Extreme Pampering
Chapter 104: You Still Like Him, Right?

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: You Still Like Him, Right?

The next day, as usual, Shen Zhiyi followed Pei Yu to the film set. This time, instead of staying in the lounge, Duan Jiaze, tagging along with Xiaodong, accompanied Shen Zhiyi and even eagerly took over the task of bringing her water.

"Zhizhi, drink some water."

While saying so, he observed with his big eyes the male lead not far away who was touching up his makeup.

Hmm, not bad looking, and quite tall too. Duan Jiaze mentally added him as a potential "Uncle Number Two" candidate.

"Do you like him?" Shen Zhiyi noticed that he had been staring at the male lead, "You could ask for his autograph."

Autograph?

Duan Jiaze blinked, "Is it worth money?"

"Um..." Shen Zhiyi wasn’t sure about the current market situation, but since the male lead had a pretty high popularity, if his autograph was to be sold, it should fetch at least a few hundred bucks, "It could possibly sell for a few hundred, but that wouldn’t be very respectful."

"Oh," Duan Jiaze lost interest, suddenly remembering Pei Yu’s silver-blue wristwatch. He really wanted it, but his mother wouldn’t let him ask for it because the watch was expensive, very expensive.

Alas, this candidate for uncle was no good either, not as wealthy as the ’bad uncle’.

The weather forecast predicted rain today, so Director Meng planned to wrap up before it got dark.

"Zhiyi, are you free tonight?"

Shen Zhiyi was playing with Duan Jiaze, "I am, but I have to look after a kid."

"No problem," Director Meng didn’t mind and quite liked the little chubby kid, "Let’s have a casual dinner tonight and bring the kid along."

He squatted down to tease Duan Jiaze, "What do you like to eat? Do you like hotpot?"

Duan Jiaze looked up and asked, "Is there meat?"

"Of course."

He nodded vigorously, momentarily setting aside his mission to find a new uncle, "Then I like it!"

As for Duan Jiaze, Shen Zhiyi introduced him to others as a child from her relative’s family, and Director Meng thought the same, so he didn’t think much of it.

The dinner was booked at a rather famous hotpot restaurant. In addition to Shen Zhiyi, the male lead was invited too. After working together for several months, they had become quite familiar and were not at all reserved in each other’s company.

But there was an unexpected guest.

"Dad," Meng Qiming walked into the private room from outside. He had just finished a meeting and was formally dressed, looking even more dapper and elegant. He greeted his father first before turning to Shen Zhiyi with a slight smile, "Zhiyi."

Even Duan Jiaze was not overlooked; people who are good at socializing always make others feel immensely at ease. The child puffed out his chest, feeling respected as if treated like an adult, and suddenly his liking for Meng Qiming went up up.

"He was nearby, busy, so I called him to join us for a meal. We father and son haven’t seen each other in quite a while," Director Meng called for an extra pair of tableware to be added, "If anyone minds, I’ll have this lad leave."

The joke, of course, was taken lightly by everyone. It was the male lead’s first time meeting the CEO of CN, and he never expected that Meng Qiming was Director Meng’s son. Now with an opportunity for conversation, he was not about to let it slip away and began chatting amiably.

While the men talked, Shen Zhiyi was content to take it easy. She filled a small bowl full of meat rolls for Duan Jiaze, "Do you want some vegetables?"

Duan Jiaze shook his head vigorously; he hated vegetables.

Lacking experience in caring for children and being tender-hearted, Shen Zhiyi didn’t force him when he showed resistance. Duan Jiaze felt this was the happiest meal he had ever had; it seemed like everyone treated him as an adult.

Having had their fill, the child finally remembered his grand mission to find a new uncle and, after hesitating for a moment, chose Meng Qiming as his target.

He had a very good impression of this uncle now.

While Shen Zhiyi went to the restroom, Duan Jiaze quietly slipped to Meng Qiming’s seat and asked earnestly, "Do you want to switch seats with me?"

Meng Qiming was startled, "What?"

Winking at him, Duan Jiaze, small but sly, said, "To sit next to Zhizhi, don’t you want to?"

Although he didn’t understand why the child suddenly betrayed Pei Yu, Meng Qiming, who had ample experience, never missed an opportunity and nodded compliantly, "Alright, thank you."

Upon returning from the restroom and noticing that the person beside her had changed to Meng Qiming, Shen Zhiyi glanced at Duan Jiaze who was chatting with the male lead and hesitated before sitting down.

"Zhiyi," Meng Qiming said with a gentle expression, maintaining an appropriate distance, and chose the child as the starting point for conversation, "Is Duan Jiaze going to stay with you for much longer?"

"A few days," Shen Zhiyi, who had some understanding of Duan Jiaze’s family issues, responded, "His mother will return to the country to pick him up in a couple of days."

"Hmm," Meng Qiming nodded, "The child must be missing his mother."

"About the meal today," Shen Zhiyi asked tentatively, "Did you arrange it in advance with Director Meng?"

If she had known that Meng Qiming would also be there, Shen Zhiyi would very likely have refused.

"Sorry," Meng Qiming admitted with an apologetic tone, "I mentioned it to my dad; did it make you uncomfortable?"

"Not really," Shen Zhiyi, not as socially adept as he was and unsure of the right approach, could only speak frankly, "But I don’t want to give you any false impressions that there might still be a chance for us; I really——"

The sentence was not completed, but the intended message was already quite clear.

Meng Qiming looked at the messy plate before him, which Duan Jiaze had used, and smiled wryly, "I also don’t want to trouble you, but Zhiyi, I’m serious about pursuing you and can only give myself a chance this way."

His words were sincere, leaving Shen Zhiyi unable to say anything harsh, and she softly said, "But my thoughts will not change."

"Is it Pei Yu?" Meng Qiming, who rarely did things that were somewhat overstepping, asked involuntarily, unable to hold back as he was in the position of a suitor; he thought he could be excused for this impulsive act, "You still like him, don’t you?"

This question did not align with his usual principles of interaction and displeased Shen Zhiyi. They didn’t have much of a private relationship, and she disliked discussing her personal life with people she wasn’t familiar with, especially where Pei Yu was concerned.

But, undeniably, Meng Qiming’s suspicion was not wrong; she could not honestly answer "I don’t like him anymore." She could not utter those words because her heart was not telling her that.

Shen Zhiyi cast her gaze downward and moved her cup away, "Mr. Meng, if I admit it, will you give up?"

Meng Qiming’s approach to pursuing her was not excessive, but it was precisely because of this that she found it difficult to deal with. She was not good at handling such relations; if she could just make him give up, that would indeed be a relief.

Unexpectedly, Meng Qiming said, "I won’t."

"Zhiyi," he said earnestly, "You and Pei Yu have already broken up, and I don’t believe you’ll get back together, I won’t give up pursuing you."

Shen Zhiyi sighed softly.

One Pei Yu on the left, one Meng Qiming on the right, she couldn’t handle either of them.

Comparatively speaking, Duan Jiaze was actually more of a relief.