About half an hour later, a message popped up.
【Mr. Shen’s wallet was left at the theater.】
【Liang Jin, could you grab it for me? I’ll send it over to his driver.】
The rain poured down fiercely, the relentless downpour roaring with agitation. Liang Jin’s phone vibrated twice in her pocket.
When she saw the message from Director Zheng, her eyelashes fluttered lightly.
Liang Jin called him back. “Uncle Zheng, I’ll take care of delivering it.”
Zheng Yunzhi was too conflicted about whether to replace the female lead to argue with her at length.
Liang Jin’s tone softened a little as she coaxed him. “It’s pouring out there—you’d only wear yourself out. I’m already at the theater, so it saves you the extra trip. Don’t let it cut into your evening work.”
Zheng Yunzhi couldn’t win the argument.
Director Zheng sent her Shen Keye’s driver’s number, along with the note: 【Then you deliver it.】
A small square brown cowhide wallet had fallen in the audience seating.
Liang Jin searched for a long time before slipping the wallet into her pocket and calling the driver. The elderly man on the other end of the line said, “Miss Liang? I understand, but let’s forget it.”
His voice was mild-mannered, but his words kept her firmly at a distance. “Insignificant people and matters only waste each other’s time. Miss Liang, why don’t I give you an address? You can mail it here, and I’ll pass it on to the young master.”
Liang Jin wanted to see Shen Keye face-to-face. She turned him down. “That wouldn’t be ideal, sir. I need to confirm nothing’s missing. If something’s wrong…” She let out a light laugh. “Wouldn’t that make me responsible?”
By the time the black Maybach pulled up, Liang Jin was already dizzy from the lashing autumn rain.
The tinted privacy glass stayed up. The white-haired driver looked refined as he unfurled a black crocodile-leather umbrella and bent toward her, the drumming rain nearly drowning out his voice. “Miss Liang, you’ve gone to great trouble coming out in this downpour.”
The white-gloved hand extended imperiously before her, palm up, demanding the wallet.
Liang Jin glanced at it but made no move.
“Miss Liang?” the driver prompted.
At the question, Liang Jin stepped into the rain and rapped on the window glass.
Her knock wasn’t polite. The driver cautioned her, “You can just hand the wallet over to me.”
Liang Jin stared at the figure inside the car. “It’s better to verify with the man himself. He’ll know best what’s inside.”
“This—”
The window slid down slowly. The boy lounging lazily in the back seat flicked his gaze toward her, and the driver started to explain.
Liang Jin spoke first. “Shen Keye.”
Her clear voice drifted through the heavy rain. The girl’s bright eyes fixed on him unwaveringly, full of determination.
Shen Keye tilted his head. “Something you need?”
Liang Jin drew a deep breath and switched tactics. “I want to get in. If it’s on your way, could you drop me off at school?”
Shen Keye’s impassive expression shifted slightly. “And why would I?”
“We’re classmates.”
The boy propped his chin on his distinctly knuckled index finger, tilting his head back as if sizing her up. “School of Economics and Management?”
Liang Jin nodded. “Exchange student.”
Thunder rumbled through the autumn night. Narrow skyscrapers hemmed in the sluggish traffic of the CBD, the city’s glamour eroded by the rain.
Liang Jin’s straight bangs clung to her forehead in wet strands.
The boy quirked his lips. Beneath the orange glow of the headlights, his brows and eyes were pitch-black, his tone appraising. “Liang Jin, the way you say that, someone might mistake you for my girlfriend.”
Liang Jin’s breath caught unconsciously. His cold, arrogant chuckle drew her eye to the tiny black mole on the left side of his nose bridge. She remembered Miss Jiang Manyu, who had trailed after him before—it was odd that she wasn’t in the car now. Liang Jin frowned in puzzlement and murmured softly, “Just classmate courtesy. Plus, I found your lost item. No reward?”
The driver tried to intervene from the side. “Miss Liang, we’re heading to Poetry and Dance Street shortly. It’s not on the way…”
“Get in,” someone cut him off.
Liang Jin blinked in surprise, meeting the boy’s ink-black eyes fixed on her. It was an answer she hadn’t expected. She tightened her grip on the wallet.
She settled into the back seat and simply wiped the water from her hair and clothes. A wide gulf separated her from Shen Keye, the rain sealed outside.
The boy reclined against the plush black leather, his gaze drifting to the window. Rain lashed the glass, turning the view into a blur.
Liang Jin asked, “Shen Keye, what was in the wallet before you lost it?”
The wallet’s inner pocket held only an HKU Student ID. At seventeen, Shen Keye looked boyish in his high school uniform, his features sharp and three-dimensional, his black hair and eyes carrying a mocking edge when he wasn’t smiling.
“A student ID.”
Liang Jin fell silent and extended the wallet.
It had been placed neatly on the seat—not dropped carelessly.
As long as no one had tampered with it, that was fine.
“Here you go,” she said slowly.
The car hummed along steadily.
Liang Jin watched a veined, sinewy hand reach out to take the wallet.
He didn’t tug hard, clearly not expecting her to hold on.
The boy glanced sideways at the girl.
“How was my performance today?” Liang Jin mustered her courage and voiced her true purpose, looking straight into his eyes. “I just looked up Miss Jiang’s performance videos online. I think you can tell the difference.”
Liang Jin had no intention of settling for just being a dance double, but Zheng Yunzhi’s attitude made it clear that the director was eager for this collaboration.
Liang Jin said, “I want the lead role in this performance.”
Shen Keye asked, “How badly?”
Liang Jin grew serious. “I’m willing to pay any price.”
She paused, leaving only the sound of her steady breathing in the air.
Her words weren’t premeditated, but the silence that followed made the moment awkward. Liang Jin tilted her head and gave an embarrassed smile.
“Shen Keye?”
The girl’s beautiful features and dewy expression were soft yet sharp. Shen Keye tucked the wallet back into his palm.
He recalled what Ulta’s boss, Shang Jize, had said—
“Song Youhuai likes Liang Jin. Likes her a lot.”
Shen Keye lowered his eyes. “Last night, my friend asked if I wanted to fire you.”
He was talking about the Ulta incident.
The unexpected response left Liang Jin momentarily speechless.
The young man’s presence drew closer. He looked down at her, his gaze carrying that ambiguous blend of boyish charm and masculine edge—undeniably invasive as it met hers. Liang Jin’s heart gave a sudden thud.
Shen Keye asked, “Guess how I replied?”
His answer would reveal his attitude toward her.
Liang Jin knew it was a long shot, but she steeled herself and voiced her hope. “Keep me on.”
Remembering his earlier quip, the young man smiled. His dark eyes perfectly matched the reckless arrogance he exuded, and Liang Jin’s face fell a little.
Was that smile his way of saying he wasn’t impressed by her performance?
Had she completely burned that bridge?
Liang Jin took a step back, her fists clenching at her sides.
The school wasn’t far away. As she got out of the car, the driver handed her an umbrella.
“Miss Liang, thank you anyway,” the driver said as he walked her to the curb, his expression softening. “That wallet means a lot to our young master.”
Liang Jin’s mind was a whirlwind; she couldn’t help wanting to ask just how important it was.
The downpour drenched the entire city, wind howling through trees and traffic alike.
Liang Jin started to step out but turned back as if struck by a thought, calling out to him gravely. “Shen Keye.”
The young man regarded her impassively, the small mole to the left of his nose bridge stark and commanding.
“If my rudeness at our first meeting left you with a bad impression, I apologize.” Liang Jin knew attitudes were hard to shift. Before stepping away, she added a reminder. “Check the wallet. And thanks for today.”
The girl took the umbrella and vanished into the rain.
The driver narrowed his eyes, leaning into the rain to peer at the young man in the back seat. “Ah-Ye.” He hesitated, words catching in his throat.
This driver was an old retainer of the Shen Family—the butler, in fact—who had watched Shen Keye grow up.
Shen Keye was acting far too out of character today.
The driver asked, “What if you’d lost such an important wallet?”
In the rearview mirror, Shen Keye ran his fingers over the wallet, now faintly damp. He slipped an old photo from his pocket back inside and said flatly, “It’s fine.”
Lightning cracked across the distant horizon, as if splitting the city in two.
The wild, untamed beast that had lain dormant for so long could no longer be reined in by anyone.
“Why leave the wallet behind on purpose at the theater?” The driver issued a stern reminder. “The master warned you not to get too close to anyone he hasn’t vetted.”
Shen Keye’s thin lips curved. “He doesn’t control me.”
As he snapped the wallet shut, the young man’s eyes narrowed on a white card tucked into the inner pocket.
Two lines of text in slender, incisive handwriting, penned with the theater’s ballpoint pen.
【Striving for it with all my might, looking forward to your call, Shen Keye.】
【Liang Jin, Tel 982xxxx7】
~~~
The rain pounded on until midnight. Liang Jin had inevitably gotten soaked on her way home. Already weighed down by stress and fighting drowsiness, she woke the next day with a slight fever and an inflamed throat.
As expected, Shen Keye ignored her. Director Zheng’s response was vague: “Wait for the news.”
No surprise there—they still planned to recast the female lead, though nothing was set in stone.
The guillotine dangled overhead, unmoving, while the wait dragged on as the world’s cruelest torment.
She messaged Wu Lin: 【Linlin, do you have Shen Keye’s contact info?】
Wu Lin: 【No, why do you need it?】
Liang Jin thought back to the night before. She’d stashed the wallet safely in her drawer.
Pulling it open revealed a sleek black crocodile-leather umbrella, the owner’s name etched into the handle.
Cold and aloof, just like its master.
“Ye”
They were around the same age, but their worlds couldn’t be more different.
She recounted the events to Wu Lin, then added: 【I need to return his things.】
Wu Lin seemed to fall silent, her status showing “typing…” for a long time.
Wu Lin: 【I can’t help you directly, but you could come to the Basketball Gym. My boyfriend’s got a basketball game at one this afternoon—you know, he was Shen Keye’s high school roommate. Even the Crown Prince is showing up today.】
Wu Lin: 【But… Song Youhuai will be at the game too.】
Liang Jin’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as she glanced at the clock on her desk. The hands ticked forward second by second. Twelve minutes until one. The girl shot to her feet, abandoning the review books spread out before her, and bolted straight for the door to snatch up her shoes.
Her pocket phone buzzed insistently with a string of beeps.
Wu Lin wasn’t reassured.
Wu Lin: 【Song Youhuai was out there bawling his eyes out, claiming you’re a gold digger and a total user who scammed him out of a ton of money—that’s what set him off. SNS has died down, but a lot of people at school still have it out for you… Maybe you shouldn’t come. Once my boyfriend’s game is over, I’ll have him ask around for the contact info for you.】
Jin: 【No need.】
Liang Jin thought of Shen Keye. Outsiders called him the golden boy, arrogant and flashy, but she could sense the haughty danger he kept hidden in the shadows. Liang Jin hesitated for a moment, but reason whispered that this might be her last shot.
Jin: 【Linlin, even if it’s just a sliver of hope, I have to give Mom a fighting chance.】
~~~