Chapter 115 - BACK TO THE VILLAGE (1)

The manager was kind enough to provide us with the hotel minivan, complete with a mini-fridge inside full of snacks and beverages. The hotel manager bowed his head as deep as he could while Meng Bao was busy telling them about something with his cold gaze. 

He didn't seem to be in a good mood, or I guess he was never in a good mood with anybody else except me. Which made me feel good, of course, hehe.

Meng Bao turned his head and then looked at me, who was already sitting in the passenger seat, drinking cola. He smiled at me and then winked, which made me giggle.

After Meng Bao was done with his scolding, he went inside, sitting side by side with me in the minivan. The hotel manager, alongside all the staff, were bowing their heads until the minivan left the hotel. 

"S—Sir, we're going to Lisheng Village…" the driver told Meng Bao. "It will take six hours to get there. Do you want to buy anything before we go?"

Meng Bao clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Just drive, I will tell you to stop if I need something. Stop spouting useless stuff. You're irritating me."

"Y—YES!" 

Meng Bao then slid the small curtain, so the driver wouldn't be able to see what we were doing, not that we were doing anything suspicious other than Meng Bao, who tried to cuddle with me. 

Meng Bao was resting his head on my lap as he begged me to feed him some grapes from the mini-fridge. 

His cheek was ruddy as I continued feeding him, "Wehehe, Ying Jie so comfortable…."

I stared at him and then tried to make a difference between this Bao and that Bao who scolded the Hotel manager and also scolded the driver, even though they were just trying to be nice. 

Thus I asked him, "Bao, are you always that sour when facing anyone?"

"Hm? What do you mean, Jie?"

"I mean, when you face that Hotel Manager, and the driver, you looked so irritated and sour…."

Meng Bao paused, and his eyes glimmered like a cute Bao. He then proceeded to act cute in front of me, "Bao is not like that, Jie. Bao is not like that sour man. I'm adorable and cuddly with you!"

…

Okay, that one was forced as hell. I just realized that Meng Bao looked so weird when he forced himself to act cute, while he looked really cute when he was cuddling naturally with me.

"O—Okay, Bao, stop that. I just want to ask."

Meng Bao's cheery face then slowly drooped. He seemed to be in a long consideration before he asked, "Jie, aside from the fact that I'm rich, do you know my job and family background?"

'Yes, I know that you're an evil business mafia who's truly ruthless to all of your competitors. I saw your scary eyes by myself and realize that you must've sullied your hands with blood before. Oh, and your best brother, Alexander Priest, also talks a lot about you, like a gossip mom. You should shut his mouth first.'

'Also, I know that you're Mr. Yang Zhuhuo and Madam Evelynn Yang's only son, Yang Menghuo. I've known it for a while. I just don't want to tell you because it's risky for my only job.'

I was talking in my heart when Meng Bao questioned it. Of course, I wouldn't say such ridiculous stuff here though, I didn't know what Meng Bao would do if I told him that I know about his secret as a mafia.

"Well, I know that you're rich because it's way too obvious. But other than that, I don't know much." 

"A-Ah, good…" Meng Bao was pondering for a moment, then he grabbed my hand and kissed it gently. 

"I'm always in a sour mood because I think everything is mundane and irritating. I feel like everything that I do is pointless. You know, it's like living a life where you don't know what to do. You have everything, you can get everything easily, but at the same time, it feels empty."

'Well, there is no way I can get that feeling. I've been working my ass off for the last ten years before I need to collect money for my family. Do you know that I feel like the world has been so unfair to me because I've been overworked to the bone?' I replied in my heart, but I kept my silence when Meng Bao asked that.

"I naturally get irritated when people ask me random useless questions or bother me with their random antics. I'd rather spend that time to sleep."

Meng Bao looked straight into my eyes and smiled, "Until I meet you, Jie."

"Me?" I pointed at myself and frowned, "But I've done nothing…."

"You may not understand it… in fact, I can't understand this either, but you're the breath that gives meaning to my life, Jie."

"Honestly, I've lost that feeling, like a gradual decline, because I can't find my childhood sweetheart. But after I met you, I feel like the source of my happiness has returned after missing for fifteen years."

"Jie, I… I really thought that you're my childhood sweetheart. Because I've promised myself since I was a kid that I will not fall in love with anyone other than her. But now that you're here, I'm also in love with you…."

I chuckled drily. It still felt uncomfortable that Meng Bao still mentioned that childhood sweetheart. But it was inevitable, right? She was present for the majority of Meng Bao's life.

'Ah, we really need to find that girl as soon as possible. So I can finally free this chain in my heart.'

'Still, though, I'm so damn jealous of her. Imagine If I was the one who filled Meng Bao's life with love, I could be the girl he's searching for!'

I pitied myself, but there was no use in wishing for the impossible, right? 

"Well, Bao, you see that I'm not your childhood sweetheart. I only befriended girls back when I was a child," I replied. "But don't worry, we will sort things out after we've finished the trouble with my parents. With you acting as my fake boyfriend, I will have no more pesky trouble and would be free to help."

"But… I want to be your real boyfriend instead…."

"Don't start again, Bao. We've talked about this many times."

Meng Bao pouted, "Okay…."

We were enjoying the trip to the village. Usually, I would need to use the bus for five hours before using my family's motorbike to reach my home.

The air was definitely fresher here than in Beijing. I opened the window and inhaled deeply. 

We were in silence for a while, then Meng Bao asked, "Jie, my family, and my job might not be something that you'll like… if you find out about it in the future."

"But trust me, I will never ever hurt you. I can't even imagine hurting you. I'd probably kill myself first before that happens."

Somehow, I could sense the seriousness in Meng Bao's statement just now. It was very rare for Meng Bao to be serious with me. He was so cute, cuddly, and dramatic most of the time, so it was worth all the attention when he talked in all seriousness like this. 

I started thinking whether this would be a good time to tell him about my identity, "Bao…."

"Hm, yes?"

"If you know my true identity later, will you help me?" I asked.

"Help you? Of course, Jie! I will always help you with whatever you want!"

"…"

I had been thinking about my job as a secretary. I had a gut feeling that Meng Bao would realize it sooner or later. I just didn't want any trouble with my job. Whether I would fall in favor when he met his childhood sweetheart or not, I still wanted to keep my job because that was the only way for me to feed my family right now. 

"Meng Bao, after you know about my identity, I beg you to accept me wholeheartedly. Don't hurt my feelings, okay?"

'Because I really need that job, you know. Please accept me as a regular secretary. And if that childhood sweetheart of yours gets jealous, please don't fire me ah! I still need money!'

Meng Bao was stunned after I said that. He stared at me. His lips trembled as he tried to utter a promise that he had long ago, "I… I will accept you no matter what, Jie. Just like what I said before, my love is only for you. Even after years had passed, I wanted to treasure you forever in my arms, my beloved Jie."

I also got stunned because somehow, I faintly remembered someone telling me the same thing long ago.

I faintly remembered Mengmeng said the same thing, but it was a faint memory that I couldn't recall the exact promise that Mengmeng made.

'Hm… no, I don't think so. It'd be a scary coincidence if Meng Bao replicated the same promise that Mengmeng gave me fifteen years ago.'

'Besides, I don't even remember the exact sentence of the promise that Mengmeng made….'