“Since your family is so strict, how could you…?”
“Shuyao, are you staying or leaving? If you’re not staying, then scram!”
Meng Jingwei gave Shuyao no chance to speak, retorting sharply before pushing her into the room. “Here, the closet is full of unworn clothes. We’re about the same height, so pick whatever you like. The bathroom is over there. Hurry up and wash, then go to sleep!”
“Oh, alright, alright.”
Sensing Meng Jingwei’s aversion to these topics, Shuyao didn’t pry further.
Meng Jingwei then went to the bathroom in the living room and surreptitiously called the landlord she had rented the apartment from, asking if she could break the lease.
“Are you out of your mind? You just moved in today and you want to break the lease? You think you can play me for a fool?”
“If you’re angry, then be angry, but don’t curse at me. If I can’t break the lease, fine, why are you yelling?”
“You know I’m angry, and you still ask such idiotic questions? What’s wrong with your brain! *Beep beep beep*…”
The landlady hung up directly, having cursed Meng Jingwei to kingdom come.
Meng Jingwei looked at the phone that had already been hung up, her mouth twitching uncontrollably. “Sigh, I can’t break the lease. Over twenty thousand yuan, it stings.”
The mere thought of it made her furious. It was all that damn Qing Muye’s fault.
If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have lost over twenty thousand yuan.
Emerging from the bathroom, Meng Jingwei’s expression darkened as she opened the door and saw Qing Muye standing at the entrance. She shot him an unhappy glare. “What are you doing standing at the bathroom door? I never realized you had this kind of fetish!”
The man tugged at the tie around his neck, an impatient air about him. He grabbed Meng Jingwei by the collar, pinning her against the wall, and demanded, “Are you very familiar with Shuyao?”
“What’s it to you!” Meng Jingwei retorted ungraciously.
“Her background is unknown, and you dare to be friends with her? Do you think you’ve lived too long?” *This foolish woman, bringing anyone into her home.*
Meng Jingwei tilted her head, her eyes, as bright as star-stones, showing a faint smile. “Of course not, she’s just my good friend.” *Good friend?* *It was just being forced to live together for a week after being kidnapped.*
Meng Jingwei indeed harbored some suspicions about Shuyao’s appearance, but she was certain Shuyao wasn’t sent by the Li family. Therefore, Shuyao had no other value she could exploit. The only logical explanation then… was that Shuyao’s intention in approaching her was to get closer to Qing Muye.
However, whether Shuyao was after Qing Muye’s wealth, power, status, or him personally, it had nothing to do with her. As long as it didn’t affect her quest to ‘get rich,’ she wouldn’t concern herself with it. Besides, Qing Muye was no good person; he was incredibly astute. It would likely be as difficult as climbing to heaven for Shuyao to gain any advantage from him.
“The people who kidnapped her that day were mercenaries. Those people are…” Qing Muye had intended to tell Meng Jingwei about the background of the kidnappers, but he feared it might scare this foolish woman. He sighed instead, merely saying, “Yesterday, I had too much to drink.”
The topic shifted so abruptly it was baffling. Meng Jingwei knew Qing Muye was apologizing for his actions yesterday. Although she had smelled alcohol on him the moment he returned yesterday, the amount he’d consumed was hardly enough to make him lose control.
“So?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “It’s already done. Giving a ridiculous explanation now is meaningless.” *In other words: You already forced yourself on me, slept with me, and now you’re saying it was the alcohol? Isn’t that bullshit? Or are you just a brainless creature unable to control your lower half?*
Qing Muye’s expression darkened slightly. He placed his large hand on her head and gently patted it. “From now on, our relationship will be limited to that of siblings. Beyond that, there is no ‘relationship’.” This ‘relationship’ did not refer to the sibling relationship but implied he would no longer touch her in any way.
Since he had put it so plainly, Meng Jingwei saw no need to be coy. She addressed the matter directly. “It’s good that you know. If you dare to touch me again, I will fight you to the death!”
“Yun’er and I are getting married in two months,” Qing Muye suddenly announced.
Their conversation, seemingly nonsensical and wildly jumping between topics, was actually following a parallel track. Meng Jingwei was momentarily stunned, only then understanding why Qing Muye had said their relationship would be ‘limited to siblings’. It turned out that Li Yun’er was pregnant, and they planned to marry as soon as possible in two months.
Her heart felt a sudden clench, an ache spreading through her chest, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable. *Why does it hurt so much?* *Indeed, why wouldn’t it hurt?* If he married Li Yun’er, how would she get revenge for her adoptive parents? How would she get justice for herself? Meng Jingwei felt that her months of perseverance in her quest for revenge suddenly seemed meaningless. If it were merely a matter of confronting the Li family, she might have found a way to disgrace them or even bring them down. Initially, when Qing Muye said he would marry Li Yun’er in half a year, Meng Jingwei believed that six months would be enough time for her to deal with the Li family and avenge her adoptive parents. But now, with the wedding date moved up to two months, the haste was astonishing. This meant that in a few days, the Qing family would begin preparing for the wedding banquet and announce their marriage date to the public, informing everyone that Li Yun’er was about to marry into the Qing family. Now, they were practically family, sharing glory and suffering together. How could she, all by herself, contend against both the Li and Qing families? It would be like a moth flying into a flame.
Meng Jingwei blinked her eyes, looking at the man before her with a bitter smile. “Is that so? Then congratulations.” Congratulations on becoming a father, congratulations to Li Yun’er on becoming Mrs. Qing. Li Yun’er, after all, had won against her. She had won completely.
She pushed him away and walked to the bar in the living room, taking a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and a glass. She went to the living room and began drinking it herself. Qing Muye stood rooted to the spot, observing all her actions. He also knew that she had used her injured right hand to push him away, yet she seemed oblivious.
*“If, one day, the Li family wants to kill me, will you help them?”* He recalled a sentence Meng Jingwei had uttered with emotion one day while they were lying in a tent on the mountain road to Liangchuan County.
Qing Muye walked to Meng Jingwei’s side, watching her pour red wine into a goblet and drain it, one glass after another, drinking desperately. His heart felt a myriad of emotions. “Jingwei, do you want to wash… Oh, why are you drinking alone? Didn’t you injure your arm? You shouldn’t drink with an injury.”
Shuyao, still fully dressed after her bath, naturally maintained her decorum. After all, she was in the Qing family’s residence, with Qing Muye present, so she had to be more cautious. She walked over and sat beside Meng Jingwei, reaching out to snatch the wine bottle from her hand. “Are you crazy? You’ll get drunk drinking like this.”