The next morning, when she woke up, the person by her side had already disappeared.
Nan Zhifeng rubbed her eyes and went to look for him in the bathroom and the wardrobe room, but he was nowhere to be found.
She went to the living room and found several sets of women's clothing on the sofa, and there was a sumptuous breakfast on the dining table.
As she wondered, her phone received a text message, "Awake yet?"
It was from Ye Zhantian.
"Awake," Nan Zhifeng replied, "Have you already left?"
"Just got to the office, breakfast's on the table, and the clothes on the sofa are for you, the driver is waiting downstairs."
A straightforward explanation, considerate, responsible.
Just not very warm.
"Thank you."
Nan Zhifeng felt relieved, a man's sense of responsibility is far more important than sweet nothings.
After reheating and eating her breakfast, she changed into the clothes and went downstairs, where a driver from the Ye Family was already waiting for her.
Once home, Shen Yue'e chased after her with questions, "Did Seventh bring you out to stay the night??"
"Mhm," Nan Zhifeng responded with a hum and then went to her room to accompany Xiaofeng.
Before long, Meng Wanting came by with gifts, first playing with Xiaofeng for a while and then beating around the bush asking about the previous night.
Nan Zhifeng laughed, "If big sister is interested in these matters, why doesn't she just go ask Ye Zhantian directly?"
Meng Wanting paused for a moment, then laughed awkwardly and made an excuse to leave.
"How did it go?"
Shen Yue'e had been waiting downstairs all along, and as soon as she saw Meng Wanting, she eagerly pulled her into her own room.
Meng Wanting relayed Nan Zhifeng's words one by one.
Shen Yue'e was both angry and astonished, "No way? She dares to say that? Is this because she got favored by Seventh for one night and now she's gotten cocky?"
"I don't think that's the reason, it's because she's actually not easy to provoke," Meng Wanting said with a serious expression, "We ran into Chu Qianjiao at Yunchu the afternoon before yesterday..."
She recounted the events of that afternoon in detail to Shen Yue'e, "In that kind of situation, she wasn't the least bit intimidated, not worried at all that Uncle Qi would waver, nor was she scared of Chu Qianjiao. You should have seen how calm and collected she was, we were all stunned.
In short, having interacted with her over these past few days, I feel like she doesn't seem like an ordinary girl from the lower class. She appears very confident and has a special kind of assurance, this kind of girl, she should come from a good background."
"Definitely an act," Shen Yue'e scoffed, "Nowadays, many people from the lower echelons rack their brains to climb up and stop at nothing."
"She seemed indifferent and detached, not like that kind of person," Meng Wanting expressed her skepticism.
"Not that kind of person, then what kind is she?" Shen Yue'e rolled her eyes, "But you did remind me, maybe she really has someone coaching her from behind, deliberately getting her close to our Ye Family. Otherwise, how could she hook up with Seventh with her little tricks?
The more I think about it, the more questionable it becomes. With her looks, she could easily find a sugar daddy, so why would she live in a slum? I think it's a strategy, deliberately elicited Seventh's pity and guilt."
"This..."
"Alright, I'll have someone investigate."
Shen Yue'e immediately made a phone call to arrange an investigation.
Meng Wanting nervously reminded her, "Mom, isn't this bad? If Seventh finds out, he'll get angry."
"I'm doing this for his own good, better to prevent him from being deceived."
"But..."
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"Stop hovering around here and go play with Nan Zhifeng," Shen Yue'e interrupted Meng Wanting, "Isn't there a banquet at your family's place tonight? Take her with you, and if she has any issues, they'll surface in such a grand setting."
"Mom, I really believe Zhifeng is not a bad person. She just had the good fortune to marry Uncle Seven, and she hasn't interfered with us at all. Why do you always have to watch her like a hawk?" Meng Wanting couldn't help but ask.
"You must have water in your head," Shen Yue'e said in frustration. "Right now, the Ye Family is controlled by Uncle Seven, and his three brothers, including Mingyao, are practically marginalized in the company with no real power.
Uncle Seven was originally indifferent and sickly, not wanting to get married. In a few years, if his health failed, Mingyao might still have a chance to inherit the seat of power, but now with Nan Zhifeng arriving with a child, after Uncle Seven has a successor, will he still give up the inheritance rights?"
"But now that there is already a child, we can't change anything," Meng Wanting said weakly.
"That Xiaofeng has congenital heart disease and won't amount to much," Shen Yue'e sneered. "I'm just afraid that Nan Zhifeng and Uncle Seven will become close, have a few more children, and if one of them is healthy, then we'll be in trouble."
"This..."
"You should realize that being born into such a prominent family means it's survival of the fittest. Even if you don't seek conflict, without real power, you will always be suppressed by others.
Think about your husband. He's always been oppressed at the company. Doesn't it pain you? In the future, your children will also be suppressed by Uncle Seven's children, and generations will never turn over a new leaf."
"Mom, you're right. I'll listen to you," Meng Wanting acquiesced.
...
Meng Wanting brought some pastries she made herself to find Nan Zhifeng, telling her that her mother's family was hosting a charity event that evening, and that her husband and the third brother would be attending. She asked if Zhifeng would like to join them for fun.
Nan Zhifeng didn't answer.
Meng Wanting kept persuading her, suggesting that she should get out more to see the world, mingle with people from the upper echelons, so that she could carry herself better when accompanying Uncle Seven in the future.
After some thought, Nan Zhifeng agreed.
Meng Wanting was very happy and even specially prepared an evening gown and jewelry for her.
At seven in the evening, the two set out together.
When Ye Mingyao and Ye Mingcheng got out of the car and saw Nan Zhifeng dressed up, they were both stunned.
"Husband, third brother!" Meng Wanting said with a smile, "Zhifeng is joining us tonight. Look, doesn't she look lovely in this dress?"
Ye Mingyao's gaze lingered on Nan Zhifeng for a few seconds, but then he quickly turned away and got into the driver's seat.
Ye Mingcheng, on the other hand, unabashedly admired Nan Zhifeng and praised without any reservation, "Beautiful, truly beautiful, absolutely stunning!"
Nan Zhifeng, with her hair elegantly up, wore a white satin long gown, which was simple yet elegant. It exuded nobility with its purity, perfectly complementing her temperament.
This style and fabric of gown were very demanding of one's figure; any flaw would be glaringly obvious.
But on her, it looked flawlessly impeccable!
Her clean face, lightly made up, added a new allure to her usual purity, making it even more captivating.
"Get in the car," Ye Mingyao urged.
Only then did Ye Mingcheng shift his gaze, gallantly opening the car door for Meng Wanting and Nan Zhifeng. Once they were inside, he too took his place in the passenger seat.
"I thought you would go straight from the office. I'm surprised you came back to pick us up," Meng Wanting teased.
"Grandpa gave the order—starting now, we have to maintain our reputation. Big brother will have to attend public events with you, and to avoid further scandals, I have to be seen tied to him," Ye Mingcheng said in a resigned tone. "So, you get the picture."
"Haha, must be tough on you," Meng Wanting laughed lightly, then seemed to remember something, "Are there media at tonight's charity event?"
"Your mother's family is hosting. Don't you know?" Ye Mingcheng replied. "The Meng Family invited over three hundred media outlets, making a big deal out of it."
"Oh no," Meng Wanting's complexion suddenly changed, "doesn't that mean Zhifeng's identity will be exposed?"
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