wanting to skip over this topic, and with her cappuccino finished, she stood up, grabbed Tang En’en’s hand, "Let’s go. I don’t even know how many times we’ve refilled our coffee; we’ve sat here all afternoon, the staff are probably sick of us by now."

When the two of them left Building C café, it wasn’t very late yet.

Since returning to G City, this was their first meeting, and they did not want to go back so early, planning to wander around a bit more. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Jiayi called George who had been waiting nearby, "George, I’ll be back to Huo Garden later today, so either you go back first or wait for me."

Outside Building C café.

A black car was parked not far away.

George had just hung up on Miss Jiayi when he dialed a private number on autopilot.

After the call was answered, he began, "Boss, Miss Jiayi and Miss Tang En’en haven’t seen each other for a long time. They’ve just finished their coffee, and now they’re about to go shopping. Should I hurry her along, get Miss Jiayi back to Huo Garden?"

The little lady had rarely come out, and once she did, she seemed to forget everything else.

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds before giving the order, "Never mind, Just follow her."

————*————

The coffee shop was in the business district, flanked by several large department stores.

With the audition in a few days, Jiayi wanted to buy a few outfits, and she also needed to purchase some clothes for the future.

It wasn’t that she lacked clothes to wear.

Having returned to G City and settled in Huo Garden, Huo Zhenyang had his secretary Kelly replenish her wardrobe, bringing a lot of clothes to Huo Garden for her to choose from.

It was not that those clothes were poor in quality or that they couldn’t be seen in public; on the contrary, at a glance and with a wave of his hand, the man picked only designer brands and even many luxury custom-made garments.

It was precisely because they were rather expensive that she didn’t want to wear them for filming in the future.

People in the entertainment industry have a keen eye – what luxury brands’ exorbitantly priced items haven’t they seen?

A casual glance, and they’d probably be able to tell what she was wearing.

She was participating in the film under a pseudonym, and according to her resume, she was just a fledgling newbie actress. How could she afford such pricey clothes and shoes?

The moment she arrived on set, wouldn’t her cover be blown right away?

Thinking this, it seemed necessary to opt for some more reasonably priced brands.

Fortunately, Jiayi still had quite a bit of money left from selling Bluebird Gospel, so even if she went shopping, she wouldn’t need to ask that man for money.

The two of them entered the department store.

This department store, like others, featured clothing on the second and third floors.

The second floor catered to young women, selling affordable, casual, and girlish clothing.

The third floor showcased luxury brands with international first-line counter brands and many membership-only luxury counters reserved for platinum VIPs which is the floor Huo Zhenyang would take her to for their shopping sprees.

Every time they shopped, Huo Zhenyang would take her hand and directly bypass the second floor, heading straight for the third floor.

But today, for a change, Jiayi happily went along with her own desires and headed to the second floor with Tang En’en.

As Jiayi browsed through clothes, she chatted and laughed with Tang En’en, trying on several outfits and having the salesperson wrap them up.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from behind, followed by a sharp, androgynous voice filled with surprise, "Meiyi, it really does seem like it’s that woman."

"That woman"?

Even if she listened with her toes, Jiayi could detect the utter disdain in the voice.

She turned around to see Steve carrying several bags, with Jian Meiyi by his side, wearing large sunglasses that covered most of her face, her long curly hair draped over her shoulders, looking utterly charming.

Tang En’en also recognized the newcomer, surprised, "Jiayi, is that Jian Meiyi?"

Jian Meiyi was at the department store that evening as well, but of course, she was shopping on the luxurious third floor.

As she was coming down the stairs, Jiayi’s chosen shop happened to face the elevator, catching the eyes of Jian Meiyi and Steve.

Jian Meiyi looked up at the name of the counter Jiayi was browsing and couldn’t help but snicker. What a low-end minor brand, she hadn’t even heard of it.

Even the shop’s staff numbered just one or two – how shabby!

Wasn’t she Huo’s fiancée? Why would she shop here?

It looked like Huo really wasn’t that into her; she wasn’t at the forefront of his mind.

The frustration Jian Meiyi felt from not attending the event at Huo Garden a few days ago vanished entirely, her mood brightened considerably as she sauntered over.

Steve, holding the bags, followed suit.

The salesperson by Jiayi’s side, seeing new customers, stepped forward, "Miss, if you’re interested in anything, feel free to try it on. We’re having a sale in our store today."