The three of them parted ways at the restaurant entrance.
The afternoon sunlight was blindingly harsh, and Ning Zhen could clearly see Meng Xianwen squinting involuntarily. Figuring he'd gotten the upper hand during lunch, she decided it was time to reclaim her ground. With that thought in mind, she caught him off guard, rose onto her tiptoes, and slipped her sunglasses onto his face.
Meng Xianwen was caught completely unprepared, his body freezing for a moment.
He instinctively reached to take them off, but she stopped him. "They actually suit you. The sun's way too strong right now—no taking them off."
Ning Zhen didn't give him a chance to refuse. Letting go, she scurried over to the Rolls-Royce, hopped in, and was gone in a flash, her light laughter still faintly audible.
"..."
Meng Xianwen pulled the sunglasses off with a calm tinged with irritation.
Seeming unsure where to put them, he finally turned his gaze to Meng Jiaran, who'd been ignored for far too long, his expression less than pleased.
But Meng Jiaran, oblivious to the timing or setting, voiced his envy: "Bro, you and Zhenzhen have such a great relationship. It's rare to see couples with that kind of tacit understanding—ugh!"
As he envied, a hint of gloom crept into his heart. He hadn't felt it deeply before—being single seemed fine—but ever since his brother announced his relationship with Zhenzhen three months ago, his feelings had gotten far more complicated.
Even his brother, pushing thirty, had fallen in love...
Just as Meng Jiaran seemed ready to say more, Meng Xianwen lost his last shred of patience. He cut in: "It's getting late. Back to the office. Don't be late on your first afternoon."
"??" Meng Jiaran's head throbbed.
Bro, weren't you the one who asked me out to lunch?!
"Keep up." With that, Meng Xianwen ignored his brother's reaction, tucked the sunglasses into his suit pocket, and strode toward the eye-catching Ferrari nearby.
"Bro, wait up!"
A moment later, the Ferrari followed the Rolls-Royce as they slowly exited the ground-level parking lot, then split off on the wide road—one going straight, the other turning left.
Ning Zhen lounged comfortably in the back seat.
Yuyuan really lived up to its reputation as Meng Xianwen's meticulously chosen residence. Its location was conveniently central, only about seven or eight minutes' drive from Hengxing. Before she even had time to settle in, the car pulled smoothly into the underground garage.
It parked directly in the spot closest to the elevator lobby.
Ning Zhen didn't ask the driver to accompany her. She figured Meng Xianwen would be off work at five thirty—when it came to certain things, the man was fairly reliable, and he usually followed through on what he promised.
She'd only been to Yuyuan once before.
If she weren't sitting in this car, she wouldn't have gotten into the complex alone. The residents here valued their privacy fiercely—from the gate to the elevator, every step required facial recognition or a swipe card.
The driver pressed the top-floor button for her and stepped back out. "Miss Ning, I'll head back to Hengxing now."
Ning Zhen waved at him. "Sure, go do your thing."
The elevator doors closed, the cabin rose smoothly, and soon reached the top floor. The driver must have alerted the housekeeper in advance—the moment she stepped out of the elevator, a kindly faced auntie opened the door to greet her. "Zhenzhen."
"Auntie Qian, long time no see!"
Ning Zhen had been sweet-tongued since she was little, good at handling people, and she got along well with all the senior staff at the Meng family estate.
Auntie Qian was one of them.
She was the most tenured housekeeper, having worked for the Meng family for about twenty years at least. A few years back, after Meng Xianwen returned to the country, she was assigned to Yuyuan to take care of his daily needs. Attentive and thoughtful, she pulled Ning Zhen inside.
On the coffee table sat freshly brewed jasmine tea and a delicately arranged platter of cut fruit.
Auntie Qian wiped her hands. "Xiao Ding only texted me ten minutes ago to say you were coming—I didn't have time to really prepare. But these are all fruits you like. Want me to bake you some cookies?"
Ning Zhen was quietly impressed.
That jerk really knew how to live.
Normally, she'd want all the cookies, cakes, and pastries, but as she walked in, she caught sight of a suitcase. Judging by the style, it didn't look like Meng Xianwen's. She asked, "Auntie Qian, are you heading out somewhere?"
"Did Xianwen mention it to you?"
Auntie Qian smiled, touching her hair. "He gave me and Xiao Liu the day off yesterday, and had some assistant at his company arrange a trip for us. I'm taking my husband and granddaughter out for some relaxation."
Ning Zhen was drinking tea and nearly choked. "A trip?"
Auntie Qian nodded with a smile.
Ning Zhen understood. "Are the tickets for today? Auntie Qian, if you're in a hurry, go ahead—don't worry about me."
"No rush." Auntie Qian changed the subject with a hint of curiosity. "I heard from Xiao Xuezhen that Xianwen had a minor car accident and got a few scrapes. Why isn't he resting at home properly?"
She and Xiao Xuezhen were around the same age.
Having worked in the Meng household for years, she'd watched Meng Xianwen grow up, so she used his given name with warmth.
Ning Zhen certainly wasn't about to blow Meng Xianwen's cover. She laughed. "He says he's fine."
Auntie Qian was genuinely puzzled.
But then her gaze drifted to Ning Zhen's lips, still glistening from the melon she'd just eaten, and she felt she understood.
She was a woman of experience—she knew exactly what was going on. Chances were someone wanted some alone time with his partner. Zhenzhen seemed carefree, but she was young and had a thin skin, so she probably wasn't keen on moving in together. Certain people were playing the retreat to advance, moving into Zhenzhen's place first.
"You young folks never shy away from a bit of trouble," Auntie Qian said.
Ning Zhen didn't argue out loud, but thought, Who's 'you folks' with Meng Xianwen? He's not young at all. Just wait and see—he'll last at most a week before he caves.
The two chatted for a bit, then Auntie Qian's phone rang. It was her husband—he was already at the complex gates.
After seeing Auntie Qian off, Ning Zhen was alone in the sprawling apartment.
She wandered around with her fruit plate, strolling at a leisurely pace, feeling full and drowsy. She dozed off on the big sofa, and when she woke, it was already four in the afternoon.
...
Hengxing Group.
Meng Xianwen's decision to come into the office that afternoon had been impulsive.
Once inside, he started reviewing and approving documents. His mind was clear, but his eyes inadvertently caught the screen lighting up—a barrage of messages popping up one after another:
[I'm about to enter your master bedroom walk-in closet now]
[At the door]
[Inside]
Was she giving him a real-time progress report?
Or seeking his permission?
Meng Xianwen's gaze locked entirely on the phone screen. He didn't even need to unlock or reply—skimming past chat history, she was clearly skilled at monologuing. As if confirming his assessment, she kept going:
[Long trek of thirty seconds: arrived at the walk-in closet]
He didn't even notice the involuntary smile that crossed his face as he scrolled through her messages.
Meng Xianwen rarely let himself be distracted during work, and even when he was, he snapped back quickly. This time was no exception. He collected himself, opened the desk drawer to put his phone away, when the screen lit up again: [I'm packing your luggage for you. Any reward?]
Meng Xianwen thought for a moment, unlocked the phone, and replied: [?]
Ning Zhen: [Yes or no?]
Perhaps because coming into the office today was a spur-of-the-moment decision, many of the work matters felt less pressing than usual. Meng Xianwen replied patiently, 【What do you want?】
His supplementary card was already in her hands.
Ning Zhen spent her days online with friends at high speed, and her typing was far faster than his. His “Just buy it yourself” hadn’t even been sent out before she fired off a rapid string of messages: 【You said it, so I want to know the password to the safe in your dressing room [grinning face]】
Meng Xianwen’s fingers paused.
So she wasn’t just good at talking over people—she also knew exactly how to push her luck.
He thought for a few seconds, then replied slowly, 【You don't know?】
A minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
Ning Zhen: 【So you think I should know it too, huh】
Ning Zhen: 【Then why not just say it?】
Once again, she deflected with effortless grace, unwavering and shameless, tossing the question right back at him. In this back-and-forth game of probing, Meng Xianwen had to admit—the Ning Zhen who was now making a scene in front of him was far more interesting than the one from before.
He sent one final message, then without a trace of hesitation, put his phone in the drawer and closed it.
Meanwhile.
Ning Zhen sat on the sofa in the dressing room, staring at her chat with Meng Xianwen without blinking.
She waited for nearly half a minute—a long, dragging thirty seconds.
Finally, his reply came: 【Try it yourself. Three chances. Whatever’s in the safe, if you open it, it’s all yours】
Ning Zhen’s eyes lit up instantly. At first she thought she’d misread it, so she stared at the screen three or four times to make sure. Once she confirmed the message truly came from Meng Xianwen, her heart pounded wildly—it had never beaten this fast in her life!
As long as she opened the safe, everything inside belonged to her?
So far, she’d only ever seen two people’s safes.
The first was Granny Wang, who had passed away. Back then, Ning Zhen was young and endlessly curious about a safe she’d only ever seen on television.
Granny Wang had led her and Meng Jiaran into her bedroom and opened the safe.
There were land deeds, jewelry, and quite a few gold bars.
She and Meng Jiaran had hopped around like frogs, gasping and yelling.
The second was Xiao Xuezhen.
Auntie Xiao’s safe was even more luxurious—every piece of jewelry had been bought at auction or from other collectors, worth a fortune.
So what about Meng Xianwen’s safe?
Ning Zhen took a deep breath and pressed her hand to her chest. His safe was much smaller than Granny Wang’s—just a little bigger than a nightstand—but these days, how many people kept cash at home anyway?
It was probably the same kind of stuff—title deeds, shop leases, that sort of file.
All hers?
That couldn’t be possible, and she didn’t dare dream that big, but if she really did open it, surely she could take just one property or one shop as a little something, right?
Ning Zhen’s spirits soared. Here she comes, the fortune of a lifetime!
She took another deep breath, stood up from the sofa, and did a quick warm-up, unable to wait even a single second longer. She crouched in front of the safe, buzzing with excitement, and got ready to enter the password. For her first try, of course, she’d go with his usual habit: six zeros.
Beep, beep. Wrong.
Ning Zhen’s face stiffened.
It wasn’t that password? Then what numbers could he possibly use? Could it be his birthday? No, no—that thought didn’t even stay in her head for a second before she shot it down.
She remembered it very clearly.
When she’d told him her phone password was his birthday, he hadn’t hidden his mockery of her at all.
Then…
Ning Zhen held her breath, extended her finger, and entered the second attempt: Granny Wang’s birthday. She remembered how deeply he cared for Granny Wang—she’d known him for years, and the only time she ever saw him cry was at Granny Wang’s funeral.
Beep, beep. Wrong.
All at once, Ning Zhen felt a lump stuck in her throat. Seeing the fortune of a lifetime slipping away, she gave up and went chaotic, slamming in the factory default password: 123456.
On the small screen, it actually showed “open.”
Beep, beep, beep. Correct.
It opened?
Just like that??
Ning Zhen was frozen for a long time, too stunned to snap back to reality. With a dazed, bewildered look, she opened the safe, almost sticking her whole head inside. When she saw what was in there, only one thought ran through her mind.
Meng Xianwen!
Aaah, today is the day you die!
