Chapter 17: The French Restaurant

In Kong Lingxin’s mind, dining at a French restaurant was an elaborate affair. One had to dress in a suit, sit properly, and perhaps even order candlelight to create the right atmosphere. Some authentic French meals involved a complicated sequence of more than a dozen courses, each paired with a different wine. Black truffles, foie gras, caviar, oysters, and other seafood—precious ingredients in French cuisine—combined with a good vintage wine, could easily cost her an entire month’s salary for a single meal.

And now, she was actually going to eat French food with the first man she had met after arriving in City B—the only person she had met of her own accord. The more she studied the tablet in her hands, the more uneasy she became. What would she do if she gave herself away? It was still unclear whether this man was friend or foe.

Before Kong Lingxin was fully prepared, the driver had already brought her to the restaurant.

She got out, took a deep breath, and walked into the French restaurant like a soldier marching into battle.

It was not yet eleven, and there were few diners inside. A waiter led Kong Lingxin to a seat by the window. The moment Liu Hanyi saw her enter, he rose and pulled out her chair.

She sat down.

Liu Hanyi was wearing a Versace suit that day. Its superb tailoring, combined with his outstanding physique, made him so handsome that Kong Lingxin scarcely dared look directly at him.

Liu Hanyi noticed that, unlike the day before, Kong Lingxin wore light makeup. Her clothing was simple and elegant, yet she looked like a fresh lily, a delight to behold.

He placed the handbag she had left behind in front of her and said, “This is the bag you left behind that day.”

Kong Lingxin glanced at him and took the bag. Remembering how she had been carried off by Meng Zexiao yesterday while shouting for help, she frowned and said, “Thank you.”

Liu Hanyi continued, “The Meng family is very strict with its daughters-in-law. I had already prepared myself for you to reject me. I never expected you to actually come.”

Kong Lingxin raised her head and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

Liu Hanyi pointed at her bag. “Inside is a map of City B. The creases are fresh—it is definitely brand-new. The Second Young Madam of the Meng family, born and raised in City B, returns to the public eye after a month of recuperation following a miscarriage, only to stroll through the streets carrying a map and dressed like an ordinary citizen. Naturally, this aroused my considerable interest.”

Kong Lingxin’s heart tightened. She no longer dared look into his eyes and instead gazed out the window. “It seems Mr. Liu is a conspiracy theorist.”

Liu Hanyi smiled. “These are ultimately private matters of the Meng family. I have neither the right nor the intention to interfere. But I must tell you this: your act of saving that child in the street truly made me see you in a new light. I like it.”

Kong Lingxin turned to face him. He looked entirely sincere, but after everything she had experienced in the Meng household over the past two days, she no longer dared trust anyone. Still, a man whom even Meng Zexiao hesitated to antagonize could not be ordinary. Avoiding enemies was Kong Lingxin’s foremost priority at present.

Her tightly knit brows slowly relaxed, and she said evenly, “I was the victim of the miscarriage. Yet why is it that after I finally managed to emerge from the darkness, everyone thinks I should no longer be called Kong Lingxin? Some suspect I’ve gone insane. Others think there’s something wrong with my mental state. And now someone even suspects that I’m not Kong Lingxin at all!”

Psychological warfare was important. If she wanted people to stop suspecting her, she first had to calmly reveal the miserable circumstances she had endured.

Liu Hanyi was momentarily speechless, unable to think of an appropriate response. He had always known that being a wealthy family’s daughter-in-law was difficult, but he had never expected insanity and mental illness to come into the picture as well.

An awkward atmosphere settled over the air.

At that moment, the waiter brought out the dishes Liu Hanyi had ordered in advance. He explained, “I didn’t know what you liked, so I simply ordered several of the restaurant’s specialties before you arrived.”

For a moment, he did not know how to address her. Calling her Miss Kong seemed inappropriate, since she was the Meng family’s daughter-in-law. Calling her Second Young Madam made the distance between them seem impossibly vast.

Kong Lingxin thought, Perfect. That’s exactly what I wanted. She had done so much preparation before coming, studying the menu and familiarizing herself with the dishes, yet none of it had been necessary.

Her face remained expressionless as she said lightly, “That’s fine. It saves time.”

Once all the dishes had been served, Kong Lingxin was delighted to discover that she recognized every one of them. Her earlier preparation had not been wasted after all: snails roasted with butter and herbs; grilled fish seasoned with fennel; duck-liver pâté served with bread and sour plums; roasted potatoes with duck legs; and braised tripe. There was also a bottle of Bordeaux from 1998.

Sure enough, an entire month of her former salary had vanished in one meal.

The restaurant was quiet, and the atmosphere was pleasant. Someone was playing the violin in the center of the room, its melodious notes drifting throughout the restaurant. It was truly an excellent place for couples to dine together.

As they ate, Kong Lingxin suddenly found herself unable to understand why Liu Hanyi had invited her there.

She asked directly, “Why did you invite me here, Mr. Liu?”

Without hesitation, Liu Hanyi replied, “Because the atmosphere is nice.”

“The atmosphere may be nice, but it isn’t suitable for the two of us.”

“I only wanted to find a quiet place to treat the heroine who acted bravely for justice to a meal. What could possibly be unsuitable about that?”

Kong Lingxin was speechless.

At some point, a group of diners had taken the table behind them. One of the women seemed to have discovered that her husband was cheating on her, or that her boyfriend had been unfaithful. She was loudly complaining about it to her friends.

With her back to them, Kong Lingxin heard bits and pieces of the woman’s tirade. The woman was truly pathetic. Instead of reflecting on the wrongdoing of her husband or boyfriend, she blamed the other woman for trying too hard.

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Kong Lingxin could not bear to listen any longer. She turned to Liu Hanyi and said, “Excuse me. I’m going to the restroom.”

She took the handbag Liu Hanyi had returned to her. She intended to use the trip to the restroom as an opportunity to throw away the map of City B. Otherwise, once she left the restaurant, she would have to face the Meng family’s driver. She could not trust anyone who drew a salary from the Meng family.

As for Liu Hanyi, if he truly intended to reveal her secret, there was nothing she could do about it. She could not control him, but she had to control whatever remained within her power.

When Kong Lingxin came out of the restroom, she was washing her hands when she suddenly saw two women staring at her maliciously in the mirror.

She ignored them, continued washing her hands, and then dried them.

When she turned to leave, the two women blocked the door completely.

Kong Lingxin had studied martial arts, so she naturally did not take the two women seriously. She was merely puzzled by their origins. Could her younger sister have provoked someone in the past?

Just as she was wondering about it, Bai Tingting appeared.

Bai Tingting glared at Kong Lingxin with an expression that seemed capable of devouring her alive. “You’ve ruined my brilliant future! Yesterday, Second Young Master Meng actually ordered every director and producer to stop working with me. I have no roles to act in and no advertisements to shoot. How am I supposed to live? Since you won’t let me have an easy time, I won’t let you die peacefully either!”

Kong Lingxin froze. She had not expected Meng Zexiao to act so quickly, but she did not understand his purpose in doing so.

Even if it was three against one, however, the three women might not be her match. She had begun studying martial arts at the age of thirteen. Dealing with a few thugs or hooligans required no effort at all, much less these physically frail women—actresses, at that.

So the woman complaining earlier had been Bai Tingting.

Kong Lingxin had no desire to educate a woman who thought with nothing but her lower body. She replied indifferently, “Then you should go find Meng Zexiao.”

Bai Tingting screamed hysterically, “If it weren’t for you, how could Second Young Master Meng have suddenly come to hate me so much? It’s you! This is all your fault!”

Kong Lingxin could not help feeling a little sorry for the woman, and even somewhat sorry for Meng Zexiao. How had he managed to take such an idiot as his mistress without worrying that she would lower his intelligence?

Kong Lingxin did not want to waste any more time on the three brainless women. She tried to squeeze past them, but one of them grabbed her by the hair.

“Stop!”

A man’s voice rang out, chilling everyone to the bone.

The moment Bai Tingting saw him, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.