Under the moonlight

So you've been through so much fear and despair. Xu Ao imagined the hellish scene she had just described and unconsciously hugged her even tighter.

Huang Meng cried in his arms for a while before gradually stopping her tears. The emotions she had suppressed for several days were released, and she felt a little more relaxed. Huang Meng slowly pulled away from his arms, lowered her head, and sniffled as she said, "Thank you. Um, your clothes are wet. I'm sorry."

Huang Meng pointed to his chest, and Xu Ao looked down and smiled, saying, "Then you wash it for me, remember to wash it by hand." Huang Meng looked up, two lines of tears still on her cheeks, staring at him in disbelief.

Xu Ao wore a smug grin, then gestured for her to sit down. Huang Meng glared at him as he turned to sit, thinking, "Thinking he's a nice guy? Pshaw!"

Huang Meng casually pulled up a chair and sat down next to Xu Ao. Seeing that her expression had returned to normal, Xu Ao said seriously, "Do you want to reconsider what happened earlier? After all, it's hard to find a professional translator like you in this situation."

Huang Meng lowered her head and pondered for a while. She knew that there were still so many people living here. If the supplies were cut off, the consequences would not be much better than in the city. Besides, she was just acting as a translator and was on behalf of the embassy, ​​so there shouldn't be any problems.

She looked at Xu Ao and nodded. Xu Ao smiled happily. It was the first time Huang Meng had ever seen him smile like that. He even had a little tiger tooth. His eyes were no longer serious and earnest as before, but instead revealed joy. It was like the kind of younger, cute puppy described in novels.

Huang Meng was suddenly startled by the thought in her mind and quickly sat up straight, no longer looking at him.

Xu Ao saw her suddenly turn her head, her round earlobes blushing pink. Xu Ao chuckled inwardly, but still said to her seriously, "Well, I was just asking for your opinion on this matter in advance. Since you agreed, we'll discuss the next steps in detail at our meeting this afternoon. Please come to the meeting this afternoon."

Huang Meng turned to look at him and nodded, and the two left the conference room.

Li Linlin sat in the corner of the restaurant watching the two of them come in one after the other. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but when she saw that Xu Ao's expression was the same as usual and he didn't seem to care much about Huang Meng, a glimmer of hope rose in her heart.

Seeing Huang Meng carrying a tray and looking for a seat, she stood up and waved vigorously at her. Huang Meng noticed her, smiled at her, and walked over to sit down opposite her.

Li Linlin turned her head to look at Xu Ao sitting diagonally behind them, then glanced at Huang Meng who was eating with her head down. She couldn't help but lean forward curiously and asked in a low voice, "Sister Huang Meng, what did you guys go to do just now? Why did you take so long?"

Huang Meng looked up at Li Linlin's wide, curious eyes, then glanced at Xu Ao. Just then, Xu Ao also looked up at her. He smiled faintly, looked at Huang Meng with gentle eyes, nodded slightly, and then started talking to his colleague across from him.

Huang Meng stared blankly at him. This man wasn't much older than her, yet he possessed a maturity beyond his years. His smile was gentle, but when he became serious, his sharp eyes were somewhat intimidating. Every time she saw him, his hair and clothes were impeccably groomed. Although he appeared thin, the firm muscles in his arms when she hugged him earlier...

"Sister Huang Meng, what are you thinking about?" Just as Huang Meng was lost in thought, Li Linlin noticed that she seemed to be daydreaming and not answering her question, so she waved her hand in front of her. Huang Meng came back to her senses, chuckled, and was somewhat helpless that she could be so infatuated.

Li Linlin turned around and glanced at Xu Ao, who was eating with his head down. He then asked the same question again. Huang Meng thought for a moment and said, "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I wasn't the last one to arrive here, and he wanted to ask me what the situation was like in the city when I came."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it?"

"Didn't he say anything else to you?" Huang Meng asked, amused by her question. "What could he possibly say to me?"

Li Linlin, sitting opposite Huang Meng, rested her elbows on the table, looked Huang Meng up and down, and said with a smile, "Sister Huang Meng, do you have a boyfriend?"

Huang Meng was taken aback by her sudden question, but she really didn't. Although she didn't know why she was asking, she honestly replied, "No, why?"

Huang Meng, seemingly unwilling to give up, asked, "Do you have someone you like or someone you have a crush on?"

Huang Meng sighed helplessly and said, "But if I had to say who I like, it would be Li Xingyun."

Li Linlin definitely didn't know who Li Xingyun was, but she seemed very happy to hear that Li Xingyun had someone she liked. Huang Meng asked her curiously, "Why are you asking me these things?"

Li Linlin wasn't one to mince words. She leaned close to Huang Meng's ear and whispered, "I've liked Xu Ao ever since I came here. He always has this businesslike expression on his face, no matter who he's dealing with. I've never seen him show any particular concern for anyone. He's always so polite. But I like men who seem a bit aloof. I feel a real sense of accomplishment if I can win him over and see him get anxious and emotionally unstable for me. When he called you over earlier, I thought he had a crush on you. But since you have someone you like, I have nothing to hold back, haha~"

After listening to her, Huang Meng looked at her obedient appearance and shook her head helplessly, saying, "Sigh, novels are harmful! Look at you, such a beautiful young girl, turned into a pervert who mistakes possessiveness for love~"

After Huang Meng finished speaking, she stood up and prepared to leave. Li Linlin quickly got up and followed her. She still had a lot to say. Just as they reached the stairwell, a loud crashing sound of plates shattering came from the lobby, followed by a man's loud shout: "You dare to secretly take food? You eat one serving and take another. Doesn't that mean you're taking two servings by yourself!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd in the hall erupted in a noisy discussion. Huang Meng and Li Linlin exchanged a glance and quickly walked back to the hall.

People had already formed a circle. Pushing their way to the front, they saw the woman kneeling on the ground, slowly picking up the scattered food piece by piece. Huang Meng reached out to help her up. The woman kept her head down and remained silent. The discontent from the surrounding crowd grew louder and louder.

"We've already said that each person gets their own portion of food, so why are you secretly taking more?"

"Exactly! They look so clean, how come their hands are so dirty!"

"Hey, maybe she just has a big appetite. One serving per person isn't enough for her, humph."

Huang Meng heard every word from each person. The woman beside her was already in tears, her head bowed low, her hands tightly clutching her clothes, her body trembling slightly.

If Huang Meng hadn't been supporting her, she probably would have collapsed to the ground long ago. Huang Meng watched as she bit her lip tightly without saying a word, and couldn't help but wonder if she had some kind of trouble.

She shouted to the crowd, "Stop talking! I'll pay for the meal she stole next time. I'll give up mine." Hearing this, the discontented voices in the crowd gradually subsided, and everyone slowly dispersed. Huang Meng helped the woman sit down on a chair nearby, and the woman slowly raised her head and said to Huang Meng, "Thank you."

Huang Meng didn't speak. Looking at the woman's clean and fair face, and then at the clothes on her body, she didn't seem like the kind of person who would steal food. Huang Meng then thought of the rat that scurried out of her room that day. What exactly happened?

Huang Meng glanced at Li Linlin, who was waiting somewhat bored, and said with a smile to the woman, "Sister, let us take you home." Upon hearing this, the woman immediately raised her head and waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, I can do it myself."

After speaking, she stood up, nodded slightly to Huang Meng, and left. Huang Meng and Li Linlin were also going back, so they followed the woman upstairs. The woman's room was at the very end of the corridor. After Li Linlin went into the room, Huang Meng stood at the door without moving, watching the woman in front of her. The woman stopped at the door but didn't rush to open it. She turned to look at Huang Meng, who smiled slightly at her, then opened the door and went inside. The woman only opened the door after seeing that there was no one else in the corridor, then slipped inside and immediately closed the door.