“Grandfather, Ruoxin and I broke up long ago. Please don’t mention her again.” Zhong Wanqiu had thought Leng Muxun would be more tactful, but unexpectedly, he directly announced to the elderly man that he had no relationship with Liu Ruoxin whatsoever. “Oh,” the old man responded lightly, then walked straight past Leng Muxun and Zhong Wanqiu.
Well, it seemed the elderly man didn’t like her.
This was something she hadn’t wanted either, but it was Grandfather’s matter—she truly couldn’t control it.
But the moment this thought crossed her mind, she felt a sharp pain in her hand. Leng Muxun had actually pinched the back of her hand. “Wanqiu, go quickly and coax my grandfather,” he whispered, almost speaking directly into her ear. As he spoke, he wore a smile, causing the flashlights outside the railing to click incessantly, as if he were sharing a secret with her.
“Alright.” For the sake of the marriage agreement, she shook off Leng Muxun’s hand and hurried after Grandfather. The elderly man walked remarkably fast. If she hadn’t already known he was seventy-three years old, she would never have believed he was Leng Muxun’s grandfather—he could almost pass for his father.
“Grandfather, wait for me.”
The old man acted as if he hadn’t heard, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge her or accept her as his essentially fake granddaughter-in-law. She thought he must truly like Liu Ruoxin. Watching his retreating figure, she suddenly felt that Leng Muxun’s deception was really not right. She had no grandparents on either side, so seeing an elderly person felt especially dear to her.
“Grandfather, you like Ruoxin, don’t you?” Since the elderly man had just mentioned Liu Ruoxin, it meant he was fond of her.
This question actually had an effect. The old man paused and said, “Yes.”
“If Grandfather likes Miss Liu, then I’ll find a way to help you tie A Xun and Miss Liu together.”
Grandfather stopped walking altogether, turned to her, and asked in surprise, “You’re willing?”
She nodded. “Mm.” It wasn’t that she was being scheming; she knew there was no future for her and Leng Muxun. She had already signed the divorce agreement. So, she wanted to help Grandfather—she felt Leng Muxun shouldn’t deceive him.
The surprise in Grandfather’s eyes deepened. “Why?”
Stepping closer, Zhong Wanqiu naturally linked her arm with the elderly man’s. Just as the old man stiffened and was about to pull away, Zhong Wanqiu lowered her voice and said, “Grandfather, I have something very important to tell you about A Xun. But you must promise not to reveal it or let A Xun know I told you.”
Usually, to pique someone’s curiosity, one must repeatedly emphasize that the information must not be shared. She was now aiming to stir Grandfather’s curiosity about what she had to say.
Sure enough, Grandfather became curious. Pressing his lips together, he said, “Alright, tell me. I promise not to tell A Xun.”
Gritting her teeth, Zhong Wanqiu felt she ought to tell Grandfather. She simply believed Leng Muxun shouldn’t deceive him. “Grandfather, I am A Xun’s hired fiancée. If you don’t like me, let’s work together to make him hire someone else.” What kind of grandson would deceive his grandfather like this? Such a wonderful grandfather—she wished she had one herself.
The old man stopped walking and said, word by word, “What did you say? Say it again.”
“I am A Xun’s hired fiancée.”
“Not that line, the one after that.”
“If Grandfather doesn’t approve, we can work together to make him hire someone else.”
“Girl, don’t you like him?”
She shook her head, then quickly nodded. She did like him, but liking him was useless—there would be no future for them.
“So that means you don’t like him.”
“Mm.” She could only answer this way. Otherwise, the old man seemed determined not to let her off. Her response had genuinely piqued his curiosity.
“Then why did you agree to his proposal?”
Zhong Wanqiu felt somewhat embarrassed. “Oh, I owe him a lot of money. I don’t know why, out of all the women in T City, he chose to hire me. That day, I heard Ruoxin say… that I resemble a former lover of his.” She was just rambling, saying whatever came to mind. The more she spoke, the messier it became, but since she had decided not to lie to Grandfather, she might as well be completely honest.
Lying to such a kind grandfather sometimes felt like a crime.
The old man’s expression shifted. “Did Ruoxin really say that?”
She nodded. “Yes.” Liu Ruoxin had said those words, but whether they were true or not, she had no idea.
“Girl, you’re quite honest. Haha, I like that.”
The old man laughed, his face radiant with sunshine.
Zhong Wanqiu frowned. She simply didn’t want to deceive Grandfather. She had expected the Old Master to look down on her or at least scold her, but instead, he was smiling at her. “Grandfather, are you… are you alright?” She was truly confused. How could he possibly like someone like her?
“I’m fine. The car is here. Get in.” He took her hand and guided her into the back seat. Across from them, Leng Muxun’s eyes flickered with a faint light. He found his grandfather’s reaction to Zhong Wanqiu rather strange.
“Grandfather, I’ll drive. Wanqiu usually sits in the passenger seat.” He felt slightly uneasy, not wanting Zhong Wanqiu to sit too close to his grandfather. That smile of his grandfather’s surely meant trouble.
“A Xun, Grandfather likes Wanqiu. I want to have a few intimate words with her. You focus on driving and don’t disturb us.” After saying this, the old man, now seated in the car, directly pressed a button to raise a partition. Soon, a transparent glass panel separated the driver’s seat from the back.
“Grandfather…” Zhong Wanqiu felt a bit awkward. She didn’t know what the old man intended, and his reaction was truly peculiar.
“Don’t worry, A Xun’s car has excellent soundproofing. You can say whatever you want.”
“Grandfather, you’re a good person. You won’t expose me, right?”
The old man smiled. “Mm, I won’t.”
“Grandfather, to be honest, I did it for the money. I owe A Xun a lot.” She didn’t know exactly how much Leng Muxun had spent to resolve the Bai Family’s troubles, so she could only say it was a large sum. She couldn’t bring herself to lie to such a kind grandfather. She liked him—he was truly good-natured, open-minded, and warm.
“Girl, you’re quite honest. Alright, I won’t expose you for now, but if Muxun finds out, it’s not my fault.” He smiled at her, but his gaze made Zhong Wanqiu feel somewhat uneasy. She was finding it harder and harder to understand him.
“Grandfather, as long as you don’t say anything, A Xun won’t find out.”
“Fine, I promise you. But…”
“But what?” The Old Master paused, making Zhong Wanqiu a bit nervous.
“Haven’t thought of it yet, but since I’ve promised not to say anything, you have to promise me one thing too.”
“OK.” Consider it an exchange—that would make her feel more balanced.
“Girl, would you agree to anything?”
“Grandfather is a good person and wouldn’t harm me. Whatever Grandfather says, I’ll agree.” It was just about humoring the elderly, and she was doing exactly that to make him happy.
Actually, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.
“Ring, ring.” Just as they were talking, Zhong Wanqiu’s phone rang. She took it out of her backpack and saw Leng Mu Ke’s number.
As she hesitated, the Old Master said, “Answer it. You young people have your own lives; I won’t disturb you.”
She had no choice but to answer. She pressed the answer button unhurriedly, and Leng Muxun’s voice immediately came through, “Don’t say anything, just listen. Wanqiu, don’t talk too much with Grandfather. Just chat about the weather, movies, sports, or something. Otherwise, Grandfather is very sharp.”
“Mm,” she responded softly, a smile on her lips as she looked at Leng Muxun through the glass. They were so close, yet he had called, and worst of all, Grandfather already knew everything.
“It’s great that Grandfather likes you, Wanqiu. Thank you. I’m hanging up.” With a “beep,” Leng Muxun ended the call.
Zhong Wanqiu felt a bit embarrassed. From Leng Muxun’s tone, he seemed genuinely touched, which made her feel guilty—she had told Grandfather everything about him.
“Girl, if that brat A Xun said anything to upset you, tell me. When we get home, I’ll scold him, or even hit him if necessary.” Just as Zhong Wanqiu was lost in thought, the Old Master suddenly spoke.
“Ah, no, nothing. A Xun treats me very well.”
“That’s good. We’re almost there. Look, just around the corner. Girl, you’ll stay over tonight, alright?”
Zhong Wanqiu looked at the Old Master in confusion, carefully replaying his words in her mind. She was sure she hadn’t misheard. “Grandfather, I’m sorry, but I’m super lazy and really hate waking up too early. I have school tomorrow, and this place is far from campus, so…” She declined tactfully, not really wanting to stay at the Leng family home.
“No problem. I’ll have A Xun notify the school to reschedule your morning class to the second period. That way, you won’t have to wake up too early.”
Wide-eyed, Zhong Wanqiu hadn’t expected Grandfather to dismiss her excuse so casually.
The Leng family villa was luxurious, with a swimming pool and garden, occupying prime real estate in T City. After dinner, just as Leng Muxun picked up his car keys to take Zhong Wanqiu back, the Old Master spoke up, “Muxun, I’ve just returned. Stay the night and leave tomorrow. It’s not too late.”
“This…”
“Go upstairs. Since you’re getting married, give me a grandchild sooner rather than later. Otherwise, don’t call me Grandfather.”
“Alright, Grandfather.” After a brief thought, Leng Muxun agreed.
Zhong Wanqiu had thought Leng Muxun would resist, but instead, he took her hand and led her toward the second floor. “Goodnight, Grandfather.”
“Goodnight.”
Turning around, Old Master stood in the living room with a beaming smile—a smile that felt intrusive, deeply intrusive. But Zhong Wanqiu had no time to dwell on it as she was dragged into a room on the second floor. With a “thud,” Leng Muxun pulled her down, and they both tumbled onto the large bed in the room…