Chapter 1: Inappropriate, Governor Meng  

Tao Wanxing heard someone call out “A-Chu” and instinctively looked up.  

Through the crack in the door, the slender, pale hand resting on Meng Chu’s black suit sleeve made her breath catch for a moment.  

The warm yellow light seeped through the gap, stinging her eyes, and her delicate fingers nearly crushed the strap of her bag.  

It had been a month since their marriage, and this was only the second time she had seen him.  

And he was holding another woman.  

He had left on a business trip the very day they registered their marriage.  

Before she could retreat, her gaze met Meng Chu’s as he looked out.  

The corners of his lips still carried a tender smile.  

Had he been with her all this time?  

The bitterness and resentment in Tao Wanxing’s heart threatened to overflow.  

Gao Ming opened the door and paused when he saw Tao Wanxing standing there, but said nothing.  

Behind him followed Zhu Yan and Meng Chu.  

Tao Wanxing forced a smile, swallowed the ache in her chest, and turned to leave.  

Zhu Yan, assuming she was just a passerby, tightened the men’s jacket draped over her shoulders and smiled. “A-Chu, given your position, there’s no need to see me out.”  

Meng Chu’s gaze lingered on the retreating figure before he gave a slight nod.  

The early autumn night carried a chill, and Tao Wanxing hugged her arms as she hailed a taxi by the roadside.  

Gao Ming followed her out. “Madam, the Governor asked you to come back inside.”  

Tao Wanxing knew Gao Ming—Meng Chu’s secretary. He had handled the paperwork for their marriage registration.  

That was also the first time she learned that high-ranking officials enjoyed such privileges.  

Her heart ached unbearably, her slender frame trembling slightly, but her eyes were stubborn. “I won’t go. It’s inappropriate.”  

Gao Ming frowned. “Madam, please don’t make this difficult for me.”  

Knowing Meng Chu’s temper, Tao Wanxing had no choice but to steel herself and follow him back.  

Meng Chu stood at the entrance of the private room, his gaze sweeping over her faded jeans and T-shirt before his brows furrowed slightly. “Come here.”  

Tao Wanxing stiffened, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Instinctively, she wanted to walk away quickly, but the man closed the distance in a few strides and firmly grasped her hand.  

His large, warm palm, slightly calloused, enveloped hers effortlessly.  

As if all he had to do was crook his finger, and she would wag her tail and trot over like an eager puppy.  

She turned to look at him. At his height of 1.9 meters, she had to tilt her head slightly upward.  

Gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his tall nose, his eyelids lifting slightly as he frowned, his voice cool.  

The pressure was overwhelming.  

As if the man who had just been smiling and speaking softly to another woman had never existed.  

Did he despise her this much?  

All the words she had prepared in her heart scattered like dust.  

Tao Wanxing cursed herself for being so weak-willed and pulled her hand free. “Governor Meng.”  

The warmth in his palm vanished abruptly, and Meng Chu rubbed his fingertips together, feeling the emptiness. “My colleagues are still inside. Come with me, and we’ll leave together later.”  

Tao Wanxing forced a mocking smile. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate, Governor Meng?”  

Meng Chu glanced at her, his expression unreadable, indifferent.  

“I won’t repeat myself.”  

Tao Wanxing lowered her eyes. “Was that Zhu Yan earlier?”  

“Yes. You remember her.”  

Of course she remembered. She doubted she could ever forget.  

Before she could react, Meng Chu had already led her into the private room.  

The others inside froze in surprise.

Gao Ming was Meng Chu’s secretary, having climbed his way up to his current position through thick and thin alongside him. He was most adept at reading Meng Chu’s expressions.  

Since the governor had no intention of introducing Tao Wanxing to the others, Gao Ming didn’t dare take the liberty of explaining who she was. He could only cautiously address her as “Miss Tao.”  

“Miss Tao, please have a seat.” He pulled out the chair beside Meng Chu.  

The repeated address of “Miss Tao” made Tao Wanxing feel as though a lump of cotton were stuck in her chest—unable to be swallowed or spat out.  

Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, she walked to the farthest empty seat and sat down.  

Gao Ming hesitated. “Miss Tao?”  

He gestured toward the two conspicuously vacant seats in the center—clearly reserved for her and Meng Chu.  

Tao Wanxing forced a faint smile. “Can I not sit here?”  

Gao Ming didn’t dare glance at Meng Chu’s icy expression.  

Meng Chu adjusted his glasses, rolled up his sleeves, and casually walked over to Tao Wanxing’s side. He pulled out the chair and sat down, leaning back indifferently with his long legs crossed. His voice was cool. “It’s fine. Sit wherever.”  

The lively atmosphere in the private room, still buzzing from the presence of the celebrity Zhu Yan, instantly quieted.  

Everyone kept their eyes downcast, stealing glances at Meng Chu and Tao Wanxing, silently speculating about their relationship.  

Just moments ago, the famous Zhu Yan had seemed quite intimate with Governor Meng, leading them to assume they were a couple. Yet now, the governor had walked in hand in hand with another beautiful woman.  

Governor Meng was famously known in their circles for his asceticism and self-discipline—indifferent to wealth and beauty, caring only for power.  

Today, however, he had brought two women with him, leaving everyone stunned.  

No one dared ask questions outright, but the looks they gave Tao Wanxing were laden with implication.  

Gao Ming called for an extra set of tableware.  

Meng Chu placed a piece of fish on her plate—the signature spicy and fragrant flavor of Yunzhou stimulating the senses. Yet Tao Wanxing had no appetite whatsoever.  

Hugging her arms, chilled to the point of goosebumps, she gave a self-deprecating smile. “Thank you, Governor Meng.”  

Meng Chu: “Why aren’t you eating?”  

She poked at the fish but eventually picked it up and swallowed it.  

A black coat draped over her shoulders.  

She looked up, only to see the man engrossed in conversation with others, his jaw taut, not sparing her a single glance—as if she were merely a convenient coat rack.  

Lowering her lashes, she silently continued eating.  

After the dinner ended, Meng Chu, having drunk, had Gao Ming drive them home.  

Meng Chu opened the car door for her, letting her enter first before sliding in himself.  

His black shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing well-defined muscles. The faint scent of alcohol and cigarettes clung to him, though it wasn’t unpleasant.  

The car was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. Tao Wanxing sat stiffly, her back rigid, hands resting tensely on her knees.  

“Tired?” Meng Chu’s voice was cool and pleasant.  

Tao Wanxing kept her expression neutral, though her composure was crumbling inside.  

“A… a little.”  

Was he actually concerned about her?  

“That job of yours is too exhausting. Quit it. I’ll arrange something else for you.”  

Her fingers twitched imperceptibly. With a faint smile, she declined politely, “No need. I like my job.”  

He cut her off, his tone firm and unyielding. “A position in the Health Department would still align with your expertise. It’d be much easier.”  

“And the pay would be better.”

Tao Wanxing bit her lip, instinctively resisting a little.

He was the youngest and most promising Governor in Yun City, with an immeasurable future ahead of him.

And she was just a small emergency room nurse.

Even though their relationship wasn’t public, he wouldn’t allow his nominal wife to embarrass him.

Tao Wanxing lowered her eyelids, mocking herself for her wishful thinking.

“My salary is enough to get by. No need to trouble Governor Meng. Today was an accident—I’ll try my best not to appear in front of your colleagues and embarrass you in the future.”

Meng Chu’s brows furrowed slightly, but in the end, he didn’t say anything more.

“Fine, as you wish.”

Seeing his agreement, Tao Wanxing secretly let out a sigh of relief.

The temperature in the car suddenly turned cold.

Gao Ming drove quietly in the front.

It took half an hour to reach Fragrant Mountain Villa.

Meng Chu wasn’t used to living in the government-assigned residence, so he had bought a place here.

The black, white, and gray color scheme suited Meng Chu’s personality and consistent demeanor perfectly.

Meng Chu frowned as he took in the house, which bore no trace of a mistress. “You still haven’t moved your things here?”

Tao Wanxing stiffened slightly and whispered, “You weren’t here—what was the point of me coming?”

On the day they registered their marriage, Gao Ming had given her a key.

But she hadn’t come. She knew her place.

This wasn’t something she should lay claim to—she was afraid of nurturing unnecessary delusions.

Meng Chu’s gaze darkened like ink, concealing a barely perceptible anger.

“Tomorrow, have Gao Ming go with you to move your things.”

Tao Wanxing wanted to refuse, but then the man before her added, “I don’t want to have to pick you up from the hospital every time.”

Her heart stung.

The implication was clear—he didn’t want people to know about their relationship.

She lowered her head, her gaze drifting aimlessly over the tips of her shoes, and softly replied, “Mm.”

She wanted so badly to ask him, “If you don’t want people to know about us, why did you marry me?”

But her lips felt glued shut—no matter what, she couldn’t voice the question.

She was afraid that if she asked, the fragile fantasies in her heart would be mercilessly shattered.

Being able to marry him was something she hadn’t dared to dream of since she was seventeen.

He—

Meng Chu placed a pair of strawberry bear slippers in a bright dragon fruit color in front of her. “Change your shoes.”

Tao Wanxing froze. How did he know she liked strawberry bears?

Then she laughed at herself mockingly. What was she thinking? The esteemed Governor Meng would never pay attention to what she liked.

His mind was filled with matters of public welfare—in the month since they’d married, the time they’d spent together amounted to barely a day.

“Don’t like them? Or don’t want to come in?” The man’s deep, magnetic voice snapped Tao Wanxing out of her thoughts.

Just as she bent to change her shoes, she was suddenly lifted into his arms.

“Second Brother?!”