The Maybach, longer than most cars, drove into the inner ring expressway in the night. Even though he had already witnessed this person treating luxury cars like mud, Meng Jiuyi was still shocked by the interior of the car.
As she moved further away from the city and the surrounding area became increasingly sparsely populated, she asked Jiang Zhou anxiously.
Where are we going?
"Miss Meng, don't worry, you'll see when we get there."
Meng Jiuyi thought that Tan Yuchen's idea of "recognizing people" was at most about putting these girls together in one room, but it was clearly not that simple.
As the car wound its way through the rolling fields, a faint, salty sea breeze wafted by, and Meng Jiuyi suddenly felt a pang of familiarity.
When she saw the giant ship floating on the sea like a dazzling display of lights in the distance, she was so surprised that she couldn't speak.
The luxurious crystal chandeliers on each floor were lit up. A few months ago, Old Master Shen went to such great lengths because of his 80th birthday banquet, which invited countless wealthy businessmen and guests.
Tan Yuchen was only looking for one person, and the only person who boarded the ship was Meng Jiuyi.
This jerk is absolutely insane.
When Meng Jiuyi boarded the ship, Tan Yuchen was leaning lazily against the gangway with his eyebrows drooping. The harbor was covered by thick clouds at night, and a breeze ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, making him look as if he had just washed his hair. The fluffy hair softened his usual sharpness.
As soon as she appeared on the steps, the man slowly raised his eyelids, revealing the depths of his dark eyes.
Sparks seemed to fly as they stared at each other.
Upon seeing him, Meng Jiuyi was reminded of those chicken-shaped blind boxes, and even the last dozen or so steps became awkward.
Tan Yuchen acted as usual, beckoning with his finger, and a servant handed him a shawl. Meng Jiuyi tried to politely decline, saying no.
The man had already draped it over her body, leaving no room for argument.
"It's windy at sea, wear this."
The light shimmered through his tousled hair, making his eyes appear as bright as swirling eddies.
Meng Jiuyi hastily dodged away, changing the subject, "Cousin, isn't this going a bit too far?"
He chuckled softly.
"So Ah Jiu knows how eager I am to find her, right?"
Meng Jiuyi: "..." There's no need for that.
A servant stepped forward to lead the way. After passing through the banquet hall from that night, there was a network of corridors leading in all directions. Meng Jiuyi originally thought that he would recognize people here, but it seemed that was not the case.
"There's a problem," he said in a low, lazy voice.
"What?"
Tan Yuchen asked, "Why did you come to the lounge that night?"
This question is easy to answer.
"Actually, I originally wanted to hide, but the foreman misunderstood and thought I was slacking off, so he punished me by making me go to the stern to check various equipment." He finished with an awkward laugh.
“If you don’t believe me, cousin, you can call the foreman over for questioning. I still remember her name.”
She remembered clearly who had cheated Meng Jiuyi out of money.
"Ah Jiu is overthinking it. How could I not believe what you say?"
He slowly cast his line, "So you stumbled upon her running out of the room while I lay unconscious on the sofa?"
Meng Jiuyi was trying to figure out where they were going while also dealing with him.
"No, you're in the bedroom in the inner room."
Only after she finished speaking did she realize what she had said, and her breathing immediately became lighter.
The man was turning to look at her, his eyes revealing a meaningful look. Meng Jiuyi swallowed hard, explaining without batting an eye, "I went in out of curiosity."
Tan Yuchen nodded and spoke slowly.
"I'm sorry, Ah Jiu saw something unclean. Should I call an ophthalmologist for you?"
Meng Jiuyi: "..." Get lost.
The waiter led them down a different path, leaving Meng Jiuyi completely bewildered, but it only led to one destination. She had completely forgotten which lounge it was, but when that sliding window opened...
Her breathing stopped.
The interior remains completely unchanged: the burgundy carpet, the brown leather-covered sofas, the circular bar diagonally opposite...
Upon seeing these, memories of that night rushed back like a damp, salty sea breeze, like a floodgate bursting open—
His fingers, with their distinct knuckles and strength, teased her as if she were an abacus. In reality, the journey from the sofa to the bed was quite difficult, and their final destination turned out to be the wall.
Suspended in mid-air with no support, Meng Jiuyi could only cling to him.
Intermittent sobs and deep, magnetic breathing filled the room.
Meng Jiuyi closed his eyes tightly, and his body inexplicably trembled.
Her soul left her body, and she swept away those memories like the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, but the burning sensation had already quickly spread to her earlobes.
Tan Yuchen leaned back on the sofa and, seeing that she didn't move, patted the spot next to him.
"Come and sit down."
There was a thick stack of documents on the table. This time, not only were there photos, but also detailed information about the family and the individual.
Meng Jiuyi sat down on the sofa, but now even his presence was a distraction to her, so she moved to the side.
The waiter brought over a grapefruit mousse cake.
Tan Yuchen snapped his fingers, and ten female waitresses in uniform came in one by one and stood in a row.
Those who knew the man's identity didn't dare to raise their heads even slightly.
Tan Yu propped his head up with his hand and leaned towards her.
"Take your time choosing, there's no rush. Take a break when you're tired."
She always felt that this man had set a trap for her.
Meng Jiuyi fluttered her eyelashes, softly hummed in agreement, and occasionally looked up, carefully comparing the information booklet with the real person.
She thought she was sitting far enough away, but the man placed his hand on the sofa and encircled her in his own space, his wrist hanging loosely as he idly played with the ends of her hair.
The waitress who called her name looked up and trembled slightly for no apparent reason—the man's gaze as he glanced down at the girl in his arms was like a wolf skillfully imprisoning its prey, indulging yet determined to possess it.
She probably doesn't know that everyone here has been replaced.
No one ever attended the banquet.
--
After deleting and revising, I added another thousand words.
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