Chapter 26 : Truly a grave sin

On the stairs, Meng Xici stiffened for a moment, his steps slowing down involuntarily, and finally, he stopped in place.

Xu Songyue panicked for a moment.

In her haste, her mouth had run faster than her brain.

How could she have told him about this with his stepmother…

If Aunt Sang takes this opportunity to talk to Uncle Meng about it, would Uncle Meng think that at their age, they shouldn’t be dealing with emotional matters so early, and be dissatisfied with these messy things affecting his studies?

Would he still have something to say to Meng Xici?

Thinking of this, Xu Songyue stopped speaking.

She also stood on the stairs, her lips pressed into a straight line.

The two of them stood still, neither of them seeming to want to speak.

Sang Miao glanced at Ji Zhuoran and gave him a look, asking, “What’s going on?”

Ji Zhuoran received the signal and paused for a moment.

This has nothing to do with him…

He glanced at Meng Xici and also chose to keep silent.

His expression and look clearly showed that he dared not betray him to his face…

Sang Miao and Ji Zhuoran’s exchange didn’t escape Meng Xici’s notice.

He hesitated for a moment, and after a brief silence, he patiently said to Xu Songyue,

“I don’t need to see it. You should go back.”

Facing Xu Songyue’s persistence, Meng Xici wasn’t angry.

He was naturally someone with a calm demeanor, but when he spoke, his tone was somewhat cold.

Xu Songyue, half-believing, still felt somewhat unwilling in her heart, but she didn’t dare to directly argue. She cautiously tried,

“If you don’t want to see it, I can help you handle it?”

Sang Miao was all ears, wondering what exactly was going on.

Could someone just tell her instead of making her guess…

Meng Xici seemed increasingly frustrated.

He didn’t want to continue the argument on the stairs and said stiffly, “No need.”

After saying that, he went upstairs to his room.

Seeing this, Ji Zhuoran quickly followed him.

He didn’t dare stay here to be questioned by his stepmother.

Xu Songyue pursed her lips and watched Meng Xici’s back until he disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

She was just talking, but didn’t dare complain to Sang Miao.

If Aunt Sang caused trouble for him over this, or told Uncle Meng, Meng Xici would be in trouble.

But she didn’t want to let it go just like that and followed him upstairs.

Sang Miao watched this scene, feeling like something had scratched her heart.

The earlier scene had been a bit lively, and Youyou, who had been quiet all along, suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

She rubbed against Sang Miao’s leg, her tail gently sweeping across her ankle.

The little one quickly ran off, leaving no trace.

Sang Miao sat on the sofa, puzzled, still unsure about what was going on…

It seemed like the young girl was almost in tears, which made Sang Miao think that this must have been something related to her emotional turmoil…

Ah, truly a grave mistake, Meng Xici.

Sang Miao vaguely heard the footsteps of Xu Songyue and Ji Zhuoran coming from upstairs, as well as the sound of Meng Xici’s room door closing.

During the process of going upstairs, Meng Xici and Xu Songyue seemed to have struggled for a while, as Xu Songyue hadn’t given up and wanted to see what was in his hands.

Ji Zhuoran was beside her, trying to quietly persuade her to be quieter.

Sang Miao wasn’t typically very curious, knowing that people who are overly curious tend to get into trouble.

However, their actions were so suspenseful that Sang Miao was genuinely curious.

She walked to the side of the stairs, tilted her head, and glanced.

The stairs were covered with a thick carpet, and when she carefully stepped on it, it made almost no sound.

You also followed her, tilting its head and peering, its ears standing up high as if listening to the silence from upstairs, its expression full of curiosity.

Sang Miao thought the cat was interesting too.

She bent down and easily picked up Youyou, whose large body almost filled her arms.

She smiled and leaned in to ask, “You’re listening so seriously. What did you hear, hmm?”

Youyou was just a little kitten, and it didn’t know anything.

It meowed a couple of times in response.

Since there was no answer from today’s little drama, Sang Miao wasn’t someone who liked to pry into other people’s private matters.

So, she put aside her curiosity and went upstairs with the kitten to play in the small guest lounge on the second floor.

When she reached the second-floor stairwell, Sang Miao casually glanced at the stairs leading upstairs and suddenly noticed something that seemed to be a fallen piece of paper or something like that.

The servants in the villa were always very attentive, and the cleaning work was well done.

It couldn’t possibly be some random trash lying around.

It was probably something that had fallen when Meng Xici and Xu Songyue were pulling on each other earlier.

Sang Miao relaxed her hand, and the Maine Coon jumped lightly, landing on the carpet.

She walked over to pick it up, thinking she would ask about it later.

If it was his, she would return it.

She casually glanced at it in her hand and suddenly froze.

Hmm, this thing, it looks like… a love letter?

The misty blue envelope emitted a faint fragrance.

Sang Miao’s fingers gently traced the surface of the envelope.

The texture was a bit rough, quite high-end, like handmade paper.

The cover, full of artistic atmosphere and youthful sentiments, had some handwritten fonts.

Do people still write handwritten love letters?

Sang Miao couldn’t help but mutter softly.

She looked up at the upstairs and, after a moment, a guess appeared in her mind

Some things?

No wonder Xu Songyue wasn’t happy.

He even brought the love letter back!

She had thought that since he was a cool, aloof male lead, he would surely look down on such things and be completely indifferent.

But now…

She had picked it up, so she had to return it in person.

Of course, it would be awkward for Sang Miao.

If it were up to her, she would actually quite like to see his reaction when he gets caught, to see if he would blush.

This little guilty pleasure thought, Sang Miao, only entertained it for a moment.

You know, young people are still very shy about love and relationships.

With Meng Xici’s thin skin, if he got embarrassed and angry, it wouldn’t be good.

The pure heart of a young boy must be carefully protected.

Should she just pretend she didn’t know anything and keep it hidden?

No, that wouldn’t be right.

Though knowing Meng Xici’s personality, he probably wouldn’t care much.

One more love letter wouldn’t make much difference.

But after all, it was a girl’s heartfelt gesture, and she couldn’t just deal with Meng Xici’s personal things privately.

Could she just throw it back outside?

What if a servant or even Meng Peisheng finds it later?

Wouldn’t that be even more awkward?

Such a small thing, yet she had to think about it so carefully.

Sang Miao suddenly understood how difficult it was to be a parent.

It felt like one of the common problems parents and children face: how to deal with a child’s secret.

Should you be open and forthright, or should you turn a blind eye, pretending nothing happened?

After thinking it through, Sang Miao decided to secretly toss it outside Meng Xici’s door when they weren’t looking.

That way, when they came out, they would see it and pick it up themselves.

Xu Songyue followed Meng Xici and Ji Zhuoran into the room.

The moment the door closed, she couldn’t help but glance at the things in Meng Xici’s hands.

A bag of love letters was inside, and she couldn’t just watch them stay with him.

She felt a bit uncomfortable and nervously twisted the corner of her clothes.

After a while, she saw Meng Xici find a box, put the love letters inside, and tuck them away into an impressive cabinet.

It felt as though these letters would be sealed away for a long time.

It probably won’t be looked at again.

Xu Songyue silently sighed in relief, her emotions calming a bit.

She still didn’t understand why, if Meng Xici wasn’t going to look at them, he had brought the letters back to his room.

Her mood was still somewhat complicated.

If he didn’t want to throw them away at school, couldn’t he have thrown them out on the way home?

These women, seriously.

If they couldn’t confront him directly, they stuffed the letters into his drawers and cabinets!

If they confronted him, Meng Xici would have rejected them outright!

Valentine’s Day was driving her crazy!

Sang Miao walked downstairs and hadn’t even reached the door to the room when she heard the sound of them coming out.

A bit unlucky, she quickly prepared to turn and go downstairs, but the door opened just then.

There was no time to avoid it.

Meng Xici walked in front, saw her standing not far off, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

She rarely came upstairs…

Before asking if Sang Miao needed something, Meng Xici noticed what she was holding and froze.

This whole thing was troubling him as well.

His upbringing made it hard for him to throw the letters directly into the school trash bin, so he brought them back.

Who knew it would turn into such a scene?

Sang Miao thought to herself, This room has good soundproofing.

Why didn’t she hear them coming out earlier?

Since she had already run into them, it would be awkward if she didn’t address it.

Sang Miao asked casually, “Hmm, who dropped something?”

Meng Xici froze in place, his gaze flickering between the envelope and Sang Miao, hesitating.

He considered not acknowledging it, but then Xu Songyue reached out to take it.

He quickly grabbed it back, suddenly regretting

If he had known, he would have hidden it better…!

At the headquarters of the Meng Group, close to closing time.

Meng Peisheng returned from outside and passed the front desk, noticing a bouquet of flowers on display.

A female colleague came to collect the flowers.

When she saw him, she was startled and instinctively felt a sense of guilt, as if she had been slacking off at work.

She quickly greeted him, “Hello, Mr. Meng.”

Meng Peisheng nodded slightly.

Though his expression was calm and dignified, his aura carried an air of authority and mystery, making people hesitant to relax around him.

A few others, who had seen the scene, quietly waited nearby, planning to pick up their flowers once the boss left.

Lin Yanzhou followed Meng Peisheng, his gaze briefly sweeping over the flowers at the front desk.

A slight smile curved his lips.

He teasingly said, “It’s Valentine’s Day today.

So many young girls are getting flowers.”

Meng Peisheng stepped into the private elevator, a faint smile appearing on his lips: “What gift did you prepare this year?”

“Nothing much different from before. After so many years, I can’t come up with anything new.”

Uncle Zhou, following him, replied with a hint of nostalgia.

Meng Peisheng didn’t comment.

He pressed the button for the top-floor office, and the elevator display showed the numbers rising one by one.

The atmosphere grew somewhat quiet.

Uncle Zhou turned to the assistant beside him.

“Xiao Yan, you have a girlfriend now, right?”

Yan Heng was suddenly called out, looking at Meng Peisheng.

He awkwardly replied, “Uncle Zhou, you’re really well-informed.

We’ve only just started dating, not long ago.”

Lin Yanzhou chuckled.

“I’m not so well-informed. I just noticed.

Didn’t expect my guess to be right.”

His tone carried a hint of gossip.

“Since you just started dating, you need to prepare the gift with care.”

Yan Heng continued to feel embarrassed and smiled.

“The gift is already prepared.”

Seeing them engaging in conversation, Meng Peisheng spoke lazily, “You all should leave early today. Don’t let it delay your holiday.”

Uncle Zhou couldn’t help but laugh when he heard the tone, which sounded a bit like a lonely person.

“And you, Mr. Meng?”

The elevator made a sound as it reached the top.

Meng Peisheng cast a calm glance at him, walked toward the office, and spoke lazily,

“I’ll naturally go back. Don’t let me delay your leaving.”

It had been a long time since he had heard Meng Peisheng speak in such a slightly teasing tone.

Uncle Zhou laughed and followed him into the office, adding,

“I heard Miss Xiu went out today. I wonder if she’s back yet.”

Meng Peisheng paused slightly while loosening his tie, but didn’t react, casually replying, “You’ve been paying attention to more and more things recently.”

Uncle Zhou responded calmly,

“Today is a special day. When a person gets older, it’s inevitable to gossip a little.”

The lights in the office gradually dimmed.

The people in the secretary’s office had been waiting for Meng Peisheng and Uncle Zhou to leave and were growing increasingly impatient.

“Mr. Meng is leaving early today.”

“He’s leaving on time today! The restaurant reservations are already made!”

Yan Heng, hearing this, looked up from the last file he was processing and smiled.

“When has Mr. Meng ever let you work overtime on special days?”

“That’s true, but this year is special.

Mr. Meng got married, after all.”

“Ah, so that’s why he’s leaving early today?”

“Really? That’s incredible.”

“Assistant Yan, did Mr. Meng ask you to prepare any gifts?”

Yan Heng glanced at them.

“Why don’t you go gossip in front of Mr. Meng?”

…

Winter hadn’t passed yet.

Even though it was an early finish, the sky had already darkened.

The driver followed the usual route, driving back to the villa.

In the back seat of the Maybach, Meng Peisheng, dressed in a shirt and waistcoat, with his coat placed beside him, focused intently on some documents.

Although he had left the office, there were still some company matters to handle.

However, after reading halfway through the document, he stopped for a minute and didn’t turn the page.

After a while, the driver heard him give an instruction.

The driver acknowledged it and then turned the car, deviating from the original route.

When Meng Peisheng arrived home, the two people inside were still in their rooms and didn’t come out until dinner time.

Although Meng Xici was usually quieter, his silence today seemed a bit unusual.

She was also silent.

Normally, the two of them would occasionally chat, but today they both remained quiet, and the atmosphere felt strange.

At the dining table, Meng Peisheng casually asked, “How’s school been since it started?”

Meng Xici suddenly choked and coughed a few times.

Sang Miao held back a laugh

Don’t ask, don’t ask, your son is embarrassed after getting caught with a love letter.

Meng Xici used his coughing as a cover, but Meng Peisheng could still tell from their reactions that something had happened while he wasn’t around.

However, he didn’t have the habit of digging deeper.

Meng Xici had never liked to talk about his inner thoughts with him.

Meng Xici was still haunted by what had happened today.

His impression of Valentine’s Day had become far too deep.

He didn’t know about others, but his dad… he probably didn’t even celebrate it, right?

After dinner, the two of them went off to do their things, and there was no atmosphere of holiday at all.

For some reason, Meng Xici felt a bit weird.

Not long ago, he had felt that the relationship between the two of them had changed.

He thought… maybe it was different now.

That night, Sang Miao sat in the small living room on the second floor, absent-mindedly playing with Youyou.

She was thinking about how to deal with the situation between Sang Rui and Shen Shuhe.

Since she knew about it, she couldn’t pretend nothing had happened when facing Shen Shuhe.

Also, Sang Rui… several times she had felt something was off, like…

Every action he took had a very strong sense of purpose.

Later, she had asked her cousin’s assistant in detail.

At the time, Sang Rui already had a good resource in talks, so why would he risk stealing a spot in a crew that was almost ready to start filming, with an actor already nearly confirmed?

She heard that Shen Shuhe had prepared a lot for this movie.

The last time they were together, was he testing her for something?

…

Meng Xici went outside to walk the Border Collie in the garden for a while, and when he came back, he unintentionally saw this scene.

Having spent so much time with her, his intuition told him that she seemed to have something on her mind.

She was always happy every day, it was rare to see her furrow her brow.

Even when she came back in the afternoon, she still looked like she had a smile on her face.

In the house, it was just him and his dad, and he felt like he hadn’t done anything…

Could it be…

Meng Xici glanced at his dad’s room on the other side, and a wild guess suddenly crossed his mind
Could it be that since his dad didn’t say anything today, she was a little upset?