Chapter 1: The Fragrance of the Osmanthus Tree

Mei Mengzhen sat by the window in the cafe, frowning deeply in dissatisfaction.

It had been 20 minutes since the time she and her best friend had agreed to meet, yet the latter still hadn't shown up.

She picked up her phone and sent a voice message, "Sis, what time is it? I'm giving you one last 5 minutes. If I don't see you in 5 minutes, don't bother coming."

Elsewhere.

A young girl entered the cafe through the side door. After looking around, she spotted her target and quickly walked over.

Dressed in a knee-length white dress, the girl had long, black, lustrous hair, a round face, and large, doe-like eyes, exuding a youthful and serene aura all around her.

Upon stopping in front of her, the girl didn't think twice before she burst into a tirade, "Mei Mengzhen, you shameless woman. Can't you understand human language? I told you not to harass my husband. Why do you keep seeking him out? Do you have to ruin our happiness to be satisfied?"

The girl's words were so full, they immediately drew the attention of everyone in the cafe.

Before Mei Mengzhen could react, she was splashed in the face with coffee from the table.

In that moment, Mei Mengzhen had only one thought—thank goodness she'd ordered an iced Americano. Had it been hot, she certainly would've suffered a facial burn.

But that wasn't the point. After seeing who had come, Mei Mengzhen retorted angrily, "Are you sick? Who's stealing your husband?"

"You're still not admitting it? I saw a woman message my husband to meet at this cafe, and as soon as I got here, I saw you. If it's not you, then who could it be?" The girl said, enraged.

Mei Mengzhen scoffed, "Indeed, I am here waiting for someone, but I'm not waiting for your husband. Moreover, who's your husband, anyway? He's my ex-boyfriend. I understand you mistresses don't have a sense of security after moving up the ranks, but you can't disrupt my life because of your own issues."

"You—you're still making excuses. How can this be a coincidence? He comes to this cafe, and you happen to be here too. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Well, aren't you a fool? A man who cheats once can cheat a second time. Right now, he's probably messing around with someone else. You got the wrong person," Mei Mengzhen said disdainfully.

Those words from Mei Mengzhen were as good as saying straight to her face that her boyfriend was cheating. Regardless of whether it was true, the girl was now fuming with anger. She raised her hand with the intention of slapping Mei Mengzhen to vent her fury.

Mei Mengzhen was ready to respond in kind. If the girl dared to strike, she was prepared to retaliate.

Unexpectedly, just as she raised her hand, someone grabbed it firmly from behind.

Mei Mengzhen glanced over her shoulder and grew even more dissatisfied, "Let go."

The man opened his mouth, seemingly to ask what exactly had happened, but before he could speak, the girl immediately rushed into his arms, assuming an expression full of grievance. Wrapped up in her embrace, the man's grip on Mei Mengzhen inadvertently loosened.

As onlookers pondered how events would unfold, the girl lamented, "Acheng, she wanted to hit me."

This man referred to as Acheng was her ex-boyfriend, Jiang Cheng. The girl who played the victim so perfectly and interfered with Jiang Cheng's and her relationship was none other than the mistress, Yu Duoduo.

Mei Mengzhen was all too familiar with this little display of innocence. Before Yu Duoduo's official rise, she had suffered enough from such tactics.

Jiang Cheng asked with a frown, "Why do you want to hit her?"

Yu Duoduo's face lit up with pride. See, Jiang Cheng was still on her side.

At that question from Jiang Cheng, the spectators in the cafe collectively gasped in disbelief.

They believe her?

Mei Mengzhen rubbed her wrist that had been pinched painfully, and scoffed. In the past, she couldn't speak out because she cared about what Jiang Cheng thought. But now, his opinions meant nothing to her.

Mei Mengzhen said with contempt, "My hand hasn't even come down yet, and you're telling lies with your eyes wide open."

Domineering.

This was the most sincere evaluation the onlookers had for Mei Mengzhen.

"Zhenzhen, why are you talking like this?" With many onlookers in the cafe, Jiang Cheng felt that Mei Mengzhen was putting him to shame with her words, "Everyone is watching."

"Let them watch. The one who's embarrassed is not me. I was just sitting here when your mistress came up and splashed me in the face. What now, she did something wrong and still acts outrageously? What does she think she is? I'm not her mother; why should I indulge her?"

"When did you become so…" Jiang Cheng furrowed his brows tighter as he looked at her. He seemed to search for a while for a word to describe her, "unreasonable?"

"Who are you calling a mistress? I warn you, stop clinging to Acheng. I am now his wife," Yu Duoduo said, as if to assert her rightfulness, but who cared?

"You're warning me? Seems like you forgot how I warned you back then, yet in the end, you still managed to succeed as the mistress. I really wonder if there's a hole in your brain to fall for such a guy," Mei Mengzhen changed her tone, "But it's good that you two are together, otherwise you'd just go and ruin someone else's life."

Yu Duoduo didn't take the insults lying down and looked like she wanted to retaliate.

Mei Mengzhen snorted after seeing this, "You want to fight with me? Not playing the innocent little white flower anymore? Let me tell you, if you lay a hand on me, years of pretending will have been wasted."

Yu Duoduo glanced at Jiang Cheng beside her and quickly dropped her hand, trying her best to conceal her intent, "What nonsense you're talking about, who's pretending? You… Acheng, don't believe her."

"Humph, it's useless to pick a fight with me over your inability to keep your man in line. I'm not interested in that kind of man. Also, a word of sincere advice from an older sister: if you could snatch him away, then be prepared for someone else to do the same. But rest assured, that someone will definitely not be me."

Mei Mengzhen gave the despicable couple a once-over, "I truly wish you both everlasting happiness. Don't be ungrateful."

After speaking, Mei Mengzhen intended to grab her purse and leave. But seeing the coffee stains on her clothes, her anger flared up. She had been at the doorstep, but the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt, and turned back. She pulled out a hundred yuan from her bag and handed it to a handsome passerby, casually taking the freshly made coffee from his hand in the process.

Without hesitation, she splashed the coffee onto Yu Duoduo's face and said with a smile, "This is a return gift for you, no thanks needed."

After pouring the coffee, Mei Mengzhen left the cafe feeling refreshed, and at that moment, the much-delayed call from her friend Liang Xiao finally came through.

While talking about her recent exploits, she headed towards the descending elevator. Out of nowhere, Yu Duoduo charged out of the cafe like a madwoman.

Caught off guard, Mei Mengzhen was pushed down the stairs by the charging Yu Duoduo.

Without any time to think, she tumbled down.

Then, after catching a whiff of a familiar Osmanthus fragrance, Mei Mengzhen completely lost consciousness.