Early morning.
Ning Zhen was awakened by the sound of running water. She stared at the ceiling with sleepy eyes, her mind hazy at finding herself in an unfamiliar place. She turned her head toward the sound and saw a frosted glass door, the light on inside, casting a vague silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered man.
The soreness in her inner thighs snapped her fully awake, memories flooding back.
Late night truly breeds impulsiveness. Last night's antics in the other room all rushed back before her eyes, ending with the image of her trying to retreat at her limit, only for him to hold her down, tears streaming, as she bit his shoulder.
She quietly pulled the blanket over her face, wishing she and Meng Xianwen could both get amnesia.
The water stopped.
Ning Zhen reached out a hand, grabbed her phone from the nightstand, and pressed the screen. It was eight o'clock.
"Awake?" Meng Xianwen emerged from the bathroom looking refreshed. He was buttoning his shirt as he walked to the bedside, trying to pull the blanket away, but she clutched it tightly. He let out a low chuckle.
"How can I not be?" Ning Zhen complained loudly from under the covers. "You were banging around loud and clear first thing in the morning. So rude!"
Who was the rude one, really?
It had been almost dawn before Meng Xianwen finally fell asleep, barely scraping together three hours. She, on the other hand, could sleep soundly anywhere. Before dozing off, she'd ordered him not to touch her again, but once asleep, she'd clung to him like an octopus.
He, however, had struggled to sleep with someone beside him—someone who tossed and turned all night.
"It's Monday. When are you getting up?" he asked.
Ning Zhen's face flushed. She'd finally met her match. Even someone as thick-skinned as her couldn't naturally face the person she'd been so intimate with after a chaotic night.
Some things were simply only meant for the dark.
She didn't want to talk to him, but he unreasonable stuck his hand under the blanket and grabbed her foot. She broke into laughter. "Let go of me, you pervert!"
They tussled playfully, her breath coming in gasps, hair fanned out messily across the white sheets. He braced his arms on either side of her, gazing at her intently. Maybe remembering she hadn't brushed her teeth yet, he didn't kiss her lips—instead planting a kiss on her forehead. "Hurry up and get ready. I'll drive you to work."
Ning Zhen hummed softly in reply, her eyes glinting with a watery charm.
When she spotted the familiar car downstairs at Shengdu Tower, along with the familiar Xiao Ding standing beside it, she wanted to curse the heavens for not striking Meng Xianwen down. He wasn't really driving her to work—he just didn't want his subordinates seeing him walk out of a budget hotel looking thoroughly satisfied!
Meng Xianwen ignored the fire in Ning Zhen's eyes. He helped her put on her sunglasses, but she shoved them back up, fuming.
"I'm leaving."
"Humph!"
Xiao Ding immediately sensed something off.
But he couldn't quite pinpoint what.
After Ning Zhen walked past the fountain, chin held high as she swept into Shengdu Tower, Xiao Ding turned to see Mr. Meng still standing by the car, watching her go. Shocked, he then understood—he didn't know what had happened, but Mr. Meng and Miss Ning seemed even more attached now...
"Zhenzhen, are you sick?"
It was still about fifteen minutes before nine, and the elevator was empty. Ning Zhen ran into a coworker, who studied her complexion. "Don't push yourself just for the perfect attendance bonus."
"What?"
"Look, you've got dark circles," the coworker said, pulling a mirror from her bag. "And your face is all red."
Ning Zhen paused, waved off the mirror without taking it, and forced a calm demeanor while changing the subject: "No pain, no gain. I'm not giving up this month's attendance bonus."
She'd slept late and gotten up early, so she was off her game all day. She waited for the workday to end with eager anticipation, then rushed home, only to find Meng Xianwen still at work.
Before his key turned in the door, the doorbell rang first.
She looked through the peephole to see a man and a woman in Japanese restaurant uniforms. Puzzled, she opened the door. "Who are you looking for?"
The woman spoke softly: "Mr. Meng ordered our in-home dining service."
Mr. Meng?
That could only be Meng Xianwen.
He hadn't mentioned ordering her food.
Ning Zhen was confused, but she still opened the door wide and stepped aside to let them in. After consulting her preferences, the staff arranged the sashimi, wagyu, sushi, and sake that Meng Xianwen had ordered neatly on the dining table.
After they left, the door shut, and Ning Zhen didn't wait a second. She wanted to call him, but thoughtfully considering he might be busy, she sent a message instead: [What is this! I can't finish all this alone!]
He replied a few minutes later: [Wait twenty minutes for me]
Ning Zhen read those six words one by one, a sly smile creeping onto her face.
Counting the time, he should have gotten off work at six—suppose he was slacking off today.
Meng Xianwen said twenty minutes, and sure enough, he arrived home exactly at 6:45, not a minute more or less. He was busy, still on the phone while changing into his slippers, but his eyes were fixed on Ning Zhen. Noticing she was standing still, he reached out, pulled her close, and wrapped one arm around her waist.
Ning Zhen shot him a look but had no choice but to press close against his ear, listening to him talk shop for a full five minutes.
She yawned.
So boring.
She should have recorded it on her phone to play whenever she had insomnia—it was perfectly soporific.
"Next time you order me takeout, tell me in advance," Ning Zhen said seriously as she sat at the table. "What if I'd already eaten!"
Meng Xianwen leisurely picked up a piece of sashimi with his chopsticks. At her words, he looked up and smiled: "Well now, if you had eaten," he paused for a second, "what then?"
Ning Zhen was about to nod.
Then she met his teasing gaze. Perhaps because of all the kissing, their thoughts aligned in that instant, the air between them practically crackling with electric tension. Her expression shifted, and she started to scold him for circling her like a police dog, but she kept some leeway: "Your need for revenge is way too strong!"
And he was also extremely childish.
Meng Xianwen savored the shift in her expression. "Is that so? Well then, enjoy your meal today."
Ning Zhen: "..."
They bickered, but still savored their private time after work.
She even had the feeling that he was making up for yesterday's missed moments in his own way—as if they should have been spending yesterday exactly like this: relaxed, content, together.
After dinner.
Meng Xianwen's overtime work moved from the study to the living room sofa. He had his laptop on his lap, dealing with work matters, while she sat beside him, scrolling her phone, gossiping with friends online.
He focused entirely on work.
But Ning Zhen's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. At last, unable to resist, she tilted her head, found a comfortable position, and drifted off.
Meng Xianwen felt his shoulder grow heavy. He turned his head to gaze at her sleeping face. After a long moment, he looked away, moving as gently as possible—silently switching his phone to do-not-disturb and setting his laptop aside.
It was an unprecedented night. He put work aside, if only for a while, just to feel her breathing softly in his arms as she slept.
Ning Zhen slept wonderfully that night. She blinked awake groggily, shifting carefully, and as she looked up, she saw that Meng Xianwen had already fallen asleep. A small smile curved her lips—he must have been so tired.
Between waking him and letting him sleep as long as he wanted, she chose the latter.
Ning Zhen traced his features with her eyes—the sharp arch of his brows, the tall bridge of his nose, and those thin lips that never seemed to say anything pleasant. Strange, really. She used to avoid looking at him, and now even watching him sleep was fascinating to her.
She desperately wanted to snap a photo. This would be perfect for her Moments feed. She'd even come up with the caption: "I hereby allow you to keep your rendezvous with the Sandman."
Patting herself on the back for her sheer brilliance, Ning Zhen slowly inched her hand toward her phone. Victory was within reach, and just as her fingertips grazed it, he moved.
She yanked back her hand and pretended to be asleep. She felt him kiss her hair, let out a very soft sigh, and murmur by her ear, "You're only well-behaved when you're asleep."
Ning Zhen held back her laughter, pricking up her ears as stealthily as she could. She wanted to hear what other nonsense bits this dog of a man would spout now that he thought she was out cold.
"Once this busy spell is over... I'll buy..." he said in a low voice, the words fading quickly. Ning Zhen held her breath, concentrating as hard as she could, but couldn't catch the rest.
She was still wondering what he planned to buy—if it was for her, good; if it wasn't for her, he was dead meat. Then suddenly, there was a swooping sense of weightlessness as he lifted her into his arms. If she hadn't been feigning sleep, she would have jumped out of her skin!
Eyes squeezed tight, Ning Zhen steadied her heartbeat and her mind was completely hijacked by that one word, "buy". By the time she registered that the direction they were moving was wrong, she opened her eyes and met his knowing gaze. A quick look around told her she was in shock: They weren't in her master bedroom—they were in his guest room.
"Hey, wrong turn!" She really didn't want to be tossed and turned like last night, so she quickly hooked an arm around his shoulders and stuck out one leg, balancing like a circus act, pressing up against the doorframe to block his way forward.
Meng Xianwen glanced down at her, teasing, "Done pretending to be asleep?"
Ning Zhen was speechless. Heaven really had it out for her.
Of all the guys she could've picked for her first boyfriend, she landed on this piece of work. In frustration, she hissed, "Who's pretending? Put me down right now!"
Meng Xianwen obediently let her down—just outside the guest room. One step later, he set her on the master bed. Then, composed as ever, he flipped open the thin blanket, lay down beside her, resting his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. "The switch is on your side. Mind getting the lights?"
Ning Zhen stared blankly, then gawked at him. "Did you forget what you were doing?"
This was the master bedroom. HER room. HER bed!!
Meng Xianwen looked like he could fall asleep any second now, not even bothering to open his eyes. With an air of helplessness, he reached over, pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead, and said, "You mean this? G'night."
Ning Zhen: "…?"
Shameless. Who asked him to hold her to sleep? Since when did she want a goodnight kiss?
Stewing with frustration, she shoved at him. He didn't budge; he'd clearly decided that her bed was now his bed too. Knowing that he was probably not going to leave tonight, she mentally gave him an earful and then abandoned doing anything useless.
She had a much more interesting topic. Nestling his arm around her as a pillow, she asked softly, "... honey, you said 'once this is over, buy—'? What were you buying?"
Meng Xianwen went silent for a few seconds. A short, husky chuckle escaped his throat as he pulled her in even closer.
---
In the rumbling of thunder, July rolled in.
Ning Zhen was starting to sweat on behalf of Meng Xianwen. Their new project for Hengxing was set to be announced publicly any day now, and he had been incredibly busy. To make things worse, the weather was playing dirty—rainstorm after rainstorm had traffic in the city grinding to a crawl.
She, as the most devoted girlfriend ever, had proposed right off the bat that she drive herself to work so he wouldn't have to waste time. But he refused. With poor weather conditions and slick roads, he wasn't about to be in the middle of a meeting and get word that she'd rear-ended someone or been hit herself.
A lesson remembered is a lesson learned. Meng Xianwen had been caught off guard once in Nancheng, and to him, nothing was more important than road safety.
So no matter how swamped he was, every day at 8 AM sharp, he'd be driving Ning Zhen to the SDU building and watch her go in before feeling settled.
That Thursday, the rain came down in fine threads, the air sticky and muggy. Ning Zhen knew today was Meng Xianwen's big day, so it was rare for her not to wake up bickering with him over the blanket.
She stood in front of him, earnestly tying his tie.
For the last two days, she'd crammed, watching online tutorials on all sorts of knot styles, and luckily, her efforts were paying off now. She looked up at him with curved, smiling brows. "I don't know if it's because of all those ancient costume drama clips I've been watching, but somehow I feel like I'm sending you off to battle."
"Something like that," he said, mulling it over and accepting the idea.
Ning Zhen gave him a sweet smile, tugged on the tie, and as he bent his head down, she kissed him of her own accord and offered her wish. "Well then, I wish you a victorious return."
"Save the fancy words. Just make sure you come over early after work."
No matter how the project launch was received—whether it would push Hengxing toward an even better future—the celebration banquet was a sure thing, scheduled for 7:30 that evening. As Meng Xianwen's girlfriend, Ning Zhen naturally couldn't skip it.
Today, he didn't have time to take her to work. But before he walked out the door, he suddenly turned, held her face between his palms, and gave her a deep kiss. She nearly ran out of breath, unable to dodge, as he chased after her lips.
After he left, she realized in hindsight: Was he nervous too?
Downstairs.
Meng Xianwen sat still in the back seat, loosening his tie with one hand. She had tied it far too tight, and it seemed to carry the lingering scent of her fingers. He paused, then pulled back the window he'd just been lowering.
His phone lit up where it sat beside him. He glanced at it lazily, saw her message, and opened it: [Honey, go get 'em! You're the second greatest person in the world. There's no way you won't nail it!]
A few seconds later, a second text came through to clear up his confusion: [You're probably wondering how the mighty Meng Xianwen only got "second." Because the greatest will always be me 😎]
Xiao Ding kept his eyes on the road, concentrating. While waiting at a red light, he heard a laugh from the back seat—brief—but carrying undeniable pleasure. He glanced in the rearview mirror; Mr. Meng was holding his phone, definitely chatting with Miss Ning.
...
As the city lights twinkled on, the banquet hall buzzed with clinking glasses.
Ning Zhen clung to Meng Xianwen's arm, trading pleasantries with one guest after another, until her face felt frozen. It was like going back to the old days before his amnesia—clocking in at her day job, then clocking in at night as his plus-one to all sorts of events. Anyone would say what a sweet and blessed life she had.
The guests tonight were a small group—just a few families close to the Mengs and Hengxing, plus more of the staff who'd worked on the project. On the way back from freshening up her makeup in the restroom, Ning Zhen ran into Xu Lai, dressed sharply in formal wear.
They didn't get a chance to chat during the party, just made a toast from across the room. She smiled at him; he gave her a gentle nod.
Xu Lai was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought, until she came up to his side and snapped him out of it. Noticing that Mr. Meng wasn't around, he asked thoughtfully, "Getting some fresh air?"
"Something like that!" She eyed him with playful jealousy. "You must be getting a hefty bonus for this. Ugh, last time your boss and I went out and ran into a few of the staff, they were saying they were planning to buy a new car as their new 'big toy.'"
Xu Lai cracked a smile. "The bonus is whatever. The best part is finally being able to sleep properly."
"So you were slack-head noon to midnight too, huh?"
She, too. Xu Lai caught that word. She updated her Moments every single day, one photo after another of her daily life, all of them revealing that her relationship with Mr. Meng had grown increasingly close lately. A photo of the two of them had even appeared on Mr. Meng's desk. Perhaps this was the life she had wanted.
He could only stand at a distance, watching her walk a tightrope.
There was nothing he could do to help, only hope that she would make it safely to the other side, that she wouldn't fall, wouldn't end up bruised and bleeding.
"Zhenzhen."
People passed by this spot occasionally, but compared to the clamor of the banquet hall, it was peaceful here.
The two of them were chatting and laughing when a deep male voice came from behind. Neither needed to turn around—the floor-to-ceiling window served as a mirror. Meng Xianwen approached with steady steps, his reflection gradually coming into focus.
"Why did you come out?" A smile blossomed on Ning Zhen's face. She moved toward him out of habit, ready to throw her arms around him, but remembered Xu Lai was standing nearby. She changed the embrace into a hand-hold instead.
Meng Xianwen answered tersely: "Looking for you."
"I was on my way to the restroom and ran into Senior."
"Mr. Meng."
Xu Lai's expression remained unchanged. He was always a thoughtful and considerate executive assistant; at this moment, his gaze didn't linger on their clasped hands for even a second. He maintained a perfectly safe distance, showing zero curiosity about his boss's private life.
"You've worked hard during this period too." Meng Xianwen was in a good mood and teased Xu Lai in a lighthearted tone. "Take time off whenever you want, or think about it—is there anything you'd like? Anything at all."
Xu Lai was neither coy nor dismissive. He smiled and said sure.
After a few casual exchanges, he quietly found an excuse to return to the banquet hall. Before long, the mirrored glass reflected only two intimate figures.
"I want something too!" Ning Zhen tugged at Meng Xianwen's sleeve, launching into a complaint. "Seriously, the things you just said to Xu Lai—you've never once said any of them to me. Is that fair?"
"You want to hear them?" He lowered his gaze to her, offering a smile. "Go ask the boss of Sound Du."
"No way!" Ning Zhen shook his arm with the stubborn determination of someone who wouldn't take no for an answer, nearly rattling his brain. "If the boss of Sound Du were my husband, I'd go to her in a heartbeat, but the gender just doesn't match!"
"Tell me what you want, then." He was getting a headache from her pestering.
"Have Xiao Ding drive me home right now." The moment those words left her mouth, Ning Zhen wished she had a loudspeaker to show all of Hengxing's employees what their boss really looked like. One second he was smiling, and less than half a second later, his brows were knitted tight.
He changed his face faster than anyone turned pages!
But right now she held two trump cards against him—used every time and effective every time. Before he could speak, she jumped in: "I've been so busy these past few days. Just now the boss was even nagging me in the group chat. Oh no, at this rate I'm really going to end up under my husband's thumb. No, you have to make Xiao Ding take me home right now!"
Sure enough, the words "under my husband's thumb" came out, and Meng Xianwen's cold, rigid expression softened, though his tone still carried a hint of displeasure. "Why are you working overtime every day?"
Ning Zhen wanted even more to show Hengxing's employees this grand display of double standards.
Seeing no one around, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I want to say the same to you! Why are you working overtime every day!"
Meng Xianwen said, unfazed: "Work comes first. You go ahead."
Neither could help it—on this rainy night with rain pouring down, they laughed at each other.
Half an hour later, Xiao Xuezhen and Ning Zhen left together in the car. After turning fifty, she had grown less fond of social gatherings. Staying until nine thirty tonight was only because it was her son's celebration banquet.
Meng Xianwen stood by the car, bending slightly to listen to his mother's parting words, but his gaze drifted toward Ning Zhen.
The interior of the car was dim. Sensing his gaze, Ning Zhen playfully beckoned him with her finger, teasing him silently: come on, come on, go ahead and glare at me if you dare—if you've got the guts, come home with us.
He calmly looked away, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile.
"Keep an eye on your father; don't let him drink too much. The doctor said he needs to control his alcohol intake. Every time he drinks too much, he wails at home, and the next morning his head hurts and he wails again." Xiao Xuezhen had never treated Ning Zhen as an outsider, and even less so now. In her words, she had no intention of sparing her husband any face.
A moment later, Meng Xianwen watched the car drive off into the curtain of rain, growing smaller and smaller in the distance. He set aside the relaxed ease he'd shown with his girlfriend and mother, and turned to go back inside.
The celebration banquet lasted another hour before drawing to a close.
Meng Jingshan was flushed red from drinking, his voice unusually booming. Unlike his spirited and excited mental state, his steps were unsteady—without someone to hold him up, he might fall at any moment. Watching this, Meng Xianwen felt a complicated mix of emotions. He looked around the room, then asked his assistant in a low voice: "Where's Jia Ran?"
He had originally planned to have Jia Ran go back to the old house with his father, so his brother could look after him in the car. But even now, there was still no sign of his younger brother.
"Young Mr. Meng seems to have left with Miss Song."
"…"
Meng Xianwen pressed his forehead. "Alright, got it."
Unable to rely on his brother, he could only help his father into the car himself, instructed the driver to head for the old house, and stole a moment to text Ning Zhen: [Taking my dad to the old house. Will be home a bit late.]
The car pulled away, slowly emerging from the basement garage. Fat raindrops struck the windows, streaking down in rivulets.
The driver wasn't Xiao Ding and rarely drove for Meng Xianwen. Even though Meng Xianwen had specifically told him as soon as he got in not to drive too fast, safety first, the driver noticed through the rearview mirror that Meng Xianwen kept lighting up his phone screen, seeming anxious and checking the time. Considering how late it was and how few cars were on the road, he unconsciously sped up.
The margin of error was a split second.
In the pitch-black, rainy night, the windshield wipers worked nonstop. The driver's visibility was impaired—he hadn't expected a car to be waiting at the upcoming curve. He hit the brakes to slow down, tires scraping against the slick asphalt, splashing water.
Meng Xianwen's face shifted subtly. Instinctively, he moved to shield his father beside him as his whole body thrust forward, then, as the vehicle steadied, he sank heavily back into his seat. He'd had a few drinks tonight too, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
The driver let out a long breath, cursing those reckless drivers in his mind—people who refused to turn on their high beams when they should, then used far lights at the wrong times. Thank goodness he'd braked in time; it was a close call but everything was fine.
After passing the curve, he pulled over and turned around, flustered: "Mr. Meng, are you and Chairman Meng alright?"
The interior light in the back seat flickered on, illuminating Meng Xianwen's cold, stern features.
The driver's words from inches away were entirely drowned out by another voice that reached his ears with unmistakable clarity—
"Zhenzhen, didn't you say yesterday that you'd listen to me from now on?"
"Brother Xianwen, don't—please, I'm scared…"
"I need a girlfriend in name only. If you agree, I'll give you a sum of money when the year is up. Zhenzhen is a clever one—she knows what choice to make, doesn't she?"
