Meng Chu truly hadn’t expected that someone who had been in Shenzhen at midnight would now be standing before her.
And personally offering an apology.
She froze for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words.
In that instant, a certain part of her heart softened unexpectedly.
All these days, Cheng Jinyu had been sending her apology messages every night.
For him, this was probably something he had never done before.
Just as Meng Chu remained silent, Cheng Jinyu spoke again, “Can you forgive me? Meng Chu.”
Meng Chu, for some reason, suddenly smiled.
Then she looked at him and said, “If I said no, wouldn’t your trip back be a waste?”
“It’s fine. I can wait for the next time.”
Cheng Jinyu’s demeanor was impeccable, enough to leave a favorable impression.
Meng Chu raised her head to glance at the large tree not far away.
The neighborhood was old, and the trees planted here were towering and lush, their dense leaves slicing the morning sunlight into scattered fragments.
Everything about the early morning was so delightful.
“A new day, a new beginning.”
Meng Chu’s beautiful, clear eyes met his as she spoke solemnly.
Cheng Jinyu understood her meaning.
Turn the page and embrace a fresh start.
She had forgiven him for his previous deception.
“Alright, I should head to work now. Since you rushed back so early, you should go rest too,” Meng Chu said, knowing he must have returned overnight.
Cheng Jinyu replied, “Let me drive you to work.”
Meng Chu was surprised. “You drove here?”
This time, he had come in an SUV.
As Meng Chu got in, she noticed a thermal bag placed on the passenger seat.
“I brought you breakfast too,” Cheng Jinyu said, gesturing toward it.
Meng Chu picked up the bag.
“Thank you.”
She placed it on her lap and fastened her seatbelt.
Soon, the car pulled out of the neighborhood.
Meng Chu looked out the window.
It was peak rush hour, with endless streams of cars and people heading to work or school.
When they stopped at a red light, she noticed a child on the back of an electric scooter by the sidewalk, eating breakfast bite by bite.
Everything that had once seemed mundane to her now felt slightly different.
Perhaps because this was the first time someone had driven her to work.
“How do you usually get to work?”
Cheng Jinyu, seemingly relaxed while waiting for the light, tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.
Meng Chu answered, “By taxi or subway. There’s a subway station just a five-minute walk from this neighborhood.”
Cheng Jinyu paused. “Do you know how to drive?”
Meng Chu nodded.
“Yes, but I don’t have a Shanghai license plate. My company provides transportation subsidies, so taking taxis is pretty convenient.”
Their rare casual conversation carried a relaxed atmosphere.
As the light turned green, the car started moving again.
Cheng Jinyu spoke up once more.
“Don’t you have a lot of work dinners? If you drink, isn’t taking a taxi inconvenient?”
Meng Chu replied nonchalantly, “It’s fine. Occasionally, the company car can drop me off.”
Before the incident involving Gu Ting’s girlfriend, Shao Yunjia, the company driver would sometimes give Meng Chu a ride home.
But now, to maintain distance from Gu Ting, she rarely took the company car anymore.
Occasionally. Cheng Jinyu recalled that night outside the club when he had overheard Meng Chu’s conversation with Gu Ting.
Clearly, she had been adamant about refusing a ride home from him.
Meng Chu’s neighborhood wasn’t far from the office. Even during rush hour, they arrived in just half an hour.
“Pull over at the bus stop up ahead. I can walk from there,” Meng Chu pointed forward.
Cheng Jinyu drove straight past it.
After the car stopped, Meng Chu unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted the breakfast bag in her hand, saying, “I’ll eat this properly. Thank you.”
She thanked him again, her politeness making the smile fade from Cheng Jinyu’s lips.
Still, he nodded in acknowledgment.
When Meng Chu reached her office upstairs and had just set the breakfast down, someone came looking for her.
By the time she finished handling matters, half an hour had already passed.
Returning to her office, she looked at the insulated bag on her desk and felt a wave of relief-thank goodness it was insulated.
The breakfast probably hadn’t gone cold yet.
She opened the sealed bag, ready to take out the food.
The bag was quite large and well-sealed, clearly from a decent breakfast place.
But as Meng Chu pulled out the breakfast, she noticed another bag tucked inside.
It had been folded over, likely to fit neatly into the insulated bag.
When she unfolded it, she found a long, black rectangular box inside.
A brand logo was printed on top.
Just like the ring box Cheng Jinyu had produced that night.
Even before opening it, Meng Chu had a rough idea of what was inside.
Taking a deep breath, she gently lifted the lid.
Sure enough, nestled against black velvet was a delicate, slender bracelet.
At its center was a diamond-encrusted butterfly, flanked by two smaller ones.
The intricately crafted butterflies sparkled brilliantly with even the slightest movement under the light.
Meng Chu wasn’t particularly fond of jewelry, but the moment she saw this bracelet, it took her breath away.
She gazed at it for a long while, about to take a photo to ask Cheng Jinyu about it.
But after some hesitation, she decided to call him instead.
He answered almost immediately.
Pressing her lips together, Meng Chu spoke first, “I found something in the breakfast bag.”
“Do you like it?” Cheng Jinyu chuckled lightly, his tone relaxed.
Meng Chu sighed softly, “You really didn’t have to give me this.”
After a brief silence, Cheng Jinyu’s unhurried voice came through, “You didn’t think I’d only apologize with words, did you?”
Meng Chu quickly explained, “I forgave you because I could tell you were sincere.”
“Thank you for acknowledging that,” Cheng Jinyu laughed quietly again.
Meng Chu paused.
Was he actually feeling proud now?
But she said seriously, “This bracelet must be expensive. I can’t keep accepting gifts from you.”
“Then think of it as,” Cheng Jinyu drawled, his voice slow and deliberate, “a gift from your ‘boyfriend’ on social media.”
Meng Chu: “…”
She slowly, very slowly, bit her lip.
She should have known—once he found out about her ‘showing off’ their relationship online, it would come to this.
In the end, Meng Chu tucked the bracelet into her bag.
After all, she couldn’t exactly mail it back to him.
But shortly after hanging up, she received another WeChat message.
Cheng Jinyu: 【I’m heading back to Shenzhen soon, then to Hong Kong. I’ll be gone for a few days.】
Reading this, Meng Chu felt an inexplicable pang of guilt.
So he really had come back just for her.
Meng Chu: [Sorry for disrupting your work.]
Before long, Cheng Jinyu sent another message: [?]
Huh?
What did the question mark mean?
Meng Chu stared at the symbol on her screen, slightly confused.
Cheng Jinyu: 【If you say it like that, I’ll start suspecting you’re still upset.】
Meng Chu couldn’t help but smile.
Meng Chu: [No, I’m really not angry anymore.]
Meng Chu: 【I just feel a little bad making you fly back and forth like this.]
This time, Cheng Jinyu didn’t reply, so Meng Chu set her phone aside.
She thought the conversation had ended there.
She began eating breakfast while keeping an eye on her computer, ready to start her workday.
After some time, her phone vibrated again.
Picking it up, she saw another message from Cheng Jinyu.
Cheng Jinyu: [As long as you’re not upset, that’s all that matters.]
Meng Chu held her phone, staring at those words.
After some thought, she carefully typed out a response.
Meanwhile, in the VIP lounge of the airport, Cheng Jinyu kept his gaze fixed on his phone.
This time, he was alone-no assistants or executives accompanying him on his usual business trips across the country.
He had rushed back to Shanghai by himself.
Finally, his phone vibrated in his palm, and he saw Meng Chu’s message.
【Wishing you success with your work.】
Cheng Jinyu wasn’t the least bit surprised. He simply chuckled softly.
Such a typical Meng Chu response.
Since tomorrow was Saturday, Song Yumian had made plans with Meng Chu days ago to meet for dinner.
They chose a popular restaurant near Meng Chu’s place, one that supposedly had long lines.
Meng Chu, unusually not working overtime, arrived early to get a queue number.
“I’m going to see if this barbecue place lives up to the hype online,” Song Yumian said when she arrived, just as Meng Chu’s number was called.
Meng Chu: “It might actually be good. Look at the line outside.”
Song Yumian scoffed: “In Shanghai, everything has a line. Even lamb skewers can have a queue stretching for miles.”
Meng Chu laughed.
Song Yumian added, “No wonder my parents keep nagging me to move back home. It’s so annoying.”
Meng Chu fell silent for a moment before sighing.
“But don’t worry, I won’t abandon you and go back alone,” Song Yumian said with a grin.
Meng Chu nodded.
Then Song Yumian suddenly asked, “So, how’s it going with that guy you’ve been seeing?”
Meng Chu hadn’t expected the topic to shift so abruptly.
She pointed at the QR code on the table.
“Why don’t you scan this and order first?”
“I’ll scan it, but don’t think you’re getting out of this,” Song Yumian said while pulling out her phone.
Meng Chu knew there was no escaping the conversation today.
She answered vaguely, “It’s going fine. Everything’s good.”
Though the process had been anything but smooth.
Truthfully, Meng Chu wasn’t deliberately hiding things from Song Yumian-even her own mother didn’t know about her marriage yet.
She planned to come clean once she felt the time was right.
“That’s great! Are you two heading toward marriage?” Song Yumian blurted out.
Meng Chu, who had been drinking water, choked at the question.
She quickly set down her glass while Song Yumian handed her a napkin.
“Slow down, what’s the rush?” Song Yumian said, concerned.
Meng Chu covered her mouth with the napkin, waving her other hand dismissively.
She wasn’t in a hurry. She was simply stunned.
After Meng Chu had calmed down, she looked at Song Yumian seriously and said, “Have you considered buying some lottery tickets recently?”
Song Yumian was taken aback by this sudden topic.
Because it was completely out of the blue.
Seeing Meng Chu staring at her face, she reached up and touched her cheek, saying, “What, can you read faces now? Did you see some great fortune coming my way?”
Meng Chu nodded earnestly.
“Your mouth is quite prophetic.”
“What do you mean?”
Song Yumian didn’t quite understand.
Just then, Meng Chu urged her to hurry up and order.
Song Yumian had no choice but to look at the menu.