"If it weren't for the Du family, how could you have caught the eye of Young Master Yan?"
Du Xixi was jealous of her engagement to Yan Qiubai and always seized every opportunity to mock her.
Meng Ruozhao didn't believe a word Du Xixi said.
Because there were too many loopholes in her words.
First of all, she wouldn't have stooped to be with a married old man just to go abroad. After all, didn't Du Feng have the money to send her abroad for further study?
Secondly, since she had already "hooked up" with Yan Qiubai, why would she need to threaten an old man to start a company for her?
Although she didn't have any feelings for Yan Qiubai at the moment.
But to be fair, there were many powerful people in the upper - class circle, but Yan Qiubai was an absolute outstanding one.
In terms of power, wealth, appearance, and family background, he was one in a million.
That was why Du Xixi was so jealous of her.
So, what was the real reason for the car accident half a year ago?
Not only the two things of being kept and the car accident, but there were also many doubts about her past.
At that time, she met Du Feng outside the hospital.
As soon as Du Feng saw her, he rushed over and hugged her, crying, "My precious daughter, you've suffered."
If things were really as Du Xixi said, would Du Feng have said she had suffered the moment they met?
Even when she asked Du Feng who he was at that time, Du Feng took out a paternity test from his bag and told her that he was her father.
Would anyone have a paternity test with their daughter for no reason and carry it around?
...
There were too many mysteries. This was the reason she stayed in the Du family, to retrieve her past.
After breakfast, Du Feng personally instructed the driver to take her to the Gaoming Temple in the suburbs.
This was his compromise. In exchange, she had to play golf in the afternoon.
The car stopped at the foot of the mountain. She stepped on her high - heels and slowly climbed the steps.
The bluestone steps were still wet after the rain and looked slippery.
Originally, she planned to wear sportswear, but Du Feng asked her to wear a cheongsam and put on a full - face makeup.
She had to go straight to him right after leaving the Gaoming Temple.
So now, she was dressed in a dark green xiangyunsha cheongsam, with delicate eyebrows and red lips.
The exposed skin was so white that it seemed to glow.
She wore a pair of pearl earrings on her small earlobes, and her black hair was coiled up at the back of her head with a hairpin.
She looked like a character stepping out of a painting, pure yet alluring.
She walked very carefully, for fear of accidentally rolling down the steps.
If that happened, the headline of the news tomorrow would be "A woman shows off by climbing the wet steps after rain in a cheongsam and high - heels, gets herself into trouble and dies on the spot."
She wondered if her shop would become popular because of that.
She was amused by this thought, but she was even more cautious with her steps.
The temple wasn't very high, only two or three hundred steps.
However, the weather in Haicheng in June was already a bit hot.
When she stepped into the main gate, a thin layer of sweat had oozed out on her back like white porcelain.
The crimson eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes had spread deeper, looking like the remnants of makeup after a long night. Her eyelashes were even more shockingly black.
It was a weekday, so there weren't many people in the main hall.
She didn't know how to worship, so she knelt down and kowtowed to each Buddha statue honestly.
Finally, she donated some money for the incense and took three incense sticks, then lit them close to the candle flame.
Just as she was lighting the incense, someone came up beside her.
At first, she didn't notice. She just subconsciously moved aside and focused on lighting her own incense.
It wasn't until she turned around and took two steps that she smelled a faint fragrance of pine wood amidst the sandalwood in the room.
Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but think of last night's dream and couldn't resist looking back.
It was a man.
He had a straight and imposing figure, dressed in a plain new - style Chinese suit with simple lotus patterns embroidered on the fabric, elegant yet noble.
Just his back exuded an otherworldly aura, as if he were free from the dust of the mortal world.
The Gaoming Temple had a strong incense - burning tradition and regularly provided meditation activities for ordinary people. Many people participated.
This man was probably one of those who came here for a period of self - cultivation.
Meng Ruozhao averted her gaze, held the incense and bowed one last time, then inserted it into the incense burner.
She didn't rush to go down the mountain. Instead, she strolled around the temple.
She asked for a few safety talismans. Just as she was about to find someone to consecrate them, she saw the man again.
He was kneeling on a cushion. His back was as straight as a green bamboo breaking through the snow, chanting the Diamond Sutra.
The sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on him. The light and shadow swayed gently, more captivating than the flickering lamps in front of the Buddha in the main hall.
She couldn't understand what he was chanting. She sat outside and listened for a while, becoming more and more flustered.
Although the scene was supposed to be calming, she couldn't help but think of last night's dream again.
The melodious Buddhist chant seemed to turn into a low murmur of "Zhaozhao" in her ears.
Even the man's back overlapped with the figure in her dream.
"Miss, are you okay?"
A clear voice woke her up.
She then realized that she had unconsciously leaned against a pillar and dozed off.
The man had finished chanting the scriptures. Maybe he noticed something was wrong with her and came to check on her.
She was a bit surprised that she could fall asleep like this. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she waved her hands repeatedly, "I'm okay, I..."
When she saw the man's face clearly, she suddenly fell silent.
The man had a lean face, and his features were as delicate as if carved.
There was a natural air of calmness in his eyebrows, but the remaining three parts were not compassion but a kind of coquettishness.
It was because there was a tear - shaped mole like a drop of blood hidden in the shadow of his long eyelashes.
The moment he lifted his eyelashes, everything around him seemed to lose its color.
Just as she was shocked by his outstanding appearance, he suddenly reached out his hand.
"You've got a leaf in your hair."
He gently picked a withered leaf from the top of her head and showed it to her.
Although his actions were restrained and gentlemanly, Meng Ruozhao looked into his deep eyes and sensed a hint of restraint.
It seemed that he didn't just want to pick the leaf for her, but rather wanted to pull her into his arms and make her a part of him.
Maybe because she didn't say a word for a long time, the man apologized in a low voice.
"Sorry, I was being impolite."
When the sunlight slanted across his eyebrows, the red mole at the corner of the man's eye suddenly seemed to come to life. The tranquility of his lowered eyes was like an undercurrent surging beneath the ice, as if it was going to engulf her.
Meng Ruozhao finally came to her senses. While secretly scolding herself for being crazy, she stared deeply at him.
After a long while, she couldn't help but ask, "Do we know each other?"
As soon as she asked this question, she thought it was ridiculous.
Wouldn't it be regarded as an excuse to flirt?
After all, if they really knew each other, who could forget such a handsome man?
Before the man could answer, she quickly explained, "Sorry, I've forgotten a lot of things."
The man just quietly looked at her, watching the blush rise on her fair face.
"No, we don't."
After a long time, his Adam's apple rolled, and he spoke softly.
It was an expected answer.
Meng Ruozhao let out a soft breath.
She couldn't tell where this contradictory feeling came from, the feeling of both hoping to know him and not hoping to.
"Okay, I won't bother you anymore."
She put her hands together and bowed to the man, then planned to go down the mountain.
When she turned around, she seemed to smell that faint fragrance of pine wood again.
She endured the inexplicable palpitation with all her might. When she reached the corner, she quickly looked back.
The man was still standing in the same place. Seeing her look back, he gave her a faint smile.
There was a hidden and intense emotion in that smile, as if he wanted to devour and possess her and didn't allow anyone else to have her.