Chapter 11: Sleeping Until Dawn

  After dinner, Yang Ming was taken away by Huang Shi-ren to send the VIPs, while Ning Meng took care of the female guests until everyone left before she walked out of the banquet hall.

  A slender figure stood in the corridor, a familiar profile, with faint smoke swirling around him, giving off a slightly desolate flavor.

  Ning Meng's heart was trapped in such loneliness, and her footsteps involuntarily came to a halt.

  Guan Xian heard the sound and suddenly turned around, saw her, stunned for a moment, then calm as usual, "It's you... are you done? You've had a hard day today."

  His face had a faint flush, and when he spoke, there was a lingering wine fragrance floating in the air. His handsome profile, upright posture, low and husky voice... Some people say that manliness is a kind of charm that can bewitch one's heart; she didn't care about it before, but now she has a slight understanding of it.

  The soft moonlight shone on the handsome figure in front of her, and only one phrase remained in her mind: "a jade tree standing in the wind". She never thought she was a fan of older men, but tonight's night scene was too beautiful. Occasionally, even Allah would forgive, right? Alas, it's all because of the moonlight... The atmosphere is too good, just like being drunk on alcohol, making people infatuated and confused.

  She nodded to the boss and replied softly, "All the guests have left, but Manager Guan hasn't returned yet?" She walked closer, stopping her feet three or four steps away from him.

  The tube is called, and it's smooth. This little girl has been like this since she knew his identity, every time they meet in front of people or behind their backs, she always has this expression on her face, seeming to be advancing and retreating at the same time, but actually being indifferent and distant. For some reason, he started to miss that night when they were lying side by side on the hillside of C University, looking at the stars together, very peaceful, very quiet, without any estrangement.

  "After a moment of silence, Guan Xian suddenly blurted out, 'You and Yang Ming seem to have a pretty good relationship.'"

  As soon as Ning Meng thought of Yang Ming's great contribution, a big smile naturally appeared on his face. "Yang Ming is very enthusiastic and usually takes care of me too, he's a talkative friend."

  She raised an eyebrow and said disbelievingly, "You know him so well?"

  Ning Meng rolled her eyes, "We just met and hit it off, that's all." Colleagues, what's there to understand? She thought to herself, it's not like they're matchmaking or anything, ancestors, birth dates, bank deposits... basically, the more detailed the better.

  The surroundings were quiet, and Ning Meng felt it was better to retreat. She said timidly, "Director Guan, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave..."

  "Hmm." Guan Xian waved his hand.

  She had just turned around, unexpectedly, Guan Xian took big strides to follow her up, gently rubbing his forehead with one hand while saying, "Let's go together, I'll have someone send you down."

  Lao Lin had already parked the car outside and was waiting, while the attendant dutifully opened the door.

  "Go ahead." Ning Meng was stuffed into the back seat, and Guan Xian followed suit.

  The car arrived at Guanxian's apartment building first. Guanxian was already slightly drunk, and Lao Lin woke him up, pulled his arm over his shoulder, and supported him into the elevator.

  Ning Meng carried his suit and followed closely behind him.

  The apartment she had been to once, naturally familiar with the road. Old Lin was a senior, already old enough to be her father, and Guan Xian was her breadwinner, so it's time to show up.

  She instructed Lao Lin to help the person sit on the sofa, twist a towel, wipe his face, boil water, pour water, and administer a hangover remedy... Her movements were swift and efficient, earning Lao Lin's admiration.

  "Ning Meng is both diligent and clever. Ah, modern girls are hard to find someone who knows how to take care of people like this."

  It is often said that a long illness makes a doctor, and another saying is that having a patient at home makes a nurse.

  My mom's health is not good, she gets sick every other day, and my little brother is a troublemaker, even if he's not sick, he'll still make himself sick, but I've become the pillar of the family, boiling water, mopping the floor, washing clothes, buying groceries, cooking... everything is self-taught.

  Suddenly, the sound of Ding Ling's phone rang out. After Old Lin answered it, he looked at her anxiously and begged, "Ning Meng, my wife's blood pressure has risen, she might need to go to the hospital... At present, I can't find anyone trustworthy. Can you help me take care of General Guan? I think he will fall asleep soon, you can leave then."

  Ning Meng was heartbroken; she couldn't bear to hear about old people falling ill and going to the hospital.

  "Lao Lin, you'd better hurry back to take care of your aunt. It's not too late now, and my family won't be a burden, so it's okay to stay a bit longer."

  "Your heart is really good." Old Lin thanked with gratitude.

  She has become quite elegant. It's a good thing that only people who understand her would use this word to describe her. Of course, there's a saying that goes, "Being able to do something is not as good as being able to pretend, and being able to pretend is not as good as being able to act." She thinks she has evolved from the primary stage to the advanced stage.

  Lao Lin supported Guan Xian into the bedroom, instructed some precautions and finally pushed the door to leave.

  Guan Xian slept uneasily, frowning slightly in his dream, murmuring a few words and repeatedly calling out a woman's name. The person he was talking to in his sleep must be someone very close to him, his girlfriend or a family member?

  Her curiosity surged, and she leaned in a bit closer, finally catching the clear cry of "Xiang Er..."

  She walked out of the living room, and the painting on the wall hung quietly in its original place, as if waiting for someone's favor. The few floating fonts at the bottom of the painting, she carefully identified, and her heart had an answer.

  Guan Xian opened his eyes, and outside the window, there was a flickering light. He closed his eyes again, and his temples throbbed with pain. He rubbed his forehead until his eyes gradually adjusted. Suddenly, he swept his gaze to the side, and couldn't help but jump in fright.

  Next to it, a head was heavily buried on the bedside, with long hair covering half of her face. Her eyelids were lowered, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing a small nose below. Her moist lips were pursed, and her face looked peaceful, as if she was still intoxicated in her dreams.

  Ning Meng? How did the little girl end up here? He recalled the previous night, outside the corridor, Ning Meng and he chatted casually, then both got into Lao Lin's car. Later on, he became dazed and vaguely heard Ning Meng and Lao Lin's voices.

  It's probably because Old Lin has something on his mind, so he asked her to take care of himself.

  He hooked up the corner of his mouth, his feet lightly touched the ground, and then he stretched out his hand to put her on the bed. Looking at the quiet face on the blue pillow, he suddenly felt a softness in one corner of his heart.

  Guan Xian walked out of the living room. His phone was vibrating slightly on the sofa. He looked at the screen and answered it with a press of his hand.

  On the phone was Old Lin's low voice, "Director Guan, you were okay last night, right? My wife just fell ill and asked Ning Meng to take care of you for a bit. I still feel uneasy, so I'm asking."

  "As expected. Don't worry about it, you should take care of your wife first. I'm the one who's being troublesome, and I still have some regrets."

  "That's good. That little girl Ning Meng is really great, quick with her hands and feet, and has a particularly kind heart."

  Guan Xian stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding his phone, thinking about Ning Meng's cleverness, and suddenly curled up the corner of his mouth. The outside sunlight was just right, the curtains fluttered in the gentle breeze, and the small garden outside the balcony had a faint fragrance floating. He walked out and sat on the backrest chair to bask in the sun, quietly watching the towering high-rise buildings opposite, and a sense of peace rose in his heart.

  She slept soundly until she woke up naturally. She felt like a flower fairy, wearing a flowing long dress, lying on a pile of cotton flowers, with birds chirping and fragrant flowers around her. A handsome prince walked to her side, his facial features were deeply carved and enchanting, his eyebrows and eyes were familiar and intimate, and his eyes emitted a scorching light. He quietly squatted down, took her hand, and put on a ring made of green grass with seven-color auspicious light, which was neither big nor small.

  Ning Meng stared blankly at him.

  The prince gently kissed her forehead and said softly, "Mengmeng, will you marry me?"

  Ning Meng's heart was racing wildly, just as she was about to say "I do, I do", the prince suddenly vanished into thin air. She hastily jumped up from the cotton bed and found herself in a dense forest, with the prince nowhere to be seen nearby. However, she couldn't find her way out.

  The prince, she cried and shouted loudly, finally woke up in a daze.

  Ning Meng woke up to a magnified face in front of her, with sharp features and deep black eyes. She thought the prince had descended upon the mortal world and was overjoyed. However, as she looked around, she saw blue bedding, blue trousers and pillowcases, beige window screens, expensive furniture, and simple lines...

  She said she would take care of her boss, but ended up taking care of him in bed. How despicable... The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became, like a deflated tire.

  Guan Xian was fascinated by her expressions, delight, confusion, disappointment, heartache... He had never known that a girl's facial expressions could be so rich and varied, and suddenly a strange feeling arose in his heart.

  "Are you awake?"

  "Woke up." Ning Meng replied like a robot, being stared at by a big man, and still her boss, she felt like a little white mouse on display in the sun, shrinking its hair and small tail, extremely embarrassed.

  The strings stood up, hands in pockets, "Wake up and come over to eat something."

  "Ah……” Three to five, Ning Meng suddenly got up from bed and crawled down, with the dog following closely behind him. The only problem was that the light was too bright, and she suddenly felt a bit dizzy, stumbled, and almost bumped into the door.

  Guan Xian saw that she was still in a daze and stretched out his hand to pull her into the nearby bathroom, "Wash up properly before coming out."

  Ning Meng was rejected in a grand manner and hastily retreated into the house.

  The bathroom was very large, with a huge mirror that seemed like a magical mirror. Inside the mirror, there was a disheveled woman with a messy bun and dirty face, her clothes were also untidy, and she had a small dark stain at the corner of her eye. Mother, could it get any uglier? That hateful sleepiness had caused her to lose all her dignity in front of the handsome boss.

  There are brand new towels on the shelf, toiletries, everything is complete... This guy really thinks of everything.

  Ning Meng held a toothbrush in her hand, blowing bubbles from the corner of her mouth, and wondered if Boss had a mistress. The answer was affirmative, but the number seemed difficult to count...

  She walked into the dining room, a majestic man wearing a gray casual suit, sitting on the sofa in front of the window reading a book, with a handsome profile and a pleasant posture.

  Guan Xian heard the movement, raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, "Go eat something, Yun Ni just cooked it this morning, I reckon it's already a bit cold."

  On the table, a small pot of porridge and some side dishes were already prepared. Ning Meng sat down in that chair once again, with mixed emotions. To say nothing of it, this kind of thing called "yuan shi" was always unreasonable.

  After finishing the congee, Ning Meng naturally couldn't find a reason to stay any longer, picked up his bag and bid farewell, "Boss, I'm going home, see you at work." Before he even finished speaking, he was already running to the door in his slippers.

  Guan Xian stood up and followed behind her, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I was just about to go out anyway, so I might as well see you off."

  Ning Meng's hand rested on the door, and upon hearing that the boss was driving himself, he turned his head, grinned from ear to ear, and said, "In that case, it's a great honor."

  The car was still the Range Rover, but usually Old Lin picked him up and dropped him off from work in a silver Mercedes-Benz. The Range Rover was the latest model, with a sleek design and a cool driver. At first, Ning Meng thought he had gotten a good deal and secretly rejoiced in his heart. But after a moment's thought, he took care of the boss for an evening, no bonus but there should be benefits...

  Alas, I've been enslaved for so long that my thinking has become completely distorted. I can't even calculate this account clearly, and yet I feel at peace with myself.