In front of Gu Yifei, Meng Zihan couldn't say no.
If he were to tell the truth, it would be tantamount to admitting that his previous "longing" for his aunt and uncle was all a lie, which would be like slapping himself in the face.
Meng Zihan felt like a punctured balloon, her anger with nowhere to go but turning into a sticky, wet cotton ball stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down.
She gritted her teeth and could only reluctantly follow Gu Yifei.
Ye Zhenghua's ward was a three-person room, cramped and dimly lit.
Ye Zhenghua lay half-reclined on the hospital bed by the window, covered with a blue and white striped blanket.
He stared blankly at the 14-inch television in the corner, where a domestic sitcom was playing, its noisy laughter and applause clashing with the silence of the ward.
Meng Xueyun was sitting on the edge of the bed, using a spoon from a stainless steel lunchbox to mash a piece of tofu.
She looked much older than when Meng Zihan left Jiangcheng; her hair was streaked with more silver, and her face showed undeniable fatigue and haggardness.
Hearing the noise at the door, she didn't even look up, assuming it was a nurse or a family member of another patient in the same room, until Gu Yifei's voice rang out.
"Aunt Meng."
Meng Xueyun then looked up and, upon seeing Gu Yifei, a look of surprise appeared on her tired face: "Oh, it's Xiaofei! Don't you have class today? What brings you here?"
Gu Yifei didn't say much, but turned to the side, revealing Meng Zihan behind him.
“Meng Zihan is back. I brought her to see your uncle and you.”
Meng Xueyun's gaze followed Gu Yifei's direction and landed on Meng Zihan.
In that instant, her mouth dropped open in disbelief.
She noticed Meng Zihan's trendy suit, which looked expensive, her sparkling pearl earrings, her exquisite makeup, and the expensive handbag in her hand.
The intense visual impact snapped the string in Meng Xueyun's mind that had been taut from their earlier argument on the phone.
Previously, Meng Xueyun was furious because Meng Zihan said she was unwilling to pay all of Ye Zhenghua's medical expenses and was only willing to return half of the severance pay. She even developed a deep estrangement and resentment towards her niece.
She felt that this ungrateful wretch, whom she had raised since childhood, had become arrogant and forgotten his roots.
But now, when this "ungrateful wretch" appears before her in such a glamorous and far more successful manner than she had imagined, the resentment in Meng Xueyun's heart vanishes as if by magic.
Her brain automatically found an excuse for Meng Zihan: the child is working hard alone outside, especially in a place like Hong Kong, so the pressure must be immense.
She hasn't had an easy life either; she must have had her reasons for saying those things before.
Now that she's doing well, hasn't she come back to see us right away?
Meng Zihan still cares about this family.
Once this thought arose, all the dissatisfaction turned into grievance and heartache.
Meng Xueyun slammed down her spoon, strode forward, and grabbed Meng Zihan's hand.
"Xiaohan...you...you're finally back!"
As soon as she said it, Meng Xueyun's tears fell uncontrollably, landing hot on Meng Zihan's hand.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back... Seeing you doing so well now, your aunt... your aunt can finally rest easy." She wiped away her tears as she looked Meng Zihan up and down. "How is your father... how is he now? Are you all doing well in Gangcheng? Is work going smoothly?"
Meng Zihan was stunned by her sudden enthusiasm, her hands were held tightly and she couldn't pull them back.
The genuine emotion in her aunt's tears made her feel that familiar, irritating sense of entanglement had returned.
But in front of Gu Yifei, she had to keep up the act.
She forced down her disgust, forced a touched expression onto her face, and gently patted Meng Xueyun's back, choking back tears as she said, "Auntie, don't cry. We're all doing well, and my dad's health is alright too. My business is doing well now, and we're living a good life, so I thought I'd come back to see you and Uncle as soon as possible."
Ye Zhenghua, who was lying on the bed, slowly turned his head at this moment.
Several months of treatment improved his condition considerably, but the aftereffects of the stroke were still evident.
His mouth was slightly crooked as he looked at Meng Zihan, slurring a few words: "Look...look at your...prestige...you're...a big boss now, aren't you?"
"It's alright." Meng Zihan gritted her teeth, determined to carry on with the lie.
She wanted everyone to know, especially Gu Yifei, that she, Meng Zihan, was no longer the naive girl she once was.
She straightened her back and boasted, "I'm not a big boss, just run a small engineering company. It's been doing quite well lately, with collaborations with several large companies in Hong Kong. By the way," she glanced at Gu Yifei as if casually, "a while ago, we also had a very pleasant collaboration with Yifei's cousin, Mr. Gu Jingran's company!"
Upon hearing the name "Gu Jingran," Gu Yifei, who had been silent, darkened his expression even further.
He sneered inwardly.
After what happened before, Gu Yifei's trust in Meng Zihan had completely collapsed.
Now, every word she says leaves him with a big question mark in his mind.
Moreover, based on his understanding of his cousin Gu Jingran, he would never cooperate with someone like Meng Zihan.
Gu Jingran values a person's character and ability, but what does Meng Zihan have besides vanity and lies?
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