Ning Zhen knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If she missed it, who knew how long she would have to wait before she got another chance to negotiate with Meng Xianwen?
She had wheedled and cajoled, no—she had negotiated herself quite a few conditions. At last, under his death stare, she tearfully agreed to move in with him.
That evening.
He leaned lazily against the doorway, silently supervising her as she called her parents to come clean.
In truth, both Ning Zhen and Meng Xianwen knew that, given their current relationship and how busy his work kept him, neither set of parents would object to them wanting to spend more time together. The parents would definitely accept it.
The difficult part was bringing it up.
“Get out.” Ning Zhen lay sprawled on the bed, urging him to go to the study and work.
Meng Xianwen didn’t move an inch.
She had a history with him. He had no doubt that if he turned around and went to the study now, she would either pretend to do as she was told while secretly disobeying him, or, even if she did make the call, spend the entire time chatting about random things before using the call log to trick him into believing she had confessed.
She was absolutely capable of that.
Seeing him staring at her like a school disciplinarian, Ning Zhen rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and dialed the number.
After a while, the call connected.
She quickly put on a sweet voice. “Mom, have you and Dad finished dinner? What did you eat?”
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Ye Junlan asked irritably, “Have you spent your entire paycheck again and run out of money?”
Ning Zhen collapsed onto her pillow. Why did everyone still see her through the same old lens? She had indeed used to live paycheck to paycheck, but that had been ages ago.
She swallowed back her frustration. “No. I called because I wanted to check on you and Dad.”
“Then get to the point.” Ye Junlan was also feeling uneasy because of the call. “Did something happen?”
“No!”
Before her mother’s imagination could run wild, Ning Zhen lowered her voice and said vaguely, “My current place is too far from the office, so I’m thinking of moving.”
“It’s only two or three kilometers away. How is that far?” Ye Junlan blurted out. Then, as someone who had been through it herself, she immediately understood. “Where are you moving to?”
“More or less right across from the office.”
“…”
Ye Junlan let out a soft sigh. She wasn’t surprised by this outcome. The moment she and her husband had seen Meng Xianwen’s luggage at their daughter’s place, they had already known that the two of them wouldn’t be able to stay apart.
There were only two reasons couples who lived together would separate.
Either they broke up, or they ended up in a long-distance relationship.
Their daughter’s social media was bursting with updates every day, and it was obvious that their relationship was going wonderfully. There was no sign at all that they wanted to part ways.
“You’re an adult. You can make your own decisions.” The next second, Ye Junlan contradicted herself. “But if you’re unsure about anything, come home and let your father and me know. If you’re going to date, take the relationship seriously. And pay more attention to your work, too. Don’t be late, and don’t keep asking for leave. As for what your supervisor says…”
Ning Zhen buried her face in the pillow.
She was afraid she would burst out laughing.
Apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling awkward. Her mother was, too. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have started nagging her like she had when Ning Zhen first began her internship, simply because she didn’t know what else to say and was clumsily changing the subject.
The mother and daughter chatted for nearly ten minutes before ending the call.
After hanging up, Ning Zhen looked up at the doorway guardian. “There. Happy now?”
Meng Xianwen was only grudgingly satisfied.
Ning Zhen had more luggage than he did, but she had still kept a little something in reserve. She couldn’t leave her apartment empty for too long, and she wasn’t willing to rent it out either, so they made a temporary agreement: she would return there to stay two nights a week.
They officially moved into Jingyuan.
In the enormous house, there were only the two of them. He hadn’t asked Auntie Qian or the other auntie to come over.
Living so close to work, Ning Zhen could sleep in openly every morning. She didn’t get up until 8:15.
Meng Xianwen had to leave at eight. Eating breakfast alone in the living and dining area, he finally understood what it felt like to lift a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
…
A colleague at the neighboring workstation studied Ning Zhen. “You’ve been looking radiant lately. Why do you look so good?”
Ning Zhen cupped her face and smiled. “Get an extra half hour of sleep every morning, and you’ll look just as good!”
As the two of them turned to the cursed topic of how their salaries still hadn’t gone up, a message popped up on Ning Zhen’s work WeChat.
Xu Lai: [Ning Zhen, are you at work today? If it’s convenient, I’ll come find you at 6:10.]
She paused. From time to time lately, she had happened to see his Moments posts.
He was very devoted to his parents, taking them out to relax, hiking in the mountains and visiting the seaside. Even through the photographs, one could sense the carefree ease of someone far removed from the workplace.
Had he returned to Beicheng so soon?
She had heard Meng Xianwen mention that Xu Lai would be taking an extended leave this time.
Coming back to herself, she hurriedly typed a reply.
Ning Zhen: [Sure, but what do you need me for?]
Xu Lai: [I couldn’t make it to Geng Yuchen and Guan Hao’s wedding. Could you give them my wedding gift?]
Ning Zhen immediately understood.
Geng Yuchen was her roommate, while Guan Hao was Xu Lai’s roommate. After graduation, however, Xu Lai had clearly been much busier with work and had kept in touch with the couple less often. They were holding their wedding in another city the following week, so it was perfectly understandable that he wouldn’t be going—it was a long way to travel.
If she hadn’t been serving as a bridesmaid and hoping that the four girls from their dorm could finally get together again for the occasion, she might have been lazy too, simply sending them some money through WeChat.
Ning Zhen: [No problem! I’ll bring some wedding candy back for you. You can share in the good luck! =w=]
Xu Lai: [Thank you.]
At lunchtime, Ning Zhen went out to eat with her colleagues. Everyone knew she was obsessed with taking pictures. As soon as the food was served, they instinctively leaned back to give her room, while making sure to add, “Remember to send it to me!”
Ning Zhen made an okay sign. After taking the pictures, she chose the one most likely to whet someone’s appetite and sent it to Meng Xianwen.
So this was what dating was like.
Even the tiniest, most trivial things had to be shared with the other person at once.
Meng Xianwen knew she was eating with her colleagues, so he didn’t call her directly. Instead, he patiently typed out a message.
Meng Xianwen: [Take care of dinner yourself. Don’t wait for me—I have a business dinner.]
While eating, Ning Zhen replied.
Ning Zhen: [Oh, okay. Senior Xu is coming to see me after work. I’ll just treat him to something at the burger place downstairs.]
Meng Xianwen: [Xu Lai is back in Beicheng?]
Ning Zhen: [Yep. It’s nothing important—he just asked me to deliver a wedding gift.]
He was busy with work, and she had only her lunch break, so ordinarily they could only squeeze in a few words here and there.
The topic soon ended.
Before she knew it, it was six o’clock. Ning Zhen took the elevator downstairs with her colleagues. The moment she stepped into the lobby, she spotted Xu Lai sitting on one of the sofas in casual clothes, his head lowered as he played with his phone.
She said goodbye to her colleagues and walked over briskly. “Senior Xu, you’re here!”
Xu Lai looked up at the sound of her voice and gave her a gentle smile.
Ning Zhen noticed that he had also brought two fairly heavy paper bags. When he caught her looking at them, he stood up and handed them to her, saying warmly, “I didn’t buy that many local specialties. One bag is for you, and the other is for Mr. Meng.”
“Wow, that’s so thoughtful of you!”
As she accepted the bags, Ning Zhen couldn’t help thinking that he really was cut out to be an executive assistant. His future was sure to be bright.
When she traveled, she never deliberately bought local specialties for her boss. She simply bought a pile of things and brought them back to the office to share.
Xu Lai took a fairly thick red envelope from his pocket. “I put a note with my blessings inside. Could you give it directly to Guan Hao and tell him I’ve been too busy with work to make it?”
“Oh my gosh, how much did you put in?” The red envelope even had some weight to it. Ning Zhen blinked. “The girls in my dorm discussed it, and we’re each giving a thousand.”
For classmates and friends, a thousand yuan was already quite generous.
Xu Lai and Guan Hao were really that close?
“Five thousand.” Xu Lai paused, then answered honestly. “It’s a small token of my goodwill since I can’t be there in person.”
Ning Zhen gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s what I call loyalty—and generosity!”
She tucked the red envelope into the inner compartment of her bag and looked up at him. “Senior, have you eaten? There’s a burger place in the shops on the first floor. I’ll treat you.”
“I’ve already eaten.” Xu Lai thanked her politely.
“Really, or are you just being polite?” Ning Zhen worried that he was only saying that to avoid imposing. “The burgers here are pretty good. Even your Mr. Meng says so.”
“I’ll try it next time if I get the chance.”
“All right, then.”
Ning Zhen and Xu Lai chatted and laughed as they walked out of Shengdu Tower. She was about to ask what he thought of the cities he had visited this time when she suddenly sensed someone watching her. She looked up and found herself meeting the gaze of Meng Xianwen, who was standing beside a car.
Surprised, she jogged over. “What are you doing here?”
Xu Lai slowed his pace and followed behind her. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before he quickly returned to his usual composure. “Mr. Meng.”
Meng Xianwen took the two paper bags from Ning Zhen. He glanced down at the local specialties inside and smiled faintly. “That was thoughtful of you. Why didn’t you stay and have more fun? Now that you’re back, are you planning to rest at home for a while, or are you ending your vacation and returning to work?”
Ning Zhen was speechless.
Xu Lai knew even better than she did how much his boss loved working. He wasn’t surprised by the question and replied half-jokingly, “Mr. Meng, why don’t you just pretend you didn’t see me today?”
Meng Xianwen smiled as well. After a few seconds, he smoothly changed the subject. “All right. Have you eaten?”
“I have.” Apparently worried that his vacation might end ahead of schedule, Xu Lai glanced down at his watch and used it as an excuse to make his escape. “Mr. Meng, I have something to take care of, so I’ll be going. Call me anytime if you need anything.”
Meng Xianwen nodded with a smile.
Xu Lai looked at Ning Zhen, gave her a slight nod in silent farewell, and turned toward the parking lot.
After he had gone some distance, Ning Zhen turned to the man beside her. “Weren’t you supposed to be at a business dinner? Wait—don’t tell me you heard Senior was coming and came here specially to make sure he went back to work early?”
“Don’t overthink it.”
Meng Xianwen crooked a finger and lightly tapped her forehead. “I had a video conference at eight, and there was a scheduling conflict, so I postponed the dinner at the last minute.”
After a brief pause, he asked, “What do you want to eat?”
“Burgers!”
“…”
Xu Lai’s car was parked a little farther away. Once inside, he put away his smile but didn’t leave right away. He even forgot to turn on the air conditioning. His hands rested on the steering wheel, his brows drawing together in a slight frown.
Mr. Meng’s arrival had been completely unexpected, and Ning Zhen had clearly been surprised too. It must have been a spur-of-the-moment decision on Mr. Meng’s part.
Everything about the way Mr. Meng spoke, including his expression, had seemed no different from before.
And yet Xu Lai still felt that something was off.
He sat quietly in the car and thought for a while before unlocking his phone and calling Assistant Wang.
The call was answered quickly. Assistant Wang was probably busy; his footsteps sounded hurried. “Assistant Xu, hold on—is this your way of telling me you’re coming back to work early? What wonderful news!”
Xu Lai let out a helpless laugh. “Not quite. I just sent some local specialties to the office while I was traveling. Remember to sign for them. By the way, have things been busy lately?”
“Busy? You bet. And in a little while I still have to accompany Mr. Sheng to a business dinner. That Mr. Sheng…”
Assistant Wang let the rest go unsaid.
Everyone at Hengxing knew that once Mr. Sheng started drinking, he never seemed to know when to stop. Even after the dinner ended, he would insist on sitting people down to chat, reminiscing about the hard times and talking about how far they had come.
Just thinking about it made Assistant Wang look miserable.
“Why is it Mr. Sheng?”
“Mr. Meng was supposed to attend.” Assistant Wang sighed. “But he suddenly had something urgent to deal with and passed it on to Mr. Sheng.”
Xu Lai’s expression froze slightly.
Mr. Meng had something urgent to deal with?
Xu Lai had been by Mr. Meng’s side for several years. His boss was always punctual and kept his word. Once he had made arrangements for a business dinner, he rarely canceled or sent someone else in his place unless something truly urgent had come up.
At once, what Brother Jing had mentioned that day echoed in his mind again.
There had been an important patient, and the hospital had urgently summoned the director of the neurology department back to Beicheng. Yet the next day, that patient had never been admitted.
An unlikely suspicion flashed through Xu Lai’s mind.
Whether from nervousness and concern or because the car was too hot and stuffy, beads of fine sweat broke out across his forehead.
…
Late at night.
Ning Zhen awoke from a dream to find herself alone in the large bed. Sleepily, she rubbed her eyes. Her throat felt dry, and she wanted some water to soothe it. She turned on the bedside lamp, only to find that the water in her glass had already been finished earlier that evening. With no choice, she threw back the covers, got out of bed, and walked out.
The house was very quiet.
As she passed the study, she heard his deep voice faintly through the closed door. She yawned and gave the door a light knock, intending only to remind him that it was late and that he should go to bed soon.
She had barely taken a few steps when she heard the click of the door opening. She turned around. He was standing there with his phone still in hand, continuing the call.
Meng Xianwen moved the phone slightly away from his ear and asked softly, “Thirsty?”
It took Ning Zhen a moment to realize he was talking to her. Still not fully awake, her mind foggy, she nodded, then asked, “Who is it?”
After being together for so long, she knew his habits well.
If it had been a work call, he would never have interrupted it or spoken to her.
So the person on the other end was probably one of his close friends—someone he didn’t need to hide anything from.
Meng Xianwen nodded, his tone calm. “Lu Yuan. He wanted to talk to me about a tricky situation he ran into.”
Ning Zhen remembered that Lu Yuan had called to ask him about something on another night not long ago. She didn’t think much of it and casually remarked, “Does he never sleep? He’s always calling you late at night.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
Seriously?
Did he have no shame?
Who did he think was responsible for the tricky situation he was dealing with?
Meng Xianwen tilted his head slightly. With laughter in his voice, he said to Lu Yuan, “Did you hear that? She says you shouldn’t call me late at night anymore.”
“…” Lu Yuan ground his teeth. “Get lost. Good night.”
Ning Zhen: “?”
Only afterward did she realize what he had done. She glared at him, silently accusing him of throwing her under the bus. When had she ever said Lu Yuan wasn’t allowed to call him at night?
Meng Xianwen ended the call and came over to give her a hug. “It’s over. Let’s go back to sleep.”
