Chapter 40: Block

Chen Jiao was about to ask more questions or have Meng Yulin ask them instead. However, Meng Ying interrupted them, saying, “It’s almost noon.”

“Time to cook.”

Chen Jiao’s words got stuck in her throat. She turned to look at Meng Ying, but for some reason, she didn’t retort as she usually would. Meng Yulin quickly chimed in, “Yes, it’s almost noon. You… go buy some groceries.”

He instructed Chen Jiao.

Normally, he would be the one to go shopping, using the opportunity to save a bit of money for a pack of cigarettes or something similar.

“Alright, I’ll go buy groceries. Meng Ying, you go upstairs and arrange a room for Xu Dian. He can stay in the one by the staircase—it has a bigger window, but it needs cleaning…” Chen Jiao hesitated, glancing at Meng Xiao. She wanted to ask him for help but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, Meng Xiao stood up and said, “I’ll go clean the room for Brother-in-law.”

He said it so smoothly.

Xu Dian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Meng Ying.

Meng Ying pretended not to hear. She stood up and said to Xu Dian, “Bring your suitcase.”

Xu Dian stood up. He was tall, and when he rose, he was half a head taller than Meng Yulin. His silver-rimmed glasses gave him a scholarly air as he picked up the suitcase.

“Uncle, Auntie, I’ll head upstairs now.”

Polite and well-mannered.

Meng Yulin and Chen Jiao instinctively stood up and nodded, seeing him off.

Meng Ying pulled open the mosquito net door and walked inside. Xu Dian followed, pushing his glasses up with his fingertips. His nose was tall and straight. Meng Ying took a pair of new men’s slippers from the shoe rack and placed them on the floor, saying to him, “These are yours.”

Xu Dian changed into them.

Meng Ying leaned against the wall and asked, “When are you planning to leave?”

Xu Dian adjusted his clothes, stood straight, and leaned in close to her. He chuckled softly, “I’ll leave with you.”

His breath was close, and the scent of rosemary wafted over. Meng Ying crossed her arms and remained still, saying, “I’ve already bought my plane ticket.”

“Cancel it.”

He looked down at her.

His tone was domineering.

Meng Ying smirked, “No.”

Xu Dian paused for a moment, then chuckled, “Fine. If you don’t cancel it, I’ll take the same flight as you. I have my ways.”

“Suit yourself,” Meng Ying replied.

Her red lips were striking, and her shoulders were slightly exposed. Xu Dian’s eyes darkened as he leaned in closer, his nose brushing against her collarbone. He caught a faint whiff of cherry blossom scent.

She always liked this brand of perfume and body wash.

“Get off,” Meng Ying said, pushing his shoulder. “Let’s go upstairs.”

The stairs creaked noisily, indicating that Meng Xiao was cleaning. But Meng Ying didn’t trust Meng Xiao’s abilities—the boy never did anything at home and would probably just make a mess.

As Xu Dian left, his lips lightly brushed against hers.

Their breaths mingled, creating an intimate atmosphere.

Meng Ying tightened her knit sweater and walked up the steps. Behind her, the tall man followed, his presence imposing even when silent.

When they reached the second floor, Meng Ying walked straight into the room. She saw Meng Xiao clumsily sweeping the floor with a broom, barely managing to gather the dust.

The room had previously stored some old quilts, which were taken away for the New Year, leaving behind a lot of cotton fluff. Now, the fluff was floating amidst the dust.

Meng Ying frowned, walked in, and took the broom from Meng Xiao. “Go out and fetch some water.”

“Sis?” Meng Xiao was stunned but quickly stepped back. “What about the…”

“Go get the water. I’ll handle it.”

“Alright then.” Meng Xiao turned and left. When he saw Xu Dian at the door, he even smiled at him.

Having another man in the house, someone of the same gender and around his age—not a father figure—made Meng Xiao feel like he had found an ally.

The cotton fluff was everywhere and hard to sweep. Meng Ying quickly took a plastic bag from the drawer, tied it to the broom head, and stuck a large piece of double-sided tape on it. She swept the fluff, and it all stuck to the broom. She was bare-faced, wearing pink slippers and a black cotton dress.

Her hair was tied up loosely, with strands falling down. As she worked, the aura of everyday life surrounded her.

It was the first time Xu Dian had seen her like this.

He recalled the information he had read on the plane.

A family that favored sons over daughters, huh.

He strode forward and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. “Hire a maid.”

Meng Ying was almost done cleaning, focused and serious. Suddenly, he hugged her, catching her off guard. She took a deep breath. “Let go. I’m almost done. Go sit in the living room.”

“Since you know how to do it, just teach him. Why do it yourself?” Xu Dian held her wrist, took the broom from her hand, and tossed it toward the door.

Meng Xiao hurriedly caught it, looking confused.

Xu Dian pulled Meng Ying toward the door. Meng Ying glanced at Meng Xiao, who hesitated for a moment before saying, “I… I’ll take care of it.”

With that, he walked into the bedroom.

In the living room, Xu Dian led Meng Ying to the sofa. Meng Ying sat down, her gaze drifting toward the door and settling on the room by the staircase.

Xu Dian took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. His voice was low, “Still looking? He’s a man-child, and you’re partly to blame.”

Meng Ying turned to Xu Dian.

The man crossed his long legs, his shirt and tie slightly loosened. He looked handsome and relaxed. But his words held some truth. Meng Ying pursed her lips and asked, “Want some water?”

“How about drinking you instead?” Xu Dian half-opened his eyes, a playful glint in them.

Meng Ying raised an eyebrow, “Sure, go ahead.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Dian leaned over, one hand on the back of the couch behind Meng Ying, and kissed her red lips. Meng Ying had no choice but to lean back against the couch. Her left hand touched his face as she tilted her head, letting him kiss her. Their tongues intertwined, and Xu Dian’s other hand slowly moved to her waist.

Meng Ying pressed his hand down.

She bit his tongue lightly.

“Ouch—”

He sucked in a breath.

Outside, there was a clattering noise.

Meng Ying pushed his face away and leaned forward to look.

Meng Xiao stood hesitantly at the door, holding the broom covered in cotton fluff. The seventeen-year-old boy’s ears were bright red, perhaps not expecting to witness such an intimate scene.

Meng Ying remained unfazed and instructed, “Finished sweeping? Mop the floor once more. Make sure to wring the mop well, open the windows, and turn on the fan. After mopping, air the room as quickly as possible.”

“Okay,” Meng Xiao turned and left.

“That’s more like it,” Xu Dian leaned back on the sofa, licking the corner of his lips, and even complimented Meng Ying.

Meng Ying looked at him.

A cold laugh echoed in her heart.

*You dog.*

Soon, Meng Xiao finished. Meng Ying got up to check. Since the bed was empty, they still needed to lay out the quilts and such. Xu Dian lazily leaned against the door and said, “Actually, I could just sleep with you…”

“I don’t want to sleep with you,” Meng Ying replied coldly.

Xu Dian narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything.

After everything was done, Meng Ying clapped her hands and turned to leave. As she passed Xu Dian, she said, “If you can’t get used to sleeping here, you should head back early.”

Xu Dian looked at her.

He chuckled.

“I’ll get used to it just fine.”

Meng Ying smiled faintly and said nothing.

Xu Dian had five properties in Licheng besides his main residence. The ones he frequented most were a house in Shanshui City and a villa in Yunyue Bay. She had once had access to both places. His homes were all well-decorated, and he was accustomed to living alone, so his houses were always quiet.

It was quite different from her home, which was near a busy road and always noisy.

He would learn just how noisy it was by nightfall.

After tidying up the room, the two went downstairs.

As they pulled open the mosquito net door, they saw a young, scholarly man sitting politely on the sofa, his slender fingers resting on Meng Yulin’s wrist.

Hearing the commotion, the man looked up.

Today, Liang Ye wasn’t wearing a medical mask, revealing his refined and handsome face.

Meng Ying found him familiar but didn’t recognize him.

Meng Yulin looked up hesitantly and introduced, “Meng Ying, this is the attending physician from yesterday. He happened to be passing by and came to check on me.”

After speaking, he felt a bit guilty and didn’t dare look at Xu Dian, who was standing behind Meng Ying.

“Hello, Dr. Liang,” Meng Ying greeted evenly.

Living in a small town had its perks. While neighbors loved to gossip and meddle, it also meant that if you knew a doctor, they might drop by your home or, in urgent cases, you could even bring someone to the doctor’s house for a check-up. It wasn’t like in big cities, where everyone kept their doors shut and minds closed.

“Hello, Miss Meng,” Liang Ye also greeted politely, but his eyes met those of the man behind Meng Ying. The man had a cigarette in his mouth, and his eyes held no warmth as he stared back.

The atmosphere was tense.

They say women have strong intuition.

Men have it too. Xu Dian wrapped his arm around Meng Ying’s waist in front of Liang Ye, then, with the cigarette still in his mouth, he spoke in a low, cold voice, “Is this the guy your parents wanted to set you up with?”

“Hmm?”

Meng Ying tilted her head slightly, “Seems better than you.”

Xu Dian: “…”

His arm around her waist tightened.

As if he wanted to crush her.

His possessiveness was overwhelming.

Liang Ye’s gaze lingered on the large hand resting on her waist for a few seconds before he looked away and turned to Meng Yulin. “Uncle Meng, make sure to rest well. Sleep is very important.”

“Will do,” Meng Yulin stood up to see Liang Ye out.

After Liang Ye left, Meng Yulin turned back and glanced at Xu Dian.

The man’s expression wasn’t great. His glasses reflected the light, giving off a chilly vibe.

The atmosphere was tense for a moment, but thankfully, Chen Jiao returned with the groceries. After being out for a while, Chen Jiao looked refreshed and cheerful. As she entered, she said, “Oh, I just saw Dr. Liang at our house. What did he say? I ran into his mom at the market too. I told her Meng Ying already has a boyfriend, so no need for introductions.”

Xu Dian raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.

Meng Ying could hear the smugness in his voice.

Meng Yulin also breathed a sigh of relief and said he would make tea, instructing Chen Jiao to start cooking.

Chen Jiao headed into the kitchen.

Chen Jiao favored sons over daughters, loved to gossip, was domineering at home, and liked to control everything. But her one redeeming quality was that she was efficient and capable when it came to chores.

Meng Ying’s housekeeping style was somewhat influenced by her.

With Chen Jiao around, Meng Ying rarely had to do much housework. Working with Chen Jiao was torture—she would constantly nag and criticize, complaining that Meng Ying didn’t do things well. In the past, Meng Ying would endure her scolding with her head down, but later she learned to avoid doing chores altogether to escape the berating.

At most, Chen Jiao would call her lazy and say things like, “No one will want you in the future.”

Meng Ying sat on the two-seater sofa.

Xu Dian sat down beside her. He offered a cigarette to Meng Yulin, who accepted it and was about to light it when Meng Ying shot him a look. Meng Yulin exhaled and put the cigarette down, saying to Xu Dian, “My health isn’t great, so I can’t smoke for now.”

Xu Dian nodded.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Meng Ying, hoping she would tell him not to smoke either.

But Meng Ying was scrolling through her phone, browsing Weibo, and didn’t pay him any attention.

Xu Dian’s long fingers clenched tightly, snapping the cigarette in his hand. He tossed it into the trash and leaned back, raising an eyebrow as he listened to Meng Yulin talk.

Just then.

Meng Ying’s phone buzzed.

Xu Dian glanced down.

**Xu Qing:** *He followed you home? What happened next?*

**Meng Ying:** *I used him to fend off the guy my mom wanted to set me up with.*

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