Early Sunday morning.
At Lu Yuan’s urging, Ning Zhen accompanied Meng Xianwen to the hospital. He had been injured, lost his memory, and then regained it, so he really ought to undergo a thorough checkup. The three of them ran into one another in the hallway. Ning Zhen put on an impressively convincing act as a patient’s family member, cleared her throat, and said, “Didn’t you say before that you could use acupuncture? Stick him full of needles!”
Lu Yuan glanced at Meng Xianwen. His buddy’s expression remained perfectly calm. Since he never minded watching a good show, he readily agreed. “Sure. We’ll give him acupuncture.”
Ning Zhen thought to herself, I’ll have you two stuck with needles, too.
Let’s see if you dare fool people again.
This time was different from the previous few. Even without Ning Zhen asking, Meng Xianwen pulled her into the examination room with him. By the time they had finished the entire series of tests, it was already noon. Lu Yuan declined their invitation to lunch and, before they parted, stuffed several business cards into Meng Xianwen’s hand.
“If you get a headache or a fever in the future, don’t come to my hospital. These places have pretty good reputations in Beicheng.”
Ning Zhen smiled gleefully, not forgetting to deliver a sarcastic jab. “No, he definitely has to come here. Who else would cooperate with him if you weren’t around?”
It seemed this matter wasn’t completely over yet.
Lu Yuan gave Meng Xianwen a helpless look. After seeing them to the elevator lobby, he hurried away before the elevator doors had even opened.
“I’m curious.”
After they reached the parking garage and got into the car, Meng Xianwen spoke unhurriedly. “How did you figure it out?”
Ning Zhen froze for a moment, not expecting him to bring it up himself.
After that night, the two of them had tacitly avoided the subject. Since he had behaved as usual, she had assumed he wasn’t curious in the slightest.
“Guess.” Her interest immediately perked up. “If you get it right, I’ll let you make one request of me, valid for a week. How about it?”
Meng Xianwen shot her a glance and deliberately teased her. “Going all out, are you? Fine. Forgive the rest of my debt. That’s my request.”
“In your dreams!” Ning Zhen replied without hesitation. “Do you have to talk about money all the time? Aren’t you a little too vulgar?”
Meng Xianwen let out a soft laugh. He would have had no objection if anyone else had said that, but coming from her, it wasn’t remotely believable. He had no idea who it was that made demanding repayment the first thing she did every morning after waking up.
Although he wasn’t curious enough to have to know the answer, seeing how enthusiastic she was, he reluctantly agreed. Over the next week, he would make good use of his spare moments to figure out exactly how she had discovered the truth.
Another heartbreaking Monday.
The other colleagues in the office were yawning, all of them looking listless and half-dead. Ning Zhen alone was glowing with energy. Her mood had been soaring these past few days. Even the most coldhearted person would grin from ear to ear at the thought of owning a yacht.
The colleague beside her saw that she looked as if she had been injected with stimulants and asked, “How come I didn’t see you post anything on WeChat Moments during Qixi?”
Ning Zhen propped her face up in both hands and giggled foolishly.
After dating Meng Xianwen, she had discovered another one of her strengths: she was exceptionally good at keeping her mouth shut.
She was still grinning when Fang Li, their editor in chief, emerged from her office. Her eyes swept across the room, and she picked several people for a brief meeting, including Ning Zhen. Ning Zhen hurriedly wiped the excessively radiant smile from her face and followed them into the conference room.
Fang Li took a sip of coffee and got straight to the point. “The interview we did with President Song of Hongxin received a good response. The higher-ups want us to continue in the same style and do another one. We’ve tentatively selected a few candidates. Take a look.”
She leaned over and tapped at the computer keyboard. Ning Zhen and the others turned toward the conference-room display. A few seconds later, a photograph appeared on the screen.
The mouthful of rose tea Ning Zhen had just taken hadn’t even gone down when Meng Xianwen suddenly appeared on the screen in a perfectly tailored suit. She nearly choked to death, hurriedly covering her mouth as her cheeks flushed bright red.
Everyone else, including Fang Li, remained expressionless.
“This is Meng Xianwen, general manager of Hengxing Group. He’s currently our first choice,” Fang Li said seriously. “A few years ago, he returned to China to take over the company. He made an impressive transition and completed several high-profile projects.”
“But he keeps a low profile. So far, he’s only accepted an interview at the Young Entrepreneurs Conference, and there isn’t much material on him. Getting him to agree to an exclusive interview will be extremely difficult.”
“Keeping a low profile…” A senior colleague who loved joking savored the phrase. “I’m almost starting to forget what those four words mean.”
Someone immediately chimed in. “He’s very high-profile on certain people’s Moments feeds.”
Ning Zhen lowered her head and drank her tea, putting on an innocent expression that said she had no idea who Meng Xianwen was and had never even heard of him. Her act only made the others wink and nudge her more enthusiastically.
The photo remained on the screen for less than a minute before Fang Li changed slides. There were four names on the list, all of them young social elites and talented men by conventional standards. Even the oldest was under forty.
The meeting ended quickly. Ning Zhen followed Fang Li into the editor in chief’s office. As soon as the door closed, she said, “Boss, I’m going to sit out the interview with Meng Xianwen. You know why.”
Fang Li looked at her with a smile. “What reason? I don’t know.”
“Meng Xianwen and I had a fight.” Ning Zhen came up with excuses and explanations as easily as breathing. “I didn’t even post anything on Qixi.”
Fang Li gave her a look that clearly said, I’ll just sit here and watch you make things up. But she didn’t expose her. An hour earlier, she had happened to see Meng Xianwen’s car leaving the building below Shengdu.
Public matters were public matters, and private matters were private matters. From the beginning, Fang Li had never expected to secure Meng Xianwen’s interview through Ning Zhen’s relationship with him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have warned her staff during the meeting that it would be extremely difficult.
Things unfolded exactly as she had anticipated. Shengdu contacted Meng Xianwen’s special assistant and conveyed the invitation. Less than twenty-four hours later, the assistant called back and tactfully declined.
That evening, Ning Zhen was thinking about the matter as well. She still had a facial mask on when she ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of sparkling water. Then, pretending to be casual, she knocked on the study door and entered.
Meng Xianwen was staring at his computer. He was just about to habitually pull her onto his lap when he looked up and saw the black mess covering her face. His outstretched arm immediately withdrew.
“What now?”
“I’m here to show concern for my husband.” Ning Zhen placed the sparkling water beside him, her fingertip hooking back and forth over the back of his hand. “And I also have something to ask your advice about.”
Meng Xianwen didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Wash your face before you come asking for advice.”
Ning Zhen’s smile disappeared. Smack! She slapped the back of his hand. “Fine, I’ll get straight to the point. Why did you turn down our Shengdu? Do you know how hard everyone at Shengdu worked?”
“No idea.” He smiled. “What did your colleagues say?”
“The people at Shengdu are persistent and broad-minded. We’d never bad-mouth anyone behind their back.” Ning Zhen leaned closer to the desk and picked up the potted cactus. “They also said you keep business and personal matters separate. Listen to that. Take it in. Aren’t we wonderful?”
“Is that so?” He snatched the cactus back from her, then nodded toward the bottle of sparkling water, signaling her to unscrew the cap.
Ning Zhen was speechless. Ever since she had moved out after their last argument—and taken the cactus with her—he had practically refused to let her touch it again. He really was a man whose pettiness was smaller than a needle’s eye!
She picked up the sparkling water, exerted some force, opened the cap, and handed it to him. How could he have the nerve to say that she became unbearably smug at the slightest bit of sunshine? Wasn’t he exactly the same? Whenever she asked him to do something or sought his advice, he acted as if he were the most important person in the world, taking the opportunity to order her around.
“I’m not accepting exclusive interviews. It has nothing to do with Shengdu’s influence, and it has nothing to do with you either.” He took a sip of water, his brows relaxing. “I have no plans to do that before I turn thirty-five.”
Ning Zhen seized the opportunity. “Then after you turn thirty-five, if you agree to an exclusive interview, will you give priority to us at Shengdu?”
Meng Xianwen replied in an even tone, “If you can become editor-in-chief, I might consider it.”
Ning Zhen was overjoyed, taking his words as a blessing. She grabbed his hand and hooked her pinky around his. “Then it’s a promise!”
Afterward, she realized there was a serious problem. “But by then, if we—”
Her eyes met his deep, unfathomable gaze. Her heart gave a sudden jolt. Oh no. The conversation had almost coaxed her into blurting out what she really felt.
“Oh, oh, oh, hubby, you keep working. I won’t bother you anymore.” Ning Zhen dropped the words and turned to run, not forgetting to close the door behind her. She was practically the most considerate girlfriend in the world.
Half an hour later.
Ning Zhen was lying on her stomach, watching a tablet. The click of the door opening was barely noticeable over the lively background noise of a variety show. It wasn’t until the mattress dipped beside her that she heard his amused yet knowing voice.
“What were you about to say just now? Go on.”
“...”
As expected, he was the most petty man alive!
—
Being rejected for the exclusive interview was merely a small interlude in their busy lives.
That day, Meng Xianwen had been out on business. By the time he returned to Hengxing, it was already quitting time. Xiao Ding drove down to the B3 level and slowed as he was about to pull into the reserved parking space. He suddenly let out a surprised sound.
“Mr. Meng, that looks like Miss Ning’s car.”
He knew Miss Ning had two cars: one was a graduation present from her parents, and the other had been given to her by Mr. Meng’s mother.
She switched between them from time to time.
From the back seat, Meng Xianwen lifted his eyes and lowered the window to look outside. Among the rows of black and white vehicles, a pink sedan stood out particularly brightly. After a moment’s thought, he took out his phone. Her location showed that she was currently at Hengxing.
“She’s here.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ding couldn’t help sighing inwardly. Miss Ning and Mr. Meng’s relationship was getting better and better. Why else would she come to pick Mr. Meng up from work again today?
Meng Xianwen exited the elevator and hurried toward his office. Assistant Wang ran into him in the corridor. Seeing how quickly he was walking, he assumed there was some urgent business to deal with. Without even going downstairs to collect his takeout, he hurried after him.
Meng Xianwen pushed open the office door, but the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen. His brows drew together slightly as he asked in a low voice, “Did she go out to eat?”
Assistant Wang froze.
At last, he realized what Meng Xianwen meant.
“Miss Ning is in Mr. Sheng’s office. She came with one of her colleagues.”
That afternoon, he had run into Miss Ning in the break area, and she had greeted him. They had exchanged a few words. The editor-in-chief of Shengdu and Mr. Sheng were old acquaintances, and Mr. Sheng had agreed to the exclusive interview. Ning Zhen hadn’t originally been part of the interview team, but one of her colleagues had been hospitalized with acute appendicitis, so she had come to fill in.
Meng Xianwen fell silent.
He nodded and gave a quiet “Mm.”
At that moment, Ning Zhen was sitting in the vice president’s office, listening as her senior colleague and Sheng Ming chatted animatedly. Every so often, she jotted down the key points. She had decided to come at the last minute, mainly to confirm the direction of the interview.
Sheng Ming was nearing forty. He was a true rags-to-riches success story—the top scorer in the national college entrance examination twenty years ago. After graduating, he joined Hengxing on the strength of his outstanding academic record and steadily worked his way up. Meng Jingshan had personally promoted him to his current position.
He was witty and good-humored, with none of the usual airs.
The only thing that could be considered a “flaw” was that he talked too much and too quickly.
Ning Zhen’s pen moved rapidly across the page. Before long, she had filled several pages of notes.
Just as the conversation was drawing to a close, there was a knock at the door. Sheng Ming set down his cup and got up to answer it. When he opened the door, surprise flashed across his face.
“You came to see me?”
The man at the door handed him a document. His voice was steady. “I’ve signed the document. I happened to be passing by, so I brought it over.”
Sheng Ming accepted it, still wondering what was going on. Then he looked up and saw Meng Xianwen’s seemingly casual gaze drifting toward the room. Following his line of sight, Sheng Ming turned his head, and his eyes landed on the young woman sitting on the sofa.
He immediately understood. With exaggerated relief, he let out a long breath and joked, “You scared me. I thought the sun had risen in the west today. Luckily, it hasn’t.”
