"Didn't you invite me for a meal? I'm starving," Meng Jingwei said, walking unceremoniously to the seats they had just occupied and sitting down.
Shu Yao turned and followed her, then beckoned to the waiter. The two casually ordered two solo set meals and coffee, then waited quietly for the food.
"What was your purpose in approaching me back then?" Meng Jingwei leaned back in the booth, her indifferent gaze fixed on Shu Yao, a hint of sharpness in her eyes.
Her gaze put some pressure on Shu Yao, who pursed her lips, unsure how to answer Meng Jingwei.
At that moment, the waiter brought over two cups of coffee. "Excuse me, your coffees."
The waiter placed the coffees in front of them. Her appearance gave Shu Yao a moment to breathe, allowing her mind to scramble for an answer to Meng Jingwei's question.
"Actually..." she stammered in explanation. "I was at the wedding banquet last time, too. I saw you were busy then, so I didn't come up to say hello. Then I saw the video playing on the big screen, so I..."
"Get to the point!" Meng Jingwei tapped the table with her hand, her tone aggressive.
"The point? Oh, you mean those mercenaries," she tilted her head, reaching up with her slender fingers to scratch her head. Biting her lip, she took a sip of coffee, then looked up at Meng Jingwei, her eyes a little evasive.
After a moment of hesitation, she continued, "I grew up abroad, and my identity is rather mysterious, so I can't really tell you. However, those mercenaries last time were indeed trying to kidnap me to Country C, and these people today are my people. What I can tell you is that both groups of mercenaries were once my father's men, but then these people betrayed him."
Her explanation, while seemingly meant to clarify, only made Meng Jingwei more confused.
"Being able to easily plant two groups of mercenaries around you means you must have substantial backing. I have two questions: One, why did you save me? Two, you don't lack money, so why approach me by cooperating with Qing Muye? What's your goal?"
No wonder Shu Yao had directly transferred five million to her after their successful cooperation with Qing Muye. It was double the pre-arranged finder's fee. At the time, Meng Jingwei had simply thought Shu Yao was generous. Now, she realized this person was truly mysterious.
"I saved you because you saved me before, and this time I'm repaying your life-saving kindness. Of course, I don't lack money, but I received a Western education and never liked asking my family for money. I want to create my brand, 'Yao Yao Beauty,' and I don't want to rely on my parents. Besides, if I..."
At this point, she sighed, resting her elbows on the table and propping her chin, a look of helplessness on her face. Her genuine emotion made it seem like she wasn't acting.
Meng Jingwei frowned slightly. "And then?"
Bang! Suddenly, Shu Yao slammed the table in anger. "And then what? Then, of course, if my 'Yao Yao Beauty' doesn't achieve the results they want within a year, I have to marry the son-in-law they've chosen! He's a foreigner, and I really don't like him, it's so annoying!"
Meng Jingwei's questions seemed to have struck a sore spot for Shu Yao, who became as furious as a wildcat. Meng Jingwei's gaze fell upon her, her eyes fixed on Shu Yao's, trying to discern something from her eyes. In the end, Meng Jingwei couldn't be sure if Shu Yao was acting too well or if everything she said was the truth.
Shu Yao, seeing Meng Jingwei's silence, became impatient. "What do you mean, you still don't believe me?"
Thoroughly angered, Shu Yao took her phone out of her pocket, opened her WeChat chat history, and slammed the phone down in front of Meng Jingwei. "Here, look, see for yourself!"
Meng Jingwei glanced at the WeChat chat history on the phone. It was all voice messages. She looked up at Shu Yao and pointed at the phone screen. Shu Yao understood and nodded.
With permission, Meng Jingwei clicked on a voice message~
"Yao, your daddy said you shouldn't bother with this beauty business; our family has plenty of money. Just come back obediently and marry Anthony. You will be the future Princess of Country C. What are you thinking, you silly girl? If you don't come back now, your daddy and I have to face the pressure from Anthony every day. Have you considered how difficult it is for us?"
Listening to the voice from the phone, Meng Jingwei's eyes widened, and she felt the entire world fall silent. What on earth was this? Marrying Anthony and becoming the future Princess of Country C? That meant Anthony was a prince of Country C. Meng Jingwei had heard some things about Country C and had even seen related reports on television.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but be astonished, her jaw dropping. "This Anthony, could he be the young Prince Anthony William of Country C?" This was too surreal.
"Of course..." Before Shu Yao could even say "yes," she suddenly noticed peculiar glances from all around. She scanned her surroundings and immediately fell silent. Leaning slightly forward, she moved closer to Meng Jingwei and whispered, "If not him, then who else?"
Meng Jingwei raised an eyebrow, her probing gaze examining Shu Yao from head to toe, her eyes full of doubt. The feeling of being untrusted was quite displeasing. Enraged by Meng Jingwei, Shu Yao took out her phone again and opened a video.
The video started playing. The background was a private dining room, with colorful balloons and ribbons hanging on the wall. Under the dazzling lights, a pile of flowers on the table looked particularly enchanting. In the video, Shu Yao stood opposite Anthony William, the young prince of Country C. He held a bouquet of flowers and confessed his feelings to Shu Yao in fluent and pleasant English.
"Yao, my beautiful lady, will you accept my confession? I want to marry you and make you my wife for life."
As Anthony William finished speaking, cheers erupted from the surroundings. People in the video kept shouting encouragement, "Marry him, marry him!" "Kiss him, kiss him!" "Wow, so happy." "Anthony, kiss her."
After watching the video, Meng Jingwei's worldview was shattered. She still couldn't accept Shu Yao's true identity and background. She, who came from the countryside, had met Qing Muye in just half a year, become the god-granddaughter of the old madam of the Qing family, and now she had met the fiancée of Prince Anthony of Country C. Such luck! It would be a shame not to buy a lottery ticket.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shu Yao was unaccustomed to Meng Jingwei's piercing gaze.
"So, you're saying that the mercenaries who kidnapped you that day were originally your father's men, and then they were bribed by Anthony to kidnap you back to Country C and force you to marry him?"
"Yes." Shu Yao sighed as if deflated, her little face drooping. "As you saw when you came to my house that day, my house is guarded every day. I usually bring bodyguards when I go out during the day. I was delayed by something urgent today, so I rushed here to sign the beauty cooperation contract with President Li. I didn't expect you to be here."
As she spoke, she took out a contract from her bag and threw it onto the table. "I worked so hard to get this contract. I was supposed to sign it in the city center this morning, but President Li suddenly changed his mind and said he had something to do here and wanted to postpone the signing to tomorrow. I was anxious, so I forced them to find a restaurant nearby, and I rushed from afar to sign it. My father said that if I could open up the domestic market within a year and prove my ability to survive, he would stop Anthony from forcing me into marriage! Otherwise, why would I be working so hard!"