Chapter 2
"Mengmeng, long time no see. I'm a high-achieving student who studied abroad now."
In the hotel garden, a man in a suit and tie struck various exaggerated poses under a big tree, his hair slicked back.
"Oh, congratulations then," Han Meng said expressionlessly.
She knew that what the other person called studying abroad was nothing like real studying abroad; he had just spent a few months dating foreign women. But she was too lazy to expose him. After all, she wasn't the original owner of this body and wouldn't continue to have any dealings with this kind of person.
Wang Ao put his hand on Han Meng's shoulder and frowned, saying, "Why do you look unhappy? Did the method I taught you last time not work?"
The other person's hands were getting handsy, so Han Meng quickly dodged.
"What method? I don't remember it."
Wang Ao crossed his arms, his tone quite smug: "Didn't you run into a love rival? I told you to invite her out last time and bring her here. I know a few guys who can make sure she'll never be qualified to compete with you for Shen Jianhe. After you and Shen Jianhe get together, you can set me up with Shen Jianhe's sister. Didn't we agree on that before?"
The male protagonist of the original novel, Shen Jianhe, has a beautiful younger sister, and both siblings are considered heartthrobs in the story.
"The guys you know are a bunch of scumbags, right?" Han Meng said seriously. "How could I do such a thing!"
Even though the original owner of this body was a vicious supporting character who loathed the female lead Chen Miaoyin to the extreme, the worst thing she did was make the female lead lose her job, not lose her innocence or her life.
Enraged, Wang Ao pointed at Han Meng's face and shouted, "Han Meng, what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? If you didn't hate that rival, would you have come to me for advice? I gave you advice, but you didn't dare to do it. Don't you believe in my abilities?"
"Of course I wouldn't dare, that's illegal and criminal!" Han Meng took a step back and looked at the other person as if she were an idiot.
In the original book, the vicious female supporting character kept framing the female lead, and ended up in a terrible state. She didn't want to follow in her footsteps.
Han Meng recalled the original plot and said frankly, "Wang Ao, it was a moment of confusion for me to ask you for advice before. Now I've figured it out. As for Shen Jianhe, he just likes Chen Miaoyin. You can't force a relationship. I've decided not to force it."
After saying that, she took three steps at a time and left the garden as quickly as possible, completely ignoring how Wang Ao was cursing her behind her.
It wasn't lunchtime yet, so she decided to go for a walk outside and learn about the everyday lives of ordinary people in the book.
This entire hotel belongs to the Wang family. Those wicked capitalists have no heart or morals; it's really bad luck to stay here!
*
Inside the Han Family Ancestral Hall.
Han Xianfei knelt before the ancestral tablets, tears streaming down his face.
She kept kowtowing and praying, "May our ancestors protect my daughter and help her get through this calamity safely..."
I don't ask for her forgiveness, I only ask that she live a peaceful and comfortable life.
*
At noon, Wang Chunshan's birthday banquet began. Han Meng arrived on time. She glanced around and realized that her original father was not there, nor was the sickly Lu family member. She didn't recognize any of the other people and could only barely discern the identities of some important figures from their conversations.
So during the banquet, Han Meng didn't speak up unless someone approached her first. She would then toast with them and offer a fake smile.
And so, most of the hour passed.
"Mengmeng, what's wrong with you today? You're so quiet, it's not like you at all!" Wang Chunshan's daughter-in-law, who is also Wang Ao's biological mother, Madam Wang, suddenly came over and asked her with a smile.
Han Meng stood up, holding her wine glass, and smiled, "Auntie, it's just that the food at your hotel is so delicious that I was so focused on eating that I didn't have time to talk to everyone. To express my apologies, I'd like to toast you!"
"Since Mengmeng finds our food delicious, why don't you invite your father over today?" Madam Wang clinked glasses with him, taking a small sip. "After all, our two families just finalized a business deal. To secure your order, I had to invite only prominent families in the city to my father-in-law's birthday banquet. I had originally planned to invite some lower-class families..."
Han Meng smiled but didn't say anything.
The mother was much smarter than her son, at least she knew how to "bargain" tactfully. At the birthday banquet where dignitaries gathered, she deliberately found reasons to say that the Han family's goods were too expensive, and she also secretly said that Han Xianfei looked down on this transaction. Isn't that trying to lower the price?
However, she also has ways to deal with it.
Han Xianfei is a self-made tea merchant. Tea has flourished in China for thousands of years, and even in the Republican era depicted in the book, the demand for tea remained high. The Han family's tea stood out because of its superior quality, and they didn't deliberately inflate prices when selling to the Wang family. This is one reason.
In the original book, Wang Chunshan ordered this batch of goods with the intention of reselling them overseas, while the Han family was completely unaware of this. Later, the Han family's business declined, partly due to the involvement of the Wang family. The Wang family had made a lot of money through speculation and profiteering, so even if this deal fell through, it might not be a bad thing for the Han family. That's the second point.
Han Meng looked at the old man, Wang Chunshan, and smiled, "Grandpa Wang, I heard from my dad that that batch of tea was new. It was originally meant to be supplied to Nanjing first, but it was only because of your reputation that it was processed urgently and supplied to the Wang family first. However, my family is also grateful for your kindness. You stockpiled so much tea, which made my family a fortune. If people didn't know the relationship between our two families, they would think that you were trying to speculate."
She spoke casually, but many listeners were startled, especially several members of the Wang family, whose expressions changed instantly.
Wang Chunshan, being an old fox, immediately used Han Meng's friendship with Wang Ao to evade the question: "Han family girl, your aunt is just joking with you. You have a good relationship with my grandson, so we all consider you family. That's why we're joking with you. If your parents don't mind, I've even considered having Wang Ao propose marriage to you!"
“Father-in-law, I don’t think that’s necessary. I heard from the staff that they saw Mengmeng and the third young master of the Lu family having a private affair last night. Since Mengmeng already has a good match, it would be inappropriate for my son to propose marriage.” Madam Wang was so angry with Han Meng earlier that she finally seized the opportunity to retaliate, and her tone was even quite sarcastic.
The crowd gasped, and the surrounding reporters frantically snapped photos or scribbled drafts.
The Han and Lu families are at odds, and their respective least promising children are secretly exchanging gifts? This is absolutely explosive news, and it will likely have a negative impact on both of them!
In this local circle of wealthy people, there are quite a few young masters and ladies like Han Meng and Wang Ao who are known for their playboy lifestyles, but Lu Jinxian is known to be "useless" because he is physically weak and, apart from being handsome, he is not known to have any outstanding qualities in other aspects.
The other party deliberately portrayed the two as a perfect match, clearly intending to humiliate Han Meng.
As for business, the Wang family is Han Xianfei's major client, and she probably figured that Han Xianfei wouldn't cancel this big order for the sake of his daughter's reputation.
"Miss Han, is what Mrs. Wang said true?"
"Miss Han, there were rumors that you liked Young Master Shen Jianhe. Did you give up on yourself and choose Lu Jinxian because you couldn't win him over?"
"Miss Han is a wealthy heiress and an educated girl. Why would she do something so unconventional, even shameless?"
...
Reporters swarmed around Han Meng, some of them asking direct questions.
Han Meng's face turned pale. She never expected that despite all her precautions, she would still be ridiculed and attacked by public opinion because of that matter, while no one cared about the truth.
These people are just trying to grab attention.
"Lu Jinxian and I are innocent. Nothing happened between us!"
Han Meng tried to defend herself, but her voice was drowned out by the chorus of questions from the crowd.
Just when she was about to break down from the noise, someone saved her.
"Everyone, please be quiet. My third young master has something to say!"
Everyone turned to look at the sound. At the hotel entrance stood Lu Jinxian's servant, and beside him, a man in a white shirt made his skin appear as white as snow. His eyes were fixed on Madam Wang, seemingly indifferent, but actually filled with coldness.
"That good-for-nothing... no, the third young master of the Lu family is here?! Didn't he say he wasn't going to participate this morning?" The hotel staff whispered among themselves.
"Hello everyone, I am Lu Jinxian."
"I know what everyone is curious about. I would like to make it clear that my marriage to Ms. Han Meng has been discussed by the elders of both our families for some time, but it has not been announced yet."
At this moment, everyone present suddenly fell silent.
Everyone's heart was probably in turmoil: they thought it was just two young people having an affair, but they didn't expect it to be real!
Aren't the Lu and Han families sworn enemies?
"Mr. Lu, if your marriage is a match made in heaven by your parents, why don't you announce it?" Wang Ao, this spoiled young master, who had been playing the role of a dutiful junior in front of his family elders and a group of wealthy people for most of the day, finally couldn't help but ask this question, fueled by his previous anger towards Han Meng.
He was asking Lu Jinxian, but also Han Meng.
Han Meng silently watched Lu Jinxian as he slowly walked in and stood beside her.
Lu Jinxian looked at Wang Ao: "Brother Wang, you are so concerned about my and Mengmeng's marriage, you must treat her like your own sister. It seems that you are preparing to provide a dowry for her family."
"You!" Wang Ao's face turned red with anger, and he could no longer suppress his temper. He raised his hand and tried to hit someone.
But before his hand could even touch the other person, the other person tilted their body and put their hand on Han Meng's shoulder, causing Han Meng to stumble.
Han Meng asked him, "Are you alright?"
"It's okay. If he hits me, I'll just fall to the ground and extort money from his family for medical expenses," Lu Jinxian said casually as he released his grip.
"..."
Han Meng couldn't help but wonder: Is Lu Jinxian really that short of money? He even seemed a little disappointed that Wang Ao hadn't managed to beat him up?
“Brother Wang, given our sibling relationship, you’re unwilling to even part with a small dowry. Forget it, we won’t make things difficult for you. How about this, if your family is really in trouble, I can go back and discuss it with my father.” Han Meng pushed Wang Ao aside, helped Lu Jinxian to the hotel entrance, clearly indicating that she was about to leave early.
The rest of the Wang family thought there was hope for a lower price on the deal, and they all looked on with anticipation. No one stopped her.
"I told him not to send that batch of tea to your family. That batch of tea is the best quality and very expensive; your family can't afford it. If we force you to buy it, and it makes your whole family have to scrimp and save, that would be my father's fault." After saying that, Han Meng waved to the people inside and left.
The Wang family wanted to chase after him, but they didn't dare to approach the sickly man who was swaying as he walked, so they ultimately failed to catch up.
Outside the hotel, Han Meng and Lu Jinxian both stopped in their tracks.
"Thank you for getting me out of that situation earlier, but what brings you here?" The Lu family and the Wang family don't have much business dealings, and given that she was tricked at the Lu family's hotel last night, Han Meng thought Lu Jinxian definitely wouldn't come to today's birthday banquet.
Lu Jinxian leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and said, "I heard that the person you like is Shen Jianhe? Aren't you two childhood sweethearts to some extent?"
Why are you asking this?
“I spent all morning investigating why you went into my room by mistake, and I found out that someone deliberately arranged it, and that person…” Lu Jinxian paused, then suddenly looked at her, “is very likely Shen Jianhe.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
