Ning Zhen felt quite satisfied with her performance after that outburst. She tried to put herself in the shoes of Meng Xianwen’s real girlfriend, and every word she said was reasonable—not at all unreasonable or disruptive.
Today, Meng Jiaran had told her everything about his situation.
Apart from Meng Xianwen himself, no one knew exactly what he had forgotten, but from what they understood so far, he had indeed forgotten his romantic relationship with Ning Zhen. Any girlfriend would have the standing and reason to doubt and question.
When she finished, the ward was dead silent.
Oh no, could it be that she had cursed too harshly and overacted? Ning Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. Taking advantage of her tear-filled eyes, she secretly glanced at Meng Xianwen, only to be caught red-handed.
Whether he was stunned speechless by her rant or something else, he remained seated upright, listening quietly and patiently to her accusations without rebuttal or interruption.
At that moment, Meng Xianwen looked her over with the familiar gaze she knew well.
He crossed his legs, leaning slightly forward with a sense of pressure, adopting a negotiating posture. “I never said I wanted to break up.”
Ning Zhen really didn’t want to meet his eyes. She let out a light, aggrieved snort, turned her head away, and stared stubbornly at the pitch-black night outside the window.
“Zhenzhen,” he chose his words carefully, “you know this is very sudden for me. I’ve always seen you as a little sister. As for what exactly happened between us this past year, maybe I can’t recall it now, but that doesn’t mean I’ll deny it.”
Ning Zhen pricked up her ears.
But she wasn’t convinced. He talked a better game than he sang. If she hadn’t been with him for three months and figured out his true nature, she might actually have been moved by that speech.
“Don’t mind me,” he said in a gentle, measured tone, as if merely stating the facts as he knew them. “I thought the person you liked was Jiaran. You two get along very well.”
“…?”
Ning Zhen looked stunned.
She abruptly stared into his eyes, searching his face for clues, but his expression was as calm as ever. Still, when he said that, there was both concern and confusion on his face, as if waking up to find that his girlfriend was his younger brother’s admirer—something that embarrassed him a little.
What did he mean?
Ning Zhen couldn’t help but sit up straight, her face full of disbelief.
So, before that night, Meng Xianwen knew she had feelings for Meng Jiaran? He had never mentioned it—was that his silent approval?
If she hadn’t schemed against Meng Jiaran…
Wait!
Ning Zhen shook her head internally, forcing herself to calm down. Don’t fall into his trap. That dog never speaks much truth. Do not, under any circumstances, get fooled!
He was fishing; he was setting a trap for her!
Setting aside the details of that night, if he had tacitly approved of her relationship with Meng Jiaran, then in the original story, when the butler brought him what he had found on Meng Jiaran’s bed, he shouldn’t have been so ruthlessly decisive—he would have conveniently misunderstood.
That was close…
She had almost blurted out, “That’s in the past, baby. The person I love now is you.”
If she admitted to having had romantic feelings for Meng Jiaran in the past, given Meng Xianwen’s sharpness, he would immediately sense something off.
For instance, if she liked Jiaran, why would she be with him?
Or, if she liked Jiaran, how could he possibly be with her?
That would be suspicious, no question.
“Meng Xianwen, what are you saying?” Her lips trembled, shocked and hurt. “Jiaran and I are good friends. How can you suspect us like this?”
Ning Zhen fumbled for her phone. “Fine, fine. If you hadn’t lost your memory, I wouldn’t have known this is how you really think of Jiaran and me. What kind of person do you take me for? Alright,” she began to ramble, “I’ll call Jiaran right now. Let him come over, and we’ll sort this out!”
Meng Xianwen: “…”
Her noise made his ears ring. He got up and walked over to her, quickly snatching the phone away. Leaning his arm on the sofa armrest, his presence overwhelmed her, pinning her down. “Ning Zhen, calm down.”
“How can I calm down? My boyfriend actually suspects my relationship with his brother?”
The angrier Ning Zhen got, the more she vented her personal grievances. Her eyes red with fury, she reached out to hit and scratch him, not caring that he was a patient. She’d hit him first and ask later—there was no time like the present, and she’d wanted to sort him out for a long time!
Meng Xianwen was caught off guard. How could he have expected her to go crazy like that, disregarding all the rules?
His sharp jaw got a red scratch from her.
Even the most gentle person couldn’t take it, let alone him. He bent his knee to block her leg, grabbed her hands, and endured with a strained expression.
Ning Zhen looked delicate but was very agile, like a fish. Meng Xianwen found it no easy task to hold her down. The two of them inexplicably talked, inexplicably fell out, and then inexplicably wrestled. No one knew how long it lasted before she was panting heavily, and his breathing grew rough as well.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came from the door. A moment later, a nurse’s cautious voice asked from outside, “Excuse me, are you alright? Is something the matter?”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s fine!”
Meng Xianwen and Ning Zhen replied in unison.
“Then, call me if you need anything,” the nurse said softly.
The two looked toward the door, ensuring no one was in the hallway and no sound came from outside. When they turned back, their eyes inadvertently met. They let go of each other at the same time. Ning Zhen composed herself, smoothing her disheveled hair. When she looked closely, Meng Xianwen wasn’t much better off than her.
His robe had been pulled open, revealing his muscular chest.
She had also left her mark on him.
“I’m sorry.” Ning Zhen could bend or stand as needed. She proactively apologized for hurting his injury, yet still wore an expression of having been terribly wronged. “But you shouldn’t have misunderstood me. Jiaran and I are completely innocent. I’ve only ever liked you, and only dated you. You know that.”
Meng Xianwen wanted to say that he didn’t know.
He still hadn’t figured out why he and Ning Zhen were together, nor why Ning Zhen would be with him.
That was precisely why it was absurd.
“But, I want to break up with you now.”
Ning Zhen sniffled, looking utterly devastated. “You’ve forgotten me. You won’t treat me the way you used to. You just yelled at me. But what did I do wrong? The moment I heard you were in trouble, I dropped everything and rushed straight to Nancheng. I went all day without eating or sleeping, just waiting for you to wake up. And now that you’re awake, you remember everyone except me. I can’t be with you anymore… I’ll leave tomorrow. That way, you won’t have to struggle anymore.”
“…”
If he had known that one comment would trigger a whole soap opera plot, Meng Xianwen wouldn’t have said a word. He reached up to rub his forehead, touched the wound, and frowned.
That gesture, in Ning Zhen’s eyes, was like a cue to cut.
She knew him too well. He was getting impatient.
Ning Zhen immediately raised her hand, gently touching his wound, looking anxious. “Xianwen, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me. Are you feeling unwell? I’ll go get the doctor.”
Saying that, she got up to leave the ward.
Meng Xianwen grabbed her hand. He was a bit tired and disheveled now. “It’s fine. Stop making a scene.”
Ning Zhen pouted. “Who’s the one making a scene?”
And with that, the argument was put to rest for now.
Meng Xianwen turned around and put his robe back on, feeling a sharp sting on his jaw but not paying it much attention. Ning Zhen stayed silent as well. Xiao Xuezhen, considerate as always, had already sent over a set of women's pajamas that same day, along with a full array of toiletries.
She stepped into the bathroom to freshen up.
Once the door clicked shut, she covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. She had to admit, seeing Meng Xianwen at a loss for words was immensely satisfying. He was always the one playing others—who would have thought he'd ever be played himself?
The hospital's conditions were limited, far from a presidential suite, but the hot water washed away the occasional frustration of the past three months, along with her uncertainty about the future.
Ning Zhen had, of course, thought about where she would go when her one-year contract ended.
What Meng Xianwen had promised was astronomical to an ordinary person. She admitted, she had been tempted at first. But he, high and mighty as he was, didn't understand how hard it was to go from luxury to simplicity. It wasn't shameful to admit her desires. She had tasted the convenience and privilege of being Meng Xianwen's girlfriend—would she really be expected to return to her former place?
How cruel he could be without even realizing it.
Either he hadn't thought about it, which was his arrogance, or he had, and simply didn't care—in which case, this too, was his punishment. His lesson.
Ning Zhen thought about turning over a new leaf.
She imagined that after getting the money, she could be a little sugar momma, work as just the icing on the cake. If she was lucky, she might even find someone she could truly love, live a simple, ordinary life.
If every villain in literary works thought that way, what a wonderful world it would be.
But that wasn't there. Ning Zhen never believed any villain could truly reform. Changing one's ways went against human nature. It was possible, sure, but only as a last resort, when there was no choice left. As long as there was still an opportunity, she would dare to act again!
Besides, who really wanted to live an ordinary, mundane life?
Who wanted to fall in love with an ordinary, mundane person?
Not her. Never.
The sound of water stopped. Ning Zhen grabbed a towel and dried herself off, then slipped into the pajamas. Steam had flushed her cheeks as she stepped out of the bathroom, only to freeze at the sight before her.
Meng Xianwen was sitting on the sofa, laptop on his knees, the screen's glow illuminating his serious face as he focused intently on work.
She was speechless.
He had been in an accident the day before, had been unconscious, hospitalized. Just moments ago, they had been in a tussle, and now... Ning Zhen glanced at the time. Good grief. It was past ten o'clock at night. Shouldn't he be resting, recovering? Instead, he was squeezing in some overtime? Was he insane?
"You—"
She ventured cautiously, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Meng Xianwen didn't even lift his eyelids, just tilted his head slightly. "You take the bed. I'm answering a few emails."
She had no problem taking the bed. The hospital bed in the private room wasn't small, but...
As if anticipating what she was about to say next, he said flatly, "If you don't say anything, no one's going to eat you alive."
Ning Zhen was momentarily speechless. She slowly walked over to his side, casually glancing at the screen. "But didn't you say you wanted to talk?"
"Not anymore."
Ning Zhen held back a smile, still pretending not to understand. "So what are your plans for our relationship?"
"..." Meng Xianwen's fingers stopped flipping through the documents. "It'll be the same as before. Exactly the same."
"You said it."
Ning Zhen leaned down, stretching out five fingers to block the screen. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled sweetly at him, blinking innocently. "Before, you used to hold me every night when we slept, so annoying—I couldn't push you away no matter how hard I tried. But not tonight! Still, you're a patient, so you need to get some rest. I'll give you ten more minutes. Please shut down the computer and get some rest."
