Yin Mengfan froze the moment she saw that name. Who in Tiannan City’s high society didn't know that Zhou Qin had nearly been paralyzed because of Li Yundong? Who didn't know that Zhou Keqiang had been forced to step down because of his entanglement with him?
Was this guy still with Zhou Qin? How had he managed to not be utterly crushed by the He family?
A flurry of questions flooded Yin Mengfan's mind. She had initially thought Li Yundong was merely some singular, extraordinary individual; she’d even considered asking him to examine Shen Wancai. But the subsequent chain of events had left her stunned and reeling, and Li Yundong had mysteriously vanished from her world.
Yin Mengfan had initially assumed Li Yundong had been eliminated by the He family, completely wiped off the face of the earth. Yet, clearly, not only was the man alive and kicking, but he seemed to be thriving!
“This Li Yundong… he’s not simple,”
Yin Mengfan muttered to herself after a moment of internal debate. Her fingers flew across her phone screen as she quickly texted Zhou Qin back: “Understood! I’ll be there right away!”
A short while later, Zhou Qin replied: “Thanks.”
In those curt, two-word replies, Yin Mengfan sensed a noticeable coolness and distance. She sighed internally, realizing that the intimacy she once shared with Zhou Qin was now irrecoverable.
Yin Mengfan had lost all focus on business. She slumped back in her expansive office chair, her hands folded over her chest, staring blankly at the ceiling, her brow deeply furrowed.
Just as she was lost in thought, the door suddenly pushed open. A pretty girl with a slightly chubby, baby face poked her head in, beaming, “Cousin, I’ve come to see you!”
The sight of her immediately gave Yin Mengfan a splitting headache. She managed a wry smile. “What are you doing here?”
This girl was none other than Shen Hui. She adopted an expression of wounded disappointment. “You don’t welcome me? Fine, I’ll leave!” With that, she turned her head expectantly toward Yin Mengfan, lips proclaiming departure, yet her feet seemed rooted to the floor.
Yin Mengfan shot her an exasperated but amused glare. “Enough of that theatrics. Get in here!”
Shen Hui let out a whoop of joy and burst inside. She glanced at the documents piled on Yin Mengfan’s desk, casually tossed them aside, grabbed Yin Mengfan’s hands, and exclaimed, “Cousin, Old Master grounded me for half a month! I’m about to die of boredom. Take me out to have some fun!”
Yin Mengfan laughed, scolding her, “How old are you? All you know is how to play!”
Shen Hui huffed. “I don’t care! If you don’t take me out, I’m staying here until you do!”
Yin Mengfan covered her forehead with her hand, looking utterly pained. “Good heavens, you big demon, please don’t come and plague me! Go plague someone else! I actually have work to do!”
Shen Hui broke into a mischievous grin. “Then I’ll go plague CEO Cao!” Saying that, she turned toward the door.
Yin Mengfan quickly called out, “Stop! CEO Cao went to Hainan; she’s not here!”
Shen Hui looked crestfallen. “Ah? She’s not there! Well, that’s no fun!” She wandered aimlessly around the room for a moment, then suddenly grinned wickedly. “Wait! I’ll go tease the handsome guys at their company!”
Yin Mengfan offered a pained smile. “Don’t cause trouble for them!”
Shen Hui replied with a cunning smile. “Those guys think they’re the most handsome men alive, each one more arrogant than the last. They only want rich girls like me so they can live off us. Hmph, teasing them is the most fun!”
Without waiting for Yin Mengfan’s consent, she darted out like a gust of wind.
Yin Mengfan groaned, clutching her forehead in agony. She could already picture the impending disaster at Cao Kefei’s company.
But the thought struck Yin Mengfan, and she picked up her phone to text Cao Kefei: “Feifei, free? Got something to tell you?”
A moment later, Cao Kefei’s reply came: “On set right now, what’s up?”
Yin Mengfan hesitated, as if weighing whether or not to share the news with Cao Kefei.
After Li Yundong disappeared, Cao Kefei had searched the world like a madwoman for any trace of him, but every avenue yielded nothing; not a single clue about the young man surfaced.
In the first month, Cao Kefei had visibly withered, looking listless and exhausted. Work failed to spark any interest, and she seemed utterly soul-lost.
It took a full two months before she slowly started to recover, to begin letting go of Li Yundong and reinvesting herself in her career.
“Feifei finally managed to move past that. What if telling her makes her fall back into it?” Yin Mengfan held a poor view of Cao Kefei and Li Yundong’s relationship, yet Cao Kefei had repeatedly instructed her: if you hear anything about Li Yundong, tell me immediately.
Yin Mengfan had witnessed Cao Kefei’s deep regard and infatuation for Li Yundong firsthand. Moreover, Li Yundong was opening a shop on the pedestrian street, and she herself was planning to attend the opening—how could such a thing possibly be kept secret? If Cao Kefei found out, wouldn't she turn against her? They wouldn't even be friends anymore!
Torn between two difficult options, Yin Mengfan finally grit her teeth and said, “Forget it. If he’s truly your destined nemesis, you can’t run away from it.”
Teeth gritted, Yin Mengfan sent the text: “I have something important to tell you.”
Cao Kefei, unaware of what was coming, casually replied: “Go ahead.”
Yin Mengfan texted: “I know where Li Yundong is.”
At that exact moment, Cao Kefei, who was filming on location in Sanya, Hainan, suddenly sprang upright from her sun lounger, her face a picture of shock and wild elation. A crew member passing by, balancing a tray laden with prop glasses full of wine, was startled by her sudden movement.
The tray tilted, and the glasses and bottles crashed to the ground, drawing curious stares from everyone nearby. But Cao Kefei was oblivious, her face flushed with excitement as she frantically dialed her phone. The instant the call connected, before Yin Mengfan could speak, she barked, “Where is he? Where is that heartless scoundrel!”
Yin Mengfan offered a wry smile. “Feifei, the way you put it. He isn't your boyfriend, so why is he heartless to you?”
Cao Kefei retorted, her teeth clenched. “I poured so much into him, and he vanished without a word. How is that not heartless?”
Yin Mengfan groaned. “I knew I shouldn't have made this call. I’m already regretting it!”
Cao Kefei huffed, threateningly. “Hey, tell me where he is, or we’re not friends anymore, I’m warning you!”
Yin Mengfan sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright, you’re the boss, you’re formidable. This guy has opened a tea shop on Tiannan City’s pedestrian street. It opens tomorrow, and he invited me to support him.”
Hearing this, Cao Kefei exploded with indignation. “What? The ungrateful wretch invites you but not me? That’s simply outrageous!”
Yin Mengfan instantly regretted not slapping herself twice. She retorted, “What are you talking about? He was my employee once! I was his boss, okay? In terms of closeness, I should be closer to him than you!”
Cao Kefei argued unreasonably, “I met him first!”
Yin Mengfan burst into laughter born of sheer frustration. “Do you think this is the Stone Age, hunting for mates? Besides, he didn't invite me personally; Zhou Qin sent me a message asking me to attend.”
This explanation managed to calm the indignation boiling in Cao Kefei’s chest somewhat. She huffed and said, “Regardless, the man is heartless, not telling me something this important, and playing hide-and-seek. Despicable!”
Yin Mengfan sighed. “Well, I’ve delivered the message. You handle the rest.” With that, she hung up.
Cao Kefei’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Ignoring the stunned stares of everyone on set, she shouted toward the director near the camera, “Hey, Old Liu, I have something urgent, I need to step away for a bit!”
The director looked profoundly annoyed. “Hey! You’re the producer! What are we supposed to do if you leave?”
Cao Kefei rapidly packed her personal belongings, not looking up. “What difference does my presence make? You’re the director! If I’m not here, you’re in charge. Isn't that what you’ve been waiting for?”
She then turned to her assistant, who looked utterly bewildered, and ordered, “Hey, book me the fastest flight back to Tiannan City, quick! If you make me miss it, you’re fired!”
The female assistant snapped out of her daze, asking nervously, “Yes, CEO Cao! Should I send the ticket confirmation to your room?”
Cao Kefei snapped impatiently, “Nonsense, I’ll pick it up at the airport myself. Just book it! If I get to the airport and you haven’t booked it, I’ll fire you!”
The assistant broke into a cold sweat and quickly pulled out her phone, dialing with determined gritted teeth.
Cao Kefei finished packing and waved vaguely toward the crew. “Bye everyone, be right back!” Then, with a patta-patta sound of her heels, she rushed out.
The director yelled after her retreating figure, sounding utterly dejected, “Hey! How long is ‘be right back’?”
Cao Kefei waved her hand dismissively. “I don't know! You figure it out yourself!”
As the director stood there stewing, a beautiful young woman suddenly rushed out from among the actors and called after Cao Kefei, “Sister Cao, where are you going?”
Hearing the voice, Cao Kefei turned, grabbed the young woman’s hand, and said excitedly, “Remember how I always talk about that guy named Li Yundong?”
The beautiful young woman nodded, a knowing, ambiguous smile dawning on her face. “Oh, I get it, Sister Cao is going to see her old flame!”
Cao Kefei spat out, “Pah! What old flame!” She leaned in conspiratorially to the young woman. “I’m taking you to meet a true master?”
The young woman paused, her bright eyes darting around thoughtfully. She giggled. “Alright, it’ll be good to see something new. Let’s see if this guy you bragged about so much is really as amazing as you say!”
Cao Kefei beamed, grabbing her hand and running out. As they ran, she said, “Hmph, I wasn’t bragging! He’s even more impressive in person! You’ll know when you see him!”
And just like that, the two beauties, one older and one younger, vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
The entire crew—camera operators, lighting technicians, script supervisors, and actors—stood frozen in place, staring blankly in the direction Cao Kefei and the young woman had fled. Then, their gazes shifted in unison to the director.
Veins throbbed visibly on the director’s forehead; he looked ready to tear his hair out. A timid male actor asked nearby, “Director Song, should we keep filming?”
Director Song exploded in rage, throwing his megaphone to the ground with a crash and yelling, “Film my foot! The producer is gone, and now the lead actress has run off too! How are we supposed to shoot this! I told you not to hire big names! Cao Kefei wouldn't listen, and now look—everyone has to wait around for her, no, for those two women!”
The actors erupted in noise. “Not filming! Not filming! Wrap it up!”
Someone in the crowd piped up, stirring things up, “Let’s go! We’ll go see the master too!”
Director Song, sitting on his chair, breathing heavily with fury, jumped up at the comment. “Hmph! A master? What master? How tall is he? Taller than me?”
Someone nearby muttered softly, “Even Eric Tsang is taller than you!”
Though the voice was low, everyone heard it clearly, and a burst of laughter swept through the set.
Director Song’s face flushed crimson with anger. “Who said that! Step forward!”
No one dared to step forward. They dispersed in a sudden roar, vanishing instantly. Only the director remained, his face ruddy with rage. “Hmph, a master! What damn master! Is anyone taller than me a master? I don't believe it! There are no masters in this world!”
While the director was furiously cursing, Cao Kefei and the pretty girl quickly arrived at the airport and boarded the return flight. The moment they landed, Cao Kefei started dragging the girl toward Li Yundong’s new shop, but then she stopped herself. She thought to herself: Hmph, Li Yundong, Li Yundong. Before, I couldn’t find you, and you were elusive. Now that you’ve opened a shop, do you think you can run away? Haha, you can run away from the temple, but you can’t run away from the abbot!
With that thought, Cao Kefei snapped her fingers confidently. “Let’s go! Back to the hotel!”
The girl looked surprised. “We’re not going now?”
Cao Kefei pointed at the girl’s outfit, then at her own. “Are we both going out in just these clothes? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh? His shop opens tomorrow; we’ll go tomorrow! Tonight, we go get our hair and nails done!”
The girl, who had put on a pair of large sunglasses after leaving the studio, covered her mouth and laughed. “Sister Cao, didn’t you always say you were naturally beautiful and didn’t need all this enhancement? Why the sudden need for all this fuss?”
Cao Kefei’s pretty face reddened slightly. She shot the girl a look. “How dare you mock your Sister Cao! If you don’t want to come, then don’t!”
Seeing Cao Kefei turn to leave, the girl quickly chased after her, smiling sheepishly. “Sister Cao, wait! I ditched my agent to come with you. If you leave me now, I’ll be utterly alone!”
Only then did Cao Kefei break into a smile. “Then be good and listen to Sister Cao. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see the master!”
The girl blinked her eyes. “Just how tall does someone have to be to count as a master?”
Cao Kefei paused, and her expression suddenly became one of deep contemplation. “As high as the sky is high!”