Su Yue felt as if her entire being had frozen.
Dazed, out of sheer polite instinct, she responded, "Hello, Auntie."
"Don't be scared, and don't be nervous. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but he always said it was too soon."
Meng Hualan saw her flustered state at a glance. She tightened her grip on Su Yue's hand, her voice softening further as she reassured her.
Su Yue stared at her blankly, her mouth opening to speak, but finding herself unable to utter a word.
Seeing this, Meng Hualan fell silent. Instead, she smiled and gently patted Su Yue's back.
Finally, under her comforting touch, Su Yue managed to collect herself.
She quickly stood up, her voice betraying a hint of awkwardness, "I'm sorry, Auntie. I didn't react just now."
"It's alright. Please, sit down."
Meng Hualan gently pulled her back down and looked at her with evident satisfaction.
The scrutiny made Su Yue uneasy, but she still didn't know what to say. She lowered her gaze, waiting quietly for the woman before her to speak.
Inside, her heart pounded. What was going on?
Why had Chen Ziming's mother suddenly arrived?
And her presence confirmed Su Yue's earlier suspicions.
Chen Ziming's family was undoubtedly a wealthy and powerful one.
Otherwise, his mother wouldn't possess such an air.
Recalling "Chairman Meng" that Jin Yan had vaguely mentioned last time…
She grew even more nervous, conjuring a mental image of an overbearing mother-in-law asserting her dominance.
But she forced herself to remain composed, maintaining a neutral expression.
Finally, the woman before her spoke:
"You're much prettier than your picture, and you have such a good temperament. It's his good fortune to have you as his girlfriend."
"You're too kind, Auntie."
The imagined scenario didn't unfold, but Su Yue still felt undeniably anxious.
"He hasn't introduced me to you?"
"No…"
"This brat. It's one thing not to introduce his father, but he doesn't even talk about me."
Madam Meng chided her son with feigned annoyance, then produced a business card and handed it to Su Yue.
The business card, with its substantial weight and quality, was presented to Su Yue by Madam Meng's fingers.
Su Yue finally dared to look up at her.
Meng Hualan smiled kindly, her eyes bright and sincere, just like Chen Ziming's.
Looking at her, Su Yue realized that Chen Ziming's appearance had indeed inherited sixty to seventy percent of his mother's features.
Su Yue silently chanted to herself to remain calm as she reached out to accept the card.
However, her composure faltered upon seeing the embossed gold lettering.
The chairman of that notoriously wealthy central enterprise…
The chairman?!
"Please don't be afraid of me, Yueyue. I've scrolled through all your social media accounts. I like you very, very much, which is why I wanted to meet you."
Her… account?
"I don't mean anything else. I brought you many gifts, but since I didn't want Chen Ziming to know, I gave them to Jin Yan to present to you in his name."
"But I still secretly brought one."
Noticing the shock on Su Yue's face, she quickly reassured her.
She then picked up the gift box that had been on the table since she entered and opened it in front of Su Yue.
It was a fluffy little monster keychain.
"I heard young girls like these, so I bought it for you as a meeting gift."
Her smile conveyed genuine affection.
Su Yue's hand trembled slightly as she tried her best to suppress the inner unease and shock, taking the keychain.
"Chen Ziming has a bit of a temper, he likes to retort, and he's often slyly mischievous. If he bullies you, call me, and I'll discipline him."
She smiled even more brightly and patted Su Yue's shoulder.
Then, lowering her voice, she added with a hint of slyness,
"I have to go now. I've added you on WeChat, please accept. Keep this meeting a secret from him for now!"
"Okay…" As she watched her get up, Su Yue blinked in surprise and quickly stood as well.
Madam Meng, about to leave, suddenly turned back and gave her a hug.
"Auntie likes hardworking and smart girls the most. If there's anything you can't conveniently tell Chen Ziming, tell me, and I'll handle it for you."
"Bye~"
Just as she was about to open the door and leave, a commotion suddenly erupted from the lobby.
Looking through the sheer curtain of the door, it appeared that the police had arrived.
Meng Hualan's expression turned puzzled. She glanced at Su Yue, who shared the same look.
As they stood together observing,
The door was suddenly flung open.
Chen Ziming stood at the doorway, his clothes showing signs of a struggle. A bruise was visible on the corner of his mouth.
Jin Yan was beside him, looking even more disheveled.
Su Yue distinctly felt Madam Meng's body stiffen.
The moment Chen Ziming saw Meng Hualan, his already stormy face turned even colder.
An anger more intense than the fury that had terrified her surfaced on his handsome, slightly injured face.
He spoke in a low voice, displeasure evident,
"What are you doing here?"