Meng Jingwei felt relaxed and at ease facing Ji Lanfeng, not at all restrained.
Despite not seeing each other for many years, she didn't feel like strangers.
"By the way, why did you wear that kind of makeup back then? If it weren't for your voice and the note, I'm afraid I wouldn't have recognized you at all."
When Ji Lanfeng first met Meng Jingwei, he already knew she was skilled at makeup.
However, after not seeing Meng Jingwei for many years, Ji Lanfeng naturally wouldn't have expected that a beautiful blonde with blue eyes would be her.
Meng Jingwei lowered her head, stirring her coffee with a spoon, her eyes flickering. She fabricated a lie, saying, "I was worried my skills would get rusty after so long, and I was bored, so I did my makeup."
"I just heard from Su Meiyi that you're her assistant?"
When he first met Meng Jingwei, she was smart, quick-witted, and full of ideas, finding ways to make money.
He had always thought that when he saw her again after many years, she would be doing very well. He never expected her to be the assistant to an obscure model.
Ji Lanfeng felt regretful but didn't express it directly, instead saying tactfully, "Are you considering coming to work with me? My assistant isn't very reliable, and we don't get along. I'm thinking of replacing her."
"Dream on!"
Meng Jingwei understood Ji Lanfeng's intentions and directly replied, "It's not easy to earn money. I recently signed with a modeling agency, and the boss arranged for me to take care of Su Meiyi and broaden my horizons."
"I knew it. You, who were already a little business genius selling mobile phones on the side in junior high, how could you settle for being a mere assistant?"
Recalling Meng Jingwei's past, Ji Lanfeng couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
It was Han Junyan who told him about her past.
He said that in her first year of junior high, Meng Jingwei would wholesale cheap mobile phones in small batches from the street market and resell them to classmates at school.
When classmates couldn't pay all at once, she would charge interest and allow installment payments.
Looking back, it had to be said that Meng Jingwei's ideas were quite ahead of their time back then.
"Little crazy guy, stop teasing me. Look at me now, so down and out that I've signed up to be a model. Isn't that pathetic enough?"
Meng Jingwei teased herself.
At this moment, the waiter walked in and handed them the menu.
They ordered their meals and continued chatting.
During this time, Su Meiyi kept calling Meng Jingwei. To avoid ruining her mood, she directly blocked Su Meiyi.
"You've been doing so well domestically and internationally. Will your focus be on domestic development, or do you plan to venture into Hollywood?"
Meng Jingwei chatted with him while eating Western food.
"I'm not sure yet. I'll take it one step at a time. However, Mother Yaksha, if you want to dabble in the entertainment industry, I can help you."
"Ah? The entertainment industry?"
Meng Jingwei frowned. She fantasized for a moment and had to admit, she had a slight longing, but... "Forget it. Being an actor also requires a certain level of skill. How can an outsider like me easily enter the industry? It's better to do what I want to do and be relaxed and free."
Her esports company was just starting to show promise, and she couldn't easily hand over the wedding planning company to Qing Muye. Now she had also signed with a modeling agency.
If she were to switch careers to become an actress, she might have to terminate her contract with Lü Sen, which would involve a lot of compensation. She... couldn't bear to.
"You're absolutely right. Doing what makes you relaxed and free is the best. Come, let's toast to living a relaxed and free life."
They clinked glasses and drank them down.
Meng Jingwei put down her wine glass, and Ji Lanfeng stood up to pour her more wine. Just then, Meng Jingwei's phone rang on the table.
The phone screen displayed a phone number. It was a familiar number, naturally Qing Muye's.
Back then, to avoid exposing Qing Muye's identity, she had only saved his phone number.
"Sorry, I need to take this call."
She took her phone, got up, and walked out of the private room. After closing the door, she answered, "Why are you calling me so late? Aren't you asleep yet?"
"I miss you, I can't sleep."
The familiar voice, overly gentle, made Meng Jingwei feel incredibly sweet, yet also... mushy. "You... why don't you just go back to being yourself? You're so mushy, I... I'm not used to it."
Accustomed to Qing Muye's cold and aloof demeanor, since they got together, the man had doted on her immensely, even his words were incredibly gentle, which made Meng Jingwei truly find it difficult to adapt.
"If you're not used to it, then learn," his tone became a bit tougher.
"Mmm, that's the feeling." The commanding tone, laced with dominance, that was the Qing Muye she knew.
The man on the other end of the line chuckled softly, "Silly girl."
Meng Jingwei also smiled.
"What are you doing?" Qing Muye asked.
"Me? I'm having dinner outside with... Su Meiyi." She told a lie.
Firstly, because Ji Lanfeng was a movie star, and it was necessary to maintain his privacy; secondly, if Qing Muye knew that she met Ji Lanfeng in country C and was having dinner with him, it would inevitably cause misunderstandings.
He was such a jealous person. If he got jealous, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Meng Jingwei truly feared that if Qing Muye knew she was dining with a movie star, he would, in anger, directly fly to country C and punish her so severely that she wouldn't be able to get out of bed for three days.
Her life was precious, so lying was a forced necessity.
"When are you returning to the hotel?"
"Not sure yet. You should get some rest early. Don't wait up for me to return to the hotel to call you. I'll call you when you wake up."
Considering the time difference, Meng Jingwei didn't want to make Qing Muye wait for her.
"Mmm, okay."
"Goodnight, bye~"
Meng Jingwei hung up the phone.
Returning to the private room, Ji Lanfeng saw her rosy cheeks and teased, "Are you in love?"
Meng Jingwei blinked, was it that obvious? "Not quite."
She intended to tell Ji Lanfeng after she officially announced her relationship with Qing Muye.
After lunch, they sat for a while longer, and then Ji Lanfeng drove Meng Jingwei back to her hotel.
Upon arriving at the hotel, as Meng Jingwei got out of the car, she was about to say goodbye to Ji Lanfeng when he had already gotten out of the car.
Because he was a public figure, even though he was abroad, the low-key Ji Lanfeng still wore a mask and hat as he got out.
Standing in front of Meng Jingwei, he said, "Mother Yaksha, I have an advertisement to shoot this afternoon, so I can't accompany you. After the fashion show tomorrow, I have to rush to my next engagement, so I might not have time to say goodbye."
"You're that busy?"
Meng Jingwei couldn't help but sigh, "It seems being a major movie star isn't that easy; flying around every day must be quite tiring."
She shrugged, "Alright then, I wish you a safe journey tomorrow in advance."
Tomorrow was a grand fashion show, with many staff members busy behind the scenes. It wouldn't be easy to find Ji Lanfeng among so many models.
Furthermore, given Ji Lanfeng's special status, it wasn't appropriate for her to greet him.
"I'm truly sorry," Ji Lanfeng sighed. "Since we have each other's contact information, we must get together next time we return to the country."
"No problem."
"Mmm, okay."
Ji Lanfeng spread his arms and raised his eyebrows, signaling for a farewell hug.
Meng Jingwei knew very well that Ji Lanfeng's schedule was extremely packed, and it was uncertain when they would meet again. So, she gave him a hug, "Little crazy guy, keep up the good work! I hope to see you on the Spring Festival Gala next year."