TSDT - 2

When Meng Jingshu woke up, he was the only one left in the hotel room.

The outdoor sunlight was blocked by the heavy blackout curtains, making it impossible to tell the time in the dim room.

His first instinct was to reach for his phone, but he didn’t find it.

He could only prop himself up on his elbows to look at the display on the bedside landline.

Eleven seventeen.

Meng Jingshu fell back onto the bed again.

His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, his mind blank.

It had been a long time since he had slept for so long; his body felt lazy and he couldn’t quite snap out of it.

The faint scent of the bed linens drifted into his nostrils, a mix of his alcohol and a subtle, private fragrance left by a woman.

His body woke up earlier than his mind.

He cursed under his breath.

After only two or three months of abstinence, a little stimulation excited him like a virgin.

He couldn’t help but recall last night.

She had changed after not seeing her for several years.

At first, it was just the alcohol getting to his head, and he wanted to tease her. Who knew she would actually come? Such a good student, a well-behaved girl, would actually do something like this with him. Those continuous or fragmented images replayed in his mind. Her body swayed because of him, the city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated her slightly sweaty skin like jade, wet and slippery as she intertwined with him.

…

A low, muffled groan echoed in the room.

Meng Jingshu panted for a while, sobering up during the “sage mode.”

Last night, they hadn’t drawn the curtains.

She must have drawn them when she left this morning.

“Oh, aren’t you afraid of the sun?” A hazy memory surfaced with this grumble, the girl’s voice very low, a soft, gentle whisper.

What year of high school was that?

His seat was by the window, and during afternoon study hall, he felt lazy and drowsy, sleeping with his head on the desk. The setting sun stung his eyes, and he instinctively turned his head to continue sleeping. The girl sitting behind him saw it and mumbled softly, leaning half her body over to help him draw the curtains.

He chuckled to himself.

She hadn’t changed at all, after all.

…

Impulse is the devil.

From the moment Jiang Ying got out of bed, she was tasting the bitter fruit.

Most directly, she had many marks on her body, which her dress couldn’t completely cover.

She stood frozen in front of the mirror for a few seconds, deciding to improvise. While the “perpetrator” was still asleep, she put on his shirt, folding the cuffs again and again, tying the hem, pulling and tugging, until she could finally go out somewhat normally.

Jiang Ying didn’t leave a note or contact information, turning this night completely into a prank.

When dawn broke, it was over.

With the feeling of “job done, time to leave,” she returned to her newly rented small apartment and finally relaxed, collapsing into bed. In her drowsiness, she secretly rejoiced that she had drunk little last night and woken up early today, avoiding the awkwardness of the aftermath. She then imagined Meng Jingshu waking up to find his clothes gone, surely bewildered, with a furrowed brow, maybe even cursing her.

But what good would cursing her do?

Hahaha.

She fell asleep amidst her silent glee.

She woke up famished, it was already evening.

The apartment was still a mess, full of boxes and cartons, like a warehouse.

She had only moved in after work on Friday and hadn’t had time to unpack. On Saturday, she went to a party with some colleagues, and then at night...

Anyway, she had planned to clean up after resting, but after a nap, she woke up sneezing wildly.

...The air conditioning was too low last night.

This was probably the price of doing something bad.

Perhaps the process was too enjoyable, so the outcome was also quite bad.

During the peak delivery period, Jiang Ying, with an empty stomach and runny nose, slowly unpacked her luggage and cleaned the apartment. Finally, after more than an hour, she ate her first meal of the day.

The food delivery app sent her a delayed red packet worth a few yuan.

She glanced at it, closed it, and habitually opened Weibo.

The last time she logged out, Jiang Ying hadn’t switched accounts and directly logged into her secondary account. Her secondary account was purely for lurking and participating in giveaways, so she didn’t follow many people.

As soon as she opened it, she immediately saw the caller’s avatar she had seen on Meng Jingshu’s phone last night. Big eyes, full red lips, and a small V-shaped face—a striking beauty that conformed to most people’s aesthetic preferences.

However, her Weibo posts were not as bright as her avatar.

Fu Xuan Larissa V:

Is there nothing in this world that will never change? Perhaps some things, like this shirt, have disappeared.

The accompanying picture was a white men’s shirt, with the left collar flipped up, showing a line of small silver patterns embroidered: LarissaLeroy.

In the forty-square-meter studio apartment, Jiang Ying could easily reach the shirt casually thrown on the small sofa. With a furrowed brow, she reached out and lifted it.

Sure enough.

“...”

Who was disgusting whom here?!

…

On the second floor of THE ONE, music echoed, alcohol and perfume mingled, and the colorful disco lights from downstairs occasionally shone through the glass partition, bringing a distinctly different kind of intoxication and fervor.

Meng Jingshu was clearly in a bad mood today, leaning back on the sofa, barely bothering to speak.

Wei Zhanfeng returned with a bottle of wine, uncorked it, and teased him, “Young Master Meng, cheer up. Boss Tong specifically came to accompany you, give him some face.”

Tong Hao scoffed, “You don’t need to give me face,” he pointed to the wine on the table, “As long as the customer spends a high amount and doesn’t make a scene, I can endure any expression.”

This was a joke. Wei Zhanfeng was Meng Jingshu’s university classmate, and later they were alumni during their master’s studies abroad, where they became acquainted with Tong Hao. The three had a deep friendship.

Tong Hao poured wine and added ice for each of them. Meng Jingshu took the glass, half-filled, and drank it all.

“Put it on Lao Wei’s tab, he chose the wine.”

“Hiss... you’re biting the hand that feeds you.” Wei Zhanfeng’s expression was exaggerated. “Put your hand on your heart and tell me, didn’t I save you from distress by calling you out in time? Otherwise, Fu Xuan would definitely harass you endlessly today.”

Meng Jingshu refilled his glass, took a small sip, and glanced at him. “How do you know?”

“How could I not know? Everyone in the circle probably knows by now. Tong Hao, read it to him, how many Weibo posts has that woman made today?”

Tong Hao took out his phone, opened Weibo, and handed it to him. “See for yourself.”

—Is there nothing in this world that will never change? Perhaps some things, like this shirt, have disappeared.

—For three years, what was real and what was fake? What else can I believe?

—My heart is truly in turmoil, the joy of the past has turned into indifference.

…

Fu Xuan was now a well-known internet celebrity, initially gaining fans through beauty and fashion content. Later, during her time abroad, she shared more luxury goods and records of attending high-end events. Coupled with her superior appearance, she attracted countless fans with her image as a highly educated, wealthy, and beautiful woman.

Normally, her Weibo posts consisted of scenery, photo shoots, food, and displays of affection, or some promotions. Never had she posted so many emotional updates in one day. Many fans guessed that her relationship had problems and commented to comfort her and scold the man.

Meng Jingshu had been expressionless all this time, but as he kept reading, he suddenly smiled. His eyes were cold, and the corner of his mouth twitched, looking particularly scornful.

Wei Zhanfeng felt like he had seen a ghost: “You can still laugh? This bitch is really good at faking it. Her own messed-up affairs are known to everyone, and she still dares to play the victim here. Why don’t you also create an account and publish all her dirty laundry, let her fans see what kind of person she is, and see if any brands will collaborate with her in the future.”

Wei Zhanfeng had a strong opinion of Fu Xuan.

Back in college, when they first got together, Wei Zhanfeng secretly envied Meng Jingshu. Such a beautiful goddess was devoted to him.

Meng Jingshu, besides spending money on gifts without hesitation, was certainly not an excellent boyfriend; he was just relatively handsome. In the eyes of men, handsomeness wasn’t a particularly important quality. Wei Zhanfeng felt that his intelligence, ability, family background, and so on, were no worse than Meng Jingshu’s. Moreover, he had a good personality and was much more considerate than him, surely he would be attentive to his girlfriend. Unlike that guy, who did whatever he wanted, not knowing that girls needed more time. The beautiful woman had terrible taste.

Later, due to Meng Jingshu’s connection, they interacted more, and he realized that Fu Xuan was not an easy person to deal with. However, she was his brother’s woman, so he couldn’t comment freely. It wasn’t until a few months ago that Tong Hao informed them of an unexpected discovery.

What goddess? Bah!

Meng Jingshu swirled his wine glass, the ice cubes clinking.

He said, “I haven’t confronted her; she doesn’t know I know.”

His words were convoluted, but they all understood what he meant.

Even Tong Hao found it strange, “You can endure it.”

Wei Zhanfeng was no longer calm: “Lao Meng, what are you thinking? Break up quickly! That woman has no conscience; if she had any good thoughts about you, would she act like this?! I feel disgusted just seeing her! Do you know how many calls she made to me last night when she couldn’t reach you? I almost couldn’t help but curse her. You wouldn’t still have feelings for her, would you?!!”

Tong Hao stated, “I also received calls.”

Meng Jingshu chuckled, “My mind isn’t broken yet. Not telling her is the real torment. As for the calls, why don’t you just block her?”

Wei Zhanfeng looked at his smile, feeling a chill run down his spine, “Are you planning revenge?”

Meng Jingshu said, “I’m not that idle.”

Tong Hao clinked glasses with them and leisurely said, “I don’t think Fu Xuan has affected you, so why is President Meng looking so annoyed today?” He pushed up his glasses, changing the subject, “What were you doing last night? Couldn’t be reached all night?”

Tong Hao was always good at grasping the main point.

Wei Zhanfeng suddenly realized what he meant, “Yeah, Lao Meng! Manager Zhang said you all left around eleven last night. That woman waited for you at your place all night and didn’t see you. What were you up to? Don’t tell me...”

Meng Jingshu’s expression changed upon hearing this, he said nothing and drank another glass.

Being taken advantage of, being slept with, and then having his clothes stolen, forcing him to wait for his assistant to deliver clothes, and the hotel even reminded him that the room was overdue.

Utter humiliation.

Seeing his change in expression, Tong Hao smiled faintly, “It seems President Meng has finally come to his senses.”

Wei Zhanfeng echoed him, “Oh? Really? Could it be that since it’s been so long, the experience wasn’t pleasant? Tell me, brother, as long as it’s not a hardware issue, nothing else is a problem. We’re in our prime, you shouldn’t hold back.”

Having known him since university, Wei Zhanfeng knew that Meng Jingshu was a rather arrogant and picky person. He was certainly not infatuated, but he couldn’t be called promiscuous either. He was the type who held his head high; if a group of women threw themselves at him, unless someone caught his eye, he would remain completely untouched. When he had a girlfriend, that was one thing, but even when single, he wouldn’t just mess around with women.

Wei Zhanfeng admired him most for this, his ability to control himself. It was hard to say whether he was self-disciplined or cold, but compared to his peers, he seemed less enthusiastic about sex. Even when Meng Jingshu first started dating Fu Xuan, he didn’t have a honeymoon period at all. A young man in his early twenties, full of vigor, with such a beautiful girlfriend, yet he slept in the dorms every day like a bunch of single men, rarely spending the night out.

So, Wei Zhanfeng was dying of curiosity about what happened last night.

Meng Jingshu looked depressed and stopped bothering with them.

Coincidentally, another group of Tong Hao’s friends arrived at THE ONE. He greeted them and invited them to sit on the second floor. Everyone was busy exchanging pleasantries, and no one pressed Meng Jingshu about the previous topic anymore.

Among this group of friends were a few pretty girls, one of whom, lively and outgoing, immediately focused on Meng Jingshu. This man, with his calm demeanor and few words, was particularly captivating.

Tong Hao and Wei Zhanfeng noticed and intentionally left the seat next to Meng Jingshu open.

The pretty girl sat down close to Meng Jingshu and greeted him, “Hi, I’m Sandy! Like Sandy from SpongeBob.”

Meng Jingshu didn’t actually know any other characters from that cartoon, but he thought she smiled a lot like SpongeBob.

Sandy was very enthusiastic and smiled a lot. He wasn’t annoyed and chatted with her for a few minutes.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone was a little high. Meng Jingshu had drunk quite a lot, and no matter how good his tolerance, drinking like this still made him a little drunk. Compared to the excited chatter and dice-throwing of everyone else present, he seemed relaxed and casual.

Sandy chattered endlessly in his ear, and he couldn’t quite hear everything she was saying. Most of the time, he just gave a simple few words or a lazy “hmm” as a response.

The girl liked him more and more, almost wanting to reach out and touch him. As she spoke to Meng Jingshu, she deliberately swayed her body, her soft red lips accidentally brushing against his cheek.

“Oops, sorry, I bumped into you.”

He couldn’t remember how long it had been, but whenever Meng Jingshu heard a girl softly say “oops,” he would feel a very strange sensation.

He turned his head to look at Sandy, his high nose casting a shadow on the side of her face.

Sandy’s heart pounded as he looked at her, guessing between a kiss and an angry outburst, when she suddenly heard him say,

“Ask you a question.”

She nodded blankly.

“Suppose you like someone, but you blacklisted them. Why is that?”

“Huh?”

“Not in contact for several years, but when you meet again, you’re willing to have sex with them. Why is that?”

“Hah???”