It was precisely this thought, along with the assumption that Meng Yao wouldn’t give her a candle, that led him to investigate. To his surprise, he discovered his stepsister, who once cried at the slightest sound, attempting to escape.
Ruan Ning steeled herself and continued the lie: “I am very afraid, but the room is even darker, which I’m more afraid of.”
Though her lie was convincing, Meng Chi did not believe it. His experience in assassination and intelligence work gave him a keen eye; he could tell she wanted to escape but hesitated.
Meng Chi chose not to expose her. Instead, he took out a fire folder and a candle, handing them to her casually, “If you’re afraid, light the candle and sleep.”
Ruan Ning accepted it, thinking Meng Chi had believed her story. She fawned, “Brother, you’re so good to me.”
Her soft voice trembled, which Meng Chi found both touching and irritating, like being tickled by a feather.
The candle illuminated the cramped, dilapidated room. Ruan Ning casually said, “Brother, please sit.”
Immediately regretting her words, she realized the tiny room only had one broken bed. Yet, Meng Chi did sit on the bed, looking around and asking, “Sister, don’t you remember this room?”
“Ruan Ning shook her head. How could she remember anything?
Meng Chi’s deep eyes looked at her bleakly. “Your mother often locked me and Yao in here for days without food. Turns out sister has already forgotten.”
Despite the Meng family’s renovations, this room remained, as Meng Yao insisted on keeping it to remind them of their past humiliations.
Ruan Ning: …
He was truly holding a grudge. She needed to work harder to curry favor.
Ruan Ning tried to smile, her words sweet: “I was young then and don’t remember much. But I’ll never forget brother’s kindness. If not for you, I would have been ruined. I’ll remember your goodness forever.”
Meng Chi’s mouth twitched, seemingly smiling: “We’re family, it’s nothing.”
He said this to probe her intentions, and Ruan Ning took the bait. She leaned in, joyfully asking, “Brother, Yao sister gets angry as soon as she sees me. What should I do?”
Meng Chi caught a faint fragrance and wondered if nuns wear perfume. He moved a bit closer, asking, “What does sister want to do?”
“How about brother finds a suitable nunnery to send me to?”
“Ruan Ning tested the waters with her initial suggestion about the nunnery. ‘If Yao sister can’t see me, she won’t be angry.’
Meng Chi responded, ‘Nunneries aren’t peaceful places. With your looks, one careless moment could lead to disaster.’
As a well-read, failed writer, Ruan Ning knew ancient nunneries were often targeted by ruffians. Her mention of the nunnery was a way to gauge Meng Chi’s willingness to help. Sensing his concern for her welfare, she seized the moment: ‘Then, how about brother sends me to the Zheng family? After all, I haven’t formally taken my vows and can return to secular life at any time.’
Recalling her previous betrothal to a man named Zheng, Meng Chi’s expression tightened. He silently grabbed a candle, threw it out, quickly exited, and locked the door.
The next day, when no one came to unlock the door, Ruan Ning realized she had been imprisoned. Confused, she wondered what she had done to offend Meng Chi.
Meng Yao arrived at noon. As she unlocked the door, Ruan Ning shielded her eyes from the bright light. Meng Yao stood there with a triumphant smile: ‘Bitch!'”
Did you think just because brother saved you, he thinks highly of you? Dream on. Watch how I’ll deal with you!”
Ruan Ning said nothing, too hungry to speak. Meng Yao hadn’t arranged for anyone to bring her food.
After a while, Meng Yao locked the door again and left.
Meng Chi returned home when it was already dark. Liu Bingchun had been crippled by him, and Liu’s family was seeking revenge. Meng Chi’s subordinates informed him of the situation, and he had been busy dealing with it all day.
Meng Yao waited at the door, excitedly saying: “Brother, I bought fresh fish today and made your favorite fish tartare.”
When the meal was served, Meng Chi suddenly asked: “Did you send it to her?”
Meng Yao immediately understood he meant Yuan Ning. She was stunned and said: “No, why would I feed that bitch?”
Meng Chi put down his chopsticks, his voice lowering: “You didn’t feed her all day?”
“No.” Meng Yao’s heart jumped, feeling sour. She slapped her chopsticks on the table, “Why should I feed her? Did her mother feed us when she locked us up? Brother, you’re not angry at me for this, are you?”
Meng Chi said nothing and quickly walked out. Meng Yao followed, suppressing her anger.
She saw him stride to the backyard, kick open the door without unlocking it, and when she hurried after him, she saw him carrying Yuan Ning out, her head tilted to the side, unconscious.
In that instant, Meng Yao clearly saw the compassion in her brother’s eyes, and her heart tightened. This bitch must die!
After waiting a while longer, Meng Yao noticed he had no intention of coaxing her. In her disappointment, she said, “Didn’t you say Sun Jiagong wants to marry me? I’ll marry him!”
Meng Yao was already nineteen. Meng Chi had shown her several marriage proposals, but she hadn’t liked any. He had decided to support her for life if she never found someone she liked.
Sun Jiagong, his deputy in the Xiaoyun Guard, was smart, capable, and had been attentive to Meng Yao. Despite her previous disinterest, she suddenly brought him up.
Meng Chi, surprised, nodded, “Okay, I’ll tell him tomorrow.”
“You!” Meng Yao burst into tears and ran away, covering her face before he could ask.
Meng Chi wanted to chase after her but looked back at Ruan Ning instead.
She was holding an empty bowl, carefully scraping rice grains from its edge with a spoon. Her head was lowered, revealing a soft layer of downy hair on her scalp.
Meng Chi chuckled softly, bringing the porridge pot from the outer room and placing it on the table beside her bed. He chased after Meng Yao, but she had locked the door and refused to come out.
When he returned, Ruan Ning had finished the pot of porridge and was now leaning on the table with teary eyes, feeling defeated. She had nearly fainted from hunger and then caused herself stomach pain by eating too quickly. It seemed like she had stepped into the role of a comedic character, delicate and sensitive, bursting into tears over the slightest embarrassment.
Meng Chi laughed, sitting beside her and watching her struggle to digest.
“Walking won’t help,” he said after a while. “You ate too quickly and choked on the cold wind, so your stomach hurts. You need to massage it, and then it’ll be fine.”
Meng Yao had had this problem since childhood: she always got a stomachache when eating too quickly, requiring Meng Chi to massage her to feel better.
Ruan Ning was half-believing, half-doubting, but her stomach hurt so much that she sat on the bed’s edge, facing away from Meng Chi and rubbing hard. After massaging for a while, she wasn’t doing it right, and her stomach only hurt more.
She glanced back at Meng Chi, wanting to ask for proper technique but hesitating to speak.
Meng Chi felt restless. He walked over, bent down, and placed his large hand above her navel, saying softly, “Warm your hands first, and massage in one direction above the navel, like this.”
He demonstrated, his hand warm, the heat seeping through her clothes. Ruan Ning bit her lip, somewhat unsure if she wanted him to remove his hand.
Meng Chi quickly withdrew his hand, his palm now cool, some heat drawn away by her body. In the hot summer, such a cool body felt refreshing, Meng Chi thought.
Outside the window, Meng Yao, who had returned, bit her lip until it bled.
She stood silently, watching until the candle was extinguished, hearing Meng Chi walk to the bamboo bed to sleep. He had given his bed to Yuan Ning.
