Chapter 649 - You Stalked Me
Chapter 649: You Stalked Me
Shi Mengwan struggled for a moment before opening it. Other than a few cards and a stack of cash, there was nothing else like IDs.
Shi Mengwan was about to close the wallet when she saw that the place where the photo was originally placed was white. It seemed to be the back of the photo.
Bewilderment flashed through her mind. In what kind of situation would one not show the front of the photo to others?
She looked at the back of the photo and felt that she could see his secret, but out of politeness, she should put down the wallet and contact Zhan Haoze to ask him to take it.
But she really wanted to know whose photo was in Zhan Haoze’s wallet. She reached out for the photo and was about to take it out —
“Miss Shi seems to have bad manners. Didn’t anyone tell you not to touch other people’s things?”
The sudden voice at the door shocked her so much that she almost threw the wallet in her hand out. Although she didn’t actually throw it out, she almost did.
The wallet fell on the table with a thud. She looked at the tall figure at the door and felt guilty for being caught red-handed.
“Mr. , Mr. Zhan?”
Zhan Haoze stood at the door with an impassive expression on his face. His thin lips were pursed into a straight line. His slender legs were now stepping inside.
With each step, Shi Mengwan felt as if his footsteps were stepping on her heart.
She wanted to stand up, but found that her body was extremely slack. There was no strength in her legs at all.
She could only press her back against the back of the chair she was sitting on. She wasn’t a timid person, but being caught doing such a mischievous thing made her feel cowed.
Zhan Haoze had already walked to the office desk. He walked around the desk and stood directly in front of Shi Mengwan.
Shi Mengwan blinked her eyes and tried her best to remain calm. “Mr. Zhan, my staff found this wallet. I will now return it to its owner.”
She bit the bullet and placed the wallet in front of Zhan Haoze. Zhan Haoze didn’t take it. Instead, he bent down and looked at her.
His gaze was too sharp. Even Shi Mengwan, who had seen many celebrities before, was a little afraid of being stared at like that.
“Mr. Zhan –”
“You’re not going to use the excuse of recognizing the wrong person?”
What did he mean? Shi Mengwan blinked. It took her a few seconds to understand what he meant.
Her face blushed a little. She couldn’t say that she hadn’t recognized the wrong person.
“Mr. Zhan, if you don’t have anything else to say, we’re already off work.”
She lowered her eyes. There was an indescribable sadness in her heart. That year’s events had been deeply engraved in her heart, and left an indelible mark.
But the person who had left such a heavy mark on her life could no longer remember the little things that happened between them.
Shi Mengwan regained her senses and remembered that the man in front of her was no longer her Dear Brother. He was now Zhan Haoze, the boyfriend of another woman.
She stood up and nonchalantly packed the things on the table. Just as she was about to leave, she realized that Zhan Haoze was still standing there motionlessly.
She was about to reach for her bag when she paused for a moment. After thinking about it for a moment, she picked up the wallet again and handed it to Zhan Haoze.
“Mr. Zhan.”
Zhan Haoze stared at her face for a while, then reached out to take the wallet. The moment he took the wallet away, his fingertips brushed against the back of her hand.
His hand was a little cold. It was already past the mid-autumn festival. It was very hot in Lin City during the day, but it was a little cold at night.
However, she still felt that his hand was too cold. The moment she withdrew her hand, she met Zhan Haoze’s gaze.
He was still staring at her. His eyes were long and narrow, and his gaze was sharp. The bridge of his nose was high, and his thin lips were slightly pursed.
Shi Mengwan stared at his lips, and she suddenly had the impulse to move closer and kiss his thin lips.
Were his lips as cold as his hands, or warm?
Shi Mengwan realized what she was thinking, and her face slowly turned a little red. She had never been in a relationship before, and this secret impulse made her feel a little ashamed.
“Mr. Zhan?”
Zhan Haoze stared at her face and finally withdrew his hand, then put away his wallet.
Shi Mengwan breathed a sigh of relief. A man and a woman being in the same room together was too awkward.
However, Shi Mengwan quickly realized that she rejoiced too early.
Her studio was on the third floor of an office building in a decent area of Lin City.
After exiting the studio, there was a short corridor, followed by an elevator.
When the two of them walked to the elevator, Shi Mengwan realized that she was going to take the elevator with Zhan Haoze.
Realizing this, she took two steps back.
Zhan Haoze pressed the elevator button at this moment. When he saw her movement, he turned around and looked at her.
“Um, Mr. Zhan, you can go first. I seem to have forgotten to lock the door.”
As she spoke, she took another step back. The elevator arrived at this time, but Zhan Haoze stood there without moving.
“You locked it just now.”
“Huh?”
“When you came out, you locked it.”
Really? Shi Mengwan felt inexplicably awkward. The elevator opened, and Zhan Haoze stood there looking at her. She was helpless. She gritted her teeth and quickly walked into the elevator.
Zhan Haoze looked at her back and followed her into the elevator.
The door closed, and only the two of them were left in the narrow space.
Shi Mengwan had never felt like this before. It was just three floors, but it made her feel as if years had passed by.
Zhan Haoze was standing less than fifty centimeters away from her. She could even smell his scent. It was a faint, minty scent.
The last time she thought he was her big brother, she smelled the same scent. She discreetly moved to the side to put some distance between them.
When she looked up, she saw Zhan Haoze staring at her face. She stopped there just like that. Her face was burning. Such abnormal behavior wasn’t her usual self.
The elevator didn’t move. She couldn’t help but look at the top of the elevator and realized that they had been staying on the third floor.
She was stunned. She didn’t understand why Zhan Haoze didn’t press the button for the floor. She looked at Zhan Haoze. He was also looking at her.
Shi Mengwan felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She didn’t understand what he was trying to do. She didn’t want to stay in such an enclosed space with ZhanHaoze, so she could only choose to press that one button.
The moment her hand was about to touch the button, Shi Mengwan realized that as she leaned closer to the button, she also leaned closer to Zhan Haoze.
Her arm brushed past his body, and her shoulder was very close to him. Such a close distance made Shi Mengwan momentarily lose her composure.
She instinctively looked at Zhan Haoze and realized that he was also looking at her.
His deep gaze was sullen, and she couldn’t discern the meaning in his gaze, but those words came out instinctively.
“Dear Brother?”
The expression in Zhan Haoze’s eyes suddenly changed and became a little gloomier.
Shi Mengwan was startled by the sudden change in the expression in his eyes and subconsciously wanted to retreat. However, she had forgotten that she was leaning forward.
With this retreat, her entire body lost its balance. She instinctively tried to grab something, but other than Zhan Haoze, there was nothing else in front of her that she could grab.
In a split second, Shi Mengwan gave up and allowed her body to move forward. She wanted to use her hands to stabilize her body.
A large hand appeared on her waist. Zhan Haoze’s hand was placed on her waist, and her body was half-hanging. She leaned against his body and her hands moved forward. Her entire body was in a strange posture.
Shi Mengwan was embarrassed again. She was in a rather sheepish state. Using both her hands and feet, she tried to leave Zhan Haoze’s body. However, in her state of panic, her hand hit his face instead.
It wasn’t a real slap, but a light brush across his face instead. She was shocked and quickly withdrew her hand. As a result, her upper body couldn’t exert any strength, so she leaned against Zhan Haoze.
“Throwing yourself into my arms?”
“…”
Shi Mengwan’s face was very red. She wanted to explain herself, but Zhan Haoze scooped her up with ease and pressed her against the wall of the elevator.
“Zhan –”
“First, you mistook me for someone else, and then you threw yourself into my arms? Ms. Shi, do you always treat your clients like this?”
Shi Mengwan’s face instantly turned pale when she heard those humiliating words. She wanted to push Zhan Haoze away, but she realized that his body was as immovable as a mountain.
“Mr. Zhan, please let go of me.”
“You’re not calling me Dear Brother anymore? Hmm?” Zhan Haoze watched Shi Mengwan blush profusely due to embarrassment and shyness. His slender and slightly cold fingers gently caressed her cheek.
Shi Mengwan’s body instinctively trembled, and she looked at Zhan Haoze’s upper body.
“Mr. Zhan, please let go of me.”
There were cameras in the elevator, and she really had no intention of becoming the center of gossip in the entire building tomorrow.
Zhan Haoze stared at her face but didn’t move away. Instead, he moved his hand past her. Shi Mengwan became more and more nervous.
Zhan Haoze pressed the button for the first floor. The moment he withdrew his hand, he approached her.
Their faces were less than five centimeters apart. He stared into her eyes.
Shi Mengwan had a pair of extremely beautiful almond-shaped eyes, and the ends of her eyes were slightly raised. She looked seductive.
Since her red lips were slightly open, it was as if she was seducing him for a kiss. Zhan Haoze’s gaze sank slightly, and his tone was even colder than before.
“If you don’t want a man to have relations with you in the elevator, don’t make such a seductive move next time.”
The redness on Shi Mengwan’s face disappeared completely.
The elevator had already reached the first floor. Zhan Haoze released his grip and took a step back. Without even looking at Shi Mengwan, he stepped out of the elevator and left.
If not for the last bit of willpower supporting her, Shi Mengwan would have almost slid to the ground.
She had never been humiliated like that in her entire life. Seduce? He actually dared to say that.
If not for the fact that he was the Dear Brother that she had always wanted. If not for the fact that she had always had different feelings towards him.
How could she let herself lose her composure like that?
Upon seeing that the elevator was about to close, Shi Mengwan grabbed the bag on her shoulder and quickly stepped out of the elevator.
The night wind blew, and it was a little cold. It also allowed her to calm down completely.
Some people were no longer the people they used to be. She didn’t need to care about them, nor did she need to give them the time of day.
She just needed to pretend that person wasn’t her big brother. She just needed to look for her Dear Brother again.
..
Su Qingsang didn’t stay in Rong City for long. She only stayed for a week before she came back.
Every time she went out, she would bring her a present. This time was no exception.
Shi Mengwan had something on her mind. However, she couldn’t let Su Qingsang see through it. Su Qingsang was distracted by her flippant words, so she didn’t realize that there was something wrong with her.
After all, he was her beloved big brother, so Shi Mengwan couldn’t stand it when he talked about her like that. Fortunately, she was used to adjusting her mood. Within two days, she put the matter aside.
Chen Feifei came again, but only with a friend of hers. Shi Mengwan couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or relieved when she didn’t see Zhan Haoze.
Half a month later, Su Qingsang had the rare free time to treat her to a meal.
The two besties hadn’t had a gathering for a long time. Shi Mengwan went and found that Huo Jinyao was there as well.
She was a little uncomfortable at first, but she was completely used to it now.
With Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang present, it wasn’t just ordinary PDA, it was extreme PDA.
She was a little speechless that the two of them had to show off their love during a meal. After a few words of banter, she felt a little stifled.
They didn’t even date and jumped straight to marriage, but they were doing very well now.
Perhaps she really should listen to Su Qingsang’s advice and forget about her big brother, then find a man. Perhaps they could be like Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao?
She thought about it to herself, but she knew clearly that it was impossible.
After parting with Su Qingsang, Shi Mengwan wasn’t in a hurry to go home. Feeling a little annoyed, she unwittingly drove the car to the entrance of a small alley.
The alley was very dark, and there were only dim lights at the intersection.
Shi Mengwan didn’t feel afraid. She stared at the small alley. She could almost imagine what it would be like to go through this alley.
After more than ten years, many places in Lin City had changed. This was the only place that hadn’t changed.
If she went through the alley, on both sides, there would be small alleys of different sizes, and there would be many people living there. Almost all the people in Lin City’s lower class lived here.
She looked at the hidden dark space behind the intersection and got out of the car. She felt very brave today. In fact, she used to come to this place often.
She wasn’t afraid of encountering danger. Although the people here weren’t very friendly, they really weren’t evil people.
There was a breakfast shop at the outermost corner of the alley, but it was closed now. Further inside was a small store. It was also closed today.
She still remembered that at that time, she was very hungry and wanted to eat, but she had no money on her.
What happened next?
Dear Brother found a steamed bun and split it in half with her. It was supposed to be half for each person, but in fact, it was more than half for her and less for him.
She said, “Big brother, you’re bigger. You should eat this big one, right?”
“No need. I’m a man and can bear hunger better. You eat it.”
He was just a teenager instead of a man, but in Shi Mengwan’s eyes, that teenager was an indomitable man.
He was so thin and young, but he raised her for a year, an entire year.
At that time, she was eating the steamed bun and watching her Dear Brother finish the small half of the steamed bun in two or three bites. She knew that her Dear Brother wasn’t full.
Saying that she had no appetite today and couldn’t eat anymore, she deliberately left half of the steamed bun. Before her big brother could react, she shoved the steamed bun into his mouth.
At that time, what was Dear Brother’s reaction?
Shi Mengwan’s memories were interrupted. She heard a voice coming from the forked alley not far ahead.
It was getting late, so Shi Mengwan didn’t want to cause any trouble. She turned around and wanted to leave, but she heard a voice that wasn’t unfamiliar to her.
“Cut the crap. Do you want to come one by one, or do you want to attack together?”
This voice was obviously Zhan Haoze’s. Shi Mengwan was stunned for a moment. Not only did she not leave, but she approached closer and closer.
“Very arrogant. Since that’s the case, let’s teach him a lesson.”
A sharp male voice sounded. Shi Mengwan soon heard a muffled groan and the sound of a brawl.
She could hear that there were quite a number of people. Using the dim street light at the entrance of the alley, she approached warily.
Using a telephone pole as cover, she carefully poked her head out.
She saw a group of people fighting. No, it wasn’t right to say that it was a group of people fighting. It should be a group of people fighting around a person.
The one who was surrounded by people was naturally Zhan Haoze.
After using the street light to see the face clearly, Shi Mengwan almost cried out.
Why was he here? Also, why were so many people trying to beat him up? Did he get into trouble again?
She thought of that year, when her Dear Brother had to work hard every day to support her.
Once, when her Dear Brother was about to return home, he was stopped at the entrance of the alley by two gangsters who looked taller and stronger than him.
The other party wanted her Dear Brother to hand over all the money he had on him. How could her Dear Brother be willing to?
In order to protect the money he had earned with great difficulty, he refused to hand it over. In the end, he was beaten up by the two of them.
At that time, it was just like now, two people beating up one of him.
Back then, Zhan Haoze might not have had the abilities, but the current him should be different, right? He was someone who was going to marry Chen Feifei.
How could such a person offend these gangsters?
Shi Mengwan’s thoughts were running wild. Her eyes were filled with worry.
Should she call the police and ask them to come? Or should she think of a way to lure them away?
But before Shi Mengwan could do anything, she saw the situation clearly.
She had been thinking too much just now and didn’t notice that Zhan Haoze had already beaten up the group of people.
Zhan Haoze was still standing a little far away, so she couldn’t tell if he was injured.
However, she was stunned to see that the people who had just attacked him were all lying on the ground and their groans echoed throughout the alley. It was obvious that they were all heavily injured.
Such a change of events shocked Shi Mengwan. When did her Dear Brother become so skilled?
“Tell your master that no matter what he wants to do, I’m here. I’ll accompany him at any time.”
“You, you –” One of the people lying on the ground said. After repeating “you” several times, he still didn’t come up with anything new. Back and forth, it was the same few threatening words.
Shi Mengwan saw that Zhan Haoze was fine and was about to leave, but Zhan haoze had already started walking this way.
Shi Mengwan was shocked. Before she could figure out which way to hide, Zhan Haoze had already walked to her side.
When he passed by her side, he glanced at her and then stopped. She looked at the half of her body that was hidden behind the telephone pole, but it was completely useless. She was clearly seen by him. “Have you heard enough?”
Shi Mengwan was shocked. She didn’t expect that she would be discovered by him. She had nowhere to hide even if she wanted to.
She looked at the people behind her who were still lying on the ground and screaming in pain. Shi Mengwan took a big step back. She didn’t know what was under her feet, but she almost tripped on it.
But this time, she managed to maintain her balance and didn’t let herself fall again.
“What, what a coincidence, Mr. Zhan.”
Zhan Haoze ignored her greeting. He looked at the people on the other end of the alley, and finally looked at Shi Mengwan.
“You stalked me?”