Nine o’clock on the dot.
A Rolls-Royce pulled into the parking spot in front of Building 18. On a weekday morning, there were few people and even fewer cars. Meng Xianwen lowered the rear passenger window, his eyes scanning the area. Seeing no one, he withdrew his gaze and opened WeChat.
The screen still showed the message she had sent three minutes ago: [I'm coming downstairs / cute.jpg]
“Did you see her?”
Meng Xianwen put down his phone and asked the driver.
The driver hesitated briefly, then shook his head. “No.”
This was rare. Every time he and Mr. Meng came to pick up Miss Ning, she was always waiting downstairs early, greeting them with a bright smile the moment their car arrived.
Meng Xianwen grunted in acknowledgment and typed a message to Ning Zhen: [Where are you?]
A minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
There was no response from her.
Frowning, he dialed her number, but the call went unanswered. Just as his patience—already limited—was about to run out and he prepared to push open the door and go find her, the driver spoke up. “Mr. Meng, Miss Ning is here.”
He looked up, his gaze cutting through the windshield to see a familiar figure approaching gracefully.
Outside the car, Ning Zhen unhurriedly took off her earphones, then slowly put the case back into her bag. She walked over to the car, saw Meng Xianwen sitting upright in the back seat staring intently at her, and leaned down. “I was waiting downstairs, but then I suddenly remembered I might not have closed the door. Worried, I went back up...”
She smiled sweetly. “I’m such a scatterbrain, aren’t I?”
“You are a bit forgetful,” he said calmly.
“...” Hearing this, Ning Zhen wasn’t the least bit upset. She took it as him criticizing himself. Her smile remained unchanged as she pulled open the door and settled in beside him. “I’m a few minutes late. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not.” He looked at her quietly and smiled as well.
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Mm.”
It seemed those minutes of waiting had stretched his patience thin. He only responded with a single syllable, not even asking if she had eaten. When the car started moving again, he simply leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes, clearly in no mood to chat.
Ning Zhen didn’t mind. Inside, a little version of herself was doubled over, laughing triumphantly.
The more he held back, the more accomplished she felt.
Hadn’t she been biding her time for moments like these?
For the rest of the drive from the neighborhood to Lu’s hospital, the car was unusually silent. Even the driver kept glancing at the rearview mirror, but the sight that met his eyes seemed ordinary. The two in the back seat appeared perfectly harmonious. Miss Ning was cheerfully texting someone on her phone, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Mr. Meng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, glanced at her, and twitched the corner of his mouth.
-
Meng Xianwen came to the hospital under the pretext of a follow-up checkup. Lu Yuan, his longtime childhood friend, had only learned the truth about his condition the night before and had been so anxious he couldn’t sleep. He had gotten up in the middle of the night to dig through relevant materials and the medical records of Grandpa Meng.
As soon as the three of them met, they got straight to the point.
Lu Yuan had already arranged for a team of experienced doctors, all waiting to give Meng Xianwen a comprehensive checkup and discuss the best treatment plan.
“Can’t I go in?”
The door to the examination room was open. Ning Zhen tried to follow Meng Xianwen in and peeked inside, eager to see what was going on. But Lu Yuan, with a gentle smile, stopped her. He sighed apologetically. “Zhenzhen, I know you’re really worried about Xianwen, but trust me. With me here, nothing will happen to him, okay?”
“Lu Yuan, don’t scare her.”
Meng Xianwen, walking ahead, turned back. To make the exam easier, he casually took off his wristwatch and handed it to Ning Zhen naturally, his tone warm and reassuring. Don’t worry. It’s just a simple follow-up today. Wait for me outside.”
Ning Zhen took the watch, still carrying his body heat, and nodded reluctantly. “All right.”
Lu Yuan and Meng Xianwen exchanged a subtle glance.
In truth, Ning Zhen could have accompanied him for these checks. But when he had received the call last night, Xianwen had specifically asked that no one, no matter who, be allowed in with him.
Though puzzled, having been friends for years, Lu Yuan knew Xianwen had his own reasons. He had no choice but to comply.
The two went inside. Lu Yuan pressed a button, and the door of the examination room slid shut, cutting off Ning Zhen’s worried gaze.
“Xianwen, over here.”
Lu Yuan led him further in, anxious about his friend’s health, his expression eager. “I dug through all of Grandpa Meng’s medical reports from when he was alive. Don’t worry. The medicine from decades ago can’t compare to today’s technology—”
“Lu Yuan.”
Meng Xianwen stopped, calmly cutting him off. “I’m not here today for a checkup. I want to ask you for a favor.”
“What do you mean?” Lu Yuan frowned in confusion.
“You know I’ve been preparing this project for years.” Meng Xianwen had never been the type of heir to just follow the rules. He had ambition. Hengxing was founded by his grandfather, and in this era of fast-moving change, he wanted the company to reach even greater heights under his leadership. “Two months. I can afford to wait. I don’t want any complications. Do you understand?”
Lu Yuan was taken aback.
“No matter what the treatment plan is, there will always be risks beyond human control.” Meng Xianwen’s voice was slow and steady. “I can’t take chances at this critical moment. So, I want to ask you to help me reassure my parents, Jiaran, and...” He paused, “Zhenzhen. Tell them I’m following your treatment plan.”
“But...” Lu Yuan locked eyes with him and saw the seriousness, the pleading. They had grown up together, known each other for over twenty years, closer than brothers. “You’re the most sharp-minded person I’ve ever met. Now you’re losing memory. That’s serious. Don’t joke about this!”
“It’s not serious.”
Meng Xianwen’s eyes were calm. “What I’ve forgotten isn’t important. It’s different from Grandpa.”
Lu Yuan smiled bitterly, incredulous. “You forgot your girlfriend. And that’s not serious?” he said, lowering his voice instinctively, even though he knew the soundproofing was good, and Ning Zhen waiting outside couldn’t hear a word.
Meng Xianwen didn’t argue. He simply asked, “Can you do it?”
Lu Yuan glared at him. After a few minutes, he relented, issuing a warning and a reminder. “I’ll give you two months tops. No negotiating.”
Meng Xianwen relaxed his brow and smiled. “No problem. There’s one more thing I need your help with.”
“The amount of help you need from me today rivals a whole year’s worth.” Lu Yuan sighed, feeling like his heart had been jumping nonstop since last night. Luckily, he was young enough to take it. “Fine. Spill it. I can handle it.”
“I need to move into the Lan Court for a while. If I catch a cold or run a fever, my parents will call you. Bear with it.”
Lu Yuan’s confusion grew. “I don’t understand. You’re moving to Lan Court? Why?”
“Just say I want some peace and quiet.”
This was a decision Meng Xianwen had made after careful thought.
He had never intended to live with Ning Zhen.
But not bringing that up at the dinner table back then would have led to one of two outcomes: either things stayed as they were, but with how tense Mom and Dad were acting, they’d probably want to visit him every few days, which he really couldn’t handle.
Or else Ning Zhen would be forced into a corner by his parents, get impulsive, and pack her bags to move in with him.
After weighing the options, Lan Ting was still the best choice.
He had an apartment there, with Lu Yuan living upstairs or downstairs as a neighbor. With Lu Yuan around, his parents could feel at ease.
The moment he said "escape the chaos," Lu Yuan caught on. "No problem. When are you moving?"
"Today."
…
In the hallway.
Ning Zhen sat on the bench. She’d gone to bed late, and now, despite feeling sleepy, she couldn’t fall asleep.
Of course she couldn’t. To distract herself from the tension, she kept her fingers busy, switching between apps frantically. She’d lost count of how many random things she’d ordered when the door to the examination room finally opened.
She put away her phone and hurried over to meet Meng Xianwen.
He looked irritable and tired, likely from a tedious round of follow-up tests.
"What’s wrong? Are you okay?" she asked urgently.
Don’t actually remember, please!
"I’m fine," he said.
Lu Yuan came out behind him, holding a file. He explained with a smile, "It’s just a check-up today. Don’t worry. All the test results are confidential. I’ll discuss them with the team later, draft a few plans, and try them one by one."
Ning Zhen was startled for a moment. "What kind of plans are there usually?"
"If Western medicine doesn’t work, we’ll look into Chinese medicine."
"Chinese medicine too?"
Lu Yuan chuckled. Considering how young she was, she’d probably feel upset and scared dealing with something like this, so he tried to lighten the mood. "Things like acupuncture, stimulating pressure points. Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal."
Ning Zhen was half-convinced. As she pictured the scene, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of excitement.
She thought to herself, if they really went with this plan, she’d have to be there to watch—and take photos!
Meng Xianwen gave Lu Yuan a sidelong glance, his meaning clear: Don’t joke around. Have some professionalism.
Lu Yuan looked away. He’s still being stubborn, talking about how what he forgot didn’t matter. That’s unimportant? Even with amnesia, he can’t help protecting her, huh?
-
It was mealtime.
Lu Yuan had just as much work to handle as Meng Xianwen on a daily basis. He declined Ning Zhen’s lunch invitation, saw them off to the parking lot, and then turned to take the elevator back to his busy schedule.
"Let’s go."
"Oh, so are we going back to the old house now?"
Meng Xianwen raised his hand to check his watch. "No, too much trouble."
He shifted the topic and asked her meaningfully, "Did you and Auntie discuss it yesterday?"
Ning Zhen let go of his arm, opened the car door, and slid into the back seat, deliberately teasing him. "Guess."
Meng Xianwen got in, sat down, and glanced at her without saying a word.
"Guess right and you get a prize. Guess wrong and there’s a penalty." Ning Zhen kept at it, repeating herself like a broken record, urging him, "Come on, guess!"
Meng Xianwen leaned forward to put down the divider. "Did Auntie agree?"
He phrased it as a question, but his tone was certain.
She hadn’t gone back to her parents’ house last night, instead staying at a friend’s place, and now she was looking smug. He didn’t even need to pry to know she hadn’t mentioned it to her mom at all.
And he could guess the reason.
She was convinced he wouldn’t last a few days at her place.
Since that was the case, it saved her the trouble.
"You guessed right——”
Ning Zhen leaned toward him, her eyes brimming with laughter. "But my mom nagged me about a lot of things. Anyway, she said we’re adults who can take responsibility for our own lives, so we should decide for ourselves. All right, since you guessed right, you get a prize. Close your eyes!"
Meng Xianwen: "..."
He raised his hand and pressed her forehead, pushing her back. "I’d rather you treated it as a wrong guess."
Ning Zhen slapped his hand away and let out a soft huff.
Still, she managed to curb the urge to roll her eyes.
Did he think she was going to kiss him? It wasn’t even dark yet—what was he dreaming about!
"Then, since you guessed wrong, there’s a penalty." She’d known he’d pull that self-absorbed reaction. With a sly smile, she commanded, "Post a WeChat Moments update about me right now."
-----------------------
