Chapter 446 Extra: Modern Arc 2 (Meng Wan x Song Tingzhou)

Chapter 446 Extra Story: Modern Tale 2 (Meng Wan x Song Tingzhou)

A month later, Meng Wan was persuaded back by his second uncle and aunt in front of Meng Xi's school, getting the house back and the 500,000 yuan that had trickled in slowly and grudgingly. The moment he got the house back, he listed it with an agency and rented it out at an extremely low price. After that, he washed his hands of it—if his uncle's family wouldn't move, they could fight it out with the agency.

Back in the capital, with a "small fortune" in hand, he felt much more settled, not like right after graduation, when he'd been scrambling for a job like something was on his tail.

Even though autumn had officially started, the capital was still sweltering. Meng Wan grabbed a popsicle and stood under a tree munching on it. He'd just grabbed cold noodles with Bi Yun in the mall's basement food court, shot the breeze, and they'd gone their separate ways.

Meng Wan found a cheap hotel to stay in, kind of out in the boonies—it took him over an hour on the subway just to get back. After showering in the bathroom, a soft male voice crooned a sappy love song twice before Meng Wan finally answered.

He glanced at the unfamiliar number—no name saved. His first thought: had one of the resumes he'd just fired off already gotten a bite?

"Hello?" Meng Wan draped a towel over his soaking hair, sat up ramrod straight, face tight with nerves.

At first, there was nothing but silence on the other end. Three seconds after Meng Wan spoke, a hesitant voice with a Southern drawl came through. "Is this Little Wan?"

Meng Wan froze. Telemarketer? Scammer?

"Who is this?" he asked cautiously.

The guy on the other end seemed to have confirmed Meng Wan's identity, his voice smoother now. "I'm your mom's cousin—your uncle, sort of. Do you remember me? At your parents' funeral, I came with your great-aunt and your cousin-aunt."

At the mention of his great-aunt, a memory finally clicked—his mom's aunt, who'd married and moved to Guangxi when she was young. Back when his mom was alive, the two families were tight, and she'd even taken Meng Wan to visit. He'd forgotten most of it, but he remembered the hills covered in orange trees, where you could just lie on the ground and eat your fill.

Meng Wan's guard dropped as he chatted with this distant uncle for a bit.

Ever since his parents died, he'd felt like he was stranded on a deserted island, barely ever seeing any of his old relatives. In elementary school, a cousin who was already working once tracked him down at school, slipped him two hundred yuan, and bought him a carton of milk. From her, he learned his second uncle was scared other relatives would try to claim his parents' inheritance, so anyone who came to see him got chased off with snide remarks. After that, nobody ever came to see him again.

The uncle's call had no hidden agenda—it was just that after years apart, his great-aunt's health was going downhill. Lately she'd gotten so confused she could barely recognize anyone, but somehow she still remembered Meng Wan's mom. He also felt bad for Meng Wan, being an orphan and all, so he called to check in. When he found out Meng Wan had graduated but was between jobs, he invited him to come stay.

If this had been before the fire, Meng Wan probably would've said no. But now, he'd suddenly gotten a lot more easygoing. He figured going to see his great-aunt couldn't hurt—it'd be a nice change of scenery.

Once he made up his mind, no dithering. Meng Wan flopped onto the bed and started looking up train tickets to Guangxi. Regular tickets were sold out; only second-class high-speed rail seats were left, and he'd have to transfer halfway.

Meng Wan didn't overthink it. He bought the ticket right away, and the next day, standing in the waiting hall with his suitcase, he could hardly believe it himself.

He pushed his cap up a bit, tilted his head back for a swig of water, stuffed the bottle into his backpack's side pocket, and fished out a pair of white wired earbuds, hooking them over his ears as he headed toward the nearly empty boarding gate. A few people trailed behind him, just as unhurried.

"Mom, yeah, I'm at the station."

A deep voice, deliberately pitched low, came from behind Meng Wan. The people ahead didn't pay much attention, but everyone behind sneaked a glance—the guy was way too tall.

Even for the capital, a guy this tall was a rarity—at least six-foot-three. The suitcase in his hand looked like a toy.

The middle-aged woman on the phone kept yapping away. The man carried his suitcase and phone through security.

"Tingzhou, you're not getting any younger. You can't stay single your whole life. The neighbor's son, Tao, is supposedly into guys too. Want Mom to put out some feelers for you?" Chang Jinhua fretted over her son's future at home.

Summer break was winding down—students heading back to school, travelers going home, everyone converging these last few days. Song Tingzhou tucked away his ID, hemmed in by crowds on all sides. The elevator area was especially jam-packed. Above the din, he hoisted his suitcase and made for the escalator. "Mom, I just got my work assignment. I'm not planning on dating anytime soon."

"Excuse me, comin' through."

A guy shot out from behind, apologizing as he shoved his way forward. People were annoyed but parted anyway. The guy ahead of Song Tingzhou had earbuds in and probably didn't hear—he got plowed into and nearly went down on the escalator.

Song Tingzhou reacted fast, grabbing him and yanking him upright. The guy was still processing what the hell just happened, not mad yet—he instinctively turned, pulled out one earbud, and thanked Song Tingzhou. "Thanks, man."

Under the cap brim was a young, lively face. His eyes were roundish with slightly upturned corners—even with a dazed expression, he carried a hint of a smile.

After thanking him, he turned back around and steadied his knocked-askew suitcase. Song Tingzhou's gaze lingered on him, following the white wire extending to his ear. The hurried crowd around them seemed to fade into background noise—only the young man in the white T-shirt stood out in color. His long, fair neck was fully exposed, a single earphone wire wrapped around it looking so beautiful. If it were a necklace, it would suit him even better...

"Son? Son?"

That second felt like a lifetime. Chang Jinhua's voice snapped Song Tingzhou back to reality, the world flooding back with noise. His grip on the phone tightened unconsciously. "Mom, I'm about to board. I'll text you when I arrive."

—

Meng Wan gloomily found his seat and sat down. This was his first time splurging on a high-speed rail ticket—he always bought the cheapest slow trains before, no matter how many hours it took, as long as it was the cheapest. And this time, he'd nearly been knocked over. The guy who bumped into him happened to be sitting right next to him.

"Hey, the train isn't even late. What were you rushing for?" Meng Wan held it in for a moment, then thought—he wasn't anyone's errand boy anymore, why should he take this? He frowned and asked.

Turned out the guy was pretty easygoing. Knowing he'd bumped into Meng Wan, he smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that, man. I was in a hurry to meet up with my girlfriend, so..."

He was around Meng Wan's age, handsome and refined, like some overseas elite, but his smile seemed guileless. Simple short-sleeve shirt and pants, shoes white as new. Meng Wan had learned some brands back when he ran errands for rich kids in school—this guy's shoes alone cost over ten thousand.

"Forget it, no worries." Hearing the apology, Meng Wan's expression softened. He put his earphones in, scrolled through his playlist, and prepared to pull his cap down and sleep. Train rides were the most boring—he could sleep all the way to the station.

Mid-scroll, he heard the man beside him grit out "What a pair of dogs." That made Meng Wan stop.

Quietly pulling out one earbud, Meng Wan followed the man's furious gaze to the right front across the aisle. He saw the tall guy—the one who'd helped him on the escalator—but "dogs" clearly wasn't about him, since he seemed to be reviewing documents, occasionally chatting with a middle-aged man beside him.

Ahead of them sat a man and a woman. Meng Wan couldn't see clearly, only the girl's brown curly hair.

Then the view cleared. The young man beside Meng Wan finally couldn't take it and charged over. Meng Wan casually took his seat to watch the drama.

"Yi Hongfei, are you insane? You've been haunting me since school! Every time I date someone, you steal them! If your brain's broken, go get it fixed!" Luo Jining was about to lose it. He'd finally come back to the country and arranged to meet a girl, only for this guy to not only follow him back but even go after his online crush!

He was this handsome, this rich, and he hadn't even held a girl's hand—it defied all logic!

The man in front of Song Tingzhou turned around. His smile was bright, but deep in his eyes lurked something dark and unfathomable. "Little Ningning, don't be so stingy. I just chatted with your sister Xueli'er a bit. You came back without telling me—I was so heartbroken."

Luo Jining clearly didn't believe him. "Well, we're done chatting now. Want to switch seats?"

"Switch seats? Sure." Yi Hongfei was very agreeable. He lowered his head and said something to the girl beside him, making her eyes go wide. Her gaze darted between Luo Jining and Yi Hongfei, a weird smile on her face, and she obediently got up and walked to Luo Jining's seat—coming face to face with Meng Wan, who was watching the drama.

Hot guy! An absolute stunner!

Xueli'er's eyes lit up.

Meng Wan had seen enough. He retreated to his own seat, giving Xueli'er Luo Jining's spot, and let those two feuding lovers sit together, bickering in hushed voices.

Xueli'er quietly leaned out to peek, then suppressed a scream, gasping repeatedly.

Ahhh, they're kissing!

So thrilling! Was this free entertainment you could watch on a high-speed train?

Her face flushed red, she furiously typed blind to her best friend: "OMG OMG, my online crush and his childhood sweetheart are kissing!"

Best friend: "..."

Best friend: "Then why are you happy? That's YOUR online crush—a rich second-gen right in your grasp."

Xueli'er: "Ahhh, I don't care, so exciting!"

Best friend: "...Whatever makes you happy."

Xueli'er: "Huh? Wait..."

Best friend: "What now? My dear miss?"

Sydney: "There's also this super tall, super handsome guy to my right, and he seems to be looking at me~ *blushes*"

Bestie: "And?"

Sydney: "To my left, sitting right next to me, there's this guy who's absolutely stunning, even more handsome than your ultimate bias."

Bestie: "No way! You're such a boy-crazy mess, how could anyone be hotter than my Qiqi?!"

Sydney: "Tsk tsk, girl, look at you losing your cool. I wish I could snap a pic to show you."

Bestie: "I don't believe it! Let's video call—I won't say a word, just sneak a quick peek."

Sydney hesitated, but couldn't resist her bestie's constant urging, so she quietly turned off the speakerphone and, sneaky as a thief, flipped the camera to the rear.

Before she could even get the camera pointed at the sleeping Meng Wan, the screen suddenly filled with a man's cold, stern face, startling her so bad her hand jerked and the phone plopped into her lap.

"Ma'am, would you mind switching seats?"

---

Meng Wan woke up from his nap to find it dark outside and the seat next to him empty. He pulled out his phone, saw it was dead, and quickly plugged it into his backup power bank. The time on his phone showed they'd arrive in half an hour—good thing he hadn't overslept, and man, had he slept like a log.

After getting out of the station in the county town, he planned to find a hotel for the night and catch a bus to the countryside in the morning. But just as he stepped outside, someone called out to him. The caller was a thin, dark-skinned kid who glanced at a photo on his phone, walked up to Meng Wan, and asked in Mandarin with a country accent, "Are you cousin Meng Wan?"

"Are you Uncle Huang's son?" Meng Wan asked, tugging his hat down a bit as he carried his suitcase and backpack.

The boy looked confused. "Who's Uncle Huang? My dad's surname is Zhang."

Meng Wan looked up and flashed a big smile. "Ah, I misspoke, I'm just nervous. Little cousin, why'd you come? Didn't I say you didn't need to pick me up, that I'd just take a bus?"

Zhang Yu didn't think much of the slip-up, smiling with his eyes crinkling and a row of white teeth showing. "My dad said there's no bus at night in town, so he sent me to come get you."

"How old are you? Do you have a driver's license?" Meng Wan eyed him suspiciously.

Zhang Yu replied cheerfully, "Eighteen! It's an electric scooter—why would I need a license for that?"

Meng Wan looked at his big suitcase. "Can that thing even haul this back?"

Half an hour later, Meng Wan found himself on Zhang Yu's electric tricycle, squeezed among the gift boxes he'd bought at the supermarket, bouncing around so much he started questioning his life choices. The roads were all paved, but there were too many curves and occasional hills, and he worried the liquor he'd bought might spill.

Wujin Village, where Uncle Zhang's family lived, was about thirty-some li from the county town. After passing through vast banana groves, the tricycle ride took over forty minutes to get there. When Meng Wan got off, his legs were numb, but the fruit-scented breeze along the way had been refreshing.

"You're here—it's A-Wan!" A short, thin middle-aged man sat by the front gate fanning himself with a palm leaf. Seeing Zhang Yu's tricycle return, he excitedly called out to the courtyard, and a dozen or so people of all ages poured out.

Meng Wan felt a bit awkward. They hadn't been in touch for years, so he didn't have much of an impression of them. He'd come here driven by a sense of relief at surviving, but now, surrounded by these enthusiastic relatives, he felt oddly moved. "Uncle, I bought some things on the way. I didn't know what you needed, so I just grabbed a few random things."

"Good, good, come in! Are you hungry? We're about to eat." Uncle Zhang greeted Meng Wan in heavily accented Mandarin, ushering him inside and introducing him to the relatives. Only one aunt was actually related to Meng Wan by blood; the rest were Zhangs.

Uncle Zhang's house wasn't the Guangxi earthen building Meng Wan had imagined—it was a nice two-story villa. Once inside, he noticed the decor was simple: the first floor had bare concrete floors and walls. But the room they'd prepared for him on the second floor was fully furnished, big and beautiful, complete with its own bathroom.

Meng Wan initially thought they'd given him the master bedroom, but after touring Zhang Yu's room, he realized all the second-floor rooms were renovated—though his was indeed bigger than Zhang Yu's, having been his older sister's room before she got married.

Two large round tables were set up downstairs, with everyone bustling to serve the dishes. In the sweltering heat, Meng Wan felt awkward just sitting around, so he went down to help. The relatives treated him like a kid, telling Zhang Yu to keep him company and not let him lift a finger.

By the time dinner wrapped up and everyone dispersed, it was nearly 11 PM. After showering, Meng Wan slept with the screen window open, listening to the chorus of insects outside and the occasional distant dog bark, his consciousness slowly drifting away.

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