My Ex Told Me She’s Still In Love With Me - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Where Are You Going?

The hazy, smoggy sky made one feel depressed. On the top floor of the Shuiyang International Building, the air was thick with a tension so sharp it felt like drawn swords.

Meng Qingwu looked at the woman sitting across from her—a woman who maintained a dominant, forceful presence even while seated. Eventually, Meng Qingwu was the first to soften her stance and speak.

“Mom, I believe that at my current stage, I am capable of deciding what I want for myself.”

Her tone was calm, but she hadn’t expected that her mother, Meng Shuyu, would be the first person to oppose her decision to return to the country.

Meng Shuyu slammed a folder onto the desk with a deafening thud. “What you ‘want’ is to throw away everything you’ve built up abroad!”

“I can achieve those same things here,” Meng Qingwu stepped forward to tidy the scattered papers in the folder, her voice softening slightly. “Mom, I’m twenty-five this year. You should start trusting me.”

As Meng Qingwu’s tone mellowed, the hostile atmosphere deflated like a punctured balloon. Meng Shuyu found she could no longer maintain her rigid insistence.

Looking at her daughter—who had grown more striking and radiant with time—she realized the girl didn’t take after herself or her husband much. Instead, she was more like her somewhat rebellious aunt.

“Fine. Since you’ve made up your mind to stay, I have nothing more to say.”

Meng Shuyu stood up and walked to Meng Qingwu’s side. Looking at her daughter, who was now half a head taller than her, she seemed to remember something. “I heard you’re seeing that child from the Cheng family?”

Meng Qingwu didn’t look surprised by the question; she simply nodded.

Seeing the confirmation, Meng Shuyu finally seemed to relax. Her cold, hard features softened into a faint, relieved smile.

“Good. Since you’re in a relationship, take it seriously. Don’t go back to playing around with those… improper things like before.”

The phrasing made Meng Qingwu feel uncomfortable. She knew exactly what her mother was implying.

“Mom, that wasn’t ‘improper.’ It’s legal now,” Meng Qingwu corrected her.

Although that past relationship had caused her indelible pain, she could not deny the sincerity it held at the beginning, nor the sweetness and joy they shared.

“I don’t care if it’s legal or not, as long as you stop getting involved with women!” Meng Shuyu’s attitude remained firm. In her eyes, any relationship that wasn’t mainstream was “improper.”

Meng Qingwu didn’t want to argue further, fearing they would end up in a shouting match.

“Since you’re with Cheng Zhan now, you should attend the Cheng family banquet tonight,” Meng Shuyu said.

The Cheng family?

A silhouette flashed through Meng Qingwu’s mind, accompanied by the cold words spoken during their final meeting.

…

“Cheng Die, look at this style. What do you think? I want to decorate our home like this.”

Meng Qingwu had leaned against Cheng Die, holding up her phone to show her chosen interior design.

Cheng Die had merely glanced at it before pushing Meng Qingwu away. Her tone was icy: “I don’t like it.”

Startled, Meng Qingwu looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Let’s break up.”

Meng Qingwu opened her mouth to speak…

But Cheng Die didn’t give her the chance. With a deadly serious expression, she repeated: “Let’s break up.”

…

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Meng Qingwu looked down at the streetscape. She could no longer find the familiar buildings from years ago.

Will I see her this time? If I do, what attitude should I have toward this ex-girlfriend?

…

At 6:00 PM, Cheng Zhan’s car appeared in front of the Shuiyang International Building. Shortly after, Meng Qingwu’s phone rang. She glanced at it, declined the call, and draped a shawl over her shoulders.

When she reached the lobby, Cheng Zhan, who was waiting at the door, looked up at her. A flash of admiration crossed his eyes.

“You look beautiful today!” Cheng Zhan was not stingy with his praise.

The red gown paired with a white shawl was glamorous yet elegant. It was no exaggeration to call her a “femme fatale.”

Meng Qingwu simply smiled at the compliment. She sat in the car as he held the door open; she had heard such words so often they no longer stirred any emotion. From inside the car, she watched Cheng Zhan walk around the front. Standing at 185 cm, he maintained the physique of a model, showing none of the weight gain common in other thirty-year-old men.

“What are you looking at?” Cheng Zhan asked with a chuckle as he got in and saw her staring.

Meng Qingwu arched an eyebrow playfully. “Looking at your face.”

Cheng Zhan seemed amused, replying with a touch of narcissism, “Not bad. You have good taste.”

Meng Qingwu snickered, seemingly mocking his vanity. Is it just “good taste”? Her thoughts began to wander again.

As he drove, Cheng Zhan chatted away: “Stick with me later. I’ll introduce you to a few friends. You’ll be moving in these circles from now on, so it’s good to know people.”

Meng Qingwu snapped back to reality and hummed in agreement.

“But the most important part isn’t them. My parents will be there too. I’ll introduce you to them tonight so we don’t have to pick another day for it.”

Meng Qingwu raised an eyebrow. “Is your whole family going to be there?”

Cheng Zhan laughed. “The banquet is being held at my house, so of course my whole family will be there.”

“Is that so?” Meng Qingwu’s voice grew lazier as she tapped her finger against the window.

The Cheng estate was situated halfway up a mountain. From there, one could see the city landscape of the capital in the distance and the quiet beauty of the mountains and water nearby. Meng Qingwu wrapped her shawl tighter, thinking boredly: The scenery is nice, but it’s much colder here than elsewhere.

“Cold? Let’s go inside,” Cheng Zhan noticed her movement and led her in.

Because Cheng Zhan was already involved in the family business, he frequently had to stop and greet acquaintances.

“Is this the one you mentioned?” A man clapped Cheng Zhan on the shoulder, seemingly on very good terms with him.

“Yeah. Keep your voice down,” Cheng Zhan glanced around to ensure no one was listening.

The man curled his lip, his gaze full of admiration as he looked at Meng Qingwu. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you two really… not a thing?”

“Like hell we are,” Cheng Zhan laughed and cursed, taking the opportunity to introduce him to Meng Qingwu.

As they were about to leave, the man pulled Cheng Zhan aside and whispered, “If there’s nothing going on, can I pursue her?”

Cheng Zhan glanced at him. “You like her?”

The man nodded. “I do.” She was exactly his type!

Hearing this, Cheng Zhan looked at Meng Qingwu, who seemed oblivious to their conversation, and smiled.

“Go ahead and try.”

Try and you’ll find out that some women are destined to crush a man’s self-esteem.

“What were you two talking about?” Meng Qingwu sat down, calmly enjoying Cheng Zhan’s attentive service.

“What else? He asked what our relationship was,” Cheng Zhan chuckled, placing some pastries by her hand. “He said he wanted to pursue you. I told him to go for it.”

Meng Qingwu gave him a sidelong glance. This guy really enjoys the drama, doesn’t he?

She surveyed the hall. All the men and women were dressed in sophisticated, polished attire, looking like the definition of elite professionals. She felt a bit disinterested.

“Has your family not appeared yet?”

Cheng Zhan scanned the room. “Not yet, but probably soon.”

Meng Qingwu took a sip of wine, her eyes curving slightly. She seemed to be in a better mood.

As the banquet began, the hosts of the Cheng family appeared. Meng Qingwu, who had grown weary after being introduced to several people by Cheng Zhan, suddenly felt more alert upon seeing the elder Chengs.

“Come, let me take you to meet them.” Cheng Zhan crooking his arm, signaling for her to take it.

They approached the two elders. Though called “elderly,” they still appeared incredibly energetic. Their eyes were peaceful with the wisdom of age, without a hint of cloudiness.

“Dad, Mom, this is the girl I told you about—my girlfriend, Meng Qingwu,” Cheng Zhan introduced her.

Meng Qingwu politely greeted them as “Uncle” and “Auntie.”

Father Cheng looked quite stern, which made the mother, Yu Qingshuang, appear even more gentle and elegant—as soft as water.

“Qingwu, can we call you that?” Yu Qingshuang looked at Meng Qingwu with a satisfied smile.

“Of course. Please use whatever name is convenient, Auntie.” Meng Qingwu wore the kind of well-behaved smile that elders loved. Combined with her poised demeanor and clear upbringing, the parents were even more impressed.

“We might be too busy to host you properly today. Let Zhanzhan pick a day soon so our family can have a nice dinner together.”

Yu Qingshuang liked the girl more the more she looked at her. Coupled with her matching family background, she felt Meng Qingwu was the perfect candidate for a daughter-in-law.

Meng Qingwu agreed, then glanced at Cheng Zhan, as if to say they really would have to pick a day to meet formally.

Since the elders had other guests to attend to, the conversation ended there, with them telling Cheng Zhan to take good care of her.

After they left, Meng Qingwu asked casually, “Didn’t you say you had a sister? Why haven’t I seen her?”

Cheng Zhan shook his head. “Did you forget I told you her health isn’t great? Plus, she hates these kinds of occasions. She almost never shows up.”

“She doesn’t show up?” Meng Qingwu let out a soft sigh, feeling even more bored now.

Cheng Zhan had no idea what she was thinking. “Come, I’ll introduce you to CEO Wu. His company is planning to enter the Metaverse; they have a lot of momentum right now.”

Meng Qingwu looked in the direction he pointed. Business came first, so she followed him.

Banquets were always the same: wearing fancy clothes, holding a wine glass, and making high-level small talk. Staying too long always felt meaningless. Yet, one couldn’t deny that they provided genuine opportunities.

Cheng Zhan had to leave for a moment, so Meng Qingwu found a corner to sit and rest. However, during his absence, someone took notice of her.

Meng Qingwu looked at the man who sat down beside her. His bloated, round physique made him look greasy; his suit looked like it was under immense pressure from his body.

“Is Miss Meng alone right now? Where is Young Master Cheng?” The man wore a smile he believed was charming as he handed a glass of wine to her. He seemed certain she wouldn’t refuse.

Meng Qingwu looked at him. Having done her homework before returning to the country, she recognized him instantly. He was Zhou Zheqiang, the CEO of Four Seasons Catering. A famous old lecher.

Meng Qingwu took the glass, thinking of his reputation. He probably took her for a gold-digger looking for a rich catch.

“He probably has some ‘major life business’ he has to attend to.”

The man was stunned for a second, then burst out laughing. “Miss Meng, you’re so humorous.”

Humorous? Meng Qingwu glanced at him, thinking that besides being a lecher, he probably had a few screws loose. She saw no point in continuing the conversation and rose to leave.

“Miss Meng, you took the wine. Isn’t it inappropriate to leave now?” The man grabbed her wrist, his tone souring.

Meng Qingwu looked down at him. “And what does CEO Zhou mean by that?”

Their strange interaction caught the attention of some nearby. Recognizing the man as the CEO of Four Seasons Catering, they understood exactly what was happening. Trying to pick someone up again.

They looked at Meng Qingwu with a hint of pity. It would be a total waste if such a woman fell into the hands of that old lecher. But some also noticed: Isn’t that woman Cheng Zhan’s date for tonight? What’s going on?

“What do I mean? You took the wine; shouldn’t we sit down and have a ‘nice chat’?” Zhou Zheqiang ignored the gazes of others and looked at Meng Qingwu playfully.

“A chat?” Meng Qingwu swirled the wine he had given her. “A chat about ‘clouds and rain’ (sex)?”

“If you’re willing, nothing could be better,” Zhou Zheqiang’s grin grew more triumphant.

Meng Qingwu glanced at him, then at the crowd. This was a Cheng family banquet; it wouldn’t be good to cause an ugly scene in public.

“Fine. Let’s go outside and chat.”

Zhou Zheqiang broke into a full grin, already imagining having his way with her. He didn’t loosen his grip on her hand as he impatiently led her toward the exit.

“Where are you going?”

Meng Qingwu’s other hand was suddenly grabbed, forcing them to a halt.

Meng Qingwu froze. She looked down at the slender hand holding her, then looked up. A familiar face came into view.

It was actually Cheng Die.