But now she had to stay in Lan City, and only by being Elder Madam Qing could she put their minds at ease.
Otherwise, Meng Jingwei wouldn't have said so much.
She handed her phone to Qing Muyie, "Thanks."
Her playful demeanor from earlier had vanished, a hint of heaviness clouding her brow.
Seeing her lean weakly against the car seat, her head tilted towards the window, looking dejected, Qing Muyie felt a pang of sympathy.
"Even though you are Li Yun'er's fiancé, I wasn't afraid of you telling them what I just said."
Meng Jingwei truly wasn't afraid.
Moreover, she would have said the same even if she were standing before Mr. and Mrs. Li Fu'an.
She gazed at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, a sense of melancholy washing over her.
"I didn't hear anything."
Qing Muyie also leaned against the car seat, closing his eyes as if in slumber, feigning ignorance.
His reaction was unexpected by Meng Jingwei, who couldn't help but turn to look at him, "You are Li Yun'er's fiancé, so it wouldn't matter if you said something."
"Is that why you agreed to be Grandma's god-granddaughter?"
The man slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unfathomable.
Meng Jingwei nodded, "Yes."
She stood by her words, admitting it directly, "You can tell Grandma this too, I don't mind."
There were some things she should have kept from Qing Muyie, but she knew he must have investigated the kidnapping incident, otherwise, he wouldn't have known she'd be on that cruise ship.
Since he already knew, why should she go to great lengths to hide it?
"Your matters with the Li family do not conflict with Grandma recognizing you as her god-granddaughter," he said.
Meng Jingwei remained silent, assuming Qing Muyie was being filial to Elder Madam Qing and feared that telling the truth would hurt her feelings, which was why he wouldn't reveal the truth to Elder Madam Qing.
"Then what about you? You are Li Yun'er's fiancé."
Meng Jingwei stared at Qing Muyie, questioning him directly.
The man slowly opened his narrow eyes, glanced at Meng Jingwei, and his thin lips parted slightly, "As long as you don't go too far, I can turn a blind eye."
His words were very direct.
It was essentially telling Meng Jingwei that as long as she didn't cause too much trouble and damage the Qing family's reputation, he would remain indifferent.
Meng Jingwei didn't understand Qing Muyie's thoughts but knew he wasn't lying.
Perhaps it was simply because Elder Madam Qing liked her excessively, which was why Qing Muyie could only tolerate her.
If one day Elder Madam Qing were no longer around, he might become her enemy, just like the Li family.
But that was a matter for the future. Currently, the only thing Meng Jingwei could do was to build a good relationship with Elder Madam Qing to ensure Qing Muyie wouldn't harm her.
However, Meng Jingwei never expected Qing Muyie to like Li Yun'er so much that, even knowing the despicable actions of the Li family, he could still turn a deaf ear due to his deep love for Li Yun'er.
Love, truly, could make one reckless.
Meng Jingwei suddenly felt that her path of revenge was becoming increasingly fraught with difficulties.
Especially with Qing Muyie now added to the mix!
As the car drove slowly, Meng Jingwei spotted a shopping mall ahead and said to Qing Muyie, "Could you lend me some money first? I want to go down and buy something for Grandma Qing."
Qing Muyie didn't reply, but instead, he took a bank card from his wallet and handed it to Meng Jingwei, "There's no password, take it."
"Oh."
Meng Jingwei didn't think much of it. She had Song Ci stop the car, and then she got out and went into the supermarket.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Song Ci looked at Qing Muyie through the rearview mirror, "Boss, Miss Meng and the Li family..."
"Keep this matter buried deep,"
Before Song Ci could finish, Qing Muyie warned him.
Sensing his boss's displeasure, Song Ci said no more.
Likewise, he didn't understand his boss's current stance.
A moment later, Meng Jingwei emerged from the supermarket with some items. Song Ci got out of the car to take the bags and put them in the trunk before they both got back into the car.
After closing the door, Meng Jingwei returned the bank card to Qing Muyie, along with a receipt, "I used 535 yuan and 32 cents of yours. I'll pay you back later."
"No need, keep it."
"What do you mean?"
Meng Jingwei was utterly confused.
The man's cold eyes swept over her, "I don't want my sister, Qing Muyie's sister, to be mocked for being shabby when she goes out and embarrass my Qing family."
"Oh, I see."
Meng Jingwei was somewhat surprised, not expecting there to be such benefits to being Qing Muyie's sister.
Suddenly, a question surfaced in her mind.
She pursed her lips, clutching the bank card, and after a moment's hesitation, asked, "If one day I and Li Yun'er clash, who will you help?"
For some reason, she had suddenly asked a foolish question.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qing Muyie's handsome face tilted slightly, "Who do you think I should help?"
"I... hehe..."
She suddenly let out a chuckle, "I'll use this card for now. Once my ID is reissued, I'll return the bank card, and I'll repay all your money."
She skillfully changed the subject.
Because in the previous few seconds, she suddenly realized she had asked a foolish question, which was merely seeking humiliation.
Qing Muyie, because he loved Li Yun'er so deeply, could disregard the Li family's alleged attempts to harm her, so what else was there to ask?
She turned her head to look out the window and said nothing more.
Qing Muyie's gaze remained fixed on Meng Jingwei, his eyes dark and unreadable, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts.
An hour later, the car arrived at the Qing family's old residence.
Meng Jingwei got out of the car, Song Ci went to carry the items, and she entered the old residence with Qing Muyie.
"Young Master is back. Oh, Miss Yun'er, weren't you at the entrance? Why are you with the Young Master again?"
As soon as they entered the old residence, the butler stepped forward to greet Qing Muyie with a slight nod.
When he saw Meng Jingwei, he couldn't help but show some surprise.
Meng Jingwei smiled slightly and did not answer.
The two walked through the front hall to the backyard. In the living room, just as they set down their belongings, Elder Madam Qing's voice sounded from behind them, "Oh, isn't this Jingwei girl?"
Seeing her back, Elder Madam Qing recognized Meng Jingwei at a glance.
Upon hearing this, Meng Jingwei turned around and called out, "Grandma?"
Turning around, she was startled to find Li Yun'er standing beside Elder Madam Qing.
She was wearing a silver, belted long dress, her every movement exuding the gentle reserve of a noble lady, showing no hint of her vile nature.
"You... who are you?"
Meng Jingwei, not having disguised herself and appearing in her true form, naturally surprised Elder Madam Qing.
"Grandma, this is Meng Jingwei, Li Yun'er's sister," Qing Muyie explained.
Elder Madam Qing furrowed her brow, looked at Meng Jingwei, then at Li Yun'er standing beside her, and walked forward in disbelief, "What is going on here?"
"Grandma, I'm sorry, I deceived you before. For various reasons, I didn't want to reveal my appearance, so I've been meeting you in disguise."
She explained.
"That's not right either. You didn't have any cosmetics when you stayed at the old residence for those few days, so how did you do your makeup?" Elder Madam Qing scrutinized Meng Jingwei from head to toe, filled with shock.
"I used a special kind of cosmetic. Once applied, it almost never comes off."