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What did it feel like to be favored? Jin Zhao hadn’t known before.
She might have felt it when she was very young, but she had been too young, the memory too faint. Later, her entire girlhood had been placed in the back seat, until she was completely abandoned. Gradually, that word also disappeared from her dictionary.
She didn’t actually think there was anything to regret. After all, being favored wasn’t a necessity of life.
Until this moment. With Meng Yanxi’s single word, “now,” she looked at him in a daze and suddenly realized that some things truly weren’t necessities, but they could make a person feel very happy.
She couldn’t help smiling, drawing her fingers together. Beneath her fingertips was the man’s long, strong hand.
She felt the veins on the back of his hand, warm, and for a moment couldn’t tell whether that surging warmth came from him or from her.
She suddenly discovered that she seemed to like Meng Yanxi more with every passing moment—more than the previous one. Even though the previous moment had already been enough to make her utterly unable to pull away.
Thinking very considerately for his sake, she said, “There’s no need to force it. If you know someone, just help introduce them to me.”
The look in Meng Yanxi’s eyes suddenly turned strange. “Am I stupid?”
Jin Zhao: “?”
Meng Yanxi let out a laugh, very low, breathy. “Letting someone else show off in front of my girlfriend—then what, all my dating has been for nothing?”
Jin Zhao had no idea how he’d twisted it to that point and hurried to explain, “No, what I mean is, the lecture is just a task from the school. It’s not like it has to be you personally.”
Meng Yanxi raised an eyebrow. “So what you’re saying is, you don’t absolutely need me either?”
Jin Zhao: “……” What a huge hat to put on her.
Forget it—there was no arguing with him. If he didn’t feel forced, then let him come.
Her boyfriend really was someone you couldn’t feel sorry for longer than thirty seconds—no, three seconds.
They had just reached the parking lot when Jin Zhao lowered her head and reported Meng Yanxi’s name to the department director.
The director’s voice call rang the very next second.
“Who? Who did you say?!”
Jin Zhao was a second late switching the receiver, and the director’s delighted voice burst impatiently through the speaker.
Jin Zhao flicked her eyes up quickly, only to run straight into someone’s upturned smile.
Oh no—she’d let him get smug.
Jin Zhao switched the speaker back to the receiver and walked off to the side with her phone.
On the phone, she patiently confirmed everything with the director once more. The director’s tone was still full of disbelief. “How did you manage to invite him? He’s one of the top investment bigshots in the country. Sui University is strongest in finance—over the years, the Sui University president’s office has invited him to give lectures several times and he never went. And he even graduated from Sui University; it’s his alma mater.”
For a moment, Jin Zhao didn’t know how to explain her relationship with Meng Yanxi.
Calling him her boyfriend would be too high-profile; calling him a classmate… too embarrassing.
Thinking about it, she and Meng Yanxi were classmates, but Meng Yanxi was like this, and she… like this. When they were young, the two of them had already been worlds apart. She hadn’t expected that after growing up, even after she’d become a university teacher, there was still a gulf of heaven and earth between them.
Jin Zhao could only skirt the point and say lightly, “But Sui University got his money.”
The department director fell silent, just as expected.
After calming down, the director spoke methodically over the phone, saying they would report it to the school, asking her to inquire more about Meng Yanxi’s requirements on her end, especially to prioritize his convenience in terms of scheduling, and to inform the school immediately if there were any needs at all.
After hanging up, Meng Yanxi happened to be driving out. Jin Zhao pulled open the passenger-side door.
Meng Yanxi asked, “Put the bag away first, or go eat first?”
As Jin Zhao got into the car, she noticed that her canvas bag had already been placed on the back seat.
Thinking of that photo on his Moments—his hand resting on her skirt, the half-sheer gauze, that rosy, vivid color setting off the man’s long fingers and sexy veins—her blood inexplicably grew a little restless.
Clearly his hand had only been resting on her skirt, yet her mind unseasonably conjured up some indescribable images.
“Let’s eat first.” She lowered her head and fastened her seat belt.
“What do you feel like eating?”
Jin Zhao said out of habit, “Anything’s fine.”
Meng Yanxi suddenly went quiet.
After two seconds, he nodded calmly. “Alright. Since it’s still early anyway, today we’ll eat our way through every restaurant in the city that’s worth a name.”
Jin Zhao: “!”
Was he out of his mind?
Jin Zhao looked at him in shock.
Meng Yanxi had a high nose bridge and clean, sharp jawline. When his thin lips were slightly pursed, he carried an innate, decisive sharpness, like someone accustomed to command.
Jin Zhao had no idea what she’d done to provoke him.
The car drove up to the west gate. While waiting for the access control system to respond, Meng Yanxi slowly turned his head, his pitch-black eyes fixing on her. “When you’re with me, you never have to accommodate anything. Other than murder and arson, anything you want, I’ll satisfy.”
Jin Zhao stared blankly at the seriousness and resolve in his eyes, then belatedly realized—he was angry about her saying, “Anything’s fine.”
Actually, it was just a polite phrase. Not just her—many people said it. After all, when you’re with others, you can’t only think about your own needs; you have to accommodate others too. It was just that she herself was low-demand by nature, so it came out especially easily, even becoming a verbal habit.
Meng Yanxi’s keen concern made her heart feel warm. Her eyelashes fluttered lightly.
She thought about it seriously, then asked, “Then… how about seafood?”
Meng Yanxi said, “I’m allergic to seafood.”
Jin Zhao: “?” Then why did you let me choose?
The man laughed out loud. “Just kidding.”
Jin Zhao: “……”
This person—sometimes he really was awful.
As for where the seafood in this city was freshest and best prepared, Meng Yanxi unapologetically believed it was his own Luxi. Seeing that she wasn’t familiar with Suiyi, he didn’t ask for her opinion and simply drove straight there.
It wasn’t until she saw the familiar landmark stone and the mountain-hidden elegance that Jin Zhao recognized it. Thinking of how this man had dumped her at the north gate last time, making her walk a full half hour through the grounds, she gave an awkward little snort. “Why come here? I didn’t even make a reservation.”
Meng Yanxi glanced at her and said, “The boss’s wife doesn’t need a reservation.”
Jin Zhao’s face immediately warmed a little, and she fell silent.
It was still early—how could he be so sure already? It wasn’t as if getting together meant they would definitely stay together forever.
When they arrived, it was not yet five. At this hour, the restaurant hadn’t officially opened, but the owner made an exception. Meng Yanxi had the kitchen prepare steamed red grouper, drunken king crab, Boston lobster steamed with huadiao wine and caviar, and additionally ordered a wagyu dish and spring bamboo shoots stir-fried with black truffle, instructing them to hurry.
Jin Zhao had only hurriedly gnawed on a bun for breakfast, and at lunch had only managed a cup of sweet fermented rice dumplings with wine. She truly was hungry at this hour. Even so, such a large table of dishes was still a big challenge for just the two of them.
Meng Yanxi wasn’t in a rush. He chatted with her on and off, the two of them eating as they talked, and somehow it turned out fine. It was just that the time stretched on for quite a while.
When they arrived, the restaurant hadn’t yet opened. Later, tables of guests gradually came in, and amid the gentle foreign music, the sounds of dining and conversation began to mingle.
Under the warm, wavering lights, with such a pleasing boyfriend across from her, Jin Zhao felt a little tipsy even without drinking.
At first she was still somewhat restrained, talking to him about the lecture in a very businesslike manner. Later, perhaps because she was full and relaxed, she couldn’t help asking, “How did you ever think of opening a restaurant?”
Meng Yanxi sat across from her, leaning back in his chair, and answered without a second thought, “I like cooking.”
Jin Zhao’s mouth opened slightly into a small “o.”
She had no idea in which parallel universe the name Meng Yanxi would ever be associated with cooking.
A young master like him looked like the kind of person who was outrageously lazy. Jin Zhao seriously doubted he had ever stepped into a kitchen in his life.
Meng Yanxi said, “Don’t believe me?”
Jin Zhao shook her head honestly. “You’re lying again.”
The man gazed at her. His peach-blossom eyes held a half-smile, the curves softening, the cool detachment in his gaze dissipating, replaced by a few traces of flirtatious charm.
“Then come to my place—want to try?”
His voice was deep and magnetic, the tail end lifting slightly.
Jin Zhao’s heart jolted.
An overly suggestive look or tone would make her thoughts run astray.
Jin Zhao quickly turned her gaze aside, conducting a bit of self-reflection in her heart.
“Yanxi!”
An abrupt voice rang out at an inopportune moment.
It was a slightly overweight middle-aged man, accompanied by a young, delicate-looking woman who appeared to be his wife. Behind them followed a pair of children. They approached enthusiastically to greet him.
Jin Zhao didn’t recognize the couple, but she immediately recognized Wu Fei and Wu Guo, the brother and sister.
It was Wu Liang’s family.
Jin Zhao turned her head to look out the window.
Beside her ear, Wu Liang led his wife and children in warmly greeting Meng Yanxi. Meng Yanxi responded politely. When Wu Liang was about to continue the small talk, Meng Yanxi cut in calmly and distantly, “President Wu, I’m on a date with my girlfriend.”
Wu Liang reacted, giving an awkward laugh, and quickly said, “Alright then, I won’t disturb you. Yanxi, please give my regards to your father and grandfather.”
Meng Yanxi curled his lips, not saying a word.
Wu Fei glanced at Jin Zhao, then at Meng Yanxi. Her fists clenched at her sides, lips bitten tight as she asked unwillingly, “Brother Yanxi, does Uncle Meng know you’ve gotten a girlfriend again?”
She bit down hard on that word “again.”
Meng Yanxi’s gaze turned noticeably colder. He swept a light glance at Wu Liang and said, “Another day I’ll bring my girlfriend home to meet my dad and grandfather. President Wu, would you like to come along too?”
Meng Yanxi’s words were neither heavy nor light, but his displeasure was already written all over them. Wu Liang forced a smile, said “Sorry for the disturbance,” and hurriedly tugged his daughter away.
Quiet returned to their surroundings. Jin Zhao looked toward the Wu family’s retreating figures, her gaze settling on Wu Fei.
For some reason, she suddenly recalled her second year of high school, the first day she went to register in Class A, when she ran into Chen Shu lecturing Wu Fei in the office.
“She was talking nonsense.” Meng Yanxi’s dark eyes fixed on her.
Jin Zhao withdrew her gaze. “Mm, I know.”
Dinner lasted two hours. When it was time to pay, the server said there was a lucky draw.
Jin Zhao was a little curious. “Does the boss have to pay too?”
Meng Yanxi: “……” She really knew how to focus on the key point.
“Then you pay?” he asked bluntly.
Jin Zhao thought about it and felt it wasn’t impossible. Deep down, people were willing to spend money on the person they liked, regardless of gender.
She liked Meng Yanxi. She was willing to spend money on Meng Yanxi.
She lowered her head to take out her phone. With a “beep” by her ear, Meng Yanxi had already scanned the code.
Meeting Jin Zhao’s gaze, someone said shamelessly, “Letting my girlfriend pay on a date—then I’ve really lived all these years for nothing. Come on, draw a prize.”
Jin Zhao had no luck in that area. The biggest prize she’d ever won in her life was thirty million—in a dream.
Other than that, her record was zero.
“Forget it, I won’t win anything anyway.”
She was very self-aware and reached out to take Meng Yanxi’s hand.
Meng Yanxi said, “Then I’ll draw for you—if I win, it counts as yours?”
Jin Zhao didn’t say yes or no. She simply lifted her eyes and looked at him quietly.
She saw through his intentions at a glance. “Are you trying to use this as an excuse to transfer money to me?”
Meng Yanxi: “……”
In the end, they didn’t draw any “prize,” and he even got disliked by his girlfriend for being too old-fashioned.
Meng Yanxi was actually very puzzled. How was transferring money old-fashioned?
Transferring money was clearly full of novelty.
But President Meng was also suffering from inexperience. He didn’t understand a girl’s thoughts. Jin Zhao was actually being a little insincere tonight.
When someone you like puts thought into you, it’s never old-fashioned. She was just way too into Meng Yanxi right now, yet didn’t want to be too into him, so she deliberately said it that way.
After dinner, it was actually still early—they could have gone to watch a movie. But Meng Yanxi felt sorry that Jin Zhao had slept late last night, taught classes all morning today, and had meetings again in the afternoon, so he wanted her to rest early tonight.
On the way back, Meng Yanxi finalized the lecture date—December 20.
Because he had two business trips at the end of the month, and needed to move in early December, he probably wouldn’t have much free time.
Jin Zhao casually asked where he was moving to.
Meng Yanxi was just about to answer when his phone rang.
It was Meng Shixu.
At Luxi, they had run into Wu Liang. Wu Liang immediately took it as an excuse to contact Meng Shixu.
Meng Shixu understood these people’s intentions perfectly and usually ignored them, but today, since it involved his son’s “girlfriend,” Meng Shixu immediately called.
When Meng Yanxi answered, he had an earpiece on. Jin Zhao didn’t hear what Meng Shixu said—she only heard Meng Yanxi respond with two consecutive “mm”s, then suddenly laugh and say, “Don’t worry, this time it won’t end. I’ll bring her back for you to take a look another day.”
Jin Zhao’s heart jumped sharply.
Subconsciously thinking he was talking about her, she shyly turned her head to look out the window.
But then she immediately heard the man beside her say, “Don’t worry about Meng Zhuxi. I’ve already prepared a place for her—Lanjing Shengjing. That girl wanted it herself, insisted that her five elements lack water, so she has to live by the river.”
Jin Zhao instantly felt she’d been overthinking things.
Meng Yanxi continued, “I bought it two years ago. In a couple of days I’ll transfer it directly to her.”
“It’s not too fast. She’s a senior now, about to start her internship. It’s not convenient to keep living at school.”
Jin Zhao more or less understood—Meng Yanxi had bought a place for Meng Zhuxi.
Lanjing Shengjing was a large flat, a first-line river-view property in the city center. The apartments there were already going for a hundred thousand per square meter.
Jin Zhao silently felt envious.
After Meng Yanxi hung up, Jin Zhao couldn’t help sighing. “It must be so nice to be your sister.”
Meng Yanxi took off his earpiece and said meaningfully, “It’s not entirely because she’s my sister. Giving her a place—half of it counts as repaying a favor.”
“Repaying a favor?”
“Mm.”
With Meng Zhuxi’s awful temper, Meng Yanxi wouldn’t have given her a place so quickly under normal circumstances—let alone when the siblings had just gone at each other that very morning.
It was just that many times, when he looked at Jin Zhao, he would think: if Meng Zhuxi hadn’t caused trouble, would he and Jin Zhao still have met?
This city was so big.
Would it have been just one brush past each other, never to meet again?
He was grateful for this sister.
But he didn’t say any of it.
Jin Zhao seemed to half-understand—mostly not understand—and was still immersed in Meng Yanxi’s extravagant generosity, asking with a face full of envy, “In my next life, can I reincarnate as your sister?”
As they were talking, they reached the ground floor of Building No. 7, the faculty dormitory.
Meng Yanxi parked the car, then slowly turned his head and said with an amused smile, “Better not. It’s… in·cest. The ethical pressure is a bit much.”
