Beep, beep, beep—
In the private ward, the only sounds were the faint beeps of the medical monitors.
Ning Zhen's eyes were red, her frail frame swaying as if she might collapse at any moment. She stared at the unconscious man lying in the hospital bed, tears sliding down her cheeks. Sobbing uncontrollably, she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
To anyone watching, even to Meng Jingshan, who had always held reservations about her, this scene softened his stance a little.
Before today, Meng Jingshan had no intention of accepting this future daughter-in-law.
He was a man of rigid principles, believing firmly in matches of equal social standing. Not to mention that three months ago, he had walked in on Ning Zhen and his eldest son in the study, their clothes in disarray. Every time he recalled that scene, he needed to take a fast-acting heart medication to calm himself.
The Meng family's ancestral home was far from the city center, and after nightfall, the main building was utterly silent.
Since turning fifty, he and his wife slept lightly and were easily roused by even the slightest disturbance.
That night had been chaotic.
There were sounds of a woman's sobs and pleas, a man's low growls. He woke from his dream and made his way to the second floor. As the light in the hallway shifted from dim to bright, he noticed the study door was slightly ajar before his eyes could adjust.
He walked over, peeked inside, and was caught off guard by the sight of Ning Zhen, fragile and embarrassed, tugging at his eldest son's arm while sobbing, "Brother Xianwen, don't be like this. I'll do whatever you say, okay?"
He stood there stunned.
After a few seconds of silence, he snapped out of it and shouted, "What are you two doing!"
In the dead of night, a man and a woman alone—it was utterly disgraceful.
He was livid, his face turning dark as thunder as he roared, "Meng Xianwen, have you no shame left?"
Ning Zhen, her eyes brimming with tears, was startled. She turned around to see Meng Jingshan panting heavily at the door, looking as if he might faint at any moment. Her face went pale, and she stammered, "Uncle, I... this... it's not..."
Meng Jingshan ignored her.
He stared fixedly at his eldest son, who remained silent, fueling his anger even more. "You reprobate! What, are you trying to learn from those shameless types? The engagement with the Song family hasn't even been finalized, and you're already scheming to fool around?!"
At that,
Meng Xianwen, who had been expressionless, finally reacted. He lifted his eyelids and said coldly, "The Song family?"
As if he had heard something amusing, he let out a disdainful chuckle. His eyes swept over the frail Ning Zhen standing nearby, and he casually reached out, pulling her into his arms and making her lean against his chest. In a lazy tone, he said, "Dad, since you've already seen this, I won't bother hiding it anymore."
Meng Jingshan's loud voice stirred up a commotion, waking his wife, who threw on a robe and came downstairs. It also drew the attention of his younger son, who had been drunk and sleeping next door.
"What?"
"Holy crap!"
For the rest of the night, the entire Meng household was in turmoil.
Meng Xianwen casually grabbed his suit jacket and draped it over Ning Zhen, pressing her head against his chest. Scanning his family with a calm gaze, he said in a steady tone, "A grown man and woman meeting up at night—is that really worth making such a big fuss?"
"..."
"..."
There was dead silence. Well, well, well—so this is what you call a date?
If their father had arrived a little later, would they have been acting out a study-room drama?
As for Ning Zhen, she was so frightened she started hiccupping.
He patted her back and said in an ambiguous tone, "Isn't that right, Zhenzhen?"
She only cried harder. "Wahhh—"
From that day on, Meng Xianwen stopped hiding anything.
Whether people knew him or not, once they heard his name, they were all shocked: The most eligible bachelor in North City had finally... fallen from grace?
His girlfriend's background was anything but ordinary.
It was said that the two families had some history. Ning Zhen's grandmother and Meng Xianwen's grandmother had been friends and colleagues, and because of this connection, Ning Zhen had often been invited to the Meng family home as a child to play.
The Meng family only had two grandsons, no granddaughters, so Ning Zhen's presence brought laughter and joy.
Over time, she became a regular visitor. Even after the grandmother passed away several years ago, Ning Zhen still occasionally came to the Meng household for meals and stayed overnight.
When those who had investigated the inside story heard this, they all shook their heads.
No wonder.
Others said that the couple had actually been together for years but had kept it quiet. The reason they made it public now was that Meng Xianwen was about to turn thirty, and his parents, worried about his marriage prospects, had been subtly showing him candidates from suitable families behind his back.
His girlfriend got anxious, crying and threatening to break up.
That forced Meng Xianwen to play his trump card. Now that their relationship was public, within a year at most, they'd probably be engaged or married, considering he was no longer young.
The die was cast.
Meng Jingshan had no choice but to accept it, though he’d been nursing a simmering anger ever since. Fathers are all the same—no matter how dissatisfied they are with their sons, a son is still a son. He might scold him verbally but couldn’t bear to hold a grudge.
So, that anger inevitably turned toward Ning Zhen. In private, he found all sorts of faults with her.
First, he complained her family background was mediocre.
Then he worried she was too young and lacked stability.
But still, Ning Zhen had grown up under his watchful eye. Now that his son was in a car accident, lying unconscious in bed, she was crying so hard she could barely breathe, which showed she truly cared for him.
The feelings of parents are all the same. Meng Jingshan let out a deep sigh and patted his wife’s hand, though his words remained harsh. "Comfort her a bit—it's not like it's the end of the world. No need to cry like that!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuezhen shot her husband a glare.
Her own heart was heavy with worry as well.
That man—all he ever did was make snide remarks. He'd be better off mute!
But at this moment, overwhelmed by pain, she wished she could take her son’s suffering upon herself. She had no energy left to console others. Glancing at her younger son, she said in a hoarse voice, "Jiaran, take Zhenzhen back to rest. Don’t let her collapse."
"Alright."
Meng Jiaran was relatively steady.
He had checked with the doctor. His brother had only suffered minor injuries, and at worst, he'd have a mild concussion and need to recuperate for about a week in the hospital.
He looked at Ning Zhen, who was standing by the hospital bed, walked over, and lowered his voice, "Zhenzhen, Mom and Dad haven’t eaten anything. Come with me to buy some food, okay?"
Meng Jiaran had already accepted Ning Zhen as his sister-in-law.
Although he was still somewhat shocked by the whole turn of events, the evidence was clear: his brother was indeed with Zhenzhen. She was half a year younger than him, so he couldn’t bring himself to call her "sister-in-law," but in his heart, she was already family.
"...Okay."
Ning Zhen covered her mouth with her hand as tears fell.
She followed behind Meng Jiaran, every few steps turning back for a reluctant glance, her face full of sorrow and attachment.
Once they left the room, the entire floor was dead quiet. Meng Jiaran pressed the elevator button to go down, then tried to comfort Ning Zhen. "Don’t worry too much. Brother is tough—nothing is going to happen to him."
"I know,"
Ning Zhen replied softly, her eyes swollen from crying.
As the saying goes, misfortune spares the wicked for a thousand years. She wasn’t worried about Meng Xianwen at all. That man valued his life too much—he was always surrounded by bodyguards and drove a heavily modified car. Honestly, when she heard he got into a car accident, she found it hard to believe.
Thinking it over, she could only sigh and figure that even the wicked meet their match eventually.
During this time, she had been keeping quick-acting heart-saving pills on her. The mere thought of Meng Xianwen’s face made her breathless, as though she might die at any moment. If it weren’t for him! If it weren’t for him… she wouldn’t be stuck in such a bind!
"Haven’t you eaten anything today either?"
Meng Jiaran raised his hand, instinctively wanting to pat her shoulder, but his hand lingered in the air for a few seconds before he awkwardly withdrew it.
Things weren’t what they used to be.
He and Ning Zhen were about the same age. When they were kids, nothing made him happier than her visits, when they’d run wild all over the world together. As they grew up, they still hung out all the time, eating, drinking, and having fun—nothing but joy.
But now she was his sister-in-law. Friends were friends, and sisters-in-law were sisters-in-law—no overlapping roles. He could no longer be casual and familiar with her. He had to respect her just as he respected his older brother.
"How can I have an appetite?" she said in a hoarse voice, hugging her arms and leaning weakly against the elevator wall. "This morning, he even texted me saying he had a business trip and told me to behave. And now…"
Ning Zhen paused.
Actually, the message Meng Xianwen had sent her was: "I’m going on a three-day business trip. You’d better behave."
She’d woken up, read it, and rolled her eyes hard.
What a bastard!
That old man really thought he was something special.
If it weren’t for her sudden moment of clarity that night, slipping out of Meng Jiaran’s room just in time, how would he ever have had the chance to boss her around?
Now she regretted it—deeply regretted it. Of all the times to leave, early or late, she had to sneak out at that exact moment. And wouldn’t you know it, she ran right into Meng Xianwen, who had come back to the old mansion without a word.
Ning Zhen had rarely dealt with him. Most of her energy had gone into flirting with Meng Jiaran. She knew that since taking over Hengxing, Meng Xianwen had been buried in work, rarely coming back to the old house. Even when he did, he never stayed overnight.
What had gotten into him that day?
Showing up late at night and even coming upstairs.
At the time, she was wearing nothing but a spaghetti-strap nightgown. He frowned at her like she was some kind of freak.
After a moment, he looked up toward Meng Jiaran’s room, as if he saw right through her intent. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Getting bold, are we?"
She nearly jumped out of her skin. Playing dumb, she said, "Brother Xianwen, why are you back?"
He gave a faint, knowing smile. "Who gave you the nerve to toy with my little brother like a fool?"
She knew she was in trouble. Brushing past him, she tried to leave. "Brother, I have no idea what you’re talking about."
But he grabbed her wrist.
Something had set him off. His barely restrained anger was obvious as he kicked open the study door with a loud bang that echoed through the silent night. He dragged her inside, pressing her as he went. "Ning Zhen, how old are you? Where did you learn these tricks? Who taught you?"
Ning Zhen had always been intimidated by him since she was a child.
Though Meng Xianwen was always smiling and attentive when they met, she always wanted to steer clear—farther and farther away. Whenever she came to the Meng house, she tried her best to avoid him.
It was like some kind of animal instinct, a need to stay away from something dangerous and unknown.
"Brother Xianwen, I’m sorry, let me go—"
She tried to pull free, but when she couldn’t, she panicked, babbling nonsense without even knowing what she was saying. She was dizzy and disoriented—until a furious shout came from the doorway.
When Ning Zhen saw that the newcomer was Meng Jingshan, she was utterly devastated. She was done for.
Completely finished.
Even if she argued and managed to twist black into white, would the Meng family listen? If they heard, would they believe her? In that moment, she hated herself and hated Meng Xianwen too—so much she wanted to take him down with her.
Ning Zhen wasn’t all that brave. Just as her legs went weak and she was about to drop to her knees for a confession in hopes of leniency, Meng Xianwen pulled her close.
And just like that, she was forced onto his ship—a ship of his making.
