“Surely Miss Wen understands by now that I never do anything that doesn’t benefit myself?”

Wen Tingli was silent for a moment, then raised her face and smiled at him. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid Mr. Meng will be disappointed—this little trick of yours hasn’t had the slightest effect on either me or Lu Shicheng.”

“So you two have made up, then?”

Wen Tingli was momentarily at a loss for words again.

“Since you haven’t made up yet, why do you care what I do? You pursue your goals, I’ll pursue mine—we’re none of each other’s business. Miss Wen, I always thought you weren’t the type to take feelings seriously. I didn’t expect you to be so persistent. Have you changed?”

“I think it’s Mr. Meng who’s misunderstood me from start to finish.” Wen Tingli smiled serenely. “My pursuits haven’t changed one bit, not for a single day: fame, wealth, and a handsome, obedient man—”

Clearly, in her mind, Meng Qiguang didn’t qualify—he was neither as handsome as Lu Shicheng, nor remotely obedient.

Meng Qiguang’s expression soured slightly, then the corner of his mouth twitched up. “Has Lu Shicheng heard this little speech of yours? The esteemed young master of Nanyang Hongye, happy to know he’s merely a ‘handsome, obedient man’ in your eyes?”

“He doesn’t care about that sort of thing—he’s not like you.”

“Is that so?” Meng Qiguang’s smile deepened. “He understands you so well, and yet the two of you still fell out, didn’t you? Wen Tingli, don’t you see it yet? Lu Shicheng is too young, too upright and clear-hearted—he has a purity complex, so he simply cannot tolerate being deceived by you. You and I are the same kind of people.”

He lowered his voice. “I wouldn’t be afraid even if you deceived me.”

Wen Tingli stepped back, eyeing him. “No, I’ve never been the same kind as you, Mr. Meng. I don’t need to calculate gains and losses at every turn, because I can afford to lose! I also don’t stoop to scheming against someone I love, because I’m willing to give my true heart! As for what’s between Lu Shicheng and me, only he and I truly understand it—you’re an outsider, and even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

Meng Qiguang, his expression cool, took out a cigarette from his pocket, glanced at Wen Tingli, then lowered his head and snapped the cigarette in half.

“I’m not just an outsider—I’m the villain of the piece. But even as the villain, I still have to remind you: Lu Shicheng has been getting quite close lately with the young lady of the Ge family from Guangdong.”

“So what?”

Meng Qiguang raised his eyebrows, turning to look at the guests coming and going in the entrance hall.

“Lu Shicheng only recently managed to reclaim his inheritance rights from his third uncle. Naturally, he wants to build up a real legacy as quickly as possible. He’s more far-sighted than his third uncle—in just a year or two, he’s already achieved plenty of impressive results. But that’s still not enough, so he’s gone on to found a light bulb factory and the Dasheng Pharmaceutical Factory in succession, intending to join forces with other patriotic industrialists to drive the foreigners out of the concessions. I believe he has the resolve to do it, but ultimately, one man alone can’t hold up the whole sky. If he could get the Ge family’s backing at a time like this, wouldn’t that be like adding wings to a tiger?”

Wen Tingli’s smile faded slightly. Meng Qiguang studied her face, and said with a low laugh, “I’ve never doubted that you hold a powerful attraction for Lu Shicheng, just as you hold one for me. But for a man with ambition and aspirations, love and desire are never the most important things—so after weighing the pros and cons, Lu Shicheng went ahead and hooked the young lady of the Ge family too.”

“Don’t paint him as so shameless. The Lu family isn’t the Qiao family, and Lu Shicheng is nothing like Qiao Xingchu. Besides, I don’t believe the Lu family needs to expand its influence through marriage alliances.”

Meng Qiguang shook his head. “You really don’t understand men very well, do you. The Ge family isn’t just any ordinary prominent household—the kind of support the Ge family can provide is nothing to scoff at. What’s really on Lu Shicheng’s mind, you’ll find out in due time. My guess is, Lu Shicheng will be arriving at the gala shortly with Miss Ge by his side—this trade gala tonight has gathered all sorts of political and business elites, and among the guests here, there’s no shortage of families interested in Miss Ge. Lu Shicheng needs to use this occasion to publicly stake his claim over Miss Ge in front of everyone.”

As he spoke, Meng Qiguang suddenly turned his head to glance ahead. Wen Tingli followed his gaze and turned around too, just in time to see Lu Shicheng walk in—alone.

The smile returned to Wen Tingli’s face, and she raised an eyebrow triumphantly at Meng Qiguang.

But before long, that Miss Ge walked in too.

“Why’d you stop smiling?” Meng Qiguang eyed her.

Wen Tingli said indifferently, “Just a coincidence. Miss Ge already has someone she loves.”

“Lu Shicheng told you that?” Meng Qiguang sneered. “Well then, let me kindly tell you a way to test a man. In a few days it’ll be Miss Ge’s birthday. If Lu Shicheng really has feelings for her, he’ll surely use this occasion to grow closer to her. On that day, no matter what tricks you try, you won’t be able to get him to come out for you. Do you dare try it?”

Wen Tingli said nothing.

“I knew you wouldn’t dare,” Meng Qiguang said, smiling as he provoked her, then turned and walked away with an air of triumph.

Wen Tingli stood in the washroom, staring blankly at the mirror.

Her heart felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling over it.

Perhaps—

Should she or shouldn’t she?

No, no, no—Meng Qiguang was simply a devil. In just a few sentences, he’d already led her thoughts down the wrong path.

Lu Shicheng had already told her it wasn’t true!

Besides, that day in the hospital room, she’d finally understood clearly—only sincerity could truly move a person’s heart.

She’d already resolved to deal with Lu Shicheng using the most honest, most aboveboard methods this time. Testing him would not only betray her own original intention, but would also push Lu Shicheng even further away.

“Devil, devil,” she muttered to the mirror. She refused to fall for Meng Qiguang’s trap—she absolutely had to suppress this impulse.

Yet half an hour later, when she unexpectedly caught sight of Miss Ge’s profile far down the hallway, the calm surface of her heart rippled once again.

Miss Ge wore a dazzling diamond necklace around her neck, and she wasn’t the only one to notice its brilliance.

“I heard that necklace was specially commissioned for Miss Ge at a jewelry shop,” Wen Tingli overheard someone remarking nearby. “It only arrived at Miss Ge’s residence this afternoon—whoever did this really spared no expense.”

Cartier? Wen Tingli glanced down at the ruby necklace at her own throat—the birthday gift Lu Shicheng had given her last year, also from Cartier.

She couldn’t help turning to find the source of the voice—it was Mrs. Zhou of the Yuanfan Shipbuilding Company.

They were still chatting nearby. It turned out Miss Ge’s birthday fell on Wednesday, and she wasn’t planning to hold a birthday banquet, since she intended to spend her birthday with a close friend instead.

“Is Miss Wen feeling unwell?” a waiter came over, concerned.

“Could I trouble you for a glass of soda water,” Wen Tingli said, shaking her head slightly. “And some paper and a pen too—I’d like to write a note.”

Meanwhile, several young people were playing cards in the bridge room in a corner of the garden.

Lu Shicheng sat at the head of the table, Meng Qiguang across from him, surrounded by a group of fashionably dressed young men. As they chatted and laughed while watching the cards, someone suddenly asked Meng Qiguang, “Brother Meng, wasn’t that Miss Wen Tingli you were talking to earlier?”

Lu Shicheng’s eyes shifted slightly.

“Who else would it be? She’s been famous for so long now, and today’s the first time I’ve actually seen her in person—she really is stunning, those smiling eyes of hers look like they’re dipped in honey, just one casual glance and a man would melt on the spot. Brother Meng, forgive my boldness, but what exactly is your relationship with her?”

“What relationship could there be,” another chimed in. “Something more than ordinary, surely—I heard from people at Golden Film that Miss Wen’s always been single, yet she keeps a business card of Brother Meng’s tucked in her card case. I heard that back when Miss Wen’s father was in trouble, it was Brother Meng who helped her out enormously—no wonder she looks at him differently. Last time Gao Tingxin even mentioned that Miss Wen’s little sister is quite fond of you too—does Miss Wen talk about Mr. Meng often in front of her sister?”

“Nonsense,” Meng Qiguang said with a laugh. “Even I’m starting to believe it myself.”

“Don’t worry, we’re all friends here, no one’s going to spread it around. Miss Wen came straight over and pulled you off to the back garden for a private chat, didn’t she? I saw it with my own eyes just now—the two of you were off together for at least half an hour.”

Meng Qiguang glanced casually across the table, pretending indifference—Lu Shicheng’s cards hadn’t moved in his hand for quite a while now.

“It was really nothing at all, you’re all making a mountain out of a molehill. We talked for a bit, yes, but she was just asking me when Miss Ge’s birthday is. I told her it’s Wednesday—that’s all, nothing else.”

“What’s she asking about that for?”

“Who knows,” Meng Qiguang said, keeping a straight face. “Maybe she wants to get to know Miss Ge.”

Then he added with a laugh, “Miss Wen’s an interesting one—always doing things on a whim. No one could ever figure her out.”

The others hooted with laughter. “The moment you mention her, your tone gets so familiar—and you still claim you two aren’t close?!”

Just then, a waiter quietly approached Lu Shicheng from behind.

Meng Qiguang’s eyes flicked over, and he saw the waiter attempting to slip a note discreetly into Lu Shicheng’s hand.

Lu Shicheng didn’t take the note right away.

Meng Qiguang thought to himself that Wen Tingli certainly moved fast. He took a leisurely sip from the glass at his side, when he suddenly felt an extremely sharp gaze cutting toward him—it was Lu Shicheng.

The way Lu Shicheng looked at him had completely changed—like a leopard, like a blade.

It was an utterly unfriendly, exceptionally piercing look. Meng Qiguang slowly let his smile fade, knowing that this was the real Lu Shicheng now showing through.

Nothing escaped him.

The two of them stared at each other silently, and the others at the table gradually noticed something was off. “Why’s everyone gone quiet all of a sudden?”

Seeing this, the waiter leaned in to whisper something else carefully into Lu Shicheng’s ear. Lu Shicheng, still expressionless, kept his eyes fixed on Meng Qiguang, but finally tucked the note into his jacket, the motion deliberately careful, as if handling something precious.

The young men exchanged glances with each other, nudging one another knowingly. Meng Qiguang’s expression turned especially cold.

“Excuse me, I need to step out for a moment,” Lu Shicheng said flatly.

The others laughed. “We’ll keep your hand for you, Mr. Lu—if you’re not back in three minutes, we’re bringing in someone else.”

Meng Qiguang watched Lu Shicheng walk away out of the corner of his eye, and before long, his tense expression relaxed back into its usual ease.

No matter how clever a man was, so what?

The more a person understood in their heart, the more easily they could be betrayed.

When two clever people kept trying to outguess each other, the result was often that cleverness undid itself.

Lu Shicheng followed the hallway to an empty window, and took the note out of his jacket pocket.

But he didn’t look at its contents right away—instead, he braced his hand against the window frame in front of him, lowering his head to take a deep breath.

He couldn’t guess what Wen Tingli might say to him. He only knew that she always had some way of stirring his heart into chaos.

What if she—

Should he pretend he knew nothing, and let himself fall into her trap once again?

He could almost foresee just how stifled he’d feel afterward.

When exactly would she finally be completely honest with him, once and for all?!

No—perhaps it wasn’t what he thought!

She surely wouldn’t fall for Meng Qiguang’s trick.

Once he’d finally steeled himself, he unfolded the note in his hand with a flicker of hope.

The note read:

【I’ve found a new house. Moving in Thursday. You’re the only one I’m inviting—you must come. The address is No. XX, Haige Road.】

Lu Shicheng read the note over and over again. Thursday! Not Wednesday!

Not until someone called out to him from behind did he snap back to attention.

“Shouqian, everyone’s still waiting for you. Huh, why do you look so happy?”

“Do I?” Lu Shicheng immediately composed himself, at the same time discreetly clenching the note in his palm.

“You do! Absolutely!” The man looked him over with delight, glancing curiously around at the same time. “Never seen you look this happy before. Your eyes are just lit up—what did you see? Tell me, so I can be happy too.”

Lu Shicheng couldn’t help lowering his head with a laugh, walking ahead first. “Never mind that, let’s go.”

At this moment, Wen Tingli was already on her way home, driving.

Meng Qiguang’s words had certainly had an effect on her, but in the end, she hadn’t deliberately changed the date of her move to Wednesday.

Even though doing so would have given her a perfectly natural excuse to test Lu Shicheng.

She’d come to understand it clearly, though—she had no right to ask Lu Shicheng to trust her again while failing to trust him herself.

What she and Lu Shicheng needed most right now was sincerity, not scheming.

So she wrote that line on the note just as she’d planned beforehand. She guessed Lu Shicheng must have already received her rough little invitation by now, and wondered what expression was on his face at this moment. The thought made her smile with quiet happiness.