The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 6 - 4

Chapter 6 - 4

Weng Yue had secured an important position in a certain non-governmental organization. Yu Meng was deeply depressed, yet on the surface, she still had to offer her congratulations. Weng Yue seized every opportunity to show off among her female compatriots. There was no point in wearing embroidered clothes and walking in the dark; what was the point of living if not to be glorious? Flaunt it!

Since Zhou Yu was born, why must Zhuge Liang also be born? Along this path, Weng Yue had started far earlier than her. However, Yu Meng hadn't lost her confidence; the competition had only just begun. She was desperately eager to know the identity of the card hidden up Weng Yue's sleeve. She investigated it. Some people said it was Old Wang, manufactured by Jiang Han; others said it was someone surnamed Wu from Tian Industries; and still others claimed she had truly built everything from scratch. Bullshit! In Yu Meng's judgment, none of these were accurate; the influence of those people wasn't enough to help Weng Yue conquer territories. There was something else. Building from scratch was correct, but it didn't mean she lacked the backing of a powerful patron.

Needless to say, that patron was a man.

Weng Yue had once said something with great smugness: "I am simply a wisteria clinging to a giant tree; I can weather both spring and autumn." The wisteria was her, and the giant tree was him. She still had something to lean on. Just when she felt there were no traces left to follow, Yu Rui brought her a clue. While at Sister Jia's place, she had overheard Yu Rui answering a phone call and glanced at the screen—Sister Weng. Then she listened to the voice leaking from the earpiece, which sounded somewhat familiar. Could it be Weng Yue? A few days later, Yu Meng invited Rui out, and upon asking, she learned that one of Yu Rui's current service clients happened to be Weng Yue. The specific task? Borrowing clothes. Yu Meng was crystal clear about this sort of thing.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yu Meng asked.

Yu Shuang explained that she hadn't made their relationship clear.

Yu Meng took Yu Rui's hand. "Rui, I am your sister. We are from the same place, share the same surname, belong to the same clan and group. Where I have a place, you have a place. Your sister will never harm you."

Yu Rui smiled and said she understood. Glory is shared, and disgrace is borne together.

"She is your boss, and I am your sister. Which one is closer to you?"

Yu Rui smiled without answering.

"Do you know who is behind her?" Yu Meng asked directly.

Yu Rui said she wasn't very clear. Yu Meng told her to go find out, to see who Weng Yue walked closely with and what activities she attended. Yu Rui hesitated; for a moment, she didn't know which side to stand on. Needless to say, the person behind Weng Yue was Han Guang. Yet as to what kind of relationship they shared, she couldn't be entirely sure either. The two almost never met, yet the shadow of Han Guang was present everywhere in Weng Yue's life—even sharing the same assistant, Ye Cha.

"Investigate it, and Sister won't treat you poorly," Yu Meng vowed solemnly. Upon returning home, Yu Rui considered it over and over. She couldn't tell Yu Meng the name Han Guang directly; choosing a side was difficult. Weng Yue possessed vast wealth and deep roots, while Yu Meng was a sister of many years. Furthermore, Yu Meng had now latched onto Liang Cai, and given Sister Meng's methods, her future was promising.

Yu Rui had no choice but to vaguely express which group had business ties with whom, and whose company Weng Yue cooperated with the most. The direction pointed was very obvious. Yu Meng did a simple check, and it was undoubtedly Han Guang. In fact, ever since she and Yu Rui had parted ways, she had remembered that girl Weng Yue went to see in America during the Chinese New Year—she also surnamed Han.

Son of a bitch! A man surnamed Han was helping her like this! What was so great about her? How many genuine things were there on that face? Having figured out Weng Yue's methods, Yu Meng became even more certain that forcing Liang Cai to exert his influence was the correct path.

After being urged twice, Liang Cai finally managed to invite the chairperson of the federation to dinner. She was a woman. Yu Meng didn't attend because she was an interested party. Liang Cai invited two friends to accompany them—a three-on-one setup to work on her.

Yu Meng waited outside in the car, anxious. Close to ten o'clock, Liang Cai came out of the restaurant, and Yu Meng drove over. Liang Cai got into the car. While driving, Yu Meng asked about the situation. Liang Cai said they should drive farther away before talking. Circling the ring road, they finally found an empty space to park. Yu Meng almost lost her patience and said, "Stop holding back. How did it go?"

"She didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either."

"She's the chairperson, so she has the final say. What does not expressing a stance mean?"

"Aside from the unmovable ones, there are only two seats left, and three people are fighting for them," Liang Cai analyzed. "She's in a difficult spot and doesn't want to offend anyone. She needs to balance things, and if push comes to shove, they'll just have to compete fairly."

"Fairly? They're all appointed; how can it be fair? This is just passing the buck."

Liang Cai rolled the car window down a crack because he wanted to smoke. The chairperson couldn't stand the smell of smoke, and he had held it in all evening. "One of them has seniority, and her spot is basically set in stone—unshakeable."

Yu Meng chimed in, "Then there's still one left."

Liang Cai said, "Weng Yue is also fighting for it."

Yu Meng simply couldn't believe her ears. "Weng Yue? She's also fighting for that position? Didn't she already serve for five years? Why isn't she leaving?" Liang Cai said, leave? She believed that her succession was a matter of course.

Damn it! Insatiable greed! Never satisfied! Greed in her very bones! Hadn't she just been elected vice chairperson of another association? Exactly how many things did she want to grasp in her hands?! Moreover, Weng Yue knew about her, Yu Meng, running for the federation, yet she didn't make a peep when she heard about it. And now look at her, playing dirty tricks behind the scenes!

No way! It was either you die or I live!

"Han Guang," Yu Meng said in a daze, "he's pulling the strings."

She admired Han Guang even more. When it came to Weng Yue, he was damn well emotionally invested! It was his damn true love! Therefore, she also had to demand this of Liang Cai. This wasn't just about fighting for a seat; it was also a major test of their love.

Zu Liangcai gave a faint smile. He knew about the relationship between Weng Yue and Han Guang, but because Weng Yue was Yu Meng's friend, he worried about the sensitivity and had never mentioned it. He was a man of few words.

"They've had a relationship going back many years," he said.

"You knew?"

"I've heard a bit about it."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"It's nothing much, is it?"

"Nothing much? It's very important!"

"They say they've known each other since childhood."

"My god! Childhood sweethearts," Yu Meng said. "Then why didn't she marry him? She still married someone else anyway." Saying this, Yu Meng held up a finger. "I get it. Old flames rekindled."

"When she's outside, she's a big boss of a woman. In front of him, she's a little woman."

"There's even this dynamic."

"At the banquet table, as long as Han is there, Weng will definitely swap her wine for water."

Yu Meng let out a cold snort. "Acting! What about when Han isn't there?"

"When he's not," Liang Cai also smiled, seeming to find it amusing, "she drinks by the large pitcher."

The two of them immediately burst into loud laughter, both amused by the phrase "large pitcher." After the laughter died down, Yu Meng suddenly turned serious. "Do you love me?"

This question came out of nowhere and was thoroughly perilous. If he said he loved her, demands would immediately follow; if he said he didn't, that was an absolute impossibility.

"You know without asking," Liang Cai replied, having some experience. He threw out a feint.

"Answer directly."

"I love you." It was ambiguous, sounding as if he had swallowed a fly.

"If you love me, you must win this position. We cannot lose this battle!" Yu Meng's expression was solemn, making it look as though she were running for president. Liang Cai originally wanted to say he would do his best, but to avoid agitating Yu Meng, he ultimately kept his mouth shut. He wanted to sleep well tonight.

Everything was quiet, yet everything was in motion. At the women entrepreneurs' association event, both Yu Meng and Weng Yue arrived. The two of them still smiled at each other and avoided mentioning the matter. As soon as the proceedings ended, they sat separately at opposite ends of the sofa, keeping their distance.

Everyone understood without a word. However, Yu Meng felt that Liang Cai's reminder had come just in time. How could she have forgotten the Xin family connection? If Mrs. Xin were willing to step forward and help—even if it meant spending a bit more money—recovering her face and gaining fame would make it well worth it. Who would have thought that after inviting her several times, Mrs. Xin always claimed she was out of town. Yu Meng had no choice but to bite the bullet and extend another invitation. Unable to brush her off, Mrs. Xin finally allowed Yu Meng to see the true Buddha. Once they met, Yu Meng didn't hide anything and directly put forward her request.

Mrs. Xin was in a difficult spot. "Persuading others... small roles are meaningless. In the future, landing something big would be much better." Yu Meng hurriedly said, "Step by step, starting from the grassroots. Elder Sister, I have no other choice."

Seeing she truly couldn't avoid it—since Yu Meng had done plenty of dirty work for her, and Weng Yue was also an old acquaintance of many years, while she knew both Han Guang and Liang Cai—what could she do? She could only say, "Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh; I care for both."

Yu Meng understood. Weng Yue had already taken the first step. Naturally, Old Weng wouldn't let slip a connection like Mrs. Xin; she was just being foolish herself for only coming to burn incense now. Still, with Mrs. Xin putting it this way, Yu Meng was already grateful. If she didn't step in and remained neutral, then whose show would play out more loudly remained to be seen.

Humph, well played, Old Weng. You are a white snake that has cultivated for a thousand years, but my Xiaoqing is no pushover either! Yu Meng was so angry her teeth ached. If we're going to fight, let's fight!

Yu Meng wrung her brains, searching every single connection she could possibly use. Finally, she remembered that Little Bai might be able to help. He was in the technology sector. Then there was Liren—a bit of an old connection. A local official is no match for a current supervisor; if she had any avenue available, she had to use it. No hesitation, this was a battle fought for honor. When Yu Meng called Bai Yuankai, he happened to be helping out at Kanglong's place. Old man Kang couldn't take care of himself and didn't get along with the nanny, so he had no choice but to temporarily relocate and live with his son. Bai Yuankai had come to check on Old Man Kang and incidentally mediate the relationship between the Kang father and son.

When his father came over, Kanglong hadn't told Yu Shuang. He was afraid she would get mixed up in it—Old Man Kang was not someone easy to deal with.

Over the phone, Yu Meng briefly explained the situation, and Bai Yuankai understood. He just couldn't think of a connection right off the bat and needed to look further. He promised Sister Meng he would definitely do his best.

Yu Meng called Liren next. The signal over there wasn't very good, accompanied by a chugging static sound. Yu Meng changed to a more secluded spot and shouted out the situation. Liren shouted back, saying he understood and would contact her later! He owed Yu Meng a huge favor and would definitely do his best.

Yu Meng asked, "Where are you! It's so noisy!"

Liren hollered back, "In a car! A tricycle! Chug-chug-chug! We're heading down to the villages right now! Going into the mountains!" What a dedicated cadre, Yu Meng sighed with praise.

"Send the basic details to my phone as a text!" Liren was still shouting.

"Right away!" Yu Meng found herself shouting back involuntarily.