Chapter 62 Farewell to casually filling in your favorite numbers on checks.
The Yi family's driver was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing her, he opened the car door and let her in, leaving no room for refusal.
Ruan Jingwei felt uneasy as she was driven to an unknown destination.
I asked the driver, but he just followed instructions and kept quiet.
She had guessed that Meng Cenjun had arranged the meeting alone, but she didn't expect the meeting place to be at the Pine headquarters building, which clearly indicated that it was a businesslike meeting without any consideration for personal feelings.
I took the elevator upstairs and was led to the president's office by a tall female assistant.
Upon opening the door, I saw Meng Cenjun standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a coffee cup and looking down. The ground floor of the building was bustling with traffic, and the pedestrians looked as small as mayflies. This perspective gave me a natural sense of superiority.
Hearing the noise, he turned around and said to her, "Sit down."
Ruan Jingwei sat somewhat awkwardly at the desk. Meng Cenjun put down his porcelain cup and asked her, "What would you like to drink?"
She clenched her fingers and said, "Just give me a glass of water."
Soon Zhou Qin brought in a glass of water and said to Meng Cenjun, "President Meng, you have a meeting in ten minutes."
Meng Cenjun nodded, then turned to look at Ruan Jingwei, her expression unchanged: "Time is limited, so I'll keep it brief."
Ruan Jingwei held the crystal glass, but didn't drink from it, her eyes cautious and careful.
She only saw him take out a thick stack of check sheets from the drawer, unscrew the pen, quickly sign his name, tear them off, and hand them to her.
"Miss Ruan, you can fill in any number you like on this blank check."
"In addition, if you choose another country you like, I will give you a nice property."
Ruan Jingwei's heart skipped a beat. Her first thought was of hush money, and she instinctively refused: "Mr. Meng, I will not tell anyone."
She was referring to the incident where she bumped into the siblings yesterday.
To everyone's surprise, Meng Cenjun remained unfazed and said indifferently, "I don't care."
Anyway, he and Lan Jia will eventually come out in the open, and he will naturally find a way to make the relationship seem reasonable and avoid criticism.
"Then what is this...?"
He clasped his hands together and examined you with his eyes: "I think this is what you need most right now. With enough wealth, you can continue to live a free and prosperous life without being held back by anyone."
Yes, isn't this exactly what she's always wanted? She's had enough of that disgusting home, where people aren't human and ghosts aren't ghosts.
But there's no such thing as a free lunch. She tried her best not to look at the tempting check, restraining herself and trying not to make her look too greedy or ridiculous.
What are your terms?
"I want you to never come back to the Li River."
Ruan Jingwei immediately felt a sense of horror and tentatively asked, "Because of Lan Jia? You don't want me to be around Lan Jia?"
Meng Cenjun remained noncommittal.
Such a friendship, mixed with self-interest, will only hurt her, deplete her, and drain her dry. Since Lan Jia is unable to judge people, then he will help her cut it off.
Ruan Jingwei certainly wouldn't ask why; she knew best whether her feelings for Lan Jia were genuine. Perhaps there were genuine feelings at the beginning, but ever since she first stepped into Lan Jia's house, the imbalance caused by that huge gap had gradually eroded their friendship.
Why is she born with such a good life? Why does she have to be bullied by others?
Two faces so similar, why are their circumstances so different?
She simply couldn't swallow this bitterness calmly.
Jealousy took hold of her, and even the last vestige of guilt she felt towards Lan Jia vanished. She straightened her back and asked, "When would you like me to leave?"
"The sooner the better."
"I want to continue my studies."
"Of course, someone will take care of everything for you."
"Mr. Meng, how should I explain if Lan Jia asks?"
"I believe you will find a reasonable and gentle reason to explain it to her."
"May I ask you one last question?"
Meng Cenjun gestured for her to continue.
"Do you treat everyone around Lan Jia this way?"
He smiled, his dark eyelashes, as black as raven feathers, pressed down, making his deep eyes seem even more unfathomable.
"To be honest, I don't have this kind of patience with everyone." If it weren't for the fact that Lan Jia valued her, he wouldn't mind using even harsher methods.
Ruan Jingwei gripped her water glass tightly, inexplicably feeling that he had no smile on his face. She had rarely seen someone with such deep eyes, as black as a bottomless pool, and looking into his eyes for a long time gave her a sense of fear from the bottom of her heart.
At this moment, she was extremely grateful that she had not used her resemblance to Lan Jia to intimidate herself. If she had really made a move on him, she didn't know how she would have been dealt with.
Those who wield power are cold-hearted and ruthless; after this experience, she has come to see it for herself.
No man or friendship is as important as tangible material possessions and money.
Ruan Jingwei made up her mind and grabbed the check in her hand. The dry, warm touch of the paper gave her an unprecedented sense of comfort and ease.
Meng Cenjun leaned back in his chair, staring at her departing figure, a hint of mockery in his expression.
She broke off the relationship so easily? So-called friendship is nothing more than this. This only strengthened his belief that his decision was right.
While he was quietly working on his end, Lan Jia was still foolishly busy on her end.
After working non-stop all day, most of the jewelry she had brought out had been sold. In order to keep Meng Cenjun from finding out, she had the wealthy women transfer the money to Qiao Zimu's account, and then he would write a check. This way, she could secretly give the money to Ruan Jingwei.
Lan Jia thought that although she couldn't help with the business, she could at least make some money. With money, things would be easier to do, and it would also be convenient for her to go out and hide for a while.
She had just finished eating when she hurriedly asked Qiao Zimu to take her home. He gripped the steering wheel resentfully and became jealous again: "What treasure are you hiding at home that you're in such a hurry to go back?"
"They're friends from university. I'll introduce you to them another day."
"Friends... how come you have so many friends all of a sudden?" Qiao Zimu muttered to himself, then asked in surprise after a moment, "You didn't sell your assets for her, did you?"
"They're in trouble, what's wrong with lending a hand?"
Qiao Zimu paused, then solemnly advised, "This amount of money is not small, Lan Jia. Think it over carefully and don't be deceived."
"I know! I'm not stupid." Lan Jia rolled her eyes and punched his arm. "You're getting more and more talkative!"
"Is it wrong to worry about you?" Qiao Zimu was also a little angry.
She glanced at him, and thinking about his hard work and contributions today, her heart softened. She said, "I just think we should cherish every friend around us."
"Of course, Xiao Qiao, you will always hold the most weight in my heart." More than a decade of companionship is enough to surpass most others.
Upon hearing this, although he was focused on driving, the corners of his mouth still involuntarily turned up.
After arriving home and saying a tender goodbye, Lan Jia rushed into the house, calling out, "Jingwei! Jingwei!"
Aunt Ming took the empty bag from her shoulder and asked in surprise, "Miss Ruan left in a hurry this afternoon, didn't she tell you?"
Lan Jia's smile froze on her face: "What?"
Her heart sank heavily, and she had a terrible premonition. She immediately took out her phone and called her.
I was in a hurry and panic, and it took several tries to get through.
Where are you? Is your family asking you to go home?
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before someone said, "Lan Jia, I'm at the airport."
"Is there enough time? Wait for me, at least let me see you off."
Ruan Jingwei said softly, "Then come over now." This matter should be put to rest.
Lan Jia then put her shoes back on, asked Zuo Tai to take her, and rushed to the airport.
The two agreed to meet at a coffee shop in the airport. When she arrived, Ruan Jingwei was already waiting.
The luggage had already been checked in, and there was still a while before takeoff. She ordered a drink and also ordered one for Lan Jia.
Lan Jia searched for a long time before spotting the figure in the white dress. She then sat down in front of her, panting.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You didn't even tell me beforehand." After saying that, she picked up the plane ticket that she had put on the table and looked at it with surprise. "You're going to France? That's so far away."
Ruan Jingwei lowered her eyes, avoiding eye contact: "Lan Jia, I've thought it over. I've decided to leave my family and live alone in another city."
"Oh, that's great." Lan Jia nodded, unsure what to say. Everything had happened so suddenly, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. After a long pause, she asked again, "Did you bring enough money? Did you bring all your documents?"
"Yes, my mom already knows about the arranged marriage. She wired me some money and told me to go into hiding."
Lan Jia nodded again, as if she had remembered something halfway through, and added, "Once you've settled in over there, be sure to let me know you're safe and sound. If you need anything or encounter any difficulties, feel free to contact me anytime."
Ruan Jingwei reluctantly agreed. At the airport, enveloped in a strangely melancholic atmosphere of parting, that sense of guilt welled up again. She finally looked up and gave her a deep look, feeling not only guilt but also a trace of pity—pity that she had been kept in the dark, pity that her most trusted family had concealed the truth from her, wanting only to confine her, isolate her, and prevent her from escaping their grasp.
And Ruan Jingwei, the friend she once truly trusted, was nothing more than a vain and deceitful liar.
She readily agreed, but it was all a lie. Once the plane took off, she cut off all contact and disappeared from her life completely.
Look at her, still so innocent and empty, like a blank sheet of paper.
Ruan Jingwei looked at her, and suddenly became angry again. She was angry that she was so stupid, so clumsy, and so unable to judge people. After so long, she still hadn't seen through her true colors and was still foolishly giving her heart to a man who was full of controlling desires.
She took a deep breath, as a way of repaying this kindness, and decided to give her one last piece of advice.
"Lan Jia".
"Um?"
She listened attentively to her speech, her eyes clear and bright, but Ruan Jingwei felt a pang of sadness upon seeing her.
"If in the future someone makes you unhappy, uncomfortable, or makes you feel restricted, you must be ruthless and run far away."
Lan Jia didn't know why she brought up this topic again, and felt very confused, but seeing her solemn expression, which seemed to be giving advice, she nodded.
"Furthermore, having power can give you more freedom. You have the means and the opportunity, so when necessary, you must hold onto it firmly, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Lan Jia also became solemn and nodded earnestly.
Ruan Jingwei sighed, her eyes welling up with tears as she said, "Finally, I sincerely hope you can realize your dream, Lan Jia, no matter what the future holds."
"Stop talking," she interrupted her abruptly.
"It's being made to look like a final farewell."
Ruan Jingwei pursed her lips, struggling to suppress her emotions, before smiling and saying, "Okay, I won't say anything more."
"Tell me about it slowly after we get to France."
She didn't answer, only nodded. The airport was bustling with people, but she felt a sense of desolation all around her, as if she were worlds apart.
If her family background were similar to hers, would they be able to become true best friends?
Unfortunately, life is full of regrets.
Ruan Jingwei wiped her eyes and said, "I'm going to the restroom first."
Lan Jia agreed.
After she had walked away, she remembered the check in her hand. If she gave it to Jingwei directly, Jingwei definitely wouldn't accept it.
Expenses are high abroad, and she was worried about her. After thinking for a moment, she took a tote bag from her seat, intending to secretly slip it inside.
The bag was wide open, and as she reached inside to put the checks into the hidden compartment, she touched something else.
It was a piece of paper, and the corner that was sticking out looked very familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before.
I've seen it in my study at home.
She hesitated, then carefully pulled it out and saw that it was a blank check sheet with pen ink in the signature column.
Author's note: Cracks are gradually forming. [Heartbroken]
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