Since that was the case, Meng Jingwei had nothing more to say.
After all, this wasn't a city where everything could be picked apart.
She took out a towel and shower gel from her bag, grabbed a flashlight, and walked directly to the pond by the door. She sat on the washing stone, her legs dangling in the cool water, kicking her feet and splashing water around.
Croak, croak, croak—
Around her, frogs croaked, mixed with the chirping of crickets, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.
Suddenly, specks of green starlight floated in the darkness. Meng Jingwei stared at them, lost in thought.
When she was little, she could often see fireflies, but as she grew up, she saw them less and less. She hadn't expected to see so many here.
Plop—
Meng Jingwei jumped into the pond by the door. It was late at night, and no one was around, so she decided to swim and take a bath.
The pond by the door was deep, with pebbles at the bottom. The pond's water was mountain spring water flowing down from the mountains, so clear that one could see the bottom.
After swimming for a while, she took a bath. She sat on the washing stone in her wet clothes and washed her hair. The night breeze was cool, but she felt no sleepiness and had no desire to go back to bed.
With a click, Meng Jingwei turned her head and saw a man by the pond lighting a cigarette with a lighter. In the dim light, Meng Jingwei immediately recognized him as Qing Muye.
"When did you get here?"
She was bathing, and he was peeping?
Although Meng Jingwei was wearing athletic shorts and a sports tank top and wasn't revealing anything, Qing Muye knew someone was bathing and still stayed there.
Shameless.
Qing Muye leaned against a tree, silently smoking. The tip of his cigarette glowed on and off in the dark night, like a luminous red firefly.
He remained silent. Meng Jingwei knew that Qing Muye was angry because she had scolded him earlier.
However, she disdained to appease him and got up to return to her room.
She closed the door, changed her clothes, and then lay down on the bed.
Xiao Meiyan also couldn't sleep. Seeing her lie down, she came over and asked, "Are you my brother's girlfriend? My dad said you deliberately made yourself ugly before. Why? Was it because you look exactly like Li Yun'er?"
Meng Jingwei's identity had been exposed by the Li family. The Li family had repeatedly announced in the media that they wanted to take her back.
So, it wasn't strange that the Xiao family knew her identity.
With a sarcastic tone, like an old village woman gossiping, she added, "Why didn't the Li family want you before? Do you have some kind of illness?"
"I don't know if I have any illnesses, but I know your brain has a problem!"
Meng Jingwei looked up at her and retorted angrily.
"Wow, sister, you're so fierce."
Xiao Meiyan lay on the bed, swinging her legs and propping her chin with her elbows on the bed, tilting her head to look at Meng Jingwei. "No wonder my brother likes you. I like your personality too. But I like Qing Muye even more. I heard you saved the old Mrs. Qing. She wants to recognize you as her granddaughter, right?"
The trivial matters of the noble circles were topics of conversation over tea and after dinner. Rumors spread from ten to a hundred.
"You're asking what you already know."
Meng Jingwei didn't want to bother with Xiao Meiyan.
"Really?"
Hearing Meng Jingwei's words, Xiao Meiyan sat up abruptly, grabbed her arm, and asked, "That's great! Can you tell me something about Qing Muye?"
"You're not paying me, so why should I tell you?"
Meng Jingwei snorted coldly.
"Oh, money. I have it. Hehe, I don't have much of anything, but I have a lot of money."
Saying that, she picked up her phone and said, "I'll add you as a WeChat friend and transfer the money to you. Oh, there's no signal on my phone. You'll have to wait for me a moment."
She seemed to be talking to herself, then went to the foot of the bed, took out her bag, and rummaged through it, producing a stack of money. She handed it to Meng Jingwei, "Here, take this money. Tell me something about Qing Muye, okay?"
It was a stack of crisp RMB bills, bound with a white paper strip.
Meng Jingwei glanced at the money, completely bewildered. "Why did you bring so much cash to Liangchuan County?"
"I heard there's no signal here, so I can only use cash. That's why I brought a hundred thousand yuan." Speaking of this, Xiao Meiyan sighed heavily. "Alas, if I had known this place was so desolate, where not even a chicken lays eggs and birds don't shit, and there isn't even a supermarket, I wouldn't have brought money. Carrying a hundred thousand yuan is exhausting me."
Her muttered words fell into Meng Jingwei's ears without omission. Her eyes lit up, and business opportunities instantly flooded her mind.
For a moment, she found Xiao Meiyan exceptionally pleasing to the eye. "Of course, of course. Don't just talk about Qing Muye. It won't be a problem even to help you arrange a meeting with him. As long as..."
Meng Jingwei paused, extending her hand, rubbing her thumb and index finger together.
The meaning was self-evident.
"Really? You can really help me meet Qing Muye?"
Xiao Meiyan's eyes lit up, shining with anticipation.
"Of course."
Meng Jingwei patted her chest, full of confidence.
Putting aside other matters, arranging a meeting with Qing Muye was definitely not a problem.
Thinking of this, Meng Jingwei suddenly remembered something. "Qing Muye is already engaged to Li Yun'er. Don't you know?"
"Tch, so what if they're engaged? Even married couples can get divorced. Don't talk about engagements, that's nothing." She waved her hand, showing the casual demeanor of a spoiled rich girl.
Meng Jingwei's right eyebrow arched, her clear eyes sparkling. "Alright then, what do you want to hear?"
She picked up ten thousand yuan, folded the stack of money at a ninety-degree angle, and scraped the edge with her fingernail, enjoying the rustling sound of the banknotes.
Earning ten thousand yuan so easily, this trip was not in vain.
The facts told her that the business opportunities were far from over.
"Just tell me about Qing Muye and Li Yun'er," Xiao Meiyan asked, lying down beside Meng Jingwei.
"There's nothing much to say about her. How about you increase the price, and I'll help you arrange a meeting with Qing Muye? Wouldn't that be more practical?"
Meng Jingwei was calculating her options.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. If you can help me meet Qing Muye, I'll give you..."
Xiao Meiyan looked at the stacks of RMB in her hand and handed another twenty thousand yuan to Meng Jingwei. "Here, take another twenty thousand yuan, and help me arrange to meet him."
"Three thousand per meeting?"
"Not enough? Then I'll give you another twenty thousand."
"Uh... hehehe, it's enough, it's enough."
When there's money, everyone is a friend. Meng Jingwei decided she wanted to befriend this naive and sweet Xiao Meiyan. "This is my first business deal, and to show my sincerity in cooperating, I'll give you one free meeting for each paid one."
"Wow, Meng Jingwei, you're too good to me."
Xiao Meiyan's eyes lit up with excitement, and she hugged her tightly. "I really love you so much! Let me tell you, tomorrow I'll tell my dad. I'll tell him you're kind, beautiful, virtuous, capable, knowledgeable, sensible, and down-to-earth..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
The unending stream of praise, while it was false that Meng Jingwei felt undeserving, was actually making her flustered, like she was being attacked by a Gatling gun by Xiao Meiyan. "I'll arrange it for you right now. Just wait."