Vоlumе 1 Сhарter 13 Anаlуsis
Shu Мiао was still in a dazеd stаte. Mеchaniсаllу, shе tооk out hеr kеуs frоm her bag, unlоcked the doоr tо her hоmе, аnd аftеr entеring, саsually tоssеd her bаg aside befоre сollapsing оnto thе sofа.
Shе buried her hеad in a pillоw аnd stауed like thаt fоr а full tеn minutes befоre suddеnly jumping uр from the sоfa.
What hаd she just heard? Меng Yuсhuan, Соunty Magistrаte Меng, wanted hеr to cоnsider dаting him?
Оnсe shе proсessed it, оnlу twо words echoed in her mind: absurd!
Hаd shе inadvertently dоnе something to оffеnd this big shot?
Was that why he said those words to tease her?
But thinking back carefully over this period, she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Shu Miao hugged a pillow and curled up on the sofa, recalling everything that had happened from the first time she met Meng Yuchuan until now.
During the inspection, he suddenly invited them to eat together, transferred her to support work but gave her no tasks, treated her to a meal, drove her home…
Shu Miao sat cross-legged on the sofa, grabbing her already messy hair, feeling like her brain was overloaded.
Her eyes lit up as she took her phone from her bag and sent a message to Pei Ran: “Teacher Pei, let’s have dinner together after work tomorrow and stay at my place tonight.”
A few minutes later, the other person replied: “Yes, ma’am! 😊”
Shu Miao put down her phone, sighed heavily, and curled back up on the sofa.
She decided to stop overthinking—even if she pondered all night, she wouldn’t figure it out.
Meng Yuchuan’s thoughts were unfathomable; how could she possibly see through them?
Better to get a good night’s sleep and deal with tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.
The next day, Shu Miao was somewhat out of sorts at work all day.
Especially when the office phone rang, she was like a startled bird, afraid that Liu Kangming would call her over again.
She also worried about what to do if Meng Yuchuan messaged her—should she reply or not?
Fortunately, aside from Jiang Qing gossiping a bit in the morning, the rest of the day passed uneventfully.
Shu Miao spent the whole day restless and anxious, finally making it to the end of work. She grabbed her bag, said goodbye to Jiang Qing, and quickly left the office.
In the evening, she and Pei Ran grabbed a quick bite to eat outside before heading back home together.
Pei Ran, wearing pajamas, leaned against the bed and looked at the preoccupied Shu Miao beside her, getting straight to the point: “Student Shu, you’ve been distracted all evening. What exactly happened? You can tell me now, right?”
Pei Ran had noticed something was off during dinner and had started asking then.
Shu Miao was afraid Pei Ran would react dramatically upon hearing it, so she held back until they were alone at home.
Shu Miao sighed, wanting to speak but unsure how to start, hesitating.
Pei Ran, being impatient, urged: “Just say it! What happened?”
Shu Miao closed her eyes, steeled herself, and spilled everything.
After hearing it, Pei Ran was utterly shocked, her voice rising several notches: “Meng Yuchuan confessed to you!”
Shu Miao sighed softly, somewhat helpless: “It wasn’t exactly a confession, just…”
“How is that not a confession? He asked you to consider him! Student Shu, don’t you understand what he meant?”
Pei Ran quickly interrupted her.
Seeing Shu Miao’s troubled expression, Pei Ran rolled her eyes, turned over, and lay on her stomach on the bed.
She spoke earnestly: “Miaomiao, Meng Yuchuan and we are not from the same world.”
Shu Miao nodded, her mind clear: “I know. The gap is too big.”Pei Ran continued, “According to my colleague, his family background is quite impressive.”
“The specifics aren’t clear, but they’re all influential figures.”
Shu Miao remained calm and didn’t respond.
Suddenly, Pei Ran thought of something else and sprang up, startling Shu Miao.
Excitedly grabbing Shu Miao’s hand, she said, “That’s just one aspect. The most crucial part isn’t even that.”
Shu Miao looked puzzled.
Pei Ran carefully analyzed it for her: “Think about it. Meng Yuchuan is here now, but he’s definitely going to climb higher in the future. He won’t stay here forever.”
“Later, when he gets promoted and gets transferred, what will you do? He can just move when he’s told, but you can’t.”
“Besides, someone like him might already be married. He’s just lonely here alone and wants someone to keep him company.”
“He approached you because you’re young, beautiful, and have a simple personality.”
“If you follow him without any status, at most he’ll give you some money, then just walk away without taking any responsibility.”
“And you? In the end, you’ll have nothing. Not only will you have wasted years of your youth, but your reputation will be ruined.”
“Even if he isn’t married yet, he definitely has a fiancée from a similar social background.”
“People like them never have control over their own marriages.”
Shu Miao’s frown deepened, her expression growing serious.
Pei Ran sighed heavily and held her hand. “In short, Meng Yuchuan definitely isn’t looking to marry you.”
“It’s obvious he was attracted by your looks. Since he’s lonely here alone, he got this idea.”
“It’s far from the capital here, so whatever he does won’t reach there. That’s why he dares to be so brazen.”
Pei Ran had started working a year earlier than Shu Miao and had seen more people and situations.
Coupled with gossip from colleagues, she was already familiar with such things.
She understood some of the unspoken rules in these circles—people played around freely, without taking responsibility. It was all about exchanging power and benefits.
They’d be together when interested, then part ways when bored and find someone new, all just to get what they wanted from each other.
When they separated, it was clean and straightforward, without causing trouble for one another. After all, they still had to move in the same circles. They could still shake hands and laugh together when they met again.
Pei Ran said a lot, and Shu Miao listened carefully to every word. In the end, she came to a realization.
How could Meng Yuchuan possibly want to seriously date her? He just wanted her to be his secret lover here.
Once he got transferred later, he’d ruthlessly dump her.
Hmph!
She wasn’t going to be that fool, sacrificing her precious youth only to end up with neither love nor money, and with her reputation ruined.
What was there to even consider? It was just a waste of time.
Having figured it out, Shu Miao felt much more relaxed the next day at work.
“Xiao Shu, you’re in a good mood today,” Jiang Qing teased.
A slight smile touched Shu Miao’s lips. “Not bad, since it’s Friday.”
Jiang Qing nodded in agreement. “True.”
Suddenly, she exclaimed with a gossipy expression, “Xiao Shu.”
Shu Miao immediately leaned in closer. “Sister Jiang, what’s up?”Shu Miao and Jiang Qing had been sharing an office for several months, and every time Jiang Qing wore that expression, it meant there was fresh gossip.
Sure enough, Jiang Qing began with a hint of mystery, “Remember what I told you before about County Magistrate Meng’s background?”
Shu Miao hesitated slightly, “What about it?”
Jiang Qing continued eagerly, “My husband attended a dinner gathering last night and heard some things about County Magistrate Meng.”
Shu Miao remained calm and listened quietly.
Jiang Qing went on, “I heard that County Magistrate Meng’s grandpa was a general before he retired, with a distinguished military record.”
“His grandma and mom are both renowned doctors and experts.”
“As for his father…” Jiang Qing shook her head and didn’t elaborate.
“In short, it all boils down to this: the whole family is full of pillars of society. County Magistrate Meng is a genuine third-generation descendant, raised in a compound since birth.”
“As for himself, he graduated from the best university in the country and is currently the youngest county magistrate.”
“And this is just the beginning for him.”
After hearing this, Shu Miao was momentarily stunned. Her thoughts were completely overwhelmed by shock, leaving her half-dazed, with a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her.
She had always known that Meng Yuchuan was no ordinary person, but she never imagined his background was this profound.
Any one of his family members could easily be someone she would never have the chance to meet in her lifetime.