Chapter 31

Chapter 31

◎Do You Know What Tulips Symbolize?◎

Before he knew it, it was the next afternoon. Young Master Meng, who had been studying alone in his bedroom until his mind was foggy, faintly heard the doorbell. The monotonous, dull ringing sounded like heavenly music to his ears, instantly rescuing him from the tedious sea of practice problems.

Meng Qi put down the book in his hand, leaned back against the headboard, and stretched out with a long yawn. Two crisp cracking sounds later, a pleasant shiver ran through him, and he finally realized he had been sitting motionless reading for nearly three hours!

With this level of concentration, there was no way he could fail another exam. Meng Qi smugly wrinkled his nose, already sensing that once he entered the exam hall, he would sail through smoothly.

Just then, the sound of the live-in housekeeper opening the door came from outside, followed by Gangzi's honest, rustic baritone. "Hello, I'm looking for Young Master Meng. Is he home?"

The live-in housekeeper had already met Gangzi, so she invited him in while replying, "Yes, he's in his room studying."

"Young Master Meng is so diligent," Gangzi praised, though it was hard to tell if he meant it or was just being polite.

But the live-in housekeeper responded as happily as if someone had praised her own grandson. "Yes, our young master is both clever and loves to study. His grades are excellent."

Meng Qi: ...

Inexplicably guilty...

He raised his hand to rub his sore forehead, his gaze shifting to the wardrobe beside him. The set of clothes Gangzi had delivered yesterday was hanging neatly inside.

He certainly knew why Gangzi had come to find him, but it was indeed time to start preparing to leave for the Ren residence.

As he was thinking this, Gangzi, now in the center of the living room, called out to him from outside, "Young Master Meng, we should start getting ready to leave. Young Master Ren sent me to pick you up."

Afraid I won't go? He even specifically sent someone to fetch me.

Putting it nicely, he's here to pick me up; putting it bluntly, he's here to kidnap me, right? Meng Qi rolled his eyes helplessly at the ceiling, dawdled as he got out of bed, first tidied up the books scattered all over the floor, and then shuffled over in his slippers to pull open the bedroom door.

Perhaps the "Meng Qi" in the book was too clever for his own good, so he never thought to set aside a study for himself. Moreover, the minimalist-style bedroom didn't have any extra tables or chairs, which ultimately forced Meng Qi to study lying on his bed. By the end, he even felt the urge to convert the adjacent game room into a study.

The facts proved that a game room was only suitable for playing games, not for studying.

Yesterday, Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming had given him his first lesson in the game room, but as they went on, Kuang Hui got distracted by the huge-screen gaming console and ended up playing games for over three hours, completely forgetting about tutoring Meng Qi.

Fortunately, Dong Jiaming was more reliable than Kuang Hui and took over to finish the remaining lessons planned for the day.

Seeing Meng Qi appear, Gangzi immediately straightened up and reminded him again with a fawning smile, "Young Master Meng, don't forget to wear the clothes Young Master Ren sent."

He didn't mention that Meng Qi had blocked Ren Suiyi again after he left.

Meng Qi gave an indifferent "Hmm," then said to Gangzi, "You sit and wait for a bit first. I need to go take a shower."

"Of course, Young Master Meng. Please go ahead and don't mind me."

He hadn't dared to look at the bruises on his back for several days and didn't know if they had faded. Mid-shower, Meng Qi suddenly wanted to check his back. Once the thought arose, he couldn't suppress it. In the end, he couldn't resist his curiosity and glanced over his shoulder at the mirror on the vanity behind him.

To his relief, his back was completely smooth and clear again.

No longer seeing the terrifying image from his memory instantly made Meng Qi feel like a weight had been lifted. His mood lifted accordingly, and he even had the mind to think about random things, like why only his back had those marks while his chest was as clean as a baby's skin?

Perhaps it was because Ren Suiyi back then couldn't control his desires yet also deeply despised the "Meng Qi" in the book for seducing him into doing such things. So, he did it from behind the entire time, unwilling to look at the face of the "Meng Qi" in the book throughout the process?

Of course, this conclusion was based on Meng Qi's own speculation. As for what really happened, being perpetually single until now, he couldn't put himself in that position to imagine. To know the answer, he probably had to wait for a suitable opportunity to ask Ren Suiyi.

Well, he hoped that day would eventually come.

The distressing memories seemed to have vanished along with the marks on his back. Meng Qi's whole outlook changed. Looking at the set of clothes Ren Suiyi had sent over now, not only had his sense of rejection faded, but he could even appreciate the so-called world-class luxury haute couture with interest.

Before coming to this world, Meng Qi had only seen reports about haute couture from certain brands in entertainment news, never having the chance to see it up close, let alone touch it. Who would have thought that just a few days later, he not only had the chance to touch these haute couture pieces but could even wear them!

It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. Meng Qi even wanted to take out his phone and record this moment to show off to his grandparents and good friends back in the real world.

But unfortunately, the phone from this place couldn't be taken to the real world. Meng Qi had to silently turn off his phone and then, with waning interest, start trying on the clothes.

Haute couture was indeed haute couture. The materials were exquisite. The suit jacket felt soft and exceptionally comfortable to the touch, yet it was surprisingly heavy and substantial in hand, making it hard to tell what material it was made of at first glance. It was indeed impressive.

The buttons didn't look ordinary either; they seemed to be made of abalone shell, as they displayed different lusters from various angles, shimmering with a rainbow-like iridescence under the sunlight, inadvertently creating a dreamy, dazzling effect.

Even a brooch had been prepared for Meng Qi.

It was a blooming tulip. The pink flower part was inlaid with countless pink diamonds. The stem part seemed to be made of tourmaline or emerald? Meng Qi had no knowledge of gemstones and couldn't tell for sure at the moment.

The lustrous white shirt looked like it was made of silk, appearing quite high-end and feeling cool and smooth to the touch, extremely comfortable. Upon closer inspection, one could discover that this seemingly simple white fabric held a secret: it was embroidered with many patterns slightly darker than the fabric's own color, just enough to add a touch of mystery to the garment. It made Meng Qi almost reluctant to try it on, afraid he might accidentally stain it or create unsightly wrinkles.

It was only then that he finally began to believe that the story about Ren Suiyi staying awake for over ten hours straight just to watch the clothes and prevent wrinkles might actually be true.

The collar of this white shirt wasn't the conventional pointed type. Instead, two slender, long ribbons extended from the collarbone area, giving it a very distinctive design. At first glance, it looked rather nice.

Perhaps this was also why Ren Suiyi didn't include a tie for Meng Qi.

But precisely because of this, the more Meng Qi looked at it, the less he wanted to wear this shirt. He had only seen this kind of design on women's clothing and never on men's clothes. Maybe he just hadn't seen enough to judge, but he was genuinely too embarrassed to wear it.

However, the clothes in his wardrobe here were either T-shirts or hoodies, none of which could be paired with a suit. In the end, with no other choice, he could only reluctantly put it on.

As the saying goes, haute couture is haute couture. The fit was perfect. Once he put it on, it was no longer a matter of reluctance but one of complete satisfaction!

Growing up, Meng Qi's grandparents, adhering to the principle of saving wherever possible, either bought him clothes one size too big or gave him hand-me-downs. Meng Qi had truly never worn clothes that fit him as perfectly as this set Ren Suiyi gave him. It was truly a case of "one size too big would be loose, one size too small would be tight." It perfectly accentuated the good figure of the "Meng Qi" in the book, which was also Meng Qi's own figure: broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs—instantly transforming him into the male lead of an idol drama!

Of course, it also nearly brought out Meng Qi's vanity, truly embodying the saying "Clothes make the man, and the saddle makes the horse."

After turning around a couple of times in front of the full-length mirror, Meng Qi thought smugly, looking at it this way, he wasn't that much worse than the male lead of this book, Ren Suiyi. If he went out on the street now and claimed to be the male lead, passersby would probably believe him.

The live-in housekeeper and Gangzi's eyes lit up the moment they saw the freshly dressed Meng Qi emerge from the bedroom. The live-in housekeeper praised him to the skies, "Oh, my young master! You look like you just stepped out of a painting! So handsome, I can't take my eyes off you."

"If you think it's nice, then take a few more looks," Meng Qi said, even turning around in front of the housekeeper before asking rather smugly, "Not bad, right?"

"Handsome, handsome, just like a big star on TV. Young Master Ren certainly has good taste and knows how to pick clothes," the live-in housekeeper covered her mouth and laughed for a while, then said to Meng Qi, "You should dress like this from now on. It's so stylish and spirited. How wonderful."

Meng Qi didn't respond, thinking to himself that once you know the price of this outfit, you probably won't advise me to dress like this all the time. I'm basically wearing an entire apartment on my body! Making a few more sets like this would first overwhelm my poor heart.

The live-in housekeeper had already chatted with Meng Qi for several sentences before Gangzi finally snapped out of it. Then, with a look of admiration, he said to Meng Qi, "These clothes suit you perfectly. One might think they were custom-made just for you!"

Meng Qi rubbed his nose without saying anything, thinking that Gangzi would probably say the same thing when he saw Jiang Baixi later. There was nothing for him to be proud of.

After admiring Meng Qi for a few more moments, Gangzi finally asked, "Shall we go now?"

Meng Qi took out his phone and glanced at the time. It was already past 4:30. The drive from here to the Ren family's old residence would take about an hour and a half. If they left now, they would arrive right around 6 o'clock—not too early, not too late, just perfect. So, he nodded at Gangzi and stepped out first, saying, "Let's go!"

Whether it was a dragon's pool or a tiger's den ahead, Meng Qi declared he was ready to venture forth.

"Author's Note"

Meng Qi, I also want to wear an entire apartment on my body. Pull me into that book too...