Mu Linjing, considering Wei Yumeng's recent poor condition, decided to splurge on lunch for her from Chenxuan Pavilion.
Rumor had it their cooking was superb, with many pregnant women favoring their dishes. Of course, the price was also remarkably high.
But for her good friend, she was willing to go all out.
No matter the time of day, the establishment was always packed. Mu Linjing queued from morning until noon before finally getting a number. Looking at the thin ticket in her hand, Mu Linjing felt a pang in her heart; this one meal likely cost as much as many she'd eaten before.
Finally, her turn came. As she waited patiently to pick up her order, the line ahead remained motionless. Then, an impatient male voice boomed out.
"How can my card not be working? Is your machine broken?"
"I'm sorry, sir, our machine is fine. Perhaps you could try another card?"
Zhan Yichen pulled out other credit cards from his wallet, but the attendant shook her head after trying them.
"Still no luck."
He produced several more cards, all with the same result. The people behind him were growing impatient.
"Can you get it sorted or not? If not, let us go ahead."
"If you don't have money, don't come here to spend. If your card isn't working, you're probably a fraud."
Mu Linjing was in a hurry to deliver the food to Wei Yumeng. She tapped Zhan Yichen on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir, could you please hurry? If you really don't have money, perhaps call a friend to bring some? We're all quite anxious."
Hearing the voice, Zhan Yichen turned his head. It was indeed this girl. He had seen her once before and heard she was Wei Yumeng's best friend.
Mu Linjing also hadn't expected to run into him here. She had heard that the second young master of the Zhan family was always out partying and had previously caused trouble for Yumeng at the Zhan residence.
She didn't have a good impression of this second young master of the Zhan family. He had nearly caused harm to the child in Yumeng's womb, and now his son was nonchalantly meeting friends here. Truly not a good person.
Today, she would get some justice for Yumeng.
"What's wrong, card maxed out, Second Young Master?" Mu Linjing's face was filled with amusement, which compelled him to pull her closer.
Zhan Yichen scoffed, "Heh, isn't this my sister-in-law's best friend? You can still afford to come to a place like this."
"So what? You get to feast on delicacies every day, but I can't occasionally improve my quality of life?"
Zhan Yichen was truly impressed by her sharp tongue. He guessed she never lost an argument.
"Who says you can't? I don't care what you eat," he said, nudging her with his shoulder. "Hey, can I ask you a favor?"
Mu Linjing raised an eyebrow. "What is it? You're not going to ask me to treat you to a meal, are you? I'm telling you, I don't have the money."
In truth, she had a guess what Zhan Yichen was going to say, but she just wanted to see him embarrassed.
As expected, borrowing money for lunch was a first for the young master. Soon, his fair face flushed under Mu Linjing's gaze.
Seeing a boy blush for the first time, Mu Linjing couldn't help but lean in for a closer look, which only made him more embarrassed.
He gently pushed her away. "There's a slight issue with my card. Could you pay for my lunch?"
Zhan Yichen stammered, which made Mu Linjing want to laugh.
"Are you done laughing? Can you help me?"
Seeing his slight annoyance, Mu Linjing quickly agreed. "I can help, but you have to pay me back quickly. Don't try to welsh on the debt."
Zhan Yichen shot her a look. "Do I look like someone who runs away from debts?"
He then extended his hand towards Mu Linjing. Seeing his confident demeanor, Mu Linjing almost thought he was the creditor.
Handing him her card to pay for his lunch, Mu Linjing exclaimed at the text message notification, calling it a sin. A single lunch costing so much was simply a waste of resources.
When Zhan Yichen returned her card, he also handed her his phone. "Leave your contact information so I can find you to repay you later."
Mu Linjing instantly understood. She quickly entered her number and saved it, then threw the phone back to him.
Catching his phone, he gently nudged Mu Linjing's arm. "You're a strange woman. Normally, countless girls chase after my contact information, but now that I'm actively asking for yours, you seem disdainful."
When had the second young master Zhan ever been so ignored? To say he felt no sense of deflation would be pure nonsense.
Mu Linjing rolled her eyes, speechless. "I say, we're in a debtor-creditor relationship right now. Am I supposed to beg you for your contact information? I just don't like your kind. So arrogant, just because you have a bit of money. I don't care about it."
Saying this, she turned her head and snorted at Zhan Yichen.
She knew Zhan Yichen's identity and that many socialites would do anything to catch a wealthy husband, practically chasing him to his doorstep. But she had no interest in such things. What was so desirable about them?
Just then, her pregnant woman's meal was ready. After collecting it, she waved goodbye to Zhan Yichen and left the restaurant. It was this late, and Wei Yumeng must be hungry. She had to hurry back.
Watching her sprint away, a smile tugged at Zhan Yichen's lips. This girl, who so disdainfully ignored him, had a unique personality.
Seeing her hail a taxi and leave, Zhan Yichen also exited the restaurant. His card wouldn't have inexplicably stopped working. He immediately called Wen Yulan to inquire about the situation. Upon hearing that his card wasn't working, Wen Yulan muttered, "This Zhan Mohan really keeps his word."
Although her voice was soft, Zhan Yichen heard it clearly.
"Mom, what did you do to make Big Brother angry again?"
He knew his mother's personality well. If it made Zhan Mohan take the action to deactivate all his cards, his mother must have angered his elder brother severely.
On the phone, Wen Yulan refused to explain. He could only drive home to get the full story from her about how she had provoked his elder brother again.
Meanwhile, Wen Yulan felt extremely stifled at home. Zhan Mohan's threat to have someone watch her was no empty warning. Now, servants followed her everywhere. She felt that if she took too long even to use the restroom, they would rush her from outside.
This life of being constantly monitored was pushing her to the brink of collapse.
As soon as Zhan Yichen returned, he found her and directly asked, "Mom, what exactly did you do to provoke Big Brother? He even stopped my cards."
Wen Yulan, already infuriated, became enraged when she heard her son also didn't understand her.
"What are you saying? Mom did all this for you!"
Zhan Yichen sounded impatient. "Mom, I don't need you to offend Big Brother for me. I'm perfectly fine like this. Can't you just live a peaceful life?"
He didn't care about those things, but Wen Yulan attached great importance to them.
"You foolish child, the Zhan family is vast and wealthy. You are also a member of the Zhan family. Why should he, Zhan Mohan, have all the family assets and the company? Can't you bring honor to your mother?"
Zhan Yichen pleaded earnestly. "Mom, can't you stop seeing Big Brother as an imaginary enemy? I think Big Brother is quite good. There's no benefit in you constantly opposing him. Isn't this the best proof?"
Mentioning it only made Wen Yulan feel more indignant. "This Zhan Mohan is truly going too far. I am his elder, yet he dares to treat me like this."
But in Zhan Yichen's view, his elder brother always acted with discretion. He must have done this because his mother had done something that crossed a line. As for his elder brother's bottom line...
He glanced at Wen Yulan and said helplessly, "Mom, tell me the truth. Did you bother Wei Yumeng again?"
If it weren't for the matter involving Wei Yumeng, Zhan Mohan wouldn't have been this enraged.
However, Wen Yulan didn't feel she had done anything wrong, especially not in front of her son. In her eyes, everything she did was for their mother-son unit.
"That Wei Yumeng is already carrying the Xin family's child. Shouldn't it be aborted? Zhan Mohan is being foolish, disregarding everything for some promiscuous woman."
Although she didn't explicitly state what she had done, Zhan Yichen could guess from her words and immediately became agitated.
"Mom, regardless, Wei Yumeng's child is a life. How could Big Brother not be angry with you? I know you did it for me, but it really wasn't necessary."
Seeing her son so enraged, Wen Yulan could only feel confused.
But Zhan Yichen was insistent about this matter, demanding she apologize to Zhan Mohan.
"Mom, this was your mistake. Apologize to Big Brother. You two constantly clashing puts me in a difficult position. Besides, your actions are making my life at the company increasingly difficult."
Wen Yulan remained silent, refusing to nod, which left Zhan Yichen very helpless.
"Mom, please listen to my advice and apologize to Big Brother. And in the future, don't target Wei Yumeng anymore."