Awake
“Really?” Su Yuning stood still, eyeing him suspiciously. “Didn’t you say you don’t believe in this stuff? How could you be a regular then? You’re lying!”
Meng Zhizhuo spread his hands helplessly. “I don’t believe in it, but my mom does. She’s a regular here, and I’ve come with her a few times, so the abbot here knows me. I happened to run into him earlier and said hello. He mentioned there’s a vegetarian meal at noon, and we’re welcome to join.”
Su Yuning hesitated. “But is it okay for me to go? I haven’t donated any incense money. It feels wrong to just eat for free…”
“It’s fine.” Meng Zhizhuo simply reached out an arm, wrapping it around her shoulders as he guided her out. “Come on, Buddha definitely won’t mind something this small.”
Su Yuning was startled by his sudden move and instinctively raised her hand to block him, only to press it directly against Meng Zhizhuo’s side.
He was wearing thin clothing, and the contact brought her hand firmly against his body heat. Su Yuning could only feel the lean, firm strength beneath her palm—the sensation was surprisingly pleasant. Meng Zhizhuo tensed up, abruptly freezing in place.
Su Yuning also noticed his stiffness and awkwardly pulled away, putting distance between them. Meng Zhizhuo calmly withdrew his hand, though his gaze gradually deepened. He chuckled, his voice low and slightly husky. “What are you doing? Don’t take advantage of me.”
“Who’s taking advantage of you!”
Su Yuning muttered under her breath.
The place offering free vegetarian meals was a large dining hall. Seeing monks lining up to get their food, Su Yuning finally believed Meng Zhizhuo’s words.
However, they didn’t eat in the main dining hall. Instead, they were led to a private room next door. With just the two of them inside and the food yet to be served, Su Yuning felt increasingly uneasy. She asked, “Aren’t we eating outside?”
Meng Zhizhuo shook his head. He didn’t sit down either after entering. Only after Su Yuning found a seat did he say, “I’m going to say hello to the abbot. Stay here, and if the food arrives, you can start eating first.”
“Oh, okay.”
With him gone, Su Yuning relaxed even more. She nodded repeatedly, watching as Meng Zhizhuo left.
The vegetarian meal was prepared quickly, but since Meng Zhizhuo hadn’t returned, Su Yuning didn’t touch her chopsticks.
Only when he came back did the two of them eat together.
“I told you not to wait for me,” Meng Zhizhuo said as he sat across from Su Yuning. “Here, try it. The food here is pretty good.”
The taste was indeed quite good, but there was too much food.
There was no way the two of them could finish the entire table of dishes. Su Yuning stood up, looking at the considerable amount left, feeling a pang of regret.
What a waste!
But she wasn’t close enough to Meng Zhizhuo to feel comfortable asking to take leftovers home, especially when they were eating a free meal at a temple.
Still, the monks at the temple probably valued saving food…
Noticing her reluctant gaze, Meng Zhizhuo assumed she simply enjoyed the food and said, “If you like the taste, we can come back in a few days.”
On the way back, they took Meng Zhizhuo’s car. Mainly because she felt indebted after eating his treat, Su Yuning couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
She didn’t let Meng Zhizhuo drive her all the way back to campus, as she still needed to pick up her electric scooter near the subway station.
Meng Zhizhuo agreed. The car he drove today wasn’t the same as last time, but it still only had two seats. Su Yuning had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat.
Full from the meal, she began to feel drowsy. As she tilted her head and dozed off, she had no idea how tenderly Meng Zhizhuo gazed at her with a soft, smiling expression.
Upon reaching the destination, Meng Zhizhuo remained silent. Su Yuning thought they were waiting for a red light. Hearing some faint rustling sounds beside her, she couldn’t be bothered to open her eyes and look. It wasn’t until someone lifted her wrist and slipped something smooth onto her hand that she took notice.
The pink bracelet, having been kept in Meng Zhizhuo’s pocket, had been warmed by his body heat. It looked even more beautiful on her wrist than it had in the display case.
It was the 980-yuan wealth-attracting bracelet she had reluctantly given up on earlier.
“Wait, don’t refuse just yet.”
Meng Zhizhuo spoke first, cutting off any refusal that might have slipped out. His serious expression made Su Yuning think something important was happening, so she didn’t dare move. She watched as he opened the car door, got out, opened the passenger door, lifted her out, and placed her on the ground. He patted her head and said, “Wear it. It attracts wealth. If you throw it away, you’ll lose money. Alright, baby, I’m leaving.”
He gave her forehead a light peck, then quickly drove away.
Su Yuning: “…”
She touched her forehead, then raised her arm to examine the string of pink beads under the sunlight.
So pretty!
Oh no! This playboy is too smooth—she was starting to waver. What should she do?
Someone, please snap her out of it!
“Meng Zhizhuo”
“Meng Zhizhuo’s ex-girlfriend”
These two search terms appeared in her search history, but unfortunately, she found no useful information. The media hadn’t even dared to report any gossip about him.
Su Yuning gave up in frustration and turned to ask Chu Shuangshuang: “Do you know how many girlfriends Meng Zhizhuo has had? Can you find a couple for me to admire?”
Chu Shuangshuang replied quickly: “Why are you asking this? Could it be… hmm?”
Su Yuning: “Oh, don’t ask so many questions. Just help me out.”
Chu Shuangshuang: “Instead of asking me, you should browse the forums. Senior Meng studied at this school for a year, and his romantic history is still talked about.”
Only then did Su Yuning realize. She looked it up and quickly found threads about Meng Zhizhuo. Scrolling down, she saw:
Meng Zhizhuo’s xx-th girlfriend, the young princess of the Ren family, dated for a month…
Meng Zhizhuo’s xx-th girlfriend, the genius girl of the Lin family… three months…
Every one of them was a goddess-level figure.
Su Yuning clasped her hands together in front of her phone: “Thank you. I’m awake now.”
She decisively transferred 980 yuan to Meng Zhizhuo with a note: Thanks for going out of your way to buy the bracelet for me. Appreciate it.
Looking at her suddenly dwindling two-digit balance, Su Yuning winced in pain.
Meanwhile, Meng Zhizhuo had driven far away and parked by the roadside, savoring the memory of that brief touch. When his phone chimed, he picked it up and saw the transfer. He couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. Unfortunately, no matter what he said afterward, Su Yuning pretended to be dead and refused to reply.
She decided to go home.
Su Yuning truly meant it.
When she was younger, she had dreamed of being a Mary Sue, but after entering an elite school, she saw the insurmountable class divide, witnessed real power and wealth, and felt the vast chasm between people.
Su Yuning suddenly felt that staying at home wasn’t so bad after all.
In her small hometown county, she couldn’t see much, but she lived a happier life.
After careful consideration, she called Madam Quan.
Madam Quan on the other end of the line wasn’t surprised. “I knew you’d say that. But Ningning, you can’t come back.”
Su Yuning replied earnestly, “Perhaps from your perspective, your intentions in doing this were genuinely for my own good. But I’ve lived here for several months now, and I simply cannot adapt to this life. I don’t belong here. Standing here, I only feel unfamiliarity, fear, and a sense of not fitting in.”
Madam Quan let out a bitter laugh. “I’m sorry, Ningning, but you truly cannot come back. Quan Jianqian… he has gone mad. I’ve been trying to stop him from looking for you, but I never expected he would go after your family…”