Even though Li Yun'er had been restraining her emotions, she was ultimately too young. Zhao Ruolan caught the hidden darkness within her deep eyes.
That look, filled with anger, hatred, and jealousy – a multitude of emotions converged, sending a chill down Zhao Ruolan's spine.
"Who... who dares to snatch your happiness? Mommy will definitely not let them off."
"What if it's Meng Jingwei?"
"Heh, darling, what are you thinking? I heard Meng Jingwei is returning to the countryside soon. How could she possibly hinder your happiness? Besides, she is now Madam Qing's adopted granddaughter. You absolutely must not do anything to her. Any impulsive action could lead to serious trouble."
Zhao Ruolan's heart skipped a beat. She felt that Li Yun'er had been provoked by something, but based on her usual temper, she would have already thrown a tantrum and started smashing things.
Her uncharacteristic behavior today made Zhao Ruolan feel uneasy and fearful.
"Is that so? Is it not because Meng Jingwei is your daughter that you've been hesitant to act? Otherwise, how could she have escaped your schemes time and time again?"
This question had been lingering in Li Yun'er's mind for a long time. However, she had been blinded by the title of 'future young madam of the Qing family' and had completely forgotten about it.
Now, upon careful consideration, Li Yun'er felt that Zhao Ruolan and Li Fu'an, who claimed to detest Meng Jingwei, had never laid a hand on her.
With their capabilities, making a country girl disappear would be as simple as flipping a hand.
Her questioning caused Zhao Ruolan's body to stiffen, her facial expression freezing instantly. The only part of her that moved – her pupils – revealed shock.
After a long pause, she forced a smile and said, "Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? Meng Jingwei was just lucky and didn't die. Now that she's Madam Qing's adopted granddaughter, Mommy naturally can't make a move. Otherwise, if the Qing family found out, how could you, my dear, marry into the Qing family?"
Li Yun'er met Zhao Ruolan's gaze for a few seconds. She suddenly smiled and reached out to take Zhao Ruolan's hand. "Mommy, why are you so nervous? I was just curious."
For some reason, Li Yun'er suddenly harbored a terrible suspicion and mistrust towards Zhao Ruolan.
She didn't even reveal her inner turmoil to Zhao Ruolan.
"Is... is that so?"
Seeing her smile, Zhao Ruolan smiled back, but her smile didn't reach her eyes, appearing slightly stiff.
"Of course. Alright, Mommy, I tried on wedding dresses with Mu Ye today and I'm a little tired. I want to sleep."
"Tired? Okay, okay, rest if you're tired. Mommy will go stew some bird's nest porridge for you."
"Thank you, Mommy."
"Silly girl, what are you thanking Mommy for?"
Watching Li Yun'er lie on the bed and slowly close her eyes to rest, Zhao Ruolan finally got up and walked out.
However, as she stood at the doorway to close the door, she glanced at Li Yun'er lying on the bed through the closing gap. She saw that Li Yun'er had suddenly opened her eyes, a flash of fierceness disappearing as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a sweet smile.
It all happened in an instant, as if a dream, and though not entirely real, it made Zhao Ruolan's spine go cold, her hairs standing on end.
The look in Li Yun'er's eyes just now was too chilling.
Closing the door, Zhao Ruolan went downstairs. Her mind preoccupied, she almost fell as she descended the stairs. Fortunately, Li Fu'an quickly steadied her and chided, "You're all grown up, why are you so careless when walking? What if you get hurt?"
"It's nothing, I just slipped."
Zhao Ruolan wanted to tell Li Fu'an about what had just happened, but ultimately did not.
Meanwhile, Li Yun'er, lying in the bedroom, took out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't contacted in a long time.
"Ring, ring, ring..."
The phone rang a few times with no answer.
Just as it was about to automatically hang up, the call connected.
"Well, well, the sun must have risen from the west today. How come you're finally bothering to call me?"
On the other end of the line, a devilishly charming voice, laced with a faint laugh, spoke.
"Help me get rid of someone."
"Who?"
"Meng Jingwei."
"Meng Jingwei? Heh, although I don't know who this person is, how does Miss Li intend to thank me, hmm?"
"As long as she dies today, I'll give you whatever you want!"
Ever since Meng Jingwei appeared, her life had become unhappy.
Li Yun'er wished Meng Jingwei would die immediately.
Only when she was dead would no one steal the tenderness that belonged solely to Qing Mu Ye.
"Hahahahaha..."
The man on the other end burst into laughter, his voice rough and sinister. After laughing for a while, he finally said, "Alright, I like Miss Li's straightforwardness."
...
Meng Jingwei returned to her rented apartment from Ye Se Apartment that morning and lay in bed reading.
She ended up falling asleep while reading.
She was woken up by Xiao Cheng's phone call.
She was nestled lazily in bed, her eyes closed, and groggily answered the phone, "Second Brother, why are you calling?"
"Aren't you leaving tomorrow? I have a gift for you."
As soon as she heard "gift," Meng Jingwei's sleepiness vanished, and she shot up from the bed, "What gift?"
"Heh heh..."
On the phone, Xiao Cheng smiled gently, his voice exceptionally pleasant. "I knew you'd be interested. It's three o'clock in the afternoon now. I'll be waiting for you at Xin Mei Western Restaurant at five."
"Okay, no problem."
Meng Jingwei readily agreed.
After getting up, she began packing her luggage, thinking it a pity to leave the apartment she had rented for a year.
With no other choice, Meng Jingwei contacted the landlord. After much persuasion, she managed to get the landlord to refund ten thousand yuan, tearfully taking a loss of over ten thousand yuan.
In the end, she was scolded by the landlord as she left.
After packing her belongings, she took them to the courier station to be shipped back.
With everything handled, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.
On her way to Xin Mei Western Restaurant on her electric scooter, Meng Jingwei stopped by an electric scooter shop and sold her scooter for a few hundred yuan.
Since she would not be returning to Lancheng, Meng Jingwei decided to deal with all her possessions to maximize her profit.
She rushed to the Western Restaurant at half-past five and found Xiao Cheng already waiting for her for half an hour.
"I'm so sorry, something came up unexpectedly and I was late." She chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed.
"It's alright, I just got here too."
Xiao Cheng smiled gently at her.
They sat in a private room, casually ordered Western food, and made small talk.
After the meal, Xiao Cheng led Meng Jingwei out of the Western Restaurant and suggested they take a walk.
Walking along the street, Meng Jingwei asked, "You still haven't told me what gift you're giving me?"
"You'll know in a bit."
Xiao Cheng led her to an intersection, pointed to the opposite side, and motioned for Meng Jingwei to follow him.
After waiting for the red light for a few seconds, they walked normally across the crosswalk when the light turned green. However, at that moment, a black minivan suddenly sped towards them.
The speed was astonishing, like an arrow released from a bow, impossible to avoid.
"Watch out!"
"Car!"