Chapter 54: Watch The Road

Jiang Yi felt that this kind of suffering.

Wasn’t the ordinary kind of suffering. With Xu Dian’s status, what kind of beauty couldn’t he have? He had knelt, pursued, and given resources, thinking he could win her back, only for it to be another fleeting moment. Normally, someone like Xu Dian should have given up long ago, but he clearly wasn’t willing to.

The pride of this young master.

Had taken quite a hit.

From Xu Dian’s perspective, Jiang Yi truly felt it was tragic.

But from Miss Meng’s perspective, he didn’t think Xu Dian was suffering at all.

A beauty like Miss Meng.

Would have suitors wherever she went. If she hadn’t been entangled with Mr. Xu, she might have already had a family with children by now.

He sighed again, picked up his documents, and left, turning off the lights in Xu Dian’s office before heading home.

On the top floor of Xu Corporation, with the lights in the CEO’s office turned off, the entire floor was left with only the bright lights of the conference room. The man pressing his hand against his forehead remained silent for a while before reaching for the tablet beside him. He propped it up and clicked on the *Leisure Time* episode. The 8 PM show ran for about an hour and forty-five minutes.

As it started playing.

Meng Ying, having had some wine, sat on the sofa with her cheeks slightly flushed, her knees hugged to her chest. Her eyes were clear and moist, filled with a smile, yet also seemingly on the verge of tears.

Especially after Tan Huan mentioned her romantic history. The glimmer of tears in her eyes became even more apparent, as if they might fall at any moment. The tears seemed to hover, neither falling nor retreating.

This made Meng Ying look incredibly fragile and soft.

Xu Dian’s throat tightened.

Then, the camera focused on her as she gazed toward the door, her expression somewhat distant, and began to speak: “Me? I’ve liked him for many years. I thought he was the man who looked best in a shirt in this world. I only dared to have a crush, never to confess. Every day, I rode my bike for fifteen minutes just to see him. Every time I went, the best spots were already taken. So many people liked him, and everyone’s goal was the same—just to see him. Starting from my freshman year, I went without fail, rain or shine. He became my motivation. Later, he graduated a year before me. Then I met Liu Qin. Liu Qin came to see her brother and asked if I wanted to be a star.”

“Actually, at that time, I was really scared. I thought she was a scammer. But that night, after returning to the dorm, I got some news—he was in this industry. The next day, I agreed to Liu Qin’s offer. Honestly, I didn’t even know what I was thinking at the time. I knew there was no future, but I still wanted to get a little closer to him.”

“Later, I really got the chance. I had opportunities to interact with him. And to my surprise, he replied to every message I sent. Then, we started dating.”

“At that time, I thought, as long as I had one chance, I would hold on tight and cherish our relationship. I would never take it for granted. I was happy during that time, truly happy. Every day felt like winning the lottery. That’s why my state of mind was so good back then. I could accept all his indifference, his lack of focus, his passiveness. But, human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. I started to become greedy, to care more. I began to struggle, but my love for him never diminished, not even a little. Until this relationship took a new turn.”

“If it weren’t for this change, I think I would have continued like this, loving him. But I never expected that I was just a substitute for another woman. And he had been hiding it from me, deceiving me. In the end, it was someone else who told me, and that’s how I found out…”

“What the hell?” Li Yuan’er was shocked. “No way.”

“Oh my god,” Tan Huan exclaimed.

Beside them, Zhao Qiao and Xu Yi remained silent. Zhao Qiao tightly hugged Meng Ying, saying nothing.

Liang Qiao asked, “Then… do you still love this person?”

“Now… no.” Meng Ying took the tissue Liang Qiao handed her and wiped the corner of her eye. Then, resting her chin on her knees, she smiled and said, “But… having loved someone like that…”

She blinked, the tears welling up again before she held them back.

“Having loved someone like that… and then what?” Li Yuan’er asked.

Tan Huan glanced at Li Yuan’er. “You’ve never been in love, have you? You don’t get it.”

Liang Qiao shook his head.

He didn’t understand either.

Tan Huan looked at Meng Ying.

Meng Ying met Tan Huan’s gaze.

The two of them smiled at each other.

The cameraman focused the lens on Meng Ying. She tilted her head, glancing at the camera. Her eyes, moist with tears and slightly intoxicated, looked like pools of wine.

Fragile yet beautiful.

Xu Dian’s lips pressed into a thin line.

His fist pressed against the table as he stared intently at the woman on the screen.

Arriving in Switzerland.

It was noon in Switzerland. Meng Ying had to switch transportation modes to get to Geneva.

Previously, Gu Yan had arranged a place to stay here, but since he couldn’t come, the apartment was left vacant. Now, Meng Ying was staying there, and she paid Gu Yan for the accommodation.

The apartment was quite spacious.

Fully furnished.

Opening the window, she could see a sea of flowers in the town.

Meng Ying set down her suitcase and sat on the recliner, taking a short rest. She sent a message to Liu Qin to let her know she had arrived safely and replied to Xu Qing’s earlier WeChat message.

Her phone had international roaming enabled, so she could use the internet as soon as she landed, and the connection was surprisingly smooth.

Not long after.

Liu Qin sent a WeChat message.

Liu Qin: You’re trending in three consecutive hot searches, all right next to each other. Your fan count has skyrocketed to 40 million in less than eight hours…

Originally.

Meng Ying had around 10 million fans.

Even after her comeback this past year, her fan count hadn’t increased much because she didn’t have many projects. Relying solely on hot searches wasn’t enough. But this time, just one variety show.

Directly added 30 million fans.

Meng Ying opened Weibo.

The first two were.

#MengYingGoddess#

#MengYingSubstituteStory#

The third one was.

#HeDefinitelyLikesMengYing#

The first hot search.

#MengYingGoddess# included topics like Meng Ying’s cooking skills, her casual outfits, her flawless skin, her smile, how virtuous she was, and how many people were pursuing her.

The “many people pursuing her” part referred to that phone call during the show. People were still asking who that man was, speculating if he was some big shot from Huaying.

However, fans couldn’t dig up any information, so the topic didn’t gain much traction.

The second hot search.

#MengYingSubstituteStory# stirred up a huge emotional wave. Many people expressed their heartbreak for Meng Ying, saying they wanted to teach that person a lesson. Others shared their own similar experiences, feeling a closer connection to Meng Ying and sending her virtual hugs. Some were still trying to guess who that person in the industry might be.

But unfortunately, there were no answers.

It was as if this person didn’t exist at all.

The third hot search.

#HeDefinitelyLikesMengYing# was a video clip from when Meng Ying and Liang Qiao went to the supermarket for the charity sale. They ran into Xu Dian in the hallway. The cameraman probably didn’t dare to get too close, so the footage was a bit blurry. But the man’s height and appearance immediately sent fans into a frenzy. What kind of real-life domineering CEO was this? He was ridiculously handsome. Then, when he took off his glasses and looked at Meng Ying with those peach-blossom eyes.

It seemed full of deep affection.

The cameraman stopped filming after that, so there were no more shots, only the audio of Meng Ying’s conversation with him. Netizens and fans were boiling over this man’s sudden appearance, and combined with the previous hot search, many started clamoring in the comments.

“I need all the information about this man within one minute.”

“I swear, I think he likes Meng Ying. Wuwuwu, I suddenly want him to pursue my Ying and pull her out of the pain of her past relationship. Just by looking at his eyes, I can tell he really, really, really likes my Ying…”

“Right, the way he looks at Meng Ying is so deep, so affectionate.”

“He must be a great husband. My Ying needs a man like this to spoil her.”

So, fans tried to dig up information about him again, but unfortunately, they still couldn’t find anything. They only remembered his appearance and those peach-blossom eyes.

Fans would never know that the person they were cursing earlier was the same one they were now swooning over.

Truly, those in the drama are casual, while those watching are serious.

The video replayed again, showing Xu Dian taking off his glasses and looking at her. Indeed, it seemed full of deep affection. When peach-blossom eyes show affection, it feels like they can give you the whole world.

Meng Ying silently clicked the × and exited.

Liu Qin: Did you see it?

Liu Qin: Mr. Xu actually didn’t have this scene cut this time, and even showed his face. It’s so unlike him. Because of him, the show’s viewership doubled.

Liu Qin: Sending you a hug.

Meng Ying: Okay, hug. I won’t say more for now. I need to go greet Teacher Hu Ye.

After sending the message, Meng Ying got up, changed into a more comfortable dress, and headed out. She walked down the stairs and toward the small villa not far away. Teacher Hu Ye lived there. Just as she reached the door, she saw Teacher Hu Ye sitting in a chair, fanning himself with a folding fan. He wore two strings of Buddhist beads on his wrist and seemed to notice her arrival.

He opened his eyes.

His eyes used to be very sharp, but since stepping back from the spotlight, they had become much gentler. Meng Ying greeted him respectfully, “Teacher, I just arrived.”

“I saw,” Hu Ye said. “I watched you go upstairs.”

Meng Ying smiled slightly. The apartment Gu Yan rented was across from Teacher Hu Ye’s. Her side of the street was lively, while Teacher Hu Ye’s small villa was a quiet retreat amidst the bustle.

“Will you have dinner here? Can you cook?” Hu Ye continued fanning himself and said, “Your teacher’s wife can’t cook, so I often suffer through meals.”

“I can,” Meng Ying agreed without hesitation.

She knew that once Hu Ye accepted someone, he became very approachable.

You could tell from his interviews.

“Alright, go in and cook then,” Hu Ye said, closing his eyes again as he lay back. Meng Ying nodded and walked inside. Hu Ye’s wife was a folk singer from an ethnic minority group. Her features were deep, and her personality was straightforward. As soon as she saw Meng Ying enter, she didn’t hold back, grabbing Meng Ying and saying, “Thank goodness! I have no idea how to handle this fish!!”

“I’ll take care of it,” Meng Ying said with a smile, stepping forward to start preparing the fish.

Hu Ye’s wife, named Mi Xue, grumbled beside her, cursing Hu Ye: “Him? As soon as he knew you were coming, he rushed me to buy groceries. What kind of groceries? All Chinese ingredients! He just wants to eat Chinese food. And then he makes me handle the fish. Tsk tsk, I really want to strangle him.”

Outside.

Teacher Hu covered his ears with the fan, pretending not to hear.

“Originally, there were supposed to be five people in the class, but it seems like only you, Zhao Yue, Qiao Qi, and Zhu Min’er have shown up,” Mi Xue said.

“Have they arrived?”

“They’re all here. We’ll have dinner together tonight.”

“Okay.”

Meng Ying knew all these actors. Zhao Yue was the male lead from an idol drama she had acted in before. Qiao Qi was a rich second-generation heir, and acting was just a side gig for him. She hadn’t expected him to come here to study. Zhu Min’er and Li Yuan’er were rivals because they were in the same company, competing for the top spot.

Although Mi Xue couldn’t cook, she was good at assisting. In no time, the table was filled with dishes. Hu Ye lifted the curtain and brought in the three others.

Meng Ying looked up.

Qiao Qi was wearing a gray hoodie and jeans, his brows sharp. When he saw Meng Ying, he grinned at her. “The queen of hot searches, huh?”

Meng Ying smiled back.

Zhao Yue walked over. He was dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans. “You remember me, right?”

“Of course,” Meng Ying said, handing him chopsticks. Zhao Yue reached out to take them.

Zhu Min’er, probably because she knew Meng Ying was close with Li Yuan’er, hesitated and didn’t step forward.

At Hu Ye’s invitation, the six of them sat down to eat.

Qiao Qi asked Hu Ye, “Teacher, who’s the fifth person? Why didn’t they come?”

“Too busy, no time in their schedule. If they don’t want to come, they don’t come. Should I beg them?” Hu Ye picked at the fish as he spoke, then added, “It’s not like there’s no one to replace them. I just don’t understand why they wanted to come in the first place. Makes no sense.”

“Someone else is going to replace them?”

“Yeah, I’m considering it,” Hu Ye said, pointing at the fish. “This is delicious.”

Then he looked at Meng Ying. “You’re so capable. Whoever marries you will be lucky.”

Meng Ying, under the gaze of everyone at the table, felt a bit embarrassed for the first time. “It’s not that great.”

“It really is,” they all chimed in.

After dinner, the six of them chatted in the living room for a while. Hu Ye then set the time for the next day’s class. Since he had been teaching regularly after stepping back from the spotlight, everything was well-organized. Meng Ying and the others, tired from the long flight, got up to leave.

Meng Ying grabbed a tissue to wipe her hands. As she reached the door, Qiao Qi lifted the curtain for her and asked with a smile, “Want to go for a walk?”

“No, I think I’ll take a nap,” Meng Ying replied, glancing at him before stepping out.

“Alright,” Qiao Qi said from behind.

Back at the apartment, Meng Ying went straight to take a shower and then collapsed onto the bed. Due to the time difference, she almost overslept the next day. She hurriedly got up, washed up, got dressed, and grabbed her phone before heading downstairs. She crossed the main road and walked toward Hu Ye’s villa.

As she was about to cross the second road, a car suddenly came speeding toward her.

Meng Ying instinctively stepped back, but her arm was pulled, and she fell backward, colliding with a firm chest. She looked up.

Xu Dian was looking down at her.

Emotions swirled in his eyes. After a few seconds, he managed to utter the words: “Watch the road.”

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