Best friend turned enemy? Marrying the villain, if she runs, I'll run too.

Song Guanting never called Gao Yali "Mom." As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding." Meng Tang also maintained her professional ethics and only addressed her as "Aunt Gao."

A gentle voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Xiao Tang, are you still busy? It's like this, the old man has something urgent to discuss with you. Why don't you come to the old house now?"

What could Old Master Song possibly need from her?

If it were truly Grandpa Song who needed to contact her, it would be Grandpa Song himself who would call, not Gao Yali.

Nine times out of ten, it's because Go Ah-ri herself has something going on.

"I'm on the mountain, it will take at least three or four hours. Hello? The signal is bad here, hello?"

Snapped.

Without even blinking, Meng Tang moved the phone away and decisively pressed the hang-up button.

"Is it Song Guanting's stepmother causing trouble again? Sigh, being a rich wife in a wealthy family isn't easy. Fu Jishu's second uncle's family is even worse."

"If it weren't for Fu Jishu's money, I would have beaten that family into second-degree cripples long ago. It's really a headache to argue with them."

Li Su has always been the type to take action rather than talk, so it's not easy for her to have endured this long.

Meng Tang patted her shoulder with deep feeling, "There's nothing we can do. Money is hard to earn and life is tough. But it's a shortcut to making money. If you can endure it for a while, you'll see the bigger picture. If you take a step back, you'll get rich sooner."

As the two were talking, they entered the main hall and saw an old monk meditating next to the Buddha statue.

A yellow cloth was spread out in front of the old monk, on which various items were placed.

Meng Tang immediately took a liking to a string of small-leaf sandalwood Pixiu prayer beads.

"Master, do you sell this string of prayer beads?"

The old monk opened his eyes and said Amitabha: "Female benefactor, our meeting is fate. These are all blessed and have spiritual power. If you like, you can choose one and offer it to Buddha."

Li Su asked curiously, "Tangtang, what do you need the Buddhist prayer beads for?"

"My sugar daddy is generous with money, so I have to reciprocate occasionally. This way, he'll be more willing to give me money in the future. Besides, these prayer beads have been blessed, so maybe they can even suppress his murderous aura."

Li Su touched her chin, thinking that what he said made sense, but she did not choose Buddhist beads, but instead picked a talisman.

"Fu Jishu is sickly, so I'll give him a talisman in the hope that he can hold on until I've saved enough money to run away."

The two each chose one item, and Meng Tang squatted down again, her eyes crinkling, and respectfully discussed it with the old monk.

“Master, there is one more thing. I am a director. After visiting Pudu Temple today, I felt that it has a great ancient charm. I would like to bring my film crew here to shoot scenes in the future.”

"Rest assured, I will not disturb the masters' meditation. Furthermore, I am willing to donate incense money to have the Buddha's statue gilded as a sign of my sincerity. Is that alright with you?"

The old monk was very kind: "The mountain road to Pudu Temple is difficult to travel. If you do not mind, you may come and go as you please. However, the backyard is where the monks practice, so please do not disturb them."

Meng Tang readily agreed, "Thank you, Master!"

After strolling around for a while, Meng Tang and Li Su descended the mountain together.

The old monk watched the two figures disappear into the distance and said in a profound and enigmatic way, "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; thus should they be viewed."

*

When Meng Tang finally arrived at the Song family's old house, it was already past dinner time.

She deliberately ate dinner with Li Su outside before coming over, since she didn't want to eat with the Song family.

The wealthy have many rules: one must not speak while eating or sleeping; eating is like attending a funeral, and even the sound of chewing cannot be heard.

This made Meng Tang, who usually ate casually and did whatever made her happy, feel extremely uncomfortable.

Fortunately, after Song Guanting came of age, he moved out of the Song family's old house and lived alone in Yunding Huafu.

Song Guanting is usually busy with work and doesn't come home for meals very often, so Meng Tang has the whole villa to herself and lives a very carefree life.

"The eldest young mistress has arrived."

The housekeeper came forward to open the door for Meng Tang. Meng Tang thanked him and entered the room. She saw Song Yuanshan sitting on the leather sofa in the living room and Gao Yali pacing back and forth, clearly uneasy.

"Xiao Tang, you've finally arrived! Are you at work? Look at you, you've gotten even thinner. I always told you that Guan Ting is too busy with work and doesn't take good care of you. Why don't you all move back to the old house? It's more lively when the whole family is together, isn't it?"

Gao Yali smiled kindly, walked over and took Meng Tang's hand, showing natural familiarity and caring for Meng Tang like a virtuous wife and loving mother.

But Meng Tang's skin was practically covered in goosebumps from her lies.

“I understand Aunt Gao’s intentions, but the lives of us young people are different from those of the older generation. Guan Ting takes good care of me, and we are living very well, so I won’t trouble you.”

While making polite remarks, Meng Tang subtly withdrew her hand.

"Xiao Tang is here."

At that moment, a weak, aged voice came from inside.

Mr. Song sat in a wheelchair, with a servant beside him holding a portable oxygen tank so he could breathe oxygen at any time.

"Hello grandpa."

Meng Tang greeted her politely, "We were filming on the mountain earlier, and the signal was bad. Aunt Gao said you needed to see me. What is it about?"

"It's like this, Yixuan did something wrong a couple of days ago and he's still in the police station. After all, we're all family, and if word gets out, it will affect the Song family's reputation."

"Guanting has always doted on you, Xiaotang. Talk to him that Yixuan has realized his mistake and will never dare to do it again. Ask him to loosen his grip. Family members don't hold grudges overnight, do they?"

As she spoke, Gao Yali affectionately took off the white jade bracelet with the auspicious patterns of fortune, prosperity, and longevity from her wrist and placed it in Meng Tang's hand.

"I bought this jade bracelet at a charity auction a while ago. Xiaotang, you have fair skin, so it looks best on you."

Is this an attempt to bribe her with sugar-coated bullets?

It's just that Gao Yali and the others really think too highly of her. What kind of illusion makes them think that Song Guanting loves her and will listen to her?

Clearly, Gao Yali's approach to her indicates that even the intervention of Old Master Song to persuade Song Guanting to back down was ineffective in handling Song Yixuan's actions.

How could a fake wife like her have the audacity to change Song Guanting's decision?

Meng Tang looked troubled, but pushed the jade bracelet back.

“Aunt Gao, although I don’t know exactly what my second brother did wrong, the fact that he was detained in the police station means that he has violated core interests. I think Guan Ting did this to teach him a lesson.”

“We’re all family. I believe Guan Ting won’t really let my second brother stay in there forever. When the time comes, he’ll be released naturally. Besides, the police station isn’t a den of dragons or tigers. My second brother won’t suffer any injustice. He might even gain weight.”

Although Meng Tang was heartbroken about losing the jade bracelet, she clearly distinguished between short-term gains and long-term financial security.

It was Song Guanting who gave her the money, not Gao Yali.

Only if Song Guanting remains standing can she continue to make a fortune, so of course she will stand on Song Guanting's side without hesitation.

Gao Yali's face darkened. "So, Xiao Tang, you're not even willing to help with this small favor?"