Chapter 011: We Are Different

Chapter 011: We Are Different

With that, everyone turned their gaze to Meng Ci. Fortunately, Meng Ci’s composure was well-honed; he quickly masked his expression and gave a modest smile. "Not at all, not as impressive as Mr. Ye makes it sound. I was merely fortunate enough to earn my supervisor’s recognition."

Grandma Meng didn’t fully understand, but hearing praise from Ye Sui made her proud, and she didn’t hold back. "A-Ci has been sharp since he was little, picking up everything quickly. Old Meng and I once considered sending him abroad to study, but he’s a filial child—said he wanted to stay with us, so he didn’t go. It’s easier to come home from domestic schools."

That was just how Grandma Meng was: give her the slightest opening, a single compliment about her child, and she’d go on and on without stopping.

Everyone can see excellence; no need to keep going on about it. Hearing it too much gets on people's nerves—not out of jealousy, but out of sheer exasperation. It makes your ears want to fall off, and you still had to chime in with agreement.

"A-Ci is indeed outstanding, just like Old Meng—both fine examples." The person who brought it up had no choice but to go along. "Does A-Ci know any suitable young men to introduce? Times are different now. A steady job isn’t as good as being a leader in a big corporation. Big companies have great benefits and high salaries; buying a car or a house is within reach."

In their generation, and even the next—her granddaughter’s parents’ generation—life hadn’t been as convenient or filled with colorful entertainment, but opportunities had been plentiful, and retirement benefits were good. Back then, they hadn’t talked about deducting money for social security, but now their pensions were high. Take her, for example: a factory worker, she got over six thousand a month. At her age, she couldn’t even spend it all.

In that society, education had caught up, with college and graduate students everywhere. Social resources were mostly already allocated and fixed. The competition to stand out was brutal. Without help, it was really tough. The ones who made it on their own through sheer grit were either incredibly clever and resourceful or just plain lucky. But people like that are rare once in a hundred years. Who didn’t have some backing behind them? Many claimed to have started from scratch, but it was often a lie.

"Most of my colleagues are locals from Jiangbei, and some are foreigners. Quite a few are already engaged or married. Those who aren’t mostly prioritize locals first; if not, their standards are very strict." Meng Ci tactfully explained the situation.

Given the local conditions, Grandma Zhang's family was decent enough. Both grandparents had retired from government positions, her daughter-in-law was a teacher, and her son ran a company—upper-middle class by local standards. But that was only good for a second- or third-tier city. In Jiangbei, even ordinary families wouldn’t look twice. Just the hukou alone was worlds apart.

Grandma Zhang had been around the block more times than Meng Ci had walked down streets. She caught his drift and was a little miffed. She had just been making casual conversation, something everyone did without taking it seriously. Now he was subtly implying her granddaughter wasn’t good enough? That's not how you have a chat. Typical of the Meng family’s grandson—cut from the same cloth.

And here he was, a Fengcheng native who had worked in Jiangbei for a few days and already forgotten his roots, putting on airs of superiority. As her granddaughter would say, "hard to judge."

Even though Grandma Zhang knew Meng Ci was telling the truth, everyone likes to defend their own kids. Hearing that didn’t sit well with her.

"Oh my, they all sound like wonderful young men, but my granddaughter is too lazy and lacks ambition. She’s just not destined for it." She didn't let on that she was annoyed, instead downplaying her own family.

"Come on, everyone, don’t just talk. Have some fruit—this fruit was bought by Ye Sui, it’s very sweet, and these meatballs were fried by my grandma, super crispy." Li Pushu smiled and changed the subject. "Teacher Zhou, your grandson plays the piano so beautifully. I saw the video your daughter-in-law posted of him performing as a representative on stage…"

When she wanted to, she was very good at charming people, quickly shifting the atmosphere to something lively.

Grandma Meng sat there as if her seat had grown needles. Nothing was said outright, but she felt left out of the conversation. It bothered her, but she couldn't make herself leave. No one else had left, so getting up would be embarrassing.

In her youth, she had worked at a factory. After she miscarried her first child, Grandpa Meng scolded her for not even being able to carry a baby. She quit her job and stayed home. She only had a daughter, and later that daughter caused a scandal. For half her life, she couldn’t hold her head high. Only in recent years had things improved, but she was still used to toeing the line.

Ye Sui went to the balcony to take a call. When he came back, he said to Li Pushu, "Shushu, I’m going downstairs to pick up a package that was delivered yesterday."

Then he smiled at the others. "Grandmas, please continue chatting."

"I’ll go down with you. The courier locker is nearby, but you don’t know the exact spot." Meng Ci stood up and left with Ye Sui.

The stairs in the old neighborhood weren’t wide, but two people could walk side by side. Meng Ci understood why Ye Sui had stepped out.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and offered one to Ye Sui. "Mr. Ye, care for one?"

Ye Sui said, "I don’t smoke."

Meng Ci chuckled softly. He put the cigarette in his mouth, flicked the lighter, and lit it. Taking a drag, he exhaled a smoke ring.

"What man doesn’t smoke? Granny Li mentioned you run a company. In business, you can’t avoid smoking during negotiations." And of course, drinking and women too.

Meng Ci flicked the ash. "Li Meimei doesn’t let you smoke, right? She can’t see you now, so it’s fine."

"You seem to enjoy blaming everything on a woman." Ye Sui glanced sideways at him, his tone blunt. "Shushu doesn’t control me, but I love her, so of course I put her first. I don’t want her breathing in secondhand smoke—it’s bad for her health. Besides, smoking too much yellows your teeth and gives you bad breath. And let me give you some advice: smoking doesn’t make a man look more attractive."

The last part was a jab at Meng Ci. He seemed to think that doing things he considered manly made him appear more masculine. That's so low.

To have a guy like that as his rival, Ye Sui almost felt sorry for Shushu. No wonder she had cursed him in anger.

Meng Ci’s hand froze at the blunt remark, his face souring. He couldn’t bring himself to take another puff. Remembering how Li Pushu had scolded him the night before, he smirked. "No wonder you and Li Pushu ended up together. You’re both cut from the same cloth."

"Meng Ci. Graduated from Jiangbei University, same school as Su Mingyue, the Su family’s eldest daughter. You had some reputation on campus—humble background but striking presence. The key point is that Su Mingyue was madly infatuated with you, pursued you for a long time, and even used some underhanded tactics."

"You, being so proud and principled, the aloof scholar, naturally resisted. But after being 'threatened,' you had no choice but to break up with your first love and 'swallow your pride' to agree to Su Mingyue’s pursuit. You got together with her, and throughout the relationship, you called the shots. Su Mingyue did everything you said."

They reached the first floor. No one was around. Ye Sui stopped walking, gazing at the neighborhood scenery as he spoke slowly.

"You played that hard-to-get game pretty well. Su Mingyue is already in the palm of your hand, ready for you to shape."

"You don’t like her, yet you act a little soft-hearted because of her obsession, making her feel guilty. She gets a taste of hope, and her infatuation grows even crazier, losing all reason. You say east, she doesn’t go west."

A man like that was perfect for burning bridges and becoming an opportunist. His gaslighting skills were impressive.

Meng Ci was shocked that Ye Sui had such a thorough grasp of his background. But since he knew about the Su Group, Meng Ci realized the cat was out of the bag.

"Who exactly are you?" He revised his impression. Ye Sui wasn’t just some simple self-made man. He had underestimated him.

A man in Jiangdong who knew about Jiangbei affairs—just asking around wouldn’t yield such detail. This wasn’t the skill of an ordinary small-time businessman.

"Just an ordinary person. But digging up your information is more than enough." Ye Sui wasn’t about to tell him the truth.

"Since you’ve found out this much, you should understand that Su Mingyue is likely not the Su family’s eldest daughter. Li Pushu probably is." Meng Ci didn’t hold back.

If Ye Sui could uncover this, he surely knew more. That meant Meng Ci had no other way to deal with him. Though arrogant, Meng Ci was clever and quickly changed his plan.

"Of course, that doesn’t matter much to me. But you don’t know how twisted Su Mingyue is. No matter where I am, she has people watching me. Right now, Li Pushu’s photo is probably already in her hands."

Meng Ci spread his hands, a look of amusement on his face. "Once she sees the picture, she’ll feel threatened. As soon as she confirms Li Pushu is the real Su family heiress, Su Mingyue will make a move."

No one knew Su Mingyue better than him. He admitted he wasn’t a good person, but Su Mingyue disgusted him. Why not take advantage of the opportunity?

His original plan was to play both sides. Once Su Mingyue acted, he would appear as Li Pushu’s savior, offering to help. That way, he’d get rid of Su Mingyue and have Li Pushu for himself.

After all, the Su couple weren’t pushovers. To climb up, he had to take it step by step. It was only because of Su Mingyue that they couldn’t do anything.

Last night, when he brought up her biological parents, it was to test Li Pushu’s expectations, making it easier to plan his next move.

Too bad he ran into someone with a tough personality. That was why he wondered how an orphan had such strong mental fortitude. It surprised him.

Ye Sui asked casually, "Based on your understanding, what would Su Mingyue do to keep her status?"

"The only safe way is to make the person disappear. Whether it’s exposed or not, as long as they’re gone, she’s secure." Since Meng Ci judged that Ye Sui wasn’t someone to offend, he didn’t play games. This wasn’t a secret.

This was their fight; it had nothing to do with him. If Su Mingyue won, he’d still be Meng Ci. If she lost, he wouldn’t get dragged into it. At worst, he’d lose some benefits but shake off Su Mingyue, which was a relief. She was truly disgusting.

Meng Ci, though overly arrogant, sometimes felt he himself was pretty disgusting. Who knew there was someone even worse? Was this the so-called "one thing conquers another"?

"The saying 'a wise man adapts to circumstances' is etched into your bones."

Ye Sui curled his lips, unclear whether it was mockery or praise.

"Ye Sui, no need to mock me. At our core, we’re the same kind of people—dirty things lurking in the shadows, crawling toward whatever light there is."

Meng Ci shrugged nonchalantly. "You’d better keep your dark side hidden. Don’t let Li Pushu see it."

"No, we’re different."

Ye Sui still had a sneer. "I have a girlfriend who loves me, and you don’t. I have a warm home to return to, and you don’t."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Damn! What a jerk!

Meng Ci’s face darkened, and he punched the wall.

He'd just found someone even more disgusting than himself.