That bracelet was merely a vessel—a beautiful but empty shell.
“Meng Feifei, if you like it, keep it as an ornament.”
A cold sneer curled at the corner of Meng Jiao’s lips.
Although the bracelet matter was resolved, something more important remained.
She needed to find evidence of Lin Hanqiao’s secret meetings with her uncle Meng Pengtao.
In her previous life, she had been too naive and foolish, kept completely in the dark.
It wasn’t until the very end that she saw through the schemes of this despicable pair, and how they gradually devoured the Meng family fortune after Grandma’s passing and Grandpa’s critical illness.
They took over Meng Liyang’s factory, seized the assets Grandma left behind, and ultimately drove her kind-hearted aunt to her death.
This time, she would never let them succeed.
Because in the end, everything Lin Hanqiao obtained would become Meng Feifei’s capital.
So how could she let Meng Feifei benefit and get another chance to trample over her?
Over the next two days, Meng Jiao appeared obedient and quiet on the surface, keeping to herself.
But secretly, she had been monitoring Lin Hanqiao and Meng Pengtao’s movements.
That afternoon, Old Master Meng went out to visit friends, Meng Liyang went to his workplace, and Meng Jianhua was also nowhere to be found.
Only Meng Jiao, Lin Hanqiao, and Meng Feifei remained at home.
From her room, Meng Jiao peered through the door crack and saw Lin Hanqiao looking somewhat nervous as she sent Meng Feifei out to play with her newly-made friends. Then, Lin Hanqiao quietly made her way to the third floor.
The third floor of the Meng ancestral home was rarely visited, cluttered with old items and containing an unused attic.
Meng Jiao’s heart stirred—her intuition told her the opportunity had arrived.
Silently, she slipped out of her room and tiptoed her way up to the third floor.
The third floor was dimly lit, with dust floating in the air.
She heard hushed voices coming from the unused small guest room at the far end.
It was Lin Hanqiao and Meng Pengtao.
Meng Pengtao must have returned at some point unnoticed.
Holding her breath, Meng Jiao cautiously approached and hid behind a large old wardrobe in the corridor.
“…Pengtao, be gentle! What if someone comes back…”
This was Lin Hanqiao’s coquettish, complaining voice.
“What’s there to fear? Dad’s out, Liyang’s at the factory, and Jianhua is probably drowning himself in some tavern! Only that wretched girl is home…”
Meng Pengtao’s voice was filled with impatience and urgency: “I’m going crazy with desire.”
“We still need to be careful. That girl Meng Jiao has been acting strange lately, with the bracelet incident…”
“Hmph, it’s just a bracelet. If it’s lost, it’s lost. The entire Meng family will be ours soon! Once the old man kicks the bucket, Meng Liyang is no match for me…”
His words clearly showed he held neither Meng Jianhua nor Meng Liyang in regard.
From inside came rustling sounds and indecent noises that were hard on the ears.
Meng Jiao felt both furious and chilled to the bone.
They were already plotting to seize the family fortune this early.
Although the sounds from inside were disgusting, Meng Pengtao was discussing his plans.
Meng Jiao had no choice but to endure her nausea and listen.
Just as she was fully focused, footsteps suddenly sounded behind her.
Meng Jiao froze, then whipped her head around.
She saw her third uncle, Meng Jianhua, leaning against the wall by the staircase entrance, casually twirling a silver flask in his hand.
The man’s deep, penetrating gaze was fixed on her direction—he had clearly seen her eavesdropping and heard the commotion inside.
Meng Jiao’s heart leaped into her throat, her face turning pale.
Meng Jianhua watched her panicked expression, leisurely unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of wine, then strolled over.
As he passed Meng Jiao, his footsteps didn’t pause. He only whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, his words carrying hidden meaning.
“Little girl, too much curiosity can bring trouble… Be careful.”
His tone carried his usual laziness and drunkenness, seemingly a warning.
But the moment his words fell, he casually raised his hand and threw the wine flask onto the corridor floor with a loud clang, producing a clear, sharp impact.
The sound was particularly jarring in the silent third floor.
The voices in the small guest room abruptly ceased.
Meng Jianhua acted as if nothing had happened. Without even glancing at Meng Jiao, he swayed toward the staircase leading to the attic on the other side, humming an off-key tune under his breath.
Meng Jiao instantly understood his intention!
He wasn’t warning her—he was helping her.
Using the noise to alert the people inside, while also giving her time to leave.
After all, if she kept listening, they might end up running into each other.
Meng Jiao didn’t have time to think too much. Immediately, like an agile cat, she hurriedly hid herself.
Almost simultaneously, the door to the small guest room was yanked open.
Meng Pengtao peered out, his clothes slightly disheveled, his face showing alarm and guilt. Lin Hanqiao followed behind him, her face pale.
“Who’s there?!” Meng Pengtao demanded in a low voice.
The corridor was empty, with only the fallen silver wine flask on the floor and the faint scent of alcohol lingering in the air.
“It’s… it must be that drunkard Jianhua, right?”
Lin Hanqiao patted her chest, still shaken: “He must have gotten drunk again and went to the attic to act crazy!”
Meng Pengtao frowned deeply, suspiciously scanning the surroundings. Finding nothing unusual, he finally relaxed, but his mood was completely ruined.
“What bad luck! Let’s go downstairs quickly. We’ll… find another place next time.”
He irritably straightened his clothes and went downstairs first.
Lin Hanqiao quickly followed him.
Hiding in the storage room, Meng Jiao listened to their fading footsteps and slowly let out a sigh of relief, her back covered in a cold sweat.
She looked in the direction Meng Jianhua had left, her feelings complicated.
This third uncle, who appeared to be an alcoholic wreck unconcerned with family matters, actually understood things better than anyone.
Why had he helped her just now?
Meng Jiao clenched her hands. After calming her emotions, she was about to leave quietly when she heard Meng Feifei’s voice from downstairs: “Mom, I’m back! Look what I bought!”
Meng Jiao’s eyes turned cold as she silently went downstairs.
Returning to her room, Meng Jiao locked the door.
She had truly underestimated this third uncle of hers.
It seemed he wasn’t actually aligned with Lin Hanqiao and Meng Pengtao.
During dinner that evening, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
Meng Pengtao’s expression was unpleasant, and Lin Hanqiao also seemed distracted.
Meng Feifei appeared unaware of the abnormality and kept chattering about what she’d seen and heard that day.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she said to Lin Hanqiao: “Mom, when I came back this afternoon, I thought I saw Uncle’s car at the street corner. I thought he came back early today.”
These words made Lin Hanqiao’s heart tighten violently. Her hand holding the chopsticks trembled, and a piece of spare rib fell onto the table.
Old Master Meng lifted his eyelids: “You must have seen wrong. Your uncle is busy at the factory.”
Though puzzled, Meng Feifei only muttered, “Maybe…”
Sitting across from Meng Feifei, Meng Jiao clearly saw the mocking curl at the corner of Meng Jianhua’s lips when he heard these words from his diagonal position.