Chapter 55 A resounding slap landed on his face from his fiancée…
Meng Cenjun's temper is as gloomy and unpredictable as the weather in England.
He had only been eating breakfast for a short while when Lan Jia somehow offended him again. Before leaving the house, she kept a straight face and didn't say a word.
It was just some harmless little jokes and pranks. She didn't embarrass him in public, so why was she being so hostile?
If you don't like it, just say so. Lan Jia hates people who sulk for no reason. Thinking this, she suddenly lost interest and didn't even have the patience to coax her.
After hastily stuffing a few mouthfuls into her mouth, Lan Jia stormed off to work in a huff.
I don't know what happened today, but when I got to the film set, everyone around me looked dejected and preoccupied, especially Jingwei.
Before filming began, the group was putting on the actors' costumes for the day. Ruan Jingwei seemed distracted and made several mistakes. Fortunately, the costume department didn't have a head at the moment, so no one would be strictly checking the errors. Lan Jia quietly took care of it for her, pulling her aside to ask, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Ruan Jingwei shook her head, indicating that she did not want to talk about it further.
"Is it family stuff again?" Lan Jia frowned, certain that she had been wronged again.
"It's alright, Lan Jia. I'll work hard from now on."
"That's not what I wanted to tell you!" Seeing that she was hiding something, Lan Jia became anxious. "Jingwei, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I won't even have a chance to help you."
"Lan Jia, you can't help me."
She lowered her eyes, tears welling up in her eyes: "I'm getting engaged."
"What?" Lan Jia was stunned.
I just heard her mention it a while ago, how come it happened so quickly?
"Did they arrange this marriage for you? Which family? Which person?"
"Shen Kuo, the second young master of the Shen family at the Parkview Hotel."
Upon hearing this name, Lan Jia felt as if struck by lightning.
Why this rotten person of all people?
A playboy who spends his days in a life of luxury and debauchery.
Last time at the bar, Lan Jia couldn't help but beat him up, and the two ended up at the police station.
She calmed herself down and took Ruan Jingwei's hand, saying, "You can't marry this kind of person."
"Jingwei, you don't want to marry him either, right?"
“But do I have any other choice?” Ruan Jingwei asked, her eyes red. “The Shen family sent the betrothal gifts yesterday, and my father told me that marrying into the Shen family is already a step up, and that I must consider the bigger picture.”
"Lan Jia, I've been begging them for so long to let me go out to work."
How can someone sell their daughter like this? Especially to a notorious stranger.
Lan Jia was furious, but she was also worried that it was someone else's family matter and she shouldn't interfere. With a headache, she could only hold Jingwei's hand tighter and comfort her for the time being: "Jingwei, don't think too much. Things haven't reached the point of no return. Let's calm down first, and I'll think of a solution for you."
"Lan Jia, will you help me?" She looked at her, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Knowing that this matter would be difficult and that outsiders had no say, she dared not rashly agree, fearing that she would be disappointed. So she said firmly, "I will do my best, Jingwei. Please rest assured for now and do not meet with Shen Kuo in private."
Ruan Jingwei agreed, wiping away her tears with her head down, but she was still half-believing and half-doubting. Yi Lanjia, an inexperienced young lady, was even younger than her and had no real power. What way could she possibly think of to help her?
The thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it as mere words of comfort and stopped paying attention to it.
All day long, Lan Jia paid extra attention to Ruan Jingwei, trying to understand her emotions. However, she had an appointment with Song Qingqu early in the morning after get off work to visit Xu Xinwen at the hospital. Feeling extremely guilty, she explained the situation to her.
Ruan Jingwei knew she had important matters to attend to and understandingly let her go about her business, but she was still feeling down in private. Lan Jia had also previously arranged to go home with her, but had failed to show up for the past two days, which made her a little unhappy and feel that she was not valued.
The driver was still called away by her family, as if they were trying every means to intimidate her, to make her suffer enough outside so that she would obediently go back to get married.
Ruan Jingwei slung her newly replaced canvas bag over her shoulder and walked alone toward the alley entrance.
Meng Cenjun finished her work and left the Pine headquarters building early.
Having not received any news from her all day, she was restless. She asked Zuo Tai and found out that Song Qingqu had lured her away again. There was only so much time left in the evening, and someone selfishly wanted to take it all. Even though she usually kept her temper in check, Meng Cenjun couldn't help but frown and say to the driver, "To the hospital."
My mood was not good, the sky was gloomy, a few claps of thunder were heard, and a downpour began in no time.
Ruan Jingwei sat in a Western restaurant, looking out with concern. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, rain poured down on the glass, blurring the world like a watercolor painting painted with tears.
After leaving the film crew, she didn't want to go home. She called a car and drove around aimlessly. Her stomach was empty, so she randomly chose this restaurant.
Having paid the bill, but without an umbrella, I hesitated at the store entrance, unable to move an inch.
Suddenly, someone patted her on the shoulder, and a cheerful voice called out from behind, "Weiwei."
Ruan Jingwei turned around in surprise, and when she saw the person clearly, she couldn't help but shudder.
With fox-like eyes and a floral shirt, and a dark patch under his eyes from years of indulging in wine and women, he was none other than Shen Kuo, the good-for-nothing second son of the Shen family.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, somewhat hesitantly.
Upon seeing her, Shen Kuo glanced at her face with a flirtatious look and chuckled, "What? Can't the boss come to inspect the place?"
"You own a restaurant?" Ruan Jingwei was startled again, thinking to herself that she was unlucky, as if hell had opened its doors and was waiting for her to barge in.
Shen Kuo hummed in response, casually draping his arm over her shoulder: "It's raining so hard, why don't I take you home?"
Ruan Jingwei suddenly felt a weight on her body, as if half a piece of pork was hanging on her. The strong perfume scent emanating from Shen Kuo was even more cloying than fat.
She felt an intense physical and psychological aversion to this person, almost to the point of holding back her words. However, her upbringing forced her to maintain her composure, and she stiffly dodged his hand, saying, "No need, I can go back by myself."
After saying that, he gripped the shoulder strap of his bag and was about to leave.
But as soon as he took a step, he was pulled back by a strong force from behind.
Shen Kuo stood still, but the curved umbrella in his hand was firmly hooked around her collar, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin below her neck.
He watched with relish, a wicked smile on his face: "What are you hiding for? Isn't it only right that you take my fiancée home?"
The exposed skin felt cold and piercing in the air, and goosebumps rose all over my body.
Ruan Jingwei had never been harassed like this in her entire life. She was filled with shame, anger, and disgust. She gritted her teeth and retorted, "We're not even engaged yet, what kind of fiancée are you talking about?"
"Oh ho, quite the temper." Shen Kuo sneered mockingly, "How much dowry did your family receive from my family? Did you feed it all to the dogs? We didn't even hear a sound."
Upon hearing the mention of the betrothal gifts, Ruan Jingwei immediately hit a nerve, glaring at him fiercely: "So heartbroken? Then you should ask them to take them back as soon as possible. Anyway, I never wanted to marry someone like you."
"What did you say?" Shen Kuo's face darkened.
He had only been patient and kind to her because she was somewhat pretty. Now that they were going to be husband and wife, he could tolerate her occasional arrogance, which he considered a kind of fun. But Shen Kuo had been arrogant for many years and could never tolerate anyone climbing over him.
Especially a woman who was "bought" at a high price.
He flew into a rage, his fox-like eyes filled with bestial ferocity, utterly vicious: "You're so quick to collect the money, but now you're pretending to be a virtuous woman? Ruan Jingwei, let me tell you, if you dare to break off the engagement, I won't let you off!"
She turned around, swung her arm, and delivered a resounding slap to his face.
Shen Kuo was stunned for two seconds. By the time he reacted, Ruan Jingwei had already rushed into the rain.
"You bitch!" He gritted his teeth and immediately chased after her in a rage.
Although Shen Kuo was a good-for-nothing, the difference in physical strength between men and women was significant. He quickly caught up with the stumbling Ruan Jingwei, taking two steps at a time.
This month has seen a series of mishaps, all stemming from women. When they get angry, the two of them are remarkably alike.
The anger and resentment that had been building up against Lan Jia erupted like a volcano, bursting forth in waves.
He grabbed Ruan Jingwei's arm tightly, shoving her and cursing her with vulgar language: "Bitch! Just like that crazy woman from the Yi family, you're both bitches!"
Enraged, Ruan Jingwei retaliated several times, and the two became entangled in a disheveled struggle in the rain.
Shen Kuo was always a brainless person, and when he got angry, he didn't care about anyone. When he saw her resist, he immediately raised his hand to slap her.
Ruan Jingwei opened her eyes wide in horror and immediately covered her head and curled up into a ball.
Before the slap could land, Shen Kuo screamed.
She carefully looked up and saw a man in a black suit standing in front of her. He had thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, and was tall and strong. He was holding an umbrella in one hand and grabbing Shen Kuo's arm with the other, easily twisting it outwards, forcing him to let out screams like a pig being slaughtered.
Seeing him beg for mercy, the man in the black suit loosened his grip, leaving Shen Kuo slumped in the rain, crying and wailing.
The crisis was over just like that. Ruan Jingwei stared blankly as the black umbrella tilted towards her, blocking out all the cold rain.
"Miss, my husband would like you to get in the car." The man in the black suit tactfully offered an arm.
Ruan Jingwei actually managed to stand up, clinging to that arm, her eyes glazed over. It was raining at night; a black sedan was parked quietly on the street.
Same car model, same consecutive license plate number.
The Yi family.
The driver opened the car door for her. Ruan Jingwei, dripping wet and trembling, called out, "Mr. Meng..."
The carriage was warmly lit and dust-free. The person inside was busy looking at a tablet and said in a low voice, "Come on up, I'll give you a ride."
“But I…” Ruan Jingwei clutched the wet hem of her clothes, not moving.
My palms were wet, and my shoes were soaked in mud. I felt like I was covered in dirt.
Meng Cenjun then looked up and glanced at him briefly before quickly looking away.
She shivered in the cold rain, and heard him speak again: "Sit down, it's alright."
His voice was flat and not even gentle, yet it suddenly made her nose sting with tears.
Author's Note: The brother is looking at the tablet while picking out jewelry for his sister. [Milk Tea]
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