After learning that Sima Chen had already left ahead of schedule, Mengying considered whether she should also depart for Daheng immediately. Just then, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Jiajia calling.
The moment Mengying answered, Jiajia's excited voice came through the line.
"Xiao Meng, when are you coming? A-Shu and I are already here. Sima Jing booked a suite for us at the Starlight Grand Hotel. He's booked a room for you too."
"A-Shu is here as well?" Mengying asked.
A-Shu was also Mengying's classmate and was close to Jiajia, but Mengying herself only knew her casually. It was probably that Jiajia didn't want to travel alone and had brought A-Shu along. Sima Jing, being generous as always, had arranged a room for A-Shu as well.
"Not just A-Shu," Jiajia continued. "Several of Sima Jing's classmates are here too. I think he covered their rooms as well. I don't know any of them, though."
Sima Jing really was a walking central air conditioner, Mengying thought to herself.
The Sima residence and the exhibition venue were both located in Starlight City, the financial center of Daheng. If she drove on the highway, it would take four hours from Yunxi. Mengying checked the time—it was eight in the morning. Factoring in breakfast and a lunch stop along the way, she would arrive by two in the afternoon.
"Send me the hotel address," Mengying replied. "I'll be there this afternoon."
After hanging up with Jiajia, Mengying turned to Shiwei and said, "Mr. Chen, I'm not sure if you've had breakfast yet. Please wait for me to finish eating, and then we can head to Starlight City."
"No problem, Miss Zhuang. I'll accompany you to the restaurant."
"If you don't mind," Mengying added, "I plan to go first to the Starlight Grand Hotel, where Sima Jing booked rooms for my classmates, to meet them."
"That's fine. I'll take you there," Shiwei replied cooperatively.
Not long after, Mengying was seated in the back of the black sedan Shiwei was driving, heading toward Starlight City. From the back seat, she watched the familiar yet unfamiliar city of Yunxi rapidly recede behind them. Winter sunlight spilled across the straight highway. Leafless trees lined both sides of the road, and frost shimmered faintly on the grass by the roadside. Scattered houses dotted the distance. All of it, like Yunxi itself, was quickly left far behind as the car sped forward.
At two in the afternoon, the sedan entered the city center of Starlight City.
Starlight appeared to be a highly developed modern metropolis. The city center was a commercial hub, with clusters of high-rise buildings in sleek modern styles. The streets were crowded with people—gentlemen in suits and ladies in wool skirts paired with tall boots walked along the sidewalks. Shop windows and billboards reflected bright light under the winter sun, and the entire city buzzed with a sense of busy energy.
Not long after entering the city center, Chen Shiwei pulled the car up to the entrance of the Starlight Grand Hotel.
The Starlight Grand Hotel stood on West Market Avenue, the busiest commercial street in Starlight City. The hotel was a modern high-rise composed entirely of glass curtain walls, its lines clean and sharp. Under the two o'clock sunlight, the glass façade reflected a blinding white glare.
Before getting out of the car, Chen Shiwei assured Mengying that Sima Chen would contact her shortly. He then handed the car keys to the valet who had approached.
Shiwei accompanied Mengying into the hotel lobby. The reception desk and lounge area featured a minimalist modern design. The floor was paved with light gray marble, and artistic chandeliers hung from the ceiling. At the center of the lobby stood a group of abstract metal sculptures. Along the street-facing side were floor-to-ceiling windows. Mengying noticed several image-conscious passersby from outside of the hotel pausing by the one-way mirrored glass of the window to check their appearance in its reflective surface.
When Mengying reached the front desk area, Chen Shiwei set down her luggage beside her. He lowered his voice and said, "Goodbye, Miss Zhuang," then turned and left.
Alone, Mengying stepped up to the front desk and asked whether a room had been reserved under her name. Just as Jiajia had said, Sima Jing had booked a private guest room specifically for her.
After receiving the key card, Mengying took the elevator upstairs and entered her room. The room was decorated in a clean, understated modern style.
She set down her luggage and had just sat by the window on the sofa, pouring herself a glass of water to rest for a moment, when her phone rang.
Mengying assumed it was Jiajia or Sima Jing calling, but when she looked, there was no number displayed. She hesitated before answering. The voice that came through the phone belonged to her mother.
"Nannan, are you all right? Where are you now? Yunxi or Starlight?" Her mother's voice carried a trace of worry.
Her mother had never called her cell phone before. She must have just gotten the number from Aunt Mei and Uncle Qiang. Perhaps they were worried about this trip and had given her the number. It seemed they had even shared the details of her itinerary. Mengying thought to herself.
"Mom? Are you doing okay? I left Yunxi this morning and have already arrived in Starlight."
"Did Sima Chen send someone to pick you up?" her mother asked.
Even that detail had been reported? And Aunt Mei had said that informing Sima Chen was her mother's arrangement. It seemed her mother had always been arranging her life from behind the scenes, yet never telling her anything.
"Mom, have you been in contact with Sima Chen all these years? And what's going on with the childhood engagement you arranged with Old Madam Yuwen? Why have you never told me about it?"
"You were too young back then. Your father and I wanted to discuss it with you when you were older. Besides, this isn't your father's generation anymore—marriages aren't decided solely by parents."
So even her father had once been engaged as a child? That was new information.
"Dad had a childhood engagement too?"
"No. That was Daheng's custom. I'm not from Daheng. And fortunately, your father's engagement was annulled early by your grandfather. Otherwise, you wouldn't exist."
Mengying understood what her mother meant—if her father had married that other girl, he wouldn't have been with her mother, and Mengying would never have been born.
"Why was it annulled? Was there something wrong with the girl's family?" Mengying asked, curious.
"I'm not sure. Your father mentioned it once—it seemed the girl's family went bankrupt. Your father was young at the time and probably didn't ask many questions."
So it was her grandfather's disdain for poverty. A bankrupt family could never compare to her mother's Li family. Mengying had never met her grandfather, who had passed away long ago, and hadn't expected him to be so snobbish.
"What happened to the family that got their engagement canceled?" Mengying asked, feeling some sympathy for the girl.
"Your father never said. In any case, the engagement was canceled, so there was no need for me to ask further," her mother replied. Then, as if realizing the conversation had drifted, she decisively pulled it back on track. "None of that matters, and it's all in the past. You always like to digress—I got sidetracked by you. What I want to say is, your father and I are open-minded parents. We won't force you into an engagement or cancel one the way your grandfather did. Whether you accept the marriage in the end is entirely up to you. Haven't you already met Sima Chen? Old Madam Yuwen said you agreed to the engagement yourself."
So her mother was shifting responsibility for not informing her back then. But what version of events was she referring to when she said Mengying had agreed?
"Old Madam Yuwen told you that? What did Aunt Mei tell you?" Mengying pressed.
"Aunt Mei is just a servant. What is there to discuss with her regarding your marriage?" Her mother's tone carried a hint of impatience.
Mengying suddenly realized that her mother hadn't answered her earlier question about Sima Chen.
"So you've been in contact with Sima Chen all these years? He said that you and Dad going abroad back then had something to do with his uncle."
"Your father and I going abroad was indeed arranged by Yuwen Hao at the beginning. But you going to Anya University was arranged by your father and me—it has nothing to do with the Yuwen family. And you must never let Yuwen Hao know who you are. That's why I'm calling you—to remind you of this. Do you understand?" Her mother's voice sounded anxious.
Not letting Yuwen Hao know? Did that mean her mother suspected there was something wrong with him?
"I understand. But why?"
"I don't have time to explain everything today. Just remember what I said. Sima Chen should explain things to you in more detail. I'm relieved now that I know you arrived safely. Take care of yourself. I'll contact you again next time," her mother said hurriedly.
"Mom, your contact information—" Mengying began, but the call was already disconnected.
What her mother said on the phone matched closely with what Aunt Mei had told her. It seemed her mother really was in contact with Sima Chen. Yet she believed Sima Chen's uncle was problematic, while still placing trust in Sima Chen himself. She had also said that Sima Chen would explain matters regarding Yuwen Hao in detail later.
Before getting out of the car, Chen Shiwei had given Mengying Sima Chen's phone number. Should she call him now? Or wait for him to call her?
Sima Chen had rushed back to Daheng overnight—it must have been for something urgent. It would be better to wait for his call. Jiajia and the others were probably waiting for her. She should call Jiajia first.
With that thought, Mengying dialed Jiajia's number.