Chapter 662
Grief and Hatred
Chapter 662 Grief and Hatred
Li Zhuangsheng opened the cabinet and took out two small teacups.
"Here, how about these two?" Li Zhuangsheng placed them in front of Hu Mengdie. "You probably haven't actually seen them before, have you? These are samples, I just got them back a couple of days ago."
Hu Mengdie raised her eyebrows slightly: "Do you think I haven't seen it before? I confirmed it before sending it to the factory, and Bai Min showed it to me the day you brought it back!"
"Wow, you're so impressive... I feel like I'm being sidelined... It doesn't matter whether you're in the company or not."
Even if you say that on purpose, I won't be happy.
Li Zhuangsheng said sullenly, "...From now on, we'll just keep these two cups for drinking water."
Hu Mengdie replied indifferently, "Fine, give me the old cup, you can use this new one yourself."
Li Zhuangsheng was somewhat speechless: "You really like this broken cup of mine that much?"
Hu Mengdie said wistfully: "A lone white rabbit wanders east and west. People are not as good as new, but clothes are not as good as old. New people are good, but old things are still the best."
"Haha, you recited it wrong. It's 'New clothes are worse than old ones, old people are worse than new ones.' New things are better, but old people are better? But I think old people are worse than old ones, and old clothes are better too. I've kept all my old things; I can't bear to throw them away."
Hu Mengdie's voice was laced with sarcasm: "So you really are a sentimental person."
"Oh, why can't you just agree!"
"Would you mind adding one more person?"
"Who?"
"Who knows? Maybe it'll be a handsome guy who's over 1.8 meters tall with a six-pack? After all, I'm a sentimental person too!"
"Sigh... Is there really no room for negotiation?"
"Have I been giving you too much attention?"
"...I have a lot of money now!"
"Do you really think I'm a whore?"
Li Zhuangsheng quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I absolutely did not have such a thought!"
Hu Mengdie grinned: "Do you remember something you once told me?"
"I've told you so much already, I don't know which sentence you're referring to..."
“You’ve always thought that I dated you because you passed the civil service exam, and you’ve always thought that I married you because of your secure job and your respectable and wealthy family background.” Hu Mengdie’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of self-mockery and cold laughter rising in her eyes. “In your eyes, that’s the kind of person I am, without love, all based on realistic calculations.”
"I... I didn't say that... Besides, it's perfectly normal! When it comes to marriage, you definitely have to consider the other person's family and your own circumstances. I only married you because you're beautiful, intelligent, and a good wife..."
Li Zhuangsheng stammered and hesitated. He hurriedly offered a few flattering remarks.
"You still haven't denied it."
Hu Mengdie sighed, her self-deprecating smile growing stronger.
She felt a sense of powerlessness, a resentment she didn't know how to vent, and a deep depression. She was so exhausted that she couldn't utter a single word.
If it were Zhu Zhixue or Lin Yuehua, would Li Zhuangsheng still think this way? Would he still doubt that the other person wouldn't love him when he has nothing?
Perhaps not, because the latter truly loved him when he had nothing.
Hu Mengdie, however, had none of these opportunities. His chance encounter with Lin Yuehua on the street reopened a decade-long wound in his heart, while the gold lock given to him by Zhu Zhixue was a precise assassination attempt ten years later. But Hu Mengdie never had that chance in the first place.
A sense of sorrow and helplessness spread through Hu Mengdie's heart. She knew very well Li Zhuangsheng's fastidiousness and his absolute obstinacy, and back then she hadn't looked at Li Zhuangsheng.
Therefore, no matter what she does to make amends or change Li Zhuangsheng's mindset, she cannot change it, no matter how much effort she makes.
After sitting quietly for a while, Hu Mengdie gradually regained her strength.
“Well… actually, don’t overthink it. I think with your qualifications, if you really want to find a partner, there are plenty of people from families with better financial conditions than mine,” Li Zhuangsheng said, trying to smooth things over for Hu Mengdie. “So I really don’t think you’re only with me because of my family. After all, to be honest, I don’t think my family is particularly well-off.”
"It's not easy to find someone from a better family than you, who's also honest and easy to manipulate... " Hu Mengdie sighed softly, looked up at Li Zhuangsheng, and smiled, "Right?"
"Oh, none of that matters, it's all in the past. Besides, we don't need to think about these things anymore..."
"Yes, you're super rich now. A realistic and materialistic girl like me should immediately throw myself into your arms, right?"
Li Zhuangsheng felt increasingly uncomfortable and slapped his thigh repeatedly, saying, "Why are you talking about yourself like that?"
Hu Mengdie's expression was cold and she said in a low voice, "You have money to show off to me, but you only show me your wealth. In your heart, I am only one person, at least a woman who can fully consider reality."
"No, why are you doing this!" Li Zhuangsheng scratched his head vigorously. "What happened before is in the past. My feelings for you are real!"
"Whether it's true or not, it's all in the past." Hu Mengdie pursed her lips and smiled slightly, but her eyes revealed a fierce determination. "But don't you want the most genuine love, unrelated to money or status... That's why I can't agree to it!"
Hu Mengdie's tone revealed a sense of vengeful pleasure, though it was unclear who she was taking revenge on.
"This this……"
Li Zhuangsheng felt extremely helpless, scratching his head and not knowing what to do.
"Then what do you want?"
“There was no way to prove it before, but now the decision is in my own hands,” Hu Mengdie said, word by word. “If I really agree to you, wouldn’t that really prove that I’m just a materialistic bitch who can do anything?”
"Then...you can't expect me to donate all the money, can you?"
"Anyway, as long as you're still rich, I can't possibly agree to what you're asking for."
Li Zhuangsheng remained silent, feeling helpless. From his perspective, he understood the situation a little, but he felt it was really unnecessary.
"You, I..." Li Zhuangsheng opened his mouth, then gave a bitter laugh, utterly incoherent. "I really didn't think that way...it really wasn't necessary!"
“I think it’s necessary. I can’t stay in this ambiguous and inferior position.”
"I don't think you're inferior!"
"What you have, you're just pretending not to. Whether your feelings for me are possessive or mutual, only you know the answer."
Li Zhuangsheng held his forehead, feeling extremely anxious.
Hu Mengdie stood up coldly: "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. Actually, I've been mainly busy with Hu Mengke's affairs lately. She's been in Nanjing for so long, and I haven't paid much attention to her. She got sick the day before yesterday, and I took her to the hospital."
"What illness does she have? Is it serious? She didn't tell me..."
"It's not serious. He was on IV fluids for two days and has already recovered."
Li Zhuangsheng nodded, then tried to persuade her to stay, saying, "Oh... since you're alright now, there's no need to rush off. Why don't you sit with Qin Luanyu a little longer? She seems to like you quite a bit." "Actually, she doesn't like me. Besides, I really dislike her, and you know why I dislike her."
"That was in my past life. She didn't know I was married before, and I didn't mention it in the group chat. In this life, she's just an ordinary girl. People call you Sister Mengdie now, and she knows about my relationship with you. You must have told her, right? You two must be in contact privately!"
"Let me correct you. I have no contact with her, and I haven't told her anything. She only found out about our relationship after seeing my posts on WeChat Moments, and then she contacted me on her own initiative, which is how we started seeing each other again." Hu Mengdie said expressionlessly, "The way you address someone doesn't mean anything. I only hang out with her because I'm giving you face."
Actually, her dislike for Qin Luanyu wasn't because the other woman liked Li Zhuangsheng—many people liked Li Zhuangsheng—but mainly because it was a form of misplaced anger.
Qin Luanyu's arrival coincided with the emergence of an irreparable rift between her and Li Zhuangsheng, symbolizing the beginning of the complete collapse of her daily life.
Although this matter itself had nothing to do with Qin Luanyu, she just happened to appear at that time and showed goodwill to Li Zhuangsheng... It is always painful for people to complain about themselves, and they will inevitably take their anger out on others.
Moreover, even now, Qin Luanyu hasn't changed at all. In her conversations with the other party, she can always sense that eagerness to "replace him".
She thought she had hidden it well, but how much cunning could a junior high school student possibly have?
Perhaps it was Li Zhuangsheng and Zhu Zhixue's breakup that gave her confidence, making her feel that Hu Mengdie and Zhu Zhixue were just passing through.
"Then... will you still come to the company in the future?" Li Zhuangsheng asked, holding Hu Mengdie's hand with a pitiful expression.
"We'll see," Hu Mengdie said, withdrawing her hand.
"Come on, come on, the company can't do without you! You're their boss's wife, and they feel insecure without you!"
"There's no need to flatter me like that... I'll come to visit often."
"Okay...Are you going back to school now? I'll take you..."
Hu Mengdie raised an eyebrow: "You rode an electric scooter today?"
"I'll borrow someone else's; there are plenty of people in the company who ride electric scooters!"
"I don't want it. How can an electric scooter be worthy of me? I'll ride in your car when you buy a Porsche or Ferrari in the future," Hu Mengdie continued sarcastically, then turned and left.
Li Zhuangsheng quickly followed behind him, standing by the roadside until he got into a taxi, before turning back to the company.
"Sigh..." He sighed again.
It seems there won't be a resolution to Hu Mengdie's matter anytime soon.
What? Does he really want me to become destitute and then let her prove herself...? That's too high a price to pay. Although Li Zhuangsheng doesn't value material enjoyment, he's not so naive as to not understand the importance of money. Especially this wealth that he couldn't earn in ten lifetimes.
Back at the company, Qin Luanyu smiled and waved to him: "Why did Sister Mengdie leave?"
“Their class has a competition coming up soon, so they need to go back to school for training.” Li Zhuangsheng forced a smile.
Qin Luanyu smiled and said, "Making animation seems like a lot of fun! When I win an Olympic gold medal and return home in glory, I want to work for your company!"
"You've already won an Olympic gold medal, why would you come to our small company?" Li Zhuangsheng joked with a smile. "Besides, it's not even a good fit for your major. What use is a sprinter to us?"
"Come and draw! I want to be the lead artist!" Qin Luanyu said matter-of-factly. "I'm really good at drawing, you've probably seen it before! After I practice for another two years, I'll definitely be able to do it!"
Li Zhuangsheng joked, "We're really busy here. Look at Senior Bai Min, she's always working overtime, she's almost bald from drawing!"
“Uh, no, I’m not bald yet…it’s not that serious.” Bai Min touched her head and couldn’t help but interject.
Qin Luanyu said confidently, "It's okay, I won't back down. I'll leave work on time. I can take a smaller salary, or you can let me invest and become a shareholder! I can even be a free spokesperson for our company!"
"Alright, alright, let's talk about it after you win the Olympic gold medal!"
"Even if we don't win the Olympic gold medal, we're more than qualified to win the national championship!"
"I'll listen to your bragging!"
"You still don't believe me? Then let's make a bet. If I win the national championship, you'll grant me one wish without any conditions!"
Li Zhuangsheng said lazily, "I won't gamble, I believe you, okay? Go for it, Olympic champion!"
His tone was so casual that Qin Luanyu stomped her feet in anger:
"You don't believe me!"
"I believe it, I believe it."
Li Zhuangsheng nodded insincerely as before.
"You just wait, I'll definitely win a championship for you!" Qin Luanyu slapped Li Zhuangsheng hard, huffing and puffing.
Li Zhuangsheng chuckled, clearly not optimistic about Qin Luanyu. She didn't seem to have exceptional talent in sprinting; if she did, she would have distinguished herself in her past life.
Although part of the reason is that she started training too late, Li Zhuangsheng believes that even if Liu Xiang had only started training in track and field at the age of 18, he would at least have been a national champion.
This time, he's probably just an average athlete, capable of achieving good results in some minor competitions. Of course, even so, Li Zhuangsheng thinks he's excellent enough.
After all, she is a rich young lady, and the fact that she can endure the hardships of sports speaks volumes about her admirable character.
Li Zhuangsheng knew he couldn't do that, and he admired everyone who worked harder than him.
"It really is different," Bai Min said with a smile.
“What’s different?” Li Zhuangsheng asked.
"I always thought Xiao Qin was the aloof type who didn't talk much, but now that I see her, she's quite lively and cheerful."
Li Zhuangsheng casually remarked, "Oh, she's just socially awkward and only acts tough with people she knows well. Don't take it to heart."
"You're the one with social anxiety, your whole family has social anxiety." Qin Luanyu lightly slapped Li Zhuangsheng again.
Bai Min's eyes were unreadable, while Qin Luanyu's demeanor was poised and graceful, not at all reserved; socially awkward people don't act like that.
It's likely that she only shows this expression in front of Li Zhuangsheng. The reason is self-evident.
The other person is just too young... But Li Zhuangsheng isn't that old either. He doesn't think about it too much now, but in five or six years, Qin Luanyu will be in college, and Li Zhuangsheng will have only been out of college for a short time. If she goes on to graduate school, she might still be a student.
At that time, it seemed like nothing much had happened.
However, Li Zhuangsheng didn't seem to have that intention; he just treated her like the girl next door.
Hopefully, it's just that Qin Luanyu is being immature; otherwise, she could be a huge threat to Hu Mengdie in the future... But we still have to believe in Li Zhuangsheng's character!
Yes, Li Zhuangsheng would never do something like starting something and then abandoning it!
(End of this chapter)