The next day, Ning Zhen stood in front of the sink, dark circles under her eyes, cursing under her breath.
It was all Meng Jiaran’s fault. The photo he had sent her last night had nearly kept her awake until dawn. What she wanted to do and what she actually did always seemed determined to go in opposite directions.
She had said she wouldn’t try to guess anymore, but whenever she closed her eyes, that photo would come back to her.
In the end, exhaustion got the better of her, and she drifted off in a daze. She had probably slept only a few hours, because her head felt heavy and foggy when she woke. Furious, she left for work with a tight expression. In the elevator lobby, she ran into a neighbor, and they exchanged polite smiles and nods.
“Hey, did you hear? Someone’s moving into 2101.”
The neighbor chatted casually as they waited. “When I came home from work yesterday, the door was open. It scared me half to death. I went over to ask, and apparently they were measuring the place. They’re going to have the furniture shipped over by air later.”
Ning Zhen normally found this sort of thing rather interesting.
But she hadn’t slept well, and of the neighbor’s long stream of words, only one sentence registered: a new neighbor was moving onto their floor.
What did that have to do with her?
She responded perfunctorily, “Mm-hmm. Really?”
The neighbor lowered her voice. “They’re even having the furniture shipped in by air. Just listen to that. They sound like the kind of people who are very particular about how they live. Honestly, I’m a little worried about having to deal with someone like that.”
The elevator rose to the twenty-first floor.
Ning Zhen entered first and pressed the button for the first floor, then smiled. “Don’t worry. You probably won’t have much chance to interact with them. At most, you’ll run into each other when leaving in the morning or coming home at night.”
The neighbor nodded. “That’s true.”
Ning Zhen spent the entire day in a daze. Fortunately, it wasn’t long after the New Year, so there wasn’t much work to do, and things were fairly quiet. During her lunch break, she lay facedown on a pillow, aimlessly scrolling through her phone. Several times, she almost reached out to Guo Xia.
But after typing out long messages, she deleted them word by word.
She felt so annoying—she really was never going to let this go.
She decisively exited WeChat and switched to another app, intending to distract herself. Instead, her phone suddenly redirected her to an advertisement. She was about to close it when words like “discounted round-trip airfare” and “popular travel destinations” caught her eye.
Ning Zhen’s eyes lit up at once.
She had almost forgotten that she was a multimillionaire.
She could go away to clear her head!
She booked her tickets as quickly as possible, then sent a screenshot to Guo Xia.
Guo Xia: “Let’s go together.”
Ning Zhen seriously refused. “I want us to be happy when we travel, and I want to be happy too. That’s what a vacation should be.”
Guo Xia didn’t even have time to feel touched.
Ning Zhen immediately sent another message: “Unless you break up with that someone right now. Then we can go clear our heads together!!”
Guo Xia took back her heartfelt emotion.
…
Ning Zhen eagerly requested three days of annual leave from Fang Li. Including the weekend, her spur-of-the-moment trip wouldn’t be too rushed. With this occupying her thoughts, she finally had no time to dwell on those damn things that worked as well as coffee.
Bitter, and they kept her awake at night!
Damn it!
After work, Ning Zhen drove home. To her surprise, the entire residential complex had lost power. She turned off the engine, got out, and opened the residents’ group chat to check the messages. Apparently, a sudden equipment failure on the power grid had caused the outage, and everyone in the chat was urging the utility company to fix it and complaining.
She was just about to send her own message demanding that the power be restored when a familiar, deep voice came from behind her.
“What happened?”
Ning Zhen’s fingers froze. The light from her phone illuminated the dazed expression on her face.
This time, she didn’t turn around, but she could hear footsteps approaching until they stopped beside her. He asked again, “The whole complex lost power?”
A few days ago, Guo Xia had asked Ning Zhen what she would do if Meng Xianwen came looking for her.
At the time, she had answered without hesitation: Impossible.
He wouldn’t come looking for her again. His life was far too busy—so busy that he had no time to waste on people and matters of no importance.
What could the earring on his bedside table prove? Perhaps she had given him a few memorable moments too, but after she had rejected him so mercilessly, with his lofty, arrogant attitude, he might have thrown it away immediately.
Ning Zhen said nothing, and Meng Xianwen fell silent as well.
His work schedule had been packed these past few days. It had been deliberate, as if keeping himself unbearably busy would allow him to set certain matters aside.
In his world, business had always outweighed personal affairs.
He had thought this time would be no different. Last night, he hadn’t intended to drink much, but someone had brought her up during the dinner.
An image had then taken root in his mind and refused to disappear. If he happened to run into her one day at an important financial conference, would she also politely and distantly address him as Mr. Meng?
At first, the thought had amused him. But his smile had soon faded, and before he knew it, he had drunk several more glasses than intended.
“It’s inconvenient without power.” He broke the silence. “How about staying at a hotel tonight? I can drive you there.”
Ning Zhen’s nose stung faintly.
But she didn’t know why. Was it his attitude, as if nothing had happened between them, or simply the fact that he had come?
The composure she had painstakingly pulled together was thrown into disarray once again.
Ning Zhen wanted to shut his voice out. They didn’t even need to maintain basic courtesy between them anymore. Ignoring him completely, she put away her phone and walked straight toward the building.
This time, Meng Xianwen didn’t hesitate. He followed her.
The entire complex was without power, and the building’s interior was pitch-black. There was no way he could let her go upstairs alone.
Ning Zhen stopped in front of the two elevators, growing increasingly irritated. She wanted to press the up button, but the displays showed that one elevator was stuck on the eighth floor and the other on the fourteenth. Neither was moving. Worried that someone might be trapped inside, she didn’t dare press anything.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the tall figure approaching. Without thinking, her mind a complete mess, she turned and headed for the stairwell. She pushed open the creaking door, and the darkness inside was even deeper.
Meng Xianwen’s expression changed slightly.
He hadn’t expected her to avoid him so completely. He strode after her, his voice turning stern in an instant.
“Ning Zhen, stop fooling around!”
Ning Zhen climbed one step after another, then stopped when she heard him.
Only then did she come to her senses.
She lived on the twenty-first floor…
At that moment, she found herself caught between a rock and a hard place.
She was so sick of him. If he hadn’t shown up without warning, would she have been thrown into such confusion?
It was only twenty-one floors!!
She switched on her phone’s flashlight and continued climbing. The person behind her seemed to have no choice but to follow. With the elevators out, she wasn’t the only one taking the stairs home.
But little by little, the sounds in the stairwell grew fainter. After they passed the tenth floor, only she and Meng Xianwen remained. She was exhausted, yet clenched her teeth and refused to let herself pant where he could hear.
“Zhenzhen,” he said suddenly, his voice low. “You’re not the only one who wants to end the agreement.”
Ning Zhen stopped. She breathed slowly, but for some reason, it felt as if something were tugging painfully at her.
The moment she stopped, someone took advantage of it and came up behind her, speaking with calculated intent to draw her attention and make her forget to keep moving.
“It was never part of my plan to begin with,” he said. “So it’s only natural that the outcome took me by surprise.”
The agreement had been outside his plans.
So had she.
Meng Xianwen spoke slowly, standing on the same step as Ning Zhen and looking down at her. She stubbornly turned her face away, refusing to meet his eyes. The entire stairwell was dark, and the only light came from their phones, illuminating the steps beneath them.
“You said that you weren’t satisfied with the life you had before.” He paused. “I wasn’t all that satisfied either.”
As soon as these words were uttered, it made Ning Zhen look at him in disbelief. "Stop talking nonsense. Did you say that that day? Have you lost your memory?"
Meng Xianwen was silent for a few seconds. "So you really mind my answer, don't you, Zhenzhen?"
Ning Zhen turned her head away, her tone a bit harsh. "So you want to take it back now, right?" She took a deep breath. "If I had given a different answer that night, would you have changed your words? Do you even know which of your words are true and which are false?"
"What I'm saying now is the truth."
He took half a step closer, his shoes touching hers. He leaned down slightly to look at her eye - to - eye, his voice calm. "Actually, it would be better to just let you go like this. Actually, it would be better if I hadn't shown up here."
Just a few minutes ago, Meng Xianwen still thought it was nonsense for her to take the stairs just to get back at him.
But at this moment, there seemed to be no better place than this narrow and dim stairwell to confess some feelings.
Ning Zhen gave a cold laugh. "Since you know..."
He didn't give her a chance to speak.
He really wanted to shut her up.
"Zhenzhen, can we talk calmly?" There was helplessness and tiredness in his tone.
"Tell me with a clear conscience, when have you ever...?" She suddenly choked with sobs. "When have you ever talked to me calmly?" Saying this, she forced back her tears. "I forgot. You don't have a conscience at all!"
"Then let me use my calmness in the future to exchange for your calmness this time."
Ning Zhen wanted to shout "I won't exchange with a dog", but at this moment, she was stunned by another word.
Future.
How could there be a future between her and him?
"If I hadn't come today, how would you have spent the day?" he asked in a low voice.
Ning Zhen was silent for a moment. It was both to get back at him and the truth, and she sounded a bit impatient. "I'd have had a really great time. I'd have found a hotel and ordered takeout. It would have been relaxing and fun."
"What kind of takeout would you have ordered?"
What a strange question.
Ning Zhen almost blurted out "whatever" and then snorted and replied randomly, "Sushi, maybe. Meng Xianwen, what on earth are you trying to say?"
"I should have been dealing with work or having dinner and socializing with some acquaintances," he said to himself. "I wouldn't have bothered you, and you wouldn't have bothered me. Life would have been quiet."
How dare he turn things around on her!
Ning Zhen was furious. "Get it straight. It's you who have been bothering me. When have I ever bothered you?"
Meng Xianwen looked at her deeply.
She bothered him every day.
Her Moments on WeChat were as noisy and active as ever. She thanked her colleague for bringing her breakfast, was touched when Guo Xia knitted a scarf for her, and even sighed when a celebrity couple got divorced.
She was still active in his life, everywhere, while he had disappeared from hers.
"But it's better now,"
He averted his gaze and said in a calm tone, "I can see you and listen to you talk."
Even though what she said were things he didn't really like to hear.
But it was much better than the silence in the office and the laughter of others.
Ning Zhen suddenly fell silent.
She raised her eyes and looked at him in surprise. In the dimness, she could only see his profile. She was stunned for a long time and forgot what to say. The two of them were silent. Even though they had stopped moving, their breathing and heartbeats were faster than when they were climbing the stairs.
After a long time.
There were faint voices of conversation in the stairwell. Someone was coming up. Ning Zhen's eyelashes fluttered slightly. Finally, she came to her senses, withdrew her gaze, and pushed him away angrily. Then she rushed upstairs in a hurry, her steps never stopping. Was he crazy? He must be crazy. Was he sober? If so, did he know what he was saying?
Did he drink...
Would he want to strangle her when he regained his senses tomorrow?
Ning Zhen continued to climb the stairs, and Meng Xianwen followed her at a leisurely pace. The flashlight could shine far, and he held it higher to light up the stairs for her.
It was only the 21st floor!
She arrived. Her body was more honest than her mind. She involuntarily slowed down, as if waiting for someone. When she heard the sound behind her, she quickened her pace, swiped her fingerprint to open the door, and slammed it shut just before he reached the door.
She leaned against the door, trying to calm down.
Just behind the door, Meng Xianwen stood in the dark for a moment, then lowered his head and sent her a message: [I'll go downstairs first. I'll leave when the power comes back on in the community.]
Ding - dong.
The sound was clearer in the darkness.
Just as the message was sent, the WeChat notification sound rang inside the door.
Ning Zhen fumbled to take out her phone from her pocket, turned it to silent, silent, silent! Damn it. Why did he send the message at this exact moment?
Meng Xianwen went downstairs, still taking the stairs.
Even though the elevator had resumed operation.
Half - way down, he stopped and let out a soft laugh, laughing at himself for losing his composure like this.
...
Ning Zhen breathed a sigh of relief when she found the power bank in the drawer.
She curled up on the sofa, playing with her phone. Her eyes were busy, constantly switching between several apps. The complaints in the homeowners' group were even louder. When she finally realized she was hungry, there was a different - toned message: [Has the elevator in our building resumed operation? Can the takeout be delivered?]
There was a few - second silence in the group.
Someone replied: [Well, it should be okay.]
Ning Zhen thanked the neighbor. When she was thinking about what to eat, the doorbell rang, which startled her.
Just then, there seemed to be a faint current sound from the light bulb, and the light above her head suddenly came on. The power was back.
She quickly walked to the door and looked through the peephole.
There was an unfamiliar man and woman wearing the uniforms of a sushi restaurant. She opened the door in surprise, and the other person smiled and said, "Hello. This is a door - to - door delivery service ordered by Mr. Meng."
