Meng Fenglin didn’t believe a single word of the rumors saying Pei Jinnian was dead. Based on his understanding of the man, there was only a 1% chance that Pei Jinnian was actually dead; the remaining 99% was that this was a tactic Pei Jinnian was using to deal with his eldest uncle.
They were both old foxes; there was no need to play these tricks on him.
Meng Fenglin’s assistant was scared half to death upon hearing his boss’s words and hurriedly retreated to pass on the message.
When Meng Tinglan received the call from the assistant, she had just stepped off the plane. She couldn’t hide the smile on her face. “Uncle Lin, what’s wrong? Does Dad have something to tell me?”
The young girl’s sweet voice came through the receiver. Hearing it, Lin Tao couldn’t bear to relay Meng Fenglin’s words verbatim. However, if he didn’t notify her, he would be the one to suffer the consequences later.
With that in mind, Lin Tao grimaced and tried to express Meng Fenglin’s words as tactfully as possible. “Miss, you’ve just landed. Do you want me to send someone to pick you up? President Meng is very happy to know you’re back and wants you to come home immediately. He misses you.”
Meng Tinglan didn’t suspect a thing, but she still replied, “I’ll go back this evening. Right now, I’m going to find Brother Jinnian. Tell my dad that I miss him too, and I even brought a gift for him.”
After saying this, Meng Tinglan prepared to hang up. But just as she was about to press the end button, Lin Tao’s miserable voice came through again. “Miss, please don’t go looking for Pei Jinnian. President Meng said if you dare go to the Pei family, he’ll break your legs…”
Meng Fenglin, who had been eavesdropping behind the door, frowned deeply when he heard Lin Tao relaying his words so bluntly. “Couldn’t you be a bit more tactful? Is it even possible for me to actually break her legs?”
Meng Fenglin muttered under his breath and indignantly closed the door.
Walking through the airport, Meng Tinglan froze, her expression puzzled. “Why would he say that? Did Dad lose at cards today? He never cared before when I went to see Brother Jinnian.”
Although he couldn’t see her, Lin Tao could imagine her expression, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. Thinking of Pei Jinnian, his voice carried a hint of resentment. “Why else? Your Brother Jinnian is married. They’ve registered the marriage, and the wedding has already been held…”
Meng Tinglan didn’t hear a single word of what Lin Tao said next. Her phone fell to the ground, its screen shattering into pieces. The bustling airport suddenly went silent in her world. After standing frozen for a long time, her lips trembled slightly as she murmured incoherent fragments. “Mar… married… registered… they registered it…”
She stood there for an unknown amount of time. The boy who had been waiting for her ahead finally realized something was wrong and ran over when she didn’t move for a long while.
Pei Yufan was startled by Meng Tinglan’s pale face. What happened? Wasn’t she fine just a moment ago? Why did her face suddenly turn so ghastly?
He waved a hand in front of her eyes. “Sister Tinglan, what’s wrong?”
Pei Yufan’s sharp eyes caught the phone lying on the ground. He bent down to pick it up. Seeing the call screen, a sudden flash of realization hit him. The mouth that usually never stopped talking now began to stutter.
“Sis… Sister Tinglan, do… do you know? Did you find out… find out something?”
The second he said those words, Meng Tinglan, who had been in a daze, snapped back to reality. Their eyes were red, but she forced herself to stare wide-eyed at Pei Yufan. “Pei Yufan.”
This was the first time she had called him by his full name. Hearing it, Pei Yufan felt a sense of impending doom. “Sister Tinglan, what is it?”
He tried to look away, but Meng Tinglan grabbed his head and forced him to face her. “Look me in the eye. Tell me, did you know that your brother got married?”
Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she said the word “married.” Once the last word left her lips, she could no longer hold back her tears, which began to fall rapidly.
Even so, she stubbornly looked up at Pei Yufan, waiting for a definitive answer.
Pei Yufan really wanted to slap his own brother twice and then rush home to tear Jiang Chiyu to pieces.
But before doing any of that, he had to resolve the situation in front of him. Ultimately, he avoided Meng Tinglan’s gaze, lowered his head, and whispered, “I’m sorry, Sister Tinglan.”
No answer was the best answer.
She knew.
Meng Tinglan closed her eyes and let the tears flow freely. After a long while, she opened them, snatched the phone from Pei Yufan’s hand, grabbed the suitcase he had just let go of, and strode toward the airport exit, leaving Pei Yufan standing there with his head bowed.
“Dammit, Jiang Chiyu, right? You just wait!”
“Achoo! Who’s badmouthing me behind my back?”