Chapter 53: Leisure Time

The man’s eyes were red, his teeth clenched, like a wounded wolf. The charm and indifference he once exuded were gone. He seemed at a loss for how to handle the woman before him—flustered yet still domineering, his presence overwhelming. His large hand gripped Meng Ying’s tightly, veins bulging, yet his fingertips trembled faintly.

The people around were startled, glancing back and forth at the scene.

“Me, destroy you?” Meng Ying gently twisted her wrist but couldn’t break free. She exhaled softly. “Who’s destroying whom, Xu Dian? I won’t argue with you, really. When I was twenty, I got into university. Life was tough, but the future looked bright. Then I saw you once and couldn’t forget you. I secretly loved you for nearly six years. Those six years of emotions were like blowing up a balloon, slowly inflating until it was about to burst. When we started dating, my feelings had already reached their peak. The version of me who was with you would have given you my life. But what did you give me in return?”

“What you gave me was deception. It’s fine if you didn’t love me. It’s fine if you saw me as a substitute. For a long time, I doubted myself, wondering if this was all my life would ever be—that no one would ever truly love me, that I could only exist as a substitute, only as a substitute to deserve any kind of affection. Tell me, who’s destroying whom?” At the beginning of her time at Mount Futuo, she had been filled with self-doubt. Her question was calm, her eyeliner drawn long and strikingly bold. Xu Dian’s tongue bled as he glared at her fiercely.

His eyes were bloodshot.

“I…”

Seizing the moment, Meng Ying yanked her arm free, pulled up her mask, and gave him a casual glance before turning to leave. Liu Qin and Xiao Meng quickly followed, trying to block Xu Dian, but he ignored them, instead looking at Jiang Yi and the others who had arrived.

Jiang Yi walked over and said something to the staff.

Suddenly, Meng Ying was stopped, unable to pass through security.

She turned sharply, clutching her passport and ticket tightly, her gaze icy as she stared at Xu Dian. Then, in her high heels, she strode back, grabbed Xu Dian’s shirt, and slapped him hard. Meng Ying gritted her teeth and sneered, “What? Are you going to detain me in Li City? Or lock me up in a room?”

Blood trickled from the corner of Xu Dian’s lips. He wiped it away and said, “I wish I could.”

His eyes were indifferent.

“You wish? How impressive, Young Master Xu.” Meng Ying’s words dripped with sarcasm. Liu Qin and Xiao Meng, watching the scene, felt a chill run down their spines. Liu Qin quickly went to speak with the security checkpoint supervisor, but they were ignored. Time was running out. Liu Qin was sweating profusely.

Xu Dian nodded. “Yeah, not bad.”

Suddenly, Meng Ying stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, “Do you want to desecrate a corpse? I can make that happen for you anytime.”

Xu Dian’s expression shifted.

He grabbed Meng Ying’s arm again, lowering his head as he said, “Just listen to me first, I… I love you. Let’s not break up, okay…”

“No,” Meng Ying replied, her tone indifferent.

She didn’t care anymore.

Even if time was running out.

At this moment, Liu Qin couldn’t hold back any longer. She stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Mr. Xu, Young Master Xu, you can’t let your selfishness ruin her career again. Is this what you call love?”

Xu Dian’s body stiffened.

He stared intently at Meng Ying.

Meng Ying’s eyes were filled with indifference, her eyeliner bold, her earrings bright red. His grip tightened for a moment, then he let go.

As soon as his hand loosened, Meng Ying didn’t hesitate. She turned and walked away. Seeing this, Jiang Yi took a step back and nodded to the staff nearby. Meng Ying quickly passed through security.

Liu Qin and Xiao Meng let out a sigh of relief.

The onlookers, though few, dispersed as well. With Jiang Yi present, no one dared to record the scene. After handling the situation, Jiang Yi walked back.

He looked at Xu Dian, who had a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. In his haste, Xu Dian hadn’t even closed the car door. His tie was tossed inside the car, and his collar was left unbuttoned. His shirt was wrinkled, loosely tucked into his pants, and with the slap mark on his face, he looked utterly disheveled.

This version of Xu Dian.

It was the first time Jiang Yi had seen him like this.

He had been called over in a rush, with Xu Dian’s initial intention being to prevent her from boarding the plane.

But.

Mr. Xu.

Young Master Xu, had ultimately let her go.

Jiang Yi picked up the car keys from the ground and said, “Mr. Xu, let’s head back first.”

“Let me watch a little longer,” Xu Dian said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingertips. His eyes were still fixed on the security checkpoint, where a new group of people had already replaced the previous ones, even though this particular checkpoint wasn’t crowded.

Liu Qin and Xiao Meng glanced at Xu Dian a few more times before quickly leaving.

Honestly.

Liu Qin was also startled. It was the first time she had seen Xu Dian like this, and she wasn’t sure whether to feel pity or fear.

After a while.

Xu Dian’s voice floated softly, “Am I really that selfish?”

Jiang Yi, standing beside him, was taken aback. After a moment of hesitation, he replied, “Well… isn’t everyone a bit selfish when it comes to love?”

“I really did want to lock her up,” Xu Dian said before turning around, buttoning his shirt as he walked away.

Jiang Yi: “…”

Please don’t.

That’s just twisted selfishness.

There are direct flights from Li City to Switzerland. Meng Ying chose business class for comfort. Since the flight was long, she didn’t sleep immediately after boarding. She fastened her seatbelt and pulled out a magazine featuring an interview with Hu Ye. The magazine, called *Celebrity Spotlight*, wasn’t something just anyone could be featured in.

*Celebrity Spotlight* didn’t just include actors; it featured industry leaders from all fields. Hu Ye was the first actor to grace its pages.

In his youth, Hu Ye had been quite handsome, but now he exuded a more scholarly aura. However, what he was most renowned for was his acting—his ability to embody any role.

The magazine contained many in-depth interviews with him.

Meng Ying propped her chin on her hand, her fingers pinching the pages as she read line by line.

Half an hour later, she realized she hadn’t even finished one page. Her mind kept wandering, especially when she came across the word “love.”

Love.

Tch.

In the end, she closed the magazine and decided to take a nap.

It was Saturday.

And today was the day the first episode of *Leisure Time* aired. The show was divided into eight episodes, spanning eight weeks—two months in total.

At 4 PM that afternoon.

The official *Leisure Time* Weibo account began promoting the episode, telling everyone to tune in at 8 PM. Meng Ying had reposted the promotional post before boarding her flight.

Fans were howling in the comments, full of anticipation.

“Wow, this show is even more exciting now that my Ying is in it!”

“I saw the preview—it seems like there are a lot of emotional issues, tsk tsk tsk.”

“Ahhhh my Ying is so beautiful, she looks stunning in everything!”

“Waiting, waiting, I must steal some internet to watch it!”

Fans were going wild in the comments, unaware that the person they adored had already left the country.

The plane was still flying through the sky.

At 8 PM that night.

*Leisure Time* aired on time. Two major streaming platforms had secured the rights to the premiere. The theme song played as a vast maple forest appeared on screen. A drone captured the idyllic Maple Leaf Town from above, its golden-red maple leaves making the town look breathtakingly beautiful.

Then.

Meng Ying and Li Yuan’er got off the plane, boarded a business vehicle, and headed to Maple Leaf Town.

Fans began flooding the screen with comments.

“My Ying is so beautiful.”

“Li Yuan’er is so beautiful.”

“Both of them are stunning, okay? Look, Li Yuan’er is even holding Meng Ying’s arm. They seem really close.”

“Did you forget? Li Yuan’er stood up for Meng Ying and clapped back at the Yang sisters before.”

“Speaking of which, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Yang Tong. It feels weird not seeing her stir up drama.”

This industry is ruthless—when someone rises, someone else falls. Just a year ago, Yang Tong was considered a goddess. Now, she’s faded into obscurity. Many speculate that she offended the CEO of Huaying, but it’s just speculation without any evidence.

Next, Meng Ying didn’t get much screen time, while Li Yuan’er, being outspoken, had significantly more. However, when they entered the kitchen, the contrast between Li Yuan’er’s clumsiness and Meng Ying’s efficiency immediately set the comments section on fire.

“Can I just say, I became a fan of Meng Ying because of her cooking skills?”

“Finally, I get to see her cook in person. I can die happy now.”

Then came the moment fans were most excited about—the dare segment. This segment was exclusive to the guests of each episode, while the regular visitors didn’t have to participate. As for the guests, fans and netizens rubbed their hands in anticipation.

Last year, this segment revealed Xu Qing’s husband.

Xu Qing had been secretly married, and if it weren’t for that phone call, no one would have known.

Later, Gu Sui even appeared at the inn as a regular visitor.

Fans dug deeper into Gu Sui.

And discovered that this man was…

Handsome and wealthy.

On screen, when Tan Huan picked up Meng Ying’s phone, fans collectively held their breath. Then, the camera captured the number 8888. The first part was blurred, but seeing the number and realizing it was from Li City, fans from Li City went wild. Moments later, the call connected.

The deep, magnetic male voice that came through made fans scream.

This…

Is way too good to be true.

Tan Huan’s questions left everyone holding their breath.

Then.

Meng Ying and the person on the other end of the line gave completely different answers, leaving everyone stunned.

What the hell?

“Love.”

“Don’t love.”

The phone on the table vibrated, its sound particularly noticeable in the large conference room, like a sudden interruption to the tense atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the tension only paused for a second before resurfacing, all because the man leaning back in his chair tapped the table with his long fingers—once, twice. He stared at them expressionlessly, his thin lips pressed tightly together.

Though he didn’t outwardly show his temper, the impatience reflected in his glasses was unmistakable.

This impatience.

Made everyone shiver.

“Mr. Xu, let me explain again, last time…”

Before he could finish.

The phone on Xu Dian’s desk vibrated again.

This time, he picked it up and glanced at the screen.

Zhao Qiao: I’m watching *Leisure Time*. Son, I want to give you three words.

Zhao Qiao: Serves you right!

His long fingers flipped the phone over, and then he looked back at the manager, who noticed his expression had turned even colder, his impatience more pronounced.

The manager immediately said, “We’ve rerun the data from last time, but we still haven’t found the bug. We plan to work overtime tonight to get it done.”

“And if you don’t finish?”

“We… we’ll resign!” he forced out the words with difficulty.

“Fine.”

When the meeting ended, everyone was drained, sweating profusely as they left. Someone grabbed Jiang Yi and asked, “What’s wrong with Mr. Xu? He’s so terrifying.”

Jiang Yi glanced at the man still seated in the conference room and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

“Right, let’s go, hurry.” A dozen people filed out of the conference room.

The lights in the conference room were still on. Jiang Yi turned back, wanting to ask Xu Dian if he was leaving, but then he saw him lean forward, take off his glasses, and press his hand against his forehead.

The veins on the hand resting on the armrest bulged.

Jiang Yi couldn’t bring himself to ask.

He sighed.

Mr. Xu was really having a tough time.

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