Chapter 5: Misunderstood at Home

Even after several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the private room remained lively.

Meng Chu glanced at her phone, which showed 21:35.

Clearly, this gathering wasn’t ending anytime soon.

The club was a half-hour drive from her home-assuming no traffic.

Shanghai was the kind of city where even after 10 PM, traffic jams could still happen.

With all the delays, she wouldn’t get home until at least 11 PM.

Though inwardly exasperated, Meng Chu maintained a calm expression, showing no trace of impatience.

Whenever someone addressed her, she responded with a gentle smile, exuding warmth.

Still, amid the clamor of the room, the noise was giving her a headache.

Excusing herself, she stood and headed for the restroom.

Following the signs, she walked down the hallway.

After finishing up, she stood before the mirror above the sink.

Staring at her reflection, she felt an indescribable weariness.

Deep down, she knew why Gu Ting always brought her to these dinners.

Her face it was undeniably attractive.

People often said true beauty was unaware of itself, but how could someone genuinely good-looking not know?

She had been praised for her looks since childhood.

Yet Meng Chu had never flaunted it. On the contrary, she preferred quiet solitude, focusing on her own pursuits.

In college, success had simply meant delivering results.

But the working world was different.

Among adults, social connections seemed to hinge on endless dinners and gatherings.

It wasn’t the networking itself that bothered her.

It was the way Gu Ting had unhesitatingly sacrificed her in favor of Wang Luoran.

He had positioned her as nothing more than a decorative vase-a pretty face to liven up his business dinners.

After a while, Meng Chu returned to the private room.

The moment she stepped inside, one of the clients grinned at her.

“Director Meng is back! I told you all—this dinner loses its spark without her.”

“Old Zhou, you smooth talker,” someone teased.

“No wonder you were holding back on the drinks earlier. You were waiting for Director Meng!”

“Now that she’s here, Old Zhou, you’d better toast her properly.”

Meng Chu offered a faint smile.

Given her position, no one would dare force her to drink.

But these thinly veiled jests were all too common.

Just as she was considering how to deflect, the door opened again.

A man in a black suit, a name tag pinned to his chest, entered, followed by a server pushing a cart laden with dishes.

“Apologies for the interruption, esteemed guests,” the man said with a polite smile.

“I’m the restaurant manager. Today happens to be our Women’s Appreciation Day, and we’ve prepared a signature jasmine bird’s nest dessert for every female diner.”

The group hadn’t expected this.

One of the men chuckled. “Not bad service. But what about a Men’s Appreciation Day?”

Unfazed, the manager replied smoothly, “Of course, we have those as well-wine tasting and cigar tasting events. Unfortunately, neither falls on today. It would be our honor to host you for one in the future.”

He then respectfully handed his business card to each person at the table.

“Gentlemen, you may leave my business card with your secretaries. Should you have any banquet requirements, my contact information is on it-I’m at your service anytime.”

It must be said, the restaurant manager’s words were exceptionally soothing to hear.

Naturally, no one in the private room caused any trouble.

Later, the manager personally brought the bird’s nest soup to Meng Chu, smiling as he said, “Your bird’s nest, ma’am.”

After they left, the conversation in the room resumed.

Inevitably, the topic turned to how competitive the service industry had become these days.

Meng Chu looked down at the bird’s nest before her and picked up a spoon to taste it.

She had hardly ever eaten this before and couldn’t tell good from bad, but the flavor was quite pleasant.

Thanks to that bowl of bird’s nest, no one found excuses to pressure her into drinking afterward.

After all, even a restaurant had introduced a “Women’s Care Day.” Everyone present prided themselves on being respectable figures-surely their manners couldn’t be worse than a restaurant’s.

Meanwhile, in another private room…

Jiang Min’an watched as Cheng Jinyu returned half an hour after leaving and couldn’t resist asking, “What took you so long? Sneaking off for a snack?”

Though they were all dignified adults now, having grown up together meant they could still tease each other shamelessly when gathered. Cheng Jinyu shot him a sidelong glance and replied dismissively, “Yeah.”

Jiang Min’an pressed, “What’d you eat?”

“Dessert.”

Jiang Min’an frowned. “Since when do you like sweets?”

Liu Bozhou, sitting nearby, glanced at his watch. “Wei Yuan just texted—his flight landed. Let’s move to a bar later?” “Sure, we’re pretty much done here anyway,” Jiang Min’an said, dropping the matter of Cheng Jinyu’s mysterious snack.

But as the other two stood up, Cheng Jinyu remained seated on the sofa, unmoving.

Fiddling with his phone, he said casually, “Let’s stay a bit longer.”

“Why?” Jiang Min’an asked, puzzled.

Cheng Jinyu replied flatly, “Let the food settle. Haven’t digested yet.”

Jiang Min’an: “??”

He was stunned.

Who acts this unapologetic about sneaking snacks?

*

The gathering finally ended at ten. As hosts for the evening, Meng Chu and Gu Ting naturally saw their guests off first. 

Those with drivers simply called for their cars, while those who drove themselves were arranged rides by Gu Ting through the restaurant’s chauffeur service— he covered the fees.

Once most guests had left, Gu Ting turned to Meng Chu.

“Let me drive you home later.”

“No need. I’ll call a ride,” Meng Chu refused without hesitation.

Gu Ting sighed.

“Do you really have to be so distant with me now?”

“It’s not about being distant,” Meng Chu said calmly. 

“It’s about boundaries.”

Gu Ting had been waiting for a chance to talk.

He cut straight to the point: “If this is because of what Jiajia said last time, I apologize on her behalf. She went too far and misunderstood our relationship.”

The “Jiajia” he referred to was his girlfriend, Shao Yunjia―a young lady from a prominent family.

Gu Ting had started dating her earlier this year.

Initially, Meng Chu had no interactions with her, but one day Shao Yunjia suddenly visited the company and happened to see Meng Chu.

From then on, the young lady made her displeasure with Meng Chu abundantly clear, whether overtly or subtly.

Even when Meng Chu traveled for work with Gu Ting-alongside other colleagues-Shao Yunjia would bombard him with seven or eight calls a day to check in.

The real conflict erupted during the last company team-building event.

The young miss probably knew Meng Chu wouldn’t skip it, so she insisted on tagging along.

The chosen location was a Jiangnan water town near Shanghai.

There weren’t many activities—just strolling around, eating, and drinking.

Naturally, Meng Chu wandered around with her assistant, Jiang Xinya, who even found a Hanfu makeup and styling shop to get dolled up.

Later, the two were taking photos by the bridge.

Coincidentally, they ran into Gu Ting and Shao Yunjia, who were also out for a casual stroll.

No one knew why Gu Ting hadn’t managed to placate the young miss, but she looked visibly displeased.

That displeasure exploded the moment she saw Meng Chu.

Shao Yunjia immediately turned to Gu Ting: “So this is why you insisted on coming this way—you had plans to meet someone.”

Gu Ting lowered his voice, trying to soothe her: “What are you talking about? I’m here with you.”

“Is this how you accompany someone? You’ve been glued to that damn phone the whole time, barely paying attention when I ask you to take photos. Clearly, your mind is elsewhere. Fine, I’ll leave. I won’t get in your way.”

The pointedness of Shao Yunjia’s words was so sharp that even Jiang Xinya, who had nothing to do with the situation, trembled in fear.

She was terrified they’d start a full-blown argument right then and there.

But Meng Chu acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, calmly saying to Jiang Xinya, “That spot over there looks nice too. Let’s go take photos there.”

“Okay,” Jiang Xinya replied in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

Just as the two were about to leave, Shao Yunjia, seeing Meng Chu so blatantly ignore her, flew into an even greater rage.

“Feeling guilty, huh?”

Shao Yunjia sneered.

Gu Ting, thoroughly exasperated, reached out to pull her away.

But the more he did so, the angrier she became. 

“Meng Chu, we’re both women-don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”

That made Meng Chu stop in her tracks.

She turned to look at Shao Yunjia, tilting her head slightly. 

“What am I up to? If I see a dog barking on the street, am I not allowed to walk away?”

For a moment, the other two gasped.

Shao Yunjia had never been insulted so openly in her life.

“If you think Gu Ting isn’t paying enough attention to you, take it up with him. Whatever goes on between you two is none of my business, and I couldn’t care less,” Meng Chu said, her dark, sharp eyes now icy and direct. 

“But if you slander me like this again for no reason, next time, I will slap you.”

Her tone wasn’t even particularly angry-just eerily calm, carrying a quiet kind of madness.

It convinced all three of them that she absolutely meant it.

After that, Gu Ting made sure the two never crossed paths again.

And Meng Chu kept her distance from him at all times.

If they needed to communicate, they did so through their assistants whenever possible.

This dinner was the first time in a long while that both of them had attended the same event.

Gu Ting looked at her, his eyes full of resignation. 

“Even if we were just ordinary colleagues, it’d be perfectly normal for me to give you a ride after dinner.”

Meng Chu met his gaze, holding it a beat too long this time. 

“Knowing full well your girlfriend has a problem with us interacting, if I still didn’t keep my distance, then I’d deserve whatever insults come my way.”

“Don’t drag me into whatever game you two are playing, alright?”

Gu Ting opened his mouth to speak.

Meng Chu cut him off coldly. 

“Just go. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”

Gu Ting sighed deeply. 

“What’s there to misunderstand? We’ve known each other for years.”

Meng Chu had finally reached her limit this time. 

She stared straight at Gu Ting, deliberately emphasizing her words: 

“With a grown man like you sending me home, what I’m afraid of is my husband getting the wrong idea after I return.”

Gu Ting, who had been looking serious, suddenly burst out laughing at her words.

After all, he’d known Meng Chu since college-how could he not be aware of her relationship status? 

She didn’t even date, let alone have a husband!

He was just about to say he never knew she could crack jokes when footsteps approached from behind, heading toward the restaurant entrance.

Gu Ting instinctively turned to look.

“President Jiang,” Gu Ting greeted proactively, introducing himself, “I’m Gu Ting from Xingyuan Tech.”

Jiang Min’an hadn’t expected to be recognized but responded politely, “President Gu, what a coincidence.”

Meanwhile, Meng Chu, who had turned around in confusion, froze on the spot.

It wasn’t because of this so-called President Jiang, but the person standing beside him.

Cheng Jinyu was right there next to him.

And at this very moment, his gaze was fixed on her.

Only, there was something indescribable in his eyes.

Why was he here?

The question flashed through Meng Chu’s mind before another realization struck her like lightning.

Wait a minute.

Had she just said the word “husband”?

Meng Chu: “…”

Oh no.

Had he heard her?

Was that why he was looking at her like that?

In an instant, her ears burned hotter than they had back in the private room.

Would he think she went around bragging about having a husband all the time?

At this thought, even the most composed person would hyperventilate.

Honest to goodness, this was the first time she’d ever mentioned having a husband to anyone.

Just as Meng Chu was floundering, her phone buzzed with a notification.

A WeChat message.

Clutching at this lifeline, she quickly unlocked her phone, as if handling matters of national importance.

Gu Ting, who had been about to introduce her to Jiang Min’an, saw her preoccupied with her phone and gave up.

But when Meng Chu saw who had sent the message, her breath hitched even more.

Cheng Jinyu: [Find an excuse to stay.]

When she stole a glance in his direction, Cheng Jinyu had just slipped his phone into his pocket, his hands now resting casually in his coat.

His tall frame leaned lazily, his expression cool and detached, as if he were a stranger.

“Let’s go,” Liu Bozhou called out as their car arrived.

They each got into their own vehicles, and Gu Ting bid farewell to Jiang Min’an.

Before Gu Ting could try to persuade her again, Meng Chu said, “I think I left something in the private room. I’ll go check.”

As soon as she left, Gu Ting’s driver arrived. Knowing Meng Chu’s stubbornness, he could only send her a message reminding her to be careful before driving off.

Meng Chu didn’t return to the private room at all-instead, she made another trip to the restroom.

About ten minutes later, though she hadn’t received any further messages, she returned to the restaurant entrance.

Sure enough, the Maybach that had once parked outside her apartment building was now waiting there.

As she approached, the car door opened.

Cheng Jinyu stepped out, standing by the door-clearly holding it open for her.

“Thank you,” Meng Chu walked over and bent down to enter the car.

Once inside, the driver immediately set off.

Others might not know, but this driver had been to her home before.

So without her needing to provide the address, the car headed in the direction of her residence.

As the vehicle sped down the road, the interior remained quiet.

Meng Chu was the first to break the silence. 

“Do you have another dinner engagement here today?”

“Mhm.”

And just like that, their conversation ended.

Seeing that Cheng Jinyu didn’t seem inclined to chat, she decided not to push it.

But the moment she turned to look out the window, the man beside her suddenly spoke. 

“Does your company often have these kinds of dinner meetings?”

These kinds?

Meng Chu thought for a moment before explaining, “It’s fairly normal-just part of the job.”

After that, Cheng Jinyu’s phone kept vibrating incessantly, and at one point, it even rang.

But he didn’t answer any of the calls.

As expected of a big company’s CEO.

Still so busy this late at night.

Meng Chu sat quietly, refraining from further conversation to avoid disturbing him while he handled his affairs.

They remained like this until the car entered her neighborhood.

Once again, it stopped right at the entrance of her building.

This time, all the nearby parking spots were already taken, and Meng Chu hesitated over whether to invite him upstairs.

But as soon as they stepped out of the car, Cheng Jinyu spoke first. 

“It’s too late tonight. You should go in and rest early.”

So he wasn’t planning to come up.

Meng Chu secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Yet she also felt a little guilty-after all, he had kindly driven her home.

She smiled politely. 

“Right, maybe next time.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how inappropriate they sounded between them.

They weren’t just casual acquaintances.

Too tired to dwell on their complicated situation, she simply nodded and turned toward the entrance.

Just as she pulled out her access card, the man’s deep voice suddenly cut through the quiet night behind her.

“Meng Chu.”

She instinctively turned around.

A few steps away, Cheng Jinyu still stood there. 

His dark eyes seemed to ripple with something, but the next moment, they settled back into calmness. 

Then, slowly, he said, “I didn’t misunderstand.”