Song Yuqing accepted the friend request.
A smile still lingered at the corner of her lips as she took the initiative to greet Ning Zhen: "This is Yuqing."
Actually, even before Meng Xianwen had publicly announced that he was with Ning Zhen, Song Yuqing had already formed a deep impression of her. Over the years, she had often heard Meng Jiaran mention Ning Zhen, and as a teenager, she had been curious about this girl.
She still remembered the first time she saw Ning Zhen.
Back then, she and Meng Jiaran were both studying abroad in high school. They rarely came home during breaks, and one time when they did, they made plans to hang out. He said in a gleefully smug tone that Ning Zhen was still in evening study hall and that he wanted to go see her looking miserable.
On a whim, he insisted on dragging her along.
She couldn't talk him out of it, so on the way to No. 1 Middle School in the north of the city, she asked the driver to stop. She got out and bought a small cake to bring for Ning Zhen.
Hearing that high school students got out of evening study very late, she and Meng Jiaran waited outside for a long time until Ning Zhen finally came out of school.
When Ning Zhen, with her backpack on, spotted Meng Jiaran in the crowd, she was overjoyed and sprinted over all cheerfully—but the next second, when she saw the girl standing beside him, the smile on her face slightly froze, as if she was a little puzzled.
Meng Jiaran didn't notice the change in Ning Zhen's mood and said jokingly, "Who's so pitiful that they don't get out of school until ten at night? Hey hey hey! Let me introduce you—this is my good friend Yuqing. We just got back from abroad, and we're bored, not sure where to go—"
Before he could finish speaking.
Ning Zhen kicked him in the shin and stormed off in a huff.
It was also at that moment that Song Yuqing sensed Ning Zhen didn't seem to like her very much. Meng Jiaran had many friends, but very few close female friends, and in the years that followed, Song Yuqing had consciously avoided Ning Zhen.
And now, after all these twists and turns, they had actually added each other on WeChat.
Buzz, buzz.
Song Yuqing looked down at the chat window. A message from Ning Zhen popped up: "I should have added you a long time ago. It's all Meng Jiaran's fault—his bad."
She was amused and replied: "Yeah, blame him."
Ning Zhen: "Our boss said that the main task for this period is to do Uncle's feature interview. I'm reaching out today to ask when you'd be free so we can chat about the general content of the interview =w="
Song Yuqing: "I'm heading to the office now. Can I get back to you in two hours?"
Ning Zhen: "Sounds good!"
Ning Zhen: "On the internet just waiting for you, my friend .jpg"
Song Yuqing, caught off guard by that sticker, couldn't hold back a burst of laughter.
That laugh also caused Song Tao, who had been catching up on sleep, to open his eyes and turn to look at his daughter.
Song Yuqing suppressed her smile and explained softly, "Dad, I had a chat with the editor-in-chief of Shengdu before, and I felt their team was pretty responsible. Ning Zhen reached out to me and asked when you'd be free to talk about the interview content."
"Ning Zhen?" Song Tao looked puzzled. "She's at Shengdu?"
"Yes."
Song Tao frowned slightly. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Does it make a difference?" Song Yuqing sighed silently to herself. She knew that ever since the possibility of a marriage alliance with the Meng family had fallen through, her parents—especially her father—had been secretly upset about it. "Dad, I've already agreed. Can we please not change anything about this?"
"Handle it yourself."
Song Tao had a look of disappointment, as if she had failed his expectations, but he didn't say anything harsher. Instead, he reminded her with emphasis, "Business is business, private is private. We don't know what Xianwen's side is planning yet. Don't get too close to that Ning Zhen."
Song Yuqing felt a sense of helplessness.
She wanted to ask her father: What does the failed marriage alliance between the Song and Meng families have to do with Ning Zhen?
But she knew that arguing with her parents would only lead to them looking at her with shock and disappointment, as if she had committed some unforgivable sin.
"I understand," she said quietly.
-
Song Yuqing said she'd get back to her in two hours.
Ning Zhen received her message a little after ten in the morning. They agreed to meet at the Song Group headquarters at three in the afternoon. Since it was their first face-to-face meeting to confirm the collaboration, Ning Zhen wouldn't be going alone—some of her colleagues would tag along.
For a feature interview of someone as high-profile as Song Tao, a rookie like Ning Zhen normally would never get the chance. This was a first for her, so of course she had to be on high alert. She didn't slack off all morning and focused entirely on organizing and gathering materials.
It was only the vibration of her phone on the desk that pulled her back to reality from a pile of files. She checked the time—it was almost one in the afternoon.
She had even forgotten lunch!
It was only then that the hunger kicked in. Ning Zhen answered the call from Meng Jiaran, her tone somewhat impatient. Lately, she really was annoyed with him. "What is it? I told you: if you have something to say, text me. Don't just call whenever you feel like it. We're not that close, okay?"
Meng Jiaran let out a helpless laugh. "When you need something, it's 'Jiaran.' When you don't, it's 'we're not that close.' Fine. You do you, sis-in-law."
When Ning Zhen heard that term, for a split second, she actually felt some sympathy for Meng Xianwen that morning.
She broke out in goosebumps: "Don't call me that. Just tell me what you want! I'm so busy I haven't even eaten."
"Nothing big." Meng Jiaran stammered a little. "Just curious, you know—you asked me for Yuqing's contact info... You're not going to badmouth me to her, are you?"
"..."
Ning Zhen closed her eyes in pain. He called her just to test that?
She gritted her teeth and said, "Yeah, I've arranged to meet her this afternoon."
Meng Jiaran was a bit surprised. He wasn't completely clueless, and he immediately caught on. "Oh—so it's that feature interview with Uncle Song, right? You're heading over there this afternoon? What time?"
"I'm hanging up."
With that, Ning Zhen ended the call, grabbed her phone and sunglasses, and left the office to find some food.
"Unbelievable."
Meng Jiaran was used to it by now. At least he had gotten what he wanted out of the call. His mood instantly brightened, and he walked out of the assistant's office with renewed energy. He came to his brother's office door, saw that the "Do Not Disturb" sign wasn't on, and knocked.
The door opened, and he blurted excitedly: "Bro, do you have any files and materials for Uncle Song? I'm heading over this afternoon—"
He stopped mid-sentence, stunned by what he saw inside. He thought he must be seeing things.
Because there was his brother, who worked three hundred and sixty days a year, lying on the sofa taking a nap?
On the reception sofa.
Meng Xianwen was having a rare moment of rest, one arm draped over his eyes. The commotion broke his last shred of patience, and a nerve that had been tightly wound since last night snapped. He sat up, his expression dark and heavy.
Meng Jiaran, pinned under that cold gaze, automatically went quiet and shrank back a little. "Bro, I didn't know you were resting."
"What is it?"
Having been Meng Xianwen's younger brother for more than twenty years, Meng Jiaran could tell instantly that his brother was in a bad mood. Having been under his brother's authority all these years, he had long developed a survival system: dodge if you can; if you can't, deflect the blame.
Blame onto whom?
Aside from Zhenzhen, there was probably no one who could get him out of his brother's rage right now.
Meng Jiaran was very practiced at shifting the blame onto Ning Zhen. He spoke without a pause, half-truthfully saying, "Zhenzhen, she wanted to interview Uncle Song, and it's her first time doing such an important exclusive. She's probably nervous too. We just got off the phone, and she said she was heading to the Song Corporation in the afternoon, so anxious she forgot to eat. Since I have nothing to do these two days anyway, I'll go cheer her on and also pay a visit to Uncle Song."
Meng Xianwen was woken up by the noise. He raised a hand to press his forehead, trying to calm his irritation.
At those words, he paused mid-motion, then slowly lifted his gaze to the phone lying on the coffee table.
It was very quiet. No relentless stream of messages. No inappropriate phone calls.
Meng Jiaran was surprised to find that after he finished speaking, the office fell into an eerie silence. "Bro, maybe... I won't go after all—"
"Go find Xu Lai."
Meng Xianwen said calmly.
"Huh?" Meng Jiaran was taken aback, then realized his brother had just given him the green light. He grinned. "Great, I'll go find Assistant Xu now."
...
A few minutes later.
Meng Jiaran explained his purpose, and Xu Lai thought for a moment, then turned and took out a project progress report from the file cabinet—not particularly important, but one that would show the Song Chairman Hengxing's goodwill.
"Great, great." Meng Jiaran felt a weight lift off his chest and headed out, but after a few steps, he turned back, leaning in mysteriously to Xu Lai, "From now on, if there are any documents for Hongxin, let me be the one to deliver them. Banquets too—I shouldn't always let my brother do the schmoozing."
Xu Lai smiled and nodded: "Sure."
Watching Meng Jiaran leave, the landline on his desk rang. It was an internal call.
"Mr. Meng."
"Come to my office."
Xu Lai hung up, picked up the documents that needed signing, knocked on the general manager's office door, and placed them at Meng Xianwen's side. He was a steady, taciturn special assistant, and now he stood respectfully in front of the desk, waiting for his superior to speak.
"You've been working hard lately."
Meng Xianwen capped his pen and set it aside, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Take it easy, too. Watch your health. Don't overwork yourself."
Xu Lai's expression relaxed: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Meng. I haven't been working too much overtime recently. Didn't we just run into each other at dinner yesterday?"
"Indeed, quite a coincidence." Meng Xianwen asked mildly, "Do you live near there as well?"
"Yes, mostly to be closer to my parents, easier to take care of them."
Meng Xianwen observed him without showing his hand.
Xu Lai was someone Meng Xianwen had personally groomed. He'd been his assistant since Meng Xianwen returned to China to take over Hengxing. His background was transparent, his character steady and sincere. Over the past few years, his work prowess was undeniable, and his future was undoubtedly bright.
Both his business matters and certain personal affairs were entrusted to Xu Lai.
"Your parents' health really does matter more." Meng Xianwen mused. "After the project launch, I'll give you a month off. Spend some good time with them."
Paid leave—who doesn't love that? Xu Lai was no exception, the smile on his face warming by a notch: "Thank you, Mr. Meng."
"Don't mention it. It's well deserved." Meng Xianwen leaned back casually, a faint smile playing on his lips, and chatted lightly, "Go out, clear your head, recharge. You can start thinking about where to go—any good spots for a vacation."
Xu Lai: "My mom might prefer the seaside."
"The seaside's nice. Same thought as my girlfriend—she's been wanting to go out to sea to relax too. She's been going on about it for a while."
Meng Xianwen paused briefly, then asked offhandedly, "I've been so busy I forgot. Speaking of relaxing, it reminds me—did I ever mention to you about booking a yacht?"
Xu Lai's expression froze for a split second. He was still holding the signed documents, as if recalling, his hand subtly tightening.
After a few seconds, he said in a composed voice, "Yes, you did mention it, but we hadn't finalized anything. Would you like me to start making arrangements?"
Meng Xianwen seemed lost in brief thought.
After a long silence—so long that Xu Lai felt cold sweat forming on his back—he finally heard his boss answer, airily, "Make it happen soon."
-----------------------
