Chapter 485: Scumbag Meng Chenghui
Chapter 485: Chapter 485: Scumbag Meng Chenghui
"Someone’s been asking about me?" Su Qing immediately asked. "Do you know who it is?"
Li Huan and Cheng Beize were also surprised. Li Huan said, "Why would anyone be asking about Qingqing?"
"It’s Meng Chenghui," Cheng Beilin said. "Do you remember him? The guy we ran into when you came to Xiangcheng and we all went shopping. He even tried to hit on Qingqing in the store."
"Oh, it’s him!" Li Huan exclaimed in surprise.
Su Qing knew exactly who it was the moment she heard the name. She had even run into him again later at a tea house. She was surprised, though, that he was still asking about her even though she’d been away from Xiangcheng for several months.
"Mhm," Cheng Beilin said. "I only found out about this after I got back to Xiangcheng."
Cheng Beilin and Du Haoran had been on their honeymoon abroad and had only recently returned to Xiangcheng. It was then that she unexpectedly heard about Meng Chenghui asking about Su Qing. However, she didn’t yet know how much Meng Chenghui had found out. She had come to Beijing this time specifically to tell Su Qing about it and give her a heads-up. She had a feeling this Meng Chenghui was the type who would relentlessly pursue Su Qing in the future.
Cheng Beize frowned. "That Meng Chenghui has a terrible reputation in Xiangcheng."
"Exactly," Cheng Beilin said quickly. "Qingqing, let me tell you, this Meng Chenghui is a total womanizer. Never mind all the starlets he keeps on the side, even within Xiangcheng’s high society circles, plenty of women have been his girlfriend. You couldn’t count the number of girlfriends he’s had on two hands. He’s a classic playboy."
Cheng Beilin then added angrily, "I can’t believe that after meeting you just once, he’s still digging for information about you after all this time. He’s definitely up to no good. Qingqing, if he ever tries to get close, don’t you dare fall for his sweet talk. He’s an expert at charming people, all smooth and slick. He’s not a good person."
Cheng Beilin had absolutely no good impression of Meng Chenghui.
Li Huan said in amazement, "He’s a total scumbag!"
Li Huan had actually learned the term "scumbag" from Su Qing.
When Cheng Beilin heard the word, she thought for a moment, then agreed. "Yes, a scumbag. That word describes Meng Chenghui perfectly."
Su Qing, however, was unfazed. She just smiled and said, "Okay, I’ll definitely ignore him."
Cheng Beilin let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good. I was just worried that he’d find out you’re in Beijing, come looking for you, and you’d be deceived by his sweet talk. You have no idea, when this guy pursues a girl, he usually doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants."
"How annoying," Li Huan said with a frown. "He should just stay in Xiangcheng and be a playboy there. Why is he so fixated on Qingqing?"
Cheng Beilin glanced at Su Qing’s face and sighed. "Huanhuan, you have to understand, Qingqing is way more beautiful than any of the female celebrities in Xiangcheng."
At this, Li Huan became proud. "Of course! My Qingqing is the most beautiful."
The exchange made them all laugh.
With the New Year approaching, Cheng Beize and the other two returned to Xiangcheng after a few days. Before the holiday, Su Qing paid a visit to Mr. Gong’s residence to drop off some New Year’s gifts. There, she saw that An Zhihan was already able to take slow walks in the courtyard with a cane.
"You’re recovering so quickly," Su Qing said with a cheerful smile.
Fang Lutian and A Feng were standing by to make sure An Zhihan didn’t have any accidents. Hearing Su Qing’s words, Fang Lutian said joyfully, "Yes, Mr. Gong’s medical skills are incredible, and we also have Miss Su to thank for finding the Purple Danshen. Otherwise, our Young Master wouldn’t have recovered this fast."
Su Qing smiled. "It was nothing on my part. I got a good deal out of finding the Purple Danshen, too. The real credit goes to Grandpa Gong’s incredible medical skills."
Mr. Gong came out of the house and said with a hearty laugh, "You played an indispensable role in getting Zhi Han back on his feet, you silly girl."
"Grandpa Gong, about how much longer until An Zhihan can walk normally without his cane?" Su Qing asked with a smile, changing the subject.
"In about a month or so, he should be about seventy or eighty percent recovered. The rest is just a matter of gradual recuperation. After all, the boy was in a wheelchair for so many years, and his constitution was weak to begin with. No matter what, he’ll need a good period of conditioning. But overall, it’s not a major issue. With the herbs you gave me, we can rebuild his foundation," Mr. Gong said with a cheerful laugh, stroking his beard.
The medicinal herbs Su Qing had previously obtained from Xiqing Mountain had all been given to Mr. Gong, partly as a sale and partly as a gift. The herbs were of little use in her hands, but in Mr. Gong’s, they could be used to save many more people.
Hearing this, An Zhihan, who was standing to the side, was so overcome with emotion that he staggered.
"Whoa, be careful, Young Master!" A Feng exclaimed, startled, as he quickly steadied An Zhihan.
"I’m fine," An Zhihan said, shaking his head. "I just got a little excited."
"Don’t get too excited. There are plenty of good days ahead," Su Qing said with a smile.
They all went back into the main hall and sat down. Mr. Gong then said, "By the way, you were right to warn me about not seeing that fellow named Tian Qiu. That Tian Qiu somehow found out where I live and came straight to my door. Thankfully, Fang Lutian used the excuse that I was in seclusion researching medicine and sent him away."
"So, that Tian Qiu really did come looking for you," Su Qing murmured, her eyebrows raising slightly.
The few times Tian Qiu had approached her before, she had always used the excuse that Mr. Gong was in seclusion researching medicine and not seeing any visitors. To prevent Tian Qiu from showing up unannounced and catching Mr. Gong unprepared, Su Qing had explained the situation to him. As it happened, Mr. Gong had seen Tian Qiu at the conference that day and had taken an instinctual dislike to the man, so he naturally had no desire to meet him.
’Still, it’s surprising that Tian Qiu actually managed to find Mr. Gong’s residence,’ she mused. ’But then again, it makes sense. That man has been stirring up trouble behind the scenes in Hua Country for years. He must have people and sources of information. Finding Mr. Gong’s home isn’t that strange after all.’
"Yes, he came by twice," Fang Lutian said. "But we never let him in."
Su Qing nodded and said, "That Tian Qiu is up to no good, and his motives are impure. You shouldn’t have anything to do with him."
"Who is this Tian Qiu?" An Zhihan couldn’t help but ask.
Su Qing couldn’t reveal the full situation regarding Tian Qiu, especially since her great-uncle and the others were still investigating him in secret. So she just said, "This Tian Qiu wants to study medicine with Grandpa Gong and become his disciple. I’ve interacted with him a couple of times, and I don’t think he’s a good person. He’s probably scheming something, which is why I warned Grandpa Gong not to engage with him."
Mr. Gong and the others had great faith in Su Qing’s judgment, so they all nodded. A Feng also said, "Miss Su, don’t worry. If that Tian Qiu comes again, we absolutely will not let him through the door."
Originally, Su Qing had thought that any new developments in the investigation of Tian Qiu would have to wait until after the New Year. Unexpectedly, on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Mr. Li and two others summoned her into the study.