Chapter 39.1

Xu Yuan sat in the car, beside her were the cherries and bird’s nest that Song Yu had given her.

She had never encountered a situation like this before and was puzzled about what Song Yu meant. Why was he giving her cherries and bird’s nest out of nowhere?

Xu Yuan didn’t want to accept them at first, but since Song Yu insisted and practically forced them on her, she didn’t have time to refuse. He had also said that she shouldn’t let Meng Zhengrong know, and she figured that if she returned the cherries and bird’s nest and Meng Zhengrong saw, it would seem a bit weird.

She felt a strange sensation, thinking that Song Yu might have come over just to give her these things. But was that really possible?

Could Song Yu have specially come to deliver cherries and bird’s nest to her? Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.

On the other side, after observing for a while and confirming that Xu Yuan had left in the car, Song Yu felt relieved. He returned to the living room, sat down next to Meng Zhengrong, and continued eating snacks while watching TV.

Meng Zhengrong was particularly fond of a little girl on the parent-child program; she was simply adorable. When Song Yu re-entered, the scene with the little girl was playing, and Meng Zhengrong was watching intently, thinking that his and Xu Yuan’s child would definitely be as cute and beautiful as her.

However, when the scene shifted to another little boy, Meng Zhengrong lost interest and began to focus his attention on Song Yu.

“Let me be clear, don’t expect my wife to help you out,” Meng Zhengrong said. He knew that with Xu Yuan’s personality, she would definitely be unwilling to do such things. “She doesn’t like to get involved in these matters. Besides, her relationship with Yuyu is so good that she wouldn’t stand on your side.”

At that time, Song Yu was a bit happy to know that Meng Zhengrong was marrying Xu Yuan. He thought that given the relationship between Xu Yuan and Yuyu, Xu Yuan would definitely be the bridesmaid, so he had been flattering Meng Zhengrong for months and finally became the best man. However, on the day of the wedding, he was dumbfounded because Yuyu had an important engagement and couldn’t cancel it, so Xu Yuan asked another friend to take her place.

When Song Yu heard Meng Zhengrong’s words, he sighed, “That’s a harsh thing to say. Aren’t we brothers?”

Brothers should help each other in times of trouble…

Meng Zhengrong shrugged and teasingly said, “I’ve always prioritized romance over friendship, you know that.”

From the time he spent with Xu Yuan, it was clear that unless necessary, Xu Yuan didn’t like to meddle in others’ affairs. To her, Song Yu wanting to get back together with Yuyu was just meddling.

Song Yu felt discouraged. “Okay, then tell me, do I still have a chance to win her back?”

Meng Zhengrong thought for a moment and asked, “Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”

“…” Song Yu waved his hand casually. “I get it, you don’t need to say anything.”

“Xu Yuan rarely mentions Yuyu to me. The key is, you’ve never come up in her conversations about Yuyu. I think this is pretty unlikely, so don’t hold out too much hope.”

Song Yu nodded perfunctorily.

Meng Zhengrong, in a good mood, was happy to play the confidant at that moment. “Don’t get too hung up on this. If there’s no hope, then let go sooner rather than later. You’re not young anymore, if another year or so goes by without a stable partner, your family will be in an uproar.”

“I ask you, do you love your wife?” Song Yu asked.

Meng Zhengrong rolled his eyes at him. “You’re just talking nonsense, of course I do.”

And he liked her more and more.

“Then do you really love your wife?” Song Yu asked seriously.

This question stumped Meng Zhengrong. After all, he hadn’t loved anyone besides his family, so he really didn’t know what it felt like to love a woman or how to distinguish his feelings for Xu Yuan.

However, in the eyes of the public, if a married couple claimed they didn’t love each other, it would just be a joke. Such an honest answer could not be easily shared, even with a close friend.

Meng Zhengrong pretended to be annoyed. “Isn’t it disgusting for two grown men to discuss love?”

Song Yu didn’t want to put him on the spot and smiled, staring at the TV. “Then let me say something disgusting. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but while I still love her, I really can’t look at anyone else. No one compares to her, not even a strand of her hair.”

Meng Zhengrong fell into deep thought upon hearing Song Yu’s words.

Is it love to feel that no one compares to your partner, not even a strand of hair?

As someone who had dated quite a few women and was now married, Meng Zhengrong would never admit he didn’t even understand what love was.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan arrived at the restaurant she had agreed to meet Yuyu at, and not long after, Yuyu came.

Unlike other celebrities who would cover themselves with masks and sunglasses as if afraid people wouldn’t recognize them, Yuyu was dressed more casually, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. On this hot day, many people were dressed similarly. At that moment, she looked nothing like the goddess on the TV screen; she resembled a neighbor’s little girl instead. As she walked from the entrance to the table where Xu Yuan was seated, hardly anyone paid attention to her.

Yuyu took off her sunglasses, sat down across from Xu Yuan, and pulled a paper bag out of her large canvas bag, handing it to Xu Yuan. “A gift I saw abroad.” She extended her hand, showing off a bracelet on her delicate wrist, which was from a certain brand and looked quite beautiful. “One for each of you.”

Xu Yuan thought that given the relationship between the original owner and Yuyu, it was unnecessary to be coy about receiving a gift, so she graciously accepted it. “Thanks.”

Yuyu was a very nice girl, and Xu Yuan enjoyed chatting with her. Thanks to the months of communication, their meeting was casual enough not to raise any suspicions.

“I’m so exhausted from filming abroad. I couldn’t get used to the food there, and I lost a few pounds. Fortunately, I have some time off now to recover. Oh, by the way, I have about a month off, should we go on a trip together?” Yuyu had already mentioned what she wanted to eat before coming, so the dishes were served shortly after she arrived.

Xu Yuan noticed that Yuyu really liked spicy food, as all the dishes she ordered were spicy. After a few bites of spicy hot pot, she realized there were no non-spicy dishes on the table. She put down her chopsticks and asked in confusion, “Xu Yuan, why did you order all spicy dishes? Don’t you not eat spicy food?”

Because of Yuyu’s comment, Xu Yuan realized that she had gotten a bit carried away recently. Whenever she went back to the Xu family for meals, she noticed that their dishes were basically not spicy, suggesting that the original owner probably didn’t eat spicy food much.

However, only her family and friends knew that Xu Yuan couldn’t handle spicy food. The Meng family didn’t know, so she didn’t mind indulging herself in this regard.

Xu Yuan calmly picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of water-boiled fish. “Our current aunt makes excellent Sichuan cuisine. I got used to it after eating it a few times.”

It’s not unusual for someone’s tastes to change. Yuyu didn’t think much of it. “That’s good. We can go eat spicy hot pot together in the future. Speaking of travel, do you have any free time?”

Xu Yuan thought for a moment. The relationship between the original owner and Yuyu was too close. Meeting occasionally was fine as long as she was careful, but traveling together and spending all day together could be problematic. With that thought, Xu Yuan shook her head. “I’m not free, you know I’m working now and also have part-time jobs in two departments.”

Yuyu looked a bit disappointed. “Then we’ll have even less time together in the future. I’ll be busy filming, and you’ll have your own family after getting married,” she said, pausing for a moment, before curiously asking, “Speaking of marriage, how are things between you and Mr. Meng? Are they good?”

Xu Yuan replied, “It’s okay.”

This wasn’t a perfunctory response, it was the truth. If she and Meng Zhengrong didn’t develop some feelings, it would seem like a waste of such an arrangement. They went to work together, came home together, and even spent weekends together. Right now, the only opposite sex she interacted with the most was Meng Zhengrong.

Their relationship was progressing in a positive direction, at least Xu Yuan thought so. From initially feeling inexplicably awed by Meng Zhengrong to being able to face him calmly, and now not being repulsed or averse to his closeness—it felt like a frog in boiling water. Gradually, it was hard to say to what extent she could accept him; she wasn’t even sure herself.

However, this was ultimately not a bad thing, as she would have to have children with Meng Zhengrong. If there were no significant changes, they would likely be tied together for life.

“I think Mr. Meng is much better than Chen Hao. Although Mr. Meng had many past relationships when he was younger…” Yu Yu initially intended to say something nice about Meng Zhengrong, but as she spoke, she felt something was off.

Xu Yuan calmly asked, “Many? How many is that? Which ones have you heard of?”

Although she knew that when she asked Meng Zhengrong how many he had dated, if he said three, it would be a lie. Hearing Yuyu say this made her feel inexplicably annoyed.

Seeing Xu Yuan’s expression remained calm, and feeling there were no secrets between good friends, Yu Yu continued, “There are quite a few that I know of. I can’t remember them all.”

“What do you remember?” Xu Yuan asked casually.

**