Allen was rather surprised. "You know Mr. Kerwin too?"
Meng Shuyao replied vaguely, "I've heard of him."
Allen didn't press further. "Mr. Kerwin's maternal grandfather is very fond of that Miss Jenny. Perhaps before long she'll be Mr. Kerwin's fiancée. The two families are old family friends; a marriage alliance is only a matter of time."
Meng Shuyao froze for an instant.
A certain string in her mind pulled taut.
A marriage alliance—he too was going to enter a marriage alliance?
Everything she had done had ultimately been in vain.
An inexplicable sourness welled up in her chest.
A phone ringtone interrupted her thoughts.
Meng Shuyao barely came back to her senses. Seeing the caller ID, she said, "My friend is looking for me. I'll head back first."
"Mhm." Allen said, "I hope you'll seriously consider my proposal."
-
The first performance had already ended.
Intermission, twenty minutes.
Meng Shuyao returned to her seat.
Winnie sighed regretfully, "Yaoyao, why did you take so long coming back? You missed all the exciting parts."
"I went outside to get some fresh air."
The indoor lighting was dim, concealing the subtle expressions on Meng Shuyao's face.
There were still two more performances after this.
Mia and Winnie watched with full concentration; only Meng Shuyao was absent-minded, frequently drifting off.
Nine-thirty. The show ended and the audience dispersed.
They didn't plan to stay out too late and prepared to return to school.
Going downstairs, Mia and Winnie were still discussing the ballet they had just watched.
"The dancing and plot were both pretty good, it's just the props were a bit lacking."
"Right? I was almost moved to tears, but then I saw the prop knife fall from his chest, and it instantly became a comedy."
Meng Shuyao hadn't spoken the whole time. Winnie sensed something was off. "Yaoyao, why haven't you said anything tonight?"
Mia asked, "You don't like watching stage plays?"
Meng Shuyao moved her lips. "I..."
She had just spoken when Winnie suddenly grabbed her arm. "Hey, isn't that Mr. Pei?"
Meng Shuyao looked up.
Ahead in her line of sight, a tall, noble figure stood at the entrance of the hall. Under the soft lighting, he appeared even more indifferent and distant.
"It really is. What a coincidence." Mia smiled with narrowed eyes. "Yaoyao, here's your chance."
Before Meng Shuyao could say anything, Winnie had already raised her voice to greet him. "Good evening, Mr. Pei."
Pei Yuzhou turned his head at the sound.
Meng Shuyao lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and walked over with her heart in her throat.
Winnie's eyes rolled around. She reached out to hook her arm through Mia's. "Um, we're rushing to the next venue so we'll leave first. You chat with Mr. Pei."
Meng Shuyao was stunned, watching the two of them slip away at lightning speed.
She never usually saw them run this fast.
The atmosphere fell into quiet.
If this were before, Meng Shuyao would have tried every possible way to find a topic to chat with him about, but now, she completely didn't feel like talking.
Fortunately, his driver arrived.
The Cullinan stopped under the portico, and the car door opened.
Pei Yuzhou held a suit jacket in his hand, his tone very light. "I'll give you a ride back to school?"
Meng Shuyao gently shook her head. "No need. I'll just take a cab myself."
He had said last time to stay away from him.
From now on, she would no longer disturb him.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "Mr. Pei, thank you for helping me so much before. I don't seem to have anything with which to repay you."
The man frowned slightly, lowering his eyes to stare at her.
"Mr. Kerwin."
A gentle female voice cut in, accompanied by the crisp sound of high heels.
Meng Shuyao looked back and bid farewell to Pei Yuzhou. "I'll be leaving now. Goodbye, Mr. Pei."
After speaking, she quickly walked down the steps to hail a taxi by the roadside.
Jenny walked toward the entrance. "Mr. Kerwin, could I hitch a ride in your car?"
Pei Yuzhou's expression was indifferent. "It's not on the way."
Jenny said considerately, "It's fine. Whichever hotel is on the way, just drop me off there."
He said directly, "I still have matters to attend to. Ask the club staff to send you."
Jenny's expression froze, watching him get in the car and leave.
His figure disappeared from view.
He was too cold; how could there be any chance to approach and get to know him?
Old Mr. Michael had said to let them cultivate some feelings, but Mr. Kerwin only kept handing her off to his assistant.
If it were any other man, she would have stopped paying attention to him long ago.
But he was Kerwin, not an ordinary man. His family background, appearance, and abilities were all too outstanding—mature and steady, elegant and powerful. Masculine charm was made manifest in him.
At twenty-four, he had started his business, seized the market opportunity, and became the most formidable trader on Wall Street, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. Later, when the family enterprise experienced a financial crisis, it was he who turned the situation around, convincing the executives to submit willingly and smoothly taking control.
There was probably no second man in this world as outstanding as he was; he fully possessed the capital for arrogance.
Moreover, unlike other wealthy young masters with women wrapped around them on both sides and countless females by their side,
such a man was so perfect that one's heart would race just drawing near.
With him as a comparison, Jenny found it difficult to take an interest in other men.
She just didn't know what kind of girl he actually liked.
-
Meng Shuyao hailed a taxi by the roadside to return to school.
She leaned against the car window. Streetlights swept across the glass, light and shadow flickering in vulnerable shifts across her face.
Her mind was a mess, her ears filled with all sorts of voices. She seemed not to know what was the right thing to do.
She didn't dare harbor extravagant hopes for the future.
She didn't want to marry, didn't want to marry anyone, didn't want to place her fate in the hands of a man.
Sometimes she thought, if only life were a program code—one click to clear everything and start over.
If her mother were still alive, her sister healthy, and if she had never returned to the Meng family, living an ordinary life—that would certainly be very blissful.
Ten o'clock. She returned to the dormitory.
Meng Shuyao showered and video-called Aunt Xue.
The call connected quickly. "Yaoyao, it's evening over there, right? You haven't slept yet?"
"I'm not sleepy yet." Meng Shuyao hugged a pillow and lay prone on the bed. "How is Big Sister?"
Aunt Xue sat down next to Shuman and let her into the frame. "Her condition has been very stable lately. She eats obediently every day."
Meng Shuyao pressed her lips into a smile. "That's good then."
Shuman looked at the screen and proactively reached out to take the phone to examine it.
Aunt Xue smiled. "Alright, you sisters chat. I'll clean up the dishes; we just finished lunch."
The camera was covered by something unknown, completely dark; nothing could be seen.
Meng Shuyao knew Shuman ignored people, but she still spoke to her earnestly. "Big Sister, I can't go back to see you recently. You have to listen to Aunt Xue. Don't go out alone; it's very dangerous outside."
"If you really want to go out to play, you must have Aunt Xue accompany you."
"You have to be well. I only have you."
Shuman raised the phone and stared at Meng Shuyao on the screen for a long time. Suddenly, she haltingly spoke. "You... not... happy..."
Meng Shuyao was pleasantly surprised. "You're finally willing to speak!"
Shuman wasn't incapable of speaking; she simply hadn't spoken for so long that her language system had deteriorated, and her vocabulary was very limited.
Meng Shuyao's nose stung, her voice hoarse. "I'm not unhappy. I'm very happy that Big Sister is talking to me. I haven't heard your voice in so long."
It's just that after saying that one sentence, Shuman was unwilling to speak again.
Meng Shuyao was already very satisfied. At least she had started communicating with people.
Slowly but surely, things would get better and better.