The two of them kissed intermittently in the depths of the park on a midsummer day.
If it hadn't been for the annoying mosquitoes constantly trying to bite Ning Zhen, this kiss would have lasted even longer.
After getting home, Meng Xianwen skillfully found the anti - itch and soothing cream from the medicine kit. Looking at the mosquito bites on her calves and arms, he frowned tightly.
Ning Zhen was completely unaware.
She was in a rather foul mood at the moment. Especially when she recalled what had happened that night, she gritted her teeth in anger. The two Meng men had made it onto her hit list, without regard to order.
If she had known that a single message would bring him here, the first thing she would have done when she went to the bar that night was to snatch Meng Jiaran's phone away. She would never have given this guy the chance to get drunk and act crazy.
After carefully applying the anti - itch cream on her, Meng Xianwen looked up and saw that she was still in a huff.
He suppressed the urge to laugh and casually said, "You're still too timid."
Ning Zhen was already annoyed. Hearing this, she glared at him angrily. How could he say such sarcastic things at this time!
"Put your thoughts on the right person," he put down the cream and suddenly closed the distance between them until their foreheads were almost touching. Staring into her eyes, he said, "Wouldn't that be better?"
His words were rather cryptic. It took Ning Zhen several minutes to digest what he meant. He was saying that she shouldn't have flirted with the blind man back then. What did Jiaran know? She should have set her sights on him from the very beginning.
Ning Zhen was full of questions.
She had a new understanding of his audacity. As they locked eyes, an idea flashed through her mind. While sizing up his features, she smiled meaningfully and said, "You're so mature!"
No wonder he didn't let Jiaran accompany her to pick up the car before. No wonder he said those sarcastic things the night Jiaran was hospitalized. No wonder he didn't let her peel the apple today.
It turned out that he minded this matter even more than she did!
Ning Zhen's mood instantly brightened up. If only she had minded, it would have been embarrassing. But since he minded more than her, it didn't seem like a big deal anymore.
It showed on her face. Her previous annoyance disappeared, and instead, she looked rather smug for having caught evidence of his narrow - mindedness.
Reaching out to hold his face, she moved closer, sniffed, and clicked her tongue. "What's going on? It's so sour. Where is this sour smell coming from?"
Meng Xianwen didn't seem annoyed at being teased by her. He just quietly looked at her without saying a word. After a moment, he reached out and grabbed her waist, pinning her down on the sofa.
He originally didn't plan to "add new injuries to the old ones" tonight. But she was too noisy and too smug.
...
The result of her provocation was that she could hardly get up the next morning. Ning Zhen rushed to the company at breakneck speed all the way and clocked in at one minute to nine. Sitting at her workstation, she was out of breath, feeling so exhausted as if her body had been hollowed out.
"Running so late today?" A colleague sitting next to her tossed a few chocolates onto her desk and casually asked, "You live right across from the company and still manage to be late. Watch out or the boss will eat you up."
Ning Zhen couldn't tell her the real reason. She took a sip of water to catch her breath.
She hadn't thought about moving back to Jingyuan yet, and Meng Xianwen hadn't brought it up either. However, he had brought a suitcase over last night, clearly showing his intention to stay at her place.
"This chocolate tastes good," Ning Zhen changed the subject, unwrapped a piece of chocolate, put it in her mouth, and mumbled.
"I bought it as a supplementary purchase. Nowadays, merchants are eyeing the money in our poor people's pockets," a colleague yawned and chatted with her. "Tell me, how many festivals do they come up with in a year? What's there to have discounts on during Qixi?"
"Then why did you still buy chocolates?" Ning Zhen smiled.
"What? Are chocolates only allowed for those of you with partners? Can't us single nobles buy them and eat them?" Seeing that she really liked chocolates, the colleague grabbed a few more and threw them to her.
Other colleagues also joined the conversation about the Qixi Festival. Ning Zhen listened with her mind wandering far away.
Although everyone said that festivals didn't mean much, just going out for a meal and a movie, those with more thoughtfulness would buy a bouquet of flowers, and those without would just transfer some money. But she still looked forward to it. After all, this was the first Qixi Festival she would spend with a boyfriend.
At the moment, listening to her colleagues chatting, she couldn't help but feel itchy and sent a message to him full of hints: [I've been so busy this week. It's only Tuesday. I hope it'll be Friday in a blink of an eye. 😎]
A few minutes later, she received a reply: [You have time to send messages. It seems you're not that busy.]
"..."
Ning Zhen angrily poked at his profile picture, locked her phone screen, and ignored him. She attached great importance to Qixi, so she had also quietly prepared a gift for Meng Xianwen, which was placed in the drawer of her work - station.
This gift was bought before she found out that he had regained his memory. At that time, she thought it was quite good, but now she thought it seemed to be missing something.
She absent - mindedly twirled her pen. She didn't have a good idea for the moment. With a snap, the pen flew out of her fingertips and fell to the ground. When she bent down to pick it up, a flash of inspiration came to her mind, and her eyes immediately brightened.
Around seven o'clock, Ning Zhen drove to Hengxing. Now, both of the cars registered under her name had their license plates entered into the system, so she could freely enter and exit the B3 level.
When she reached the 23rd floor, Assistant Wang was waiting in the elevator hall. Seeing her come out of the elevator car, he quickly greeted her with a smile, "Miss Ning, Mr. Meng is still in a meeting. He asked me to take you to his office and wait. It won't take long."
Ning Zhen looked at his tired - looking face and said with a smile, "Didn't you take a vacation this time?"
Assistant Wang said cheerfully, "I don't have anything that requires a vacation. I'll save it up first. I can take a longer wedding leave later."
Ning Zhen sized him up and down, looking surprised. "You have a girlfriend?"
She had also added Assistant Wang on WeChat, and there was no trace of a relationship in his Moments. All his posts were about how delicious hot pot, barbecue, and seafood were.
Hearing him mention the wedding leave out of the blue, she was extremely surprised. Could she have misjudged him?
Assistant Wang paused, scratched his nose, and explained awkwardly, "I don't have one for the moment. So I'll save it up. It might come in handy later. Anyway, I'm alone now and don't want to travel."
Ning Zhen was silent for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. She gave him a thumbs - up. "Not bad. It's a great idea to plan ahead!"
Chatting and laughing, they arrived at the office door. Assistant Wang took half a step back. Having mentioned the topic of girlfriends, he immediately remembered that Friday was Qixi, and he also remembered the yacht parked in the berthing area.
Just waiting for Friday, they could go out to sea for a tour.
For a moment, he didn't know whether he should envy Miss Ning or Mr. Meng.
It seemed that they would definitely have a very romantic Qixi this year.
Ning Zhen waved goodbye to Assistant Wang and slipped into the office. She came here fully prepared. While Meng Xianwen's meeting was still going on, she quickly walked to the desk and found the pen she had given him under a pile of documents.
She glanced around, put the pen in the inner pocket of her bag, and calmly returned to the sofa to play with her phone.
Meng Xianwen had said it wouldn't take long, and he really didn't dare to keep her waiting. Before 7:20, he strode into the office in a hurry, closed the door behind him, and walked up to the sofa and stood still, staring at her intently.
"What are you looking at?" Ning Zhen felt uneasy under his gaze. She thought there might be a camera in his office and that he had caught her in the act of what she had just done. "Is there something on my face?"
He gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips and smiled. "What bad idea are you up to again?"
Ning Zhen was at a loss for words. She grabbed his tie and forced him to lower his head. She had come prepared. Making this long - distance trip to Hengxing, she definitely wasn't going to accomplish just one thing. "I'm here to collect the debt. It's the first installment today. Pay me quickly!"
Meng Xianwen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She really hadn't changed at all. Even before he lost his memory, she was always thinking about getting him to pay in installments. Now that he had regained his memory, she came in a hurry to collect the debt.
"Okay, wait. I'll write you a check."
He took the opportunity to peck her lips, lingered for a few moments, then let go and straightened up to go back to his desk to write the check.
Ning Zhen blinked in surprise. She couldn't believe that this man, who would laugh at her and tell her not to daydream when she mentioned money, had agreed so readily.
Amid the pleasant surprise, she quickly realized the difficult choice she was facing.
Writing a check required a pen. If she didn't stop him, he would soon discover the surprise she might have prepared for him. How could she continue with her plan then?
If she stopped him, she wouldn't get the money today...
Seeing Meng Xianwen return to his desk and about to look for a pen to sign the check, Ning Zhen gritted her teeth and shouted reluctantly, "Forget it. Let's do it tomorrow. I'm so hungry now!"
Meng Xianwen stopped in his tracks and slowly looked up at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes." Ning Zhen nodded absent - mindedly, got up, and walked out without looking back. She was afraid that if she stayed a few more seconds, she would change her mind.
She was in a hurry to leave, but Meng Xianwen quickly caught up with her.
The two took the elevator downstairs. The walls of the elevator were spotless mirrors. He calmly observed the changes in her expression.
She was about to get the check. What made her change her mind?
The more Ning Zhen thought about it, the more she felt she had made a bad deal. Not caring if there was a monitor in the elevator, she shouted at him, "I don't care. You must give it to me tomorrow. Did you hear that?"
The smile in Meng Xianwen's eyes grew deeper. He was even more curious about the idea and the mystery she was keeping.
The answer was revealed the next morning.
As usual, Meng Xianwen first dropped Ning Zhen off at Shengdu and then came to the company. By now, his assistant and secretaries were used to their workaholic boss arriving at work right on time every day.
There were many documents and contracts waiting for his signature every day. As soon as he entered his office and sat down, a deputy general manager knocked on the door and came in.
Meng Xianwen took the documents and instinctively looked for a pen. His eyes were carefully reviewing the documents. When he felt the pen in his hand, he noticed that the texture was wrong. He frowned and turned his head to look. His expression was slightly stunned. As if recalling something, after a brief moment of distraction, he suddenly smiled.
The deputy general manager was standing in front of the desk. One moment his expression was calm and composed, and the next moment his eyes widened in shock. He saw Meng Xianwen take out a fluffy pen with a cute little pink fox on the top and quickly signed the documents.
