Chapter 66: Well Deserved Beating

The earring felt cool at first when it was put on her ear, but later it grew warm from his touch. The atmosphere in the room was momentarily silent, with a faint scent of alcohol lingering in the air. Meng Ying kept her eyes downcast, her expression unreadable. Xu Dian leaned his forehead against hers, gazing at her, wanting to kiss her but not daring to make a move.

After a few seconds, Meng Ying looked up and met his gaze.

Xu Dian immediately tensed up.

Meng Ying reached out and removed his glasses. Xu Dian tilted his head slightly, revealing his eyes, which betrayed a hint of nervousness.

Meng Ying pushed him away.

Her silence made Xu Dian even more cautious. He stood up, glanced at the floor, and then looked at Meng Ying, wondering if he should kneel down again for a moment.

But Meng Ying turned around and lifted her hair, exposing the fair skin on the back of her neck. A delicate necklace clung to her skin, sparkling and translucent. Meng Ying said, “Take off the necklace.”

“Okay,” Xu Dian replied, reaching out to unfasten the necklace. Meng Ying took it from him, bent down, and placed it in a brocade box on the coffee table. Then she turned slightly and pointed to her ear, saying, “Take this off too.”

Xu Dian hesitated for a second before stepping forward to remove the earring.

The atmosphere in the room grew even more intriguing.

Xu Dian had never felt this nervous or flustered in his life. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he felt a sudden thirst. Meng Ying took the earring, picked up another brocade box from the armrest of the sofa, and placed the earring inside. She then set the two boxes side by side. If one looked closely, they could see that both boxes were handmade and undoubtedly expensive.

After putting them away, Meng Ying turned around. Xu Dian tugged at his collar, his neck slightly flushed from the alcohol. Seeing Meng Ying turn, he lowered his hand.

“Meng…”

Meng Ying took a step toward him.

The tension in the air was palpable. Xu Dian loosely tucked his hands into his pockets, thinking that if she came closer, he would hug her and try to soothe her. But then, in the next moment, a magazine slammed into his head. Xu Dian was stunned, and before he could react, the magazine began raining down on his chest, shoulders, and face.

“I had almost forgotten about it,” Meng Ying said, her voice steady. “But you just had to explain it to me. Fine, I listened. And after hearing it, I think you deserve this.”

This was the first time Xu Dian had ever been hit like this. The magazine felt like a slap, striking him again and again. He gritted his teeth, wanting to stop her but not daring to. He retreated step by step, his collar flapping open as the wind caught it. Before he could fully process what was happening, the door opened, and he stumbled outside.

The barrage of magazine blows stopped.

In the next second…

**Bang—**

The door slammed shut.

Xu Dian’s hair was disheveled, and there were three or four red marks from the magazine on his face. His shirt was half untucked, and he reached out to twist the doorknob.

The next second, the door opened.

Car keys and glasses were thrown out, followed by the two brocade boxes, placed carefully on the ground—as if they were precious treasures.

Xu Dian stared at the two boxes.

Suddenly, he realized.

They were being treated better than he was!

“Meng Ying,” he called out.

Behind the door, Meng Ying was pulling down her zipper and said to the door, “Take your precious things with you. Be careful—they’re valuable.”

Xu Dian: “…”

“I gave them to you.”

“Oh, you can keep them for now.” Living in a place like this, how could she keep such expensive items here? Besides, Meng Ying didn’t dare to accept them right now—they were too valuable.

“Meng Ying,” Xu Dian knocked on the door, rubbing the corner of his mouth.

Meng Ying’s voice came through again, “I have class tomorrow. You should leave now.”

Her voice, muffled by the door, sounded both defiant and soft. Xu Dian’s heart skipped a beat. He picked up the items from the floor, glanced at the two brocade boxes, raised an eyebrow, and then turned to head downstairs. When he reached the first floor, the Maybach was still parked there. The driver stood by the car and opened the door for him as he approached.

Xu Dian got in and said to the driver, “Call Lao Liu to come pick you up.”

“Yes, sir.”

This meant Xu Dian wasn’t leaving yet, and the driver would leave on his own. Shortly after, another driver arrived to take him away, while Xu Dian stayed behind.

The dress was beautiful and easy to take off. The fabric was delicate and best taken to a dry cleaner. Meng Ying folded it neatly, grabbed her pajamas, and went to take a shower. After coming out, she placed the dress in her suitcase and took a towel to the balcony to dry her hair. As she looked down, she noticed the Maybach was still parked below. She silently watched for a while.

Her phone buzzed.

Meng Ying walked back inside and checked the message.

**Xu Dian:** Leave the dress there. I’ll take it to the dry cleaner tomorrow and have it sent back to you later.

**Meng Ying:** Why are you still downstairs?

On the other side.

After sending the WeChat message, Xu Dian stared at the chat page, relieved that he hadn’t been blocked. When he saw her reply, he smirked and chuckled softly, crossing his long legs as he typed his response.

**Xu Dian:** I’ll leave once you’re asleep.  

**Xu Dian:** Good night.  

**Meng Ying:** Good night.  

After sending this, Meng Ying closed the glass door and drew the curtains. She turned and went back to her room, lying down on the bed, ready to sleep. For her, giving Xu Dian a chance meant that everything from the past was wiped clean.  

But it seemed he was the one who couldn’t let go.  

Seeing Yang Rou, he had panicked and rushed to explain.  

Tsk.  

Little did he know, she had just wanted to watch the drama unfold.  

A few seconds later, she got up again and, by the faint light, glanced downstairs. The Maybach was still there, parked quietly. She took one last look before turning back to her room.  

This time, she fell asleep quickly.  

The next day, Meng Ying realized she had been overeating lately. During breakfast, she ate less, but there was too much food—all brought by Xu Dian. She ended up sharing it with the others.  

After breakfast, Hu Ye arranged for everyone to go to the Chinatown area. Today, they didn’t have to pretend to be couples; they just needed to observe. This was the same place where they had eaten supper the night before. Meng Ying and the others sat on a bench, and Hu Ye instructed them to observe someone, take notes, and analyze that person’s background, profession, and recent troubles based on their expressions, speech, and actions.  

By the end of the day, Meng Ying had written detailed notes about a person’s family background, job, and recent worries, all deduced from their behavior.  

Hu Ye looked at her notes and said, “You’ve got a real sense of life in your observations.”  

Unlike Qiao Qi and Zhu Min’er, who had focused on things like watches, clothes, and annual salaries.  

Meng Ying put down her pen just as her phone rang. It was a video call from Zhao Qiao. She hesitated for a moment before answering.  

On the screen, Zhao Qiao’s eyes sparkled with a smile as soon as she saw Meng Ying. “Yingying, are you busy?”  

“Just finished work. Auntie, how have you been lately?”  

“I’ve been good! Have you been eating well?”

“Yes, I’ve been eating well every day.”

“Really? You do look like you’ve gained a little healthy weight.”

“Have I?” Meng Ying touched her face.

“That’s good! I just wanted to video call you one of these days. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, and I miss you.”

Meng Ying had never received such warm affection from an elder woman before. Her heart felt warm, and she smiled, saying, “I miss you too.”

“If you miss me, then come back soon… Huh?”

Not far away, a black car pulled up. Xu Dian, dressed in a shirt and trousers, took the cigarette from his mouth, extinguished it, and tossed it into a trash can. He then walked over, his tall figure approaching quickly. He leaned down slightly, peeking into the frame from behind Meng Ying.

His handsome face appeared on the screen.

Zhao Qiao was startled, “Son, what happened to the marks on your face?”

Meng Ying turned her head and saw the three or four red marks on Xu Dian’s face.

She froze for a moment. Didn’t she hit him last night? Why were the marks still there?

She turned back to the screen and said, “Auntie, it’s…”

“I bumped into something,” Xu Dian interjected.

“Ha! Don’t lie to me. Those marks are clearly from being hit. Who hit you? Was it Meng Ying? Hahaha, serves you right!”

Xu Dian: “…”

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