Vоlumе 1 Сhарtеr 8: Adding a Friеnd
Тhе саr came tо а steadу stop in thе раrking lоt bеnеath Shu Мiао’s аpartmеnt building.
Shu Miao had оriginаlly wаntеd Меng Yuсhuan tо drор her off аt thе entrаnce of thе cоmplex, but hе insisted оn driving all thе wаy to thе parking lot.
Shu Мiао оffered him а роlitе smile. “Cоunty Мagistratе Meng, thаnk you fоr driving me back. I’m sоrrу fоr taking uр уour time.”
Mеng Yuchuаn, hоwever, didn’t sеem as indiffеrent tо rесiprоcatiоn as he hаd bееn earlier. “It’s fine. If you reallу wаnt to thank me, treаt mе to a meаl аnother day.”
Shu Miao’s eyes widened in surprise. Had she heard him correctly? The county magistrate was asking her to treat him to a meal?
But the next moment, she realized he was probably just saying it casually—perhaps to ease her sense of guilt. After all, he was the county magistrate, busy with endless responsibilities every day. When would he have time to have a meal with her?
So she casually agreed as well. “Sure, I hope County Magistrate Meng will honor me with your presence then.”
Meng Yuchuan curved his lips into a smile, his gaze fixed on her as endless amusement spread in his eyes, sparkling like brilliant pearls.
Shu Miao felt a little uncomfortable and looked away.
“County Magistrate Meng, I’ll get out now. Please drive safely on your way back.”
As she reached to open the car door, Meng Yuchuan stopped her. “Since you’re going to treat me to a meal, I’ll need your contact information.”
“What’s your number? I’ll save it.”
Shu Miao was taken aback, a flicker of astonishment crossing her face.
Meng Yuchuan was asking for her number?
Her mind began to wrestle with the dilemma: should she give it or not?
But upon further thought, it seemed like she was the one benefiting from this exchange anyway.
Noticing Shu Miao’s hesitation, Meng Yuchuan explained with a smile, “Without your number, how would we arrange the meal?”
Shu Miao scratched her head awkwardly and gave an embarrassed smile.
He was being straightforward and sincere, which made her feel like she was overthinking things.
No longer hesitating, she directly recited her number.
The next moment, her phone rang, displaying an unfamiliar out-of-town number before the call ended.
Meng Yuchuan typed a few words into his phone. “This is my number. Save it too.”
Shu Miao obediently agreed.
Meng Yuchuan smiled, his voice gentle. “Go ahead and get out. Go home and rest well. You must be tired after today.”
Shu Miao nodded guiltily. It was them who should be tired—she hadn’t done anything at all.
But she certainly wasn’t foolish enough to contradict her superior. After thanking him again, she opened the car door and stepped out.
Only after watching Shu Miao enter the elevator did Meng Yuchuan drive away.
Back home, Shu Miao tossed her bag onto the sofa and collapsed into it, letting out a heavy sigh.
Finally, she could relax. Her body had been as tense as a rock the entire way.
That evening, after washing up, Shu Miao leaned against the headboard of her bed when Yao Hui called.
“Miaomiao, are you free now?”
“Yes.”
Yao Hui immediately grew enthusiastic and got straight to the point. “Have you thought about what I mentioned to you the other day?”
Shu Miao sighed.
That afternoon in the car, her mother had brought up the same topic. With Meng Yuchuan beside her at the time, she couldn’t say much.
She replied helplessly, “Mom, I really don’t want to think about this right now. Can we just drop it?”
Yao Hui persisted patiently. “Miaomiao, I’m only doing this for your own good.”
“This Xiao Hu is excellent in every way—he’s truly a wonderful young man.”
“Just have a meal with him and get to know him. Even if nothing comes of it, you can still make a friend.”
Shu Miao remained reluctant. “Mom…”Yao Hui cut her off before she could finish: “Let me tell you, Xiao Hu’s conditions are really quite good. If you miss this opportunity, there won’t be another like it.”
“Listen to your mom. I’ve been through this—marriage is about finding a reliable person to spend your life with.”
“Don’t always think about love and romance. What’s most important is being able to live a stable, down-to-earth life.”
“That Xiao Hu is a few years older than you, mature and steady. And our families don’t live far apart.”
“In the future, you’ll be close to us, and we can help you with anything.”
…
Shu Miao couldn’t stand her mother’s relentless persuasion any longer and finally raised her hands in surrender.
“Alright, alright, stop talking. If you keep going, I won’t be able to sleep all night.”
Shu Miao knew her mother’s persistence all too well. If she didn’t agree, her mother really would keep trying to convince her all night.
“I promise to meet him once, but let me make this clear—it’s just a meeting. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“And if he doesn’t like me or isn’t interested, don’t blame me later.”
Seeing Shu Miao finally nod in agreement, Yao Hui’s tone grew excited: “Ah, good, good! It’s just a meeting to get to know each other first.”
“Don’t worry, I sent Aunt Wu your photo, and Xiao Hu was very satisfied after seeing it.”
Learning that Yao Hui had sent her photo to someone without asking, Shu Miao instantly became unhappy.
Her tone carried a hint of reproach: “Mom, why did you send my photo to someone else without asking me?”
Yao Hui immediately explained: “It just so happened that Aunt Wu invited me out shopping that day, and we talked about this.”
“I couldn’t refuse right in front of her.”
“Besides, Aunt Wu is just being kind and genuinely cares about your situation.”
“We should be a bit more polite.”
Shu Miao knew her mother was always skilled at persuasion—she could justify anything.
Feeling helpless, she had no choice but to relent: “Fine, fine.”
Yao Hui continued: “Then I’ll give your number to Aunt Wu and have Xiao Hu contact you. You two can arrange a time to meet.”
Shu Miao responded half-heartedly.
After hanging up the phone a few moments later, Shu Miao felt somewhat annoyed thinking about the situation.
Just as she was about to chat with Pei Ran, she noticed a new friend request.
Opening it, she saw it was from someone named “Chuan.”
Shu Miao spelled it out in her mind and couldn’t help but think of Meng Yuchuan. Curious, she accepted the friend request.
“Who is this?”
“Meng Yuchuan”
Three large characters appeared on the screen, plain as day.
Shu Miao nearly dropped her phone—it really was Meng Yuchuan.
Not only had he asked for her number, but he had also added her as a friend.
Steadying herself, she tapped on the keyboard and typed a line: “Hello, County Magistrate Meng 😊”
Then she added another: “You’re still awake?”
The other side replied: “Yes, still awake.”
Shu Miao didn’t know how to respond.
After all, this was the county magistrate. Saying even one wrong word could affect her job.
She was curious about why Meng Yuchuan had added her as a friend. It felt a bit strange.
An absurd thought surfaced in her mind, but she immediately suppressed it the next second.
That was impossible. She was overthinking it—he was probably just doing it for work convenience.
Seeing that Shu Miao hadn’t replied, the other side sent another message: “Since you’re awake, why did it take so long to accept the request?”
Shu Miao replied: “I was just on the phone with my mom.”Meng Yuchuan: “Oh, you must be tired today. Rest early [moon].”
Shu Miao replied immediately: “Okay, good night, County Magistrate Meng [moon].”
After quickly sending her reply, Shu Miao exited the chat interface.