"Jingwei is my sister, and I won't allow you to sow discord and slander her here!"
Still consumed by anger, Li Yun'er slapped Chen Qian fiercely, reprimanding her. Ignoring her bleeding lip, she waved to the security guards nearby, "Get her out of here!"
Having been slapped by Meng Jingwei earlier, and now unjustly struck by Li Yun'er, Chen Qian was furious.
Clutching her stinging face, she pointed at Li Yun'er and screamed hysterically, "Li Yun'er, have you no conscience? I was doing this for your own good, and now you're colluding with Meng Jingwei to target me. You what... Ah, let go of me, let me go!"
The security guards who came to drag her away didn't give Chen Qian a chance to continue causing a scene. They pulled her away, covered her mouth, and left.
The crowd watched Chen Qian's disheveled state and couldn't help but chuckle, as if another topic of gossip had been added to their after-dinner conversations.
Li Yun'er gritted her teeth, enduring the humiliation and the mocking and pointing stares of the onlookers. She turned back to look at Qing Muye.
The moment she looked at the man, Meng Jingwei happened to raise her eyes and caught Li Yun'er's facial expression.
She clearly saw that Li Yun'er's gaze towards Qing Muye was no longer filled with the admiration and infatuation of the past, but rather with despair and hatred!
Hatred?
Yes, hatred.
That look was clearly one of utter loathing.
What had Qing Muye done to her to make a woman who once adored him to the point of obsession hate him to the bone overnight?
Meng Jingwei thought about it but couldn't find an answer, so she stopped dwelling on it.
"Brother Muye, Jingwei, I apologize for causing trouble. Today is Grandma's birthday, and I've made my appearance. I'm not feeling well, so I'll be leaving now."
Li Yun'er spoke politely, putting on a show for everyone.
Unsure of how Qing Muye would react, she turned and squeezed through the crowd to disappear before Qing Muye could even speak.
"Let's go, Grandma will be worried if we're any later."
Qing Muye, with his hands in his suit pockets, calmly said to Meng Jingwei, ignoring the curious glances from the crowd, and walked directly towards the entrance of the Qing family's old mansion.
The commotion dispersed as quickly as it had begun, leaving the attendees still whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
Qing Old Madam's birthday banquet proceeded smoothly. Perhaps it was Qing Muye's explicit instructions, but no one relayed Li Yun'er's words to Qing Old Madam.
She remained oblivious.
Before the banquet began, Qing Old Madam pulled Meng Jingwei aside and introduced her new identity to everyone.
Qing Muye had already explained it once to the media reporters, and now Qing Old Madam reiterated it, demonstrating the significant importance of Meng Jingwei's status.
The banquet concluded at three in the afternoon. Meng Jingwei presented the birthday gift she had prepared to Qing Old Madam.
"Grandma, for your birthday, I don't have anything particularly outstanding. I just got you this."
She somewhat sheepishly held out the exquisite gift box, opened it, and presented it to Qing Old Madam, explaining, "This is a necklace. Although it's not expensive, it has a chip inside that allows for wireless charging and is completely harmless to the body. And look, the necklace is very delicate; it will make you look particularly elegant, Grandma."
Meng Jingwei introduced the necklace in her hand, then looked at Qing Old Madam and said apologetically, "Grandma, I know you'll be unhappy, but wearing this necklace is for safety. After all, Qing Muye and I both care about you very much. If one day we can't find you, this will help us locate you."
Since it was Qing Old Madam's birthday banquet, Meng Jingwei refrained from presenting the gift in front of outsiders to save Qing Old Madam face.
Otherwise, it was likely that everyone in Lan City would know that Qing Old Madam had Alzheimer's disease, and who knew what kind of trouble that would stir up.
Qing Old Madam felt Meng Jingwei's sincerity. Although she was very resistant to such things, she was also deeply touched.
"Alright, Grandma will wear it, wear it."
She caressed the necklace and smiled kindly, pulling Meng Jingwei closer, "Come, help Grandma put it on."
"Okay, sure."
Meng Jingwei stood behind Qing Old Madam with the necklace and helped her put it on.
Qing Muye, sitting nearby, held a cup of tea and gazed at them with a serene expression. He suddenly felt a sense of warmth and coziness, a nameless beauty welling up in his heart.
If time could stand still, he wouldn't mind freezing this moment for a little longer.
Meng Jingwei chatted with Qing Old Madam for a while longer before she said, "Oh dear, I'm exhausted from a day of activities. Jingwei, dear, let Muye show you around. I'm going to take a nap."
She wanted to keep Meng Jingwei there for dinner.
After all, starting from today, Meng Jingwei was the Qing family's adopted granddaughter, and Qing Old Madam treated her like family.
"Okay, Grandma."
Meng Jingwei nodded and watched as Aunt Chen helped Qing Old Madam leave the hall and go to her bedroom.
Suddenly, only Meng Jingwei and Qing Muye were left in the living room, the silence so profound that the drop of a pin could be heard.
Qing Muye looked up at the woman opposite him. As his gaze met hers, Meng Jingwei seemed to sense it and looked up, their eyes meeting unexpectedly.
"What are you looking at? Don't think that just because Grandma asked you to accompany me, I'll allow it." She snorted and stood up, walking towards the exit, leaving behind a parting shot, "You'd better stay away from me!"
"Did Li Yun'er not explain clearly enough today, or are you just not understanding me?"
The man suddenly stood up and grabbed Meng Jingwei, who was walking past him.
Her wrist held, Meng Jingwei stopped, her willow-like brows furrowed, and she glared at him unhappily, "What does her explanation prove? Does it prove you never touched her? Does it prove she cuckolded him?"
As a man, being mocked for being cuckolded was the ultimate insult.
Yet, Meng Jingwei seemed to delight in stepping on Qing Muye's bottom line, constantly dancing on the edge of danger.
Qing Muye tightened his grip on her wrist, his strength increasing uncontrollably. Then, he suddenly pulled her towards him, drawing her into his embrace and wrapping his arm around her waist.
His thin lips parted slightly, "What did you say? Say it again?"
His obsidian eyes were tinged with a hint of anger. Although his words were spoken gently, even his voice was exceptionally magnetic and pleasing to the ear, the subtle curve of his lips inexplicably sent a shiver down Meng Jingwei's spine.
"I... I..."
Pulled into his embrace, Meng Jingwei instinctively extended her hands to brace between them, her palms resting against his chest, making the two appear exceptionally intimate.
She was intimidated by Qing Muye's sharp gaze, stammering, "Even if you didn't sleep with Li Yun'er, it doesn't mean you're a good person. Back then, you forced yourself on me. Did you ever ask for my opinion? And you had the nerve to drug me while I was resting at Nightfall Apartment. Qing Muye, you are truly despicable and shameless."