Chapter 13 (2/2): So who is Cheng Jinyu?

“So,” the man who had been silent on the other end finally spoke up at this moment, letting out a faint chuckle before saying softly, “You must have picked it up by mistake, right?”

It sounded like he was covering for her.

Meng Chu’s brain should have been racing to deal with this absurd situation, but it felt as rusty as an old machine.

“Then I won’t disturb you any further. Goodnight.”

Cheng Jinyu’s calm voice came through the phone.

Wait, wait — don’t hang up! Let me explain!

Before Meng Chu could say anything, the other end had already “kindly and politely” ended the call.

Now, alone in her apartment, the silence was as heavy as a tomb.

Clutching the box in her hand, she slowly pieced together the events of the evening.

This thing… it must have been something she grabbed from the shelf when the cashier offered her an add-on purchase-what she thought was a box of candy.

Because the shelves by supermarket checkout counters always displayed either chewing gum or… this.

But was she really so blind that she couldn’t tell the difference between chewing gum and this? Cheng Jinyu had been the one bagging the groceries, so he must have tucked it at the very bottom!

And that was why, after arriving at her doorstep, he hadn’t even stepped inside before leaving.

Could he possibly think she’d bought this… to seduce him tonight?!

Aaaaaah!

The thought nearly short-circuited her brain.

So he left first, then after careful consideration, decided that if she wanted to take their relationship further, he was… agreeing to it?

What exactly was he agreeing to?!

Meng Chu felt like every detail of tonight was too mortifying to dwell on.

She was suffocating.

And when people are drowning, they’ll grasp at any lifeline.

There was no way she could’ve mistaken a box of condoms for chewing gum, right? Someone must have picked them up, changed their mind, and carelessly stuck them back on the gum shelf.

And then unlucky her, assuming everything on that shelf was gum, grabbed it without a second thought.

Yes, yes. That had to be it.

Meng Chu had always been one for thorough investigation.

Form bold hypotheses, verify carefully-that was the motto of every researcher.

So she grabbed her phone, slipped on her shoes, and rushed straight back to the supermarket.

Luckily, it wasn’t closing time yet.

She headed straight for the checkout counter, ready to snap photographic evidence to send to Cheng Jinyu.

This was something that needed to be cleared up.

Otherwise…

When she reached the counter, her steps faltered.

To the left of the register were shelves of colorful candies and gums.

To the right—an equally vibrant array of condoms.

Between them ran the narrow customer pathway, which now seemed like an impassable chasm in Meng Chu’s eyes.

Because back then… she had taken it from the right shelf.

There was no way she could’ve accidentally picked up a misplaced box of condoms from the gum shelf.

*    *    *

2:30 AM.

Meng Chu abruptly sat up in bed.

She hadn’t contacted Cheng Jinyu since returning from the supermarket.

But tonight, for the first time ever, she found herself wide awake.

Because of a single sentence from a man.

She reached for her phone and opened WeChat.

Then tapped into the chat window with Cheng Jinyu.

Finally, she initiated a voice call. After several rings, he answered.

“Cheng Jinyu,” this time she took the initiative to say his name.

The man on the other end seemed to have just woken up: “Meng Chu.”

His deep voice carried the huskiness of someone freshly roused from sleep, reverberating in the darkness of Meng Chu’s room with an indescribable allure.

This was Cheng Jinyu’s voice when he first woke up.

Realizing how intimate this sound was, Meng Chu felt as if her heart had been violently squeezed.

“About that condom today—I really did grab the wrong one by accident.”

She spoke earnestly and sincerely.

Cheng Jinyu seemed to sit up then, though his voice remained slightly hoarse: “You called just to say this?”

“Yeah,” Meng Chu exhaled deeply.

Then she chuckled softly and said, “Goodnight.”

After hanging up, Meng Chu lay down, pulling the thin blanket over herself as she comfortably closed her eyes.

Indeed, rather than tormenting myself, it’s better to go a little crazy.

You made me lose sleep? Then I’ll make sure you don’t sleep well either!

*

Perhaps because of this absurd misunderstanding, the already fragile relationship between Meng Chu and Cheng Jinyu seemed to have regressed to square one.

Cheng Jinyu didn’t reach out to her.

And naturally, she wouldn’t initiate contact either.

At least that lavish meal had served its purpose-it would keep her mother happy for a while.

But within days, Xu Qingying called to remind her: “Don’t forget to visit your Aunt Xue Yi this weekend. Isn’t Xiao Yu’s birthday coming up?”

“I know, Mom,” Meng Chu nodded.

For a few years, Xue Yi had accompanied her husband to the U.S. as a visiting scholar, and their contact dwindled.

Xue Yi was Xu Qingying’s close friend—they’d been inseparable since their youth.

But after returning to China, Xue Yi immediately reconnected with Xu Qingying, only to learn then that Xu Qingying had battled cancer.

Xue Yi was furious that her dearest friend had kept such momentous news from her.

Ever since, Xue Yi had shown Meng Chu particular care.

Moreover, since Xue Yi’s husband Professor Wen Chengdong also taught at J University, Meng Chu was frequently invited over for meals.

She was especially close with their daughter Wen Yu too.

After all, girls that age always adored gentle older sisters more than their own parents.

“I haven’t forgotten. I even have Xiao Yu’s gift ready.”

Xu Qingying: “Good. After all, Aunt Xue Yi introduced you to such an outstanding boyfriend.”

Her connection with Cheng Jinyu had been facilitated by Aunt Xue Yi.

Mentioning Cheng Jinyu was like pouring salt on the wound.

Just hearing his name left a bitter taste in Meng Chu’s heart.

That weekend, she visited the Wen household where all three family members were present.

Since Wen Yu was still in high school, they kept the birthday celebration low-key-just a family dinner.

Meng Chu presented her carefully selected gift to Wen Yu, who tore open the wrapping immediately and squealed in delight: “Chuchu jiejie! It’s the labubu hidden edition I’ve been dying for!”

She hugged Meng Chu tightly, overjoyed.

Xue Yi sighed nearby: “You shouldn’t let Chuchu spend so much on you.”

“It’s only once a year,” Meng Chu smiled, ruffling the girl’s hair.

Xue Yi: “Last time it was a reward for ranking first in English class, and the time before that was for improving her math score by twenty

points. You always find a reason to reward her.”

“Who could resist our adorable Xiao Yu?” Meng Chu said dotingly.

Wen Yu wriggled coquettishly: “I knew Sister Chuchu loves me the most, loves me the most!”

Soon after, they went out for dinner.

The evening meal was at a family-style restaurant where Xue Yi had reserved a private room.

After dinner, Wen Chengdong went to get the car while the other three waited outside.

“Sister Chuchu, can you stay at my place tonight and sleep with me?” 

Wen Yu kept pleading sweetly.

Meng Chu seemed hesitant.

Just as Xue Yi was about to scold her, she spotted an acquaintance approaching.

“Professor Han, your family is dining here too,” Xue Yi greeted proactively.

The other party walked toward them.

When Meng Chu looked up and saw clearly, she froze momentarily.

Because standing beside Professor Han was none other than Li Huaiqian.

She had thought there wouldn’t be many opportunities to see this senior again.

After Meng Chu nodded politely, Professor Han glanced at her with interest and asked, “And this is…?”

Xue Yi looked at her, struggling to contain herself before saying, “Remember last time…”

Professor Han didn’t seem to grasp her meaning.

Until Xue Yi said helplessly: “Last time when you and I arranged that blind date for them that didn’t work out.”

“Oh, so this is Meng Chu! What a beautiful girl,” Professor Han looked at her son beside her and snorted lightly: “You missed your chance with such a lovely and outstanding young woman.”

At this moment, Meng Chu instinctively looked up at Li Huaiqian.

He was gazing back at her.

But his eyes held indescribable emotions, while Meng Chu was completely stunned.

She was experiencing world-shattering shock.

Because.

If Li Huaiqian was her original blind date, then who was Cheng Jinyu?