He Ka Lingchuan’s interest in Meng Jingwei was purely covetous of her beauty, posing no threat. However, the other three individuals held a completely different significance for Meng Jingwei, placing immense pressure on Qing Muyue.
Thus, he was eager to reveal his identity sooner rather than later.
Although Qing Muyue’s words were left unfinished, Meng Jingwei understood his meaning perfectly. He truly had no recourse with her.
He Ka Liannuo was seated next to Anthony, who was vividly describing the splendor and prosperity of Country C to her with great animation. She listened with rapt attention.
“I’m going to the restroom.”
Meng Jingwei said to He Ka Lingchuan, who was staring at her, and got up to leave.
While she claimed to be going to the restroom, her actual intention was to find a quiet spot on the hillside for some fresh air.
Standing alone at the edge of the hill, she felt the evening breeze, gazed at the brilliant starry sky and the dancing fireflies. The night seemed exceptionally beautiful and serene.
“Thinking of him?”
Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind her.
Meng Jingwei turned her head. It was Xiao Cheng.
She shook her head, denying it.
The ‘he’ Xiao Cheng referred to was naturally Qing Muyue, who was presumed ‘deceased’. But as Meng Jingwei stood on the hillside, surveying the distant, myriad lights of homes and the bustling prosperity, she felt a certain oppression in her heart.
“You shouldn’t have brought Antina here.”
The Hidden Clan was fraught with internal strife and external threats, facing constant danger.
Xiao Cheng, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his light gray jeans, stood shoulder to shoulder with her, gazing into the distance and sighing, “With him gone, if I don’t come, who else will protect you?”
The evening breeze was cool, but Xiao Cheng’s words enveloped her with an endless warmth, making her heart feel radiant.
Immediately after, Meng Jingwei’s eyes stung with a sudden emotion, and she felt a pang of guilt towards Xiao Cheng.
He harbored a deep-seated hatred for Qing Muyue. If he were to learn that Qing Muyue was still alive, would Xiao Cheng extend his animosity to her as well?
“Xiao Cheng, if one day I deceive you, will you hate me?”
She could no longer hold back, and finally voiced the thoughts in her heart.
“No.”
Xiao Cheng replied with unwavering certainty, without a moment’s hesitation.
“Why don’t you ask what I would deceive you about?”
“I trust you. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, you wouldn’t deceive me, nor would you deign to lie.”
“Heh.” Meng Jingwei gave a wry smile. “You trust me too much. Aren’t you afraid I might betray you one day?”
She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, then turned her head, raising an eyebrow with a smile. “You’re not that kind of person.”
Meng Jingwei: “…”
A sudden ache welled up in her chest, a touch of sympathy for the perhaps overly fixated Xiao Cheng.
“Actually, Antina is a very good person. She loves you dearly; you should cherish her.”
“She tried to kill you, and you still say she’s a good person? Then, aren’t you even better, more deserving of cherishing?”
“You are already married.”
“We can divorce.”
Meng Jingwei: “… That would be… rather unfair to her.”
“I owe her, and I will find a way to make it up to her.” Xiao Cheng said, somewhat irritably, as he withdrew a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and took a puff.
In the darkness, the cherry of the cigarette flickered on and off, resembling a firefly emitting a red glow.
“Little Weiwei, do I… still have a chance?”
Xiao Cheng was confessing his feelings.
But his question remained unanswered.
He gave a self-deprecating smile. “Speaking of which, I’m not worthy of you. Even though you have two children and have been married, you are the future Young Mistress of the Hidden Clan and possess immense wealth. As for me, I’m alone, penniless, and seemingly have nothing.”
In comparison, the disparity between them was vast.
“Don’t underestimate yourself. Actually, you are a very good person.” Meng Jingwei couldn’t bear to hear Xiao Cheng disparage himself.
“I am a good person, so is there a chance?”
“You…”
Meng Jingwei turned her head to look at Xiao Cheng. As her gaze flickered, she saw someone standing not far away.
In the dim light, a familiar figure. Even without them speaking, she knew who it was.
Sensing her distraction, Xiao Cheng also turned to look.