Chapter 16: Won’t You Try Persuading Anymore?
Nan Yuanman had an indescribable expression on her face and was just about to speak when her stomach started growling.
Her small face scrunched up, and her empty hand clutched her stomach.
So hungry…
Meng Qinian slapped his forehead: “Look at me, I forgot it’s dinnertime now.”
“Master, give me face, let me treat you to a meal.” Meng Qinian said with a cheerful smile.
“Oh right, and that life-saving money you mentioned, ten thousand is too much. Do you have a bank card? I’ll transfer it to you.”
To be honest, Meng Qinian still had some doubts about him being bewitched by a ghost, since he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. He was only half-believing her because Nan Yuanman had just been accurate in her fortune telling.
Nan Yuanman could tell that the big brother in front of her didn’t fully trust her. She furrowed her small brows, replied that she didn’t have one, then couldn’t help but warn him: “Big brother, don’t disbelieve me. That ghost has targeted you. If you don’t die, it won’t let you go.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Meng Qinian responded perfunctorily a few times, carefully put away the fruit knife, and slightly raised his chin toward her: “Let’s go? To eat?”
Nan Yuanman: “…”
“Let’s go.”
Not eating free food is for fools.
Meng Qinian led Nan Yuanman through twists and turns, taking a shortcut out of Tai Gu Villa Area, and took her into a decent-looking small restaurant.
Coincidentally, his route didn’t overlap with the Jiang family servants’, so the two parties missed each other just like that.
–
Meng Qinian kept looking down frequently at Nan Yuanman, who was struggling with her short legs to keep up with him, and asked hesitantly: “Can you make it? Want me to carry you?”
“No need, this distance is nothing to me.” Nan Yuanman waved her short little hand, saying indifferently.
Her old-mannish yet adorable appearance made Meng Qinian unable to hold back his laughter: “You’re cuter than the little girls I know.”
If it were his niece, she would have opened her arms for a hug after just two steps.
Nan Yuanman glanced at him and corrected him: “You’re wrong, other little girls are cute too.”
If Grandpa were with her, she would act spoiled and ask Grandpa to carry her. But now Grandpa couldn’t come out, so she had to be strong on her own.
Meng Qinian booked a private room, asked Nan Yuanman what she could eat using the menu, ordered a few dishes she liked, and then exchanged names with Nan Yuanman.
“I’m Meng Qinian, from the Meng family living in Tai Gu Villa. Which family are you from? How come I haven’t seen you before?” Under the light in the private room, Meng Qinian finally saw Nan Yuanman’s current appearance and clothes clearly.
When he saw the shabby clothes on her, his brows furrowed slightly: “Why are you wearing such worn-out clothes? Is your family very poor?”
“I’m from the Jiang family. I was just picked up from the countryside today. My name is Nan Yuanman.” Nan Yuanman answered him clearly and seriously.
Jiang family… but surnamed Nan…
No need for Nan Yuanman to explain clearly; Meng Qinian knew there must be some big secret involved.
However, no matter what the secret was, the fact that the Jiang family let a child dress like this already made Meng Qinian deeply displeased.
Not to mention, Nan Yuanman had just been brought back from the countryside but wasn’t staying with the Jiang family; instead, she was running around outside. This was enough to see that the Jiang family probably wasn’t easy to get along with.
Moreover…
He seemed to have heard before that the Jiang family had a quite favored girl.
Was this child specially brought back from the countryside by the Jiang family to be a companion for that girl?
But…
Meng Qinian couldn’t help but complain: “What kind of lousy name is this Nan Yuanman?”
Nan Yuanman—hard to achieve perfection. It sounds inauspicious just hearing it.
Nan Yuanman held her water cup, sipping water little by little. Hearing this, she explained: “Perfection is the name my grandpa gave me. It has a good meaning. It’s just that he initially forgot he was surnamed Nan.”
“You can just call me Perfection.”
Meng Qinian’s mouth twitched. This grandpa was really unreliable.
He hesitated, then couldn’t help asking her: “Perfection, can you really do fortune telling? Can you help me calculate about my dad…”
“No.” Nan Yuanman’s mouth twitched: “Calculating lifespan causes backlash.”
“Oh, I won’t calculate for short-lived ghosts like you. I didn’t charge you fortune-telling money; the life-saving money I took doesn’t interfere with your karma, hehe.” She really was a little clever ghost.
Meng Qinian looked disappointed: “I see…”
Nan Yuanman couldn’t help complaining: “Your top priority right now is to get rid of the ghost energy on you first, then catch the runaway student ghost. Otherwise, forget thirty years old—you’ll drop dead tonight.”
“If I die, I die.” Meng Qinian gave a self-mocking smile: “After I die and become a ghost, I’ll fight the ghost that killed me.”
Anyway, whether he lived or died, no one would care.
Maybe he’d even be freer after dying.
Nan Yuanman: “…” Fine, can’t reason with him.
She had now seen that the mental states of city people were exceptionally crazy.
She gave up on persuading him. As she said, good words can’t persuade a damned ghost. If Meng Qinian wanted to die, she couldn’t stop him.
Besides, she was just a baby!
Matters of life and death weren’t something she could control.
Nan Yuanman convinced herself and happily started eating.
Meng Qinian originally thought Nan Yuanman would keep persuading him. After waiting a while, not only did no persuasion come, but instead he saw her seriously and laboriously using chopsticks to shovel rice.
Meng Qinian: “?”
He couldn’t help saying: “You’re not going to persuade me anymore?”
Nan Yuanman mumbled unclearly: “Not persuading. Die if you want.”
She struggled to swallow the rice, then said in a babyish voice: “My grandpa said, everyone has their own fate. You can’t stop someone who wants to die. Don’t waste energy. Let him die!”
“Anyway, when people die X toward…”
Meng Qinian heard that vulgar word, his mouth twitched, and he quickly covered her mouth: “Alright, little mouth, shut it. Eat.”
That old master really—what kind of stuff did he teach? How could he teach such dirty words!
But after this, he didn’t feel like dying as much.
Nan Yuanman: “Oh.”
She continued seriously shoveling rice.
Meng Qinian, who originally had no appetite, watched Nan Yuanman eat seriously, her cheeks bulging like a squirrel’s, eating sweetly and devoutly. Unknowingly, he picked up his chopsticks to grab some food.
While the two of them ate seriously, the Meng family and Jiang family were in an uproar.
Jiang Lixuan, waiting for Jiang Xinxin’s checkup results at the hospital, suddenly stood up, brows tightly furrowed, voice raised: “What did you say? Perfection is missing?! Grandpa Li, have you sent people to look for her?”
The butler was also extremely anxious: “Yes! As soon as Perfection went missing, I sent servants to search, but we searched the entire villa area and didn’t see her shadow.”
“I checked the surveillance with management. The surveillance shows Perfection went east, then disappeared.”
“Young Master, did you prepare a positioning watch for little Miss Perfection? If there’s a positioning watch, it’ll be easier to find her.”
Jiang Lixuan paced back and forth anxiously on the spot, opened his mouth, somewhat annoyed: “No, I… I forgot.”
He hadn’t cared about Nan Yuanman from the start, so how would he think to prepare a positioning watch for her?
Jiang Hengzhi returned from the restroom and, seeing Jiang Lixuan’s anxious appearance, asked gravely: “What’s wrong?”
“Perfection is missing!” Jiang Lixuan grabbed his hair: “Chen Ma said she chased after the car, and now we can’t find her.”
He now suspected Nan Yuanman had run away on purpose.
Jiang Hengzhi’s expression darkened, and he said: “Call the police. Let the police help find her.”
Jiang Lixuan quickly said: “Okay.”
The Meng family was also looking for someone.
Meng Qinian’s father, Meng Lei, frowned and called him more than ten times. The more he called, the darker his face got. He cursed as he kept calling: “This little brat! Where the hell did he go fooling around? Not picking up a single call! When he gets back, I’ll give him a good beating!”
A woman with delicate features and lingering charm placed a teacup in front of Meng Lei. Hearing this, a glint flashed in her slightly downcast eyes, but on the surface, she kindly advised him: “Maybe Qinian has something to do? Old Meng, don’t worry too much.”
“What could he have? Causing trouble outside all day!” Meng Lei said irritably, worry between his brows: “When will he ever be as sensible as Cheng Yi!”
After another unanswered call, Meng Lei couldn’t sit still. He stood up and grabbed his jacket: “Ruan Yu, I’ll go look for that brat. You and Cheng Yi eat first; don’t wait for me.”
Ruan Yu nodded gently: “Okay.”
She saw Meng Lei off at the door. A click sounded from the first-floor bedroom door opening.
A handsome young boy in a white T-shirt walked out: “Mom, Uncle Meng went out?”
“Mm.” Ruan Yu saw him, her smile becoming even gentler, and beckoned him: “Your Uncle Meng won’t be back for a while. Come, let’s go eat first.”
He wouldn’t be back in this lifetime.
