Since the secret of his crush was revealed, Meng Jiaran had completely let himself go.
He unilaterally regarded Ning Zhen as his love guru.
Currently, only four people knew that he had a crush on Song Yuqing. No matter how thick - skinned he was, he couldn't ask his parents how to pursue the girl he liked. His elder brother was the busiest person in the family. When he sent messages, either he didn't reply or replied after a long time.
Without the slightest hesitation, taking advantage of his injury - recovery period, he directly harassed Ning Zhen and sent her a red - envelope bribe: [Transfer: $200]
When Ning Zhen received the transfer, she was slacking off at work. Although she had no idea what this guy was up to, she still accepted it instantly.
Right after that, Meng Jiaran assumed that she had accepted the consulting fee: [How did you chase my brother?]
Ning Zhen almost blocked him when she read the message: [Me? Chase him? Me? Chase him??? Me? Chase him????]
Meng Jiaran said the truth: [My brother doesn't seem like the type who would take the initiative to pursue someone.]
At first, Ning Zhen was extremely angry, but soon her anger shifted from Meng Jiaran to Meng Xianwen. She felt extremely aggrieved that in her first - ever relationship, her boyfriend didn't take the initiative to pursue her in a heroic way!
She couldn't hold back her words and quickly took screenshots of these messages and sent them to Meng Xianwen: [Reflect on yourself!]
Naturally, Meng Xianwen, who was at work, didn't have time to check the messages.
It made sense to make the younger brother pay for the elder brother's debt.
She then turned her fire on the idle Meng Jiaran and typed frantically: [You're wrong, completely wrong. I don't even want to talk about how shamelessly persistent your brother was to be with me.]
Meng Jiaran: [If you don't say it, it means it never happened.]
Meng Jiaran: [Master, I've got it.jpg]
Ning Zhen gulped down several mouthfuls of rose tea. Knowing it was a provocation, she still typed back in a flurry -
[He'd create opportunities for chance encounters, give me a ride to work and pick me up after work. [Sunglasses emoji]]
[He'd often send me flowers. [Rolling - eyes emoji]]
[No matter where I went to have dinner with friends, even if he couldn't be there in person, he'd pay the bill for the whole table. [Laugh - to - cry emoji]]
[Even his confession was with a building projection light show and fireworks. [Embarrassed emoji]]
After sending all these, Meng Jiaran sent a bunch of "Meh" emojis: [Are you sure this is my brother?]
Having been friends for years, he knew very well that Ning Zhen was just making things up. He was both regretful and curious. Since Zhenzhen was so tight - lipped, it seemed impossible for him to learn about his brother and sister - in - law's relationship and draw any inspiration from it.
In his heart, Meng Jiaran thought that he and Yuqing were quite similar to his brother and Zhenzhen.
Ning Zhen stared at the chat box for a while and suddenly burst out laughing.
After work, she had a date with Guo Xia. Taking advantage of the fact that it was Saturday the next day and they didn't have to work, they had a great time having dinner, shopping, and watching a movie, enjoying a single - night out. The good thing about having location - sharing between couples was that Ning Zhen didn't tell Meng Xianwen where she was. But when she came out of the cinema, she saw two cars parked by the street at a glance.
To be precise, it was two cars.
After the hot summer, the late - night temperature in Beicheng gradually dropped.
The wind carried a chill on her body.
Ye Chuyang and Meng Xianwen were standing by the cars chatting. Occasionally, Ning Zhen could catch a few words floating over. She was extremely surprised that he had come to pick her up. She had called him in advance to say that she would go shopping and watch a movie with Guo Xia that night, and Ye Chuyang would drive over, and then this couple would take her home.
He had said okay, and that he was busy that day with an unavoidable social event.
When Ning Zhen and Guo Xia saw their boyfriends, they couldn't help but quicken their steps and jog over. It was nearly eleven at night, with few cars and few people on the road. The two men also looked over and temporarily stopped chatting.
"Why did you come?" Ning Zhen asked in a low voice.
Getting closer, she could faintly smell the alcohol on him. It was estimated that he had just left the dinner party not long ago.
Meng Xianwen smiled faintly: "Just passing by."
Ning Zhen gave him a glare, Another "just passing by". Passing by every day. Aren't you tired!
"Zhenzhen, we're leaving first!" Guo Xia rarely chatted with Meng Xianwen. Even when they met, she'd just smile as a greeting. "It's too late. Remember to come to my place for hot pot in a few days!"
As soon as the words of farewell were out, Ning Zhen immediately let go of Meng Xianwen's arm and hugged Guo Xia.
Ye Chuyang and Meng Xianwen glanced at each other, showing the expressions of those who had been through it all. They shrugged helplessly, as if to say, Dude, get used to it.
Meng Xianwen smiled silently.
After seeing Guo Xia and Ye Chuyang get in the car and drive away, Ning Zhen immediately changed her aloof attitude towards Meng Xianwen in front of her friends. She happily threw herself into his arms, put her arms around his waist, and looked up at him with bright eyes. "Did you drink too much?"
"Just a few sips."
He rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed it gently. His voice was a bit hoarser than when he was completely sober. "Was the movie good?"
"I cried my eyes out. Look, my eyes are all swollen."
She stood on tiptoe and touched his nose with hers so that he could see more clearly. "I'll have puffy eyes when I wake up tomorrow morning."
Meng Xianwen couldn't help laughing.
The two hugged each other in the night for a few minutes, then he put his arm around her and got in the car.
As soon as they sat in the back seat, Meng Xianwen put down the partition. Usually, he did this when he had something to say. He wasn't a rigid person, but he wouldn't kiss her when the driver was still in the car.
"What was that message you sent me this afternoon about?" he asked.
Ning Zhen was slightly stunned. Then she came to her senses and couldn't stop smiling. "You're asking now. It's too late!"
She paused for a few seconds and took the opportunity to complain, "Jiaran always provokes me. He deliberately sends me messages during my work hours. He's a stumbling block on my way to becoming the chief editor. He has bad intentions!"
Meng Xianwen rubbed his forehead: "..."
He shouldn't have mentioned the chief editor last time.
She had just shed the label of a rookie in the workplace, and she already regarded herself as the future chief editor in private.
"Don't pay attention to him," he said. "Let him worry about his own business. Don't give him random advice."
Ning Zhen wasn't happy about it. "My advice can't be random. I have rich -"
Before she could finish, he tightly grabbed her hand. He stopped smiling, leaned closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "Tell me, rich what?"
Rich experience of being pursued.
Although all those who pursued her were unsuccessful examples, one could definitely draw lessons from them. Ning Zhen thought confidently that it was just that there was no man she fancied; otherwise, she could win them over in a minute. But the most narrow - minded man in the world couldn't even stand hearing about this.
She said calmly, "I have rich experience of watching from the sidelines."
Meng Xianwen glanced at her without exposing her. "You're really free."
"Anyway, I don't plan to help him!" Ning Zhen said. "If he had told me earlier that he liked Yuqing, maybe I'd have considered it. But now? No way!"
Of course, the more important thing was that those two were at the center of the world.
She had no problem with Yuqing, but she had a big problem with Meng Jiaran. Every time she thought about him, she'd roll her eyes. She didn't want to get involved in the main characters' story.
Meng Xianwen couldn't help laughing.
But when he turned to look at her profile, he fell into a brief moment of deep thought.
When they got home, Ning Zhen was quite satisfied with his "passing by" behavior today. Entering the kitchen, she looked at the tomatoes in the woven basket on the counter and got an idea. She had been worried about how to use up this gift of love from the elders, and now it came in handy.
She cheerfully washed the tomatoes and squeezed them into juice.
These tomatoes were all grown in Meng Jingshan's small vegetable garden. She casually praised the tomatoes in the group for looking great, and the next day, he sent a lot of them by driver.
"Here, drink this pure - natural tomato juice. It'll definitely help sober you up!"
She handed the glass of freshly squeezed tomato juice to Meng Xianwen.
Meng Xianwen was silent and declined politely, "Take it away. I'm not drunk."
"Yes, you are. You're talking nonsense."
"..."
Under Ning Zhen's supervision, he could only frown and take a few sips of the tomato juice. He never touched such strange things. For him, being able to take a few sips was really a sign of special affection.
This stuff really did help sober a person up. Even a dead - drunk person would be jolted awake by the sourness.
Ning Zhen wouldn't miss such a moment to express her love.
She took pictures of every step, from washing the tomatoes to his drinking the juice. As she pondered how to post them on Moments to mark the occasion, she didn't notice at all that the man sitting beside her had been looking at her intently for a long time.
It was late at night.
After taking a shower and walking out of the bathroom, Meng Xianwen didn't go into the master bedroom. Leaning against the door, he took out his phone and sent a message to his younger brother: [What else did you two talk about today?]
-
The next morning.
It was a Saturday, and there was no need to get up early for work. Ning Zhen brazenly stayed in bed. She wondered if she had set a bad example for Meng Xianwen. Now on weekends, even if he woke up early, he wouldn't get out of bed. Instead, he would sit on the bed, reading emails on his phone, waiting for her to wake up groggily.
He didn't have to go to the company to work overtime today, and Ning Zhen had also told her parents that they would go home for dinner.
After having a simple breakfast at home, they drove to the old city.
The alley was rather narrow, so they had to park the car in a nearby parking lot. Ning Zhen wrapped her arm around Meng Xianwen's and walked home sweetly. Most of the people living in this area were long - time residents. Those they met head - on were either neighbors or acquaintances.
She could strike up a conversation with anyone.
Turning into the yard, the smell of cooking wafted from the kitchen. Ning Zhen rushed into it excitedly, while Meng Xianwen leisurely sat under the tree in the yard. He looked around and his eyes fell on the swing. He reached out and pushed it, which made a dull creaking sound.
He got up and entered the house. "Zhenzhen."
After a while, Ning Zhen poked her head out of the kitchen, munching on a piece of sparerib. "What do you want?"
"Where is the toolbox at home?"
"Dad—"
Ning Hui wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked out of the kitchen. He found the toolbox in the storage room on the first floor. When he carried it over and handed it to Meng Xianwen, he then asked belatedly, "Xianwen, what do you need the toolbox for?"
"That swing doesn't seem very stable."
Ning Hui was stunned. He had watched Meng Xianwen grow from a ten - year - old boy to nearly thirty. As far as he knew, when Meng Xianwen was still in his mother's womb, the late Old Master Meng had become wealthy. It could be said that this young man had grown up in an extremely affluent environment and had never suffered a bit in his life.
He asked in surprise, "Can you do it?"
Meng Xianwen replied calmly, "No, but I'll give it a try."
Ning Hui wasn't a spoil - sport. Since the younger generation wanted to give it a shot, he wouldn't stop him. He just reminded him, "Then take off your watch. I'll hold it for you. It's a very precious thing. Don't let it get scratched and have you feeling heartbroken."
"Okay."
Meng Xianwen didn't reject Uncle Ning's kindness. He casually took off his watch and handed it to Ning Hui with both hands. Just as he was about to roll up his sleeves to try something he had never done before, he suddenly remembered something. He took out a pen from his shirt pocket and handed it over. "Uncle Ning, please hold this for me too."
Ning Hui was puzzled but still took it.
He knew that Meng Xianwen's watch was expensive, but what was the story behind this pen? Was it also very costly?
Out of curiosity, he couldn't help but examine the pen carefully. He turned it slightly, squinted his eyes, and made out the four characters engraved on the pen.
True and Only.
Ning Hui fell silent. Now he knew the origin of this pen.
