The joy instantly vanished from Shi Xinxin's heart.
"You really don't need to trouble yourself," she replied coldly, her tone stiff. "My turn is just up ahead. Please drop me off there."
"Shi Xinxin..." Sheng Chenjin frowned, puzzled. Why had she suddenly become unhappy? He had only invited her to dinner.
He genuinely didn't know what he had done wrong.
"Sheng Chenjin, I'm getting off now."
At that moment, she opened her eyes and reached for her seatbelt.
Sheng Chenjin was taken aback. He quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. He watched as Shi Xinxin unhesitatingly got out, closed the door, and walked away without looking back.
In no time, Shi Xinxin's figure disappeared around the corner of the intersection.
Sheng Chenjin gripped the steering wheel, opened his mouth, and said with frustration, "What's wrong with me?"
He felt he hadn't said anything wrong. Was it wrong to invite her to dinner? Sheng Chenjin ran a hand through his hair, feeling agitated.
He was lost in thought for a long time, until a police officer arrived with a ticket. Only then did Sheng Chenjin snap back to reality and quickly drive away.
Never mind. Since he didn't know why Shi Xinxin was angry, he wouldn't guess. He'd call her another day and ask properly.
With that thought, Sheng Chenjin pushed away any unnecessary thoughts.
Meanwhile, Shi Xinxin returned home with a complicated mood.
"What's wrong? You look like a defeated rooster," Wen Xiaoxiao said, coming out of the kitchen with dinner, looking at her in surprise.
Could it be that something unpleasant happened when she was filming the advertisement with Sheng Chenjin today?
It had to be said that Wen Xiaoxiao understood Shi Xinxin very well. She immediately realized why the other person was unhappy.
Shi Xinxin looked dejected, shook her head, placed her bag on the sofa, and then slumped onto it, looking dispirited.
"What's really wrong?" Seeing her like this, Wen Xiaoxiao became extremely worried and hurried over.
"When Sheng Chenjin was driving me home today, I smelled a woman's perfume in his car," Shi Xinxin said after thinking for a long time, raising her head and recounting the incident word by word to Wen Xiaoxiao.
She sighed softly and said, "I used to like Sheng Chenjin so much, but now, thinking back, I feel like I don't know him at all. Back then, I liked him so much, I would do anything for him, yet he despised me so much..."
"So, you suspect Sheng Chenjin's private life is chaotic?" Wen Xiaoxiao quickly grasped the anomaly in her words. She pondered for a moment and then nodded, "What do you plan to do now?"
This was Shi Xinxin's own romantic problem. Wen Xiaoxiao could help Shi Xinxin pursue Sheng Chenjin, but she couldn't interfere with Shi Xinxin's feelings or decide for her whether she truly liked Sheng Chenjin.
This was an answer Shi Xinxin needed to find herself.
"I don't know," Shi Xinxin shook her head.
When it came to Sheng Chenjin, she had always acted on impulse and passion.
But now, smelling a woman's perfume in his car, her heart had begun to waver. She didn't know what to do anymore, or even how to face Sheng Chenjin.
"I feel a bit tired. I don't want to see him for now."
Shi Xinxin reached out. Wen Xiaoxiao saw the worry on her face, hugged her tightly with concern, and patted her back. "Alright, alright. Don't think about these things that make you unhappy. Since you don't know what to do, just don't worry about it for now. Maybe in a while, you'll figure it out yourself."
"Mhmm," Shi Xinxin nodded.
Since she had finished all her pending tasks and didn't want to encounter Sheng Chenjin again by taking on new acting roles, she stayed home for the next few days to adjust her mood.
She hadn't decided to quit acting because of this incident.
She had now realized that acting was acting, and liking Sheng Chenjin was liking Sheng Chenjin. They were two separate matters.
She would no longer conflate the two. She wouldn't give up acting just because she no longer liked Sheng Chenjin, nor would she stay in the entertainment industry solely because she liked Sheng Chenjin. This was a career she loved.
Thinking this, Shi Xinxin sighed.
On the other hand, Sheng Chenjin's mood was far from as calm as Shi Xinxin's.
Ever since he had dropped Shi Xinxin home that night and watched her storm off, he had been unable to figure things out.
Unfortunately, he wanted to find an opportunity to clarify things with Shi Xinxin, but she hadn't appeared for quite some time.
Sitting in his private residence, Sheng Chenjin poured a glass of red wine and downed it, feeling somewhat frustrated.
Just then, his assistant walked in.
"How is it?" Sheng Chenjin put down the wine glass and looked at him.
"We haven't found anything," the assistant shook his head. "During this period, Shi Xinxin has been staying in her private residence, only occasionally going out for walks. She hasn't taken on any new acting roles, and she's pushed back all her scheduled appearances, saying she needs a break."
"A break?" Sheng Chenjin was surprised and disbelieving. This was the peak of Shi Xinxin's career. Why would she say she needed a break?
For some reason, he felt that Shi Xinxin's decision not to take on roles or endorsements recently might be vaguely related to what happened that night, but he couldn't figure out the exact reason.
"Forget it. I understand. You can go now." Taking a sip of red wine, Sheng Chenjin closed his eyes, his frustration intensifying.
Seeing Sheng Chenjin like this, the assistant hesitated, then said, "Even though Shi Xinxin has great potential now, she's nothing compared to you. Why are you so concerned about her?"
After all, the assistant had harbored doubts when Sheng Chenjin had taken on that advertising endorsement for Shi Xinxin some time ago.
Sheng Chenjin froze for a moment and said, "It's nothing. I'm not concerned about her."
The assistant knew Sheng Chenjin too well to believe his words. He remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If I may say something blunt, Sheng Chenjin, do you perhaps like Shi Xinxin?"