TSDT - 34

Jiang Ying and her colleagues took the elevator down to the fourth floor, while the group of well-dressed young men continued up to the top floor.

Once the elevator doors closed, Xiaoman, Xiaoxiang, and a few other girls looked at each other, and without prior arrangement, clenched their fists and let out a suppressed squeal.

“Oh my god! So handsome!”

“Mm-hm!” Jiang Ying actively agreed, but a pang went through her heart, remembering that a certain someone had been to their law firm.

“Those exquisite pig-boys are truly amazing, boo hoo hoo!”

The few gentlemen present had no opening to interject and could only remain silently.

“Especially the one in the middle, wearing the black jacket, I saw him right away,” a female colleague fanned herself with her hand, “I was so nervous I felt a bit hot...”

“I saw him too! He can rank in the top three among all the handsome guys I’ve seen this year!”

“Although I didn’t dare to look clearly, just one glance was amazing enough!!”

Ah... that damn man’s fatal beauty.

Fortunately, they didn’t recognize him, so they naturally wouldn’t notice any hidden meaning in their brief exchange of glances just now.

Jiang Ying fanned herself along with them; she was nervous too.

Especially since she had met Wei Zhanfeng a few times before, her heart was racing, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what she was worried about.

They had gotten a number online in advance, so they didn’t wait long before being called. They took a seat at a large round table. The hotpot restaurant’s decor wasn’t the usual Sichuan or Chongqing style, but rather youthful and lively. The wall art consisted of brightly colored graffiti, and the playlist featured popular songs from recent years.

Jiang Ying put her coat and handbag into the deodorizing locker. As soon as she took out her phone, a message arrived, as if on cue.

Meng Jingshu: “Didn’t you say you were going to Songting District to play?”

Jiang Ying: “And you said you were going to Fuxiang Road for business.”

Meng Jingshu: “Finished.”

Jiang Ying: “Tired from playing.”

Meng Jingshu: “What a coincidence.”

The man curved his lips slightly, putting down his phone for the moment. The waiter came to pour their water, and they didn’t even need to look at the menu themselves; Ah Qing was an expert. He quickly communicated with the chef in English.

This Western restaurant was Ah Qing’s handiwork, with a minimalist nostalgic style and vintage warm yellow tones, located on the top floor of the mall, exuding an incongruous laziness.

In the fully open dining area, Wei Zhanfeng quietly teased, “A few grown men sitting together eating Western food, it feels strange.”

Old Su laughed, “Isn’t it? Kinda sissy.”

“If you don’t eat, get out.”

After some negotiation, Ah Qing’s determination solidified, and his vigor returned. His family was a major player in Zebian’s catering industry. Since he was interested in this line of work, he naturally took over. He spoke of his next plan to open a dreamlike French sky restaurant on a high-rise building along the river.

“Old Meng, didn’t you say last time that your friend’s shop space by the river was almost up for lease renewal?”

“Yeah,” Meng Jingshu opened his phone, “I’ll give you his contact info.”

The business card was sent, and a new unread message appeared at the top of WeChat. Meng Jingshu unconsciously smiled.

Jiang Ying said: “I think I saw Wei Zhanfeng?”

Meng Jingshu chuckled softly.

This person’s memory was quite good; Wei Zhanfeng didn’t recognize her at all when he saw her.

Had she really become prettier? It wasn’t just his own filter.

He typed: Yeah, just a few friends. Do you want to come over...

He stopped there.

He hesitated for a moment, then deleted the rest of the sentence.

________________________________________

Inside the hotpot restaurant, a staff member brought in a huge “pot within a pot.” They placed several thick blocks of spicy oil in the outer ring and poured clear broth into the smaller inner ring, then turned on the heat to wait. The large pot gradually began to steam, and the fragrant, spicy hotpot aroma spread right under their noses.

Jiang Ying looked at the text on her phone, thinking self-deprecatingly: Right, he should indeed be celebrating with his friends today. And I shouldn’t have any expectations when I coincidentally run into him and his friends.

Who do I think I am?

The theme song from a recent campus drama played on the speakers. Several girls were very familiar with it. The male colleague’s girlfriend was very cheerful and hummed a few lines along.

“I wrote a distant song for the distant you, Your laughter and my laughter woven together, This is my warmest memory of old times...”

She smiled gently, talking about their story, which was very similar to the one on TV.

Jiang Ying’s phone received another message. She opened it with an expressionless face.

“Let me know when you’re done there, we’ll go back together.”

The ordered meats and vegetables arrived on a small cart, and the staff filled the table with plates. The red oil in the pot was fully boiling. The colleagues’ appetites were whetted, and they scooped meat into the pot, the fatty beef swirling freely.

The song continued.

“The breeze blowing towards me is like the way you speak, Without any warning, this story abruptly ends, Life always has some regrets, just let them be...”

Other people’s stories were similar to those on TV, but her story was only similar to these lyrics.

________________________________________

In the Western restaurant, old records by The Carpenters played, and a waiter brought Mediterranean seafood soup.

Meng Jingshu’s gaze lingered on his phone for a moment.

“No thanks, I’m with colleagues. You go back to your own place, I’m not convenient these few days.”

There was a slight knocking sensation in his heart, not heavy, but impossible to ignore.

A soothing female voice sang melancholic blues,

“Why do birds suddenly appear Every time you are near Just like me They long to be Close to you...”

Ah Qing enthusiastically described the freshness of the ingredients and the precision of the spices.

Meng Jingshu took a few bites.

The taste didn’t quite match the exquisite tableware. But she probably liked this flavor. He pondered for two seconds about the feasibility of bringing takeout under everyone’s watchful eyes.

Then he became clear-headed, remembering the fact that he had been swept out the door because he had temporarily lost his utility.

Hmph.

________________________________________

With a rich weekend nightlife, they didn’t continue the party after dinner, dispersing separately.

Meng Jingshu drove across the Bianjiang Bridge, through bustling streets, and arrived at a relatively quiet high-end residential area in ten minutes.

Red light, he stopped.

Dongming Jiayuan was just a short turn right ahead.

While waiting, his gaze was unfocused, directed forward, but not looking at anything specific.

People hurried past on the sidewalk. He looked at them aimlessly. The pedestrian traffic light and numbers had already turned yellow.

7, 6, 5... 1.

It only took him seven seconds to make this decision.

The light turned green, he made a turn, changing direction.

Come when called, dismissed when waved away?

Impossible.

________________________________________

When Jiang Ying dragged her heavy steps to her doorstep, her lowered gaze first saw a pair of dark men’s athletic shoes, then black trousers leading upwards.

He was wearing casual clothes today, cool and fresh, undoubtedly attracting many people’s attention.

They gazed at each other for a moment.

She took out her key to unlock the door, her back to him, her voice weak: “Didn’t I tell you to go home? I’m not convenient.”

Meng Jingshu said, “Not convenient, so what?”

Jiang Ying entered the house and closed the door before blandly saying, “So I can’t have sex. Why are you still here?”

The air instantly froze.

Meng Jingshu stared at her, the corners of his eyes tightened, intensely cold. It was a prelude to an outburst.

“To you, am I just a sex tool?”

He was accusing her.

But why was he the one asking that question?

A dull ache pulsed in her lower abdomen. Her internal organs felt clutched and twisted together. Jiang Ying didn’t even have the strength to get angry. Her physiological hormones plunged her emotions to a low point. She suddenly felt terribly wronged and couldn’t even stand straight.

She clutched her handbag to her stomach and suddenly squatted down, her brows furrowed.

Her voice wavered: “I’m in so much pain right now, are you still going to argue with me?”

Meng Jingshu was stunned, forgetting his stern demeanor. He immediately squatted down in front of her.

He knew girls experienced discomfort during their periods, but he had never seen it this severe.

“Why is it hurting so much? Last month, wasn’t there nothing wrong?” He gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, trying to pick her up, “To the hospital, mm?”

“No.” Jiang Ying huddled into a ball, unwilling to move.

“Why not? Are you neglecting your body just to be angry with me?”

Jiang Ying raised her face from her knees to look at him, feeling like his brows could probably trap two flies.

The stinging sensation in her nose miraculously disappeared.

She slowly said, “You think too highly of yourself. I’m not going to the hospital because it’s useless to go. The first day always hurts, it’ll get better on its own in a few hours.”

“Really?” He was skeptical.

She weakly hummed “Mm.”

Meng Jingshu touched her face, which was deformed from being pressed against her knees. It was cool and lacked color. He unconsciously softened his voice and asked, “Shall I carry you to bed to rest?”

Jiang Ying shook her head: “Squatting isn’t as uncomfortable. I’ll rest for a bit, it’ll feel better after I take a shower.”

Meng Jingshu sighed, half-kneeling and holding her.

________________________________________

Perhaps due to hormonal changes this month, and being stimulated by the iced drink last night, a hot shower wasn’t enough to alleviate Jiang Ying’s period pain this time.

She lay in bed for a while, tormented by the aching pain, unable to sleep. She stiffly and slowly got up.

Meng Jingshu had just come out of the shower. Seeing her get up, he immediately went into dorm supervisor mode.

“Why aren’t you sleeping yet? What time is it? What are you doing down here? Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you. Go back and lie down.” His expression was as serious as an old man.

Jiang Ying said, “Then I want to boil ginger and brown sugar water. How will you get that for me?”

“I’ll boil it.”

“...You will?”

“You can instruct me verbally.” Meng Jingshu put her back on the bed, pressing down the edges of the quilt, giving her no chance to retort.

Alright then, it wasn’t that difficult anyway.

However, seeing Young Master Meng condescend to be in her small kitchen, awkwardly squatting to find ginger, then rummaging through cabinets for brown sugar, felt truly strange.

He was a rather proud person, always doing as he pleased. If he wanted to do something, no obstacle was too great. If he didn’t want to do something, even a cup would wait for the housekeeper to wash. Yet the man in front of her now was full of warm, trivial care.

When his phone rang, he was still struggling with a large piece of ginger, having just washed it, ready to slice.

“Your phone’s ringing,” his phone was on the pillow. Jiang Ying turned her head and saw, “It’s Wei Zhanfeng.”

Meng Jingshu focused intently: “Don’t bother with him.”

If it were company business, Assistant Liu would contact him immediately. Wei Zhanfeng calling him in the middle of the night was most likely just nonsense.

The phone rang until it stopped automatically, but he called again shortly after.

Jiang Ying said, “You should answer it first. He’s calling so urgently, maybe something’s wrong.”

Meng Jingshu dropped the ginger piece into the pot, washed and dried his hands, then came to answer the phone.

From the other end came the usual exaggerated voice: “Holy crap! You finally answered, otherwise I was going to call the police! Where are you in the middle of the night if you’re not home! I clearly saw you drive home...”

Wei Zhanfeng’s residence was only two blocks away from Dongming Jiayuan. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would just show up at Meng Jingshu’s place unannounced to drink.

Not long after returning to China, Meng Jingshu and Fu Xuan completely cooled off, and Wei Zhanfeng became even more uninhibited, coming and going freely at his brother’s place. Moreover, Meng Jingshu usually went to entertainment venues either for business or when he and Tong Hao led the way. In short, he considered himself to be well aware of Meng Jingshu’s schedule. So this time, when he showed up and was met with a locked door and a dark room, he was dumbfounded.

His bewilderment was evident in his volume. The room was so small that Jiang Ying could hear everything clearly and looked over with a hint of amusement.

Meng Jingshu glanced at her, then turned to the bathroom.

He figured what Wei Zhanfeng was about to say would probably be unpleasant to hear.

“...No, that, is someone else with you?” Wei Zhanfeng finally caught on to the tranquility on the other end of the phone.

“Mm,” Meng Jingshu didn’t intend to hide it.

“No... this,” Wei Zhanfeng was a little incredulous, then remembered to lower his voice, “How long has it been, and you’re already living at someone else’s place???”

It wasn’t that Wei Zhanfeng was making a fuss, but Meng Jingshu, though not difficult to get along with and able to chat and laugh with anyone, was actually quite cold at heart.

He had never seen anyone more bizarre in a relationship than him. If you said he didn’t like them, he was very generous, giving lots of gifts, and willing to have them around. But if you said he liked them... honestly, a man’s liking would inevitably be expressed through physical desire. Who wouldn’t want to constantly stick close to their girlfriend and be intimate?

But Meng Jingshu, not to mention his very brief past relationships, even when he was with Fu Xuan for several years, living in the same city abroad, they still lived separately, each near their own university. They only spent weekends together normally, and when busy, they wouldn’t see each other for half a month.

Once, after a few drinks, Wei Zhanfeng asked him why he didn’t just move in together, since having a car made it convenient.

“She suggested it, but I didn’t agree,” Meng Jingshu seemed to think for a moment before saying, “I need my private space. I’m not used to long-term... sharing a life with someone.”

Alcohol relaxed him mentally, and he wasn’t so guarded with his words about relationships. “You know, couples are different from family and roommates. Living together, it’s impossible not to disturb each other, and I can’t tolerate that.”

He regarded too much intimacy as a disturbance.

Wei Zhanfeng clicked his tongue: “You treat her so coldly, and she has no complaints?”

Meng Jingshu was puzzled: “Is that considered cold?”

“It’s not? If I had a girlfriend, I’d definitely spend every day with her.”

Meng Jingshu remained noncommittal.

This was the man who said he couldn’t tolerate living with a girlfriend, yet now, not long after meeting someone, he was living at someone else’s place.

Wei Zhanfeng felt a mix of surprise and relief, thinking his brother was finally acting like a normal person. But amidst the relief, there was also a hint of sourness. His brother was already so deeply in love that he was cohabiting, while he was still a lone wolf, with nowhere to go for a drink even at night... He still needed to put in more effort to win over his crush...

Meng Jingshu responded blandly. He stared at the boiling small pot and asked, “If you have something to say, say it quickly, I’m busy.”

Wei Zhanfeng clearly misunderstood and quickly said, “It’s about the game, I want to add some things... Oh, let’s talk tomorrow, I won’t disturb your cultivation.”

Wei Zhanfeng hung up the phone and left alone, thinking whether he should go to Tong Hao’s place for a couple of drinks to drown his sorrows. As he reflected, his phone suddenly lit up, as if Cupid had arrived.