C15 She Was Afraid of Him Hated Him

Upon hearing Leng Huaiqing's icy tone, Huo Mengmeng felt an inexplicable shiver in her heart.

Leng Huaiqing detested those who lacked punctuality. And yet, she had the audacity to make him come and remind her to eat. She was in deep trouble now.

Turning her head awkwardly, Huo Mengmeng managed to squeeze out a smile. "Oh, it's you, brother. I'm all set, just tidying up."

With that, she no longer paid attention to perfecting the sketch she was working on and quickly got to her feet.

As she gathered her things, Huo Mengmeng added, "Brother, you go ahead and eat. There's no need to wait for me; I'll be there shortly."

Shortly?

Her idea of "shortly" was likely more than just five minutes.

Leng Huaiqing had intended to use this moment to teach Huo Mengmeng a lesson about valuing time, but as he watched her pack up her drawing board and instinctively rub her waist, he realized she was still on her menstrual cycle.

He faintly recalled Mrs. Zhang mentioning that Mengmeng often experienced back pain during the first couple of days of her period.

Concerned, Leng Huaiqing had consulted a doctor friend, who explained that it was due to the position of her uterus pressing on her back, causing the discomfort, and it was generally not a serious issue.

Remembering that just yesterday, the young girl had been hospitalized because of his strict "house rules," and likely hadn't rested well, he thought that lecturing her today would only make her more fearful and resentful towards him.

Ultimately, Leng Huaiqing held back any further comments, leaving only a brief "Be quick," before departing from the garden.

Despite this, Huo Mengmeng didn't dare to take her time or keep Leng Huaiqing waiting.

She swiftly packed up her drawing board and hurried back to the living room, washed her hands, and sat down to eat.

However, still harboring a cautious fear of Leng Huaiqing's potential reprimand, Huo Mengmeng failed to notice that the dishes on the table were still emitting steam.

She didn't stop to consider that Mr. Hee had called her to dine fifteen minutes earlier. How could the meal still be piping hot after all this time?

The meal concluded without a word being spoken.

After finishing her meal, Huo Mengmeng bid Leng Huaiqing farewell and headed upstairs.

Once she had finished her nightly routine, she finally had a moment to check her phone, a brief respite that allowed her to unwind.

As luck would have it, just as Huo Mengmeng unlocked her phone, a message from her best friend Zhao Xi popped up.

"Dear, I heard you smacked Xiao Anan. That must have been so cathartic!"

The message was followed by a laughing emoji, tinged with a sense of triumph.

Zhao Xi studied in the education department. Despite being best friends with Huo Mengmeng, their different class schedules meant they seldom had time to meet.

Huo Mengmeng had intended to reach out to Zhao Xi the previous night, but Xiao Anan's unexpected arrival had disrupted her plans, leaving her no time to fill Zhao Xi in.

Now, it seemed Zhao Xi had learned about the previous day's events through some other means.

Not in the mood for texting, Huo Mengmeng simply returned the call.

The moment Zhao Xi answered, her voice came through in a teasing tone, "Dear, you're quite the force to be reckoned with, daring to hit Xiao Anan? You know she's the School Board Member's daughter, right?"

Hearing her best friend's playful remark, Huo Mengmeng couldn't help but chuckle, "What's a School Board Member to me? If someone crosses my line, I wouldn't hesitate to stand up to them, even if they were royalty!"

"Dear, now you might be exaggerating," Zhao Xi laughed, teasing her further, "Would you dare to challenge Master Leng too? I bet you wouldn't have the nerve, not even if you were a hundred times braver!"