When the Male Lead Finds Out I’m the Transmigrator Trying to Win Him Over - Chapter 5

Meng Tingmo did not miss the trace of panic on Yun Ruo’s face.

He hadn’t even finished speaking when he could already feel Yun Ruo’s body tense up. His heart turned slightly cold—so it was true, Yun Ruo had lied to him.

Her acting wasn’t even that good; with just one probe he managed to expose her. And yet, he had been deceived for eight whole years.

Meng Tingmo, you really brought this on yourself.

Compared to Meng Tingmo’s ease and composure, Yun Ruo was far more inexperienced.

She didn’t know how to lie. In the past, Meng Tingmo never paid attention to this—after all, there were too many people pursuing him, one more Yun Ruo didn’t matter.

But in this situation, being asked so suddenly—especially when he mentioned the words “for profit”—the unprepared Yun Ruo immediately panicked.

She was guilty, at least in her own eyes. At the very beginning, her pursuit of Meng Tingmo really hadn’t been because of love.

She had deceived him.

But later, she truly did fall for him.

“Why would you think that?” Yun Ruo forced herself to remain calm. “If I didn’t like you, why would I cling to you all these years? If I was after some benefit, what could I possibly be after?”

A lie requires countless other lies to support it. When it came to the system and the whole “strategy mission” business, Yun Ruo was bound by restrictions—she literally couldn’t speak of it.

“Who knows.” Meng Tingmo no longer believed her. Yesterday, He Xitong had contacted him, probing about what he meant that day. Meng Tingmo directly asked her if she had experienced an awakening dream. She said yes. After that, he could no longer doubt.

Three people had the exact same dream. In it, Yun Ruo schemed to win him over for money and even manipulated He Xitong’s feelings.

How could he not believe it?

“The Meng family has money—maybe you were after that?”

Yun Ruo’s eyes flew wide open. Did he really think she pursued him for money? Impossible.

“What’s wrong with you? Bringing up things from eight years ago out of nowhere—is that why you’ve been cold to me? You think I was after your money?”

Yet her shocked reaction, in Meng Tingmo’s eyes, was merely further proof—her lie had been exposed, and unable to come up with a better explanation, she could only feign surprise.

He felt weary.

He no longer had the patience to act alongside her. If Yun Ruo had simply admitted it outright, he might’ve thought there was still hope for her.

“Forget it.” He turned and brushed past her. “Nothing left to say. I’m tired. I’ll wash up first.”

“Meng Tingmo!” Yun Ruo refused to let the conversation end unresolved. At the very least, she needed time to explain. She grabbed his sleeve tightly, only for him to shake her off mercilessly.

Bang. The bathroom door slammed shut.

Yun Ruo stood frozen, incredulous. So after all this time, the root of Meng Tingmo’s anger was that he thought she loved money, not him?

She suddenly felt like he was covering his ears, shaking his head, shouting “I don’t hear, I don’t hear”—utterly absurd. And then she remembered: it was after his talk with Jiang Yufei that he’d gone completely cold toward her. Could Jiang Yufei have said something?

But no—the problem wasn’t Jiang Yufei. The problem was Meng Tingmo not trusting her. If he truly stood by her side, no matter what outsiders said, it wouldn’t matter.

Three years of marriage, and this was their first crisis of trust.

Yun Ruo climbed into bed, pulling the blanket over her. How could she prove she wasn’t after money? At their wedding, she had refused the shares and properties he tried to transfer to her—it was Meng Tingmo who insisted.

And now he said she was after money.

Yun Ruo was angry too.

When Meng Tingmo came out from washing up, she didn’t look at him. She simply said that if he really needed proof, she could return all the shares and properties he had transferred to her before marriage.

Meng Tingmo only sneered.

Yun Ruo: ?

Now she was truly angry!

She turned her back toward him, butt facing him, eyes closed, forcing herself into sleep.

Meng Tingmo almost laughed in disbelief.

She was angry? He had been deceived for eight years and hadn’t even exploded yet! Talking about returning the assets—wasn’t that just another tactic? Once she regained his trust, wouldn’t the money still be hers for the taking?

He didn’t go to bed. Instead, he pulled a blanket from the cabinet, sat on the sofa, and continued working.

He couldn’t go to another room—otherwise his parents would suspect something.

Minutes turned to hours. Soon, it was past midnight.

The house was quiet, only the sound of keys tapping breaking the silence. The bedside lamp glowed warmly. Yun Ruo opened her eyes.

She had tried, but still couldn’t fall asleep.

Her hand stroked her belly as she turned over, gaze landing on the sofa. Meng Tingmo was leaning there, still awake.

What was the point of being so stubborn?

He wouldn’t listen, he wouldn’t take back his money. At this moment, Yun Ruo truly had no way to deal with him.

Tomorrow, she would ask Xitong.

She had planned to go today, but had delayed it because of the family dinner. Just thinking of He Xitong made her heart pound uneasily.

“Still not sleeping?” Meng Tingmo suddenly raised his head.

He was sensitive to movement, especially Yun Ruo’s. In the past, he could even tell exactly how many times she turned in her sleep.

What had he been reduced to? He despised himself. Yun Ruo made the slightest sound, and his ears would prick up.

She hadn’t expected him to speak. “Weren’t you ignoring me?” she asked.

He paused for a few seconds. “Only for the child’s sake.”

“You once said I was more important than the child.”

“That was before.”

Yun Ruo nearly choked on her own breath.

At a time like this, he could still say such words—did he even have a heart?

The next morning, neither Yun Ruo nor Meng Tingmo spoke to each other.

Madam Meng noticed immediately, anxiety rising. She had assumed the two of them had reconciled overnight. But now, things seemed worse.

She scolded her son: “Your wife was your choice. Do you remember how you told me back then? That you would marry no one but her. And now she’s carrying your child, and you’re still sulking with her?”

“Are you even a man?”

Madam Meng wasn’t unreasonable—she didn’t blindly take her son’s side. Even if Yun Ruo weren’t pregnant, she would still try to mediate.

Meng Tingmo was tongue-tied. Back then, when Madam Meng had wanted a marriage match of equal status, she had warned that a girl from a small family might only be after their money. He had argued back, saying Yun Ruo was kind, pure, and would never be with him for money.

Now his face burned with irony. He couldn’t even tell the truth aloud.

“I know what I’m doing.” He left in irritation.

Madam Meng slammed the table. Clearly, they hadn’t disciplined him enough when he was young—no wonder he was so stubborn now.

Since he was impossible to talk to, she turned to Yun Ruo. Yun Ruo listened patiently. Yesterday she hadn’t known the reason, but today she did. Yet it was even harder to explain. What could she say—that her husband suspected she had only married him for money? She was terrified her in-laws might think the same.

So she stayed with Madam Meng in the old house that morning, chatting, before going to see He Xitong at her company in the afternoon.

The He family was wealthy too. After graduating, He Xitong had joined her family’s business. She was now doing so well that the board of directors held her in high regard.

Before Yun Ruo married, He Xitong had once told her that if Meng Tingmo ever treated her badly, she could always come to her instead. “I have money. I can keep you well-fed, we’ll indulge in luxury, even hire male models if you like.”

The memory brought a small smile to Yun Ruo’s lips. At the company, the receptionist already recognized her and let her through directly. He Xitong’s secretary even served her snacks and tea. Everything seemed fine—except He Xitong refused to see her.

At first Yun Ruo didn’t realize. The secretary explained that there was a sudden urgent meeting. When Yun Ruo offered to wait, the secretary suggested she go home instead. But Yun Ruo insisted on staying.

Yet even after office hours, He Xitong never appeared.

Finally, Yun Ruo understood.

Her lack of replies the past few days wasn’t because she was busy. Just like Meng Tingmo, He Xitong was angry with her about something.

“I just want to see your boss, even for a few minutes,” she pleaded sincerely.

The secretary looked troubled, but went to report. Two minutes later, she returned: “I’m sorry, Miss Yun. The meeting still isn’t over.”

Realizing she wouldn’t see her today, Yun Ruo left alone, eyes unfocused.

Outside the building, she thought of going home—then remembered she hadn’t asked the driver to come pick her up.

It was rush hour. She found a seat outside to wait.

In just one week, how had everything turned into this?

She was lost. She had gone over her recent behavior countless times, even tracing back months, even a year—she hadn’t done anything wrong to anyone.

So why had both Meng Tingmo and He Xitong turned away from her?

Looking around, the street was crowded, yet without those two, she had no one left to confide in. Yun Jia could have been an option, but he had enough burdens already.

She lowered her head.

Upstairs, He Xitong stood by the window, gazing down at the tiny figure who had already been waiting half an hour.

She rubbed her face, her head pounding.

Calling her secretary in, she handed over a red envelope and pointed to Yun Ruo below.

The secretary understood.

Yun Ruo was still spacing out when the secretary approached. “Miss Yun, your driver hasn’t arrived yet?”

Pulled back to reality, she checked her phone. The driver was still stuck in traffic.

“Might be a while.”

“I see.” The secretary asked casually, “Where are you headed?”

Somewhat puzzled, Yun Ruo still replied: “Home, near Liuli Road.”

The secretary lit up: “Perfect! I’m heading there for dinner anyway. Why don’t I give you a ride? I drove today.”

Yun Ruo: ?

The secretary grinned. “Really—it’s terrible traffic right now. Who knows how long you’ll wait if you stay. Come with me, we can take a different route.”

She added quickly: “If you’re worried, you can text your family the plate number first. I just felt bad seeing you wait so long. Nothing else, I promise.”

“Come on, come on.”

And so, Yun Ruo ended up getting into the secretary’s car.

Watching the vehicle drive off from above, He Xitong finally felt some relief.

She told herself it wasn’t out of worry for Yun Ruo—she simply couldn’t stand seeing a pregnant woman wait so long.

“I’m just too kind,” she muttered to herself.

That was why Yun Ruo had been able to use her all this time.

In the car, Yun Ruo quickly realized the truth. “Did Xitong send you?”

The secretary gave an awkward smile. “Ah? I don’t know what you mean.”

Inside, she was cheering: Yes!

The two of them were clearly still concerned for each other—why not just sit down and talk?

Having worked for He Xitong for two years, she knew well how close the two women were.

Yun Ruo didn’t press her. There was no point. But hope stirred in her chest nonetheless.

Xitong still cared.

For the next three days, Yun Ruo went to look for He Xitong every day.

She had no other way. He Xitong wouldn’t answer her calls, her texts, or even return to her usual home. Yun Ruo didn’t want to go chasing after her parents’ house, so she had no choice but to wait at the company.

At last, she succeeded.

“Miss Yun,” the secretary said, “President He asks that you meet her downstairs in the coffee shop.”

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