Chapter 162: You Might Have Misunderstood

Meng Mingfeng felt endless envy but didn’t dare get too close.

He was afraid of disturbing the owner of the car.

“Could it be that the owner of this car also has a house here?”

While he was lost in speculation, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

Meng Mingfeng hurriedly pulled it out and hastily hung it up.

When he looked up again, the Cullinan in front of him had gone still.

The car door opened, and a tall figure stepped out.

“Huh? It’s you?”

Meng Mingfeng stared blankly at the familiar figure before him, his mind buzzing. “I-it’s Brother Zhang… so it’s you.”

He hurriedly took out a cigarette, looking somewhat flustered.

He hadn’t expected to run into his sister’s classmate again, and in such a situation.

Driving a Cullinan BB-sure enough, someone who could afford a fifteen-million renovation.

“I’ll do it.” Zhang Yang casually took out his own cigarettes, glanced at the smiling Meng Mingfeng, and handed him one.

Meng Mingfeng quickly accepted it, flattered.

“Brother Zhang, this Cullinan really suits your temperament.”

“You really know how to talk.” Zhang Yang laughed. He thought to himself that Meng Mingfeng truly deserved to be a small boss who started from scratch-his sense for people was quite sharp. “But the timing of us meeting seems a bit coincidental, doesn’t it?”

“I was just delivering materials to a client’s house. I didn’t expect to disturb you and your…” Meng Mingfeng started to explain.

At that moment, the passenger door of the Cullinan opened.

Lin Jingmin stepped out, lightly adjusting her hair and skirt. There was still an indescribable charm lingering in her expression.

She stood there with her arms folded and glanced at Meng Mingfeng.

“Ah… th-this…” Meng Mingfeng stared at the blush on Lin Jingmin’s face and began stammering. “I-it’s Little Min.”

“Mr. Meng, please call me by my name.” Lin Jingmin stood beside Zhang Yang and said calmly.

Meng Mingfeng felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit, instantly looking lost and dispirited.

“You should get back in the car first.” Zhang Yang glanced at Lin Jingmin and gestured.

Lin Jingmin nodded obediently and got back into the Cullinan.

Zhang Yang walked forward and patted Meng Mingfeng on the shoulder. “I’ve still got something to do, so I’ll head off first. See you another day.”

Meng Mingfeng snapped back to his senses and nodded mechanically, not knowing what to say.

Zhang Yang didn’t mind and simply turned around and got into the car.

A moment later, the Cullinan slowly drove away.

Meng Mingfeng stood there, staring blankly at the departing car. His fists clenched tightly, then suddenly loosened weakly.

Zhang Yang drove while glancing at the rearview mirror, where Meng Mingfeng still stood motionless like a statue.

“You really shouldn’t have gotten out of the car. Didn’t you think about leaving the guy some dignity?”

He glanced at Lin Jingmin in the passenger seat and asked with a smile.

“If I didn’t get out, it would look like I felt guilty.” Lin Jingmin studied Zhang Yang’s expression and spoke softly. “I’m not afraid of him knowing.”

Zhang Yang smiled but said nothing.

This Designer Lin-those words seemed like they were meant for him to hear.

“Hey… I’m hungry. Let’s go eat first?” Lin Jingmin suddenly looked at Zhang Yang.

“You’re tired already?” Zhang Yang asked in surprise.

“You think everyone’s like you, never getting tired?” Lin Jingmin’s face immediately turned red as she complained.

Zhang Yang laughed and casually slapped her leg.

“I thought you were already full just now.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Lin Jingmin lightly spat.

In the evening, Zhang Yang found a nearby Chaoshan hotpot restaurant. The two of them sat by the window, chatting while cooking slices of beef in the pot.

“By the way, you have businesses in Shanghai too?” Lin Jingmin asked curiously.

“Yes.” Zhang Yang dipped the tender yellow beef into satay sauce.

“Are they… as big as the ones here in Yinghai?” Lin Jingmin’s eyes flickered as she asked cautiously.

“Big? Much bigger.” Zhang Yang smiled. “What, trying to figure out my background?”

As he spoke, he noticed Lin Jingmin resting her pale chin on her hand, staring at him attentively. Feeling a sudden impulse, he reached out and pinched her cheek.

“No, I’m just asking.” Lin Jingmin obediently let him pinch her face. “Hey… lighter. Are you checking if my face is original? I haven’t had anything done.”

“Feels real enough.” Zhang Yang laughed and withdrew his hand. “By the way, is your place convenient tonight? I’m too lazy to go home or stay in a hotel.”

Lin Jingmin stared at him for a moment before suddenly saying,

“So I’m taking in a homeless male god?”

Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned.

The two returned late at night.

Near midnight, downstairs at Lin Jingmin’s apartment complex, she got out of the car and looked up at the lights in her home for quite a while.

“My parents go to sleep early. When we go up, walk quietly.”

“Got it. You seem a little nervous though?” Zhang Yang looked at her.

Designer Lin looked cautious, almost like a rebellious teenager doing something mischievous for the first time.

“Not at all.” Lin Jingmin held onto Zhang Yang’s arm with a slightly coquettish tone. “My parents never open my door in the morning. You just… keep the noise down.”

“Understood.” Zhang Yang also felt a hint of excitement.

Doing something secretly behind someone else’s parents’ backs was, honestly, far more thrilling than simply booking a hotel.

Soon, the two quietly entered the building and took the elevator.

At the apartment door, Lin Jingmin made a quiet shushing sound, pressed her ear against the door for a moment, then took out her key and gently opened it.

Inside, the house was completely dark, except for a faint light shining from under one bedroom door.

“Come in.” Lin Jingmin whispered as she pulled Zhang Yang inside.

Zhang Yang nodded and stepped in.

Although the lights were off, the house seemed quite spacious. With the faint light from outside, he could vaguely see that the interior was tastefully decorated.

“Come to my room.” Lin Jingmin moved lightly, ran to turn on the light in her room, then waved Zhang Yang over.

Moments later, the door closed.

Leaning against the door, Lin Jingmin let out a long breath.

“You act like a thief in your own house.” Zhang Yang said with amusement, glancing around the room.

As expected, girls’ bedrooms often had something in common.

Lin Jingmin’s room was warm and tasteful, just like her-full of an intellectual charm.

Just as he turned around, a warm face with closed eyes suddenly leaned toward him.

“Kiss me.” Lin Jingmin murmured softly.

Zhang Yang was stunned. Just moments ago she had been acting so cautious, yet the moment they entered her room she completely let go.

But honestly, in this situation-hearing faint voices from the next room-he did feel a thrilling sense of secrecy.

No more hesitation.

Zhang Yang pushed everything else aside, pulled the designer into his arms, and lost himself in the moment.

Late night, past midnight.

In the next room.

Lin’s mother got up to use the bathroom. Behind her, Old Lin’s snoring thundered through the room.

“I’m not even fifty yet, and my hearing is already failing?”

She muttered to herself, vaguely feeling as though she had heard crying from her daughter’s room.

The crying sounded suppressed and miserable.

Wearing slippers, she walked closer to the door, wanting to listen carefully. Her dragging slippers made faint sounds as she stepped.

In an instant, the noise inside the room stopped.

All that remained was Old Lin’s continuous snoring.

“My hearing must really be failing.”

Lin’s mother shook her head, feeling her first real sense of aging.

The next morning.

Zhang Yang opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.

Designer Lin was still clinging to him, soft and boneless in his arms.

“You’re definitely awake.” Zhang Yang smiled as he noticed Lin Jingmin’s eyelashes trembling slightly.

Lin Jingmin couldn’t hold it in anymore. Even with her eyes closed, the corners of her mouth curved upward.

“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.” She opened her eyes and snuggled closer into Zhang Yang’s arms.

“When you’re asleep, your heartbeat isn’t this fast.” Zhang Yang withdrew his hand and adjusted to a more comfortable position. “Your parents seem to be up. What time do they leave for work?”

Separated by just one door, Zhang Yang could clearly hear footsteps in the living room and the sound of the kitchen’s range hood.

“Soon, soon. I guess in about twenty minutes.” Lin Jingmin whispered, resting her ear against Zhang Yang’s chest and listening to his steady heartbeat.

“Alright.” Zhang Yang checked the time and glanced at the morning light coming through the window, letting out a slow breath.

He actually had something to do today.

For example, picking up a car.

Meanwhile, he also planned to give his father, Zhang Zhaohai, a big surprise.

By the way, this time he had also brought back that Vacheron Constantin watch. Watches were different from cars.

Once a car became second-hand, its value dropped.

But some watches carried the passage of time-like Patek Philippe’s famous slogan: no one truly owns a Patek Philippe; you merely look after it for the next generation.

His first watch in life, the Vacheron Constantin worth seven hundred thousand, hadn’t been worn for long. Giving it to his father was just right.

When the time came, his father would be in Yinghai, driving a Maybach, wearing a seven-hundred-thousand Vacheron Constantin, running the restaurant, and holding tens of millions in cash. And in the future there would also be that villa renovated with fifteen million.

Even if Zhang Yang, as a son, stopped intervening completely, his parents would still live like people above others in Yinghai, admired by everyone.

Time passed second by second.

The sounds outside gradually faded, and with the closing of a door, everything became quiet again.

“My parents have gone out.” Lin Jingmin blinked and whispered.

“Then I should get up.” Zhang Yang got out of bed and pulled open the curtains, his perfect physique fully revealed in the morning light.

Behind him, Lin Jingmin curled under the blanket, secretly watching the sharply defined body before her, her face heating up again.

A moment later, the bedroom door opened.

Lin Jingmin carefully found a new toothbrush and a new cup, then ran to the kitchen to see what her parents had made in the morning.

“They only cooked porridge. I’ll go buy you something.”

After washing up, Lin Jingmin hurriedly put on her shoes, preparing to go out and buy Zhang Yang breakfast.

“No need to trouble yourself. I’ll eat whatever’s available.” Zhang Yang laughed, feeling that he didn’t look like someone who couldn’t eat ordinary food.

“Just sit. It’s fine, it’s right downstairs.” Lin Jingmin stood on tiptoe and hugged him. “Wait for me a moment. I’ll be back very soon.”

Since she said that, Zhang Yang had no choice but to sit down.

Soon the door closed and Lin Jingmin went out.

After all, he was in someone else’s home, so basic courtesy was necessary.

Zhang Yang naturally didn’t wander around. He simply stood on the balcony in the living room for a while and looked at the scenery downstairs.

The location of Lin Jingmin’s apartment complex was quite good. Not far ahead was a community park. From this angle it looked lush and full of life.

Because it was midsummer, early in the morning there were already elderly people exercising and walking. Along the roadside were breakfast stalls, surrounded by office workers.

Standing in the middle of a residential area and feeling the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life, Zhang Yang couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

Behind him came the sound of the door opening.

“So fast?” Zhang Yang muttered, turning around to walk back into the living room. “What did you buy?”

He looked toward the door and walked over.

Then the door opened.

Outside stood a middle-aged woman who looked slightly hurried.

The moment she saw Zhang Yang, her expression froze in shock.

Their eyes met, and the surroundings suddenly became so quiet that even a pin dropping could have been heard.

“You-you-you…” The middle-aged woman raised her finger, unable to finish her sentence.

Zhang Yang felt a headache coming on.

Without thinking, he knew this must be Lin Jingmin’s mother, who had probably come back halfway because of something.

“Auntie, right? I’m Lin Jingmin’s friend.” Zhang Yang introduced himself.

His expression was calm, without any particular nervousness.

“Little Min’s friend?” Lin’s mother was still stunned.

Hearing that sentence, she gradually came back to her senses, and her thoughts suddenly became clear.

The whole sequence of events quickly connected in her mind.

“This girl! She’s gotten really bold!” How could she not understand now? Lin Jingmin must have secretly brought a boy home to stay overnight.

With her understanding of her daughter, this was something she would never even have imagined.

She had intended to show some anger and give the boy a stern look.

But…

Looking at the tall young man before her, with thin lips, a straight nose, and a face so handsome he seemed extraordinary among people, she somehow couldn’t summon any anger at all.

“You child, have a seat. You haven’t had breakfast yet, right?” Her tone instantly softened.

“Auntie, well… she went downstairs to buy some.” Zhang Yang explained.

Just as he said that, the door behind him moved again.

“I bought it. Let’s eat while it’s hot.” Lin Jingmin said with a smile as she closed the door behind her, then suddenly froze. “Mom! Why did you come back?!”

“Hmph! I’ll settle this with you later.” Lin’s mother glared at her, then turned to Zhang Yang with a smile. “No rush, sit down and eat slowly. Auntie just came back to grab something.”

She walked into a room, took what she needed, and returned to the living room.

“Mom, aren’t you in a hurry to go to work?” Lin Jingmin asked, noticing how slowly her mother was moving and realizing she was deliberately lingering.

“What’s the rush? Work isn’t busy this morning anyway.” Lin’s mother glanced at her.

“Alright then.” Lin Jingmin couldn’t argue with her mother and only muttered under her breath.

Zhang Yang ate breakfast quickly, feeling that it probably wasn’t appropriate for him to stay any longer.

In just a few moments he finished.

“Well… I’ve finished breakfast. Auntie, I still have something to do, so I’ll head out first.” Zhang Yang put down his bowl and chopsticks.

“You’re leaving already? Why not sit a little longer?” Lin’s mother had been secretly observing Zhang Yang the whole time. Hearing that he was leaving, she quickly offered polite words to keep him.

“No, no. Maybe next time. I’ll visit again another day.” Zhang Yang said.

“Then I-I’ll walk you out.” Lin Jingmin immediately stood up.

Soon the two went out. Lin’s mother sat upright in the living room, brewing her emotions and waiting for someone to return.

“This girl. When she comes back, I must give her a proper scolding.”

After a while, the door opened again. Lin Jingmin quietly pushed the door open, looking just like a child who had done something wrong.

“Well? Come here. Sit down next to me and explain properly to your mother what’s going on.” Lin’s mother said sternly.

“Explain how you managed to date someone behind your father and me, and even brought him home overnight.”

Although her expression looked serious, Lin Jingmin knew her mother too well. She knew her mother wasn’t actually angry-she was just waiting for an explanation.

“Mom… you might have misunderstood something.” Lin Jingmin stammered, unsure how to begin.

“Misunderstood? Misunderstood what? Misunderstood that you two are innocent and you just let him stay for the night?” Lin’s mother laughed in disbelief, feeling that her daughter was being extremely stubborn.

“H-he isn’t my boyfriend.” Lin Jingmin said softly.

“What?!” Lin’s mother immediately stood up, her voice rising sharply. “What do you mean?”