Married to the L*stful Tycoon: Honey, Come Kiss Me. - Chapter 2

Duan Tiantian grew more overcome with guilt the more she spoke.

“I originally just wanted to put a little something in the drink to make someone dizzy. It was my birthday party last night, and I was planning on having Chen Jiarang drive you home. While he was lightheaded and out of it, you could take the chance to confess your feelings to him! Who could have known that the drink meant for Chen Jiarang would be picked up by mistake by my cousin?!”

She sniffled loudly, tears threatening to spill over.

“When I toasted Chen Jiarang, the waiter brought the wrong glass. Cousin was sitting right next to him and drank it in one go! And… and then you ended up going into the wrong room later. I saw you enter his presidential suite with my own eyes! I searched through the security footage for half the night before I found you, but I was so terrified of Cousin that I didn’t dare drag you out of his room.”

Meng Shuling stood frozen on the pavement, her entire mind numb.

So, from start to finish, it wasn’t that she had been bold, nor was it that Lu Yannan had taken advantage of her? It was all just a colossal, catastrophic mix-up?

Even so, what happened between her and Lu Yannan was beyond absurd.

Remembering something, Meng Shuling asked, “What about Chen Jiarang? Does he know about this?”

Duan Tiantian shook her head, wiping her eyes frantically.

“He doesn’t know. I talked to him later and told him you had an emergency and had to leave early. He even asked if you were feeling unwell. Lingling, I really didn’t mean to! If I knew it would turn into such a nightmare, I wouldn’t have spiked that drink if you paid me a million dollars!”

Meng Shuling looked down at the oversized men’s shirt draped over her body, an unbearable tightness constricting her chest.

She had thought her pathetic night was a result of her own foolishness and Lu Yannan’s predatory instincts. Instead, it was an absolute misunderstanding from top to bottom.

But what good did knowing that do now?

At the end of the day, something that should have never happened had already transpired between her and Lu Yannan.

“Lingling, please don’t be sad. I really know I messed up. You can yell at me or punish me however you want, just please don’t be mad at me!”

Duan Tiantian grabbed her hand, her voice choked with sobs. She was terrified that Meng Shuling would cut ties with her—and even more terrified that if this blew up, Lu Yannan would hold her accountable, or that the elder Mengs would find out.

Meng Shuling gently patted Duan Tiantian’s hand, forcing a strained, weary smile onto her pale face.

“I’m not blaming you. I know you meant well, but this, this is just too insane.”

She couldn’t bring herself to truly hate the childhood best friend she had grown up with. What was done was done; blame wouldn’t rewrite reality. She could only swallow her bitterness in silence.

She had Duan Tiantian drive her straight back to her apartment so she could change. Wearing Lu Yannan’s shirt made her skin crawl with discomfort every single second it touched her body.

The moment she stepped out in her own clothes, her phone buzzed loudly in her palm.

The caller ID flashed with a single word: Dad.

Her eyelids twitched nervously.

Meng Zekun had always been exceptionally strict with her, prizing the Meng family’s reputation above all else. Since she hadn’t come home last night, he had undoubtedly caught wind of it.

The moment she tapped answer, her father’s stern, thunderous voice boomed through the speaker, brimming with fury:

“Meng Shuling! Get your ass to my office at the Meng Corporation right now!”

Without giving her a chance to reply, the line went dead.

Holding the silent phone, her heart sank. She didn’t want to go, but she didn’t dare disobey her father either. After taking a moment to gather her composure, she hailed a cab and headed straight for the Meng Corporation headquarters.

Although the Meng Corporation was an established prestige enterprise in the capital, it paled in comparison to the century-old, overwhelmingly dominant Lu Empire. In recent years, the Meng family had barely managed to secure their industry status by relying on small-scale partnerships thrown to them by the Lus.

The two families shared some history—Meng Shuling’s grandfather had once served as the executive secretary to Old Master Lu. Because of this, Meng Zekun held the Lu family in immense awe and reverence, constantly dreaming of forging a deeper alliance with them.

When Meng Shuling stepped into the top-floor CEO office, the suffocating atmosphere gave her an immediate sense of dread.

Meng Zekun sat behind his massive mahogany desk with a dark, thunderous expression. A half-burned cigarette was pinched between his fingers, smoke rising in lazy coils.

“Dad, I’m here,” Meng Shuling said, keeping her eyes lowered.

“Oh, so you still remember you have a home?”

Meng Zekun crushed the cigarette butt out into the crystal ashtray with unnecessary force. He stood up, pointing an accusing finger right at her face.

“Meng Shuling, look at yourself! What kind of disgrace have you been pulling lately?! Throwing yourself at that Chen Jiarang kid, making a spectacle out of yourself all over town! You’ve dragged our family name through the mud!

Everyone in high society is laughing behind our backs, claiming the heiress of the Meng family is begging a man to take her!”

Meng Shuling raised her head, her delicate face flushing with indignant defiance.

“I like Chen Jiarang, and I’m open and honest about it! How is that embarrassing the family?”

Meng Zekun let out a cold, furious laugh, his tone growing harsher.

“Open and honest enough to stay out all night?! Where were you last night? Don’t think I don’t know—you spent the entire night at the Jingyi International Hotel! Were you with Chen Jiarang?! Meng Shuling, do you won’t be satisfied until you’ve ruined the Meng family’s reputation completely?!”

He had received word from his subordinates early that morning that his daughter had stayed out overnight at a luxury hotel under the Lu banner. The sheer disgrace had kept him awake the entire night.

The Meng family was wealthy, but next to the Lu family, they were small fry. His greatest fear was his daughter creating a scandal that would ruin their standing.

“I wasn’t with him!” Meng Shuling argued frantically.

The truth of what actually went down with Lu Yannan last night sat on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Smothered by injustice, she choked back her frustration.

“I just drank too much last night and stayed at the hotel to sleep it off! It’s not what you think!”

Meng Zekun scowled, his brows furrowing deep.

“If it’s not that, then what is it?! Starting today, you are grounded at home to reflect on your actions! You will not step foot outside, you will not utter Chen Jiarang’s name again, and you will certainly not go around making a fool of yourself! Stay home and get your head straight!”

“I’m not reflecting on anything! I did nothing wrong—why aren’t I allowed to go out?!”

Meng Shuling was naturally stubborn. Being mindlessly berated by her father and slapped with a grounding left her bursting with hurt and fury. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Seeing her total lack of obedience, Meng Zekun’s face darkened even further. After a moment of heavy silence, he spoke in a low, measured voice:

“Let me tell you something—now is not the time for your temper tantrums. The Lu family is currently looking for a suitable marriage alliance for Lu Yannan. Every elite family in the capital is eyeing this opportunity. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the Meng family.”

He stepped around the desk, his eyes fixated on her.

“You are going to stay home, behave yourself, and curb that wild streak of yours. Don’t cause any more scandals. If you are lucky enough to be chosen by the Lu family and marry Lu Yannan, our family’s standing in the capital will be solidified forever—and you will enjoy endless wealth and power for the rest of your life!”

Meng Shuling stared at him in utter disbelief.

She had never imagined in her wildest dreams that her father was scheming to marry her off to Lu Yannan.

That cold, unbearable man she avoided at all costs—the very man who had taken her body last night.

Her father actually wanted her to marry him?

A wave of absurd, fiery anger rushed straight to her chest. She blurted out without thinking:

“A marriage alliance? I would never marry Lu Yannan! Even if I had to marry a nobody—even if I had to stay single for the rest of my life—I, Meng Shuling, would never marry a man like Lu Yannan!”

Her clear, defiant voice echoed sharply through the room, filled with absolute disgust.

Click.

At that exact moment, the heavy wooden door to the office was gently pushed open.

A tall, imposing figure stood at the threshold, radiating an aura of icy authority and distant royalty.

It was Lu Yannan—who had just finished negotiating a major partnership deal with the Meng Corporation.

He had originally doubled back to finalize a few details with Meng Zekun, only to walk right up to the door in time to hear Meng Shuling’s words of utter revulsion.

Lu Yannan’s sharp brow ridge cast a shadow over his dark, unreadable eyes. His gaze fell coolly onto Meng Shuling standing inside the office, his thin lips pressing into a tight, subtle line.

He had clearly heard every single word she said.

“Chairman Meng.”

At the sound of the deep, magnetic voice, Meng Shuling turned her head—and locked eyes directly with Lu Yannan.