He was a smart man; how could he not understand the hidden meaning in Dai Yunxin's words?
However, nowadays, he no longer has the right to interfere excessively in Zhao Xiyin's affairs.
There was a moment of silence between the two.
Meng Weixi lowered her voice and asked, "Did you remarry him?"
Zhao Xiyin held back her tears, "We haven't gone to get our marriage certificate yet."
That doesn't make much difference.
Meng Weixi thought he could remain calm, but when he actually heard it from her own mouth, his heart still clenched violently, like an arrow wrapped in poison, piercing him and leaving him speechless, bleeding in pain.
Meng Weixi looked at the girl he loved before him; her face remained unchanged, like a dream he had been living for a long time. He prayed constantly that this dream would end. He subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to touch her face.
With a "ding," the elevator doors slid open.
When Zhou Qishen saw Meng Weixi's action, his gaze suddenly cooled.
Zhao Xiyin was lost in thought, completely unaware of the fleeting moments that had transpired. Upon seeing Zhou Qishen, she was utterly astonished. According to Boss Zhou's interpretation, her expression suggested that something good had been interrupted.
He looked at Meng Weixi again, a smile appearing on his face, and asked, word by word, "Mr. Meng, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to be alone with my wife like this?"
Zhao Xiyin knew he had misunderstood again and was eager to explain, but Zhou Qishen interrupted her calmly, "Come downstairs and wait for me in the car."
Zhao Xiyin hesitated.
Zhou Qishen calmly repeated, "Go to the car."
That's just his temper; he's quick to anger, and that's nothing to him. The calmer he seems, the angrier he actually is.
The elevator indicator light began to flash, and Zhou Qishen and Meng Weixi faced off. The two were of similar height, their presence commanding. Their eyes met, a silent, unspoken tension swirling within them.
Meng Weixi spoke first, saying, "Zhou-ge'er seems to have a short memory. Why is his attitude towards Xiao Xi still like this? You are doing well in love now, but let me remind you, what you have lost can come back. And what you have come back can also be lost again."
Zhou Qishen wasn't angry, he just smiled and said, "Meng Weixi, are you hoping I'll be disappointed, or do you want Xiaoxi to be unhappy?"
Meng Weixi's reaction was almost instinctive: "I hope she's okay." More than anyone else.
Zhou Qishen's smile faded slightly. "Then you should keep your distance. She used to be my wife, and now and in the future, she will always be a member of the Zhou family."
Meng Weixi looked at him, not caring much, "These words seem familiar. To say something that Brother Zhou might not like to hear, I used to think the same way."
Beneath her gentle exterior lay a sharp edge, yet her tone remained calm. Meng Weixi's skill had only grown more refined; she could always subtly make people uncomfortable. Zhou Qishen's smile vanished completely, his gaze arrogant and confident. "You have her past, but I possess her future."
Meng Weixi's eyebrows twitched, and her eyes dimmed.
Zhou Qishen took a step forward, getting closer to him. "You can't let go of her all these years. You think I stole Zhao Xiyin away. But Meng Weixi, have you ever thought about it? With Xiao Xi's personality, is she the kind of girl who would just blindly follow a man after a few sweet words?"
Meng Weixi's gaze was straight ahead, clearly indicating that it wasn't him.
"Have you ever thought about what you, and the people around you, did to her back then?"
Meng Weixi instantly became sensitive, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. "What do you mean?"
Zhou Qishen looked at him and said, "Madam Meng, what did your mother and your gossipy relatives do to Xiao Xi? What do you mean by that?"
Meng Weixi's face turned pale instantly. The suspicion he had harbored all along, which had never been proven, was now being brought up again, like a bolt from the blue. He couldn't care less about reason and instinctively grabbed Zhou Qishen's arm, his fingers gripping it tightly as if branding it with iron. His breathing became rapid. "My mother said that she has never met Xiaoxi."
Zhou Qishen sneered, "How old was Xiaoxi that year? Twenty. Madam Meng was so domineering, openly threatening and secretly intimidating, forcing Xiaoxi to stay away from school. Your aunts and uncles sent her text messages every day, saying that their family backgrounds were too different, that they were not a good match, and that if she didn't break up with you, they would find ways to cause trouble at school. But did she tell you any of this? Did she put you in any way of making things difficult? Did she put you under any pressure?"
—She didn't.
Meng Weixi's face was pale, and his thin lips trembled uncontrollably.
"You lack the ability to persuade your family, and you don't have the courage to elope with her. You harbor a sense of wishful thinking while enjoying her affection. Why should you get all the good things in the world?"
"I didn't!" Meng Weixi suddenly roared in anger, "I know my mother is prejudiced, I have tried! I have tried!!"
"What have you been trying to do? Trying to reduce their encounters, trying not to mention the other in front of one of them, is this what you call living in peace? Meng Weixi, from beginning to end, you have never truly considered Xiaoxi's feelings." Zhou Qishen's gaze heated up, like a raging furnace, burning away the other's remaining persistence and obsession to ashes. "It's not that I stole her away, but that you, you never truly wanted a future with her."
Meng Weixi's last bit of strength vanished with those words.
Zhou Qishen looked at him calmly, "Perhaps you had no choice in the situation, but in this life, everyone has to pay the price for their mistakes. You have, and so have I. It was you who missed the opportunity, not me."
As the New Year draws to a close, the festive decorations along Chang'an Avenue remain vibrant red. The national flag stands tall in the cold night, its warm color reflected by the streetlights. Colorful flags and lanterns stretch straight ahead, taking root at the edge of the darkness, accompanied by the light.
Meng Weixi drove home in silence the entire way.
Yan Pinlan was delighted by his early return and excitedly inquired about his well-being.
Meng Weixi stood in the entryway, her eyes bright yet cold.
Startled by his gaze, Yan Pinlan felt inexplicably flustered. "Weixi, why are you looking at your mother like that?"
Meng Weixi remained calm and composed, showing no emotion, and asked, "You looked for Xiao west, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did look for her. Last time you were hiding from us in the garden on the outskirts of Beijing, I did look for her, hoping she could persuade you."
"When she was twenty," Meng Weixi said, her gaze unwavering. "You looked for her, didn't you?"
Yan Pinlan fell silent instantly.
Meng Weixi's back was drenched in sweat, layers of cold sweat filtering out, draining all his strength. All the stubbornness, persistence, and obsession he had accumulated over the years seemed to have vanished. He staggered, his throat so dry he could taste blood.
By the time Yan Pinlan realized something was wrong with him, it was too late.
Meng Weixi collapsed to the ground.