Chapter 11

Mu Hanxia was taken aback, and Lin Mochen also lifted his gaze to look at Cheng Weiwei.

"I used to go to No. 6 Middle School," Mu Hanxia replied.

A sweet smile appeared on Cheng Weiwei's face, "I was in the same grade as you, but not the same class."

Mu Hanxia let out an "oh" and also smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Meeting an alumnus gave her mixed feelings. There was always a warmth to those distant people and lives. However, she couldn't recall this Miss Cheng at all after searching through her memories.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Weiwei chuckled, "Back then, you were a high-profile figure. You might not know me, but I definitely knew you."

Mu Hanxia paused for a moment and noticed that Lin Mochen's gaze had fallen on her. She simply smiled openly and waved her hand, saying, "We're alumni, let's not talk about past glories."

Cheng Weiwei laughed with a snort, "You're still so interesting. Where do you work now...?"

Mu Hanxia answered, "I work at Leya."

After exchanging a few more words, Mu Hanxia stood up to take her leave, not forgetting to take her two large bags of drinks. Cheng Weiwei raised her head, looking at Mu Hanxia's slim yet slightly strained back. After a while, she asked, "Jason, how come you ended up with her?"

Lin Mochen glanced at Mu Hanxia's retreating figure too and spoke succinctly, "The one who called the ambulance for us that night, it was her."

Cheng Weiwei gasped, "Why didn't you say so earlier! I should properly thank her!" There was regret in her eyes.

Lin Mochen said indifferently, "No need, I've already thanked her."

"Oh, that's good then," Cheng Weiwei understood automatically that his "thank you" meant a cheque, her expression becoming relieved. But then she hesitated and said, "No, that's not right. Didn't you say the person who helped us was a junior sales representative?"

"She basically is a junior sales representative."

Cheng Weiwei's face showed great surprise. After a moment of silence, she sighed, "I really didn't expect her life to turn out like this. Back then, she was really somebody—always ranking first in exams, class president, vice-chairperson of the student council. She had many supporters, and a lot of boys chasing her. Everyone thought she would get into Peking University or Tsinghua."

Lin Mochen looked at her, his gaze sharp and clear, "And then?"

Cheng Weiwei eyed him for a few moments, "Why are you interested in her affairs? I've never seen you care about irrelevant people. You couldn't possibly be taken with her, could you?"

"Could that be possible?" he said with a light smile.

How could he possibly fall for such a girl.

Cheng Weiwei seemed to think the same, barely smiling, "Later, she had a serious mishap in the college entrance exam and didn't even get into university, so she stopped studying."

"Why?"

Cheng Weiwei looked into Lin Mochen's deep-set eyes, an idea stirring in her heart. After a pause, she said, "I'm not too sure myself, I wasn't in the same class. There were rumors about a premature romance—youth can often be impulsive and reckless, right? Later, she stopped coming to school for many days. I heard she moved off-campus."

----

Mu Hanxia carried the drinks back to the office. After distributing them to her colleagues, only Meng Gang and his assistant's were left.

Mu Hanxia took two cups of drink and went upstairs. Assistant Xiao Chen was sitting outside Meng Gang's office. He smiled when he saw her, "Thank you, Hanxia." He took his own drink but didn't take Meng Gang's, smiling and saying, "Mr. Meng is inside; go ahead and take it in. I need to use the restroom." With that, he got up and left.

With little choice and feeling a bit nervous, Mu Hanxia moved forward and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door and saw Meng Gang sitting behind his desk, reviewing documents. He looked up at her.

Mu Hanxia quickly lowered her eyes and handed over the drink, placing it on the desk, "Mr. Meng, your coffee."

"Mm."

Mu Hanxia was just about to leave when she heard him saying, "Sit, wait for me to finish these few pages of documents."

Mu Hanxia stiffened a little and had no choice but to sit down again.

The office was very quiet, with the sound of the wind moving the curtains and the fine rustle of his pen tip on the paper. A hint of the rich scent of coffee lingered on Mu Hanxia's fingers, refusing to fade away.

After a while, he looked up at her, his eyes brimming with a smile. Mu Hanxia responded with a polite smile, not daring to show any overly familiar reaction.

He didn't speak either, just stared at her for a few seconds, pulled open a drawer, and placed a folder in front of her, "Take a look."

Mu Hanxia opened it and was stunned.

This was...

...information on several key high schools in Jiangcheng, including introductions to departments and faculties, background of teachers, overviews of majors, and the admissions cut-off scores over the years. Mu Hanxia flipped through a few pages, then looked up, "President Meng, this is..."

Meng Gang picked up the coffee she had bought, took a couple of sips, and gently placed it beside his hand, "These high schools in Jiangcheng are also well-known nationwide. Take a look and see which one you want to attend. Next week, I'll drive you over for a visit. How much time do you need to prepare for the college entrance exam? During this period, you don't have to worry about money for tuition, living expenses, or any other expenses. Even if you don't get admitted, it's okay. I still have some connections in Jiangcheng. With some money and a little smoothing over, you can still get in. What do you think about this arrangement?"

Mu Hanxia was completely shocked, holding the materials, unable to utter a single word. Meng Gang's features were rugged and restrained, clearly before her, yet all she felt was a throbbing in her temples, as if she was about to step into a vast abyss, looking around in a daze, utterly lost.

"Knock, knock—" Someone knocked on the door, breaking the silence.

Meng Gang's eyes still twinkled with mirth, "Take it back, have a good look at it."

——

That night, Mu Hanxia lay in bed with the materials still beside her.

The early summer night was still a bit chilly. After lying there for a while, she pulled over the blanket, wrapping herself up tightly, gazing out at the pitch-black sky.

She remembered that morning, Meng Gang had taken her hand, his fingers hard and long, with thin calluses built up over many years. She remembered the way he looked at her each time, his low voice gently calling her "young lady."

He had been divorced, they said his former wife had been just like him, a supermarket entry-level employee. He didn't know where she had gone now. It was said that in the past few years, he had dated two girlfriends, neither relationship lasting long, both having ended.

She turned her head and looked at the materials again.

He had placed her dream into her hands. All she had to do was hold on tight to achieve it.

——

Early morning.

Mu Hanxia had gotten up very early today and had run to the sports field early on, sweating profusely. She hadn't expected Meng Gang to be even earlier. In the dim morning light, he was still wearing that gray T-shirt and black shorts, working out on the equipment.

Mu Hanxia stood on the spot for a while, then walked over, "President Meng."

He seemed to have anticipated she would come this early, and also that she would have spent a sleepless night. He took a towel and wiped off his sweat, speaking warmly, "Good morning."

Mu Hanxia didn't respond.

He turned to look at her, smiling, "Have you chosen a school yet?"

"Not yet," she answered.

He sat down, patted the step beside him, signaling her to sit as well, but Mu Hanxia didn't move. He glanced at her and fell silent for a while, then said slowly, "I think you should aim for Jiangcheng University. It's the best among these high schools. After you get your bachelor's degree, you can continue on to graduate school if you want. I have an apartment near Jiangcheng University, you can live there later. But forget about going abroad, it's too far from me. Where do you want to go to have a look, which country? I'll arrange the time and take you there to play."

Mu Hanxia had been silent all this time, but now she suddenly spoke up, "President Meng, are you arranging my life for me?"

Meng Gang looked at her, saying nothing. Mu Hanxia, too, was silent. Finally, he suddenly reached out and pulled her over. Mu Hanxia startled, already drawn between his legs. He looked at her, his eyes with very fine crow's feet at the corners, dark and deep.