The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 7 - 3
Chapter 7 - 3
A benefactor.
Yu Meng wrung her brain trying to figure out where this benefactor could possibly be. The southeast? Weng Yang? Could he be a benefactor? Preposterous.
To be honest, during this entire "incident," Luan Chengyun had performed quite well, though just how much he had actually helped remained unclear. Yu Meng knew she was in the clear; even if someone came to investigate, they wouldn't find anything. Therefore, she didn't owe Lao Luan any favors, but she did appreciate that he hadn't kicked her when she was down.
When Haoyu and Zhengyu returned, Lao Luan merely told them that Yu Meng had missed a step on the stairs and sustained a minor injury. Haoyu muttered, "A minor injury, or a heartbreak?" Lao Luan didn't catch it clearly and corrected him, "A minor injury."
Basking in the light of his son, Luan Chengyun came to visit Yu Meng once more and reiterated his stance: he agreed to remarry.
Yu Meng felt deeply uncomfortable. What was this supposed to mean? The moment she ran into a bit of trouble, she was expected to crawl back and eat grass from the old pasture? Was he some kind of savior? Or did he think he was bestowing charity upon her? It was just the end of a relationship, nothing more. She, Yu Meng, could afford to lose! She didn't need his pity! Remarriage was completely out of the question. Furthermore, she detested his phrasing. What did he mean by "agree to remarry"? Remarriage should be a matter of him proposing, and whether she agreed or not depended entirely on her own mood.
How utterly absurd!
When Yu Jia learned of it, she advised her to consider it, saying that old partners were the best and brought warmth. Yu Meng blurted out, "If he had Liren's ambition and went to serve the people, I'd wear mourning sackcloth for him!" Only after she spoke did she realize it was a slip of the tongue.
Yu Jia had yet to emerge from the shadow of Liren's death. If anything, as time passed, her resentment toward Liren only grew more entrenched. While he was alive, he denied her hope, imposed a cold war, and demanded a divorce. After his death, he tossed out a truth that left her in perpetual agony. Even more agonizing was this title of a martyr's surviving spouse.
When Liren was around, she would have rather died than divorce him. Now that he was gone, she desired more than ever to escape his influence. If she could, she would even choose total amnesia—to forget the past, forget all the pain, and start over entirely.
The members of the Di family who had laid claim to the apartment finally showed up. Yu Jia had no desire to live in that place anyway. After negotiations, Liren's old unit approved the apartment to be rented out to outsiders, with the rental income split down the middle: Yu Jia would take her half to rent another place, while the other half went to the Di family. Interestingly, once the Di family got their hands on that half of the rent, they stopped talking about moving in altogether.
Having cash in hand was the only thing that felt real.
Yu Meng reminded Yu Jia that while she could make concessions on this front, Liren's housing provident fund and private savings had to be retrieved. Yu Jia gave a bitter smile; she was willing to let the private savings go, but the Di family had already gone to the unit to claim the provident fund, only for the leadership to withhold it, believing it should be handled by Yu Jia. Eventually, Yu Jia went to collect the money accompanied by Yu Rui. Before long, once the Di family found out, they immediately cursed Yu Jia as a venomous scorpion of a woman. Yu Jia had no way to explain herself; she wasn't thinking of herself—she was thinking of Sisi, who still needed money to continue her schooling.
Yu Jia had already considered her fallback plan. If she truly ran out of money, she and Liren owned properties in both the provincial capital and their hometown; selling them would cover any emergencies. She had no intention of returning home. In the big city, she could still retain a shred of freedom and peace. Back in her hometown, she would only ever live amidst the gossip of others.
At a gathering of the Women Entrepreneurs Association, Yu Meng made her entrance. She pushed the door open, stepped inside, and stood firm. Wearing flat shoes, her aura still radiated a commanding two point eight meters. Weng Yang froze. She had anticipated that Yu Meng would show up, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Yu Meng walked in with a steady stride, took a seat, and poured herself a cup of tea.
Everyone stared at her.
These older women had gossiped about the covert battle between Yu Meng and Weng Yang to the point where they could recite it backward, and watching now, they figured the next episode was about to begin.
Weng Yang took the lead in applauding. "Let us welcome Teacher Yu back to the team."
So affected! So pretentious! Such an act!
The fires of war were reignited. However, Yu Meng had no intention of launching a hasty strike. She had a plan, and she intended to combine revenge with romance. She believed her all-natural beauty could conquer any stronghold. For instance, today during the association meeting, Weng Yang sat on the podium while Yu Meng sat down below. Han Guang, attending as a financial sponsor, was also present. Yu Meng deliberately walked over to Han Guang, glided gracefully to a seat beside him, and composed herself with utmost seriousness.
Han Guang turned his head to look at her. She smiled.
"Yu Meng."
The tug-of-war had dragged on for so long that Yu Meng's name was practically legendary.
"What, afraid I'll splash sulfuric acid on you?" Yu Meng's words were daring.
Han Guang laughed. He rarely laughed like that.
"Victory and defeat are common matters in military strategy," she added.
"This fortress of mine isn't so easy to conquer."
"I'm here as a friend."
"Oh?"
"I know you had no choice."
Han Guang said coldly, "No one has ever been able to coerce me."
Yu Meng chuckled. "At our age, who doesn't have a past? Old connections, old habits—hard to let go, tangled up in entanglements, it's nothing unusual. If you hadn't stepped in to help old Weng, I might have lost respect for you. That would have been too heartless and unfeeling."
"You are a very interesting person."
"I appreciate you," Yu Meng pressed her advantage.
"Thank you for the appreciation."
"Don't be so aloof."
"It seems you know me quite well."
"Just a little bit."
Han Guang gave a soft chuckle and remained silent.
"You are a man of talent," Yu Meng offered a compliment that danced on the edge of a blade. The entire conversation felt like walking a tightrope; the slightest misstep would lead to total defeat. Yet she dared to gamble—gambling that she wasn't annoying, gambling that she was a pleasing sight, bold yet meticulous. Men did not like empty vases; instead, they chased those who possessed brains, wit, courage, and resourcefulness. Of course, being attractive helped immensely, but never to the point of being aggressive or making him feel insecure. Striking that exact balance was notoriously difficult, but Yu Meng was confident she had nailed it this time. It was also a brilliant counterattack against Weng Yang.
That day, Weng Yang had witnessed the entire dramatic scene from start to finish. Unfortunately, while she could see it, she couldn't hear it. The moment she returned home, she called Han Guang and voiced a soft protest. Han Guang replied, "It's all over now." Knowing it was unwise to press the issue too hard, Weng Yang had no choice but to let it drop. Sitting alone in her car, her thoughts raced. Her older sister, Weng Qin, had passed away so many years ago, yet Weng Yang's emotions regarding her remained complex. She was grateful to Weng Qin; without her, Weng Yang could never have crossed paths with a man like Han Guang—even though he had started from scratch back then. Yet, if Weng Qin hadn't taken such an extreme path, the relationship between Weng Yang and Han Guang wouldn't be so awkward today.
Xiqian hated her. She hated her for stealing her father away and causing her mother's death. But it was an unjustly heavy burden to bear; ever since her sister's passing, she and Han Guang had remained bound by neither name nor form. He always kept her at a distance. Previously, over the issue of the company's restructuring, she had fallen into a huge argument with Han Guang. Out of sheer boredom, she had renewed her friendship with Yu Meng—truly inviting a wolf into the house. During this committee election, Weng Yang was grateful for Han Guang's staunch support. After all, they were family; she was Xiqian's aunt! But Weng Yang also understood that Han Guang's intervention this time was partly to demonstrate his own capability. Men loved to prove themselves, and Han Guang never feared competition—in fact, he thrived on it.
The car door pulled open, and Yu Rui handed her a cup of coffee. She asked Weng Yang if she still wanted to go get her hair done. Weng Yang stared at Yu Rui for a moment, waved her hand dismissively, and said they should just head back.
Chairman Kang hadn't gone to the nursing home; he was still staying temporarily at Yu Shuang's place. The son couldn't outstubborn the father. Kang Long could do nothing about it; he only felt somewhat guilty toward Yu Shuang for causing her so much trouble. Yu Shuang, however, brushed it off. "We're just helping each other out. When my younger brother was in trouble, you helped out so much, so it's only right that I look after him a bit now. Besides, Chairman Kang is actually quite useful—he even teaches Chun'er history lessons."
Kang Long knew that his old man's history lessons basically consisted of modern Chinese revolutionary history. His own childhood memories were forever stamped with the lesson of the Battle of the Luding Bridge.
As summer arrived, the living arrangement at Yu Shuang's home underwent a slight shift. Yu Qing's wife brought her two children over for three reasons: first, to broaden the kids' horizons; second, to check in on her niece Chun'er; and third, to sponge off her eldest sister-in-law a little. She had just resigned from her job and was caught in the gap between two positions, with her next employment status still up in the air.
With Yu Qing's wife and kids arriving, the household grew lively. Seeing that Chun'er was living like a little princess at Yu Shuang's, she felt a bit displeased and loudly urged Yu Shuang to cut corners wherever possible, constantly emphasizing that her own two little ones were raised to be hard-working and thrifty. She hoped Yu Shuang could keep the scales balanced and offer them more financial subsidies.
Naturally, Yu Qing's wife also took issue with Chairman Kang's presence, secretly asking Chun'er, "Is that old man safe? There's a weird smell coming off him." Unfortunately, Chairman Kang happened to be squatting in the toilet at that exact moment and overheard her, dealing a heavy blow to his self-esteem. In truth, ever since Kang Long had opposed his staying there, Chairman Kang had already begun mapping out an exit strategy. He couldn't live with his son, and he couldn't go to a nursing home. As a temporary expedient, his only choice was to return to the old family home and slowly look for a live-in helper. Having made up his mind, Chairman Kang went to talk to Yu Shuang about it.