“You…” Meng Lingyao clearly remembered that when they left this morning, Qi Zhongjing’s attire was very casual—just a simple black suit. Now, although he was still in a suit, it was obvious he had redone his entire look.
His hair had been restyled, his suit had been swapped for a royal blue one, a pocket square was neatly folded in his breast pocket, a gemstone brooch rested on his lapel, his right hand bore an expensive watch shimmering with fire, and his thin-soled, pointed leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine.
Overall… he looked like a peacock in full display.
At first glance, Meng Lingyao looked a bit speechless, but he ultimately swallowed his words. He silently climbed into Qi Zhongjing’s car.
Fine. I’m blind. I can’t see a thing.
Qi Zhongjing touched his face and asked in a tone of humble inquiry, “Is there something inappropriate about my appearance?”
Meng Lingyao turned his head to the side and cold-bloodedly threw back a response: “No. Drive.”
…
After Lin Qingwan finished her call with her son, she immediately arranged for people to start preparing the dinner. Although time was a bit tight, it didn’t hinder anything; there was still enough time.
Once the dinner menu was confirmed with the kitchen, the house was cleaned and tidied once more to wait for the evening guest.
By the time the two arrived, the house was refreshed. Someone was already waiting at the gatehouse; as Qi Zhongjing’s car approached, the gates were already open.
As a once-extravagant family, the Mengs had deep heritage. Although the previous company crisis had forced Meng Lingyao to sell off some of the Meng assets to save the situation, the Meng residence remained unaffected.
The estate sat on the outskirts of Y City; in fact, this entire area was partitioned by elite families, and the Qi family’s ancestral home was not far away.
In his youth, Qi Zhongjing had visited countless times. Compared to the images in his memory, there weren’t many major changes—just some details that had been updated to reflect modern aesthetics.
“Mr. Qi has arrived.”
When the message from the gatehouse reached her, Lin Qingwan had already hurried to the door with an elegant yet eager pace to greet them.
“Little… President Qi, I’ve finally been looking forward to your visit.” Bearing a kind smile, Lin Qingwan wanted to sound intimate but felt it might not be stable enough, so an official title slipped out as she spoke.
Qi Zhongjing put on a smile of utmost sincerity, his tone familiar: “Long time no see, Auntie. Your grace hasn’t diminished at all; you are as beautiful as ever.”
“It has been many years. I love hearing you talk like that, Little President Qi. Oh, come in quickly, come in and sit.” Every woman loves to be praised. Lin Qingwan already had a good impression of Qi Zhongjing as the head of the Qi Group who helped the Meng family, so she loved his words even more.
Meng Lingyao lagged a step behind Qi Zhongjing, watching his mother go straight for the man and smile sincerely because of a single sentence from that hypocrite.
He raised an eyebrow, looked at Qi Zhongjing with a bit of disdain, and silently gave a two-word evaluation in his heart: Affectation.
“Auntie, please just call me Xiao Jing. ‘Little President Qi’ sounds too distant. Hearing it makes me feel our relationship is estranged.”
“Alright, alright! Xiao Jing.”
Meng Lingyao watched the domestic staff take the items out of Qi Zhongjing’s trunk while watching that guy coax his mother into being incredibly happy within just a few sentences.
One moment it was “Xiao Jing” this and that, the next it was “Auntie” this and that—it was as if they were incredibly close.
Having returned home, Meng Lingyao suddenly couldn’t get a word in. He didn’t exist in his mother’s eyes today; he was completely ignored as her enthusiasm was directed entirely at Qi Zhongjing.
He simply crossed his legs and watched that hypocrite’s performance, while simultaneously supervising whether Qi Zhongjing would leak even a hint of their transaction.
He hoped Qi Zhongjing would cooperate and finish this play, allowing his mother to fulfill her wish of expressing gratitude through dinner.
“Xiao Jing, this is too expensive. Auntie cannot accept it. How could I let you spend so much!” Lin Qingwan was indeed surprised and even declined Qi Zhongjing’s gift.
Having been a wealthy socialite for so many years, how could she not know the value of that jewelry set? A single glance gave her a good idea, and she wouldn’t accept such a gift for no reason.
Furthermore, she was the host today to express her thanks; the gift was too heavy for her to accept.
“Auntie, we haven’t met in many years. When coming to visit, I must bring something, or I wouldn’t dare step through this door. It’s just a few trinkets; please just take them to play with, Auntie.” Qi Zhongjing spoke airily, as if he didn’t care at all, though his peripheral vision darted toward Meng Lingyao in the gaps of his conversation with Lin Qingwan.
“Mom, he said it’s a gift, just take it.” Meng Lingyao also saw the beautiful set of emerald jewelry in the half-open box. Looking at the color and water-content, it was indeed a rare find.
He noted Qi Zhongjing’s serious look. Being at home made him a bit more relaxed and lazy; his speech wasn’t as sharp, and he even carried a natural sense of indolence.
Holding a fat-bellied mug and biting a straw to sip orange juice, he urged her from the side.
Since this guy Qi Zhongjing dared to give it, he dared to accept it.
Meng Lingyao, thinking he had seen through the man, viewed Qi Zhongjing’s voluntary spending with a “broken pot, broken lid” attitude.
Qi Zhongjing looked at Meng Lingyao’s relaxed, lazy state, watching his cheeks puff out slightly as he drank. He found it incredibly cute and really wanted to give them a pinch.
“You child! Don’t encourage me from the side!” Lin Qingwan gave Meng Lingyao a white look and chided him softly before turning back to Qi Zhongjing to refuse again. “Auntie has received your sentiment, but the items are too precious; Auntie really can’t accept them…”
“Lingyao is right. Auntie, please accept them. It’s a token of my heart. If you don’t accept them, how can I say my heart was received?”
Because it was his first visit to his mother-in-law, Qi Zhongjing was extremely enthusiastic. Lin Qingwan repeatedly declined but couldn’t hold out. Combined with her younger son’s help from the side, she finally reluctantly accepted the expensive gift.
“You child, how can you be so lacking in discernment!” Behind the scenes, Lin Qingwan quietly scolded Meng Lingyao. “Do I still need to teach you what should be accepted and what shouldn’t?”
“If he’s willing to give it, just take it. Pushing it back and forth is so boring. Besides, with the current relationship between our two families, it wouldn’t make sense to refuse.” Meng Lingyao stretched, appearing entirely unconcerned.
“You child…” Lin Qingwan was helpless, but it seemed he wasn’t entirely without reason.
…
After thirty minutes of small talk, dinner was ready, and the three went to eat.
“Auntie thought that you can eat out anytime but the taste isn’t necessarily good. It’s better to eat some home-cooked food at home; it’s warm and tastes better, so I arranged it here tonight,” Lin Qingwan explained. “Time was a bit short, so I didn’t make anything fancy—just a few simple dishes. I don’t know if they suit your taste.”
Only three people sat at the large round table, but it was covered in delicacies. She called them “a few simple dishes,” but it was a whole table full.
“It’s too much. Auntie is joking. With so many dishes, this hospitality has left me not knowing how to react. You are too kind.”
To show off, Qi Zhongjing echoed Lin Qingwan’s words. Lin Qingwan was very enthusiastic to express her gratitude, and Meng Lingyao chimed in occasionally with a lukewarm comment.
By the end of the meal, it could be said that both host and guest were happy.
“It’s getting late, and driving on the road isn’t safe. Xiao Jing, stay the night at home!” After dinner, Lin Qingwan mentioned this, politely inviting him to stay.
Qi Zhongjing’s eyes lit up instantly. It looked like Meng Lingyao wouldn’t be leaving with him today, so he thought he would be returning to the state of sleeping alone.
Lin Qingwan’s sentence made Qi Zhongjing’s eyes sparkle, but as Meng Lingyao said, he was a hypocrite; he still had to be polite for a few sentences.
“How could I be so bold? I should probably go back…”
Before he could finish, Lin Qingwan predictably fell for it. “How could you be bold? Xiao Jing has helped the Meng family so much lately. Never mind staying for a day, staying for a lifetime would be fine. Since you and Xiao Ling have a good relationship, I’ll have someone tidy up a room. You and Xiao Ling can stay together.”
Meng Lingyao was stunned for a moment. How did the topic shift to Qi Zhongjing officially entering the house? “Staying at home is so inconvenient. President Qi might not be used to it. If he wants to go, let him go.”
Seeing Qi Zhongjing’s act of being “persuaded,” Meng Lingyao snorted in his heart. The man certainly knew how to put on a show.
Sleeping at my house? In your dreams!
Meng Lingyao narrowed his eyes and shot over a threatening look. Qi Zhongjing met his gaze, looked away guiltily, and pretended not to see.
Lin Qingwan glanced at her son, signaling him not to interrupt.
“Since Auntie has said so, I have no choice but to accept.” Qi Zhongjing put on an expression of being troubled.
You dare! Meng Lingyao glared.
I dare! Qi Zhongjing felt guilty.
“That’s good. Xiao Ling, take Xiao Jing to rest. Remember to treat our guest well!” Lin Qingwan clapped her hands. “You young people have things to talk about, so Auntie won’t interfere. I’ll go check on Xiao Sheng first.”
The matter was settled. Even if Meng Lingyao was unhappy, he could only accept it. Once Lin Qingwan left, Meng Lingyao—who had barely managed to maintain a “good” relationship with Qi Zhongjing—could no longer hold his pose. He expressionlessly gave Qi Zhongjing two words: “Heh heh.”
Qi Zhongjing rubbed his nose, pretending not to see Meng Lingyao’s disdainful gaze.
It was late. The two followed each other across the corridor back to his small building. Meng Lingyao stood on the second floor and pointed in one direction, not even bothered to step out of the indoor elevator door. “President Qi will stay in the second-floor guest room. After all, my house actually has guest rooms.”
Clearly, Meng Lingyao was mocking the fact that when he stayed at the Qi house, he couldn’t even get a guest room and had to stay directly in the master bedroom.
At this moment, Qi Zhongjing didn’t have the silver tongue he showed in front of Lin Qingwan. Knowing he was in the wrong, he didn’t dare to cross Meng Lingyao and nodded. “Okay.”
Humph. Extremely displeased that his territory had been invaded and “polluted,” Meng Lingyao crossed his arms and watched Qi Zhongjing step out, then closed the door and went to the third floor.
Once on the third floor, he had a second thought and went back down to the first floor to his brother’s side. Lin Qingwan was there. Seeing Meng Lingyao come over, she asked, “Jiaobao, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to accompany Xiao Jing…”
“He’s washing up. Don’t worry, I won’t neglect him. I want to check on Brother first.” Meng Lingyao waved his hand and spoke casually.
“He is a guest, after all.” Lin Qingwan didn’t say much, just that one sentence.
“I know. A distinguished guest. I understand everything; I have a sense of propriety.” Meng Lingyao expressed his clarity. “How is Brother lately?”
“The same as always. Don’t worry, your brother is doing fine.” Lin Qingwan wiped her eldest son’s face and looked at the faint dark circles under Meng Lingyao’s eyes. “On the other hand, you shouldn’t be too tired. You’ve gotten thinner lately.”
Meng Lingyao, who hadn’t lost a pound and might even have gained a little, touched his face, feeling a bit of a guilty conscience.
“I’m fine. Once I find someone who can manage the Meng Corporation, I can spend time with you and Brother.” Meng Lingyao said this with a tone of ease. “Besides, with the Qi Group providing cover now, who dares to touch the Mengs? Mom, you should see the mess Meng Qiang and Qin Qingsheng are in right now.”
“Using someone else’s influence yet still glaring at them. Isn’t there a saying—’the hand that takes is shortened, the mouth that eats is softened’? Be more polite to him. Don’t let him feel neglected.”
Lin Qingwan couldn’t help but poke the gloating Meng Lingyao’s forehead. Her tone wasn’t one of blame, but a reminder.