177: Chapter 177 Star Island Holiday: The Gentleman Male Lead 6

Being by the sea, even in April, there was still some chill in the air.

Xia Qingyuan and Meng Zhu walked side by side along the path.

She was still wearing her hotel uniform; although the tailoring was neat, it seemed out of place if they were talking about a date.

Meng Zhu turned his head, his gaze falling on her with a casual tone.

"Even when you are not inside the hotel, is Miss Qingyuan used to wearing her uniform?"

Xia Qingyuan looked down at her clothes and tugged at the hem of her skirt somewhat sheepishly.

"Yes, actually the hotel doesn't have such a rule, it's just that changing back and forth can be quite troublesome."

Meng Zhu's tone carried a hint of teasing.

"Is that so? Then to Miss Qingyuan, am I also a trouble?"

"No, how could that be!"

Xia Qingyuan quickly waved her hands and retorted solemnly.

"Mr. Meng is the God of Wealth. We walk together and tour together, clearly doing the exact same thing, but you are the one spending money while I am the one making money. Shouldn't I feel happy?"

Seeing her like this, Meng Zhu couldn't help laughing softly.

"Why is Mr. Meng laughing? Am I not right?"

Xia Qingyuan puffed out her cheeks.

Meng Zhu smiled and shook his head.

"You are right. Everyone's thoughts and perspectives are different. For instance... actually, I don't care about the scenery on this island, nor do I want to visit those so-called entertainment projects. I just want you to stay by my side."

This sudden straight pitch caught Xia Qingyuan off guard, and she stuttered a bit again.

She was truly going crazy!

Why was this man always like this?

This feeling of being unilaterally suppressed was simply too passive.

Taking advantage of the fact that there were only the two of them now, Xia Qingyuan took a deep breath and decided to bravely face this issue.

"Mr. Meng,"

She stopped in her tracks, raised her head to look at him, and maintained her sanity.

"You are so wealthy and handsome. As long as you want, you shouldn't lack girls standing by your side at all, right?"

Meng Zhu raised his eyebrows slightly, a trace of confusion showing in his eyes.

"What would I want girls standing by my side for?"

Now it was Xia Qingyuan's turn to be dumbfounded.

She blinked her eyes and muttered inwardly.

Didn't he just say he wanted her to stay by his side?

Just as she wanted to retort, she raised her head and met Meng Zhu's half-smiling eyes.

Xia Qingyuan instantly realized that she had been played by him again!

Looking at her somewhat vexed and cute appearance, the smile at the corners of Meng Zhu's mouth deepened.

He took half a step forward, shortening the distance between the two of them.

"Miss Qingyuan, you surely don't think what I lack is a 'girl' by my side, do you? I thought you should have been very clear long ago that what I lack is you."

Very well, Xia Qingyuan wailed in her heart; she had lost again.

But this time, she bit her lower lip and decided not to remain just the teased prey.

Meeting Meng Zhu's gaze, she threw out the biggest question in her heart.

"However, why is it me? We can hardly even find common ground. Our values are different, and our views on love are also different. Mr. Meng, your feelings toward me are probably just a passing whim, right?"

Meng Zhu listened quietly to her finish speaking, but did not reply immediately.

He turned around and continued to walk slowly along the path, suddenly tossing out an irrelevant question.

"Miss Qingyuan, do you know why I sent 314 roses yesterday?"

"What?"

Xia Qingyuan kept up with his pace.

"Yesterday's? Fine, then what special meaning do 314 roses have?"

"Do you want to guess?"

Meng Zhu turned his head to look at her.

Xia Qingyuan felt that his skill in changing the subject was extremely crude, but she still thought about it seriously and finally shook her head.

"Sorry, I really can't think of it. Is it a number with some special meaning?"

"Since you can't guess it, I'll tell you next time."

Meng Zhu chuckled and withdrew his gaze.

"Generally speaking, a riddle treated as a decryption task, once the answer is obtained immediately, will make people forget it quickly."

Before Xia Qingyuan could protest, Meng Zhu changed the subject back to the previous topic.

"I believe that two people who like each other definitely do not come together because of some shared worldview. They are together only because they attract each other, like each other, and furthermore, feel very happy whenever they are together."

After hearing this, Xia Qingyuan couldn't help smiling and teasing.

"But Mr. Meng, every time we are together, you only ever make me feel very uncomfortable."

"Is that so? Then obviously, it's because Miss Qingyuan hasn't fallen for me yet."

Meng Zhu calmly accepted these words.

"But I have always been trying."

Instead, Xia Qingyuan didn't know how to respond, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

Driven by some inexplicable impulse, she blurted out a sentence.

"So... does Mr. Meng feel very happy being with Xia Qingyuan?"

"No."

Meng Zhu stopped in his tracks, his gaze locking onto her.

"It's that only when I am with Miss Qingyuan can I feel happy."

Xia Qingyuan's eyes couldn't help dodging, and the temperature of her cheeks rose somewhat out of control.

She smiled feigning lightness.

"That is truly a pity, because Xia Qingyuan is always happy; it's only when I am with Mr. Meng that I feel restricted and uncomfortable."

She thought that after saying these words, Meng Zhu would feel somewhat frustrated or unhappy.

But unexpectedly, not only did Meng Zhu not get angry, he instead chuckled in a low voice.

"Miss Qingyuan, would you like to hear a story?"

He could always easily change the subject.

Xia Qingyuan was somewhat dazed by his jumping train of thought, and she smiled and teased.

"So, is it that kind of bedtime short story meant to teach me grand principles?"

"No, it's a short story that will make you look at me in a new light."

Meng Zhu looked at her.

Xia Qingyuan nodded, her curiosity piqued.

"All right then, I'll listen and see."

With his hands in the pockets of his casual trousers, Meng Zhu's voice slowly sounded.

"Once upon a time, there was a God of Joy. He found that he didn't have to do anything at all, and humans already liked him very much."

"Through continuous observation, he discovered that the essence of what humans pursue throughout their lives is actually joy."

"They pursue family harmony, the safety of their loved ones, smooth official careers, and freedom of wealth..."

"Every time humans accomplish a goal they want, they feel very happy."

"Therefore, the God of Joy made a great decision. He decided to use his divine power so that people could feel joy at every moment."

"Yet just as he was about to do so, he was stopped by his Father God."

Xia Qingyuan listened intently, pondering in her mind as well.

Meng Zhu continued speaking.

"Father God said to him, 'You are not a human yourself, how can you be sure that humans want to be happy all the time?'"

"The God of Joy felt very puzzled and retorted, 'Isn't this certain?'"

"So Father God made a ruling: 'In that case, go down to the mortal realm to be a human for a hundred years, and I will grant you the ability to feel happy at all times. When you return to the heavenly realm, come back and ponder this question.'"

Xia Qingyuan waited for a while, and finding that Meng Zhu had stopped, couldn't help urging him:

"And then?"

"Then, the God of Joy, as a human, became a complete madman."

"He committed murder and arson, stopped at nothing, and ended his own life before living to even 50 years old."

"However, why would it turn out like this?"

Xia Qingyuan widened her eyes in shock.

"Because he felt very happy when he was born, very happy when he fell down, and when others bullied him, he was still very happy."

"Later, people discovered his abnormality and cursed him as a madman, yet he still felt very happy."

Meng Zhu looked at the distant coastline, his voice calm.

"Afterwards, he began to rebel and turned into a demon that everyone feared, but he did not know what fear was; he only knew happiness. Therefore, he began to frantically pursue those emotions he could not perceive—fear, dread, worry, sadness... Aside from happiness, he wanted to experience everything."

"For this reason, he began to actively commit evil deeds, because he stubbornly believed that bringing huge emotional fluctuations to others might allow him to experience that emotion himself."

Meng Zhu paused and turned his head to look at Xia Qingyuan.

"Finally, he began to yearn for death, because he heard that death was the ultimate fear of humans. Therefore, he committed suicide without hesitation."

After hearing this story, Xia Qingyuan felt somewhat shaken in her heart. So having only joy could also be a kind of torture.

She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively:

"So, Mr. Meng wants to tell me that people cannot pursue only joy?"

"Not entirely."

Meng Zhu shook his head, his gaze locked onto her.

"I mean to say that every emotion has a time when it is yearned for and needed."

"Therefore, Miss Qingyuan, how can your constraint and nervousness when facing me not be a kind of attraction?"

Xia Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat.

She couldn't quite hold Meng Zhu's gaze and abruptly averted her eyes.

Then, as if suddenly understanding something.

"Ha, good grief!"

She glared at him somewhat vexedly.

"Mr. Meng went such a huge roundabout way and told such a scary story, could it be that you just wanted to tell me that you are also special to me?"

Watching her appearance where her lips refused to concede, but her earlobes were already completely red, Meng Zhu became even happier.

"That is also something that can't be helped."

He sighed.

"That's because if I said it too straightforwardly, Miss Qingyuan would blush."