Chapter 18: Going Home to Set Things Right with You

Meng Zexiao’s face was filled with fierce anger. His cold eyes glanced briefly at Bai Tingting before he strode over to the woman gripping Kong Lingxin’s hair and bellowed, “I’ll say it again—let her go!”

The two women, seeing Bai Tingting collapse in fright on the ground, realized this man was no ordinary person. Hastily, they released their hold and slipped behind Bai Tingting, signaling that they were actually following Bai Tingting’s lead. If anyone wanted to settle scores, it should be with her.

Kong Lingxin was too indifferent to watch Meng Zexiao’s next move. She casually smoothed her disheveled hair and nonchalantly walked past him.

Meng Zexiao was not used to such treatment. He gave chase, grabbing her and dragging her out of the restaurant. “We’ll settle this at home!”

Kong Lingxin struggled fiercely to break free, but they were clearly not on the same level. The more she resisted, the more it hurt.

Liu Hanyi stepped in front of Meng Zexiao, striking a heroic pose. “Second Young Master Meng, perhaps you should reflect on your attitude towards women.”

Meng Zexiao was already furious and could not tolerate another man lecturing him. He glared at Liu Hanyi and snapped, “I haven’t even settled things with you for secretly arranging a dinner with my wife. What right do you have to lecture me here?”

Liu Hanyi explained, “Yesterday, at the mall, you treated her badly. She left some belongings behind. I just invited her out to return them. I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

Meng Zexiao sneered coldly. “Her? She is the Second Young Madam of the Meng family. Remember that! I may not care about my belongings, but I absolutely won’t allow anyone else to covet her!”

Kong Lingxin’s heart darkened at the words: “I may not care about my things, but I absolutely won’t allow others to covet them!”

As a fierce struggle between the two men seemed imminent, Bai Tingting suddenly went mad. She picked up a flat knife from the Western cutlery on the table and slowly approached them step by step.

When Bai Tingting raised the knife, aiming to stab Kong Lingxin, Meng Zexiao noticed the danger. He pushed Kong Lingxin aside with all his might and instinctively raised his hand to block the blade.

Kong Lingxin, pushed aside, reacted just in time to see Meng Zexiao’s white shirt sleeve drenched in blood.

Bai Tingting trembled violently, holding the bloody blade, her words incoherent. “I know I’ve caused trouble. I’m doomed. Even if I die, I won’t let her have it easy. Why should she have all the good things? I’m prettier than her—why don’t I have Second Young Master Meng’s favor? I can’t act, can’t shoot commercials, I’ll have to go back to my old life, renting a place. No, never! I can’t live like that! Die, then!”

With that, Bai Tingting charged at Kong Lingxin again.

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Seeing this, Liu Hanyi quickly pulled Kong Lingxin back. Meng Zexiao raised his leg and kicked Bai Tingting, who fell to the ground with a thud.

The restaurant security rushed over and pinned Bai Tingting down firmly.

Meng Zexiao’s entire white arm was stained red with blood. Kong Lingxin had never seen so much blood before and was momentarily at a loss. Unexpectedly, she slipped from behind Liu Hanyi to Meng Zexiao’s side and asked with concern, “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

Meng Zexiao only looked at her in silence.

Liu Hanyi approached and said, “You two should go to the hospital. I’ll handle things here.”

Kong Lingxin asked, “Is that alright?”

Liu Hanyi nodded firmly. “It’s fine. Hurry up and get him to the hospital.”

Only then did Kong Lingxin support Meng Zexiao’s other arm as they left. From a distance, the Meng family’s driver saw the Second Young Master and Second Young Madam coming out and immediately drove to the restaurant entrance. Seeing Meng Zexiao’s bloodied hand, he was stunned. Kong Lingxin urged, “Quick, to the nearest hospital!”

Kong Lingxin had spent three years as a kindergarten teacher. To ensure children received prompt care in emergencies, she had learned basic wound dressing.

The Meng family’s luxury car finally showed its worth—fast yet steady.

Gently, Kong Lingxin rolled up the sleeve of Meng Zexiao’s injured arm, careful not to touch the wound. Her movements were soft and light. Yet, when the sleeve reached the wound, she feared causing him pain. The best solution was to remove the shirt entirely. Without his permission, she began unbuttoning the shirt, one button at a time.

He did not resist and allowed her to tend to him.

With the wound fully exposed, she took a skirt worth over five thousand yuan from the shopping bag Liu Hanyi had just given her. The fabric was soft and comfortable. To stop the bleeding, she sacrificed the skirt, tying it tightly above Meng Zexiao’s injured arm like a makeshift tourniquet.

Once tied, the bleeding ceased.

Throughout the process, Meng Zexiao silently watched her. He had never realized his wife could remain so calm and composed in such a crisis, unlike other delicate ladies who would scream at the sight of a drop of blood.

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The amount of blood Kong Lingxin saw now would have made any of those delicate ladies scream all day.

After treating the wound, Kong Lingxin placed Meng Zexiao’s bloodied shirt into the shopping bag and then took out wet wipes from her purse to clean the blood drops on the leather seats.

She seemed to need something to do to feel at ease.

Meng Zexiao’s presence at this restaurant was no coincidence. In the past two days, Kong Lingxin had twice stirred desire in him, but neither time was fulfilled. Coupled with the morning’s incident, he was frustrated. When he went out drinking with friends, he heard a terrifying rumor.

One of the men he was drinking with had a celebrity girlfriend, who said that after Meng Zexiao used all his connections to blacklist Bai Tingting, she had become desperate and planned to settle scores with Kong Lingxin. It was rumored that she had already found people to disfigure Kong Lingxin’s face.

After hearing this, Meng Zexiao called home to have the servants watch over Kong Lingxin, forbidding her from going out. But he learned that after he left, Kong Lingxin had gone out with the driver.

After getting the exact address from the driver, Meng Zexiao rushed over. He didn’t see Kong Lingxin in the restaurant but spotted Liu Hanyi. Just as he was about to question Liu Hanyi, he heard noises from the women’s restroom and hurried over. What happened next was the scene just witnessed.

Fortunately, Bai Tingting and her accomplices hadn’t yet prepared the acid to disfigure Kong Lingxin. Bai Tingting had originally planned to win their loyalty by first treating the two accomplices to a meal before taking action, never imagining Kong Lingxin would be at the restaurant.

Since “the day is better than any other,” slashing a few lines on her face with Western cutlery could also satisfy her hatred!

They followed Kong Lingxin into the restroom, but before they could strike, Meng Zexiao arrived.

As for why Meng Zexiao appeared, Kong Lingxin did not want to know. She helped him with his wound not out of love, but because the knife Bai Tingting wielded was meant for her. Since Meng Zexiao had taken that blow for her, it was her duty to care for him.

After all, it was she who had confronted Bai Tingting at the mall that day. Bai Tingting’s fragile heart was baffling—how could such a person survive in the entertainment industry?

In short, Kong Lingxin felt her actions were clear of guilt. She and Meng Zexiao could settle their own scores later. There was no need to kill with a borrowed knife—and that wound was not fatal anyway.