In the morning, Ning An was awakened by a phone call from Qin Wang’s grandmother, Liu Fangying.
Detecting the sleepiness in her voice, Old Madam Liu immediately softened her tone. "Did I wake you?"
"No, Grandma."
Ning An sat up at once. "I'm awake. I was just being a bit lazy, that’s all."
Old Madam Liu chuckled. "Young people need their sleep to stay healthy."
"Oh, Grandma, please don't spoil me like that." Ning An acted coy, feeling a bit embarrassed. "If you keep doting on me, I’m going to get spoiled rotten."
Old Madam Liu was thoroughly amused. "Come back with Awang for lunch today. I’ve had the chef prepare the braised beef you like, and we had King crab delivered this morning."
Braised beef needed to soak for a long time to be delicious; the fact that Grandma called at this hour meant it was either already simmering or finished.
"All right, I’ll be over shortly."
After hanging up, Ning An opened WeChat. In the chat history with Qin Wang, the last message was from him the previous night, asking where she was.
Ning An left him a message: 【Grandma wants us to come over for lunch today.】
During the period when Qin Wang’s relationship with his family was strained, whenever his grandmother or his aunt wanted to see him, they would always have her ask him to come home for dinner. Since their engagement, they had simply started going back together.
Even after the conflict that nearly led to him severing ties with his parents, Qin Wang still allowed himself to be "pressured by his family" into this engagement. It wasn't because he was truly afraid of them, but because what he wanted was closely tied to this engagement.
To get Qin Wang to willingly open his wallet for the Jianxin Orphanage, she had to stabilize his family—winning their sympathy while figuring out what he was truly afraid of—and then use them to pressure him.
She went to wash up and applied light makeup to cover the puffiness on her face and eyes, as well as a small cut on her lip.
When she went downstairs, Xiao Xi was the only one in the living room, curled up on the sofa with an iPad. Hearing footsteps, Xiao Xi glanced up at her once before returning to her game.
It was past breakfast time, and the household staff had finished their chores and gone to rest. Ning An checked the kitchen, found nothing to eat, and settled for a bowl of cereal.
"Didn't you go to the welcome banquet with Brother Awang last night? Why weren't you with him?"
After finishing a round of her game, Xiao Xi drifted over to Ning An. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Brother Awang is back together with Tang Meng. He must be busy keeping her company, right?"
Ning An didn't give her a second glance, stirring her cereal as she pulled out a chair to sit.
Seeing her remain unmoved, Xiao Xi’s expression turned sour. She followed her, continuing with sarcastic, melodramatic jabs.
"I saw the news. The scandal about Brother Awang and Tang Meng broke last night. You two must have been together then, right?"
"Your future husband having a cheating scandal go public right in front of you—what a nightmare!"
"The wedding date is almost set, and yet your husband has run off with another woman. How pathetic."
"If it were me, I’d be so ashamed I’d want to die..."
"That is exactly why the person engaged to Qin Wang is me, not you." Ning An cut her off, cool and collected.
Xiao Xi’s face stiffened. "What nonsense are you spouting..."
"Don't think that just because you’re engaged, you’re actually the young mistress of the Qin family. You’re nothing but a tool Qin Wang is using to provide cover for his true love!"
"Qin Wang has always been in contact with Tang Meng. Do you think the Qin family doesn't know his true motive for this sudden engagement?"
"Running to the Qin house every day, sucking up to his parents—in their eyes, you’re just a fool..."
"And so what?"
Ning An set her bowl back in the kitchen and looked at her expressionlessly. "Whether Qin Wang is cheating or back with an old flame, it doesn't change the fact that I am the fiancée he knelt to propose to, and the future mistress of the Qin family. Unlike you, who works so hard to put on a show, only to never receive so much as a glance from him."
Xiao Xi turned pale with rage. "Ning An, I’ll kill you!"
...
Taking a taxi to the Qin residence, Ning An saw Grandma waiting for her at the gate from a distance. A wave of warmth washed over her heart. She composed herself, smiled, and jogged over.
"Grandma."
"It’s so hot out today, why did you come out?"
"The morning sun is warm, it’s not too hot." Old Madam Liu affectionately took her hand. "Why didn't you come with Awang?"
Ning An didn't miss a beat. "He had work to finish; he’ll be here later."
"What kind of work could he have on a weekend?"
"He is going to take over the company eventually, after all. He needs to learn more to build a foundation for the future."
Old Madam Liu gave her a long look, patted the back of her hand lightly, and stopped pressing. She led her inside.
"You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you?"
The old lady had the butler bring over some braised beef, a plate of mung bean cakes, and a cold drink. "I had the kitchen make these after I hung up. Eat while they’re hot to tide yourself over."
The mung bean cakes were fresh out of the oven, still burning to the touch. Ning An took one and popped it into her mouth. "Wow, so flaky and delicious."
As if she weren't afraid of the heat, she finished it in a few bites and leaned over to hug the old lady. "Thank you, Grandma. You’re the best to me."
Old Madam Liu laughed and patted her back. "As long as you like it. The kitchen made plenty, so take some back with you when you go."
"I will."
"An'an is here."
Wang Qin walked out of the bedroom and sat on the sofa next to Ning An and the old lady. "Didn't you go to Gu Ximian’s welcome banquet with Awang last night? Why weren't you with him?"
She seemed very well-versed in Qin Wang’s schedule. Did she know he was back with Tang Meng?
Ning An observed her calmly. "I had a last-minute errand, so I left early."
Liu Fangying realized something and looked at her daughter-in-law suspiciously. "Awang was with An'an last night?" Since they were together, why hadn't she mentioned it when she called Ning An this morning?
Wang Qin looked at Ning An in shock. "An'an didn't tell you, Grandma?"
"Grandma, don't blame my aunt." Ning An quickly comforted the old lady, volunteering to take the blame. "The banquet was mainly for Gu Ximian’s friends. You know how it is—I don't really move in those circles, and we don't have much to talk about, so I asked Awang to take me home first."
Liu Fangying’s expression softened, and she gripped Ning An's hand tightly, feeling sorry for her. "There was no need for you to stay at an event like that anyway. Coming back early was for the best."
"..."
Wang Qin shot Ning An a look of satisfaction; though she felt something was off, she managed to smooth things over in front of the old lady.
"Eat more mung bean cakes, they won't taste good if they go cold," Liu Fangying urged.
Ning An obediently took another one.
After chatting with the old lady for a while, Wang Qin took advantage of the time when the nurse was massaging the old lady to call Ning An into her bedroom.
"An'an, tell me the truth. What happened last night?" Wang Qin asked, getting straight to the point.
Ning An held her gaze for a moment, then answered honestly, "Tang Meng was there too."
Wang Qin’s expression shifted. "You ran into her?"
Compared to Tang Meng, who had nearly caused the relationship between mother and son to shatter, or the fact that her son was back with her, Wang Qin seemed more afraid of her crossing paths with Tang Meng.
Did this mean she had known about Qin Wang and Tang Meng all along?
Ning An’s hand, hanging by her side, unconsciously tightened into a fist. She asked, "Auntie, did you know that Awang and Tang Meng were back together?"