Who would dare bully Ning Zhen?
Meng Xianwen furrowed his brows almost immediately.
She had been in good spirits when she left this morning, and only twelve hours had passed since then. During that time, she should have stayed at Hongxin. The people who could give her a hard time there were few and far between. Uncle Song might have been displeased that the marriage alliance between the two families had fallen through, but he wouldn't go so far as to make things difficult for a younger person like her.
Song Yuqing was even less likely. As far as he knew, the fact that Shengdu had managed to secure the exclusive interview was partly thanks to her pushing things along behind the scenes.
"Song Hang or Song Yue?" In just a few seconds, Meng Xianwen had formed suspects in his mind. He looked at her profile and asked in a calm voice.
Ning Zhen was still eating her bayberry shaved ice. She hadn't even swallowed a mouthful when his words startled her. She turned her head sharply to meet his gaze, the cold making her throat tickle. She covered her mouth and coughed.
Meng Xianwen's expression softened. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Or did both of them have a hand in it?"
"No, no, no!"
Ning Zhen was merely shocked that he had guessed so quickly. Was his brain just that sharp?
But one thing was one thing. She hated the people who bullied her, and she couldn't wrongly blame those who hadn't. "It's not Song Hang. He seems to be on a business trip or something. Okay, fine, it's Song Yue! I really, truly despise him!"
Back when she used to hang out with Meng Jiaran, she would occasionally run into Song Yue too.
At the time, she had been puzzled. Song Yue seemed polite enough, wasn't bad-looking, and always had interesting things to say. So why did Meng Jiaran get so annoyed whenever he saw him?
Meng Jiaran's friends weren't necessarily all good people, but anyone he disliked definitely wasn't someone worth trusting.
"What did he do?" Meng Xianwen could probably guess the reason, but he still wanted to hear it from her own mouth. After a moment's thought, he added, partly as an elaboration, partly as a warning, "Try to stick to the facts. Don't exaggerate."
Ning Zhen shot him an indignant glare. "How dare you accuse me of exaggerating? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had to put up with this kind of nonsense!"
She stepped forward in frustration, closing the distance between them. The faint scent of her soft hair drifted around him in wisps. "Meng Xianwen, it's all your fault, all your fault. I don't understand what kind of internal squabbles the Song family has, but today it's Song Yue, and tomorrow there might be someone else, thinking I messed up the marriage alliance between the Meng and Song families. What does that have to do with me? You're someone who can't be provoked, but does that make me the pushover?"
"And then?" His expression remained unchanged at her accusations.
Ning Zhen's lips were stained with the color of bayberry juice, a vivid red. "He said the things between you and me are nothing but trivial rubbish!"
Meng Xianwen's gaze sharpened, fixed firmly on her.
Ning Zhen shrank back a little. His sharp and dangerous look genuinely made her uneasy. She pursed her lips and quickly revised her statement. "...Well, his exact words were roughly along those lines. Anyway, he said something like 'what kind of rubbish is all this, day after day.' I'm your girlfriend. If he talks about me, isn't he talking about you too?"
"What did Song Yuqing say?" After a moment of silence, Meng Xianwen's face had clearly darkened considerably. He softened his tone and asked.
"She said Song Yue did it on purpose. On the surface, he was defending her, but really he wanted to stir up conflict between you two." Ning Zhen stole a glance at his stern features.
Meng Xianwen made no comment on the internal affairs of the Song family. He hummed in acknowledgment, seemingly losing interest in the topic. He glanced at the shaved ice in her hand. "Finish eating before you get in the car."
Ning Zhen's eyes went wide as she watched him turn around, open the car door, and get in—all in one fluid motion, without a pause.
She was speechless. She also found it strange that she should be angry, yet somehow, after venting her frustration at him, that suffocating feeling had completely dissipated.
After finishing every last bite of the bayberry shaved ice, she didn't hesitate to use his clean handkerchief to wipe her hands, tossed her head back stylishly, and slid into the passenger seat. "Driver, take me home!"
Truth be told, she wasn't expecting Meng Xianwen to do anything about it. Tonight, she was just using him as a punching bag, a sounding board. She felt much better after letting it all out.
When she was upset, of course she had to vent. But back in the afternoon, she couldn't exactly lash out at Song Yuqing, could she?
While in the Hongxin parking lot, she had already planned it: if Meng Xianwen was working overtime, she would go find Meng Jiaran instead.
If the brother owes a debt, the younger brother pays it back. No problem at all!
Meng Xianwen lowered the window on the driver's side. At some point, he had unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. The night breeze carried warmth into the car, and his demeanor had become much more relaxed. "Don't take this to heart."
Ning Zhen buckled her seatbelt and replied without thinking, "Well, I can't do that. Whoever bullies me, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life!"
She paused, then gave a light snort. "But don't worry, I know my limits. I won't mention this to anyone. Hey, I didn't even want to tell you in the first place—you're the one who insisted on asking."
"..." Meng Xianwen was silent. He started the engine again and drove off.
...
Ning Zhen had just finished her shower and hadn't even dried her hair yet. Standing at the bathroom sink, she was acting as Song Yuqing's long-distance tactical advisor over WeChat.
A few minutes earlier, Song Yuqing had sent her a message asking for help: [I came home and deliberately told the housekeeper I had no appetite and wouldn't eat dinner. But now I'm in my room and I've realized I can't cry. What do I do?]
Ning Zhen: [Do you have any eye drops at home? Put a few drops in!]
Song Yuqing sent several exclamation marks to show her surprise. In truth, more than dealing with Song Yue, the thrill of mischief was winning her over. She had lived by the rules for over twenty years; this was perhaps the first time she was breaking them, stepping outside the boundaries her parents had mapped out for her.
The feeling of "doing something bad" was unexpectedly liberating and exhilarating.
She followed Ning Zhen's advice, found the eye drops in the medicine cabinet in her room, and when the knock on the door came, she immediately put a few drops in her eyes. With moist eyes, she went to open the door. Seeing who it was, she sniffled and spoke with a hint of a sob in her voice. "Mom."
The soundproofing in Ning Zhen's apartment was only average, and she wasn't exactly being discreet. After Meng Xianwen finished washing up and left the bathroom, he was on his way to the study as usual when, for the first time, he paused outside the master bedroom door.
Through the closed door, her bright, cheerful laughter drifted out.
He used a dry towel to rub his hair and then walked away.
Lying on the bed in the master bedroom, Ning Zhen had no idea. She rolled over and unknowingly chatted with Song Yuqing for a long time. This was also her idea: since Song Yue wanted to play the role of the good big brother, defending his little sister's honor, the little sister naturally couldn't slap him in the face openly.
After all, "family scandal should not be aired in public." But precisely because of that, the Song family should be even more wary than the Meng family of anyone knowing they had ever considered a marriage alliance. The more devoted Ning Zhen and Meng Xianwen appeared, the tighter that rumor had to be suppressed.
One time could be seen as defending someone's honor; two times was impulsive foolishness; three times meant ulterior motives.
Song Tao was Song Yue's uncle. The two were blood-related, so he would be forgiving and would cover for him. But Song Yuqing's mother was no pushover either. Song Yuqing had suffered quiet losses before—she was gentle and reserved by nature and unwilling to make a fuss, which was why her cousin had exploited her time and time again.
No parent wants their children caught up in gossip about relationships and reputations being dragged through the mud.
Song Yue had completely backed himself into the "good big brother" persona. And a good big brother couldn't possibly undermine his sister. A good big brother couldn't possibly covet what belonged to his sister. Right?
Ning Zhen gleefully sent a voice message to Song Yuqing: "You've definitely never been a fan of a celebrity. Whoever builds a persona becomes a hostage to that persona. Unless they keep it up for a lifetime, when it collapses, everyone will be screaming for their head."
With a whoosh, the voice message was sent successfully.
She was determined to make things hard for Song Yue. Offending the female lead might not be a big deal, but offending the supporting female character and getting away with it scot-free? Dream on!
The more Ning Zhen thought about it, the happier she became. She let out the villain's laugh straight out of a TV drama. After she had laughed her fill, she lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Wait a second—she was clearly talking about Song Yue just now, so why did she have this weird feeling that a boomerang was about to come right back and hit her?
Song Yuqing also sent a voice message, her tone light and laced with amusement: "If someone can keep up the act for a lifetime, then even a fake can become real. Wouldn't that be a good thing after all?"
Ning Zhen's expression stiffened. "..."
Ugh, this was even weirder!
-
The next stretch of days passed without a hitch. With Song Yuqing pulling strings, Ning Zhen went in and out of Hongxin Group several times, even meeting Song Tao, but she never ran into Song Yue again. She was in such high spirits that even the strands of her hair seemed to radiate joy.
Thanks to Hongxin's cooperation, Shengdu's special interview with the company went off smoothly. During internal meetings, even the boss singled her out for praise a few times. She was full of the kind of cheer that comes with good fortune.
One morning at the breakfast table, she said happily to Meng Xianwen, "The interview wraps up today! When my bonus hits next month, I'll treat you to a nice meal!"
Meng Xianwen paused mid-sip of his tea, lifting his eyes to look at her. "Wrapping up today?"
"Yes! Our whole team has been working on this interview forever, we're exhausted." Ning Zhen stretched lazily, her expression relaxed. "I'll go over once more, get it done, and then I'm grabbing a few extra drinks from their break room. I have a feeling that once my little episode goes up on the official account, this will become an internet-famous beverage. Honestly, my ability to sell things is top-notch—the boss has officially stamped that."
Meng Xianwen let out a contemptuous snort, making no effort to hide his mockery.
Ning Zhen didn't care in the slightest. She had gained so much over this period of time. Her boss had said her name would appear in the weekly magazine, and this achievement would be written into her professional record. On top of that, her relationship with Song Yuqing had gradually grown closer, and they had become friends who chatted on WeChat every single day.
In the afternoon.
Ning Zhen and her colleagues were busily organizing the interview equipment in Song Tao's office. She had spent the whole day in a bustle, casually grabbing a hair tie to pull her hair back, while her peripheral gaze stole a look at Song Tao chatting with the chief editor.
Over fifty, but perhaps thanks to rubbing off some luck from Song Yuqing—the novel's female lead—he was energetic and full of vigor, moving with a spring in his step. He looked at least a decade younger, well-preserved with no trace of aging, as if he could hold reign over the group for another twenty or thirty years.
"Finally done," her colleague whispered in Ning Zhen's ear. "We should get off early today. Want to grab hotpot together?"
Ning Zhen was just about to nod and say yes when a knock came at the door, one knock after another, with a slightly urgent rhythm as if something pressing had come up.
Song Tao's secretary was closer to the door and turned to open it. Everyone in the office instinctively looked over. The person outside was someone they all knew—Song Tao's longtime special assistant, a man of painstaking attention to detail. Yet at this moment, a trace of disarray flickered across his face.
Ning Zhen exchanged a glance with her colleague, and without a word, they sped up what they were doing, guessing that something important needed Song Tao's attention. They would have to quickly take their leave and get out of there.
"What is it?" Song Tao suppressed his courteous smile, frowning at the assistant.
The assistant felt just as helpless. Five minutes ago, he had received a call from the security desk saying that a car with a license plate specially registered with the executive office had pulled into the parking lot.
Fighting to keep his composure, he reported, "Chairman Song, Mr. Meng is here."
