Under the moonlight

Zhao Meng put the box back in its original place. Back then, things weren't as convenient as they are now. He didn't have Huang Meng's contact information. All his mother had left was their home phone number. After they moved away, he had no way to contact her.

He also asked Huang Meng's good friends in X city if they had contacted her, and they said they had written letters.

But back then, he was too proud to write letters like a girl. Some things, if not said directly, always seemed a bit pretentious when written on paper.

And so he lost contact with Huang Meng, and the question he had always wanted to ask remained unasked. When he first met her, he was indeed nervous and excited, and he also wanted to ask her the question that had been buried in his heart for so many years.

But he was also afraid that she had forgotten him and the past, so he had been waiting for the right opportunity. But today, as he watched her smile and snuggle into his arms, he finally understood that the dull pain he felt somewhere in his body was what people call heartache.

It turns out that I've always cared about her, but after so many years of missing each other, I've even neglected my own feelings. Maybe she feels the same way?

Zhao Meng composed himself and left the room. Seeing the food already laid out on the table, Tian Mengyun asked as he sat down, "What's wrong? You look so worried as soon as you get back. Is something wrong at the company?"

"It's alright, don't worry. By the way, is Qiqi coming back this weekend?" Zhao Meng asked while eating.

"I don't know. That girl is very wild, just like you when you were little. Sigh!" She gets a headache whenever she talks about her daughter. Her flamboyant personality is exactly the same as her brother's. But she is a girl after all, and being too flamboyant is not a good thing.

"Hehe, really? Did she make you angry again? It's okay, I'll deal with her when we get back!" Zhao Meng didn't take it seriously; a girl's soft personality isn't necessarily a good thing.

"Hmph, you two have given me no end of trouble!" Tian Mengyun rolled her eyes at Zhao Meng and went to watch TV.

Zhao Meng finished his food in a few bites and was about to leave when he said, "Oh, Mom, I'll be back a little late tonight."

"Should we keep you for dinner?" Tian Mengyun had just asked when she was met with a loud slamming of the door.

"Seriously, they all come and go like the wind, sigh!"

Zhao Meng got into the car, took out the photo and looked at it again, took a deep breath, and made a phone call to Huang Meng.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Huang Meng had just arrived home when she received a call from Zhao Meng.

"Okay, something's come up at the company this afternoon. Also, don't call me boss anymore." He then hung up the phone.

Huang Meng stared blankly at her phone. If not "boss," what should she call him? Zhao Meng? Zhao Meng… Huang Meng silently repeated his name in her mind, as if it had been a long time since she had called him that.

However, since she said it was something that happened at the company, she didn't linger. She greeted her parents when she got home, rested for a bit, and then went out again.

Zhao Meng didn't rush to the company; instead, he went to find someone.

"Is your boss here?" He stopped in front of a teahouse, went inside, and asked directly.

"Um, may I ask who you are?" the receptionist asked politely.

"Zhao Meng, go talk to your boss." After saying that, Zhao Meng sat down on the sofa in the lobby.

A moment later, Chen Zhi came over, looked Zhao Meng up and down for a while, then punched him on the shoulder. "It really is you! I thought it was just a coincidence of names! When did you get back, kid?" Chen Zhi put his arm around Zhao Meng's shoulder and walked towards his office.

"Let go of me! What are you doing hugging and cuddling me like that? I can walk by myself. You lead the way." Zhao Meng said helplessly, pushing Chen Zhi's arm away.

"Come, please sit down!" Zhao Meng looked at his impressive office and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, Mr. Chen has such good taste! This office is truly luxurious and grand!" Chen Zhi kept chuckling as he busied himself making tea.

"You still haven't said when you got back?" Chen Zhi handed the teacup to Zhao Meng and asked again.

"I came back before the New Year and was busy taking care of my business, so I didn't have time to contact you."

"Oh, what kind of business?"

“I met a friend in X city before. He lives in S country all year round. He told me that there is a lack of light industrial products there, and most of them need to be imported. I happen to know a few friends who are also in this business, so I took over a few workshops from them.” Zhao Meng finished speaking and took a sip of tea.

"Hmm, but didn't S country have a war recently? Won't you lose money doing business with them?" Chen Zhi said worriedly.

"Losing money is certain, but in the long run, I won't lose money. Oh, that's not what I came to talk about. There's something I'd like you to help me with." Zhao Meng remembered the purpose of his visit and changed the subject.

"Just tell me what it is!"

"Huang Meng, do you still remember her?" Zhao Meng asked directly without wasting any words.

"Huang Meng? The Huang Meng who transferred schools later!" Chen Zhi still had a fairly deep impression of Huang Meng.

"Yes, it's her. She's now one of my employees," Zhao Meng said calmly, looking at the surprised Chen Zhi.

"Oh no, she works at your company, so she knows you..."

"I'm not sure. After all, we were only teenagers back then, and we've had very little contact over the years. I don't know if she still remembers me," Zhao Meng said somewhat dejectedly.

Looking at his appearance, Chen Zhi guessed what was going on.

After that incident, he felt guilty and secretly went to the hospital to see Zhao Meng, but Zhao Meng was still angry and refused to listen to him.

Later, although they were still in the same class, they rarely had any contact. If it weren't for that time when Chen Zhi stood up to protect Zhao Qiqi from being bullied, the two of them might never have spoken another word to each other again.

However, it was precisely because of this that Zhao Mengcai learned many years later from a casual conversation with Chen Zhi that Huang Meng had indeed rushed in and stood in front of him, stopping Jing Hong.

"Didn't you already know that it was she who stopped Jinghong?" Chen Zhi asked Zhao Meng, puzzled.

“But I want to hear her say it herself. What I want to know is why she stood in front of me back then.” He just wanted to ask her directly why she chose to do that.

"Okay, so what do you want me to help you with?"

"Pretend to bump into us."

"And then?" Chen Zhi asked, puzzled.

"Then, you pretend that we've never met before, and ask her to arrange a dinner."

"The three of us?"

“Yes, of course, it can be more than that. I know you still keep in touch with your former classmates, especially a few of them,” Zhao Meng said earnestly, looking at Chen Zhi with a puzzled expression.

"No, I just don't understand why you're going through all this trouble. Why don't you just say what you want to say to her directly?" Hearing Zhao Meng's words, he really couldn't understand why they were going through all this trouble.

"You don't need to understand, just tell me if you'll help or not!" Zhao Meng glanced at the time; he had to go to the workshop to oversee things in the afternoon and didn't have time to explain.

"Okay, I understand, don't worry!" Seeing that he was in a hurry to leave, Chen Zhi didn't ask any more questions and agreed.

"Okay, I have something to do, I'll be going now." Zhao Meng hurriedly drank a sip of tea and walked out.

Chen Zhi quickly got up and followed, "Oh, right, when will I, her, and you guys, bump into each other?"

"I'll send you my location this afternoon. Remember, it'll be the first time you meet me, so don't give yourself away," Zhao Meng reminded him again, still not entirely at ease.

Chen Zhi quickly nodded, assuring everyone that he wouldn't mess it up!

After Zhao Meng left, Chen Zhi stood in front of his shop watching the dust kicked up by his car. After thinking for a moment, he understood. Zhao Meng was always arrogant, and he probably just wanted Chen Zhi to provide an opportunity to smoothly bring up the events of that year so that he could follow up and ask for the answers he wanted to know.

"Hey, this Zhao Meng, since he cares about Huang Meng but can't bring himself to admit that he's been thinking about her for years, he even made me act. Sigh, how am I supposed to act out this chance encounter!"

Although I was worried, I still dug out many old classmates' WeChat messages and sent greetings to them one by one. Then I turned off my phone and waited for their replies.