That night, quite a few people found it hard to fall asleep.
News of Meng Xianwen's hospitalization had indeed made its way back to Beicheng. Several of his friends originally wanted to rush to Nancheng, but Xiao Xuezhen stopped them. The Meng family had always kept a low profile and truly didn’t want to stir up a huge fuss or invite wild speculation.
Though they didn’t come in person, they kept a close eye on the situation in Nancheng.
That evening, a few of them gathered together. Chang Yi happened to scroll past Ning Zhen’s social media post and didn’t know whether to laugh or feel speechless. He commented: “【Hang in there】”
The others followed suit, all leaving the same comment: Hang in there.
Chang Yi alternated between laughter and exasperation, shaking his head as he sighed. “It’s like the saying goes: brine curdles tofu—everyone has their match. I’d have never believed in a million years that Xianwen would fall for Ning Zhen. It’s too wild.”
No kidding.
They weren’t strangers to Ning Zhen, but three months ago, they’d all only seen her as a younger generation, the same as Meng Jiaran. If she’d ended up with Meng Jiaran, no one would have been surprised—it would have been perfectly normal. But with Meng Xianwen as the other party? It was just too strange.
Privately, some joked about Meng Xianwen, asking why he had to pick his younger brother’s childhood friend.
Of course, everyone knew Meng Jiaran and Ning Zhen’s relationship was strictly innocent—no one was spreading rumors—but that didn’t change the fact that Meng Xianwen was an old cow grazing on young grass.
“That’s true,” someone agreed, but only went so far, tactfully adding, “I thought the Meng family might align with the Song family…”
Chang Yi waved his hand dismissively. “Even less likely.”
He and Meng Xianwen had been friends for over a decade; he wasn’t blind to how Xianwen avoided Song Yuqing like the plague.
Looking back now, everything actually pointed to it. With Song Yuqing, Meng Xianwen was never anything but proper. Because of their families’ ties, he would look out for her, but it always carried the attitude of an elder toward a younger—warm yet distant.
But with Ning Zhen…
The most vivid memory was probably six months ago. Ning Zhen attended a gathering with her boss, and coincidentally, Chang Yi and Meng Xianwen were there too. As a newcomer, she behaved obediently, trailing behind her boss. Feeling thirsty, she slipped off to a corner to grab some wine.
She had just picked up a glass when Meng Xianwen walked over and directly stopped her.
After the gathering ended, he insisted his driver take her home.
If it had been Song Yuqing, Meng Xianwen would have asked for her input first. But with Ning Zhen, he didn’t seem to bother—there was a certain assertiveness about it.
…
Nancheng. Hotel.
Xiao Xuezhen and Meng Jingshan had washed up and lain in bed, unable to sleep. After years of marriage, they shared some private thoughts. “Isn’t it strange?” Xiao Xuezhen said. “When Xianwen was little and got sick, I never worried much. But now he’s almost thirty, and the smallest bump or scrape just twists my heart.”
Meng Jingshan sat propped up, scrolling through his phone.
He also came across Ning Zhen’s post. His finger paused for a moment before he said casually, “He’s about the age to start a family.”
“What do you mean?” Xiao Xuezhen was briefly taken aback, then quickly caught on and chuckled softly. “Don’t tell me you actually think Zhenzhen isn’t so bad now?”
“I never said that.”
“Oh.” Xiao Xuezhen let out a quiet sigh. “Originally, I didn’t agree either. But today, watching Xianwen lying in that hospital bed, I kept thinking—if he’s happy, that’s what matters. We can’t control everything else.”
“I never said he couldn’t be happy.”
Meng Jingshan pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke from the heart. “The way he handled this wasn’t right. It was improper. If he was going to get involved, who could stop him? But should he at least have told us? Fine, he didn’t—fine, forget it. But if he has no shame, I still have some. That was the old mansion. His grandparents were right there watching, and he dared to pull that at home—ah, forget it, that good-for-nothing, I’m done talking about it!”
Xiao Xuezhen felt awkward too. “What do you mean, ‘grandparents watching’? That makes it sound spooky!”
“I haven’t even mentioned the Guanyin statue at home,” Meng Jingshan said coldly.
“You’re sticking your nose into young people’s business too much!” Xiao Xuezhen changed the subject. “From now on, be nicer to Zhenzhen. You’re always giving her that sour face—aren’t you embarrassed? She’s younger than Jiaran!”
“Me giving her a sour face?”
Xiao Xuezhen’s expression softened slightly.
She knew her husband’s nature. If he truly disliked Ning Zhen, he wouldn’t even care if she was dating his son, let alone if they got married—he’d just ignore her. His behavior wasn’t so much about having a problem with Ning Zhen as it was about not knowing how to handle his own embarrassment.
To them, Ning Zhen was practically like a half-daughter.
That night had been excruciatingly awkward.
After the awkwardness came a rush of irritation.
“Let’s sleep, let’s sleep.” Meng Jingshan didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. He pulled the blanket down and lay flat. “You go to sleep too. We need to be at the hospital early tomorrow.”
Xiao Xuezhen rolled her eyes at him.
She sent a message to Ning Zhen: 【Zhenzhen, don’t stay up late. Get some rest early.】
In the hospital room.
The moment Ning Zhen received that message, a soft knock came from the door. She put her phone away and went to open it.
Meng Jiaran stood in the doorway.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I was worried.” Meng Jiaran stepped inside. “He hasn’t woken up, has he?”
Ning Zhen made a shushing gesture. “He opened his eyes briefly, then went back to sleep.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“It’s not a big deal.” Ning Zhen didn’t want to cause a commotion. Not long after she’d posted on social media, Meng Xianwen had woken up. He still seemed a bit uncomfortable—he’d had some water and then fallen back asleep. “If you all came, it would definitely wake him up.”
Meng Jiaran frowned. “True.”
He tiptoed over to the bedside and looked at his brother worriedly, standing there for so long that Ning Zhen began to wonder if he’d turn into a statue pining for a brother who’d never return.
Stories about power struggles in wealthy families were common, but the Meng family was unusually harmonious.
Meng Xianwen always protected Meng Jiaran. Otherwise, in her so-called ‘dream,’ he wouldn’t have flown into such a rage and quietly gotten rid of her. If Meng Jingshan hadn’t come downstairs and caused that huge scene, Ning Zhen believed things would have developed just like in the original story.
Back then, he had gone along with it—not for her sake, but for Meng Jiaran’s.
That was how the original story described it: He kept things quiet because he didn’t want his innocent, simple-minded brother to lose faith in human nature and friendship. In Meng Jiaran’s heart, Ning Zhen was his childhood playmate, his old friend. If he ever learned about her scheming, he would be deeply hurt.
Ning Zhen didn’t quite agree with that, but she knew that was exactly how Meng Xianwen thought.
Likewise, Meng Jiaran had a deep affection for Meng Xianwen. That bond of blood was so strong that even when he knew the woman he loved secretly admired his brother, he couldn’t bring himself to feel jealousy or resentment.
“Go sit down and rest,” Ning Zhen said helplessly, hugging a blanket as she curled up on the couch.
Meng Jiaran snapped out of it and slumped into the single sofa, exhausted and stiff. He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, and suddenly blurted out, “Zhenzhen, I’ve made up my mind. This time, I’m going to work at the company.”
“…”
Ning Zhen was full of question marks. Was this the conclusion he’d reached after standing there like a statue for over ten minutes?
She gave a flat “Oh,” then said, “That’s great, then.”
“You think I’ve been pretty willful, don’t you?”
Ning Zhen shook her head.
Willful? Not quite. But he was certainly a handful.
She couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried. For example, why did he have to keep his feelings for Song Yuqing so secret? He hid it like it was top-secret. And even if Song Yuqing saw Meng Xianwen as her lifelong crush, so what? If he liked her, he should just go after her.
In the end, the real problem was that the man was just way too repressed.
"Actually, whether you go or not doesn't make much difference," she said honestly. "If you go, you might just hold us back."
Take Meng Jiaran—completely love-struck. Looking at the whole story, he never really accomplished anything in his career, but it didn't matter since he was born with everything. The greatest hardship he ever suffered was his secret crush.
And he even got the girl in the end! After going through a series of events, Song Yuqing finally came to her senses and realized that her feelings for Meng Xianwen weren't romantic love but rather a sense of nostalgia and admiration. The one she truly liked was the Meng Jiaran who had always quietly been by her side.
After three hundred thousand words of back and forth, things fell into place naturally, and they lived happily ever after.
Upon hearing this, Meng Jiaran slowly turned to look at her. "Sister Zhen, you have no loyalty when it comes to the opposite sex." Then he laughed, slipping back into his usual careless, mischievous tone as he teased her, "Is it that in your heart, my brother is especially impressive?"
"No need to compare him with me?" Ning Zhen snorted. "Compared with me, you're already useless."
Meng Jiaran: "..."
After a long silence, he let out a low, muffled laugh. He looked at her seriously and said, "It feels more natural talking to you like this."
He really had trouble adjusting to the change in their relationship. Over the past three months, every time he saw Ning Zhen, he felt awkward and strange.
As if reminded of something unpleasant, Ning Zhen's expression turned cold. She looked away, staring out the window. For a long time, she had been certain that she would end up with Meng Jiaran, and she had made all sorts of efforts toward that goal.
She did regret what happened that night.
But whether she regretted it or not, it seemed to make no difference. If she hadn't regretted it that night and had followed the original plot, Meng Xianwen would have taken care of her, and she'd be out on the streets. If she had regretted it and done nothing, what happened? She was still caught red-handed by that damn Meng Xianwen, her dreams shattered, and she'd be out on the streets.
Either way, she was kicked out.
The difference was that the first option meant leaving with no money, and the second meant leaving with money.
How could a side character not be frustrated...
She really, really hated Meng Xianwen!
As Ning Zhen's thoughts wandered, she tilted her head and fell asleep half-reclining on the sofa. Before drifting off, she groggily pondered how to squeeze every bit of benefit she could from Meng Xianwen over the next nine months and make the most of being his girlfriend on paper.
"Zhenzhen, wake up."
Early in the morning, before dawn, Ning Zhen was in the middle of a dream about becoming a rich woman when someone suddenly woke her up. She turned over, but this person just patted her again. Annoying and relentless, she groggily opened her eyes to see Meng Jiaran's face. "My brother is awake."
Ning Zhen snapped back to reality.
She sat up abruptly, ignoring her sore back, and looked at the hospital bed. It was empty, with the blanket pushed aside. "Where is he?"
Meng Jiaran pointed toward the bathroom. The sound of running water came from inside. "He's in the bathroom—probably taking a shower."
Ning Zhen paused for a moment, then thought, Of course. Very typical of Meng Xianwen.
He had a ton of rules. Apart from the first time he came to her place three months ago, every time after that, he would send a message specifically reminding her to have the cleaning lady tidy up, as if her place were a garbage dump.
But she knew how to take advantage of a good thing. Not long ago, she had suggested that since he had so many properties lying around, it would be a waste not to use them. Giving her a nice penthouse in a prime location would actually be doing him a favor.
One with a housekeeper and a driver!
She argued without shame; after all, she was Meng Xianwen's girlfriend. Was it even acceptable for her to take the subway or call a ride every day? Or to live in an apartment of only ninety square meters?
He had only responded with amusement, asking if she was dreaming before the sun had even set.
"Oh."
Ning Zhen slowly got up, smoothed her hair, and said with feigned concern, "Is it okay for him to shower right now?"
Meng Jiaran shrugged. "Then why don't you go in and drag him out?"
Ning Zhen: "..."
She beat Meng Jiaran to it and sent the good news to Xiao Xuezhen and Meng Jingshan. After she finished, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Meng Xianwen came out, carrying a brisk coolness with him. At least he had the decency not to wash his hair.
He seemed to have just noticed the two people standing guard in the room.
As he walked over, he said lightly, "How did Zhenzhen end up here?"
Before she could answer, he frowned at Meng Jiaran, paused for a moment, and asked with a trace of confusion, "Jiaran, when did you come back to the country?"
Meng Jiaran and Ning Zhen exchanged a look. Come back to the country? He had returned a year ago...
