Chapter 17

On an early Saturday morning, Xu Yuan woke up with a plan in mind. Originally, her plan was to have breakfast and then go through the materials that Sister Zhou had provided her. After that, she intended to spend the entire day practicing her pinyin on her phone. However, plans could change.

While having breakfast, Meng Zhengrong suggested, “Summer is approaching, how about we go out together today? The weather is nice, and it’s a good day for shopping and dining.”

In the past few days, Meng Zhengrong had come to realize that his approach to interacting with Xu Yuan was problematic. Allowing things to unfold naturally might sound like a good solution and require less effort, but he felt that if they continued down this path, their relationship as husband and wife would deteriorate and become increasingly distant.

Initially, Meng Zhengrong thought that Xu Yuan would take the initiative to improve their relationship. However, the situation had taken an unexpected turn, and he felt like he was being rejected at every turn. He tried to put himself in Xu Yuan’s shoes and realized that if he were in her position, he might not be in a hurry either. After all, she was still young and beautiful, having been pampered since childhood…

Considering the significant age gap between them, Meng Zhengrong finally made a decision to take a more proactive approach. After all, he was the one who was eager to become a father.

Saturdays and Sundays are a good time to improve relationships. With no work commitments, the two of them could go out for a drive, shopping, and finally have a candlelit dinner at a revolving restaurant. It all sounded quite romantic.

In fact, it had been a very long time since Meng Zhengrong had been on a date like this with anyone.

Xu Yuan wanted to decline but, upon seeing Meng Zhengrong’s expression, she reluctantly nodded. She had become quite clear about the fact that Meng Zhengrong was Meng Zhengrong, not the emperor. Even though they looked identical, they were two different individuals.

Most of the time, she managed to adjust her mindset so that she didn’t feel fearful when sitting with him and conversing. However, there was still a part of her that couldn’t refuse any request from the emperor, even though it hadn’t completely disappeared.

So, her apparent gentleness when facing Meng Zhengrong was actually her inability to refuse, even though she wanted to.

Meng Zhengrong was pleased that she agreed so readily. A man who had been single for a long time could feel lonely, not just physically but also emotionally.

When Meng Zhengrong was in his early twenties, he had never experienced loneliness. There were plenty of activities and people to keep him company. As he matured, he grew tired of that lifestyle, and apart from work, he mostly spent time with his close friends, rarely engaging in any other recreational activities. Most of the time, he was holed up in his study.

During the initial years, he hadn’t felt lonely because he was busy building his career. However, when he did start feeling lonely, he had already married Xu Yuan. Looking back, he realized that they would spend every weekend together from now on, and that didn’t seem so bad.

After breakfast, it was nearly 10 o’clock. Xu Yuan, not too keen but willing, changed into some new clothes and put on light makeup. Then, she went out with Meng Zhengrong.

Fortunately, the weather was really nice that day. Xu Yuan sat in the passenger seat, and her mood gradually improved. Taking some time to relax and become more familiar with this unfamiliar world wasn’t such a bad idea.

Most women enjoyed shopping, and Meng Zhengrong decided to endure it with her. They arrived at a shopping center in the city center, which mainly sold luxury items. Even on weekends, it wasn’t as crowded as other shopping malls. They hardly encountered anyone as they walked in.

“Summer is here. Do you want to get some summer outfits?” Meng Zhengrong suggested.

Although Xu Yuan had spent her previous life pretending to be a man, she was fundamentally a woman. Women had no resistance to activities like shopping for new clothes. Hearing Meng Zhengrong’s suggestion, any remaining unhappiness in her heart disappeared instantly.

They entered a brand store, and several sales assistants warmly greeted them. Meng Zhengrong placed his hand on Xu Yuan’s shoulder and said, “Take a look and see if you like anything. I’ll wait here for you.”

Xu Yuan secretly wished she could kick him out. She found Meng Zhengrong to be quite an actor. While it was essential to show affection in front of outsiders, there was no need for it in this situation. After all, these people were not their employees or family members; so, it is not necessary.

Although she had these thoughts, Xu Yuan happily started picking out clothes. At first, she thought the store’s clothes were too revealing, showing too much arm and leg, but after spending some time here, her taste had changed. Now, she thought the dresses were incredibly beautiful.

Xu Yuan had fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs, and her figure was impeccable. She could pull off any color, so the clothes she chose looked great on her. In the end, Meng Zhengrong used his credit card to buy all the clothes she had tried on.

Meng Zhengrong didn’t let Xu Yuan carry the bags; he held them both. They walked side by side, attracting quite a few glances from others.

“After putting these in the car, want to check out some shoes and bags?” Meng Zhengrong noticed Xu Yuan’s rare smile and felt content. He thought that even if it made her happy, he was willing to spend the day accompanying her.

It’s a well-known fact that men generally dislike accompanying women while shopping, and Meng Zhengrong was no exception. However, what was particularly strange was that he had never been willing to accompany any woman shopping before, not even his mother or sister. But now, things are different. He noticed that Xu Yuan was happy, and he was quite satisfied with the situation. Could this be the difference between other women and his wife?

“Sure,” Xu Yuan agreed.

Meng Zhengrong was genuinely pleased with her response.

Previously, she would simply say, “yes.”

Today, she added an extra word: “Sure.”

This meant that she was genuinely happy.

Since Meng Zhengrong couldn’t carry all the bags, they prepared to take the elevator to the parking lot.

As the elevator doors opened, Xu Yuan noticed another person inside. She glanced at the person but quickly averted her gaze and followed Meng Zhengrong into the elevator.

She glanced once more. They had pressed the button for the second floor, which led to the parking lot. The other person should be going to the first floor.

The ride from the third floor to the first floor would take no more than fifteen seconds. However, during this brief time, the atmosphere inside the elevator became unusually strange.

Chen Hao was utterly shocked. He had never expected to run into Xu Yuan today, let alone that Meng Zhengrong would accompany her on a shopping trip. The feeling of encountering his ex-girlfriend and her current husband was indescribable. Chen Hao felt that if he were to answer this question on ‘Zhihu’^[1]Directly translating to “Do you know,” Zhihu is the largest question-and-answer (Q&A) content community in China. Zhihu’s mission is “to enable people to share knowledge, experience, … Continue reading, he would surely receive a lot of likes!

Of course, this alone wasn’t enough to leave him dumbfounded. After all, he had anticipated that such a day might come.

What truly left him in shock was that from start to finish, Xu Yuan only spared him a glance that lasted no more than two seconds, and her gaze was filled with unfamiliarity.

Yes, it was as if she were looking at a complete stranger.

What was going on?

Well, even if he had wronged her in the past, when two people who had been together in the past met unexpectedly, there should at least be some emotional fluctuations, right?

No! There were none!

He mustered up the courage to cough a few times while Meng Zhengrong was still present, hoping to catch Xu Yuan’s attention.

However, Xu Yuan didn’t even spare him a fraction of her attention.

What was going on?

Meng Zhengrong observed the situation between the two with interest. He was now exceptionally satisfied with Xu Yuan. 

Naturally, he knew Chen Hao. When he saw him in the elevator, he thought that these two people were going to upset him again. However, nothing happens. She treated Chen Hao as if he were just a stranger. She entered the elevator very naturally, and there was no emotional disturbance from beginning to end.

He felt that she had a remarkable sense of perception. In the future, he resolved to pay even more attention to her.

In Xu Yuan’s mind, she thought, ‘The clothes I bought today are so beautiful. I love them.’