Her reaction, however, made Xiao Cheng look at her with new eyes.
Xiao Cheng, carrying the takeout, gazed at Meng Jingwei with bottomless eyes, unblinking. In that instant, he felt Meng Jingwei’s grievances and her inner strength.
At one point, he even felt as if he saw himself in Meng Jingwei.
Because… they were too alike.
“Alright, Xiao Weiwei, let’s go inside,” Xiao Cheng had disliked Li Yun’er before, and now he found her affected pretense even more detestable.
He reached out, took Meng Jingwei’s hand, and pulled her closer, naturally slinging an arm around her shoulders.
This gesture truly surprised Li Yun’er and Qing Muye.
“What?”
Li Yun’er covered her mouth in surprise, “Jingwei, you… When did you meet Young Master Xiao? He… he…”
Her trailing words were understood by everyone.
She wanted to say that Xiao Cheng was a playboy, a notorious wastrel and prodigal son in Lan Cheng, a romantic young master.
But given that it was an engagement banquet, Li Yun’er ultimately didn’t say it.
“Yun’er, since Miss Meng is your friend, you should advise her to stay away from unreliable people.”
Li Yun’er’s silence was out of consideration for Qing Muye’s face, fearing she might stir up trouble and create an awkward atmosphere. Who would have thought that Qing Muye would say it directly.
The words were directed at Li Yun’er, but his gaze remained fixed on Meng Jingwei, not shifting.
“Brother Muye, perhaps Jingwei is just friends with Young Master Xiao,” Li Yun’er tried to smooth things over.
“Right, friends, girlfriend!”
As a man, Xiao Cheng was acutely aware of the hostility Qing Muye directed at him, especially his eyes that kept fixed on Meng Jingwei.
Xiao Cheng recalled their encounter at the nightclub that day, and a thought flashed through his mind, though it seemed unrealistic.
“Forgot to introduce you all.”
Since Xiao Cheng was willing to ‘admit’ she was his girlfriend to protect her, especially with such an ‘ugly’ face, and despite facing everyone’s ridicule, he was still protecting her.
Even with a heart of stone, Meng Jingwei was moved.
She proactively took Xiao Cheng’s hand, “Xiao Cheng, my boyfriend.”
“Your… your boyfriend?”
Although Li Yun’er knew Xiao Cheng was a notorious playboy, he was still the young master of the Xiao family, one of the four major families in Lan Cheng. She couldn’t believe he would like Meng Jingwei.
And with such an ‘ugly’ face!
What kind of spell had this wretched Meng Jingwei cast on him? Annoyed, she feigned concern and said, “Jingwei, I know your life is hard, working and doing delivery on the side to earn money for your parents’ medical treatment. Although it’s tough, you can’t foolishly take shortcuts, can you?”
The words ‘take shortcuts’ were used very cleverly.
Everyone present was intelligent and knew the implied meaning of those words.
“Even when taking shortcuts, one must see if they have the qualifications,” Qing Muye said coldly, as if in sarcasm.
He then added, “Young Master Xiao is surrounded by beauties, you should take a good look in the mirror.”
“Exactly, this woman is too silly.”
“She’s so ugly, I can’t even bear to look at her, yet she thinks Xiao Cheng would like her.”
“Perhaps Young Master Xiao, having seen so many beautiful women, wants an ugly one to whet his appetite, hahaha.”
“Makes sense, makes sense.”
…
The onlookers erupted in another round of discussion.
“Xiao Cheng? What nonsense are you causing? You unfilial son, you embarrass me every day!”
Suddenly, a scolding voice rang out.
The voice preceded the person.
The crowd parted, and a man with graying temples walked in.
He was dressed in a suit, and despite his graying temples, he was vigorous and walked with firm strides. His stern face exuded an imposing authority.
“Isn’t that Old Master Xiao?”
“Xiao Cheng is the Xiao family’s most disappointing youngest son. I fear Xiao Qitian would be furious if he knew about Xiao Cheng’s affairs.”
“Who’s to say he wouldn’t be?”
“If I were them, I’d be angry too, let alone Old Master Xiao.”
…
Listening to their hushed whispers, Meng Jingwei realized the man approaching was Xiao Cheng’s father.
Meng Jingwei gasped.
Earlier, when Xiao Cheng was standing alone, she had thought he represented the entire Xiao family, as it was merely an engagement banquet.
Who knew Old Master Xiao himself would show up?
Now, how would this be resolved?
“Dad?”
Xiao Cheng looked at the man who had reached him and called out “Dad” in a flat tone, but he didn’t loosen his arm around Meng Jingwei’s shoulders.
Xiao Qitian’s eyes were wide with anger. He glanced at Meng Jingwei, his slightly graying eyebrows furrowing abruptly, “Today is Muye and Miss Meng’s engagement banquet, what stunt are you pulling?”
He then pointed at Meng Jingwei, “Haven’t you caused enough of a scene? Bringing out some ‘neither human nor ghost’ ugly creature to embarrass yourself.”
Meng Jingwei’s lips twitched slightly. She knew she had gotten Xiao Cheng into big trouble and felt a pang of guilt.
On the contrary, Li Yun’er, standing nearby, had a flicker of imperceptible triumph in her eyes.
Qing Muye remained an observer, keeping silent.
“Dad, that’s a rather superficial judgment based on appearance.”
Xiao Cheng gripped Meng Jingwei’s hand, saying, “Although Meng Jingwei’s looks are ordinary, she doesn’t steal or cheat. She earns money through her own hard work to support her parents in the hospital. How is she an embarrassment? Faces are given by parents, does she have to die just because she’s ugly?”
“You…!”
Xiao Qitian couldn’t believe Xiao Cheng would argue with him for a woman who was incredibly ugly. “You speak so eloquently, but aren’t you just spending my money on revelry? This woman’s parents are hospitalized, yet she’s out playing with you instead of taking care of them. What are her intentions? Don’t you know?”
“Exactly, Young Master Xiao, it’s definitely for the money.”
“But Young Master Xiao isn’t lacking in money.”
“Who knows.”
“To be able to hold Young Master Xiao’s attention despite being so ugly, she has extraordinary skills.”
“A peculiar taste…”
…
The onlookers chuckled, feeling the day was well spent, having witnessed another ‘show.’
“I don’t care about her intentions, as long as I’m happy,” Xiao Cheng protected Meng Jingwei completely.
As his words fell, Qing Muye’s face clearly showed displeasure.
Li Yun’er said nothing, watching the situation unfold, wishing even more that Old Master Xiao would intervene on her behalf and resolve Meng Jingwei.
And in such a tense situation, Qing Muye didn’t step forward to help Meng Jingwei, which made it clear that that wretched woman was insignificant to Qing Muye.
Everything, for her, was developing in the best direction.
“Useless thing, you only know how to mess things up. If your mother hadn’t died early and I hadn’t pitied you, I would have kicked you out of the house long ago.”
Xiao Qitian mentioned Xiao Cheng’s father, and Meng Jingwei suddenly felt Xiao Cheng’s grip on her hand tighten abruptly.
His strength was immense, as if a weak spot had been touched, and he was barely suppressing his inner rage.
“So, should I thank you for that?”
“You…” Xiao Qitian was about to say more, but noticing Qing Muye’s displeased expression, he relented, “We’ll settle this when we get back.”
He snorted and entered the banquet hall.
With no more spectacle to watch, everyone else also entered the banquet hall.
Xiao Cheng pulled Meng Jingwei to sit aside, blending into the crowd.
The engagement banquet began. The host gave a speech, and Madam Qing and Mr. and Mrs. Li Fu’an also spoke. Li Yun’er recounted a touching story of her and Qing Muye’s ‘fateful encounter after a car accident,’ drawing envy from the crowd.
Then came the dining time.
Since learning she was pregnant, Meng Jingwei had been experiencing morning sickness. Seeing the greasy lunch on the table, she covered her mouth with disgust, “Xiao Cheng, you sit for a while, I’m going to the restroom.”
She got up and went to the restroom. However, the second floor was crowded. Meng Jingwei ran to the third floor.
“Ugh… ugh…”
The public restroom on the third floor was empty. After dry heaving for a while, she finally threw up.
After a brief moment to recover, she walked to the communal sink to wash her hands. She cupped some water in her hands and rinsed her mouth.
As she turned to leave, as she passed a lounge, the door suddenly opened. Before she could react, she was dragged inside and pressed against the wall.