Feng Yuan winked playfully at Ning Bei, then turned to Zhan Meng and said, "Cousin, weren't we going to eat? Let's go."
Dining together as a group of four was bound to be anything but peaceful. During the meal, Ning Xi's gaze lingered on Zhan Meng the entire time, while Ning Bei pondered how Feng Yuan knew his identity. After a moment's thought, he figured it must have been through Ning Xi.
Feng Yuan was exceptionally quiet while eating, staying silent and chewing slowly. Ning Bei happened to catch a glimpse of her mannerism and felt a flicker of familiarity, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen it before. Feng Yuan raised an eyebrow, glanced around, and after eating until she was about half full, pulled out a tissue to dab at the corners of her mouth.
Her movements were graceful, like a lazy cat, but the contempt in her eyes as she looked at him made Ning Bei feel quite irritated.
"Cousin, I have something to take care of. Want to come with me?"
"I'm heading to the magazine office later, so I won't join you."
"Alright then, take your time eating. I'll be off." Feng Yuan picked up her handbag from beside her seat, and sensing Ning Bei's gaze still fixed on her, she rolled her eyes and walked away without sparing him another glance.
"Second brother, I just remembered I have something to handle. I'm leaving."
Before Ning Xi could even open his mouth, Ning Bei had already slipped away like a puff of smoke. Ning Xi blinked in confusion—that rascal had come to Jiang City just for a vacation, what business could he possibly have?
Zhan Meng furrowed her brows, lost in thought. With the two nuisances gone, Ning Xi's demeanor shifted instantly. He fixed his gaze on Zhan Meng, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Looks like you really have forgotten what happened that night."
"What?"
"I'm wondering if I should fight poison with poison. If you don't like that method, I have another way to help you remember what happened that evening."
"What method?"
"Recreating the scene. Which of these two approaches do you prefer?" Ning Xi raised an eyebrow, smiling as he watched Zhan Meng's constipated expression.
Without a second thought, Zhan Meng shot back, "Ning Xi, you're hiding malicious intent! No, hiding lustful intent! And you've come up with such a good excuse—recreating the scene, fighting poison with poison? I feel like both methods mean the same thing!"
Hearing this, Ning Xi's smile widened. "Done pretending?"
"I did forget before, but it suddenly came back to me."
"Since you now remember what happened that night, you must know who was the aggressor. Let's settle this score."
"Settle the score? No need for that. I'll take full responsibility, big sister style. As long as you don't mind that I've got nothing to my name and am flat broke, I might consider it." Zhan Meng picked up her favorite dishes with her chopsticks while speaking in a low, airy tone, sneaking glances at Ning Xi to gauge his reaction.
But her little move was easily caught by Ning Xi. He furrowed his brow briefly, then relaxed it. "Nothing to your name? Flat broke? Someone who can make Miss Feng call you 'cousin'—do you really think I'd believe that easily?"
"Since you're saying that, it's clear you don't trust me. If you don't believe me, then let's just drop it. And I should correct you on one thing: who says that just because Feng Yuan calls me 'cousin,' I must be related to her? If I called you 'husband,' would that make you my actual husband?"
"Zhan Meng, your talent for nonsense is getting stronger."
"Flattery, flattery. I'm just stating the facts. Or do you actually want to be my husband?" Zhan Meng calmly set down her chopsticks, pulled out a tissue to gently wipe her mouth, and gave Ning Xi a slight smile.
"I'm full and need to go to the magazine office. If you don't believe me, feel free to investigate. I'm sure the esteemed Third Young Master Ning has no trouble digging up someone's background, especially someone as ordinary as me, right?"
Hearing Zhan Meng's words, Ning Xi's expression soured. Investigating someone's details wasn't hard for him, and when he'd seen Zhan Meng with Feng Yuan, he'd already looked into it privately. The results showed no connection at all.
That was strange. Zhan Meng's fearless attitude was practically begging for trouble.
"Snap out of it. I didn't drive, and I assume you're done eating. Do you have anything urgent?"
Ning Xi pressed his lips together, waiting for Zhan Meng's next words.
"If not, could you give me a ride? It's hard to get a cab at this hour." Zhan Meng glanced at her watch—the editor-in-chief wanted her at the magazine office by two o'clock, but it was already half past one, and waiting for a cab would make it impossible to arrive on time.
Ning Xi was about to refuse when Zhan Meng stood up, walked over to him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him outside. "Don't be so petty, big man. I didn't say I wouldn't take responsibility earlier; I'm just in a hurry now. Since you've got nothing to do, consider it a good deed and drive me over."
"I don't recall agreeing to take you."
"How about this: I consent to you driving me. Okay?" She checked the time again—she couldn't afford to waste any more. The editor-in-chief's worst trait wasn't yelling, but the ability to drone on endlessly at someone.
Zhan Meng had experienced it once and never wanted a repeat.
In the car, Zhan Meng closed her eyes, ready to doze off. Ning Xi focused on driving, his eyes on the road ahead. It wasn't rush hour yet, so traffic was light, and jams were unlikely. The distance from the restaurant to the magazine office wasn't far.
With no traffic, it would take just over ten minutes by car.
The moment the car stopped, Ning Xi was about to wake Zhan Meng when she suddenly opened her eyes, clear and alert. She'd clearly been faking sleep to avoid continuing their earlier conversation.
"We're here, with five minutes to spare. Ning Xi, thanks."
With that, Zhan Meng ignored whatever expression Ning Xi had, grabbed her bag, opened the door, and hopped out. Standing on the roadside, she waved at him in the car and even blew an exaggerated kiss.
Ning Xi's expression shifted slightly, baffled by what was going on in Zhan Meng's mind. For the first time, he felt that the saying "a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea" hit the nail on the head.
Meanwhile, Ning Bei hadn't left early because of urgent business. He was genuinely intrigued by Feng Yuan and decided to follow her for a look. He hadn't ordered anyone to investigate her background, preferring to do it himself.
After trailing Feng Yuan for a while, he had no idea where he was. The buildings around him grew sparse, gradually giving way to fields.
Ning Bei pressed his lips together and asked the driver, "Where is this?" "Sir, that car seems to have disappeared."
"What did you say?" Ning Bei rolled down the window and scanned the surroundings. This must be the outskirts of Jiang City. The cars on the road were thinning out, and Feng Yuan's vehicle seemed to have vanished from sight.
Ning Bei rolled the window back up and ordered the driver to return the way they came. That woman was interesting—she'd noticed she was being followed and had the nerve to toy with him.
Back in the city, Ning Bei resorted to his usual tactics, ordering someone to investigate Feng Yuan's background. When he saw the file, he smiled. So she was the youngest Miss of the Feng family. That made things easier. Spotting Ning Xi swaggering back to the villa, Ning Bei crossed his legs, glanced at him, and said casually, "Third brother, shouldn't we pay a visit to the Feng family?"
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
Ning Xi's plan to approach Feng Yuan to uncover Zhan Meng's identity aligned with Ning Bei's intentions, though they hadn't discussed it.
******
Lu Group.
Xia Yan stared at the ring on her finger without blinking, afraid to look away or even blink, as if doing so would make everything unreal. She still felt like she was floating on a cloud, light and soft all over.
Lu Zhengting had planned to accompany her to the hospital for her prenatal checkup that afternoon, but a sudden error in a project forced an emergency meeting. Concerned about Xia Yan's condition, he had an assistant handle the meeting details.
As for the checkup, Xia Yan figured she could go alone—it was just a simple exam.
All department heads and above were required to attend the meeting. As Xia Yan walked out of the office with her bodyguards, she ran into someone she'd rather avoid: Ke Yaru. The smile on Ke Yaru's face struck her as both glaring and unsettling.
They passed each other, and Xia Yan glanced at her indifferently, while Ke Yaru's eyes fixed on her belly. Xia Yan instinctively touched her stomach, and Ke Yaru moved her lips as if speaking, but no sound came out.
Leaving the company, Xia Yan felt an inexplicable unease, her heart pounding. Sitting in the car, cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
At the hospital, Xia Yan never expected to run into her, nor did she know why she was there. In the hallway, Xia Yan stood frozen in place, and Lin Xujia was equally startled to see her.
Their eyes met, and Xia Yan found herself at a loss for words. It seemed Lin Xujia had come alone, with no one accompanying her.
"I heard you're pregnant?" Lin Xujia broke the silence first, staring at Xia Yan's belly with a tone that carried a hint of bitterness. She took a deep breath, clutching the paper in her hand tightly.
Sensing Lin Xujia's poor mood, Xia Yan naturally assumed she was thinking about unpleasant past events. With that in mind, she smiled softly and stepped forward a few paces. "Why are you at the hospital?"
At her words, Lin Xujia's face paled slightly. She averted her gaze from Xia Yan. "I wasn't feeling well, so I came for a checkup."
"Would you like to grab a drink together later?"
"No." Lin Xujia replied flatly. Seeing Xia Yan's stunned expression, she added, "Xia Yan, our relationship can't go back to how it was. My business is none of yours."