Huo Jiayuan's final design experiment was to be conducted in a fireworks factory, for which she made extensive preparations.
This fireworks factory was under the management of the royal family, so she often went in and out with He Chen every day. Rumors gradually spread throughout the palace, and these whispers quickly got out.
Meng Yan, who was outside the palace, had also heard about it.
Inside the Western restaurant, Meng Yan sat quietly on the edge of the bed. The sun was shining brightly again, and there were still no customers in the restaurant. A wooden sign indicating that the restaurant was temporarily closed hung outside the courtyard gate; this sign had been there for many years.
Since he left Southeast Asia, this little courtyard has never had any guests.
Uncle Feng placed a cup of hot black tea in front of him, while Aunt Feng, not far away, was busy cleaning inside and out.
The two exchanged a glance, shook their heads helplessly, and sighed.
Back then, General Meng Xi of Nanyang colluded with foreign powers to launch a rebellion, putting the Nanyang regime in grave danger. The Nie family, also a family of military generals, mobilized a considerable number of troops, but all their efforts were in vain.
Meng Xi's preparations were so thorough that both the Nie family army and the Nanyang royal family were caught off guard.
Just then, Meng Yan stepped forward. He was only in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor and eager to make a name for himself. But he never expected that his first battle would be against his own father.
Whether it was because Meng Xi was mindful of his father-son bond on the battlefield, or because Meng Yan's strategy was highly effective, the battle, though arduous, ultimately ended in victory for Meng Yan.
He won, but the price was that he would forever bear the heavy cross of having killed his own father.
Throughout Southeast Asia, he was revered as a war god, but only he himself knew that the title "war god" was written in his father's blood.
Guilt over his father, coupled with post-war PTSD, led him to suffer from severe depression. He resigned from his post as general and asked for the restaurant.
He thought that keeping himself busy and living an ordinary life would make things better.
However, his depression recurred repeatedly, and he was tormented by nightmares every night. Desperate, he left Southeast Asia and went to Biandu, where he lived a period of utter despair. At that time, he contemplated self-destruction, wanting to become a rat in the gutter, a cockroach that everyone wanted to kill. He won match after match in the filthy underground boxing ring, letting the bloodshed there wash away his battlefield nightmares.
He never expected that Huo Jiayuan would appear in his life in that way.
He didn't know how she redeemed him; all he knew was that he wanted to follow her and be with her.
She was the only light in his life; if he couldn't hold onto her, he would be lost in the abyss for the rest of his life.
Some video marketing accounts on my phone are constantly playing videos of Huo Jiayuan and He Chen together to attract attention. These videos are all secretly filmed and have blurry quality, but these people claim that the two are inseparable and even sneak out of the palace at night for a night of passion.
"Sir, stop looking." Uncle Feng handed the phone to him face down. "You can't trust these unscrupulous marketing accounts!"
“I know.” Meng Yan smiled gently. “How could I not believe Yuan Yuan? I was just thinking about one thing while looking at all this…”
"What are you thinking, sir?"
Meng Yan looked up. "Where is Zhu Rong?"
Uncle Feng paused, then looked at Aunt Feng. They had both come from the Grand Palace, and even now, Aunt Feng sometimes went there, so she naturally knew more about it.
"I heard that Miss Huo kicked her out," Aunt Feng said in a low voice. "As for where she was sent, I don't know. If you want to know, sir, I'll go and ask Butler Zheng right away."
“I suspect Zhu Rong hasn’t gone far.” Meng Yan paused for a moment. “The royal family has always been very strict, and we’ve never had news like this leak out before… Why are so many marketing accounts suddenly popping up lately, focusing on Yuan Yuan instead of everyone else?”
"Yes!" Uncle Feng and Aunt Feng exclaimed in sudden realization, "Could it be... Butler Zheng?"
“No.” Meng Yan shook his head. “Butler Zheng is an old member of the Huo family and has no reason to help Zhu Rong. But Yuan Yuan drove Zhu Rong away, and perhaps Butler Zheng just delegated this to her subordinates and didn’t handle it herself. So I think there’s a problem with one of her subordinates.”
"Sir, shall we now..."
After a long silence, Meng Yan said slowly and deliberately, "Contact the former Meng family army."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Feng and his wife were first surprised, then their faces lit up with joy.
"Sir, you've...made your decision?"
Meng Yan smiled faintly, stood up, looked at the two of them, and gently took their hands.
“You have always been loyal to me, just like the Meng family army in the past… I know you have always hoped that I would come back. This time, I don’t want to disappoint you, and I will not let Yuan Yuan get hurt in any way.”
Uncle Feng and his wife laughed, too excited to know what to say.
Just then, a clear voice came from outside: "Meng Yan!"
Uncle Feng immediately realized what was happening and laughed, "We need to take down the 'Closed for Business' sign. Our only customer has arrived!"
Meng Yan walked out with a smile. In the sunlight, Huo Jiayuan's smile was like sweet ice cream, and he waved to her warmly.
"Why did you run out like this?" Meng Yan frowned. "Aren't you afraid of getting sunburned?"
Huo Jiayuan chuckled.
She wore a sleeveless T-shirt and a floral print skirt today, looking youthful and beautiful. However, she was already afraid of getting sunburned, and with so much skin exposed, her skin turned red in no time.
"It's okay, it's just too hot today!" Huo Jiayuan said coquettishly, "I'd rather get sunburned than die from the heat!"
Meng Yan took her hand and started to walk into the store.
Huo Jiayuan pulled him across the street. There, a beautiful sports car was parked, its streamlined body exuding luxury, its distinctive chocolate color gleaming in the sunlight.
Meng Yan was stunned. "This..."
"I bought this!" Huo Jiayuan couldn't hide her excitement. "Meng Yan, do you know, I earned the money myself to buy it!"
"My fireworks design won an award, and soon the factory received an order. As the designer, I split the profits with the factory... Hehe, this car was bought with the profits from that split!"
"Really?" Meng Yan was also happy for her. "You're amazing!"
"Oh, I see." He suddenly realized, "You drove here today so I could ride in your new car and go for a drive?"
"It's not mine." She smiled slightly and placed the key in his hand. "It's yours."
"What?"
"This is a gift for you." Her little face was flushed, and her beautiful big eyes blinked. "I'm not a parasite who only relies on my family... I can earn money!"
"And I want to share my first pot of gold with you!"
"I..." Meng Yan was about to speak when she was suddenly covered with her small hand.
"You're not allowed to refuse!" she said domineeringly. "Isn't this what loving someone is all about? Isn't it about giving them the best you can?"
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