Under the gaze of everyone, Meng Xianwen walked over to Ning Zhen unhurriedly and sat down beside her.
His demeanor was far too composed and confident, completely devoid of the awkwardness or self-consciousness of someone who had invited himself. After his eyes found Ning Zhen, he didn't look at her again. Instead, he casually scanned the crowd, nodding and smiling at a few familiar faces.
Cai Zechuan, one of Meng Jiaran's childhood friends, was the first to react. He stepped forward, tilted his chin toward the bartender to signal for a drink menu, and said, "Brother, Jiaran just left a moment ago—he went to pick up Yuqing, should be back any minute now." He handed the menu to Meng Xianwen with a broad smile. "Brother, take a look, see what you'd like to drink. Shen Xuan's bar has everything."
Meng Xianwen accepted it politely, then set it down on the table, clearly not in the mood for a drink.
He tilted his head slightly, looked at Ning Zhen—whose lips were pressed tight—and reached over to pick up the uniquely shaped glass beside her hand. "Did you order this?"
Ning Zhen was utterly baffled.
She was still reeling from his unannounced arrival. Without thinking too much, she nodded.
Looking at the drink's bizarre gradient of colors, Meng Xianwen furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly. He rarely drank, and even when he did, he wouldn't touch something that was neither quite alcohol nor quite a soft drink—a sugary little cocktail. After only a brief moment of hesitation, he took a few calm sips.
Everyone else, including their host Cai Zechuan, stared in stunned silence.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed Meng Xianwen could be like this.
This trip tonight was totally worth it.
These people, of course, knew about the relationship between Meng Xianwen and Ning Zhen. It had been the talk of the town for months, and Ning Zhen was hardly discreet about it—she showed off their romance every single day with something new. But knowing about it was one thing; seeing their intimacy up close was another.
Ning Zhen watched Meng Xianwen set the glass down.
She lowered her eyes. He'd just drunk half of her drink?
He didn't even ask if he could.
"You..." She habitually started to protest, opening her mouth, but then remembered there were plenty of eyes on them, so she changed course. "Are you off work?"
"Mm."
Meng Xianwen glanced down at his watch and asked gently, "Have you eaten?"
Ning Zhen rolled her eyes internally.
Here we go again.
He was really getting into character. Back in those three months before he "lost his memory," he'd always put on this show of concern for her in front of others at business gatherings.
"I've eaten, of course," she said, flashing him a sweet smile. "I didn't know when you'd be done, so I thought I'd hang around here a bit and then go pick you up from work."
"Didn't you know?" He smiled too. "It's a bit noisy here. Did you not notice my messages?"
Ning Zhen was caught off guard by his retort.
An hour ago, he'd indeed sent her a message asking where she was.
Since returning to North City, she'd stopped sending him her location like she did during their trip. She didn't want him bringing that up either—it would make those eager, excited days seem foolish in hindsight.
"Really? Let me check!"
Her smile didn't waver. She pretended to reach for her phone, unlocked it, and tapped around. "Oh, there it is! I didn't even notice—I was too busy chatting with my friends."
The people nearby exchanged glances, their smiles turning meaningful.
And they said she wasn't whipped.
He was watching her that closely—coming all the way here just because she didn't reply to a message in time. Just like the rumors said: he was head over heels!
"It's fine."
Meng Xianwen reached out, pulled a few tissues from the dispenser, took her hand, and wiped the water droplets from her fingertips.
It was another sign of her nervousness.
When she'd watched him walk over, she'd gripped her glass so tightly that the condensation dripped down and wet her hand.
Ning Zhen flinched, trying to pull away, but he held on more firmly without making a show of it.
After drying her hand, Meng Xianwen looked over at Cai Zechuan with a placating smile. "You all go ahead and have fun, don't worry about us. I just came out to get some air and pick her up. Hope I'm not killing the mood."
Cai Zechuan let out a relieved breath, raising his voice. "No worries at all, Brother!"
The crowd there was made up of young, lively, rambunctious types, and soon the place was buzzing again, no longer the dead silence from before.
However, as the night wore on, fewer and fewer people lingered around Ning Zhen and Meng Xianwen.
The ones who'd been gossiping up a storm before he arrived casually grabbed their drinks and drifted away. They wanted to have fun, laugh, and speculate—but sitting next to Meng Xianwen, who was praised endlessly by their parents and grandparents, was simply too much pressure.
Ning Zhen's ears were finally clear, but she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
She shot him a glare and whispered, "What are you doing here?"
Meng Xianwen replied calmly, "Just passing through."
Ning Zhen was speechless. She didn't want to waste the drink she'd ordered, but knowing he'd drunk from it made her feel strange. She hated that uneasy feeling. So she steeled herself, picked up the glass, downed the rest in one gulp, and slammed it down with a clink.
She got off the bar stool, slung her bag over her shoulder, and said, "Let's go home!"
Up on the second floor, someone nudged Cai Zechuan. He hurriedly leaned over the railing and shouted, "Brother, Sister-in-law, you're leaving already?"
Ning Zhen's confident stride faltered for a split second.
She immediately looked up. Maybe her glare wasn't threatening enough, because Cai Zechuan didn't get the hint. He was completely oblivious, still calling out "Brother" and "Sister-in-law" without a care.
"You all enjoy yourselves."
Meng Xianwen stood at her side, reached out, and wrapped an arm around her waist, casually saying his goodbyes. "We have things to do. We'll head out first. No need to see us off."
The two of them walked out of the bar under everyone's watchful gaze.
The night had grown darker.
Suddenly, the sharp screech of tires against asphalt shattered the stillness.
Ning Zhen and Meng Xianwen looked over. It was Meng Jiaran's flashy, eye-catching Ferrari. Probably showing off for someone, he executed a perfect drift and parked. Then, as if blind to everyone around him, he walked around the front of the car, making a hundred little flourishes, and enthusiastically opened the passenger door for Song Yuqing. His attentiveness was almost comical.
"..."
"..."
Fortunately, when Song Yuqing got out, she spotted them, and nudged Meng Jiaran's arm, motioning toward the silently observing couple not far away.
The two of them walked over.
Song Yuqing greeted them first: "Zhenzhen, Brother Xianwen."
Ning Zhen winked at her, feigning regret. "Such a shame—I'm heading home right now."
Song Yuqing subtly glanced at Meng Xianwen beside her, made no attempt to keep her, and gave a gentle smile. "Another time, then."
Meng Jiaran was also shocked to see his brother there. He seemed a beat slow. "Brother, why are you here?"
"Yuqing, go on inside."
Meng Xianwen spoke to Song Yuqing politely, then cast a sidelong glance at Ning Zhen.
He didn't say a word to her, but she understood immediately. She waved goodbye to Song Yuqing and headed toward his car.
Song Yuqing dropped her gaze, turned, and walked in without another word.
The neon lights flickered in front of the bar, leaving just the two brothers standing there. Meng Xianwen looked at his younger brother, his polite smile for Song Yuqing gone, his expression stern. "You looking for a beating?"
Meng Jiaran looked bewildered. "Huh?"
"You knew Zhenzhen came to the company with Mom?" Meng Xianwen scolded. "And you called her away, leaving Mom waiting alone in my office. You think that's acceptable?"
"No, I—" Meng Jiaran ran a hand through his hair, trying to explain. "I didn't know she was with Mom in the first place."
"So you just assume she doesn't have anyone around her, and you can call her away anytime you want?"
"You're at work, bro, who else could be by her side..." Meng Jiaran's voice faded under his gaze. "Oh, I really didn't know. Has Mom been waiting long?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel remorseful. "Then I'll go back to the old house tonight, and tomorrow night too. I'll keep Mom company."
Meng Xianwen's expression softened. He said in a low, steady voice, "Don't stay out too late. Drink less. Notify the driver in advance to pick you up, and remember to take Yuqing home."
"I know."
Meng Xianwen didn't look at him again and left directly.
In the car.
Ning Zhen leaned her head against the window, playing with her phone. She was completely absorbed—when Meng Xianwen got in, she didn't even lift her eyelids, let alone glance his way.
Once the car started moving, Meng Xianwen lowered the partition without hesitation.
"Did you have fun?" he asked.
Ning Zhen had grown immune to his gentle tone. She put down her phone and answered seriously, "Not really. Do you know why?"
"Tell me."
"Because of you!" She paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "They secretly gave me a nickname behind my back—they call me 'henpecked.'"
Meng Xianwen was silent for a few seconds.
Ning Zhen watched his expression without blinking. "You're even smiling!"
If he hadn't shown up today, she could have found a way to clear things up.
The moment he arrived, she couldn't talk her way out of it even if she had a hundred mouths.
"Since when have you ever listened to me?" He turned sideways, looking at her with leisurely composure, and asked.
"How have I not listened!"
"Give me an example."
She wanted to argue, racking her brain for his past misdeeds. Just as she was about to cite one, she met his eyes—there was patience in them, and what seemed like a hint of encouragement.
Suddenly, she snapped out of it. She had almost fallen for his trick again.
"Why should I listen to you?" She changed her tune decisively. "I won't."
Meng Xianwen leaned back against the seat, relaxed and at ease. "You don't listen to me, but you take other people's nonsense to heart quite seriously."
Fine!
His sharp tongue had, all on its own, twisted the conversation right back to where it started.
If she complained about the "henpecked" nickname again, she'd be proving she took other people's words to heart.
A long-suppressed urge to strangle him rose up in Ning Zhen's chest.
The next second, his dry, warm palm covered hers. They had drunk from the same glass; their breath smelled the same.
She froze.
He had already taken her hand, interlacing their fingers tightly—two hands fitted together seamlessly, with an unyielding firmness. After making sure she wouldn't pull away, his thumb unconsciously stroked the back of her hand, as if to soothe her.
...
Xiao Ding dropped them off at the entrance of Building 18.
It was summertime, and even though it was late, quite a few residents were still strolling around the neighborhood.
Meng Xianwen got out of the car first. Ning Zhen let out a soft breath. Heaven knew what had gotten into him—he hadn't let go of her hand the entire ride, and what was even weirder was that he kept kneading it in his palm. Was it just her imagination?
She even thought he wanted to press a light kiss to her fingers.
She hoped it was just her imagination. Otherwise, he was a pervert!
She leaned forward slightly, and a strand of hair fell loose, covering her reddening ears.
"Xiao Ding, bye."
Ning Zhen dawdled, raising the partition to say goodbye to Xiao Ding, and got out of the car slowly. Before she could even steady herself, an arm reached out and wrapped around her waist.
He was acting a little out of the ordinary.
Actually, it wasn't all that unusual. They hadn't spent much time together these past few days, but every morning before he left for work, just like the day he saw her off on her trip, he would pull her close, stroke her hair, and say some trivial, meaningless words in a flat, calm tone: "Come home early after work."
Ning Zhen let him guide her toward the building entrance.
She couldn't help but sneak a glance at his profile.
He had grown much more affectionate with her. Was it a side effect of that night of passion and confusion, or had she passed his test, and he now truly believed in their relationship?
She couldn't guess.
Forget it. She wouldn't guess anymore.
The two of them entered Building 18, took the elevator to the 21st floor, and stopped at the door. Ning Zhen unlocked it with her fingerprint. Meng Xianwen held her close, their bodies pressed together, but the moment the door swung open, her heart leapt to her throat and her pupils shrank. "Mom? Dad? You—"
A pair of couples' slippers were messily scattered on the shoe mat.
On the table sat matching couple mugs.
Every inch of this ninety-square-meter apartment was saturated with the presence—the scent—of a man. The balcony window was open, and the cross breeze made the two bath towels swing and tangle together, intertwining.
Ye Junlan and Ning Hui sneered in unison: "Ning Zhen, looks like your skin's itching. Are you asking for a beating?"
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