Who is she?
He Zhen actually asked the question aloud.
The person showing him the photo was Zhao Qian. Seeing He Zhen look so intently, Zhao Qian grew displeased. “Brother He Zhen, don’t you love your girlfriend? Why are you interested in another girl?”
Interested in this stranger?
Not quite.
He Zhen knew clearly that he loved Rebecca. The initial passion might have cooled, but it was deepening into something more—love. Passion is fleeting; love is responsibility. As he seriously considered a future with Rebecca, his love for her was unquestionable.
So why, loving Rebecca, did he feel a jolt from a stranger’s photo?
In that moment, He Zhen’s emotions surged, impossible to articulate.
“Not interested, but she looks familiar, like I’ve seen her somewhere.”
That was his only reply to Zhao Qian.
Zhao Qian pouted. “She just wrote some lousy book and became a judge for an essay competition. Brother He Zhen, you just got back and already know about her? You still haven’t said if your girlfriend is prettier!”
Compare Rebecca to a stranger?
He Zhen didn’t hesitate. “Of course, my girlfriend is prettier.”
He truly didn’t know who was in Zhao Qian’s photo, but he didn’t need to ask for details. He caught the key points: wrote a book, essay competition judge.
By the end of the dinner, He Zhen was a bit dismissive toward Zhao Qian. She was too oblivious to notice, but Zhao Dong picked up on his change in attitude.
Zhao Dong might look down on He Zhen, but He Zhen’s slight toward Zhao Qian irked him. The He family’s business relied on Xie Jinghu’s investments, and this kid dared act superior?
Zhao Dong said nothing, just took Zhao Qian and left after the meal.
The He family stayed in the private room. Dai Chenglan’s smile, maintained all evening, vanished. “Zhao’s sister—just treat her like a neighbor’s little sister. Don’t get any ideas.”
He Zhen, lost in thought, was startled by his mom’s words. “Mom, if I’m not mistaken, Zhao Qian’s still in high school, right?”
Even without Rebecca, He Zhen wouldn’t go for a high schooler. His mother’s warning felt like an insult to his character.
He wasn’t the only one shocked—his father, He Zhinian, head of Kangnian Biotech, was too. Under their gazes, Dai Chenglan was unfazed. “I’m just saying it upfront. Some things need preventing. With the Zhao family’s ways… frankly, I don’t like either sibling.”
Disliking them yet dining and flattering each other—that’s business.
Dai Chenglan, close to Xie Jinghu, knew Zhao Dong’s background inside out.
So, she and Zhao Dong mutually disdained each other but played nice for profit. He Zhen got a real lesson.
Nobody’s money comes easy, including the He family’s. He Zhen felt it deeply.
He nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, I know my limits.”
Dai Chenglan, slightly satisfied, smiled again. “You’re my son. I only want what’s best for you. Would I harm you? Your dad and I have been in business for years, seen all types. We know their little schemes!”
Her words seemed to target Zhao Dong, maybe others too. He Zhen just smiled, letting it pass.
Back home, He Zhen opened his computer, searching for the essay competition. The first result was the Spark Cup—hugely popular, but he’d been abroad and unaware.
Finding the competition led easily to “Upstream Fish.” The two were tied in promotion.
He saw Wen Ying’s photo again, not Zhao Qian’s blurry snapshot but a clear promotional image.
The photo was sharp, yet a haze lingered, like a veil of mist… He Zhen suppressed his confusion and dug deeper, finding more about Wen Ying.
From Rongcheng, Sichuan.
His heart jolted, as if struck.
Last year, he’d felt a strange pull to visit Rongcheng, finding nothing.
Just as he’d forgotten that feeling, Zhao Qian showed him Wen Ying’s photo.
Some people, never met, never known, feel inexplicably familiar.
An impulsive urge drove He Zhen to learn more about this Rongcheng girl, “Upstream Fish.” Maybe he should read *Teen Idol*. Understanding a writer through their work is quick—He Zhen thought a lot, until Rebecca’s call snapped him out of it, leaving him wistful and guilty.
What was he doing? Sneaking around, searching a girl’s info, wanting to know more—unfair to Rebecca, downright scummy!
He didn’t buy *Teen Idol* and deleted his search history, pretending it never happened.
Most young people can’t suppress curiosity, but He Zhen could.
Young He Zhen had much to experience to become the “Little Boss He” Wen Ying knew, but he was already showing traces of that persona. Every boy’s journey to manhood involves a girl’s influence. In his past life, it wasn’t Wen Ying; this life, it might still be Rebecca.
…
Wen Ying knew nothing of Shanghai’s events.
With the anti-Fish wave reversed, her judging work became smoother. She and Zhang Guangzhen sped through the first round’s submissions, carefully selecting 30 pieces for Old Fu’s review, as planned. But Old Fu quietly arrived in Rongcheng. When Zou Weijun told Wen Ying, she felt like she was dreaming.
“Old Fu wants to see me?”
“Yes, he wants to hear about your next writing plans.”
Wen Ying grew nervous.
Old Fu must be asking about her second novel!
She had ideas, but discussing them confidently with Old Fu? She wasn’t sure.
If she didn’t impress, would Old Fu retract his admiration?
Anxious, she quietly asked Xie Qian, “What’s Old Fu like? Is he easy to get along with? What if he doesn’t like me…”
At the mention of Old Fu, Xie Qian’s throat itched.
Easy to get along with?
A bit of an old-kid temper.
Pleasing him deliberately was tough. Acting clever or sneaky would get you caught. Only genuine authenticity worked.
“Whether he likes you, I don’t know. Just make him like your work. Getting guidance from a master is something to be happy about.”
