Chapter 137

Chapter 137

Wei Xiang hesitated for only a moment before deciding to call Xu Meng and ask.

Since Feng Yanwen married Wang Shuanzhu, their newly renovated home had a telephone installed, making it way easier to reach people.

Upon hearing Wei Xiang’s request over the phone, Xu Meng replied, "My uncle is the main supplier, and all the agents source their goods from him. This thing’s flying off the shelves in Beijing—even in our Changchun Alley, almost everyone has one."

Wei Xiang grew increasingly tempted and quickly asked, "Could you ask your uncle how the wholesale works? What’s the smallest batch I can get?"

Not long after, Xu Meng gave her the wholesale price.

"It sells really well. Try thirty to start—if you really can’t sell them, as long as they’re unopened, I’ll have Uncle Wang refund you within a month."

Wei Xiang immediately discussed it with her family and decided to place an initial order of fifty units.

Wang Shuanzhu hadn’t expected that just stepping out for a bit would lead Xu Meng to land this kinda "big" deal. He didn’t mind the small order—for a first-time client, fifty units was already a pretty solid order. That evening, he said to Feng Yanwen with satisfaction, "I think Mengmeng’s heart is really with us."

Feng Yanwen teased, "Of course she’s with us. She’s sharp as a tack—she gave your product as a gift, but I think she had this up her sleeve all along. Her classmate’s crowd eats this stuff up!"

Xu Meng: "..."

She really hadn’t intended to promote Uncle Wang’s products at the time...

After dinner, Xu Meng said she wanted to take a walk and somehow wandered to Shijia Hutong.

Coincidentally, she ran into Han Jiming and Han Lingling, who were also out for a "walk."

Han Lingling blurted out, "Xu Meng! Where’ve you been hiding?"

Just then, Jiang Huiqi was about to take her evening walk. Seeing Xu Meng, she smiled and invited her in. "It’s been a while since you visited. I thought now that exams are over, you’d have time—why haven’t you come by?"

Han Lingling snickered right behind her.

Xu Meng’s face burned with embarrassment. She was too embarrassed—after all, she used to call Jiang Huiqi "Auntie."

Han Lingling said, "Didn’t you want to learn ice skating? Let’s go to the indoor rink together sometime. I’ll teach you."

Han Jiming usually stayed quiet at times like this, but he was clearly displeased, his face tense. He should’ve let Han Lingling leave first—this girl really talked too much.

Xu Meng let out an awkward chuckle. "I don’t have rink-quality skates. The ones I bought before were for skating at Shichahai—they’d be trash on real ice. I’ll come find you after I buy new ones."

Han Lingling almost offered to give her an unused pair of skates, but seeing Han Jiming’s expression, she didn’t dare and just went "uh-huh."

Jiang Huiqi smiled and said, "Speaking of skating reminds me of something from the past. You should stick to indoor rinks—outdoor ice can be dangerous. When Jiming was little, he once fell through the ice while skating outside. Luckily, someone rescued him. I think he was already in middle school then—total troublemaker."

Xu Meng widened her eyes. "What?"

Han Lingling added, "Wait, you forgot? That year, we went skating together. I think you fell into the river too. It was strange—it was so cold that year, and the river had long frozen over. How’d you even manage that? But things like that happen once or twice every year at ice rinks. Nobody croaks? No big deal..."

Xu Meng glanced at Han Jiming, but his face stayed stone-cold.

As she recalled the past, puzzle pieces clicked together.

It hit her—the Han family went way overboard being nice. It was Han Jiming who had saved her, yet they had sent her fruit as thanks.

So it was all because of Han Jiming...

He never told his family the truth; instead, he spun the story.

No wonder—even for the easygoing Han family, it still wouldn’t make sense for them to cover their son’s medical expenses after he fell into the water saving someone, let alone send the rescued person fruit. That wasn’t just kindness; that’s practically sainthood!

Recalling these past events, Xu Meng’s heart filled with bitterness.

Her ties to Han Jiming ran deeper than just his saving her—it had also preserved her dignity in the Han family.

Han Lingling watched her expression shift and blurted out, “Wait, didn’t *you* save him back then?”

Jiang Huiqi paused, as if suddenly remembering. “Was it really you, Xu Meng? How’d I forget that? After that incident, you hardly came over anymore. It’s been so long, it slipped my mind. You were a hero back then—we never properly thanked you.”

Xu Meng said, “It wasn’t me.”

Han Lingling insisted, “You had a fever after falling into the water and forgot a lot of things. I remember Uncle told us it was you who saved him.”

Xu Meng’s chest tightened. “It really wasn’t me.”

Han Lingling giggled. “No wonder Uncle’s into you—turns out it’s because of this life-saving favor!”

Xu Meng threw a pleading glance at Han Jiming, who shook his head slightly. When she tried to signal him with her eyes, he turned away.

The warmth she’d felt earlier evaporated, tainted by the lie.

She wasn’t Han Jiming. From his perspective, it was just a well-intentioned lie. But from hers, it meant she might have to spin more lies to keep it up. Xu Meng stayed silent, glancing at Han Jiming again. Seeing no sign he planned to explain, she could barely breathe.

Should she keep playing along with Han Jiming’s lie—or expose the fact that he had been the one lying all along?

Xu Meng didn’t even remember how she left. She only recalled Jiang Huiqi trying to get her to stay, but she still walked away. It wasn’t until she was far enough that Han Jiming caught up, grabbed her arm, but she shook free. That was when he realized she was angry.

“Xu Meng, listen to me.” Han Jiming tightened his grip, finally stopping her.

Xu Meng’s throat clenched. “I know you lied at first to spare me the trouble. But why didn’t you explain just now?”

“How could I bring it up now? Because of this, they’ve always respected you. If I tell them the truth now, they won’t resent me—they’ll resent you. Do you understand?”

Xu Meng’s strength drained away. So that was why Jiang Huiqi had always been so warm toward her. If it had just been because she was Han Lingling’s friend, their family was far too kind. Only now did she realize—their kindness hinged on the idea that she had “saved” Han Jiming.

It was the life-debt that made them treat her so well.

“But I can’t—I don’t want to keep facing this awkwardness every time I see them.” Xu Meng, who had never liked lying, said helplessly, “You should explain it to your family.”

“After all these years, wouldn’t that seem weird now?”

“If you won’t say it, should I?”

“Don’t dwell on it. Just avoid mentioning Shichahai around them. Honestly, they probably won’t even remember—it was so long ago. If it ever comes up again, we’ll just say we mixed up the details. It was chaotic back then—I thought you saved me, you thought I saved you.”

Xu Meng: “…Han Jiming, do you think everyone’s an idiot?”

Han Jiming looked half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Fine, I’ll tell them to drop it. I’m leaving for Qinghai soon—can’t we just talk?”

He pulled Xu Meng into his arms, gently stroking her back to soothe her.

She must have been truly upset—her breathing was uneven, taking a while to calm down. They shared a deep kiss, and only after a long while did Han Jiming finally relax. Cupping her face, he stared at her, unblinking, as if he couldn’t get enough. “Tell me—how’d I fall so hard for you?”

Xu Meng smacked the back of his hand in annoyance. She had a strong grip—her tone might have been playful, but the hit carried force.

And she was still scowling…

Han Jiming held her hand as they walked along the street and asked, "Haven't heard about your score estimate yet. It's almost time to fill out your college applications, right?"

Currently, students took the exam first, and about half a month later, they had to submit their college preferences, making score estimation crucial.

Xu Meng replied, "I estimate 450 or above. I wanted to ask you—should I apply to Peking University or the Foreign Language Institute with this score?"

450!

Even Han Jiming was stunned. That score was considered high even in previous years.

Precisely because it was high, choosing the right college was even more critical. If PKU rejects her, the Foreign Language Institute won’t admit her either. The fallback option would be an ordinary undergraduate program, but with a score like 450, settling for an average university would seem like a shame. Most students in such situations would choose to retake the college entrance exam.

This made the college preference selection extremely important. Back then, apart from asking teachers for advice or winging it, there weren’t many better options.

"How did you decide back then?" Xu Meng asked curiously.

"Me?" Han Jiming put on a thoughtful expression before grinning. "I was actually admitted through recommendation."

As expected, he got a light swat.

Xu Meng waved her hands menacingly. "Quit bragging!"

Han Jiming pouted. "You hit me at the drop of a hat. You’re definitely going to be a domestic abuser in the future."

Xu Meng almost kicked him lightly but held back. "Who said we’re family?"

Her cheeks burned, turning red in an instant.

Han Jiming couldn’t resist pinching her face again. "So adorable. I’m afraid I’ll miss you when I’m gone."

Xu Meng knew his departure was for serious work. The temperatures in Qinghai were consistently low, and even summer nights were chilly. Han Jiming was currently involved in a project related to frozen ground engineering. Before she was reborn, this highway had been completed and operated smoothly for ten years with excellent quality.

Though Han Jiming hadn’t participated in that road’s construction, there was a monument at the Lhasa terminus commemorating those who contributed to the project. Before that, over a decade of theoretical research and numerous papers had laid the foundation for its construction.

People of that era had passion and dedication.

It was because of countless individuals like Han Jiming that asphalt roads were later built across permafrost regions.

Xu Meng teared up involuntarily. "So… by the time my results come out, will you already be in Qinghai?"

Han Jiming paused. "I leave tomorrow. First, I’ll take the train to Xining to acclimatize for a few days, then head to Delingha and Golmud. I’ll call you when I reach a city with phone access."

"Mm."

She wrapped her arms around his waist.

She really didn’t want him to go…

Meanwhile, at Changchun Lane, two figures appeared at Wang Shuanzhu’s doorstep.