Having dealt with one more matter, Lu Yuan felt refreshed and was in the mood to tease Meng Xianwen. “I was so worried yesterday, afraid the two of you would fall out. If that had happened, wouldn’t I have ended up taking the blame?”
“We wouldn’t have fallen out.”
Meng Xianwen pinched the bridge of his nose and said meaningfully, “She was in a pretty good mood yesterday. It wasn’t as bad as you imagined. She even went out for a drive with a friend.”
Ning Zhen gave a quiet snort inwardly, but her mood inexplicably lifted a little.
No matter how upset she truly was, at least she had achieved what she wanted with that post on her social media.
He had made her sad, so she wanted to hurt him in return—to let him know that if he didn’t care, she could care even less.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn’t help laughing. “You could have gone for a drive with me too. We could’ve gotten that fried chicken or whatever it was called. It’s no big deal.”
“Next time.” Meng Xianwen gave a faint smile, his gaze turning once again toward the person on the bed. “Hopefully that next time comes much later. I’d like to enjoy a few more days of peace and quiet.”
Lu Yuan laughed gleefully several times.
During this period, he and Chang Yi had watched Ning Zhen show off her romantic relationship in all sorts of ways on social media every day. They would tease her in the comments, but deep down, they had still envied Meng Xianwen for living such a fulfilling life.
Now, he still envied him—but not by much.
Just look at what Ning Zhen had put Meng Xianwen through. It seemed that as long as she gave him a few days of peace and quiet, he would be thanking the heavens.
“But speaking of which, Zhenzhen left in such a hurry yesterday. I didn’t dare ask her then. How did she figure out that you’d lied to her?”
The moment the word “lied” was spoken, both Meng Xianwen and Ning Zhen, who was pretending to be asleep, frowned.
“I’m not entirely sure.” He looked thoughtfully toward the hospital bed, his tone relaxed. “Maybe she pays close attention to everything I do.”
Where exactly had Ning Zhen noticed that he had regained his memory?
Meng Xianwen was just as curious.
Before yesterday, he had been certain that only two people might know his true condition: Lu Yuan and Xu Lai.
If she didn’t come looking for him, Lu Yuan would never go behind his back and tell her the truth. Xu Lai had confessed yesterday that he hadn’t had time to tell her yet when Meng Xianwen received that phone call. And before then, Xu Lai and Ning Zhen had had no private contact after the wedding.
Hearing Meng Xianwen’s words, Ning Zhen wished she could leap up and defend herself.
Who cared about him? Who was paying close attention to him? This shameless man really knew how to flatter himself!
As an outsider, Lu Yuan found the explanation entirely reasonable. “That makes sense. Ever since your accident in Nancheng, I’ve often worried about you, let alone Zhenzhen. She naturally cares about you even more. Treat her better from now on.”
Meng Xianwen was silent for a moment before answering, “Mm.”
Lu Yuan had come to ask about the outcome of the matter, not to play relationship counselor, so he stopped after making his point.
He had come over early in the morning, and there was still a pile of official business waiting for him at the hospital. Meng Xianwen saw him to the elevator lobby, then returned to his brother’s room. After causing trouble all night, the patient had finally fallen into a deep sleep.
At twenty-three or twenty-four, people really were impulsive and reckless, doing things without considering the consequences. At that moment, Meng Xianwen unexpectedly began to wonder what he had been like at that age and what he had been doing.
He couldn’t help giving a self-mocking smile.
The things he hadn’t done at twenty-three or twenty-four, he had managed to do without missing a single one at twenty-nine.
In the room next door, after confirming that Meng Xianwen and Lu Yuan had left, Ning Zhen cautiously opened one eye and peeked around. Perhaps because she had barely slept all night, her mind was a mess, and she was yawning constantly.
The door clicked open.
She immediately squeezed her eyes shut and continued pretending to sleep.
Meng Xianwen walked to the bedside. After thinking for a few seconds, he lifted one corner of the blanket and shamelessly climbed in beside her. The bed was spacious enough for one person, but with two people on it, they had to press tightly against each other to avoid rolling off.
Ning Zhen was pulled into his arms from behind.
Although he was taller and more powerfully built, at that moment he buried his face against the side of her neck and breathed deeply. Even without saying a word, she could feel how much he missed her.
“Go to sleep,” he murmured.
Ning Zhen’s heart skipped a beat.
She badly wanted to break free of his embrace, but his arms were wrapped too tightly around her. All she could do was stare blankly at the wall. Before long, her body stopped tensing and softened into his chest. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
…
When she woke, it was nearly noon. She was the only one on the hospital bed, and a glass of water sat on the bedside table.
Several boxes had been placed on the table, containing fruit she liked and toasted sandwiches.
Ning Zhen had just gotten out of bed and was still groggy as she drifted into the bathroom. An entire set of toiletries sat on the counter, all from brands she commonly used. He must have had someone buy a new set and deliver it.
After freshening up, she walked out of the room while biting into a sandwich.
Gentle voices came from the room next door. She recognized Song Yuqing’s voice. Standing outside, she peered through the glass and saw Song Yuqing sitting beside the bed, peeling an apple.
The patient, Meng Jiaran, sounded full of energy. Although he was in so much pain he probably wanted to die, he kept teasing the woman he loved, trying to make her happy.
“It’s really nothing. At most, my hairstyle will be affected. I could just shave my head. Once my hair grows back, we can see whether a crew cut suits me. What do you think?”
Ning Zhen had originally wanted to watch the drama unfold and witness the turning point in the original protagonists’ romance. But after seeing Meng Jiaran’s shameless, sickening display, she decisively prepared to leave.
Song Yuqing seemed to sense her presence. When she looked up and saw Ning Zhen, her face lit up with delight. She came over, opened the door, and pulled Ning Zhen inside.
Only then did Meng Jiaran notice her. Like a human loudspeaker, he immediately explained, “My brother went out to take care of something. He said he’d take you out to eat when he got back. Hey, Zhenzhen, why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”
Ning Zhen shot him a look.
That last sentence was definitely not concern. He was complaining that she had gotten up too early and come over to play the third wheel.
“Yuqing, when did you get here?” Ning Zhen ignored Meng Jiaran and leaned against the wall, asking curiously.
“Not long ago. I ran into Mr. Meng in the elevator lobby.”
“Oh…” Ning Zhen pressed her lips together. In fact, as long as she opened the location tracker, she could see where he was.
But she didn’t want to remember how she had checked his location over and over again yesterday, only to see him remain at Hengxing the entire time—and how suffocating that feeling had been.
Song Yuqing had peeled the apple so badly that she was considering throwing it away when Meng Jiaran snatched it from her and took several bites. He looked so lovestruck that his eyes seemed ready to grow right onto her.
Ning Zhen shuddered with disgust. If she watched for even one more second, she might lose her appetite for the entire day. She shrugged. “The hospital room is so stuffy. I’m going out for a walk. You two take your time chatting!”
With that, she turned and left without wanting to stay another second. But Song Yuqing followed her amid Meng Jiaran’s calls.
The two exchanged a smile, went down to the first floor, bought two bottles of water from a vending machine, and sat together on a bench in the lounge to chat.
“Zhenzhen, I think I’ve ruined everything.” After a long silence, Song Yuqing lowered her voice, looking dejected. “I didn’t actually like the man my family arranged for me to meet, but I kept thinking that no one is perfect and that maybe things would get better if we spent more time together. I never expected something like this to happen. If I had rejected him sooner, perhaps Jiaran wouldn’t have…”
“How could this be your fault?” Ning Zhen asked in surprise, turning around to comfort her. “Look on the bright side. This is a good thing. Meng Jiaran took a beating, and you saw through what a piece of trash he is. That’s a pretty good deal, isn’t it? He’s tough as nails. These minor injuries are nothing to him.”
Song Yuqing was quiet for a moment before breaking into laughter, the gloom in her eyes vanishing completely. Perhaps only Ning Zhen knew how to comfort people like this. “Thanks. When you put it that way, I guess you’re right.”
“Don’t feel guilty. He’s your good friend, so this is what he should do. And don’t even get me started on him!” Ning Zhen rubbed her fists together. “If I’d been there, I would’ve—”
“Would’ve done what?” a slightly cool male voice asked.
The two women turned toward the sound at the same time. Meng Xianwen approached unhurriedly, his expression calm. When his eyes met Ning Zhen’s, it was clear he disagreed with what she had been about to say, and his brows drew together slightly.
Song Yuqing hurriedly stood to greet him. “Brother Xianwen.”
She remembered Meng Jiaran’s complaints earlier, which had mentioned that his brother and sister-in-law seemed to be having a disagreement.
After a brief hesitation, and having learned from her previous experience, she quickly made her escape under the pretext of taking care of the patient.
Once Ning Zhen watched her disappear into the elevator, she took out her phone and tapped the screen, only to roll her eyes.
That bastard had really used her phone to turn location sharing back on!
No wonder he had found her so quickly!
She ordered herself to switch it off, but her finger hesitated. In the end, she lost to his shamelessness and gave up.
“Let’s go.” He came to stand in front of her, his tall frame almost enveloping her. “We’ll get something to eat first, then I’ll take you home.”
Ning Zhen didn’t move.
For one thing, she had just eaten a sandwich and wasn’t hungry. For another, did he think she would get up just because he told her to? Didn’t she have any pride?
Meng Xianwen had never been particularly patient, and he didn’t play by the usual rules. In the past, he might have given her ten minutes, but today she didn’t even get one. Without changing expression, he bent down and slipped one arm beneath her legs. Just as he was about to lift her, she panicked and shoved at his shoulder, hurriedly lowering her voice.
“Are you insane? This is a hospital!”
He turned his head to look at her.
She refused to back down.
The two of them locked eyes. When it came to shamelessness, Ning Zhen knew she couldn’t beat him. She really didn’t want the two of them to make fools of themselves together, so she could only stand up angrily and let him lead her into the elevator and downstairs.
At that moment, a Bentley drove into the parking garage. The driver found a spot near the elevator and parked, while the two men in the back were still discussing matters.
Even though Meng Xianwen had done his best to keep what had happened the previous night under wraps, there were no secrets in the world that could remain completely hidden. Since the Song family was involved, they had received the news almost immediately.
In the early hours of the morning, after seeing that their daughter had fallen asleep, Mr. and Mrs. Song hadn’t dared tell her.
When Song Yuqing found out first thing that morning, she was so furious that she drove straight to the hospital without saying a word. No one had been able to stop her.
Meng Xianwen had specifically called the older members of the family and asked them not to come visit, so as to avoid creating unnecessary trouble. He only hoped the matter could be reduced from something serious to something minor.
Song Tao understood his concerns. After thinking it over, he asked his nephew to come along and see how things stood.
As they were about to get out of the car, Song Yue looked troubled and let out a long sigh. “Actually, with Yuqing and you there to represent us, that’s already sincere enough. How about I just stay here?”
He really didn’t want to see Ning Zhen.
If he saw her and didn’t greet her, who knew whether Meng Xianwen would think he was being rude to his precious girlfriend? But if he did greet her, it would be awkward.
Song Hang pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You’re exaggerating. I’ve known Meng Xianwen for so many years. Don’t I know what kind of person he is? He’s not the sort of man you’re making him out to be.”
At the time, Meng Xianwen had gone to Hongxin specifically to issue a warning. Was it really to stand up for his girlfriend? Who would believe that was the case?
When all was said and done, standing up for his girlfriend had merely been an excuse. What he was truly unhappy about was his uncle and the Song family trying to use marriage alliances to pressure him.
“You can say that because you’re not the one in my position!” Song Yue was already irritated. He turned to look out the car window, but then two familiar figures suddenly appeared in his line of sight. He quickly nudged Song Hang.
After exiting the elevator, Meng Xianwen kept an arm around Ning Zhen, not allowing her to hide from him.
When they reached the car, he opened the front passenger door and waited for her to sit down. Then he leaned into the car and fastened her seat belt. Seeing that she still seemed to be sulking, a smile surfaced on his face, so faint it was almost impossible to notice.
Ning Zhen caught him red-handed and immediately raised her voice to scold him. “What are you laughing at?”
He lifted a hand and ruffled her hair. Leaning closer, he lowered his head and lightly kissed the top of it before straightening up, getting into the car, and closing the door.
Inside the Bentley not far away, Song Hang stared in shock, unable to recover for quite some time.
Song Yue’s voice was filled with the weariness of a man who had seen too much. “You tell me—was I exaggerating or not?”
