Ning Zhen had known Meng Jiaran for so many years that she had never seen him send a message so politely—one quick glance was enough to guess who the recipient was.
She must have been influenced by the plot before; otherwise, how could she, with her sharp eyes, have missed how obvious Meng Jiaran’s feelings for Song Yuqing were?
That guy really couldn’t wait—his flight arrived in Beicheng this morning, and by evening he was already off to see his beloved.
At the thought, Ning Zhen pursed her lips, but her good mood remained untouched. She walked briskly to the elevator lobby and saw Meng Xianwen standing tall and straight to one side. Unlike the other guests, he wasn’t chatting or glancing at his phone. Even when she came up beside him, he didn’t move his gaze.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened. She naturally took his arm, and they stepped inside together.
Meng Xianwen glanced at her but said nothing, nor did he pull away. Her moods flared and faded quickly; just moments ago, she had been pestering him to add her to the family group chat, only to storm off when he refused. Now, for some reason, her eyes and brows were brimming with joy.
Ning Zhen was indeed delighted. This happiness even dulled her slight dislike of the protagonists. Ever since she realized she was just an insignificant supporting character, she had detested Meng Jiaran and Song Yuqing alike and wanted nothing to do with them.
But business was business. She now genuinely felt that Song Yuqing was a decent person. Even though she clearly had feelings for Meng Xianwen, she still took the time to look after his “girlfriend.” That kind of character? Ning Zhen had no objections to Song Yuqing being the lead.
Meanwhile.
In the car, the phone on the center console flashed a few times. Meng Jiaran, waiting at a red light, glanced over. “Yuqing, see what Zhenzhen replied.”
Song Yuqing picked up the phone, froze for two seconds, then turned to him. “What’s your password?”
“...” Meng Jiaran was caught off guard. “Didn’t I just tell you?”
That was only five minutes ago, wasn’t it?
Song Yuqing rubbed her forehead. “I didn’t memorize it. My mind’s all over the place.”
Meng Jiaran: “?”
He was speechless but still mumbled the password again. It was easy to remember: her birthday was June 23rd, the digits added up to 11; his was March 4th, adding to 7. “117520—is that hard to remember?”
Song Yuqing lowered her head to unlock the phone, replying absently, “She said yes.” Her finger hovered over a voice message. “She also sent a voice message. Should I play it?”
“Go ahead.”
Meng Jiaran’s phone was connected to the car’s Bluetooth, and as soon as she tapped it, the cabin filled with Ning Zhen’s sweet voice: “Miss Song, thank you so, so much! Love you!”
Song Yuqing froze. “How did she know it was me?”
Meng Jiaran was amused by her dazed expression. He kept his hands on the wheel, focused on the road ahead, a smile curling his lips. “It’d be weird if she didn’t.”
“How should I reply?” Song Yuqing suddenly felt a little flustered.
“Reply however you want—don’t worry,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll see soon enough. Zhenzhen is really easy to get along with.”
“Hmm…” Song Yuqing hesitated, carefully crafting a response in her head and reviewing it several times before she was satisfied. Finally, she pressed the voice message button and said, “Miss Ning, no need to thank me. I won’t disturb you two now. Let’s chat slowly when we meet next time.”
After sending it, she asked, “Was that okay?”
Meng Jiaran felt a pang of sympathy and melancholy. He knew that Yuqing was an open-hearted person; her caution with Zhenzhen came from a sense of guilt—for all those years she had pined after his brother. “It was perfect.”
Song Yuqing sighed in relief and put the phone back.
She secretly kept an eye on the screen. A few seconds later, Ning Zhen’s reply popped up: [Heart emoji.jpg]
On the way back to the hotel, Ning Zhen called the manager to arrange for room service. Not long after she returned to her room, the manager arrived with waitstaff, serving dishes one by one. Dusk fell, the sky washed in shades of blue, and the buildings around the hotel lit up with floodlights, a riot of color.
Ning Zhen and Meng Xianwen had dinner on the scenic balcony. A gentle breeze blew, and the moment felt serene. She picked up her phone, opened the camera, and found that the glittering city nightscape complemented her relaxed, lazy vibe perfectly. After angling herself, she handed the phone to Meng Xianwen across the table. “Quick, take a few photos for me. Make sure you get plenty.”
She had barely spoken during the meal, and Meng Xianwen had been enjoying the quiet. The sudden break in silence made him frown. He was about to refuse coldly when he looked up and saw her holding her face in her hands, gazing at the camera with bright, expectant eyes.
He didn’t want to argue over such a trivial matter. A flicker of impatience crossed his brow, but he still raised the phone and snapped a few shots.
“Let me see!”
She stretched out her arm, grabbed the phone, sat back down, and scrolled through the album. Shooting him a dissatisfied glance, she quickly turned the camera on him and, before he could react, snapped a picture.
“Call the hotel and have them clean up,” Meng Xianwen said, wiping the corner of his mouth casually as he stood. “I have things to do. You can do as you please.”
With that, he walked inside. He knew this presidential suite better than Ning Zhen did, passing through the living room straight to the study to work.
Ning Zhen craned her neck to watch until his figure disappeared, then turned back. She curled up comfortably in her chair, flipping through the photos. She thought about picking a couple to post on social media but remembered she’d been posting too often lately. She decided to save them as material for later.
She slowly savored the city’s starry night. The manager led the staff to clear the table and then brought dessert and fresh fruit.
“Ah, this is so nice.”
Ning Zhen stretched lazily when suddenly her phone lit up with a message from the family group chat, “Loving Family”: [Zhenzhen, have you two eaten yet?]
She focused, especially when she saw the number 3 in the group name, her heart skipping a beat. Summoning her spirits, she replied to Xiao Xuezhen: [We’ve eaten! Was planning to go out, but he looked tired from the day, so we stayed at the hotel. The food was good too =w=]
Xiao Xuezhen: [Can you video call?]
Without a second thought, Ning Zhen dialed a video call. Seconds later, Xiao Xuezhen appeared on the screen, draped in a shawl, clearly in the tea room of the old mansion’s main building. The couple had a habit of drinking tea after their evening walk. Ning Zhen spotted the edge of Uncle Meng’s sleeve in the frame.
“Aunt Xiao, Uncle.” Ning Zhen waved at the camera, beaming.
Seeing her in good spirits, Xiao Xuezhen felt relieved and started chatting as usual. Ning Zhen understood the real reason for this video call. Even though Aunt Xiao and Uncle Meng had returned to Beicheng, their hearts were still with their son. A phone call wasn’t enough—they had to see him with their own eyes to breathe easy.
Her parents were the same.
Once, a fire accidentally broke out in a neighboring community. When her parents heard about it, despite her telling them she was safe and it was a different complex, they drove all the way to her place late at night to see her bouncing around in person before their hearts finally settled.
“He seems to be in the study.” Without waiting for Xiao Xuezhen to mention it, Ning Zhen picked up the fruit platter and walked inside, her tone cheerful. “Perfect timing. I was just about to bring him some fruit, and I’ll have him say hi to both of you.”
Xiao Xuezhen smiled and responded, her peripheral vision catching her husband absentmindedly fiddling with his teacup. She pulled him closer, and together they watched the activity on the screen.
Ning Zhen tiptoed to the study. The door was ajar. She made a show of knocking and spoke softly, “Xianwen, is it convenient?”
After a moment of silence, just as her smile was about to falter, the person inside replied slowly, “Come in.”
“Alright, I’m coming in now,” Ning Zhen said, holding her phone in one hand and the fruit platter in the other. In her mind, she might as well have kicked the door open, but since Aunt Xiao and Uncle were watching, she had to gently push the door open with her elbow. As she stepped inside, she met Meng Xianwen’s probing gaze.
She aimed the camera at him so they couldn’t see her expression on the other end, and mouthed, “Your parents.”
Meng Xianwen got the hint immediately.
No matter how high and mighty the big shot, in front of his parents, he had to be the obedient son. He stood up at once, walked around the desk, took the fruit platter from her hands, and greeted his parents through the video call. “Mom, have you and Dad eaten yet?”
Ning Zhen rolled her eyes internally.
Look—people never change their nature. Whether he lost his memory or not, Meng Xianwen was as cold to her in private as he was warm in public. No one understood his mindset better than she did: he didn’t want his amnesia to weigh on his parents and family, so he had to act as consistent as possible, including not pushing her away and even keeping up a stable relationship with her. Only then could his injury and memory loss be brushed off, making a big deal seem like nothing.
“We’ve eaten. How are you feeling today? Still working? Don’t push yourself too hard—you just got out of the hospital!” That was Xiao Xuezhen’s voice.
Meng Jingshan couldn’t hold back his concern either and couldn’t help but chime in, “Don’t be ridiculous! What are the people under you even doing? Does everything have to fall on you?”
Meng Xianwen sat back down at the desk with his phone. Without making it obvious, he glanced at Ning Zhen and replied, “I’ll rest in a bit.”
Ning Zhen didn’t want to bother with him, but then she thought—this was a good chance to make her presence known. So she walked lightly over and stood behind him, appearing just as she wanted within the screen. She knew her place, not interrupting their family chat, and raised her hand, threading her fingers through his hair, giving him a haphazard scalp massage.
She had no clue what she was doing, and she didn’t know any massage techniques.
Meng Xianwen’s body stiffened slightly. He wanted to dodge it, but he had to endure.
As Ning Zhen kept rubbing, a random thought popped into her head: Had he washed his hair yesterday?
The video call ended sooner than she expected, probably within ten minutes. Meng Xianwen started showing signs of fatigue. “Mom, it’s getting late. You and Dad should rest early too. We’re about to turn in. Don’t worry. We’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Xiao Xuezhen gave another round of instructions and reminders before hanging up. She added, “Zhenzhen, thank you for your hard work this time. Take care of yourself too. Don’t exhaust yourself.”
Ning Zhen’s heart swelled with delight. This was exactly what she wanted—to let everyone know how hard she’d worked, how tough things had been, and how much she’d given.
She let go of his hair, bent down until her face was almost pressed against his, and smiled sweetly. “Mm-hmm, I know. Aunt Xiao, Uncle, don’t worry too much. I’ll definitely take good care of him.”
She had just eaten some fruit, and her breath carried a sweet, fruity fragrance. It made Meng Xianwen feel quite uneasy. He barely frowned, then quickly regained his composure as he ended the video call. He handed her phone back to her while stepping away.
“Go do what you need to do,” he said.
“And you?”
Meng Xianwen didn’t look at her and turned back to his work. Seeming worried she would throw another tantrum like yesterday, he added, “You go to sleep first.”
“Alright, don’t stay up too late,” Ning Zhen said with a shrug, not bothering him anymore. As she left the study, she was thoughtful enough to close the door behind her. Yesterday, she hadn’t had the time to properly check out this presidential suite. Today, she was going to give it a good tour.
Full of excitement, she dashed from the walk-in closet to the bathroom, then from the bathroom to the gym. She ran on the treadmill long enough to say she’d done it—five minutes—before stopping. The more she saw of the place, the angrier she got. This jerk sure knew how to live! Wasn’t this just a three-day business trip?!
And here she was, always stuck in a cheap 350-yuan-a-night standard room, and having to share it with a coworker!
Ning Zhen grumbled to herself as she headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She found a silk hair tie the hotel manager had prepared, casually tied up her hair, and pulled the vanity mirror closer to start her daily routine of admiring and complimenting herself.
As was her habit, she tilted her face left, then right. Something felt off...
Suddenly, her gaze froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she barely stopped herself from blurting out, “Meng Xianwen, you scheming bastard!”
