Of course, Ning Zhen wasn’t just going to hang around nearby. She went down to the underground garage, got into the car, casually scrolled through her phone, and told the driver to take her straight to the busiest area. Since she rarely had the chance to come here, she wanted to have fun and enjoy herself to the fullest.
As the car started moving, she suddenly felt it was surreal, like being in a dream. Meng Xianwen had been in a car accident, which had triggered some significant aftereffects—like memory loss. Yet, in less than twenty-four hours, everything had calmed down as if nothing had happened. Everyone went about their business, completely unaffected by the incident, including him.
But she couldn’t take his calm demeanor at face value, nor his lack of curiosity about the past year. She dared not let her guard down.
Thinking this over, Ning Zhen unlocked her phone and opened WeChat.
Maybe she had stumbled onto something unexpected. While being Meng Xianwen’s girlfriend was pretty great, she had still spent the past three months feeling suffocated more often than not. She wanted to mess with him the way he messed with her, but that was hard to pull off. So she resorted to mental harassment.
First: going overboard with public displays of affection on social media.
She treated it like posting ads. Knowing Meng Xianwen as well as she did, she realized that even if he got married someday, he’d never reveal the real reason behind their relationship. A contract romance sounded too absurd.
Similarly, she wouldn’t confess it to any future boyfriend or husband.
A real romance sounded far more respectable than a fake one.
Given her job and long-term career prospects, having the title of Meng Xianwen’s girlfriend or ex-girlfriend could only benefit her.
But—flaunting affection was a double-edged sword, hurting the enemy a thousand points while damaging herself by eight hundred.
She had once overheard Chang Yi complaining about her: “Does Zhen Zhen have nothing else going on in her life?”
Of course, she had also single-handedly dragged Meng Xianwen off his pedestal. She had discreetly inquired about it and found that people no longer saw him as a mysterious big shot but as an ordinary man in love.
Just thinking about the word “ordinary” ever being applied to Meng Xianwen made her want to laugh out loud.
Second: using him as a personal assistant, bombarding him with messages.
At first, she did it on purpose, but later she realized how useful he really was.
When she went out for meals or shopping with her parents and friends, the mall parking lots were like mazes. Finding the car always took forever, so she started snapping photos in the parking lot and sending them to him on WeChat.
Utility account numbers for water and gas, cloud passwords—she’d dump everything on him and easily find it later when needed.
Ning Zhen scrolled through her phone and let out a gleeful laugh.
Thanks to her cleverness, if Meng Xianwen wanted to sift through their chat history for clues, he’d need the patience of someone searching for a needle in a haystack.
Besides, having all these trivial records only proved how close the two of them were, didn’t it?
On a weekday morning, the mall wasn’t very crowded.
Ning Zhen wanted to shop alone.
But the driver looked uneasy, trailing closely behind her. “Miss Ning, let me carry your bags,” he said.
He wasn’t one of the Meng family’s drivers, but he worked for Hengxing. Two days earlier, a colleague of his had driven Mr. Meng and gotten into an accident. If something happened to Mr. Meng’s girlfriend today, he’d never hear the end of it.
“But I plan to shop for a long time,” Ning Zhen said gently.
The driver responded earnestly, “This is part of my job.”
Seeing his sincerity, Ning Zhen agreed happily. The two of them pressed forward with quite a presence. Once inside the mall, Ning Zhen came alive like a fish returning to water. Her eyes sparkled as she swiped Meng Xianwen’s card to her heart’s content.
She wanted this. She wanted that. Nothing escaped her grasp!
The driver, a seemingly invisible man, was soon buried under shopping bags. By the time afternoon rolled around, Ning Zhen had had enough fun and found a café to rest. The driver, thoroughly exhausted, let out a heartfelt sigh of relief.
This Miss Ning sure had stamina for shopping.
Mr. Meng, who spent his days in an office yet showed no extra fat, must have been getting this kind of high-intensity exercise all the time.
The driver didn’t sit at Ning Zhen’s table, but she ordered him a full spread of food and drinks anyway, waving her hand magnanimously. “Don’t be shy—it’s all on Mr. Meng’s card. Eat and drink to your heart’s content. Oh, right,” Ning Zhen said, leaning over to fish a blue box out of her pile of shopping bags. “I bought an extra necklace. This one’s for your partner. Take it now, so I don’t forget later.”
She had overheard him on the phone earlier, sweet-talking someone and calling them “baby.”
He also wore a plain ring on his ring finger. Even if he wasn’t married, he clearly had a stable partner who seemed happy.
While trying on jewelry at the boutique, she had noticed him sneakily glancing at the price tags. After thinking it over, since it wasn’t her money anyway, she had the saleswoman add the necklace he’d been staring at the longest. It was a small gesture from her.
The driver was shocked and instinctively refused. “Ah, Miss Ning, this isn’t right, this isn’t right!”
“Take it. Don’t let this opportunity slip by,” Ning Zhen insisted, shoving it into his hands. “Who knows when I’ll come back? Don’t be shy.”
Her tone was light and casual but sincere.
The driver wasn’t one to be awkward. He thanked her repeatedly before accepting it, the joy on his face unmistakable.
Ning Zhen watched him with a smile, savoring the moment.
When she was happy, someone else could be happy because of her.
In the afternoon, the café was filled with the rich aroma of coffee and soothing background music. After finishing a slice of chestnut cake, Ning Zhen finally remembered the serious matter at hand. She sent a commanding message to Meng Jiaran: “Hurry up and add me to your family group chat!”
Meng Jiaran: “?”
Meng Jiaran: “There isn’t one.”
Ning Zhen, incredulous: “?? You don’t have a family group chat?”
Meng Jiaran: “[Rural guy surrenders.jpg]”
Ning Zhen, fuming: “Send one more of those awful emojis, and I’ll block you.”
Meng Jiaran: “So what? Am I supposed to get the death penalty?” [image]
Ning Zhen: “...”
A few minutes later, Meng Jiaran sent an invitation, and she accepted. The group had only four members for now, but at least the right people were there. She forwarded the photos and videos she’d taken today. After hitting send, she couldn’t help chuckling at herself. How was she acting like a kindergarten teacher?
Soon, she received enthusiastic replies.
Xiao Xuezhen: “The bruise on his forehead looks lighter than yesterday.”
Xiao Xuezhen: “Zhen Zhen, your hard work is much appreciated. Thank goodness you’re willing to stay and take care of Xianwen. He’s too much trouble.”
Meng Jiaran: “[Learn to flip an omelet.jpg]”
Ning Zhen’s eyelids twitched.
Damn it!
She remembered how Meng Xianwen had teased her the day before, and fury surged through her. She was mad at Meng Xianwen, mad at Meng Jiaran, and mad at herself. She really needed to schedule an eye exam—which eye had gone blind? How could she have ever considered being with that guy?!
After thinking it over, she was sure she’d been controlled by the plot.
Otherwise, why would she bother flirting with anyone else? And especially with Meng Jiaran, who only ever sent emojis—why not pick someone like Meng Xianwen, who at least acted human?
Ning Zhen decisively ignored Meng Jiaran and replied to Xiao Xuezhen: “Aunt Xiao, you’re being too polite. This is my duty.” [Sitting politely.jpg]
Meng Jingshan, who had been quiet all along, also chimed in slowly: “Tell Xianwen that work matters, but his health is more important.”
Ning Zhen was pleasantly surprised.
Upon further reflection, Uncle Meng’s treatment of her had indeed improved significantly compared to before. It seemed her performance over the past couple of days had been commendable. She felt a surge of energy and replied, “Uncle is right, he’s not the one dwelling on it—I’ll keep an eye on things. He’s in a meeting at the company right now, and I’m out getting him something to eat.”
Action, then!
Ning Zhen finished her coffee, and seeing that the driver had also rested enough, they piled bags and packages into the car and drove off from the mall, making their first stop back at the hotel.
She definitely didn’t want to pick Meng Xianwen up after work with the car full of shopping bags—he wouldn’t even have a place to sit.
After delivering all of today’s haul back to her room, she wasted no time in calling the manager of the presidential suite, asking the restaurant chef to prepare a fresh dessert, and also placing an order with a nearby coffee shop for coffee.
Hengxing Parking Lot.
Assistant Wang answered Ning Zhen’s call and hurried down. When he saw the scene, he wasn’t surprised at all. As a girlfriend, bringing afternoon tea while accompanying her boyfriend on a business trip, after everything that had happened to Mr. Meng, was perfectly normal.
Miss Ning always thought of others. It wouldn’t have been unusual for her to send something only to Mr. Meng, but she’d ordered a portion for every employee in the meeting—how thoughtful.
“Miss Ning, aren’t you coming up with us?” Assistant Wang hesitated.
“I won’t.”
Ning Zhen was exhausted after shopping all day; she was beat. If she went up, could she really lie on the couch, lifelessly scrolling through videos, right in front of everyone? Since she couldn’t, she’d rather stay in the car and enjoy her freedom. “If I go up and he sees me, he’ll just say I’m bothering him again.”
Assistant Wang chuckled in agreement. “Miss Ning, then I’ll head up?”
“Go ahead.”
Under Ning Zhen’s watchful gaze, Assistant Wang and the driver carried the afternoon tea she’d prepared toward the elevator hall, stepped into the cabin one after the other, and rode it straight to the 23rd floor.
Conference Room.
Assistant Wang, who had briefly stepped out earlier on some errand, returned. Behind him were a few staff members, kindly handing each department head in the meeting a cup of coffee.
The long-winded meeting, with the arrival of coffee, entered a short recess. Everyone breathed an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. Meetings were annoying enough, but those with the big boss in attendance were even more agonizing—being able to catch a break under high pressure felt like a real bonus.
Meng Xianwen’s cup of coffee was brought to his side by Assistant Wang.
At first, he didn’t notice; but when his gaze drifted away from his computer, it accidentally landed on the little heart mark on the coffee cup. It looked like it had been specially prepared. He paused for a few seconds, becoming a bit curious, and took a sip. Instead of the Americano on the label, it was a warm, rich walnut milk.
He didn’t need to ask; he could guess who was behind it.
Walnuts—for brain power?
Leave it to her to think of that.
During the break, Meng Xianwen flipped his phone over. Someone had timed it perfectly—several messages had come in. He glanced at them casually:
“I picked out the walnuts, and I peeled them too.”
“Drink it all, okay.”
“Hubby.”
Half a second later.
The chat showed that the other party had recalled one message, but it was too late. Those two recalled words made his body stiffen. After barely pulling himself together, he almost choked on the walnut milk still in his mouth, coughing as if his life depended on it. The muffled coughing fit drew the attention of a few department heads who were quietly chatting below—they all fell silent and stared at him, wondering what had happened.
