The next day.
Ning Zhen slept very soundly this time. When she opened her eyes, warm sunlight streamed through the thin gauze curtains onto the bed.
She curled up blissfully in the soft blanket.
No wonder Meng Xianwen always booked the presidential suite when he came to Nancheng on business trips—the bedding was superb. Lying on it, every inch of her body felt perfectly supported.
Perched on the top floor, with the windows closed, the whole world was as silent as a vacuum. She could sleep until the sky went dark in this bed.
Ning Zhen stared lazily at the ceiling. She felt like she had forgotten something important.
It was hard to shake off the sluggishness right after waking up. After a few minutes, her heart jumped. She reached over to the bedside table, grabbed her charging phone, and pressed the screen to check the time. Her vision went dark—it was already nine o’clock. Nine o’clock!
Wait, hadn’t Meng Xianwen promised to wake her up last night?
For a moment, she didn’t have time to curse him. Two days ago, Assistant Wang had asked for her opinion and booked a noon flight for her and Meng Xianwen—twelve thirty—arriving in Beicheng around three in the afternoon. She had happily agreed. It was a perfect schedule.
Not too early, not too late.
She could even make it to the Meng family’s old residence for dinner.
She threw off the covers and got up in a flurry, then stumbled through the bathroom with a racket before stepping out of the room.
She wandered around the living room but didn’t find anyone. Peeking out toward the balcony, she saw Meng Xianwen sitting calmly on the sofa, as if after several busy days, he finally had the time—and the inclination—to take in the city’s scenery on the eve of their departure.
Ning Zhen’s anger flared up.
There he was, leisurely having breakfast and enjoying the view, while she had to race against the clock.
She’d grown bold over these few days in Nancheng. She strode briskly to the table like a gust of wind, and before she knew it, she had snatched the cup from his hand.
Meng Xianwen looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
Seeing how worked up she was, he even put on a gentle smile, silently asking what had gotten into her so early in the morning.
Ning Zhen had some nerve, but not much. She switched to holding his cup with both hands, “I was just checking what you’re drinking. Is it hot?”
“Black tea,”
he said with a smile, “Not bad. Want me to order you a cup?”
“I don’t like tea.” Ning Zhen handed the cup back to him, then changed the subject, “Didn’t we agree yesterday that you’d wake me up this morning? Now I don’t have time for a proper breakfast.”
“No rush.”
Meng Xianwen took the cup, took an unhurried sip, and then explained, “I knocked on your door. You didn’t answer.”
Ning Zhen didn’t believe him. She sat down across from him. The breeze at this hour was pleasant—neither hot nor cold. “When did you knock? I didn’t hear anything.”
“Seven o’clock.”
“...”
She had no comeback. “Our flight’s at twelve thirty.”
“So there’s no hurry,” he said with composure. “Right?”
Ning Zhen didn’t take the bait. She scanned the table, but everything she wanted to eat seemed cold and unappetizing. She picked up the glass of orange juice beside her and took a sip.
One sip, then a sigh.
A minute passed, then two. Meng Xianwen tried to ignore her, but the constant sighing grated on his nerves. Finally, he raised his eyes to look at her and asked, “What now?”
“I was thinking,”
she said, setting down the glass. She rested her cheek on one hand, tapping her fingers absently on her face with a light tone, “I wish you’d get your memory back sooner. Then you wouldn’t have to wake me up through a door, and you wouldn’t have to wait two whole hours for me to have breakfast.”
Meng Xianwen wasn’t prepared for that.
Caught off guard by her meaningful remark, he choked, turned his head aside, and coughed a few times with the cup away from his lips.
Ning Zhen picked up a fork and speared a piece of melon, chewing slowly.
So sweet.
His muffled coughs sounded like music to her ears. What was this all about? Who was the one with amnesia? How could he still sit there looking like he had everything under control? For the past three months, that aloof attitude of his—teasing her, mocking her, needling her—had irritated her the most.
Hearing him cough, Ning Zhen nonchalantly pulled out a few tissues and handed them to him, asking with feigned concern, “Did you burn yourself? Take it slow.”
Meng Xianwen quickly regained his composure. “Shall we change the flight, or leave now?”
“Let’s leave now. No need to worry Aunt Xiao and Uncle.”
Since it was rare for Ning Zhen to stay in a presidential suite, she intended to make the most of the service. She got up, walked into the living room, picked up the landline, and called the suite manager to ask the restaurant to prepare a takeaway breakfast for her.
A black sedan was already waiting at the hotel porte-cochere.
Ning Zhen carried a paper bag in one hand and linked her other arm through Meng Xianwen’s. Behind them, two staff members followed with the luggage.
When the driver saw them approaching, he quickly got out and opened the rear door, beaming, “Good morning, Mr. Meng, Miss Ning. I’ll be taking you to the airport today.”
Mr. Meng nodded amiably, “Thank you for your trouble.”
He was always courteous to everyone, yet maintained just the right distance.
Ning Zhen, however, was more familiar with the driver, especially since the gift-giving incident had brought them closer. She waved at him cheerfully and asked, “Have you had breakfast yet? I grabbed plenty from the hotel.”
The driver chuckled, “Thanks, Miss Ning. I’ve already eaten.”
“Alright then.”
Ning Zhen and Meng Xianwen settled into the spacious back seat. She opened the paper bag, carefully took out a paper cup of soy milk, took a sip, and smiled contentedly, “So good.”
The driver fastened his seatbelt and asked, “Mr. Meng, Miss Ning, shall we head to the airport now?”
“Yes,”
Meng Xianwen nodded. “No rush. Drive slowly.”
Ning Zhen let out a soft laugh.
After this accident, he was bound to be even more cautious. He really was the most careful person she knew when it came to his own life. Maybe it was because he poured so much of himself into work that he made up for it in his personal habits. He didn’t drink coffee like water like others did.
His three meals a day were always regular. He didn’t smoke, and he barely drank—just a sip or two at business dinners, never enough to get drunk.
Meng Xianwen turned his head to look at her.
Ning Zhen ignored him, slowly finishing half her soy milk. She cheerfully chatted with the driver instead, “Did your girlfriend like the necklace?”
The driver beamed, “She loved it. She was over the moon and posted ten times on her Moments.”
Ning Zhen’s eyes lit up.
She liked that reaction. Too bad she couldn’t see his Moments herself. “That’s great. Summer’s almost here, and the necklace will go well with lots of outfits.”
Listening to her chatter, Meng Xianwen noticed her leaning forward, her knees brushing against his again and again, and the soft fabric of her skirt pressing against his trousers.
He looked down for a moment, then said calmly, “Zhenzhen, sit properly. Don’t distract the driver.”
Ning Zhen: “...”
She wiped the smile off her face. “Oh,” she muttered, refraining from bickering with him.
The driver let out a dry chuckle.
He kept his eyes on the road ahead, silently thinking that the driver from their Nancheng branch had certainly left an impression on Mr. Meng.
For the rest of the drive to the airport, the car remained quiet.
Ning Zhen couldn't find anyone to talk to, so she simply took out her phone to chat with people. The family group chat "Loving Family" caught her eye. She hesitated for a moment before tapping on it, sending a candid photo taken in the elevator car: [Image]
Ning Zhen: Heading to the airport now [plane emoji]
A few minutes later.
Xiao Xuezhen: Good, good, I'll have the kitchen prepare your favorite dishes
Meng Jingshan also slowly piped up: Glad you're coming home
Even though Ning Zhen felt a bit uneasy recalling what Meng Jiaran had said when he left the group, she was still encouraged and kept up the lighthearted conversation with them.
"Mr. Meng, Miss Ning, we've arrived."
The car stopped in front of the terminal.
Not far from the car window, staff members were pushing luggage carts, ready to help them check in. Recognizing the license plate, they stepped closer and waited nearby.
Finally here.
Ning Zhen temporarily broke free from her restraint. Getting out of the car, she smiled and said goodbye to the driver, adding a thank-you: "I received the local specialty gifts your partner prepared. I tried them and they tasted great. Your Mr. Meng liked them too."
The driver was both startled and delighted: "Really? Glad you liked them! They weren't anything valuable!"
After the luggage was placed on the cart, it was time to say goodbye.
The driver stood by the car, waving, and didn't look away until they had gone inside before getting back into the car.
Ning Zhen felt Meng Xianwen's gaze scanning her face. "I bought the necklace with your card. Saying it that way makes him feel more at ease."
"You know you bought it with my card," he glanced at her, his tone flat.
"What's yours and mine?" Ning Zhen's smile deepened. "Aren't they the same?"
All hers!!
Hearing someone treat his money as her own was something Meng Xianwen had never encountered before. When people are speechless, they do sometimes laugh.
He let out a small smile, neither responding nor refuting.
-
At three in the afternoon.
The plane landed on time at North City Airport.
Meng Jiaran came to pick them up with a driver. Standing there like a stone statue expecting his brother, he spotted his brother and Zhenzhen walking over. Taking a closer look, he felt deeply relieved.
Even though his brother had lost his memory and temporarily forgotten his relationship with Zhenzhen, the two still seemed very sweet together.
He strode over quickly.
Forgetting that his brother was a patient recently discharged from the hospital, he gave him a bear hug. "Brother, you're finally back!"
Meng Xianwen let out a silent laugh and patted him. "Let's go home first."
Meng Jiaran finally let go, turning his gaze to Ning Zhen beside him, his eyes burning with warmth.
Ning Zhen decisively hid behind Meng Xianwen. "Don't try to grab at me."
"Think too highly of yourself," Meng Jiaran said, sizing up their healthy complexions and silently feeling relieved. "Come on, let's go. Mom and Dad are waiting at home."
The group didn't linger at the airport. They headed to the parking lot, drove across much of the city, and returned to the Meng family's old residence.
Though it had only been a few days since they'd last seen each other, Xiao Xuezhen and Meng Jingshan were both emotional. They pulled Meng Xianwen over, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Only after confirming that their precious eldest son was fine—even the wound on his forehead had fully healed—did they let out a long sigh of relief.
Xiao Xuezhen clasped her hands together, repeatedly murmuring prayers of thanks to the Bodhisattva.
Ning Zhen immediately echoed silently in her heart: May the Bodhisattva bless Meng Xianwen with good health—but don't let him regain his memories.
I'm young, so bless me first.
"I'm going to burn some incense."
It was neither too early nor too late, with nearly two hours until dinner. Xiao Xuezhen used to scoff at worshipping the Bodhisattva, but ever since her mother-in-law passed away, it seemed as if some ancestral instinct had awakened overnight. Whenever something happened, she would go to pay respects and burn incense.
Hearing this, Ning Zhen immediately followed. "Aunt Xiao, I'll go with you!"
Truth be told, she didn't believe in it either.
But given the bizarre things she had experienced—living in a world centered on a novel—what harm was there in paying respects to the Bodhisattva?
Soon, Ning Zhen linked arms with Xiao Xuezhen, and the two walked intimately toward the small Buddhist shrine that had been renovated at the old residence a few years ago.
Meng Jingshan withdrew his gaze, his expression softening. He looked back at his son. "It's still early. You must be tired. Go to your room and rest."
"Mhm." Meng Xianwen nodded in agreement.
He went up to the second floor but didn't immediately go to his room. Since waking up, his parents and brother had categorically told him that three months ago, one evening, he had openly admitted his relationship with Ning Zhen in front of the entire family.
Last night, he had patiently scrolled through Ning Zhen's social media feed.
She, too, had first started mentioning him about three months ago.
So, their relationship had either "become clear" that night or had undergone some kind of turning point.
Meng Jiaran chatted briefly with their father downstairs before heading up. As he walked a few steps, he saw his brother standing in front of the study, his gaze fixed toward the direction of his bedroom. He quickly approached. "Brother, what are you doing here?"
Meng Xianwen turned around.
He suppressed his contemplative expression and said calmly, "Jiaran, come to the study with me."
The study????
Meng Jiaran: "Huh???"
Stunned, he hesitated for a moment. "Can I go in?"
Wasn't the study the territory of Brother and Zhenzhen? Even Mom and Dad didn't go there anymore. Could he?
"..."
What's wrong with entering the study?
Seeing the embarrassed and awkward look on his brother's face, Meng Xianwen's brow twitched. He said in a low voice, "Come in. I have something to ask you."
-----------------------
