Volume One, Chapter 21: Impossible Unless Dead

When it came to dining, drinking, and entertainment, Meng Chuan could be called an authoritative expert. The places he chose were both upscale and elegant, yet quiet and refined, never chaotic.

The private room wasn’t large, but it was exquisite. Three handsome elder men accompanied a girl who was still exhilarated after finishing her exams, singing together—a truly unique combination.

The waiter brought over two dozen bottles of alcohol, a plate of fruit, and freshly made pastries.

Meng Chuan popped open a bottle, poured the wine into glasses, and handed one to each person. When it came to Shu Wan’s glass, he glanced at her brother and asked, “Want some?”

Meng Huai Jin had taken off his jacket and draped it over the back of the sofa chair. He wore only a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a strong, lean collarbone. Above that, his sharply defined features were even more striking under the glow of the lights.

“Want to drink?” he asked Shu Wan with a sidelong glance.

She responded with the same question, “Do you want me to drink?”

The man’s lips curled into a slight smile. He lifted his glass, gently clinked it against hers, and softly said, “Congratulations on graduating, Miss Shu.”

That was no mere toast; the sound of the glasses colliding struck directly at Shu Wan’s heart. Coupled with the repeated addressing of “Miss Shu,” she found herself utterly defenseless.

When others called her “Miss Shu,” it was just a title. But when he said it, Shu Wan understood something far deeper.

“Thank you, thank you, Uncle,” she wanted to say “thank you, Mr. Meng,” yet still lacked the courage.

Finally, she lifted the glass, mimicked Meng Huai Jin’s gesture, then did the same toward the other two uncles, before tilting her head back and gulping the wine down.

“Hey, little princess, slow down,” Meng Chuan said as he returned to the room, unaware that despite her delicate appearance, Shu Wan was a fierce drinker; it was a wonder she wasn’t drunk yet.

Meng Huai Jin raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping arrogantly over everyone. Seeing this, he frowned and forcibly took the glass from Shu Wan halfway through her drink.

“Go sing,” the man said sternly but without much temper.

“Hehe, okay,” Shu Wan was not upset in the slightest; instead, she felt ecstatic, as if she were about to take off right where she stood.

Sitting at the song selection station, she scrolled through the screen, pondering which song to pick—one that could subtly express her feelings for him and also convey her current emotions…

While she was still hesitating, the three men leisurely clinked their glasses and chatted casually.

At first, the conversation was normal—work, social matters. Then suddenly, Meng Chuan shifted the topic.

“Brother, Sister Jiang Jie checks on me every day. All her calls come to me.”

“Me too,” said Zhou Zhenglin, who hadn’t touched alcohol, drinking juice instead due to professional demands.

“It’s so strict even before marriage. Once married, won’t she completely forbid us from meeting?” Meng Chuan teased with a smile.

Zhou Zhenglin joined in, “So, brother, how does it feel to soon win the beauty’s hand?”

Meng Huai Jin remained silent.

Meng Chuan continued, “Isn’t it wonderful? Mom told me today that my eldest uncle and the Jiang family have set the engagement date for next month. Right, brother?”

“More and more haggard, for whom? An inexplicable heartbreak, who did I miss…”

Meng Chuan and Zhou Zhenglin laughed heartily, just as a distinctive voice began to sing in the room.

That word…

Everyone looked toward the singer.

All evening, Shu Wan had felt her heart flutter and her head spin. Just now, she had overheard them mention Jiang Jie—and the two families had even set the date for next month…

In an instant, the girl felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, chilled from head to toe. Every part of her body refused to obey her will. The bright, cloudless scene before her darkened, her heart tangled into a chaotic mess, leaving her at a loss.

In her line of sight, Meng Huai Jin was lazily smoking, barely responding to the playful jabs from friends. The smoke enveloped his face, leaving only his deep eyes sharp and clear.

The girl gripped the microphone, staring directly at the face shrouded in mist, on the verge of tears, singing with deliberate clarity:

“Tearing down defenses, shedding tears, powerless struggles, who did they teach?”

“Facing your betrayal, unable to turn back, bidding farewell to your cruelty, my regretlessness.”

“Your gentleness made me a criminal, longing to embrace you and love you anew.”

“Your ruthlessness caused me pain, wishing I had never met anyone… wishing I had never met anyone.”

Each word was heartfelt, stirring sorrow in the listener and wounding the hearer.

“It's over, it’s over,” Meng Chuan nudged Meng Huai Jin. “Brother, you had people search all over Northern City but still couldn’t find that bastard. Don’t you think he’s not even here? Maybe we should expand the search. Damn it, how dare he hurt our Miss Shu like this! It’s outrageous!”

Zhou Zhenglin frowned. “This is strange. Is there anyone even Brother Jin can’t find? Unless he’s dead, it’s impossible.”

A shadow briefly crossed Meng Huai Jin’s face as he stared darkly at the girl singing, saying nothing.

At that moment, Zhou Zhenglin’s phone rang. After answering, he stood quickly.

“There’s an emergency surgery. I have to go. You guys enjoy yourselves.”

“Drive safely.”

Meng Chuan patted his shoulder, but just then Meng Huai Jin said, “See him off.”

So Meng Chuan rose and accompanied Zhou Zhenglin out.

As he walked, he realized something was off: he had been drinking, Zhou Zhenglin hadn’t—why was he the one seeing him off?

“Can’t you see? This is a lesson. How could you just hang around? Don’t girls have pride?” Zhou Zhenglin reminded him.

Meng Chuan suddenly understood. “Right, right, who the hell is this guy? Look at how he’s hurt our girl.”

With two gone, only Shu Wan and Meng Huai Jin remained in the room. The music had stopped, and the atmosphere was tense.

Only after finishing her song did Shu Wan notice that her uncle’s gaze and demeanor were somewhat unusual tonight.

She dared not look directly. Pretending to turn away to choose another song, she slid her finger over the screen and asked without turning back, “Uncle, are you going to sing?”

“No.”

“Oh…” Her heart was pounding, palms sweaty, trying to sound casual. “I heard Uncle Meng Chuan say that your engagement date with Miss Jiang has been set for next month—is that true?”

Silence filled the room. No answer.

After waiting a moment, still hearing nothing, she slowly turned to confirm he was still there.

He was.

Meng Huai Jin leaned back lazily in his chair, lighting a second cigarette. The dappled, colorful lights cast a mysterious glow over his quiet, deep eyes.

“It’s set—for the 26th of next month,” he said clearly, looking straight at her.

Boom—something exploded in Shu Wan’s mind. Everything blurred; a thick fog and smoke clouded her vision, and the contours of the man’s face became an indistinct haze.

“What’s wrong?” Meng Huai Jin asked softly, still looking at her.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Shu Wan’s eyes the moment she looked away.

She knew if she spoke, she would break down, so she just shook her head.

No one else spoke. He seemed patient, slowly smoking his cigarette.

Then his phone rang. He answered and put it on speaker.

“Huaijin, where are you?” Jiang Jie’s voice.

“Outside.”

“My parents are traveling. I’m home alone and bored. Can you come see me?”

The girl finally looked back, staring fixedly at the man answering the call.

Meng Huai Jin met her tear-streaked eyes, expressionless, about to respond when suddenly a hand snatched the phone away, cutting off the call.

The man remained unmoving, his gaze scorching, fixed on the one who had taken his phone.

His eyes seemed to burn her, as if to scorch her to ashes on the spot.

Shu Wan gripped his phone tightly, trembling all over, tears falling like broken pearls.

Their eyes locked for a long time before Shu Wan finally broke down with a trembling voice:

“I don’t allow you to go.”

The man easily took back his phone, ignoring her abnormal behavior.

“I’ll take you home first.”

Shu Wan stepped back two paces, insisting, “I don’t allow you to go.”

Meng Huai Jin seemed not to hear her. He stood, grabbed his coat, and without looking at her said, “Then you can stay and play. When you’re done, take a taxi home.”

She blocked his path with her small frame standing before his tall, imposing figure—powerless and futile like a trapped animal.

He looked down at her, calm like the eye of a storm before the tempest, his gaze suffocating and oppressive.

Facing him, Shu Wan was utterly defeated. When she finally admitted it, her voice was hoarse and broken:

“The one I like is you. The one I love is you!”