Volume One, Chapter 19: Do You Know What Love Is?

She spoke of love, not mere liking.

Even Meng Huaijin, normally so composed, was unsettled by her relentless, startling words.

The man firmly grasped her wrist, opened the door, and stepped outside. After requesting leave from the teacher waiting at the door for a long time, he pulled the girl across the playground and ushered her into the car.

Rolling down the window, he calmly lit a cigarette, took a few drags, then, as if recalling something, shook the cigarette out and offered it to her with a raised eyebrow. "Want one?"

Shu Wan glanced at him, then at the cigarette, and shook her head vigorously.

Not daring to take it even with a hundred more chances, Meng Huaijin glared fiercely at her, then slammed the cigarette pack into the storage compartment.

"Do you know what love is?" The man extended his cigarette out the window, unwilling to let the smoke linger inside the car. "And yet you boldly claim to love."

Shu Wan stared at her toes. "I know better than anyone."

Unmoved, the man finished his cigarette, started the car, and left the school. "Last year you said you weren’t into early romance, that you didn’t know what liking was. Now you say you’re in love. You fall for someone pretty fast."

Hearing his casual, dismissive tone made her heart ache deeply.

She turned to look out the window. "Does love depend on time? It can happen in a second, a glance, an instant."

Meng Huaijin glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror and snorted softly. "No wonder you’re a literature major—already an expert. Seems like you’ve fallen deep. What’s the matter? So heartbroken? You love him, but he doesn’t love you?"

The girl’s gaze sharpened behind the mirror as she met his teasing expression. "Yes, he doesn’t love me. He even slept with another woman. He’s a bastard."

Meng Huaijin pressed his tongue against his cheek, troubled. The engine hummed as the car sped up.

Zhou Zhenglin had just finished his early shift and was about to head home when he saw Meng’s dark, stormy face and the pitiful girl beside him.

"I’m not sick," Shu Wan insisted for the third time. "I’m not seeing a doctor."

"Meng Huaijin turned around, no longer indifferent, his eyes sharp and resolute. 'Shu Wan, while I can still speak calmly, I advise you to shut up. You hang out in internet cafes, smoke, drink—is that reasonable? What’s next? Tattoos? Fighting? Hm?'"

His strong presence intimidated her into silence, only her eyelashes trembling, tears hanging on the edge, unwilling to fall.

"What’s going on?" Zhou Zhenglin hurried out of the office, shielding Shu Wan behind him. "Why can’t we talk properly? Why scare the girl?"

"She needs a psychological evaluation," Meng Huaijin said coldly.

---

Since a few months ago, when Dr. Zhou’s tests showed Shu Wan’s mental state had mostly recovered, she hadn’t returned to the hospital.

But with Meng Huaijin’s fierce demeanor, she dared not resist; nearly a year on, she still feared him from the depths of her heart.

So she reluctantly cooperated with Zhou Zhenglin’s psychological evaluation.

The final results showed everything was normal.

This only deepened Meng Huaijin’s bafflement. Teenagers in rebellion were troublesome—Zhao Heng’s words had truly come true.

Back home, Shu Wan waited for Meng Huaijin’s usual scolding, but he only asked, "Who was that guy?"

She looked at him steadily and shook her head slowly.

Meng Huaijin didn’t force her to speak but warned gravely, "Shu Wan, this is your first time smoking. I hope it’s also your last."

That night, Meng Chuan organized a small gathering with just Zhou Zhenglin and Meng Huaijin.

"Brother Jin, I tried to find out who that guy was, but no luck at Shu Wan’s school. If I find him, I’ll make sure he’s finished—how dare he lead our little Shu Wan astray," Meng Chuan said indignantly.

"Could he be someone from outside the school?" Zhou Zhenglin asked.

Meng Chuan cursed, "No way, it can’t be some delinquent punk, right?"

In the old mansion, the plucking of the pipa floated gently. Meng Huaijin sat at the solid wood table, twirling an empty wine glass in his hands, his brows and eyes lost in shadow, his coolness and darkness blending into the dim light.

"I’ll have someone check again."

His calm voice made Meng Chuan shudder inexplicably, thinking if he really sent someone, not even a mouse could escape.

Zhou Zhenglin patted Meng Huaijin’s shoulder. "Brother, hang in there. The college entrance exam is just over twenty days away. She’s a key focus now. No matter how angry you are, you can’t take it out on her. Besides, adolescence is when feelings first bloom—it’s normal to have crushes. Our job as elders is to guide her properly. She’s so obedient and well-behaved. We know what’s important. She won’t go astray."

Obedient, well-behaved... Thinking of the stubborn, hedgehog-like defiance she showed that day—fearless as a dead pig in boiling water—Meng Huaijin’s smooth brow furrowed deeply.

Leaving the tea room and just stepping into the car, Meng Huaijin received a call from his mother.

"Son, when will you come home?" she asked.

Placing the takeout dishes the kitchen had redone into the trunk, Meng Huaijin replied coldly, "I haven’t had time lately."

"Oh, my Meng Hall Director, you really don’t seem in a hurry about your own life’s big matters."

He was unmoved. "Why should I be? Aren’t you all happy to take care of it?"

"We can arrange your engagement, marriage, even your wedding night," his mother said earnestly. "Jiang Jie is perfect—family background, status, connections. Look across all of North City; who else could you find?"

"Son, this isn’t the military district. Your current position is both an honor and a test. You know better than anyone how many eyes are on you. With our status and background, you can’t just think about yourself. Your father and I have been through this. Understand?"

The cigarette in his fingers burned down to the end, scorching him slightly. He flicked the butt into a roadside trash bin and replied without much feeling, "No talks of marriage for the next month."

After hanging up, the guard slowly drove the car out.

"You mentioned your sister was rebellious before. How is she now?" came the somewhat tired voice of the captain from behind.

Zhao Heng straightened and replied earnestly, "Much better now."

"In what way?"

"Accompaniment and care. That period was the critical time before the college entrance exam. My parents stayed with her every day, listened to her troubles, tried to understand her, and supported her strange ideas. Once that was over, she improved and became more sensible. In short, it’s better to guide than to block."

Meng Huaijin said nothing, lost in thought.

Back at the apartment, seeing the light on in his study, he walked over. The girl was already asleep at the desk, her arm pressed over a densely written math test.

Next to her, a thermos cup contained a steaming hangover soup prepared for him.

He knew that few rebellious youths were diligent students.

But this particular rebellion meant never missing a problem to practice, no significant drop in grades, just occasional acts of defiance to remind him that this proud young lady was still under his roof.

Meng Huaijin tidied up the books and papers on the desk, stuffing them carelessly into her backpack. Then he lifted the thermos, drank the soup in one gulp, bent down, and carried her toward her bedroom.

Using his toe, he gently pushed the door open. Just as he was about to lay her on her fragrant bed, he heard a voice as light as a feather:

"Uncle, do you want to know who I love?"