Chapter 214: No, I'm with Someone Else
"Come on in."
Meng Ci's exclamation was so loud that Zhao Jingyu felt a bit embarrassed and quickly urged them inside to avoid being seen by others.
Meng Ci, with a dazed expression, followed Zhao Jingyu, who was trying his best to maintain a steady pace. He couldn't help but think, "Well, well, well."
No wonder Zhao Jingyu latched onto Liang Xiu from the start, and Liang Xiu insisted on looking after him. Looks like they've got a thing for each other.
Meng Ci felt a little frustrated.
He, Meng Ci, was nineteen in physical age and twenty-five in mental age, while this guy in front of him was only twenty-one!
If he had to call Zhao Jingyu "Uncle Liang's wife," he just couldn't stomach it.
And besides, Uncle Liang was already thirty-two!
Liang Xiu sure was going for the young ones, huh? Didn't he worry about getting too much for his own good?
Meng Ci's mind was in turmoil, but his face remained calm.
"Make yourselves at home. I'll go change my clothes."
Zhao Jingyu led them into the living room and quickly dashed into a room to change.
Meng Ci took a quick look around. The living room was decked out in luxury, all European-style. Even a quick glance at the sofa and coffee table showed they were pre-apocalypse designer brands.
Thanks to the central AC, it was noticeably cooler inside than outside.
There was no sign of the apocalypse's desolation here.
Eggplant and Eagle didn't come inside but stayed in the yard, milling around and marking their turf.
A few minutes later, Zhao Jingyu emerged in long sleeves and pants, with a few band-aids stuck on his neck like he was trying to hide something.
He was carrying two glasses of iced tea, which he placed in front of them.
Clearly uncomfortable, Zhao Jingyu avoided eye contact and perched awkwardly on the edge of a single sofa.
"You're here for Liang Xiu, right? He's working from 8 to 4 today."
Zhao Jingyu felt restless and wanted to send them away.
"No, I'm here to talk to you." Meng Ci said directly.
"What?!"
Zhao Jingyu was so startled that he almost jumped up from the sofa but winced and sucked in a sharp breath, like he'd pulled a muscle.
"I have nothing to do with Liang Xiu. The marks on my body weren't caused by him!"
"Don't overthink it."
Once he calmed down, Zhao Jingyu rushed to clarify, almost too quickly.
"Really?" Meng Ci asked, not entirely convinced.
"Sure thing!"
Zhao Jingyu's eyes darted, catching Meng Ci's gaze before quickly looking away.
Meng Ci leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his chin as if he were genuinely confused.
"That's weird. Uncle Liang told me you barely leave the house, and it's just you two living here."
"Did you do this to yourself out of loneliness or boredom?"
"Or did you sneak someone in when Uncle Liang was at work?"
"I wonder if Uncle Liang even knows about this."
Zhao Jingyu glared at Meng Ci, clearly pissed off.
"You're the one who brought someone back! We're in a legitimate relationship."
Shen Que shot Zhao Jingyu a sharp look, having heard him falsely accuse Meng Ci.
Zhao Jingyu's grip on the sofa tightened, but his confidence crumbled.
"Fine, I cheated, I cheated!"
Knowing he couldn't win against Shen Que, Zhao Jingyu reluctantly admitted.
Shen Que then withdrew his sharp gaze from Zhao Jingyu.
But Meng Ci wasn't about to let it go that easily and pushed for the truth.
"So, who exactly did you cheat with?"
"After all, with my experience and connections, I can help you figure out what's going on with this person."
"Since you're under Uncle Liang's watch, and I'm the Meng Group's heir, it's part of my job to look after the company's employees, even in their personal lives."
Meng Ci shrugged, playing the part of someone looking out for Zhao Jingyu.
Zhao Jingyu hadn't cheated with anyone, and after much thought, he couldn't think of anyone he knew.
"The person I cheated with is an employee of your family, alright?" Zhao Jingyu simply gave up.
At first, he didn't want to admit being with Liang Xiu, but today had been too embarrassing, and these two were Liang Xiu's friends.
Just now, he was half-naked, completely informal, and somewhat shameful.
So Zhao Jingyu just wanted them to forget what had happened, planning to appear before them again at a more appropriate time, looking presentable.
Unexpectedly, Meng Ci insisted on getting to the bottom of it, leaving Zhao Jingyu with no choice but to give up and confess the truth.
Upon hearing Zhao Jingyu admit to being with Liang Xiu, Meng Ci wore an "I knew it" expression.
There was nothing Zhao Jingyu didn't understand, and he could only sit on the sofa, arms crossed, sulking and not wanting to speak anymore.
"Alright, if you're together, then you're together." Meng Ci had no intention of breaking them up and added,
"You're the one who's gonna get hurt in this, though!"
Zhao Jingyu didn't catch Meng Ci's last sentence and tried to ask further, but Meng Ci brushed him off.
"We've come this time because we need you and Uncle Liang to help us with something," Meng Ci said seriously.
Upon hearing that Meng Ci was asking for his help, Zhao Jingyu shifted back and sat up straight.
"Go ahead!"
"It depends on how I'm feeling."
Meng Ci ignored Zhao Jingyu's pretentious attitude.
"Shen Que and I are planning to go out for a bit, and we have two pairs of rabbits left at home, so we're asking you to help feed them."
"When we get back, you only need to give us one pair of rabbits."
"Whatever extra rabbits they breed, they're all yours!"
The moment he heard "rabbits," Zhao Jingyu's interest was instantly sparked.
Rabbits were so cute, and Zhao Jingyu couldn't resist anything that adorable.
But Zhao Jingyu didn't want to seem too eager, so he put on a hesitant face.
"I can help you raise them, but let me be upfront—I can't guarantee they'll survive."
Although Zhao Jingyu liked animals, he'd never had much luck keeping them alive.
Previously, during an extremely cold period, seeing the lively and cute dog, Qiezi, he thought wolves could be raised as long as they were fed meat. That's why he wanted to trade for them.
After being turned down, Zhao Jingyu thought better of having his bodyguards try to grab the wolves, knowing he'd probably just end up killing them.
Now that Meng Ci had offered them two pairs of rabbits, Zhao Jingyu had no reason to refuse.
Besides, with Liang Xiu's skills, he'd definitely make sure the rabbits stayed alive.
Zhao Jingyu was already thinking about where to keep the rabbits and how to care for them.
Meng Ci wasn't worried about the rabbits' survival, knowing Liang Xiu would handle it.