Hiding at the stairwell, Guan Yingtang saw Meng Songnian suddenly heading upstairs and hurried back to the master bedroom.
She closed the door but still felt uneasy, glancing around before quickly opening the wardrobe and hiding inside.
On the other side, Meng Songnian went straight up to the second floor.
He had been to Jinghua Mansion a few times before, so after reaching the upper floor, he walked toward the bedrooms with ease.
Meng Qinghuai followed closely behind, afraid his father might not be clear-headed and enter the wrong room, so he simply quickened his pace, opened the door to the guest bedroom in advance, and helped guide Meng Songnian inside. “Careful, please.”
Meng Songnian didn’t show the slightest flaw, even feeling his eldest son was considerate.
In contrast, his second son, Meng Fanchuan, was innocently caught in the crossfire. “That good-for-nothing brother of yours has been abroad for half a month and hasn’t even given me a single phone call.”
Meng Qinghuai had no mood to discuss his brother at this moment.
He helped Meng Songnian lie down on the bed, paused slightly, and quietly reminded him, “Dad, if you stay here tonight, Mom will be alone at Meng Yuan.”
This couple spent 360 out of 365 days together every year; the rare days they were apart were usually only when Meng Songnian was on a business trip.
Generally speaking, they wouldn’t separate unless it was absolutely necessary.
Meng Qinghuai had thought that moving his mother Zhuang Jiayi out would make Meng Songnian lose the urge to stay here.
After all, it was just a question about “good feelings,” and there was no need to go to such lengths.
But unexpectedly, when Meng Songnian heard this, he opened his eyes and looked at him with a mix of authority and a bit of disdain. “Do you think I want to stay at your place?”
Meng Qinghuai: “?”
Chairman Meng let out an awkward snort. “I promised your mother I wouldn’t drink at social events anymore.”
As the founder of one of Asia’s top publicly listed groups, Meng Songnian held an extraordinary position in the business world.
His innate adventurous spirit made him exceptionally driven since his youth.
Now well past fifty, the years hadn’t left many marks on him, mostly thanks to Zhuang Jiayi’s company and healthy lifestyle habits.
He had quit drinking for years, but tonight, meeting a few childhood friends, he broke his abstinence out of excitement.
Meng Songnian’s reputation was well-known; his authoritative style was never in doubt.
But everyone knew that he respected and doted on his wife, Zhuang Jiayi, always yielding to her.
The most talked-about story was when the media of Hong Kong Island predicted doom for Miss Zhuang marrying far away to the mainland and being neglected by her husband.
Meng Songnian not only set off an extravagant fireworks show for his wife at Victoria Harbour, but also bought out the big screen ads on the skyscrapers around Victoria Harbour, publicly declaring his love for her in grand style.
At the turn of the millennium, Meng Songnian, then the eldest son of the Meng family, became famous overnight and was praised as the best son-in-law on Hong Kong Island.
“I only had a little tonight.” Meng Songnian rubbed his brow. “No need to make your mom worry.”
Meng Qinghuai: “……”
So he really thought his father had come over out of a surge of fatherly affection late at night, but it turned out he was just looking for an excuse to escape being scolded by his wife.
Meng Qinghuai was at a loss for words, but things had come to this point— Meng Songnian staying the night at Jinghua Mansion was inevitable.
He didn’t say anything further, only reminding his father lightly, “Then you should rest early. There are new towels and toothbrushes in the bathroom.”
After closing the door, Meng Qinghuai let out a helpless sigh in the hallway, then turned to look at the master bedroom next door.
That door was also tightly shut.
He hadn’t seen Guan Yingtang when he came up, so she must have already returned to her room. Meng Qinghuai went downstairs first, tidied up the dining table, then returned upstairs to the study room and sent Guan Yingtang a message:
“No need to worry, he’s staying in the guest bedroom and won’t bother you.”
He waited a few minutes with no reply.
He sent another: “Are you asleep?”
Still no response at all.
Remembering how Guan Yingtang had stomach pain yesterday, Meng Qinghuai couldn’t help but worry she might not be feeling well again.
After thinking for a moment, he went to the master bedroom, knocking softly so as not to be too loud. After gently calling out a reminder, he directly turned the doorknob and went in.
The room was empty.
Meng Qinghuai frowned, walked over to the bed, and looked around. “Miss Guan?”
With a creak, the wardrobe door suddenly opened.
Meng Qinghuai’s gaze fell in that direction and saw Guan Yingtang’s face carefully peeking out from inside. Their eyes met—
“Where’s your dad?” she asked in barely more than a whisper.
No one would associate the Guan Family Miss in front of him with a dignified, proper heiress.
She was clutching the wardrobe door, her body still defensively hidden inside, only her pair of beautiful eyes shining brightly.
Meng Qinghuai suddenly felt like laughing.
“Miss Guan is even more cautious than I imagined.”
“……”
Guan Yingtang knew she looked anything but elegant at the moment and pursed her lips. “How was I supposed to know if your dad would suddenly come into the master bedroom?”
She had no other choice in that emergency.
As she spoke, she stood up, but perhaps because she’d been squatting too long, the moment she lifted her leg to step out, her numb legs couldn’t support her balance and she almost toppled over—
That arm, with its shirt sleeves rolled up halfway, reached out naturally to steady her.
Guan Yingtang swallowed down the “ah” that almost escaped her throat.
The numbness in her calves was quickly replaced by another kind of warm tingling, like an electric current running through her whole body from where he held her arm.
She stood still, a bit dazed.
Meng Qinghuai was holding her elbow, his touch clearly gentle but also steady and powerful, sending waves of warmth through her nerves.
Guan Yingtang’s heart skipped inexplicably. She took a step back, politely saying, “Thank you.”
Meng Qinghuai withdrew his hand as well. “Then you should rest.”
He turned to leave, but paused. “Where will you stay?”
Because Meng Qinghuai only occasionally stayed at Jinghua Mansion, there was usually only one guest bedroom prepared. Now that Meng Songnian was using it, only the master bedroom was left.
Three people—clearly not easy to arrange.
“The study room,” Meng Qinghuai said calmly.
Guan Yingtang was stunned and suddenly stopped him. “No, you have to stay here tonight.”
“…?”
“What if your dad can’t sleep and comes to chat with you in the middle of the night? What am I supposed to do by myself?”
Sensing the Miss’s excessive worry, Meng Qinghuai paused for a moment. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t have that hobby.”
“But what if?” Guan Yingtang didn’t dare imagine the scene of Meng Songnian staring at her in the middle of the night. She raised the end of her sentence, pleading, “Just stay, please?”
Maybe even she herself didn’t realize the subtle change in her tone.
So even the dignified Number One Heiress of Hong Kong Island could act a little spoiled.
Meng Qinghuai’s heart inexplicably softened as well. He paused, then answered softly, “Okay.”
Their gazes met and held, the night outside the window as clear as water, the moonlight faintly reflected in each other’s eyes.
The prolonged eye contact finally made Guan Yingtang belatedly realize that “stay” tonight, besides being on guard against Meng Songnian, might mean something else.
One bed, two people.
Tonight was destined to be sleepless.
“Well, I’ll go shower first.”
She suddenly felt a bit awkward, using it as an excuse to go into the bathroom.
Inside, she showered and did a facial mask, hoping time would pass quickly— ideally, by the time she came out, Meng Qinghuai would already be asleep.
However, an hour later, when she finally dawdled out of the bathroom, Meng Qinghuai was still standing by the window, talking on the phone with someone.
That saved her from an awkward conversation. Guan Yingtang quietly got into bed, picked up a book, and leaned against the headboard to read.
The book was probably one Meng Qinghuai had left here before, something about finance, which didn’t interest Guan Yingtang at all.
But she pretended to read intently, skimming the pages quickly, her eyes secretly watching Meng Qinghuai not far away.
He had his back to her, his shirt neatly tucked into black suit pants. Even just his silhouette was refined and attractive.
His shoulders were broad—looked like a good place to lean on.
His waist wasn’t bad either; he’d picked her up with one hand before, so his core strength must be solid.
As for his legs— needless to say, this man’s proportions were excellent. From the waist down, it was all legs— a sight for sore eyes.
Honestly, this Chairman had both looks and figure. Even if they were forced to live together, seeing him every day was a treat for the eyes.
Just as she was secretly scanning him like a scanner, Meng Qinghuai suddenly finished his call and turned around.
Guan Yingtang’s heart skipped, and she quickly averted her gaze, pretending to focus on the book in her hands.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him go to the wardrobe for clothes, then head into the bathroom.
The sound of running water came from inside. Guan Yingtang looked up, suddenly recalling the question Meng Songnian had asked Meng Qinghuai downstairs about “good feelings.”
He had dodged the question, clearly not wanting to answer.
As for why—
Probably because he really didn’t have any feelings, right?
Although he’d said before that he didn’t dislike her, not disliking wasn’t the same as liking. Maybe it was just a peaceful acceptance, not being averse to her as a person.
And he was so smart, he must have known she was upstairs at the time.
Guan Yingtang thought Jiang Peiming’s words made sense.
She and Meng Qinghuai— one grew up on Hong Kong Island, the other was born in Guangzhou— their upbringings and cultural backgrounds were completely different.
If it weren’t for their elders’ intervention, they might never have even had a real conversation in this life.
After all, if there really was fate, two people who went to the same university should have crossed paths before.
Now, Meng Qinghuai was marrying to fulfill his parents’ wishes. Naturally, he wouldn’t say such things out loud to disappoint his parents or embarrass her.
Sure enough, when Meng Qinghuai finished showering and came out, he confirmed Guan Yingtang’s suspicions.
He sat down on the sofa at the foot of the bed, back facing her, head lowered, not sure what he was doing.
But from the look of it, it seemed he planned to sleep on the sofa tonight.
Guan Yingtang wasn’t surprised at all—this was exactly Meng Qinghuai’s style. A gentle, gentlemanly man wouldn’t have any inappropriate thoughts just because they were forced to share a room.
That was why she felt safe letting him stay.
However, as newlyweds sharing a room, his complete calm and clear boundaries, while gentlemanly, also felt like a denial of her own charm.
What, was she not attractive?
Wasn’t she worth a second glance, a stray thought, or even a little flutter of his heart?
Guan Yingtang let out a breath and put the book—of which she hadn’t read a single word—back in its place. She said to Meng Qinghuai, with no particular tone, “Mr. Meng, you really don’t have to do this.”
Meng Qinghuai, who had been looking down at his phone, turned around. “What?”
Though this was a bit forward, facts were facts. Guan Yingtang just felt there was no need. “You don’t have to sleep on the sofa.”
The bed was so big—there was no reason to make a 188cm-tall Chairman squeeze onto the sofa. That would make her, a wife who had already gotten the marriage certificate, seem unnecessarily pretentious.
Women from Hong Kong Island had always been straightforward.
However, Meng Qinghuai didn’t seem particularly surprised after hearing this.
He lowered his head again, finished typing a few words on his phone, then stood up and said blandly, “Miss Guan, you misunderstood.”
Guan Yingtang: “?”
Meng Qinghuai walked straight to the other side of the bed. “I never planned to sleep on the sofa.”
Guan Yingtang: “???”
In a daze, she watched as the blanket was already being lifted.
Guan Yingtang opened her mouth, dumbfounded, watching the man sit down right beside her.
“Mr. Meng?”
…Wait, weren’t you a little too natural about this?
Meng Qinghuai ignored her shock and said calmly, “Since Miss Guan wants to experience married life, of course we should do everything that comes with it. Right?”
Guan Yingtang’s mind went blank for a moment.
What did he mean?
What was he going to do?
What exactly was “everything that comes with it”?
Wait, could you clarify?!
But Meng Qinghuai didn’t give her the chance to ask. He raised his hand, turned off the bedroom light, and left only a low, deep voice in the darkness. “Let’s sleep.”
Guan Yingtang stared into the darkness, her eyes wide with confusion.
She had been so magnanimous as to offer him half the bed, but it turned out he never intended to squeeze onto the sofa at all.
So, she was just wasting her expressions for nothing.
Guan Yingtang was swept up by a strange, inexplicable emotion. After a long moment, she finally grabbed the blanket and slowly slid into bed, her whole body stiff and tense, ears pricked up nervously as if ready for battle at any time.
But Meng Qinghuai didn’t seem to have any plans to do anything.
The bedroom was extremely quiet, only the soft sound of breathing in her ear. It was the first time Guan Yingtang had shared a bed with a man. Although she had mentally prepared for this, she still wasn’t used to it.
After a long while without hearing any movement from Meng Qinghuai, she finally let go of her guard a little, her body relaxing slightly. She had just closed her eyes when—
“Miss Guan.” The man’s voice suddenly sounded in the night.
Guan Yingtang was startled. “W-what?”
In the darkness, she sensed that Meng Qinghuai had turned to face her.
A warm breath seemed to drift over.
“Help me get the little box in the drawer by your side of the bed,” he said.
Little box?
Guan Yingtang’s mind raced to interpret, her nerves immediately tensing. “Why do you need the little box?”
Meng Qinghuai paused. “I need something inside.”
Guan Yingtang: “…!”
Well, but—
Did it have to be this soon…?
There were elders staying in the next room!
Guan Yingtang’s face turned red, and she stubbornly turned her back to him. “I’m not getting it.”
She thought this was a tactful refusal and would make Meng Qinghuai give up, but unexpectedly, a few seconds later, he suddenly turned on the lamp on his side, leaned over toward her, and reached across her body—
Under the warm yellow light, his chest barely pressed against her.
Guan Yingtang’s heart was racing, pounding so fast that in a single second, her mind flashed through 180 moving images and a thousand-word essay criticizing Meng Qinghuai’s hypocritical virtue.
Until—“click.”
Meng Qinghuai’s slender arm opened the drawer.
Guan Yingtang nervously swallowed, her earlobes tinged with pink, about to say something to stop him, when she saw him take out a blue little box and open it—
He slowly took out a pair of earplugs.
“…?”
Maybe the abrupt change of pace was too much. Guan Yingtang didn’t recover for a moment and blurted out, “You’re getting earplugs?”
Meng Qinghuai looked at her, a bit puzzled. “Is there a problem?”
Meng Qinghuai had mild insomnia and needed absolute quiet to sleep. He’d tried sleeping without earplugs just now and found it didn’t work, so he got up to get them.
Guan Yingtang closed her mouth, secretly annoyed at her wild imagination, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and said through gritted teeth, “No problem.”
After she finished speaking, Meng Qinghuai seemed to understand something. He closed the drawer softly, lowered his eyes to look at her,
“Otherwise, what did Miss Guan think I was going to get?”