Chapter 56: The Turmoil over a Photograph

Li Mengfei’s sudden appearance indeed caught Zhang Wei off guard. He hadn’t expected this guy to start snapping pictures of him without so much as a greeting, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brows, asking coldly, “Li Mengfei, it’s one thing not to say hello when we meet, but what’s the meaning of taking my photo like that?”

“Hmph, if I don’t take your picture now, how else am I supposed to have evidence of your misdeeds?” Li Mengfei waved his phone triumphantly, grinning. “Do you believe I won’t send these photos to Murong Xuan right now, so she can see all the ‘good’ things you’ve done?”

On the day of the opening gala for Jingxuan Studio, Murong Xuan had danced with Zhang Wei and turned down all other male guests. This had left Li Mengfei extremely disgruntled; he even suspected an ambiguous relationship between Murong Xuan and Zhang Wei.

That night, Li Mengfei had tried to provoke Zhang Wei, hoping to put him in his place and force him to back off. But to his surprise, Zhang Wei somehow knew about his bedwetting incident at the age of ten and used it to threaten him.

That embarrassing secret was Li Mengfei’s Achilles’ heel—only his family knew about it, and since that was his first time meeting Zhang Wei, he was convinced Murong Xuan must have told him. The more he thought about it, the more anxious and angry he became. The fact that Murong Xuan could share such private matters with Zhang Wei clearly meant their relationship was far from ordinary. This made Li Mengfei resent Zhang Wei even more, and he was constantly plotting his revenge.

So, when he saw Zhang Wei joking and chatting intimately with a woman, Li Mengfei hurried to snap their photo. Once he sent this to Murong Xuan, he was sure that, given her temperament, she would cut ties with Zhang Wei immediately and never have anything to do with him again.

“It doesn’t matter. Send it if you want. What do I have to be afraid of?” Zhang Wei sneered, then turned to Liu Yurou. “Let’s go.”

Yurou nodded, her demeanor meek and obedient, a far cry from her earlier aggressiveness.

Liu Yurou found Li Mengfei vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t recall where she’d seen him before. Still, seeing his luxurious sports car and handsome face, she couldn’t help but feel more favorably toward him.

“Zhang Wei, is that man a friend of yours?” Liu Yurou tugged at Zhang Wei’s arm and asked softly.

“Don’t be starstruck. That kid isn’t even of age yet. By the time he’s old enough to marry, you’ll have waited until the cows come home,” Zhang Wei said coldly, shattering Liu Yurou’s daydreams without mercy.

“What are you talking about? I was just asking, it’s not like I said I wanted anything with him!” Liu Yurou retorted, embarrassed by Zhang Wei’s words.

Li Mengfei had thought that catching Zhang Wei with another woman and taking their photo would make him nervous and uneasy—maybe even force him to apologize if he was timid, or try to snatch the phone away if he was brash. But Li Mengfei never expected Zhang Wei to react so indifferently, dropping just one sentence before turning away as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Li Mengfei was momentarily stunned before coming to his senses and shouting after him, “Hey, Zhang Wei, don’t think I’m bluffing! I really will send it!”

“Whatever,” Zhang Wei waved dismissively over his shoulder without even looking back, as if he couldn’t care less about what Li Mengfei threatened.

Zhang Wei had initially agreed to pretend to be Murong Xuan’s date, partly because she was his first client, and partly because she’d promised to rent another apartment from him. He’d only agreed to maintain their business relationship. But as time passed, things became complicated. Pretending to be her boyfriend made Murong Xuan awkward and uneasy, and she began to distance herself from him, to the point where even a normal client relationship was hard to maintain.

Given that there was no longer any benefit to be had from Murong Xuan, and their relationship was far from close, Zhang Wei saw no reason to keep playing her ambiguous partner. Doing so would only draw the hostility of her admirers, which brought him nothing but trouble.

“Damn it!” Li Mengfei slammed his fist against the steering wheel as he watched Zhang Wei disappear from sight, muttering to himself, “Does he think I won’t dare send it? Or does he just not care if my cousin sees it?”

In Li Mengfei’s eyes, Zhang Wei’s calmness could only mean one of two things. Either Zhang Wei was using the bedwetting secret as leverage, betting Li Mengfei wouldn’t dare send the photo. If that were the case, Zhang Wei would at least bring it up, or make some sort of pact to keep each other’s secrets. That would be the safer approach.

Or, it was the second reason: Zhang Wei and Murong Xuan weren’t in a relationship at all, so he had nothing to fear if she saw the photo. This was exactly what Li Mengfei hoped for—only then would he have a chance to pursue Murong Xuan himself.

The more Li Mengfei thought about it, the more frantic he became. He wished he could drag Zhang Wei back and demand the truth about his relationship with Murong Xuan. Clenching his right fist, he struck the steering wheel again, excitement lighting up his face. “No, I have to get to the bottom of this. I need to find Zhang Wei and find out what’s really going on between him and my cousin!”

Li Mengfei opened the car door and shot out of his sports car, racing in the direction Zhang Wei had gone. But when he reached the end of the street, Zhang Wei was nowhere to be seen. He searched the area for a while longer, but it was useless; finally, he had no choice but to give up.

By this time, Zhang Wei and Liu Yurou were already seated in the back of the A8. Fatty Zhou was still driving, with Wu Qian in the passenger seat. Zhang Wei lounged in the back, looking as if he owned the place.

“Zhang Wei, why did that handsome guy take our photo just now? What’s your relationship with him?” Liu Yurou tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her beautiful eyes glancing over at him as she asked.

“What kind of relationship could I have with another man?” Zhang Wei replied carelessly.

“Why not? Maybe you and that handsome guy are rivals for some woman’s affection, so he took our photo out of jealousy,” Liu Yurou teased.

“What nonsense! That kid isn’t even of age. Is he qualified to compete with me?” Zhang Wei retorted.

“Nowadays, everyone’s into older women and younger men! Besides, that handsome guy is much better-looking than you,” Liu Yurou giggled.

“Hey! Why are you always thinking about that kid? Men who look like women aren’t reliable. Men like me and Fatty here are what you call a lifelong safe bet.” Zhang Wei patted his chest, pretending to boast.

“Zhang Wei’s right. Good looks don’t matter, what counts is capability and talent—just like me!” Fatty Zhou chimed in, shamelessly praising himself.

“Oh, give it a rest. You spent over five million on a carload of fake goods and still have the nerve to brag? Take a good look at yourself!” Wu Qian shot Fatty Zhou a sidelong glance, her tone mocking.

Wu Qian’s words poured over Fatty Zhou like a bucket of ice water, instantly quelling his excitement. He sat quietly, focusing on the road, not daring to boast another word.