Chapter 393: So Getting Beaten Was to Her Advantage?
Chapter 393: Chapter 393: So Getting Beaten Was to Her Advantage?
As a notorious playboy in Xiangcheng’s high society, Meng Chenghui had seen countless beautiful women. From starlets to socialites, there was hardly a woman he couldn’t win over if he set his mind to it. He was also incredibly generous, so even though he changed girlfriends frequently, his reputation wasn’t half bad.
But the moment Meng Chenghui saw Su Qing, he froze. To be honest, Su Qing wasn’t the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but she possessed a sharp, confident air he had never encountered before.
The women he’d been with had been gentle, willful, coquettish, and tearful. He’d seen all sorts of personalities, but never one quite like Su Qing’s.
As the saying goes, rarity creates value. Such a unique and uncommon quality naturally drew Meng Chenghui in.
"Young Master Meng!" Cheng Beilin wasn’t surprised to see Meng Chenghui in the shop. She had seen him bring his girlfriends to buy clothes and bags countless times before; the only difference was that it was a new woman every time.
"Miss Cheng," Meng Chenghui said with a smile. "Allow me to congratulate you on your recent marriage."
When it came to Cheng Beilin, Meng Chenghui had the desire but not the nerve. The Cheng Family was one of the most powerful families in Xiangcheng, far mightier than his own Meng Family. If he dared to play with Cheng Beilin’s emotions, the Chengs would undoubtedly come after him, and it might even drag his own family down. He might be a playboy, but he wasn’t an idiot.
"Thank you." Cheng Beilin gave a faint smile. "Are you here buying clothes for your girlfriend, Young Master Meng?"
"Haha, just a good friend. We happened to run into each other, and she was a bit short on cash, so I’m helping her out," Meng Chenghui said, quickly distancing himself from Kang Ziweng.
Cheng Beilin smiled but didn’t call him out on his lie. It had nothing to do with her, anyway. She turned to Su Qing and Li Huan and said, "I absolutely love the clothes in this store. You two have a look. If you see anything you like, we’ll get it."
"Miss Cheng, aren’t you going to introduce your two friends?" Meng Chenghui asked with a smile.
Cheng Beilin smiled back at him. "Young Master Meng, these are my two friends. They’re here for my wedding the day after tomorrow. I’m just showing them around, so we won’t keep you."
Cheng Beilin saw right through him. ’He’s probably taken a liking to either Su Qing or Li Huan.’ But she had no intention of letting her two best friends get involved with Meng Chenghui. He was a notorious womanizer who didn’t know the first thing about true love, changing girlfriends as often as he changed his clothes. And while he wasn’t a terrible person aside from his philandering, she wasn’t about to let her friends get hurt by a man like him.
Hearing Cheng Beilin’s words, a flicker of understanding passed through Meng Chenghui’s eyes. He got her message. He casually glanced at Su Qing, only to find her gaze wasn’t on him at all. She was just idly browsing the clothes in the shop.
As for Li Huan, she wasn’t paying any attention to Meng Chenghui either. Though a year older than Su Qing, her true loves were having fun and eating good food. Never mind that Meng Chenghui’s attention was on Su Qing; even if he had been focused on her, she probably wouldn’t have noticed. Right now, her eyes were shining as she looked at all the beautiful clothes and accessories in the store. ’They’re all so pretty!’
"This way, Miss Cheng." A sales clerk approached with a smile. Cheng Beilin was a regular, so all the staff knew her. Naturally, they wouldn’t dare to neglect the two women who had come in with her.
Feeling a bit thwarted by Su Qing’s lack of response, Meng Chenghui watched as the three of them followed the clerk to look at clothes. When he saw Li Huan and Cheng Beilin go into the fitting rooms, he quickly stood up and approached Su Qing. He smiled and said, "I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of learning your name. Allow me to introduce myself. My surname is Meng. Meng Chenghui."
Su Qing gave Meng Chenghui a cool glance and nodded slightly. "My surname is Su."
"So you’re Miss Su." Learning her surname made Meng Chenghui even more delighted. He quickly said, "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Su. I feel it’s fate that we’ve met today. I was wondering if we could be friends?"
"No," Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Meng Chenghui was taken aback. He hadn’t expected such a clean, sharp rejection. He couldn’t help but chuckle. "Miss Su, I mean no harm. I genuinely just want to be your friend."
Su Qing turned to face him and offered a faint smile. "Sorry, I’m not interested."
That faint smile sent an unexpected jolt through Meng Chenghui’s heart, like a bolt of electricity. He’d never experienced anything like it. In the past, no matter how many girlfriends he had or how beautiful they were, they were just pretty decorations in his eyes. They were fun to play with, but anything more was out of the question.
’Could this be what it feels like to have your heart stirred?’
After so many years of treating life as a game, Meng Chenghui had never truly been captivated by a woman. This feeling was completely foreign to him.
Just as Meng Chenghui was about to say something else, Kang Ziweng emerged from the fitting room. "Young Master Meng," she said with a smile, "what do you think? Does this outfit look good on me?"
The words had barely left her mouth when she saw Meng Chenghui standing beside Su Qing, a wide grin plastered on his face as he looked at the other woman.
Kang Ziweng was instantly furious. Her Kang family was on the verge of collapse, and she was desperate to marry herself off quickly. As long as she married into a wealthy family, it wouldn’t matter how far the Kangs fell; it would have little to do with her. After all, a married daughter is considered lost to her family. Meng Chenghui was one of her prime targets, which was why she had found an excuse to ditch Liang Qing the moment she ran into him today.
As for Meng Chenghui’s reputation as a playboy, she couldn’t care less. All she wanted was to marry into wealth so she would never have to worry about money and could continue her extravagant lifestyle.
But now, here was Meng Chenghui, grinning from ear to ear at some country bumpkin.
Kang Ziweng was somewhat afraid of Cheng Beilin spreading rumors about the Kang family’s troubles, but she had no such fear of Su Qing. ’She’s just a country bumpkin. I, Kang Ziweng, am the daughter of a prestigious family, after all.’
"What do you think you’re doing?" Kang Ziweng stormed up to Su Qing and spat, "Take a good look at yourself! Seducing Young Master Meng in public like this, are you even worthy? You little vixen! Using your looks to seduce men... you shameless hussy... AHH—"
Kang Ziweng hadn’t even finished her tirade when she saw Su Qing’s hand swinging toward her face. She tried to dodge, but it was impossible. The next thing she knew, a sharp pain erupted on her cheek, and she was knocked to the ground by the force of the slap. Her entire left cheek burned. Clutching her face, she stared up at Su Qing in fury. "You hit me!"
"That’s right, I hit you," Su Qing snorted. "What’s your problem? Acting like a madwoman, coming over here asking for a beating. If I didn’t grant your wish, I’d be doing you a disservice, wouldn’t I?"
Kang Ziweng was so furious she could have passed out. ’So getting slapped means I’m the one who came out ahead?’