Castle.
Meng Jingwei lay on the bed, resting. Her mind replayed recent events, analyzing the kidnapping of Qing Muye. She felt something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint the exact issue.
What important matter was it that made Qing Muye willing to sacrifice his trusted subordinate to continue his course of action?
After much thought, Meng Jingwei couldn't figure it out.
Ultimately, she decided to approach Han Junyan.
That's why, in the basement earlier, when Han Junyan took her hand, she didn't pull away.
Perhaps only by understanding Han Junyan more deeply could she have a chance to uncover everything.
For lunch, a servant brought the food into the room.
In the afternoon, Meng Jingwei stayed in her room. However, from the balcony, she saw Han Junyan, Xiao Cheng, and Antina on the lawn in the back garden.
From a distance, they appeared to be laughing and in good spirits.
Meanwhile, she felt like a caged bird, softly imprisoned.
Dinner was also brought to her room by a servant, and Meng Jingwei ate it all.
Late at night, Xiao Cheng, like a ghost, sneaked into her bedroom again.
He didn't speak, standing by the bedside for a long, long time without moving.
If Meng Jingwei hadn't vaguely sensed it was Xiao Cheng, she might have thought a phantom was standing by her bed.
Suddenly, Meng Jingwei smelled a fragrance.
The scent inexplicably put her on guard.
It was a soporific.
Meng Jingwei held her breath, turned over, and pulled the duvet to cover her mouth and nose.
The movement was natural, as if she were just rolling over in her sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Cheng, convinced Meng Jingwei had ‘fallen asleep,’ leaned in and quietly lay down beside her.
The soft bed dipped slightly as Xiao Cheng lay down.
Meng Jingwei didn't know what Xiao Cheng intended to do, nor could she maintain her state of rigid alertness.
She discovered that Xiao Cheng had only lifted the duvet to embrace her sideways.
He simply held her quietly, doing nothing else.
At the same time, downstairs, beneath a tree, Antina leaned against the trunk, one hand in the pocket of her camouflage uniform, the other holding a cigarette. She was smoking agitatedly, her eyes dim.
And in the room, Xiao Cheng held Meng Jingwei, his cheek pressed against her hair, inhaling her scent, but making no further move.
Meng Jingwei didn't know what Xiao Cheng was thinking, but she could feel that he harbored no ill will towards her.
After an unknown period, Xiao Cheng finally left.
Hearing the faint sounds of footsteps and the closing of the door, Meng Jingwei observed quietly for a moment. Once she was certain he was truly gone, she abruptly turned over and sat up, stretching her limbs on the bed.
Her entire body ached from lying still in one position for so long.
However, shortly after sitting up, she acutely sensed footsteps outside the door.
Her brow furrowed, and she immediately lay down again, covered by the quilt, remaining motionless.
The person outside entered, closed the door, then walked to her side, leaned down, and directly pulled the thin quilt off her.
“Wake up!”
A woman’s light reprimand.
Meng Jingwei recognized Antina’s voice.
She sat up and looked at her in the darkness, “Let’s go, I’ll send you away now.”
“Send me away?”
Meng Jingwei was suddenly puzzled by Antina’s intention.
But then she considered it: Xiao Cheng had just left, and Antina appeared immediately afterwards. They hadn’t encountered each other, and Antina’s tone was laced with undisguised anger.
It was clear she must have mistakenly assumed something had happened between Xiao Cheng and her, or perhaps she felt Xiao Cheng still harbored feelings for her and was eager to send her away.
“You have two choices: leave, or die.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave. I’ll leave right now.” Meng Jingwei nimbly climbed out of bed.
Prudence is the better part of valor.
Regardless of Antina's reasons for letting her go, she had to leave this place as quickly as possible.
Staying here would only cause more trouble.
If Qing Muye had a plan, her presence here might ruin it.
She quickly put on her shoes and followed Antina downstairs.
Downstairs, there were four bodyguards.
There hadn't been any bodyguards here last night, but today there were. It was evident they had noticed her ‘activities’ yesterday and were worried she might escape.
“You, take off your clothes.”
Antina walked up to a bodyguard standing on the left staircase and commanded.
The bodyguard hesitated, “What does the young lady intend to do?”
“My word is law!”
Antina stated, her voice low and stern.
The bodyguard glanced at Antina, then at Meng Jingwei, puzzled, but still complied and removed his clothes.
A set of camouflage uniform, black combat boots, and a beret.
He placed the clothes on the floor, and Antina turned to Meng Jingwei, “Put them on.”
“Okay.”
Even if Antina hadn't said it, Meng Jingwei knew what the clothes were for. She obediently put them on.
As she changed, Antina warned the others, “All of you, if anyone lets slip a single word, I will kill you.”
“Yes, young lady.”
The men replied in unison.
“Shut up.” Antina’s head throbbed with irritation.
Their loud responses were something Antina feared would expose them.
Once Meng Jingwei was fully dressed, Antina led her directly out of the castle, drove a car from the parking lot, and drove away with Meng Jingwei in broad daylight.
After leaving the castle, Antina continued to drive forward.
In the passenger seat, Meng Jingwei turned her head to look at her, “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. Stay away from my man from now on. I won’t hold this against you this time, but if I catch you seducing him again, I will kill you without hesitation.”
Antina was not an unreasonable woman.
On the contrary, she was quite rational.
From others, she had learned early on that he had once liked Meng Jingwei, and that Xiao Cheng often called out Meng Jingwei’s name in his sleep.
Before entering the room earlier, she had already thought about it.
If Meng Jingwei were involved with Xiao Cheng, she would definitely kill her.
But upon entering the room and lifting the duvet, she had seen through the faint light of her phone that Meng Jingwei was fully dressed, confirming that nothing had happened between them.
That was why Antina hadn’t acted.
“Woman, it’s rare to find one as rational as you,” Meng Jingwei said, sighing softly. “You like Xiao Cheng, that’s his good fortune. I hope…”
She glanced out the window, fell silent for a moment, and then said, “You can achieve your happily ever after.”
Antina understood Meng Jingwei’s well wishes.
Her eyes, fixed on the road ahead, flickered briefly towards Meng Jingwei, “I remember there were conflicts between you. Don’t you hate him?”
“Grievances and resentments, right and wrong, cannot be explained in a few words. I have hated him, but he never intended to harm me, so this hatred is not absolute.”
Meng Jingwei felt wary of Xiao Cheng, guarded, and even… repulsed.
But she had hated him in the past, only for that feeling to dissipate entirely after learning about his experiences.
Screech—
The car suddenly braked and pulled over to the side of the road. Antina said to her, “Get out, this is as far as I can take you.”