After checking everything and finding nothing wrong, Wen Qi decisively signed the contract and checked in that same day.
That evening, after packing up, Wen Qi washed some fruit and delivered it to Meng Jiuyi.
The bedroom door was ajar, and when she knocked but no one answered, she pushed the door open and went inside.
There was no one inside. Wen Qi was about to put down the fruit and leave when, through the dim light, she noticed that there seemed to be a lot of photos pasted on the inner layer of the wardrobe door, but most of them were covered by the sliding window.
Driven by curiosity, she pushed the door open to take a look, but a hand quickly pulled the sliding door away, blocking it completely.
Meng Jiuyi then turned on the light.
"I'm...I'm sorry," Wen Qi said. "I just wanted to see the photo wall you made. I came in because I didn't get a response when I knocked."
Meng Jiuyi shook his head, saying nonchalantly, "It's okay, I'll hang the clothes out to dry on the balcony."
"I washed some fruit for you."
"Thank you." Meng Jiuyi took a grape, tasted it, and smiled, "It's very sweet."
Micro-expressions and aura don't lie. Wen Qi could sense that she had erected a cold barrier, preventing others from crossing the line of politeness.
She was somewhat disappointed and left.
After she left, Meng Jiuyi completely closed the sliding window of the wardrobe.
**
The next day after get off work, Meng Jiuyi intended to go to the hospital to check on Zhang Ma's condition.
Unexpectedly, Feng Ran called her halfway there, asking where she was and offering to pick her up.
"A dinner party?" Meng Jiuyi looked bewildered after getting into the car.
Feng Ran said it was a business friend of Meng's father.
“Your sister went to Thailand these past few days. I thought you weren’t too busy, so I invited you to come along. Your dad has already gone ahead of time.”
Why would they invite her to a dinner party like this?
Feng Ran looked her up and down and said, "You dress too plainly, always in white t-shirts and jeans. You're so pretty, you should dress more brightly."
The car drove to a luxury store, where the sales staff all recognized Feng Ran and enthusiastically recommended clothing.
Everything was pushing her, leaving her no time to think. Even though she sensed something was wrong, Meng Jiuyi still tried on the clothes and got into the car with Feng Ran.
This strangeness reached its peak when Feng Lan was also seen in the private room.
The private room was decorated in an antique style, and outside the screen, pale white daisies climbed on the blue stone wall with flowing water.
Feng Lan laughed and said, "Speak of the devil and he appears! Come on, Jiu Yi, sit here?"
Someone got up and pulled out a seat for Meng Jiuyi. The man was very tall and exuded a sense of exhaustion from excessive indulgence.
During his year at the media company, Meng Jiuyi had heard rumors about people inside and outside the industry. The nouveau riche young master of the Chen family in front of him was a womanizer, involved in gambling and prostitution, liked to play group games, and had even caused someone's death in bed before.
She said thank you, sat down, and moved to the side.
Feng Lan said, "Xiao Ran is really polite."
Chen's father laughed at him, saying he wasn't usually like this, and that he had suddenly become perceptive.
The conversation at the dinner party was filled with familiar warmth and friendly banter, but this warmth, connected by a bond, felt like it was pushing someone into an abyss.
Meng Jiuyi remained silent throughout, treating him merely as a tool for others to use.
Chen Xiaoran would occasionally put food into her bowl, and Chen's father and the others would laugh at him for being so sensible. Meng Jiuyi pretended not to hear his occasional attempts to talk to her, and Chen Xiaoran leaned closer to her.
"I've never been to your university before. When will you take me there?"
Meng Jiuyi couldn't stand the smell of perfume and held her nose.
"...There is a chance."
He placed his hand on the back of her chair. "How about tomorrow?"
Meng Jiuyi frowned and was about to get up.
Feng Lan said.
"You two hit it off, why don't you exchange WeChat contacts so you can stay in touch? Jiu Yi likes quiet activities, Xiao Ran, remember that?"
Chen Xiaoran laughed heartily, "Thank you, Auntie, I will definitely remember it."
**
On the way back, the van was completely silent.
Feng Lan turned around and asked her what her impression of Chen Xiaoran was.
"This young master of the Chen family is handsome and considerate towards you. If you marry into their family, you will enjoy endless blessings."
Meng Jiuyi felt a chill run down her spine. "Auntie, don't joke around. What marriage? How could I possibly be good enough for him?"
Feng Lan laughed and said, "Ask your dad if he's joking. How could I lie to you about such a happy occasion?"
Mencius' father pondered the matter carefully.
“Jiuyi, although the Chen family lacked foundation before, their development momentum has been very strong in the past two years. Given time, they may be able to gain a place in Kyushu. If you really marry into his family, Dad will approve.”
Meng Jiuyi said in disbelief, "Dad, when looking for a partner, the most important thing is character. I've heard about some of the things this young master Chen has done before. How can you bear to push me into a fire pit?"
"this...."
"What fire pit?"
Feng Lan said, "It's not as serious as you make it out to be. It's just a rumor, and there's a lot of truth to it. How many men aren't philanderers when they're young? It's perfectly normal for them to have affairs. Once you marry into his family, as long as you know a few tricks, you can make him behave."
She said cryptically, "If it weren't for your father's youthful arrogance, you wouldn't exist."
These words made Meng's father feel extremely embarrassed, and he couldn't interrupt anymore. He had several children in the family, and it was impossible to manage them all.
Meng Jiuyi pretended not to hear her sarcasm, "Auntie, if I were to marry, I wouldn't care about the other person's family background, I would only ask that he be devoted to me. I really can't be worthy of Young Master Chen."
"What an ambitious girl! Is she complaining that your aunt didn't find you a good husband?"
Feng Lan sneered, "You've been eating and drinking well at the Meng family all these years, without ever thinking about helping your father out of his troubles. Seeing that the Meng family's funds are running out, the Chen family is willing to lend a helping hand. This marriage is hard to find even with a lantern, so why are you being so picky?"
Meng Jiuyi retorted, "How am I being arrogant? I'm not after money or anything like that. Since the marriage is so good, why don't you introduce it to my sister?"
Their hypocrisy was exposed, and the faces of the group turned sour. Meng's father told her to stop talking.
Meng Jiuyi bit her lip and turned to look out the window.
At this point, she realized that Feng Lan was behind this whole thing, and that she was being pushed into a trap.
She wasn't someone who was swayed by emotions; once she understood the situation, she should have quickly come up with a solution. But uncontrollably, a wave of bitterness suddenly surged up her nose.
No matter how mature and composed she appears, she is only in her early twenties at heart.
She longs for someone to defend her and speak up for her.
**
When she got home, Wenqi had already prepared dinner and asked her if she wanted to eat.
Meng Jiuyi politely refused, locked herself in her room, and rummaged through a box deep inside the wardrobe.
Inside lay stacks of documents and photos, even the negatives.
When Jiang Zhou came to buy the gossip she had secretly taken last time, Meng Jiuyi kept a close eye on things and kept all the relevant information about Feng Lan, intuitively feeling that it would come in handy someday.
Now we're using it!
Feng Lan's marriage into the Tan family appears glamorous on the surface, but her family background is vastly different from that of her two sisters-in-law. People often do strange things when they are jealous.
Tan Xi was born to the eldest son of the Tan family. She is passionate about photography and is now a director with some fame. Feng Lan often spreads rumors to the media and bribes male actors to get close to her, and has done a lot of dirty work to smear her.
If such news gets out, the Tan family will become a laughing stock in Kyushu because of her. Let's see how she will still have time to meddle in other people's business.
Meng Jiuyi used a secondary account to contact various media outlets, but some entertainment reporters dared not answer, fearing they would offend the Tan family.
Some bold people answered the call and replied that there were food stalls available, but it might take two or three days to arrive.
These past few days, Feng Lan has been calling her frequently, and her conversations revolve around Chen Xiaoran.
“His family owns a horse farm on the outskirts of the city, covering several thousand acres. I heard they even bought a few Arabian horses from abroad. Thanks to Jiu Yi, when can you take me and your aunt to see it?”
The Tan family owns one-third of the land in Kyushu and has countless private horse farms. Has she never seen anything good before?
Feng Lan's forced-the-duck-on-the-shelf approach completely dispelled Meng Jiuyi's hesitation.
However, all of these things were done behind Tan Yuchen's back. Meng Jiuyi hoped that Tan Yuchen was too busy with important matters to notice.
However, just when she feared it, Jiang Zhou called and said that Tan Yuchen had something to do with her that evening.
Meng Jiuyi's heart skipped a beat. "Did he... say why?"
"Miss Meng, it would be better if you asked the Third Young Master yourself."
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