Against the Light - Chapter 121
Chapter 121: Already Engaged
In the car, Gu Xinran was driving. She glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror. Ming Zhen looked a little nervous, staring out the window and unconsciously biting her fingers.
Ming Zhen had just spoken with Jiang Ming on the phone, and to her surprise, the other woman had actually agreed to meet for lunch. As a result, Ming Zhen was the one getting all bashful. It was so strange!
"What's wrong with you?" Bai Yilan, sitting beside her, turned to look at her with concern.
"Nothing."
"Nervous?"
"No, don't be ridiculous."
Bai Yilan chuckled softly. She knew this friend of hers all too well. Whenever Ming Zhen got nervous, she would bite her fingers without even realizing it.
"I'm getting more and more curious about who this President Jiang is, to be able to make our Young President Ming so nervous."
"I am not nervous! I'm not!"
"Alright, alright~"
The two of them bickered, and before they knew it, they had arrived.
Gu Xinran parked the car and told the other two to get out. They entered the restaurant and were led by a waiter toward a private room.
Just as they were about to go in, Gu Xinran pushed Ming Zhen to the front, gesturing for her to open the door.
Ming Zhen cleared her throat, her earlobes turning red without her noticing. She knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Hiss! That was the voice!
That single word sent an inexplicable thrill through Ming Zhen's heart, and the corners of her lips curled up unconsciously.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan caught her little expression, exchanged a glance, and smiled at each other.
Ming Zhen took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Her eyes immediately fell on Jiang Ming, who was sitting by the window, looking right at her.
Today, she was wearing a white suit, looking exceptionally sharp and capable. Her whole person seemed to be glowing! The sight left Ming Zhen instantly and hopelessly smitten.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan eagerly peeked inside. When they saw President Jiang, they both froze, their expressions turning extremely strange as they looked at each other again.
"???"
Both of their brows were furrowed into knots.
"This person…?" With Ming Zhen right there, Gu Xinran didn't dare say too much.
Bai Yilan nodded. That face was all too familiar to her!!!
Gu Xinran patted her, signaling her not to expose anything. She had a feeling things weren't that simple.
The two followed Ming Zhen inside. Gu Xinran extended her hand to Jiang Ming with a smile.
"Hello, I'm Gu Xinran."
Jiang Ming rose politely and shook her hand. "Hello, please have a seat."
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan sat on the sofa opposite Jiang Ming.
Ming Zhen glanced around, then sat down beside Jiang Ming, seemingly with great reluctance.
"This is Bai Yilan, her wife, and also my best friend," Ming Zhen introduced.
"Hello."
"H-hello." Bai Yilan couldn't help but stare at her a few extra times.
"Is there a problem?" Jiang Ming asked, looking at her.
"No, it's just that you look a little familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Hearing her question, Jiang Ming's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. An almost tangible aura flared up for just a moment before she retracted it. She shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, my memory isn't very good."
Bai Yilan was slightly taken aback. She exchanged a look with Xinran. This woman could control her aura so freely. It was incredible!
"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom," Bai Yilan said as she stood up and left.
Gu Xinran also apologized and followed her.
"She was just putting pressure on me. What do you think that means?"
"Do you think she realized you recognized her? And she doesn't want you to expose her identity?"
"But why? Why would she deliberately hide this from Ming Zhen?"
"Could it be…"
"What?"
"That Ming Zhen dislikes her for being some old rich woman, so she adopted a new identity to get close to her, hoping Ming Zhen would fall into the trap on her own?"
"?? That's way too scheming."
"I have to say, your best friend really only cares about looks. She doesn't use her brain at all. She could be completely played and not even know it."
"Hey!" Bai Yilan shot her a glare.
"!? Are you getting fierce with me?"
"Are you being protective of the wrong person?!" Gu Xinran was stunned for a moment before retorting.
"I… ahem. That's just how she is. You get used to it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been fooled by you back then."
"When did I ever fool her?"
"When she was obsessed with Little Fairy, that time on the film set. Are you going to tell me you didn't deliberately take off your mask to provoke her?"
"…! Why are you dredging up the past!?"
As they spoke, they both broke into laughter.
"Alright, let's figure out how to handle this first. Ming Zhen is very serious when it comes to matters of the heart. She's incredibly naive about these things. When she likes someone, she really throws herself into it completely. I could tell from that brief interaction just now—she's fallen for this Jiang Ming. If she finds out Jiang Ming lied to her, she'll definitely…"
Bai Yilan didn't finish, her brows knitted in deep worry.
Gu Xinran thought for a moment, feeling that things might not be so serious. "Maybe she'll be very happy about it?"
"…"
The two returned to the private room. The moment they pushed the door open, Gu Xinran paused.
At the table, Ming Zhen was looking through the menu. Beside her, Jiang Ming's gaze was fixed on Ming Zhen, her eyes holding a trace of admiration and a bit of gentleness.
Gu Xinran sensitively caught this detail and turned to glance at Yilan. They exchanged a look, then acted as if nothing had happened and returned to their seats.
"President Jiang, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you this year?" Bai Yilan asked, looking at Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming pondered for a moment.
"How can you just ask someone their age like that? Don't you know a woman's age is a secret?" Ming Zhen said.
"…" Bai Yilan was speechless and subtly rolled her eyes.
"President Jiang, I'm sorry, I'm new to this circle and don't know much about you. May I ask, are you married?" Gu Xinran tried to broach the subject without being too blunt. The moment she finished speaking, she received a sharp kick from Ming Zhen, and her expression flickered as she nearly cried out in pain.
"What are you two here for?" Ming Zhen questioned in a low voice through gritted teeth, frantically giving them meaningful looks.
"I'm not married yet, but I'm already engaged," Jiang Ming said.
Ming Zhen froze upon hearing this. "You… you're engaged?"
"Yes." Jiang Ming looked at her, the corners of her lips lifting into a beautiful curve. Her face held a warm smile, but to Ming Zhen, it was somewhat glaring.
She had been so full of joy at the thought of having a meal with the person she liked, only to find out she was already engaged. It felt like she'd been punched right where it hurt.
It was sad, incredibly sad.
Ming Zhen took a deep breath, trying her best to appear as if she didn't care. However, as she looked at the dazzling array of dishes on the menu, the good appetite she had moments ago vanished.
She pushed the menu to Bai Yilan. "See what you want to eat."
The moment Bai Yilan saw her expression, she knew Ming Zhen was heartbroken. She squeezed her hand and glanced at Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming frowned slightly, hesitating as if she wanted to say something, but her phone rang at that inopportune moment.
She looked down at it and frowned again.
"I'm sorry." After apologizing, she stood up and walked away. They could faintly hear her speaking in English.
Ming Zhen's gaze unconsciously followed her, little stars practically sparkling in her eyes. "Such an outstanding person, how could she be married off so young…" Ming Zhen pouted, the word 'sad' written all over her face.
"Hey… don't, don't be so sad." Bai Yilan quickly comforted her, then looked at Xinran.
Gu Xinran shook her head slightly.
A short while later, Jiang Ming returned.
"I'm sorry, something urgent has come up and I have to leave. I'll invite you out next time." This was directed at Ming Zhen, the last syllable rising slightly as if seeking her opinion.
Ming Zhen put on a brilliant smile. "Okay, no problem. You go take care of your business."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Jiang Ming apologized several times, patted Ming Zhen's shoulder, glanced at Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan, and then turned to leave.
"Sigh." After she left, Ming Zhen let out a heavy sigh and listlessly fiddled with her plate.
The three of them ate a simple meal and then left.
After dropping Ming Zhen off at home, Bai Yilan voiced her confusion in the car. "Why didn't you let me tell Ming Zhen that Jiang Ming is Xue Yuexian?"
"At first, I suspected that Xue Yuexian was deliberately hiding her identity to get back at Ming Zhen. But just now, when I saw the way she looked at Ming Zhen, that affection was impossible to hide. I don't think she would deliberately deceive, let alone use such methods to get revenge on someone she likes."
"Then she…"
"I was thinking, could it be that she knows Ming Zhen is very resistant to her, so she wanted to make contact first, let Ming Zhen get to know her as a person, and then reveal her identity?"
"Or perhaps she's planning to tell Ming Zhen at a specific moment to give her a surprise?"
"If that's the case, wouldn't our involvement disrupt her plan?"
"Well…"
"Besides, those two are already engaged. It's only a matter of time before they get together. What are you worried about?"
"When it comes to matters of love, it's best we don't get involved."
Bai Yilan thought it over on her own and sighed.
Gu Xinran let out an untimely laugh.
"What is it?"
"Hm? I was thinking about Xue Yuexian. To be honest, I was really struck by her presence today. A sharp, capable, powerful woman. I can't connect her at all with the Xue Yuexian I remember."
"What was she like?" Bai Yilan asked curiously.
"When you were around, she was quite well-behaved, wasn't she?"
"Yes, she practically grew up in my house. She was in a rebellious phase from childhood to adulthood, had a very tense relationship with her family, and wouldn't listen to anyone but me," Bai Yilan said.
In her previous life, Xue Yuexian was her cousin, and she had always taken good care of this younger sister.
"After you were gone, she just let herself go. She was always sharp and capable in her career, but when it came to romance… she was a player, all physical and no feelings. To use the words of today's youth… a total player."
"…"
"But she cleaned up her act later. Xiao Ye set her straight."
"Oh?"
"Mhm. Ever since she found out Xiao Ye was our daughter, and her only relative in that world, she doted on the little one completely, obeying her every command."
Bai Yilan smiled knowingly.
"Seeing that look of love in her eyes for Ming Zhen today… I don't know why, but I was especially moved."
"She definitely won't let Ming Zhen down, don't worry."
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