Ch11 In That Case, Treat Me to a Meal
Passersby hurried along, eager to get home, paying no mind to the pitiful girl.
Suddenly, rain fell from the sky-from a drizzle to a downpour in less than two minutes.
The wind seemed to die down a little.
A girl struggled to her feet, cradling her scraped hand, limping home, soaked to the bone.
A wooden plank, blown loose from somewhere, slammed into a parked car. Meng Ci heard curses echoing from the neighboring building.
"Damn it! My brand-new car!"
"Ring-ring."
The phone on the sofa rang. Meng Ci answered it while seated, then grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.
"Meng Ci, when you come over, remember to drive and pick us up," Liu Jie's commanding voice came through the phone.
At the same time, Liu Jie heard some sounds through the phone, seemingly matching what he was saying.
"Meng Ci, what was that noise just now?"
Meng Ci turned down the TV volume but kept his eyes fixed on Liu Jie's frowning face on the screen. He brushed it off casually, "Nothing. My roommate's watching TV."
Liu Jie didn't suspect anything. In his view, Meng Ci wouldn't lie to him.
Then he ordered coldly, "Hurry up and come pick us up."
Meng Ci's voice hesitated. "The rain is too heavy now. Let's wait a bit."
"No way." Liu Jie exploded. "What time is it now? If you don't come pick us up quickly, do you want us to starve to death?"
Zhang Lu, who had been watching the drama unfold, quickly snatched the phone and played the good cop.
"Xiao Ci," she said gently, "the rain is heavy now. Just come back when you can. No need to rush."
"Safety first, safety first."
Zhang Lu and Liu Jie played their roles perfectly-one stern, one soothing-and Meng Ci eventually agreed to come as soon as possible.
After hanging up, Liu Jie grumbled, "Auntie, why are you being so nice to that jerk?"
"Exactly! If he doesn't show up soon, I'll starve to death."
Li Xiaoya, always mindful of her figure, only ate small portions each time. By now, she was famished.
Earlier, she had checked the kitchen-only a few snack packs and a pile of stale vegetables remained.
Li Xiaoya would rather go hungry than touch that stuff.
Zhang Lu said, "He got yelled at by you earlier, and now I've been consoling him. He'll probably feel embarrassed and hurry up."
"Just wait and see."
Li Shanyang snorted coldly nearby, "It's only right he comes to pick me up. If he's late, I'll beat him senseless."
Every curse hurled at Meng Ci echoed through the TV speakers, reaching his ears.
Yet Meng Ci showed no reaction. After all, he felt no attachment to these people. More importantly, he was here to avenge the original Meng Ci.
This surveillance system was installed at Meng Ci's request by the agency, guaranteed to be high-definition.
Turning down the monitor's volume, Meng Ci drew the curtains and prepared to cook.
He had also unblocked their numbers from his blacklist, mainly to placate them and prevent them from leaving.
Although the storage space held plenty of prepared food, he later minimized cooking to avoid arousing suspicion about his food supply. He didn't want anyone catching the scent.
Therefore, whenever possible, Meng Ci cooked for himself.
His culinary skills were quite good.
Back in the real world, he'd always cooked for himself-saving money to buy a place, to have a stable home.
Steaming rice in the pot and gathering ingredients, Meng Ci decided to stir-fry the vegetables later.
Pulling back the curtains, he saw rain pelting the window with a thunderous clatter.
Meng Ci noticed a figure approaching from afar downstairs.
Only when he reached the ground floor did Meng Ci realize the person was the man from next door.
Wearing a raincoat and lugging two suitcases, he trudged into the building, his steps uneven and laborious.
Pulling the curtains tight, Meng Ci stopped watching-even if the man's looks perfectly matched his taste.
The disaster had begun; indulging in superficial attractions would only harm himself.
A large pot of rice steamed to perfection. Meng Ci retrieved eggplant and green beans from her storage space, intending to make a stir-fry. She then took out a pre-cooked fish from the hotel.
Two dishes, plus a bowl of seaweed and egg soup-absolutely perfect.
Just as the meal was ready, an unexpected knock sounded at the door. Meng Ci had no choice but to open it.
Opening the door, he found it was the man who had saved him. Water still dripped from his hair, a towel slung over his shoulder, one hand still wiping his face.
He carried a small bag of flour, a loose bundle of rice, two large cabbages, several tomatoes, and some chili peppers.
Meng Ci looked at him questioningly
The man said, "I don't think this rain will stop anytime soon. I figured you probably didn't stock up, so I brought you some supplies."
Without hesitation, Meng Ci declined: "Thank you for your kindness."
"But you must need it too. If the rain truly won't stop, I'll go buy some myself."
Accepting someone's favor now... later, if this person clung to him, it would be troublesome to shake them off.
The man looked Meng Ci up and down. "With your little frame, you'd probably get blown away by the wind if you went out."
Rage surged within Meng Ci. He stood at least 5'10", weighed nearly 250 pounds-a perfectly standard build.
How could he be blown away by the wind? The man was seriously underestimating him!
Forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Meng Ci gritted his teeth. "Well, thank you for the offer. How much is it? I'll transfer you the money."
The man shook his head. "No need."
"My name is Shen Que. Since we're neighbors, I hope we can get along well."
"I'm Meng Ci. Pleased to meet you."
Meng Ci had no choice but to take the items, then insisted on paying.
Shen Que declined. "Money isn't necessary. I smelled the aroma of your cooking."
"Why not treat me to a meal? You mentioned inviting me over this morning, didn't you?"
All because his cooking smelled too good-he'd actually caught the man's attention.
Meng Ci stiffly invited him inside.
For some reason, Meng Ci felt like he'd let the wolf into the house.
Thankfully, Meng Ci had drawn the curtains and turned off the TV.
All the room doors were closed, preventing Shen Que from spotting anything amiss.
Shen Que carried his things into the kitchen, where he saw two dishes and a soup already prepared on the counter.
Meng Ci said, "Since you're eating, I'll stir-fry one more dish."
"Alright, I'll help you."
Shen Que was quick to make friends, and Meng Ci wasn't quite sure how to handle it.
He could only grit his teeth and say, "No need, I can manage."
"I don't know how to cook. This is a good chance to learn from
you," Shen Que replied.
Since he'd put it that way, Meng Ci could only nod.
Shen Que grabbed some cabbage, and he made a vinegar-braised cabbage dish. Three dishes were more than enough for the two of them.
During the meal, Meng Ci's phone rang several times. He simply switched it to silent and placed it face down on the table.
"Girlfriend?" Shen Que asked. It wasn't surprising he assumed that-after all, the name on the phone was Li Xiaoya. Meng Ci shook his head. "No."
"She's my half-sister."
Realizing his slip, Shen Que quickly apologized.
But Meng Ci didn't seem to mind at all. After dinner, Shen Que helped wash the dishes before leaving.
Meng Ci closed both doors securely before turning on the TV. Li Xiaoya and the others appeared on the screen, their faces flushed with frustration.
"What does Meng Ci think he's doing? Does he not want to pick us up anymore?!"
"Dad, Mom, call him right now."
Liu Jie comforted her gently from the side, "Yaya, don't worry. I'll call him. He'll definitely answer."
Hearing Liu Jie's confident voice, Meng Ci shook his head and turned off the phone in his hand.