Liang Zongxu hadn’t expected to fall asleep.
His original plan had been to take care of some minor tasks before bed, then wait a little while for Meng Ying.
He glanced at his watch—it was almost midnight—and asked Meng Ying, “Who drove you home?”
“I drove myself.”
Meng Ying thought he probably wasn’t fully awake yet, so she said, “Why don’t you go back to your room to sleep? You’ll catch a cold if you sleep here.”
Liang Zongxu: “……”
She’d thought his sneeze was caused by something else.
He suddenly smiled.
Meng Ying looked at him.
He said to Meng Ying, who was standing in front of him, studying him intently, “Are you free tomorrow night?”
“What’s up?” Meng Ying sat down beside him.
She didn’t get any closer than that; mindful of the scent on her, she was merely sitting on the same sofa as him for now.
Liang Zongxu didn’t speak right away.
He felt like his mind wasn’t working properly.
Good heavens, how could it smell so good? His newly awakened senses were exceptionally attuned to everything around him—
The rich, vibrant scent of her perfume seemed to explode beside him like a bath bomb—colorful and dazzling. The study was well-heated, and the fragrance was warmed to a heady intensity, like a vigorous and domineering force growing unchecked and spreading boundlessly.
Meng Ying looked at him.
From their brief encounter at Liang Bingsong’s funeral, to their first formal meeting over a shared meal, through the wedding, and now—she had always looked at him with this same, scrutinizing gaze.
She observed him—not merely as a man who was about to become her husband, or as a man who had already become her husband. More often than not, Liang Zongxu felt she was simply curious about him, driven by a natural, intense curiosity—
A person of the opposite sex, a significant age gap, vastly different family backgrounds, a way of handling things unlike her sister’s, and lifestyle habits that bore no resemblance to those of her peers—she was curious about it all.
Whenever she had the chance, she would observe him, much like a native observering a settler, or a settler observing a native—
It was hard to say who was more familiar with this “marriage.”
Meng Ying remembered their first meeting.
It was at Liang Bingsong’s funeral last year.
The weather at the beginning of the year was gray and overcast, though it wasn’t raining. She went there early in the morning with her mother and older sister.
On the way, Qian Liyun looked somber; Meng Hui whispered to her several times, but she remained silent.
Meng Ying, sitting in the back seat, overheard a few sentences. Meng Hui was insisting on breaking off the engagement. “It’s a golden opportunity,” she said firmly. But after seeing Qian Liyun’s expression, she added, “As long as the person is here, the relationship stands. Once the person is gone, what’s the point of talking about it?”
“Who can guarantee those promises will still hold? Liang Zongxu? What about Liang Changsheng?”
“If you ask me, we shouldn’t even go today. We should just make our stance clear right now—can’t the Liang family see that?”
“While the agreement isn’t finalized yet, there’s no need. Mom—just give me a little more time, until I kick Meng Tongfeng and his son out—”
Qian Liyun motioned for her to move to the back seat.
Meng Ying leaned forward and smiled at Meng Hui.
A crowd had already gathered outside the funeral home; it was pitch black, and she even spotted her brother-in-law, though Meng Hui pretended not to see him.
Song Yan walked over. The couple stood side by side in silence, looking like a registered logo.
They looked like a married couple, but up close, it felt as though they were in a subordinate-superior relationship—
Of course, her sister was the superior.
She said she was going to find her mother. Meng Hui said, “Go ahead,” then added, “Don’t wander off.” As soon as those words left her mouth, Song Yan laughed and said, “My sister-in-law isn’t a high school student—she’s about to graduate from college”—
Meng Ying didn’t hear the rest of what was said.
After making her way through layer upon layer of solemn onlookers, the area ahead opened up. Meng Ying saw Qian Liyun; she had her back to her and was talking to someone.
Meng Ying didn’t approach.
She stood to the side, glancing left and right.
Then she spotted Liang Zongxu.
He was looking at her, too.
It seemed he had already seen her before she saw him.
She just didn’t know when—whether it was as she was walking over or when she came to a stop.
As their eyes met, Meng Ying knew exactly who he was.
Although it was an arranged marriage, it wasn’t a blind marriage—she had seen his photo before.
Besides, as soon as the news of Liang Bingsong’s passing broke, photos of Liang Zongxu taking over Jiusheng Group flooded the media, occasionally accompanied by a few of her. The public was speculating whether the wedding would go ahead as planned.
He was dressed in a black suit, standing tall and upright, his expression impassive, with a group of uncles, aunts, and other relatives behind him.
His gaze fell upon her through the throng of people, heavy and carrying a certain weight.
It was their first meeting, and given the occasion, Meng Ying gave him a cautious, polite nod. Just as she looked up, a commotion erupted ahead—it seemed a prominent figure was about to emerge, and the scene descended into chaos. By the time Meng Ying turned back to look, Liang Zongxu was no longer where he had been.
During the subsequent ceremony, she stood beside her mother and older sister, with Meng Tongfeng—who had rushed over—behind her.
As she stepped forward to pay her respects, she saw Liang Zongxu holding a black-and-white photograph of Liang Bingsong. As she and her mother and older sister passed by, she heard him say, “Thank you.”
Their second meeting took place at Xiyuan, a classical and elegant garden with winding paths leading to secluded beauty.
The butler led the three of them—mother and daughters—inside, through a verdant corridor and past a garden with rockeries and flowing water—it was hard to imagine that such a vast, secluded paradise could exist in costly Jing City, where every inch of land was precious.
Even the Meng family, well-versed in real estate, couldn’t help but be impressed. Qian Liyun explained that this was the family fortune accumulated over several generations.
The Liang family attached the utmost importance to this marriage; many people were waiting for the three of them in the grand hall.
Silence reigned.
Liang Zongxu stood right beside that highly respected elder—
Liang Changsheng, founder of Jiusheng Group.
Though he was burying his own child, his expression betrayed not a trace of grief. Cold, stern, and dignified, his gaze was as imposing as that of a majestic Vajra deity, radiating an aura of awe-inspiring authority.
Everyone in the Liang family feared him; those around him dared not even breathe a sigh.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they sat down to eat. He had Liang Zongxu sit next to Meng Ying and serve her the dishes she liked.
Meng Ying froze; as soon as Liang Zongxu sat down beside her, the light on her side dimmed considerably.
Noticing her unease, Liang Zongxu said nothing more, but every time a dish was served, he would use his chopsticks to place a portion on the porcelain plate beside Meng Ying. Meng Ying grew tired of saying “thank you,” yet he showed no sign of stopping—
She began to wonder whether he was truly following his grandfather’s advice or simply took particular pleasure in serving others.
She said to Liang Zongxu, “No, thank you.”
Amid the mingling voices at the table—the clinking of glasses and plates, the soft tapping of chopsticks against plates—Liang Zongxu didn’t hear her.
Meng Ying looked up at him and repeated, “No, thank you.”
Their eyes met. Liang Zongxu stared at her lips, unable to decipher her meaning. He instinctively leaned in and asked, “What?”
His voice was restrained, and he maintained a perfect distance, but his overly mature masculine aura was so overwhelming that even the shadow he cast seemed to carry substantial weight.
Meng Ying whispered, “You’ve served too much. I can’t finish it all—it’s such a waste. Please don’t serve me any more. Thank you.”
Liang Zongxu paused for half a second, pondering the meaning behind her last three words.
Once he was certain there was no hidden meaning, he set the dish in front of himself and began eating.
The first thought that sprang to his mind was that, surprisingly, there wasn’t really much of a generation gap between them.
—Just as he understood the words she was saying to him right now.
Living under the same roof in the future wouldn’t be too difficult, he thought.
Across the table, Liang Changsheng, who had noticed the two whispering, suddenly smiled at Meng Ying and said, “Don’t be shy, Xiao Ying. What would you like to eat? Is there anything you particularly love?”
The old man’s smile had a very compassionate look to it, so Meng Ying replied that everything looked delicious. Beside her, Meng Hui reached out and gently ran his fingers through the hair at the back of her head.
When the conversation turned to the previously arranged marriage, Liang Changsheng said that Qian Liyun would handle the terms of the contract. The Liang family valued their relationship with the Meng family; he was very pleased with this match and hoped Qian Liyun wouldn’t hold back—she should feel free to make any requests.
Only then did the conversation get down to business.
Meng Ying sat to one side, listening for a while before glancing at Liang Zongxu, who was seated across from her.
He was listening even more intently than she was.
The group’s shares, real estate joint ventures, and even the Song family’s—their in-laws’—share of the pie were all laid out on the table. The power and interests of each family were crystal clear.
Qian Liyun didn’t hold back either. She brought up the agreement between the two of them, intending to follow the terms originally set with the Song family: a five-year term—
As soon as the words left her mouth, Liang Changsheng raised his hand to stop her.
His expression remained unchanged, but for some reason, no one spoke again.
He slowly turned to look at Meng Ying and noticed she was watching Liang Zongxu. He couldn’t help but smile slightly. Turning back, he said to Qian Liyun, “Let the young people decide for themselves.”
“Five years?”
He waved his hand and said with a smile, “Who knows? They might go their separate ways as early as tomorrow.”
He spoke in a joking tone, but Qian Liyun didn’t laugh.
She turned to lock eyes with her eldest daughter. Meng Hui was thinking the same thing; mother and daughter both looked simultaneously at Meng Ying, who was still intently studying the Liang family’s eldest son.
Meng Hui called out to her softly, “Xiao Ying!”
That call also made Liang Zongxu, who had been looking down, lift his head. Just then, he saw Meng Ying withdraw her gaze from him and turn toward her older sister. Her face was radiant and full of enthusiasm. He heard her voice, tinged with a smile, as she leaned in quietly to ask—
“What’s up, Sister?”
Meng Hui: “……”
Liang Zongxu gave a slight smile.
It was inexplicable.
Even now, thinking back on it, it still felt inexplicable.
—Just like that day, when he vaguely heard through the crowd that someone from the Meng family had arrived, and he instinctively went to look for them.
Their third meeting was at the wedding.
The guests were as numerous as clouds, and the occasion was grand.
The Liang family had deep roots and extensive influence, while the three women of the Meng family—the mother and her two daughters—possessed formidable clout, backed by their connections to the Song family. At the wedding banquet, where cups clinked and business was discussed, and favors were exchanged, the bride and groom on stage each looked out for their respective families. Liang Zongxu noticed that Meng Ying seemed even more at ease than the last time they’d met.
He’d heard that she’d started helping out with the family business right after graduating from college.
During that time, the most sensational event was the renaming of Meng’s Real Estate to Huiying Tower.
Rumors about the two sisters circulating in the community had taken a turn for the worse.
Meng Ying was well aware of this; she kept a stern face throughout the entire wedding, just as expressionless as he was. Later, when the family portrait was developed and hung in the house, Meng Ying didn’t like it very much—she would frown every time she walked past it—so he had the butler take it down.
The wedding banquet was held at the hotel, and so was the bridal suite—the most luxurious resort hotel under Jiusheng’s umbrella, which had been reserved exclusively for the Liang family’s wedding celebrations that entire week.
She and her sister stayed in the bridal suite until dawn. He had slept in the room next door and, when he went downstairs for breakfast, ran into the two sisters, arm in arm, looking incredibly close.
She seemed to have slept well.
During breakfast, she came over to exchange a few words with him. Watching her articulate and persuasive manner, Liang Zongxu didn’t refuse any of the conditions she proposed—no sharing a bed, no appearing together in public, and most importantly, no interfering in her affairs.
He agreed to everything.
Meng Ying asked him, “Do you have any requests?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t meddle in your affairs either,” she smiled at him.
Liang Zongxu said, “I don’t.”
With that, he stood up and left the table.
Author’s Note:
Thank you, everyone~
This is my first time writing a “marriage-first, love-later” story, so I’m still figuring things out as I go…