Zhen Han couldn’t understand why Yan Sui was still so calm. He paused slightly, then explained to Meng Ting on behalf of Yan Sui, “Don’t take it seriously, Little Sister-in-law. It’s probably a trick of the camera angle or a technical composite.” Other than that, he couldn’t think of any other possibilities.
“Does it mean… that everyone has this photo in their home?” Meng Ting didn’t even understand what Zhen Han had said; he was still caught up in the shock of the photo, unable to extricate himself. His voice trembled slightly as he asked Yan Sui, his expression a mix of anger, confusion, and grievance.
Yan Sui pulled the corner of the newspaper that Meng Ting was still holding onto and placed it on the edge of the table. He then served Meng Ting some congee and added his favorite dishes before finally speaking, “No one knows it’s you.”
A normal person would never think that this woman is Meng Ting in disguise; it would be even stranger for them to explain it.
“Hahaha…” Yan Manjia finally couldn’t hold it in any longer, bursting into loud laughter, her body shaking uncontrollably, clutching her stomach and exclaiming ‘Oh dear, oh dear’.
When Zhen Han connected Yan Sui’s words, Meng Ting and Yan Manjia’s reaction, he finally reacted. He rolled his eyes vigorously.
Later, without needing Meng Ting or Yan Sui to say anything, Yan Manjia told Zhen Han everything, including what Meng Ting heard from He Wan and Li Yifei.
“Our Ting Ting baby is really too beautiful, he looks great in a dress too, those people didn’t even notice, hahaha…” Yan Manjia, ignoring Meng Ting’s blushing and frustrated expression, was very pleased with her masterpiece.
Zhen Han listened to Yan Manjia finish speaking, couldn’t help but take another look at the newspaper, and though he hadn’t noticed it before, now he could really see some resemblance to Meng Ting.
However, what Zhen Han was looking at wasn’t this. Everything around this photo was blurred, except for Yan Sui’s back, which was relatively clear. The people and environment beside him were hard to make out, so Li Yifei and He Wan shouldn’t be affected by seeing this photo.
“Are these two people out of their minds?” Zhen Han put down the newspaper and raised an eyebrow sarcastically. However, Yan Sui was still trying to comfort Meng Ting, and Yan Manjia was still laughing and hadn’t come back to her senses. Zhen Han couldn’t help but roll his eyes again, but he didn’t dwell on it any longer.
If Yan Sui knew about this, there would be no lack of action; he just had to sit back and watch the show.
Yan Sui’s attempts to comfort did not have much effect; Meng Ting still looked very depressed. It seemed he needed a bit more time to come to terms with things. After having breakfast, Yan Sui hugged and kissed Meng Ting for a long while before finally having to leave.
If it weren’t for Meng Ting obvious reluctance to go out, Yan Sui would probably want to take the person to the company.
“I’m fine, as long as you can forget it,” Meng Ting said, looking at Yan Sui with shining eyes. Yan Sui pulled him over and kissed him twice on the lips before turning around and getting into the car.
Meng Ting stood watching Yan Sui’s car leave. He pursed his lips and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. However, he still couldn’t figure out whether Yan Sui had forgotten or not.
“How annoying, Yan Sui obviously didn’t remember it either…” Meng Ting glanced at Dahuang by his feet in frustration, then led it inside. He probably thought that since he forgot, Yan Sui must have forgotten too.
But to make Yan Sui forget that breathtaking and heart-stirring scene, it would probably be impossible in his lifetime.
***
The Yan family’s public relations were quite timely; the news about Yan Sui only made a brief appearance in the morning paper and didn’t cause any further waves. However, those who needed to know basically already knew. Regarding the rumors of Yan Sui’s infidelity, many people thought, ‘As expected’.
They thought that after more than two months, the patriarch of the Yan family should have grown tired of Meng Ting, and one by one, their gossiping spirits were ignited, waiting to see Meng Ting’s reaction.
However, Meng Ting was different from the wives of ordinary noble families; he rarely attended banquets alone. Recently, Yan Sui had declined many social engagements, and as a result, Meng Ting had also been seldom seen, so they could no longer think about it. They could only speculate in their minds about Meng Ting’s disheartened appearance.
Yan Sui and Zhen Han both went to work, and Yan Manjia also went to her studio. Meng Ting took Dahuang for a walk for a while before returning to his study. In the afternoon, Yan Mingya came by, discussed the lab assistant situation with Meng Ting, and then left.
Meng Ting ran to the backyard to fuss with the flowers again, and Yan Manjia’s window happened to be facing it. Her eyes lit up slightly, and she took out her drawing board again. Inspiration surged, and it flowed much more smoothly than the previous piece.
Meng Ting didn’t know he had already become the subject of Yan Manjia’s painting. He finished cutting the flowers, then sat on the blanket that Uncle Xiao had people laid out for him, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers while recording data in his notebook.
He took it very seriously, and gradually he forgot about the blunder in the morning paper. He answered Meng Qi’s call and listened for a long time before he finally understood what he was talking about.
“That bastard Yan Sui!” Meng Qi, hearing Meng Ting’s silence for so long, thought he was still sad, and got even angrier.
“No, Yan Sui isn’t, you are.” Meng Ting, hearing Meng Qi scold Yan Sui, naturally got angry too. He went from lying down to sitting up, his cheeks slightly puffed out. If Meng Qi were in front of him, he would probably feel the chilling murderous intent.
“What kind of love potion did he give you?”
Meng Qi’s breath was blocked in his chest, almost choking him to death. He really wanted to grab Meng Ting and shake him awake. He was just afraid that if he fell too deep, it would be too late. Yan Sui was quick to find a lover, but Meng Ting had fallen too deep, and it seemed he would probably suffocate himself to death.
“Yan Sui wouldn’t force me to take a potion,” Meng Ting said, frowning again, “You’ve misunderstood…”
“What?” Meng Qi waited for Meng Ting to continue speaking, but after a long time, there was still no response from that side.
But then, the voice from the other end suddenly got louder, giving him a big scare.
“Yan Sui is holding me, he wouldn’t hold anyone else.” Compared to people finding out about him wearing a dress, Meng Ting disliked even more the idea of others misunderstanding that Yan Sui was holding someone other than him. He emphasized again to Meng Qi, “Yan Sui is mine, he only holds me.”
Meng Qi was stunned for a while before coming to his senses. He was silent for a long time before he understood Meng Ting’s meaning, and then his expression cracked a bit, “Why are you wearing a dress for no reason?” Could it be that Yan Sui has such a peculiar preference?
“Hmph,” Meng Ting huffed angrily, “I’m not telling you. I’m going to hang up. Don’t call me again, hmph!”
Meng Ting looked at his phone, remembering that it was Yan Sui who gave it to him. In the end, he couldn’t bear to throw it too heavily onto the blanket. He hugged his knees, his cheeks puffing up again, still fuming.
Meng Qi on the other side also didn’t know whether to cry of laugh by Meng Ting’s two angry ‘hmphs’. He stroked his chin, realizing that he might have been a bit too meddlesome, but wasn’t it because Meng Ting looked too worrisome that he acted this way?
He also rarely gets to see Meng Ting’s emotions so rich and varied; it seems he is indeed doing very well by Yan Sui’s side. He remembered seeing Li Yifei sneering at the newspaper in the morning and couldn’t help but chuckle. She was probably just going to laugh for nothing again.
However, Meng Qi didn’t hang up the phone immediately. He hesitated for a moment and then called Yan Sui. He had known this number for a long time but had hardly ever called it. Today was the right time to do so.
“I found out some things about Little Seventh and thought you should know.”
When Yan Sui answered the phone, Meng Qi’s first words were this.
Since it was about Meng Ting, Yan Sui naturally cared. He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window before responding to Meng Qi, “Let’s meet and talk. I have something to discuss with you too.”
Meng Qi raised an eyebrow in surprise but did not refuse, “Okay.”
Meng Qi came out of the room and went to the inner courtyard to say goodbye to Old Master Meng and Feng Zejiao. Then he drove his own car away from the old residence. He didn’t feel much before, but after coming here, he felt more and more that the Meng family was so rotten that it made people feel sick, including himself.
He found some information, which he was supposed to share with Old Master Meng. However, Old Master Meng is the root cause of the current chaos in the Meng family. If he really went to him, it would be a waste of all the hard work and dangers he has faced during this time.
***
When Meng Qi arrived at a tea house, Yan Sui was already there. Meng Qi curled his lip; clearly, they were from the same generation, but Yan Sui’s way of doing things was like that of an old relic. Who among young people would choose to meet in a tea house for a conversation?
Meng Qi might have complained in his heart, but once he walked in, he didn’t dare to show it anymore.
He sat down, and Yan Sui poured him a cup of tea. Meng Qi didn’t say anything more flowery. He took a file folder out of his briefcase and pushed it to Yan Sui. “I secretly filmed this from Li Yifei’s room.”
This opportunity was not easy to find. The few servants around Li Yifei are very loyal. He also put in a lot of effort to gather these materials and then verified some things based on them.
“If you are willing to press charges, this evidence is enough to send her to jail.”
It still doesn’t sound good in terms of public opinion; after all, Meng Ting is nominally still Li Yifei’s biological grandson.
But when Meng Qi spoke these words, it was to support Meng Ting and Yan Sui in retaliating.
Yan Sui did not respond to Meng Qi’s words. He went through all the materials Meng Qi had given him. Most of them overlapped with what he had found, but there were some places he couldn’t verify, such as the whereabouts of the man who had molested Meng Ting back then.
“He was sent to South Asia; whether he is dead or alive is hard to say.” Meng Qi glanced at the page Yan Sui was looking at and added. Based on what he knew of Li Yifei, she could definitely eliminate any potential threats, leaving no future troubles. After all, she was this ruthless even to her own grandson.
“His life or death, I will make sure of it,” Yan Sui turned the page and then looked up at Meng Qi. His gaze was scrutinizing, and the previously casual-looking Meng Qi immediately became tense, as if a high school student was being watched by the disciplinary director, wanting to flee at any moment.
“The patriarch of the Meng family should be replaced, don’t you think?” Yan Sui suddenly asked Meng Qi in a slow and leisurely manner.
Meng Qi instinctively jolted. It was obvious that the Meng family had already angered Yan Sui to the point where he was willing to intervene in their internal succession. If anyone else had said this, Meng Qi would definitely have scoffed at them for overestimating their own abilities, but Yan Sui absolutely had the capital to make such a statement.
“Are you going to help my dad?” As soon as Meng Qi finished speaking, Yan Sui shook his head.
He said somewhat cruelly, “He’s already been spoiled by your grandfather, don’t you think?” Or rather, he has been deliberately spoiled.
Meng Qi had no choice but to nod. Recently, he had indeed understood many things he didn’t grasp before. The so-called fairness of Old Master Meng was actually the greatest bias, favoring the second house and Li Yifei. His father, and even he himself, were being deliberately indulged and spoiled.
Li Yifei’s design, with the tacit approval of Old Master Meng, made the succession of the next generation of the Meng family seem straightforward and legitimate. However, the actual situation was quite delicate. Even if Meng Qi was determined to make a comeback, once Li Yifei or Old Master Meng noticed, the obstacles he would face would be much, much greater than he anticipated.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 063.1″]
不能自拔 (bù néng zì bá): to be in an inextricable situation; to be unable to stop; cannot help oneself; unable to extricate oneself; unable to free oneself; trapped； stuck; inextricable; deeply involved; addicted; engrossed; o be stuck in a deep situation; it is difficult to extricate oneself from it.曇花一現 (tán huā yī xiàn): lit. the night-blooming cactus shows once; flower of the cluster fig (Ficus racemosa) only shows itself for a short time; flash in the pan (idiom); last as briefly as the broad-leaved epiphyllum; ephemeral; short-lived; not long-term; beautiful things or scenes appear for a while and disappear quickly; 曇花 (tán huā) is short for 優曇婆羅花 (yōu tán pól uó huā), a transcription of Sanskrit उडुम्बर (uḍumbara, “cluster fig (Ficus racemosa)”). Uḍumbara is a sacred tree in Buddhism; its flowers are enclosed within its fruit, and the tree is said to bloom only once every 3000 years, thus it symbolises events of rare occurrence.
斬草除根 (zhǎn cǎo chú gēn): lit. to take out the roots while removing weeds; to cut weeds and eliminate the roots (idiom); to destroy root and branch; to root out; to nip in the bud; to eliminate completely; eradicate; wipe out; exterminate; destroy utterly; remove the problem at its source; to uproot the grass so that it cannot grow again. It is a metaphor for completely eradicating the root of trouble and leaving no future trouble.
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