Chapter 19 Nannan: "You are not a burden to me"
19
Having reached a cooperation agreement with Fang Huaixu, Meng Yao finally felt relieved. Looking at the goal that was gradually becoming clearer, she was filled with unprecedented enthusiasm.
Over the next few days, she went over the entire process with Li Yan at the company, and then threw herself into the preparation of the new project without sleep. Writing scripts, organizing timelines, and selecting a suitable filming team, she wanted to ensure that every detail of the video was perfect, as it represented three years of her hard work.
But if a formal shoot is to be conducted, there is still one hurdle that must be overcome: she must confess everything to her grandmother.
Although her grandmother doesn't use the internet much, and she could use excuses like filming a documentary to cover it up, Meng Yao wanted to make sure her grandmother wouldn't be in danger when she was caught off guard, and she didn't want to keep it a secret from the people she cared about any longer, considering the many uncertainties ahead.
As she said, she believed that her grandmother was by no means a weak person and was capable of handling difficulties.
So she chose a sunny morning, had the photography crew and director wait downstairs at the hospital, and went upstairs to talk to her grandmother alone.
The old lady was as energetic as ever, sitting calmly by the window reading a book. After exchanging information about her recent situation with the medical staff, Meng Yao took a deep breath and began to confess her feelings under her grandmother's gentle gaze.
At first, her voice trembled slightly, probably due to nervousness. After all, it was a way of making money that she herself felt was not very respectable. With a sense of shame that was hard to talk about, she recounted the whole process from her first time joining the company to the later determination of the live broadcast content.
She revealed almost everything related to the Lin family, except for concealing her marriage to Fang Huaixu, completely disclosing everything that had happened over the years.
She was particularly nervous when this topic came up. More than the live stream, she was worried that her grandmother would find out about her connection with the Lin family.
She knew about the feud between her parents. Her mother, Meng Du, was once the youngest cultural relic restorer in the country. After falling in love with Lin Tianhai, a junior from the same school, she married him against her family's wishes and devoted all her resources to supporting Lin Tianhai's career development.
However, during one mission, an accidental collapse occurred at the site, leaving my mother paralyzed on one side and requiring continuous treatment. But her condition worsened that year, and she became unpredictable.
Lin Tianhai also showed signs of growing estranged from her, but less than a month after his mother's death, he openly and publicly announced his remarriage with his wife and daughter.
If it were just a case of remarrying after being widowed, Meng Xiangque wouldn't be so angry, given his magnanimity. The key issue is that Meng Yao's half-sister, Lin Yue, is actually four years older than her.
My mother was my maternal grandmother's only child, and because of this, my maternal grandmother hated the Lin family to the core.
She had been proud her whole life. If you knew that her granddaughter had bowed her head to her enemy without her knowledge, Meng Yao couldn't even imagine how disappointed she would be.
But now that things had come to this, she was even more worried about her grandmother's safety, so she told her grandmother everything.
When she finally finished speaking, as expected, she heard Meng Xiangque let out a long sigh. She lowered her head, not daring to look into her eyes, her hands nervously twisting together, waiting for her reprimand.
However, after a few seconds of silence in the ward, a pair of warm, withered hands replaced all the anticipated storms and gently covered her head.
Meng Yao looked up in surprise, only to meet those eyes filled with deep heartache.
"She's only twenty-four... how come she already has gray hair?"
Meng Xiangque's eyes were slightly red, but there was no hint of blame in them. He just stared at the glaring white hair at the end of her dark hair and sighed repeatedly: "No wonder you were always so busy back then. When I asked you, you only said you had a lot of homework... Silly child, what did their business have to do with you? How could I blame you? If I had to blame someone, it would be for raising you to be too strong-willed. You're like a stubborn old man raising a stubborn little brat. How could you bear it all by yourself for so long? It's been too hard for you..."
Grandma's hand gently stroked the top of her head, a warm touch she knew all too well, her voice gradually choking up: "I'm really getting old, how did I become such a burden to you..."
She stood frozen in place, unable to control herself, remembering how those hands had wiped away her tears time and time again, and how their backs had created a warm haven for her.
All the strength, all the scheming, and all the grievances crumbled under this simple yet warm touch.
Her nose stung, and she buried her heavy head in her grandmother's arms without saying a word, just like countless times when she was a child, running into her grandmother's arms with red eyes: "Didn't you always tell others that I wasn't a burden to you? Then how could you be a burden to me now..."
At that moment, she couldn't remember anything; she was just a child in her grandmother's arms.
After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to suppress her turbulent emotions, a bright smile spreading across her face. Her words, however, were still tinged with a nasal tone: "...It's not about how hard it is, I just want you to stay with me forever."
Meng Xiangque smiled kindly and nodded earnestly at her: "Okay, Grandma must get better."
She composed herself, stood up, and after explaining the filming process to her grandmother, she called the director and cameraman up.
Everyone was in good spirits, and Meng Yao was more at ease than ever before. She also realized more clearly that everything she was doing was to protect the most important person in front of her.
She not only wanted to clear her name, but also to create a truly stable future for her grandmother.
As filming was nearing its end, Meng Yao's phone vibrated. She took it out and saw it was a WeChat message from Fang Huaixu.
[F: The contract for last night's project has been drafted. Would it be convenient for you to come to Tianmu to sign it?]
With no other plans for the afternoon, Meng Yao replied "okay" and said goodbye to her grandmother before packing up.
After receiving comfort from her grandmother, Meng Yao felt even better. Halfway there, she remembered her "warmth plan," found a fresh food supermarket, bought ingredients, went back to her apartment, made a bento box, and prepared to send her second surprise to "empty-nest old Fang" at the company.
Chen Jie and Uncle Zhou were both away. The company wasn't far, so she hailed a bicycle and went there herself. Standing once again in front of the magnificent Tianmu Group building, she felt much more relaxed than before. After sending Fang Huaixu a message saying "Arrived," she strode over to the front desk.
"Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Fang Huaixu." She said in a calm tone.
The man at the front desk quickly scanned her simple clothes and the incongruous lunchbox in her hand with his professional gaze. He frowned slightly, turned around and walked to the computer, asking in an official tone, "Hello, do you have an appointment?"
Meng Yao vaguely sensed a hint of disdain in his glance, but she tried her best not to overthink it: "I'm not sure if he said it or not, you can check first. My name is Meng Yao."
The man searched on the computer for a moment, then looked up and said in a tone that was even colder than before: "I'm sorry, Ms. Meng, there is no information about you in the roster or visitor appointments. Mr. Fang's schedule is very full, and meetings are usually recorded. I cannot let you in."
On her phone, Fang Huaixu hadn't replied yet. Meng Yao guessed he was probably busy, so she changed her approach: "Since Mr. Fang hasn't replied to my message, you can call Chen Jie's assistant to confirm..."
"Excuse me, miss."
Meng Yao was about to continue explaining when the man adjusted his glasses and a sneer, clearly tinged with superiority, curled at the corner of his mouth: "President Fang and Assistant Chen are both very busy. Not everything can be handed to them directly. Tianmu has strict rules; no one can be allowed to leave without an appointment. If you really have President Fang's contact information, you can contact him yourself first. Otherwise, I'm in a difficult position."
His tone was completely undisguised, and with just a few words, he placed Meng Yao in a position of dubious identity.
Meng Yao stared in astonishment at the scene, her heart pounding with excitement: she had actually encountered a scene straight out of a novel, something she had been looking forward to lately because she was bored.
This was the first time she had encountered such a classic face-slapping scenario. Just thinking about what might happen next with the person in front of her made her eager to get into character.
She couldn't help but smile inwardly. Just then, her phone rang with a reply from Fang Huaixu: "Just finished a meeting and am about to go downstairs. If you haven't eaten, I'll have Chen Jie prepare another meal."
"Your General Manager Fang replied to my message."
Looking at the man, Meng Yao felt a pang of pity and finally gave him a chance, extending the screen towards him.
But the man only glanced at it briefly and continued doing his own thing as if nothing had happened: "Oh, then please have this 'General Manager Fang' make an internal appointment."
They didn't seem to believe it at all.
Very good.
Meng Yao wasn't annoyed at all. Just thinking about the good show that was about to happen made her smile. She took a few steps back, not wanting to miss out on the fun, and sent a message: "I've already eaten. I brought you lunch. But the front desk is keeping me out. They said I can't get in without an appointment and that you have to make an internal reservation."
Fang Huaixu's news came very quickly.
[F: Have him send a message to Chen Jie to approve the request.]
[Myao: He said Chen Jie isn't good enough, and you're in charge of all the appointments.]
【F: ? 】
[F: I'm in charge of making appointments?]
Fang Huaixu rarely sent question marks, and probably hadn't expected to be suddenly demoted from chairman to a menial staff member in charge of appointments. It took him a while to reply: "I'll be there in a minute."
Turning off her phone, Meng Yao looked at the man, who still looked impatient. Thinking about what was about to happen, Meng Yao gave a meaningful smile.
Less than a minute later, a soft "ding" sounded from inside the private elevator, and the elevator doors opened.
Fang Huaixu appeared in the hall. After seeing Meng Yao, he walked calmly toward her. Chen Jie followed closely behind, exuding an aura that could not be ignored. He walked straight up to her and stopped.
"Mr. Fang... Mr. Fang." The receptionist's face changed drastically upon seeing Fang Huaixu, and she couldn't help but tremble as she spoke.
Fang Huaixu's gaze swept over the intern's unpleasant expression and turned to Meng Yao: "How long have you been waiting? Next time if I don't reply to your message, you can just call me."
Her tone was familiar and calm. Meng Yao shook the lunchbox in her hand and smiled brightly: "I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't expect to be stopped as soon as I arrived."
After she finished speaking, she looked meaningfully at the front desk, and the person immediately lowered their head, not daring to meet her gaze.
Fang Huaixu did not react, but simply instructed: "President Meng is my wife, and she does not need to make an appointment to come and go. In the future, when she comes, just invite her upstairs directly."
After he finished speaking, he did not directly question the receptionist, but instead turned his gaze to Chen Jie: "I don't know when I became responsible for appointments, Chen Jie. Did you not communicate clearly with them?"
"No, no, no! It's not Chen Zhu's fault..."
The moment Chen Jie's gaze swept over him, the man hurriedly explained, "It was me... Miss Meng, oh no, President Meng has explained to me several times already, it's my fault... I should have double-checked..."
Chen Jie also sighed: "It's my fault. He's a new intern, so I had them retrained."
Fang Huaixu glanced indifferently at the now-silent receptionist, then turned away helplessly, took Meng Yao's hand, and instructed Chen Jie, "You handle this yourself."
Meng Yao obediently followed his force and left into the elevator. Fang Huaixu sighed as he watched Chen Jie talking to the receptionist from afar.
He was about to apologize to Meng Yao, who had been waiting for who knows how long, when he turned his head and saw a face full of schadenfreude, grinning wickedly in Chen Jie's direction.
Author's Note: Yao: My acting addiction has exploded!
Because things get busier during the National Day holiday, update times will be less consistent, but I'll try my best to maintain daily updates. If I can't update, I'll send a leave notice before 9 PM.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
