After being reborn as a rich and beautiful woman, she let herself go.

Chapter 35: A midnight date with your sweetheart?

It's rare for them to meet, but Mu Siran brings up Hua Meimei.

Luo Jiuyu's feelings were a little complicated: "She won't mind."

The easygoing and carefree Hua Meimei probably doesn't have any ulterior motives towards him. Except for that time she forcibly kissed him while drunk... that was mainly due to alcohol, and he's a magnanimous person who doesn't hold grudges.

"You seem to mind the berries?"

Compared to Hua Meimei's indifferent attitude, Luo Jiuyu felt that Mu Siran seemed to mind Hua Meimei's presence.

Mu Siran hurriedly explained, "I didn't..."

"Hello, your seafood congee is here."

The waiter brought over a bowl of seafood porridge, and Luo Jiuyu gestured for the ladies to go first, placing it in front of Mu Siran first.

Then, the waiter brought over a second bowl of seafood porridge.

Only after the waiter left did Mu Siran dare to take off her mask.

It turns out she didn't take off her mask to prevent the waiter from recognizing her.

He smiled and asked, "How does it feel to be a celebrity?"

"It's great to enjoy being the center of attention, but it's also true that you're not free to go anywhere. You've seen it yourself, you have to sneak around to have a meal with your friends."

Mu Siran picked up a spoon and slowly stirred the porridge; it was too hot.

“I especially love the porridge at this shop. I used to come here often with my classmates, but I haven’t had time to come since it became famous,” she added.

It's not just because I don't have time.

After becoming famous, she was recognized everywhere she went, and she received a constant stream of acting offers. When she had free time, she would either rest at home or travel abroad.

"I remember this shop; it was there when I was in high school." He recalled it.

This shop is called Sanmei Congee Shop, a long-established congee shop in Tiancheng. The owner is a woman in her forties, the third child in her family, and everyone calls her Sanmei.

Over the years, the shop has been renovated, and a new, beautiful, and grand signboard has been installed.

But the porridge still tastes familiar, just like I remember. They're selling a wider variety of things than before.

"Would you like some pickled vegetables?" she asked, adding shredded pickled mustard greens to her seafood porridge.

He shook his head. "No."

He received a message notification on his phone and picked it up to check it.

It was a WeChat message from Hua Meimei.

The text, accompanied by a right snorting emoji, reads: "I forgive you (snorting right)."

The reason he apologized to her before leaving was because he swore he wouldn't speak to her tomorrow, or he'd be a dog.

After apologizing, I still felt awkward.

There aren't many people who can make him bow his head, but Hua Meimei is one of them.

She decided to let it go in one ear and out the other, and by saying nothing, she wouldn't embarrass him.

After a while, she suddenly sent him a message, proudly accepting his apology, which made him blush.

"What's wrong?" Mu Siran asked with concern when she saw his expression suddenly change.

"It's nothing." He put down his phone and ate his porridge.

"This beef pie is pretty good, you should try it." Mu Siran picked up a piece, took a couple of bites, and then put it aside.

He wondered, "If it's so delicious, why not eat more?"

She must be starving after finishing filming the commercial so late.

"You forgot, I'm a female celebrity, I have to maintain my figure. I can't eat too much," Mu Siran said with a smile, covering her mouth.

I went out for a late-night snack with him tonight, which is unprecedented for me, because I wanted to see him.

"Being a female celebrity is tough because you have to be restricted in everything you do."

"Stop talking about me. Tell me about yourself. How have you been these past few years since you left the Luo family? What have you been busy with lately?"

Luo Jiuyu took a sip of porridge and looked up at Mu Siran. Under the lamplight, her features were exquisitely beautiful, but weariness was also subtly hidden in her eyes.

“My life is mundane and boring…” He paused, “In the office building, nine to six, occasionally working overtime.”

That's true. It's just that he's a high-ranking boss, not an employee.

All the socializing was handled by Amo. He was mainly responsible for technical and financial management, as well as company management decisions.

"Oh...that's fine too." Mu Siran seemed dissatisfied with the answer and silently lowered her eyes.

He thought it was because she sensed that he wasn't being honest enough.

"Have you taken on any new projects lately?" he asked softly, trying to break the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Mu Siran nodded, "I'm joining the crew tomorrow."

"What play?" I didn't realize she was so busy.

"In period dramas about emperors, I play the empress." She took a few sips of porridge and then put down her spoon.

Then, take a wet wipe and wipe the corners of your mouth.

He frowned. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Eating too much late-night snack will make me fat. I can't eat too many carbs."

Although I knew that female celebrities could go a whole day without eating any carbohydrates to maintain their figures, after actually experiencing it, I felt that such restraint was somewhat cruel to the body.

"If you can't even eat whatever you want, life will be much less fun." He looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Yes." She propped her chin up with one hand, her gaze wandering freely over his face.

"Xiao Jiu, you've always been handsome since you were little. After all these years, you've become even more manly. I bet a lot of girls like you, right?"

His appearance is his least noteworthy advantage. He would never use his looks as an asset to attract girls.

He didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly, his eyes holding something different.

"You said you and your wife have no feelings for each other and you're getting a divorce next year—no, I should say this year. But how can she control herself and not fall in love with you?" She smiled and shook her head. "That's very difficult for an ordinary woman."

“You don’t understand Hua Meimei; she’s not an ordinary woman,” he said.

"It sounds like you're praising her?"

"This is just stating the facts, nothing to praise." He didn't want to bring up the topic of Hua Meimei. "Ranran, how did you get my phone number?"

"Ranran," he called out, a hint of barely perceptible doting in his voice. It was magnetic, pleasant to the ear, and even more captivating than when Lorne called her.

In the Luo family, apart from his grandparents, probably no one else knew his phone number.

“It was Mu Sitian who told me. She also said that you sent someone to deliver a gift to her today.” Her eyes were bright and piercing. “You didn’t call me that before. You always called me Mu Siran.”

It must have been Mousse who asked Amo for his contact information after he delivered the gift.

"Mmm." He smiled slightly, almost drowning in her dreamy gaze.

"Xiao Jiu, how wonderful it would be if you hadn't gotten married," she suddenly sighed softly.

His heart skipped a beat; there was a hint of regret in her voice. Did she see him as more than just a friend?

"Ranran, between you and Lorne..." He hesitated, then stopped.

As far as he knew, Lorne had liked her since childhood. Over the years, her career in the entertainment industry had flourished, not only because of her talent, but also because of Lorne's investment and management behind the scenes.

“Lorne and I are good friends. Those paparazzi always suspect we're a couple and write things that exaggerate the situation. They don't understand, don't you?”

“But Lorne has always liked you.” He picked up his glass, took a sip of water, and pretended to be casual.

“I know…we grew up together, I know him too well.” Mu Siran’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"So—do you like him?"