The quiet bar suddenly became lively, with people continuously jeering and loudly asking who Miss Ning was.
Ning Zhen hadn’t even come back to her senses yet, her face full of bewilderment, her violent heartbeat melting into the fervent atmosphere.
There weren’t many customers, and everyone present shook their heads and waved their hands, laughing loudly in denial: “Not me, I don’t have the surname Ning, and I don’t have a boyfriend either. That’s really a sad story. But hey, since someone’s paying, I’ll order a few more drinks!”
Everyone’s gaze swept from table to table, then all focused on Ning Zhen and Guo Xia.
Finally, it landed on Ning Zhen, who was covering her blushing face with her hands, the dreamy, hazy light overhead shining directly down on her.
Who Miss Ning was—there was now no question.
At the table closest to them sat two office workers, one of whom had opened a laptop to deal with an urgent matter. Perhaps it was because the night was just too beautiful, but these two office workers picked up their cups, raised them toward Ning Zhen with a smile in their eyes, and clinked them across the air.
“Thanks, Miss Ning.”
The other tables followed suit. For a moment, everyone raised their glasses high, kindly smiles on their faces—including the young man who had asked Ning Zhen for her WeChat earlier. The gloom on his face had vanished entirely.
No need to regret a rare crush that never took off—consider today a chance encounter gifted by fate on this journey.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
Ning Zhen finished the juice in her glass, and her face was frozen in a strained smile. She then recalled something truly important and whispered to Guo Xia: “What if we’re overthinking this? Maybe there’s another Miss Ning here who prefers to stay anonymous?”
If that were the case, she would be so embarrassed!
Guo Xia said confidently, “If it’s not you or me, I’ll do a handstand and wash my hair in public.”
“Does Meng Xianwen have some kind of illness?”
Ning Zhen tried several times to ask him, dialing his number only to hang up each time. After hesitating and battling her feelings, she grew a bit annoyed.
“Your husband is a bit crazy, sure, but this kind of crazy is something only rich people can afford,” Guo Xia teased. “Anyway, I can’t match that. Even if I went to a dollar store and treated everyone, I couldn’t do it.”
Ning Zhen snorted in laughter.
After laughing, her heart suddenly filled with a strange emotion that inflated her like a balloon, making her feel like she could float away at any moment.
She glanced around, noticed far fewer eyes fixed on her, let out a quiet sigh of relief, and nudged Guo Xia’s shoe under the table.
The two were in perfect sync.
A single look, and they fully understood what the other meant.
A few minutes later, under the gentle, lingering melody of the live singer, the two crouched low and made a quick escape. The thrill of running off like that was too exciting. In the night, in the wind, the two girls ran hand in hand, putting the bar far behind them.
They stopped out of breath, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.
“Xiaxia.”
After Ning Zhen caught her breath, she stood under the streetlamp by the roadside, waiting for their ride. Gripping her bag strap, she said in an exaggerated tone, “Your makeup today is so perfect. How is it that you get more beautiful as the night goes on? How about I snap a few shots of you?”
Guo Xia gave her a knowing side-eye and said with an annoyed sigh, “Just say what you want to say.”
Ning Zhen couldn’t hold it in, broke out laughing, and then broached the topic: “Can we change our return flight to the North City tomorrow to an earlier one?”
“Get out of here, there’s no way I’m taking a plane this late!” Guo Xia refused without hesitation. “Are you out of your mind?”
"Not tonight, tomorrow." Ning Zhen spoke quickly, as if afraid she would refuse, leaning in to hug her and refusing to let go, acting coy. "I checked, and there's a flight back to Beicheng at 11:30 tomorrow morning. Pretty please?"
Guo Xia looked at her flushed cheeks with an incredulous expression before delivering her verdict. "What's wrong with you? Did you catch that rich-person disease too?"
What exactly was the difference between a 6 PM flight and an 11:30 AM one?
Even if there was, it just meant arriving in Beicheng six hours earlier.
Even at the peak of her honeymoon-phase obsession, she had never been this neurotic. How did this Miss High-and-Mighty dare call her a love fool before?
"Don't talk about me like that." Ning Zhen immediately dragged up old grievances. "Who was it that said she'd move into my place when her lease was up? And who was it that ditched me at the last minute for a lover, huh? Want me to keep listing examples?"
Guo Xia's face changed in an instant. "Fine, fine, 11:30 it is."
Ning Zhen was satisfied, hugging her again affectionately. "Babe, you're the best!"
Guo Xia tried to push her away in disgust, only to be amused into a laugh. "..."
...
Back at the hotel.
Both had clocked twenty thousand steps that day. Guo Xia showered and collapsed into bed, snoring away, while Ning Zhen tossed and turned. The room was too quiet—so quiet that she could hear her own heart thumping.
She rolled left, then right, carefully reaching over to the nightstand to grab her phone. She was never one to keep things bottled up, yet she couldn't even send a simple "What do you mean by that?"
She wanted to frown.
But her heart was silently laughing.
She was laughing because she had caught Meng Xianwen in the act. The man who always mocked others for being delusional had a heart smaller than a needle's eye—jealous over such a trivial thing and making such a big fuss about it. How childish.
---
The next morning.
Ning Zhen got up with dark circles under her eyes, a stark contrast to Guo Xia, who looked radiant. After breakfast at the hotel, they took a cab to the airport.
On the way.
Acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary, she screenshotted the 6 PM flight and sent it to Xiao Ding.
Xiao Ding replied instantly: [Got it]
Ning Zhen deliberately checked the time—it was still early, just past eight. She replied with feigned nonchalance: [So early]
Xiao Ding sent a goofy smiley face: [Just dropped Mr. Meng off at the office]
Ning Zhen had to hand it to workaholic Meng Xianwen. But since he'd just arrived at the company, it meant he hadn't started his busy day yet. Originally, she wanted to call him directly, but she was worried the ride-hailing driver's navigation prompts would give away the surprise she had planned for him, so she switched to text: [I sent the flight number to Xiao Ding]
She waited a few minutes.
His reply came just as slowly: [Up this early?]
Ning Zhen's heart skipped a beat.
She'd almost forgotten how sharp that sly dog's instincts were!
She had her response rehearsed, carefully choosing her words: [Haha, no way. Just lying in bed playing with my phone, planning to go back to sleep in a bit. You better come pick me up tonight! If you don't, this is what you'll get 💣🔪]
This time, his reply was longer: [We'll see. I need to head back to the family estate this afternoon. I'll only be free whenever I'm done. Whether I come or not, Xiao Ding will pick you up]
Back to the estate?
It was a workday today—was something important going on? Confused, Ning Zhen asked: [What's going on at home?]
Meng Xianwen replied succinctly: [Picking up my seal, and having a meal with my parents while I'm at it]
I see.
Ning Zhen breathed a sigh of relief—good thing she'd texted to check. If she'd flown all the way back to North City and gone straight to Hengxing to pick him up, she'd have missed him entirely.
A faint smile tugged at her lips as she rolled down the car window. The morning breeze carried a chill, tousling her hair.
…
The flight touched down at North City Airport on schedule at 2:40 PM.
Ning Zhen was headed to the Meng family's old estate, while Guo Xia was going a different direction, so the two parted ways reluctantly at the terminal entrance. The drive from the airport to the old estate was a long one—nearly two hours even without traffic—and to keep her surprise intact, she refrained from sending him any clingy messages for the entire day.
This was the first time she'd ever planned a surprise for someone like this.
While he believed she was still in a city far, far away, she'd suddenly appear right in front of him and tell him, triumphantly: Ha! Bet you didn't see that coming!
She was already picturing the look on his face when he saw her.
Ning Zhen pulled out her phone and proactively sent Xiao Xuezhen a message about the plan. For one, since she wasn't arriving at the Meng estate with Meng Xianwen, she needed to give a heads-up in advance. For another, she wanted to wheedle the kitchen into making her favorite dishes.
Not long after sending the message, she received a voice note from Xiao Xuezhen, whose gentle voice carried the warmth of indulgent laughter: "Alright, alright, I promise I'll keep it from him for you."
The car glided smoothly along the wide boulevard.
The weather in North City was beautiful that day. Approaching five o'clock, the sky was painted in a stunning shade of orange-pink by the sunset—a breathtaking sight.
Ning Zhen had the driver stop at the wrought-iron gate, her spirits soaring. The security guards all knew her, so she left her luggage at the booth without a second thought, saying breezily, "I'll pick it up when I come back."
The guard had worked at the Meng residence for years and naturally knew her connection to the family. He readily agreed and even offered, "Would you like a car sent to take you to the main house?"
"No need, I'll walk over."
It was strange—ordinarily, she lacked the patience for this stretch of path, but today she found herself enjoying it.
As she walked along, she spotted Meng Xianwen's Rolls-Royce parked in front of the fountain by the main building from a distance.
Ning Zhen instinctively quickened her pace, her face bright with a smile—but it faltered for a heartbeat when she caught sight of the G-Class parked nearby. She recognized whose car it was and felt a flicker of confusion: What was the ever-busy Lu Yuan doing here?
"Zhenzhen?"
The butler emerged from the main building and, seeing her standing still by the car, hurried down the steps toward her.
Ning Zhen gave a bright smile and asked curiously, "Uncle Yang, are Xianwen and Lu Yuan both here?"
"They're both here."
The butler chuckled and gestured upward. "The house is lively today—I need to keep an eye on the kitchen. They're both in the tea room chatting. Shall I take you there?"
Xiao Xuezhen had, of course, already told the butler that Ning Zhen was coming and would be staying for dinner.
He knew she was expected.
If Ning Zhen had been anyone else, the butler wouldn't have let her in while the men appeared to be in the middle of some discussion.
But she wasn't just anyone—she was practically family to the Mengs.
"No need for that, Uncle Yang. Go do what you need to do. I can find my own way in." With that, Ning Zhen took the stairs two at a time, light on her feet, and slipped quietly into the main building.
The butler glanced back until she disappeared from sight, then headed off toward the annex with a pleased smile.
Xiao Xuezhen loved quiet. Thick carpets covered the floor from the antique display shelf all the way to the tea room, muffling every step. Ning Zhen made her way across the living room, and with only a few paces left before reaching the tea room, she stopped, lifting a hand to smooth her hair, which the wind had tousled.
The sliding door of the tea room wasn't fully closed, and voices drifted out from within, muffled and indistinct.
Ning Zhen pressed her lips together, hurried over to the door, reached out, and lightly pulled the edge open. An “I'm back” caught in her throat, overwhelmed by another voice, one brimming with surprise. “Wonderful, wonderful! Truly blessed by the Bodhisattva — it's your grandparents watching over us. You've finally gotten your memory back. Blessed be!”
She froze on the spot, her expression going blank.
Her right hand hung frozen in midair, her gaze darting frantically across the others in the room before settling on Meng Xianwen, who was calmly raising a cup of tea to his lips. He appeared entirely composed, and upon noticing her arrival, he paused for a beat, then looked straight at her.
A flicker of astonishment crossed his unreadable eyes — so quick, so fleeting, merely seconds.
Unconsciously, Meng Xianwen clenched his teacup. His expression shifted through several shades before settling into calmness. “All thanks to Lu Yuan and his medical team. They worked very hard and set up several treatment plans tailored to my situation. From now on, we'll focus on prevention and recovery, so hopefully this kind of incident won't happen again.”
“Zhenzhen, come in!”
Xiao Xuezhen hadn't been this happy in a long time. Seeing Ning Zhen standing frozen at the door, she pulled her inside and joyfully announced the good news, “Did you hear that? Xianwen is getting better. Look —”
She shot a glance at her husband. Meng Jingshan, who had been flipping through the medical reports page by page, sighed with a mix of helplessness and barely concealed delight, handing the stack of documents to Ning Zhen. “Take a look,” he said, then let out a long sigh, his tone complicated. “It's a pity your grandfather didn't live to see this day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone without recovering his memory all those years, and I wouldn't have been wrongly accused by him for so long!”
Ning Zhen stared blankly at Meng Xianwen.
Under his casual, almost dismissive gaze, she had the urge to turn and run.
But his eyes pinned her in place, keeping her rooted and motionless.
He'd recovered his memory.
He remembered everything.
So she...
AHHHHH!
She felt as if her soul had left her body at that moment — yet her body moved on its own, instinctively taking the stack of reports from Meng Jingshan's hands. She tried to steady herself, to focus and read closely, but every word seemed to squirm like ants. She recognized the characters, yet couldn't grasp their meaning. Her mind churned with chaos, and she felt utterly lost, not knowing what to do.
Everyone in the tea room was overflowing with joy.
Only she stood at the eye of the storm.
“Lu Yuan, we're so, so grateful to you!” Even though Lu Yuan was of a younger generation, Xiao Xuezhen kept expressing her gratitude over and over. She was never one to show emotion easily — unless she was overjoyed, she wouldn't have lost her composure like this. “If it weren't for you, your uncle and I would never have let him have his way. Thanks to you — truly, thank you.”
Ning Zhen could clearly feel that ever since she'd walked in, Meng Xianwen's gaze had kept drifting toward her, intentionally or not.
Was he observing her? Or judging her?
She kept her head lowered, unwilling — and afraid — to meet his eyes.
It's over.
Those were the only three words left in her mind, loud and clear.
Ning Zhen didn't know where to rest her eyes. She let her gaze wander and accidentally landed on Lu Yuan's right hand, which he'd been keeping behind his back. Even as he gently echoed Aunt Xiao's words, he was picking at his fingers.
Then, suddenly.
A conversation echoed in her ears as if being replayed—
“Sister Shuwei, why do you follow so many hand models on your account?”
“Haha, you caught me. Honestly, compared to looks, I still prefer men with nice hands. Haven’t you noticed Lu Yuan’s hands? So ugly I can’t even bear to look at them. It’s ridiculous.”
“I never noticed. What’s wrong with his hands?”
“When he was little, whenever Lu Yuan felt anxious, lied, or was uneasy, he’d bite his nails. They were so bare and ragged you couldn’t stand to look at them. My dad would get furious seeing him act so pathetic, so he made me supervise him and stop him from biting his nails. Well, fine—he doesn’t bite them anymore. Now he picks at his fingers instead.”
Ning Zhen’s frantic, teetering heart felt as if it had been dropped into a glass of ice-cold water called clarity.
In an instant, it plunged to freezing point.
She calmed down quickly.
The grip with which she clutched the thick report relaxed from tense to loose. She lifted her eyes to Meng Xianwen, her lips trembling, a glimmer of tears in her gaze, and spoke in a choked voice, “Really? That’s wonderful—I knew you’d remember it eventually!”
