Chapter 5

The sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the smooth marble floor. The entire room was bright and clean.

An European-style dining table in the dining room was occupied by two people. The butler was standing in an attentive position by the side, thinking. He still thought that the table was too long for two people. Having a meal sitting so far away seems strange.

Xu Yuan hadn’t slept well and the bags under her eyes showed it. She hadn’t worn makeup. Fortunately, her young skin had a good foundation, and her complexion didn’t look bleak.

Meng Zhengrong glimpsed at his wife while drinking porridge. There may be people in this world who don’t love money, but there is no one who doesn’t love beauty. When he wasn’t married, he also thought the same. His marriage was for the sake of his family, but it was also pleasing to see a beautiful wife.

“Do you have any plans today?” Meng Zhengrong put down the porcelain bowl, looked at Xu Yuan, and asked.

Xu Yuan lowered her head and looked at the glutinous porridge in the porcelain bowl. Her voice was full of vigor and vitality: “Nothing.”　　

The emperor had several bad habits. As a person who is as strict as him, no one dared to correct him. Although she already knew that the person in front of her was not the emperor. Even if it was a reincarnation, he was still not her master. But she cannot ignore his face. The reverence accumulated in all those years, couldn’t be erased just by the few words of self-consolation. In fact, on second thought, this is not necessarily a bad thing. In this strange era, no matter how calm she was, there was always some fear. Looking at the familiar face, all her bad feelings that she thinks are weak strangely disappeared.

As long as this person was always here, even if it was just a body double of his Majesty to some extent, it is enough to reassure her heart.

This was the “belief” that everyone had in her time.　　

At least, there was a familiar face to her in this era.

Meng Zhengrong didn’t let Xu Yuan immerse herself in her world for too long. He said, “I won’t go to the company today. Let’s have a rest at home after breakfast, and we’ll go to the old house for dinner at noon.”　　

Although he knew Xu Yuan wouldn’t refuse, Meng Zhengrong added: “I’ve been away on a business trip for so long, so I should have dinner with my family when I come back.” He paused and added, “In a couple of days, when father-in-law and mother-in-law are free, let’s have dinner with them.”　　

Xu Yuan pondered over it carefully. From her point of view, they said Meng Zhengrong is a strict person, at least in terms of etiquette.　　

She nodded softly: “Well, that should be.”　　

From last night back to now, Xu Yuan had shown meekness far beyond Meng Zhengrong’s understanding of her. He was silent for a while and said, “If anything happens when I’m not at home, you can tell me if you think it is necessary to tell me.”　　

“Okay.” Xu Yuan replied and continued to lower her head to drink the porridge.

Warm porridge goes down the throat into the stomach, warm.　　

After breakfast, Meng Zhengrong went to the study to deal with business, and Xu Yuan went back to the room consciously. She always put on makeup when she went out to meet people. She had nothing to do these days and studied the cosmetics of the original owner. Although she was pretending to be a eunuch for many years, the instinct of women who loved cosmetics in her body still existed. She quickly figured out how to use these bottles and cans.　　

She just knew how to use it. She has never worn makeup before, and she was still a rookie in terms of skill proficiency. Xu Yuan only dares to apply a layer of liquid foundation, then blushes and wears lipstick. The original owner’s eyebrows were beautiful, so she didn’t need to do her eyebrows.

Although it is only a simple makeup, Xu Yuan’s face had already brightened up. Xu Yuan was a natural beauty. Even simple makeup was enough for her. 

Meng Zhengrong also thought the same. Previously, Xu Yuan also used to be beautiful, but she always liked to wear heavy makeup. Although it was exquisite, it lacked some freshness that she should have at her age. Now she looks very good. Meng Zhengrong is several years older than Xu Yuan. In his thirty years of life, maybe he saw too many beautiful women with delicate makeup. He now prefers to see a little pure and clean people.　　

Of course, these are Meng Zhengrong’s inner thoughts, so he will not say it.

Xu Yuan subconsciously stepped behind Meng Zhengrong and followed him out of the villa, then in the car. The back seat of the car can accommodate three people. Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong occupy each side, leaving a place in the middle. When the driver saw this scene in the rearview mirror, he thought, if he didn’t know that these two people were a married couple. He would mistake them as Carpooling customers.

‘He is not the emperor, not the emperor, not the emperor, even if you sit side by side with him, you will not be beheaded,’ Xu Yuan has been consoling herself in her heart, which barely pressed the urge to jump out of the window.

Meng’s family mansion was not very far from their newlywed villa, but today there was a traffic jam due to a road dispute between two parties involved in a minor accident. They were arguing, refusing to yield to each other, and as a result, the traffic came to a halt.

*Cough, cough…*

Meng Zhengrong, still adjusting to his return to the country, felt a discomfort in his throat and coughed softly twice.

It startled Xu Yuan, making her jump almost like a frightened cat. She quickly and genuinely asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Why are you coughing?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could slap herself again.

However, Meng Zhengrong was pleasantly surprised by her caring attitude. He held his hand up to his lips, cleared his throat again, and this time, there was a hint of amusement in his voice. “It’s nothing serious, just a scratchy throat.”

No one could resist the feeling of being cared for, and Meng Zhengrong was no exception. Moreover, he could tell that Xuan Yuan’s concern was genuine and heartfelt.

“It’s okay,” Xu Yuan reassured him, looking at his face. She couldn’t help but think of the emperor’s preferences from her previous world, and it seemed that Meng Zhengrong in this world shared some similarities. She smiled slightly and accepted a bottle of water from the driver, saying, “Drink some water; it’ll help with your throat.”

Meng Zhengrong, acting as if he couldn’t see, finally took the bottle of water from Xu Yuan’s hand after a moment. He drank it slowly, and his throat indeed felt much better.

The driver, who had witnessed this exchange, was about to feel awkward but was relieved when he saw how smoothly things went. Xu Yuan seemed to take care of Meng Zhengrong as if she were his wife.

Before long, the car arrived at the entrance of Meng’s family mansion. Once again, Xu Yuan had to suppress her urge to jump out of the car and open the door for Meng Zhengrong. She waited for him to exit first, maintaining her composed and respectful demeanor.

Following him, she didn’t say a word and kept her eyes straight ahead as they entered the  mansion.

Mother Meng was the first to greet them. She scrutinized Meng Zhengrong for a moment and expressed her concern, saying, “You’ve lost weight again. You always come back from your business trips looking thinner. Next time, consider bringing a chef with you.”

Meng Zhengrong touched his face and replied, “Alright, next time I’ll listen to you.”

Mother Meng gave him a disapproving look. “You always promise, but you never actually do it.”

Afterward, she shifted her attention to her daughter-in-law and smiled, saying, “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit too talkative. That’s how mothers are. You shouldn’t mind.”

Xu Yuan found that when she focused her attention on someone other than Meng Zhengrong, she didn’t feel as anxious. She responded calmly, “You’re absolutely right, Mom. Zhengrong has indeed lost weight. I was thinking whether I should stay here for a while and have meals with you. The kitchen over there can’t compare to the one here.”

Mother Meng, who had been feeling concerned for her son, was touched by Xu Yuan’s words. She had wanted her son to live with them, but both the newlyweds seemed determined to live on their own. This made her reluctant to insist on anything that might drive them away. Xu Yuan’s suggestion, however, brought her a sense of relief.

Meng Zhengrong looked somewhat surprised as he glanced at Xu Yuan.

Just then, Meng Pingting approached them. She began by playfully complaining to Meng Zhengrong, then addressed Xu Yuan in a somewhat indifferent tone as “sister-in-law.”

Xu Yuan didn’t take offense and simply smiled.

Meng Pingting then found an excuse to drag Meng Zhengrong to the backyard. In a hushed and mysterious tone, she said, “Brother, I need to tell you something.”

“Go on,” Meng Zhengrong replied, giving her a skeptical look, not expecting anything substantial from his younger sister.

Meng Pingting, still quite young, spoke rapidly, “Brother, you might not know this, but a while ago, Xu Yuan had a car accident. I heard from my friend that she did it on purpose because she saw her ex-boyfriend with another girl in the car. She got angry and decided to crash into their car…”

She delved into the gossip about Xu Yuan, clearly excited. “It’s like she can’t forget her past relationship, right? Now it’s a car crash, who knows what she might do in the future? Brother, you should be careful. Honestly, I feel embarrassed about this whole situation. It’s awkward to have my own sister-in-law crash her car in anger over her ex-boyfriend.”

Meng Pingting chattered away, sharing everything she wanted to say. When she finished, she looked at Meng Zhengrong, expecting some reaction.

To her surprise, Meng Zhengrong’s expression remained calm, almost unchanged from before. He glanced at his sister and calmly said, “Alright, I understand.”

Meng Pingting couldn’t believe it. He understood? Wasn’t he supposed to get angry? She couldn’t fathom why he didn’t seem upset.