STYL - 4

Shen Tang still decided to use this set of whitening and moisturizing products today.

There wasn’t much cream left in the bottle; it was almost empty.

“It’s almost finished,” she said.

“I’ll buy you another one when it’s done.” Jiang Cheng Yu loosened the hem of his shirt, resting his elbow on the armrest of the chair, watching her through the mirror.

Her skin was smooth and radiant—perfect even with eighteen layers of filters.

Shen Tang also looked at him through the mirror, their eyes meeting from time to time.

He leaned lazily against the back of the chair. The morning sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window illuminated his shoulders. Between light and shadow, he did nothing but gently watch her.

It felt almost unreal.

“Where will your next drama be filmed?”

“Hengdian, a period drama.”

Jiang Cheng Yu nodded. Period dramas probably wouldn’t have kissing scenes.

But then again, who could say for sure?

After Shen Tang finished applying the moisturizer, she screwed the cap back on.

Jiang Cheng Yu wrapped one arm around her shoulders and turned her toward him, cupping her chin in his hand. He bent down to kiss her lips, occasionally nibbling lightly.

When he took the initiative, no one could resist.

Shen Tang grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it tight against his body, accentuating the perfect lines of his upper body.

With her other hand, she hooked her arm around his neck.

Time was short, so Jiang Cheng Yu only held her and kissed her briefly.

“Get ready. We need to head to the airport soon.”

Most of the buttons on his shirt were undone.

Jiang Cheng Yu buttoned them up one by one, leaving the top button open.

________________________________________

Back in Beijing, Shen Tang had just arrived home and was about to take a bath and find a book to read when Sister Li’s car pulled into Jiang Cheng Yu’s villa courtyard shortly after.

Sister Li brought quite a few things: new sportswear and sneakers for tomorrow’s event, the latest version of the script for the drama scheduled to shoot in November, and several scripts currently under negotiation.

The coffee table was filled.

Shen Tang didn’t rush to try on the clothes; instead, she opened the script.

Sister Li revealed some newly acquired information: “The role of the second female lead in Sheng Xiao has been snatched away. It’s unclear who will play it now.”

It definitely wasn’t the originally planned actress.

Apparently, a rising young starlet poached the role by bringing her own funding.

By early next month at the latest, the production team should announce the main cast list.

Shallow Fate of Sheng Xiao was the script Shen Tang was reading now. Filming would begin next month in Hengdian. She would play the female lead, while Huo Teng, the male spokesperson she would appear alongside at tomorrow’s promotional event, would play the male lead.

Role-snatching incidents like this were all too common.

Shen Tang didn’t feel particularly affected. She continued reading the script.

She didn’t have many scenes with the second female lead, so she didn’t care who played the role.

Sister Li brought two sets of new dresses, unwrapping the outer packaging. “Try these on. Let me see which one looks better on you.”

She took the script from Shen Tang’s hands and handed her the clothes.

“Hey, let me finish this part first...” Shen Tang was engrossed, but Sister Li interrupted her.

“You’ll have over a month to read it later.” Sister Li urged her to try on the clothes.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs. Sister Li glanced over and saw that Jiang Cheng Yu hadn’t gone to the office.

Jiang Cheng Yu was wearing gray loungewear, matching the set Shen Tang was wearing—it was practically a couple’s outfit.

Sister Li greeted him formally, “President Jiang.”

Jiang Cheng Yu: “Hello.” Afterward, he kept his gaze on Shen Tang as she slipped the sportswear over her loungewear, the price tag still dangling from the garment.

“New collection?”

He casually adjusted the collar for her—a small stand-up collar that made her look especially sharp.

“Mm, spring collection for next year.” Shen Tang turned to face him, zipping up the jacket fully. She turned to Sister Li and asked, “How does it look?”

Sister Li gave her a thumbs-up and told her to try on the other set.

Jiang Cheng Yu asked, “Is there a men’s version of this?”

Shen Tang wasn’t sure. “There should be.” She took off the outfit and switched to the other one.

Jiang Cheng Yu noticed the script on the coffee table, put down his phone, picked up the script, and sat on the nearby sofa, leisurely flipping through it.

Shen Tang tried on both outfits, and Sister Li thought the first one looked better. Shen Tang agreed.

Sister Li folded the second outfit neatly and placed it back in its bag. She had originally intended to discuss a few upcoming scripts with Shen Tang, but Jiang Cheng Yu was still there and showed no signs of leaving. She decided to put it off and talk to Shen Tang another time.

Shen Tang cut off the tag from the outfit she would wear tomorrow. She pointed to the other scripts on the coffee table, “I’ll review them and get back to you.”

“Mm, one of the scripts is excellent.” It was produced by Chen Nan Jin’s company. Sister Li checked her watch—it was still early, and she could make it to the cinema. Her daughter had been asking her when she’d have time to take her to the movies.

Her husband was also off work today, and it had been a while since the whole family went to the cinema together.

She reminded Shen Tang, “Rest well today. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

Sister Li said her goodbyes and left in a hurry.

The villa returned to its previous tranquility.

Jiang Cheng Yu was still reading the script, seemingly very interested. In no time, he had already flipped through more than twenty pages, running his finger along the lines of text as if searching for keywords.

Curious, Shen Tang sat close beside him. “What are you looking for?”

Without looking up, Jiang Cheng Yu replied nonchalantly, “Just reading the plot.”

Shen Tang assumed he was interested in historical romance novels and didn’t think much of it.

The phone on the coffee table vibrated. She glanced over—it was Jiang Cheng Yu’s phone. Both she and Jiang Cheng Yu used the same model and color of phone, so they could only tell them apart by their cases.

The phone case was a matching pair, a small gift customized and sent to her by the brand. At first, Jiang Cheng Yu refused to use it, saying he wasn’t used to using phone cases.

She didn’t force him and planned to give it to her best friend.

But the next day, the phone case mysteriously appeared on his phone.

The phone continued to vibrate, and the caller ID displayed: Zhen Zhen.

Shen Tang tapped his arm. “Your niece is calling.”

Li Zhen was the daughter of his eldest brother and shared her mother’s surname, Li.

This little princess of the Jiang family was already in college, raised mostly by Jiang Cheng Yu. Their uncle-niece bond was as strong as a father-daughter relationship in other families.

Jiang Cheng Yu was still focused on the script and asked Shen Tang to hand him the phone. His niece rarely called him for anything important—usually trivial matters about eating or having fun.

He answered the call casually, “No classes this afternoon?”

“Break between classes.” Li Zhen hurriedly said, “Uncle, check my social media.”

“What did you post?”

“A lost-and-found notice. Hurry and check it, remember to leave me a comment. Bye.”

The call ended in less than a minute.

Jiang Cheng Yu didn’t know what his niece was up to, but he was focused on the script. He handed the phone to Shen Tang. “Check what she posted in her lost-and-found notice.”

Since it was posted publicly on social media, it probably wasn’t a secret. Shen Tang helped by checking.

She wasn’t prepared for what she saw.

The little princess of the Jiang family had lost a set of cosmetics—the same whitening and moisturizing series that Jiang Cheng Yu had given her. She even posted pictures of the set.

The lost-and-found notice read:

[Two months ago, halfway through summer vacation, I told Uncle that this cosmetic line is perfect for girls who are out and about in the summer heat. I’m not sure about the whitening effect, but the moisturizing is top-notch—lightweight and easily absorbed.

I bought two sets at the time. One was kept in my bedroom at Grandma’s house, but when I went back to Grandma’s today to grab my cosmetics, they were gone.

Grandma and Grandpa wouldn’t take my cosmetics.

So, it’s rather interesting.

If anyone knows anything, please contact me ASAP. Waiting online.]

Shen Tang read the lost-and-found notice again. This post was likely visible only to Jiang Cheng Yu.

It nearly named him outright as the thief.

Jiang Cheng Yu turned a page in the script before remembering his niece’s social media post.

He glanced at Shen Tang. “What did Zhen Zhen lose?”

Shen Tang handed him the phone. “See for yourself.”

Jiang Cheng Yu skimmed through the post. As usual, he remained calm, and Shen Tang couldn’t detect any hint of embarrassment on his face.

His attention returned to the script, and he explained briefly while reading: “Zhen Zhen said it worked well. You were filming outdoor scenes in high temperatures during that time.”

So he gave her a set.

Shen Tang had never imagined she’d make him into a petty thief. “Buy a few more sets and send them to Zhen Zhen.”

“No need. It’s not a limited edition. If she needs it, she’ll buy it herself.” Jiang Cheng Yu knew his niece well. She wasn’t really looking for her lost items—she was sniffing around for gossip about him.

He told Shen Tang, “Don’t worry about it.”

Shen Tang asked, “Aren’t you going to reply?”

Jiang Cheng Yu thought for a moment. “Leave her a message. I’ll visit her at school tonight.”

________________________________________

As dusk fell, Jiang Cheng Yu changed his clothes and headed out.

He didn’t bring the driver today and drove himself.

After all, stealing his niece’s things and showing up empty-handed wouldn’t sit well.

On the way to the school, he passed by a fruit shop. Jiang Cheng Yu pulled over, found his sunglasses, and got out of the car.

It had been at least five or six years since he last bought fruit himself.

The shop was bustling with customers. From the moment Jiang Cheng Yu stepped in, he became the center of attention.

Some pretended to browse the fruits while sneaking glances at him.

Jiang Cheng Yu grabbed two shopping bags. Without looking at the prices, he picked out fruits his niece liked and those commonly stocked at home. He grabbed two boxes of cherries.

At checkout, the two bags of fruit totaled 836 yuan.

Jiang Cheng Yu glanced at the fruit bags and then handed over his payment code.

Fruit had gotten expensive.

As he walked out of the fruit shop, his niece called, asking where he was. She was already waiting for him at the school gate.

Her classmates didn’t know her father’s surname was Jiang, nor that her uncle was him. She lived a simple and low-key life at school.

Jiang Cheng Yu replied to his niece, “About ten minutes.”

Li Zhen eagerly awaited her uncle’s arrival in his most inconspicuous car, which he had bought specifically for visiting her at school.

Jiang Cheng Yu lowered the car window. Li Zhen was surprised. “Why are you driving yourself today?” she said, then moved to sit in the passenger seat.

Li Zhen sat sideways, smiling at him.

Silent, she waited for Jiang Cheng Yu to confess without prompting.

That set of cosmetics—he had no use for it, yet he took it. That was the issue.

Jiang Cheng Yu unbuckled his seatbelt, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel absentmindedly.

He turned to his niece. “I gave the cosmetics to Shen Tang.”

“?”

“The actress everyone knows—Shen Tang.”

Holy crap!

Li Zhen was stunned.

She had planned to drag it out of her uncle, but he confessed so readily.

“You and… Shen Tang? Why did you give it to her?”

Her meaning was clear—Shen Tang didn’t lack a set of cosmetics.

Her uncle taking her things to give to someone else seemed cheap and perfunctory.

Such stingy men generally weren’t worth keeping.

From the way his niece’s eyes darted around, Jiang Cheng Yu guessed she was silently judging him. After a brief silence, he said, “We’ve been together for almost three years. Whatever is lacking, I give. No need to be so deliberate.”

“!!”

The amount of information was overwhelming. Li Zhen felt like she couldn’t keep up with the times.

Her uncle had been with Shen Tang for three years, and she had no idea.

On second thought, it wasn’t surprising. Shen Tang was a celebrity. If they didn’t plan to go public with their relationship, they would naturally be extra cautious. And her uncle was so busy—he spent five or six months of the year outside Beijing. She and her uncle communicated mainly through phone calls and video chats.

Now that she was in college, she had her own life and circle of friends, unlike when she was a child, always clinging to her uncle.

Li Zhen half-rose and turned on the car’s interior light.

Jiang Cheng Yu frowned. “Why are you turning on the light?”

“To take a good look at my uncle. I heard that men in love are different. Let me see if it’s true.”

“...”

Jiang Cheng Yu reached out with his long arm and turned off the light.

He pushed open the car door, got out, and opened the trunk.

“Hey, Uncle, wait for me!” Li Zhen hurriedly got out too. “You’re not embarrassed, are you?”

Speechless, Jiang Cheng Yu handed her the bag of fruit. “Go back to your dorm. I’m heading home.”

Li Zhen carried the heavy bags of fruit, grinning mischievously, radiating curiosity. “Going home to my auntie? Oh, right, one of my roommates is a die-hard fan of Shen Tang. I heard Shen Tang attended an investment conference in Shanghai yesterday, returned to Beijing today, and has a promotional event at the flagship store tomorrow.”

Jiang Cheng Yu didn’t respond, patting his niece’s shoulder firmly.

Li Zhen spoke in a tone of compromise: “Uncle, just say what’s on your mind. No need to be polite. Are you boosting rankings for Shen Tang or managing comments?”

Jiang Cheng Yu said earnestly, “Zhen Zhen, focus on your studies and find a good job. Otherwise, your future salary won’t even be enough to buy fruit.”

“...”

“Go inside.” Jiang Cheng Yu got back in the car.

Long after the black sedan disappeared into the night, Li Zhen was still stuck, unable to move, mulling over the phrase about not being able to afford fruit.

When Jiang Cheng Yu got home, Shen Tang was memorizing her lines.

He placed the fruit on the coffee table. Shen Tang looked up from her script. “Did Zhen Zhen give this to you?”

“No.” Jiang Cheng Yu took off his suit. “I bought two portions. One is for Zhen Zhen.”

It was implied that this portion was for her.

Shen Tang opened the shopping bag—everything inside was fruit she loved to eat.