When the Male Lead Finds Out I’m the Transmigrator Trying to Win Him Over - Chapter 15
Yun Ruo’s gaze fell on the gift bag in Jiang Yufei’s hand, and she suddenly understood what Jiang Yufei meant.
Not only was Meng Tingmo here, but that gift was also from him.
And Meng Tingmo’s whereabouts—she had to ask around to find out.
Somewhat ironic.
Yun Ruo pulled her eyes back. “I didn’t come here to see him.”
Jiang Yufei shrugged. “Who would believe that?”
Rumors of Meng Tingmo’s marriage crisis were already circulating. Jiang Yufei didn’t believe Yun Ruo would be willing to give up on the man she had spent five years painstakingly “conquering.”
Yun Ruo tightened her grip on the bag with the photo album inside. It was heavy in her hand, weighing her down. She turned her eyes away. “Think whatever you want.”
She thought it best to leave quickly. Every time she saw Jiang Yufei, that uneasy feeling surged up again.
But Jiang Yufei had no intention of letting her go so easily. Checking her phone for the time—just about dinner—she smiled and invited Yun Ruo: “Tingmo booked a restaurant. Want to join us?”
Yun Ruo’s heart tightened. She shook her head.
“You don’t want to see him? It’s been a few days since you two met, hasn’t it?”
Yun Ruo frowned. Did Jiang Yufei have to be so aggressive? “I thought you’d at least have some sense of shame.”
“In what way?” Jiang Yufei wasn’t hurt at all by Yun Ruo’s words. In her eyes, the most shameless person was Yun Ruo. “If you mean my good relationship with your husband, shouldn’t you be blaming your husband instead?”
“If he’s cold to me, I’ll just stop going to him.”
“Who told him he can’t live without me right now?”
Every word Jiang Yufei spoke struck Yun Ruo’s heart like a hammer, cruelly precise.
Yun Ruo shut her eyes briefly. In her late pregnancy, how could she even fight back? Jiang Yufei had already thrown away her dignity.
Indeed, a person without shame is invincible.
Just as Yun Ruo was about to speak, Jiang Yufei’s phone lit up with a call.
She looked at the caller ID and smiled. Afraid Yun Ruo wouldn’t see it, she deliberately stepped closer. “See this?” she said smugly.
Yun Ruo immediately knew—it was Meng Tingmo.
Jiang Yufei put the call on speaker. “Tingmo, where are you?”
A low, deep male voice came from the other end: “Waiting for the elevator.”
“You’re already here?” Jiang Yufei kept speaking into the phone, while her eyes stayed fixed on Yun Ruo. “Then come to the fourth floor first. I ran into something. Once I settle it, we’ll go eat.”
Meng Tingmo paused, then said, “Okay.”
The call ended.
Yun Ruo felt her whole body go cold.
Was she the “trouble” that needed to be dealt with?
“Now you’ve got a chance to see him.” Jiang Yufei pocketed her phone, unbothered. “No need to thank me.”
Yun Ruo swallowed, her throat dry and scratchy. “No need.”
She thought of finding Han Qi—maybe he was on the other side. She turned to leave.
They were only a few steps apart. Seeing Yun Ruo about to leave, Jiang Yufei hurried to grab her, unwilling to miss today’s drama.
But in her rush, with thin heels underfoot, Jiang Yufei twisted her ankle and fell just as she reached Yun Ruo.
“Ah!” she cried, collapsing onto the floor. Yun Ruo quickly stepped back to avoid being dragged down.
With no support, Jiang Yufei hit the ground hard. At that very moment—the elevator reached the fourth floor.
Yun Ruo suddenly remembered: Meng Tingmo had just said he was waiting for the elevator. Which meant—
Ding. The elevator doors slid open. A pair of black leather shoes stepped out, attached to a tall man in a long coat. His upright figure was striking, his eyes lifting lazily but coldly toward Yun Ruo.
It all felt like a slow-motion movie scene.
Yun Ruo’s lashes trembled. She hadn’t seen Meng Tingmo in days, and now, suddenly, he felt like a stranger.
She instinctively lowered her gaze—only to meet Jiang Yufei’s on the floor.
Jiang Yufei had already spotted him. “Tingmo,” she called pitifully.
She tried to stand, then gave up, pointing at her left ankle. “Help me up.”
Meng Tingmo walked forward, but instead of immediately helping Jiang Yufei, he turned his questioning gaze to Yun Ruo. “Why would you do this?”
Yun Ruo: ?
She couldn’t believe it. Did he think she pushed Jiang Yufei?
Straight out of an old melodrama. Jiang Yufei had clearly fallen on her own.
“Do you even hear yourself?” Yun Ruo laughed bitterly.
As Meng Tingmo crouched to help Jiang Yufei up, his eyes never left Yun Ruo. “I’m stating a fact.”
Yun Ruo’s throat was dry, her heart aching. She pointed at herself. “You think I’d do something like that?”
Meng Tingmo glanced at Jiang Yufei. They exchanged a quick look before he turned back to Yun Ruo. “You expect me to believe you? You had every reason to.”
But you once said you’d always trust me!
The words surged in Yun Ruo’s chest, ready to burst out, but reason held them back. Now she finally understood why heroines in old novels stayed silent when wrongly accused.
Because explaining was useless.
He wasn’t the same man anymore.
Yun Ruo drew in a breath. “If I’m not mistaken, this is modern society. President Meng, have you been a CEO too long—forgotten about surveillance cameras?”
The words stunned both Meng Tingmo and Jiang Yufei.
How could such a big mall not have cameras? Not to mention, every shop had them.
If necessary, they could find 360-degree footage without blind spots.
“You can ask the manager for the recordings,” Yun Ruo said flatly.
Meng Tingmo: …
Jiang Yufei lowered her head, coughing lightly.
“No need.” Meng Tingmo finally spoke again, his tone flat. “Whatever the result, it won’t change what I think of you.”
Yun Ruo’s nails dug into her palms.
Just then, Han Qi finally returned. “And what exactly do you think?”
He strode forward, irritated. He’d only been gone briefly, yet Yun Ruo had run into this mess.
That bastard Meng Tingmo ought to be dragged out and slaughtered.
Meng Tingmo’s eyes flickered in surprise at seeing Han Qi here. He looked to Jiang Yufei in silent question; she shook her head.
Yun Ruo had been alone the whole time.
“You okay?” Han Qi asked Yun Ruo, looking her over. Pale, but no tears, no redness around the eyes.
He guessed it must be anger. For someone as mild-tempered as Yun Ruo to be driven this far, Meng Tingmo must have spewed some real garbage.
“I’m fine,” Yun Ruo forced a smile.
But to Meng Tingmo, that smile was piercing.
Since when were Yun Ruo and Han Qi so close?
“Han Qi,” Meng Tingmo said coldly, “what are you doing?”
Han Qi casually took the heavy photo album bag from Yun Ruo and swung it lightly, as if weightless. He didn’t spare Meng Tingmo a glance. “Doing a good deed.”
A vein jumped in Meng Tingmo’s temple. “She’s my wife. We’re not divorced.”
“Oh, your wife?” Han Qi drawled, turning to face him directly. “From the way you treated her just now, I thought she was an enemy. Turns out she’s your wife.”
He tilted his chin at Jiang Yufei. “So then, what’s she supposed to be? A mistress? A concubine?”
Gasps echoed from nearby shops. Curious eyes peeked out, staring daggers at Jiang Yufei, who shifted uneasily.
“She’s none of your business,” Meng Tingmo said, shielding Jiang Yufei behind him.
Han Qi’s eyes darkened as he stepped in front of Yun Ruo. “Then neither are we any of yours.”
Meng Tingmo was momentarily speechless, surprised by Han Qi’s interference.
His gaze returned to Yun Ruo. She looked at him calmly, as if there was nothing left to say.
Jiang Yufei tugged at Meng Tingmo’s sleeve, quickly pointing to her ankle. “It hurts.”
So he didn’t linger. He bent down, lifted her in his arms, and carried her toward the elevator. She gave a startled little cry, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Yun Ruo’s heart clenched. She dropped her head instantly.
Just before entering the elevator, Han Qi called out: “Meng Tingmo, after all these years together, you’re throwing it away?”
Meng Tingmo paused, then after two seconds stepped inside. “Throwing it away.”
Throwing it away.
Throwing it away.
The words echoed in Yun Ruo’s ears, making her dry eyes ache with unshed tears.
When she finally opened them, Han Qi was looking at her with concern.
“I’m fine,” Yun Ruo said, pointing upstairs. “Shall we eat? My treat.”
As if nothing had happened.
“You’re not going home?”
“What for? Haven’t had dinner yet.”
Her voice was steady. Han Qi studied her for a long time, finding no cracks, then stepped aside. “Alright. Dinner then. But I’ll pick the place.”
Inside the elevator, Meng Tingmo set Jiang Yufei down at once. Tonight’s dinner had indeed been planned, but it was just for show.
“Still want to eat?” he asked, obviously irritated.
“No, hospital,” Jiang Yufei said, squatting to touch her ankle. It really hurt.
Meng Tingmo frowned. “You actually twisted it?”
“What else?” she retorted, then noticed the doubt in his expression. “You think I faked it? That I fell on purpose to frame Yun Ruo?”
He stayed silent—but his silence was answer enough.
When he stepped out and saw Jiang Yufei on the floor with Yun Ruo nearby, he assumed it was staged.
That’s how it always went on TV.
“It wasn’t like that,” Jiang Yufei said quickly. “I thought you wanted to put on a show, so I played along.”
When he lifted her, she’d almost screamed in shock, thinking it was all an act for Yun Ruo’s sake.
Especially when he said, “Throwing it away.” Such a devastating line.
But when they compared notes, they realized they had misunderstood each other.
“Forget it.” After a long pause, Meng Tingmo finally eased his frown. “At least the result is what we wanted.”
Jiang Yufei didn’t reply. She only glanced at him carefully. Yes, the goal was reached—but Meng Tingmo didn’t look happy at all.
By the sea, Han Qi parked the car and led Yun Ruo to a restaurant.
“A friend owns it. The food’s good. Thought I’d let you try.”
When Yun Ruo got out, the sound of waves echoed in her ears, drifting endlessly.
She faced the sea, the view achingly familiar.
“I used to come here often.”
During the five years she spent pursuing Meng Tingmo, whenever she was heartbroken, she’d come to the shore—sometimes for an hour, sometimes all afternoon—walking until the sea carried away her pain, until she found the courage to keep chasing him.
After they got together, she never stopped to truly admire the scenery again.
“How did you…” She almost asked how Han Qi knew to bring her here, then thought better of it. Probably coincidence. She swallowed the words. “Thank you.”
Han Qi smiled, saying nothing of the truth—that he’d seen her here many times.
In that fifth year, when her struggles peaked, Yun Ruo had come to the sea again and again. And every time, Han Qi had stood quietly by the restaurant’s railing, watching her pace the shore, over and over.
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