Chapter 17

Chapter 17

◎If This Isn't Bad News, What Is?◎

Early the next morning, the smell of breakfast woke Meng Qi.

The spring mattress beneath him was a world more comfortable than the wooden plank bed in his university dorm. After such a restful sleep, the weariness from the past few days was mostly gone. So, upon waking, Meng Qi was in a fairly good mood. He stretched with a huge yawn before rubbing his eyes and sitting up on the soft, springy mattress.

However, even this comfortable bed was still a tiny bit less cozy than the elm bed his grandparents had specially hired a carpenter to make for him. In this unfamiliar world, nothing could quite compare to the things from his own home. Thinking of this, Meng Qi felt a sudden pinch in his chest. The pang made his good mood vanish. He then sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, realizing it was already his third day here and hoping he could make it through okay.

The bedroom of the book's "Meng Qi" had a private bathroom. The moment he turned on the shower, warm water flowed out. Meng Qi was tempted and immediately decided to take a good hot shower before going out for breakfast. Feeling fresh and clean could also improve his mood.

As he took off his pajamas, his back and waist still ached with a dull, sore pain, similar to the feeling the morning after playing basketball all day. It sure wasn't comfortable.

At first, Meng Qi mistakenly thought this was because his soul hadn't fully merged with the body of the book's "Meng Qi." It wasn't until he saw the bruises on his back in the mirror above the sink that he truly understood the source of this sore, aching feeling.

He wished he hadn't figured it out.

Meng Qi flushed with embarrassment, quickly turned his head away, and didn't dare look in the mirror again for the rest of his shower.

The breakfast prepared by the live-in housekeeper was truly sumptuous: a steamer basket of savory meat buns, a basket of fresh pork shaomai, a platter of eggs, pumpkin, and corn, a bowl of steamed egg custard with sesame oil, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a plate of green pepper with pork, and a bowl of steaming hot egg drop soup. It made Meng Qi's mouth water, and his stomach even growled twice.

The breakfasts his grandparents prepared were never this fancy. Usually, it was just a plate of refreshing pickles with a bowl of plain congee, plus two boiled or fried eggs. The point was just to fill him up; they never paid much attention to nutritional balance.

But no matter how simple, it was an irreplaceable meal filled with family love. So, even with such a spread before him, Meng Qi still wanted to go home.

Seeing the previously energetic Meng Qi suddenly wilt like a frostbitten eggplant, the live-in housekeeper mistakenly thought today's food wasn't to his liking. Anxiously, she asked, "Don't you like these? It's okay if you don't. Just tell me what you'd like, and I'll make it for you."

Snapped back to reality, Meng Qi quickly put on a show of great satisfaction with the food before him. Sitting down, he first took a bite of a savory meat bun, then a sip of the egg drop soup. With a look of contentment, he said to the housekeeper, "I like it very much. You're an amazing cook; everything you make is delicious."

Watching Meng Qi eat heartily, the housekeeper finally relaxed a little. When Meng Qi was almost full, she hesitantly said, "Young Master, Madam said she wants you to go home today..."

"She wants me to come home? When did she say that?" Meng Qi was shocked, immediately looking up at the housekeeper. "Did Madam call you?"

Why didn't she call him? If she had called him, he could have tried to refuse in the tone of the book's "Meng Qi." Now it was too late; the deed was done, and he was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Meng Qi looked at the housekeeper with great confusion, wondering if this auntie was perhaps his stepmother's spy. If he had known that yesterday, he really should have taken the chance to fire her. Now, Meng Qi deeply regretted missing the opportunity to dismiss this mole due to his momentary soft-heartedness yesterday.

Compared to this mole, those skills he lacked were nothing. She was the real time bomb.

The live-in housekeeper, pinned by Meng Qi's wide, startled eyes, seemed even more nervous than him. She hurriedly explained, "Young Master, this time it was me meddling. I took the initiative to contact Madam. Please don't blame her."

Meng Qi: ...

So, why did you have to meddle? What did I do to you? We've barely spoken a few words. Surely you didn't report me just because I bought a set of clothes for less than a hundred bucks...

Meng Qi was completely and utterly speechless.

The housekeeper grew even more flustered and continued explaining, "It's like this, Young Master. Yesterday, when I was washing your clothes, I found... found *that* in your shirt pocket. Young Master, it's not that I'm criticizing, but you're still young. Many things aren't clear yet. I was afraid... afraid you might make friends with the wrong people and go down the wrong path. After thinking about it all night, I told Madam about it."

Found *that*?

What's *that*?

Meng Qi rubbed his forehead, thinking hard, when suddenly it hit him like a thunderbolt.

He remembered. The "that" the housekeeper mentioned was the birth control pills. A whole strip with exactly one pill missing, obvious to anyone that it had been taken...

You know what they say? When you're on your own in an unfamiliar place, you must always be on high alert, never let your guard down. See? One slip-up, and he'd dug his own grave!

He was really asking for it.

"Auntie, why didn't you ask me first where that medicine came from or what it was for?" Meng Qi was already beyond words, asking weakly.

"I... Young Master, I was really afraid something might happen to you. You're so good-looking, talented, and most importantly, wealthy. I was afraid some people might flock around you... Take that red-haired kid you brought home to play games before, for instance. At first glance, I thought he looked like trouble."

Meng Qi: ...

First, thank you for still remembering to flatter me at a time like this. Second, although the red-haired Kuang Hui always acts like a ruffian and indeed doesn't look like a good person, he's actually a genuinely good kid. Rumor has it he got into their school with a ranking in the top thirty of his entire school—a hidden academic ace.

Though this was exhausting, Meng Qi felt it necessary to clarify things for Kuang Hui to the housekeeper. "He just looks a bit sloppy, but his character is definitely good. You've misunderstood him."

Hearing this, the housekeeper visibly tensed up and proactively apologized to Meng Qi. "Young Master, no matter what, I overstepped. You have every right to be angry."

Sigh, if apologies were useful, what would we need the police for...

But putting aside his own unspeakable identity, the housekeeper's act of reporting to the parents couldn't exactly be called wrong. At least her intentions were good. This showed the auntie genuinely cared about the book's "Meng Qi." Therefore, Meng Qi tried hard to settle his nerves, silently reminding himself he couldn't and shouldn't get angry at this auntie. In fact, he should even reward her. Then, he forced a smile and said to the housekeeper, "You don't need to blame yourself. I know you meant well."

Just that one sentence brought tears to the housekeeper's eyes.

Meng Qi felt worse, but he still had to say what needed to be said. Otherwise, if he missed the chance again, where would he go to cry? So, hardening his heart and cooling his tone, he said to the housekeeper, "But Auntie, I'm already in my twenties. I can handle my own business, and I know what should and shouldn't be done. So, in the future, if you encounter anything worrying, please ask me first and hear my explanation, okay?"

Intimidated by Meng Qi's sudden display of authority, the housekeeper immediately became frightened and repeatedly said, "Okay, okay, Young Master. Absolutely."

Meng Qi didn't want to pretend to be a domineering boss to scare the housekeeper, but to survive well, he had no choice but to act all high and mighty because of someone else's power... He hoped the housekeeper would understand him someday.

Meng Qi, who had initially been bowled over by the delicious aroma of the breakfast, had completely lost his appetite. Moreover, the thought of going to the Meng family's old residence to meet those Meng family members who knew the book's "Meng Qi" inside out made his heart beat faster. It felt like he was heading to a lion's den; whether he could come back in one piece was an unknown.

Besides, he didn't even know where the Meng family's old residence was. How was he supposed to get there...

He bowed his head, dreading what was to come for a full minute before looking up, taking out his phone, and sending a message to Qi Yun, asking if he knew where the Meng family's old residence was.

Qi Yun did know. Not only did he quickly send Meng Qi the address of the old residence, but he also sent a license plate number, saying it was Meng Qi's car, which should currently be parked in the underground garage of Meng Qi's residential complex.

But having a car was useless. Meng Qi sighed helplessly; he had never taken a driver's license test and couldn't tell the accelerator from the clutch.

Meng Qi didn't dare tell Qi Yun the truth, only saying he hadn't remembered how to drive yet.

"Liang Wenkai can drive. Should I ask him to take you back?" Qi Yun suggested.

That was a solution. Meng Qi thought it feasible, but he didn't have Liang Wenkai's contact information. He asked Qi Yun to help him contact Liang Wenkai, also stating that he wouldn't let Liang Wenkai work for free and would give him compensation afterward.

Qi Yun readily agreed. Not long after, he sent Meng Qi a message saying it was all arranged. Liang Wenkai would come to pick Meng Qi up in about an hour.

Meng Qi wanted to say thank you to Qi Yun, but considering the personality of the book's "Meng Qi," he swallowed the words "thank you." Instead, he turned and transferred the three thousand yuan he had promised Qi Yun last time as an expression of his gratitude.

At first, Qi Yun absolutely refused to accept it, but Meng Qi insisted. He explained to Qi Yun that let's keep things separate; those three thousand were what he had promised. He couldn't go back on his word. But now he considered Qi Yun a friend and wouldn't do such things in the future. He told Qi Yun not to feel burdened and to just accept it.

Qi Yun clicked to receive it and, in turn, sent Meng Qi two words: Thank you.

After handling how to get to the Meng family's old residence, the next thing to deal with was his own appearance. Fortunately, the book's "Meng Qi" had very consistent taste; his wardrobe was mostly filled with tracksuits. He could just grab any set and wear it directly, with no worry about clashing. Meng Qi looked at the wardrobe for a long time and finally chose a brown tracksuit.

Brown is a subdued color, relatively somber, which could help him blend in.

And this result, he believed, was also something his stepmother—no, the book's "Meng Qi's" stepmother, Li Jintong—would be pleased to see.

Once ready, Meng Qi checked the time on his phone. Only half an hour had passed since his last message exchange with Qi Yun. That meant in another half hour, he would be heading alone into the lion's den.

Now Meng Qi grew even more nervous, even starting to feel too restless to sit still. He closed his eyes, waiting for Liang Wenkai while also praying time would pass more slowly.

"Author's Note"

Revised on July 4, 2024.