180: Chapter 180 Star Island Holiday: The Gentleman's Male Lead 9

[I smell the scent of tropes. Just as I finished complaining that Meng Zhu was slacking off, I didn't expect him to start working again right away.]

[I feel like Meng Zhu's conversations are always frantically testing the boundaries of ambiguity. Is it just my imagination?]

[Putting all that aside, where are the people who said Meng Zhu wasn't playing hard to get? Speak up?]

[Exactly, it's obviously playing hard to get, intentionally giving her the cold shoulder, right?]

[Be professional, this is called emotional tug-of-war.]

[Emotional nonsense, more like. Anyway, I haven't seen any progress.]

[Aren't dates progress? Surely nobody actually mistakes this for butler service, right? Surely not, surely not?]

[Is anyone else as curious as I am about what 314 actually means?]

Seeing that Meng Zhu stopped slacking off, the bullet comments came back to life.

Of course, Meng Zhu also came back to life.

When Xia Qingyuan entered the swimming pool, he actually spotted her at a glance.

Because of this, when her gaze swept toward the water surface, he deliberately went underwater to avoid her line of sight.

Until Xia Qingyuan conversed with Qin Feng, he had been observing Xia Qingyuan all along.

There was good news.

Xia Qingyuan was truly not completely indifferent toward Meng Zhu.

In fact, she herself hadn't realized it, but she actually paid some attention to Meng Zhu.

Just like what Meng Zhu said before, to Xia Qingyuan, Meng Zhu must also hold some special significance.

This caused the balance in Meng Zhu's heart to tilt instantly.

He admitted that the bond between Xia Qingyuan and Cheng Wang was deep, but how much of that was romantic love remained to be discussed.

After all, Cheng Wang had someone in his heart, so he surely had never responded to Xia Qingyuan's feelings.

Knowing that Cheng Wang had a beloved, Xia Qingyuan's devotion was also extremely measured.

Therefore, Xia Qingyuan had actually never experienced a truly healthy romantic relationship.

Nowadays, Xia Qingyuan's feelings relied entirely on her own words.

But when she said she didn't like Meng Zhu, it might not be true; it was also possible that she herself hadn't realized it.

Thinking of this, Meng Zhu had already decided that there was no need to drive a wedge between the relationship of Xia Qingyuan and Cheng Wang.

He would try it just like this and trust himself.

...

The day before the second "date," Xia Qingyuan received a message sent by Meng Zhu.

The content was very simple, consisting of only a single sentence:

[Miss Qingyuan, could you please not wear your uniform tomorrow?]

Looking at that message, Xia Qingyuan couldn't help muttering, "You sure have a lot of demands."

But the next day, when Meng Zhu's car parked at the hotel entrance, she still changed into an elegant and plain dress.

The car door opened, and Xia Qingyuan sat in the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt while speaking in a seemingly casual manner.

"Mr. Meng Zhu is truly wealthy. Coming to Country H for a vacation and leisure, he even specifically bought a car."

Meng Zhu started the car, a smile lingering at the corners of his lips.

"Because money can buy the time I want, and if it is time spent together with Miss Qingyuan, it becomes even more precious."

He turned his head sideways again, as if asking casually.

"Then would Miss Qingyuan hate wealthy people?"

"Of course not. Why would I hate them?"

Xia Qingyuan wore a matter-of-fact expression.

"Wealthy people are all my Gods of Wealth."

Meng Zhu chuckled softly.

"Because some people might feel it's unfair. For instance, their monthly salary might not even be enough for the room fee of my stay here for a single night."

"Mr. Meng Zhu talking like that really sounds like showing off, eh."

Xia Qingyuan gave him an eye-roll.

"However, I won't be jealous, because everyone has their own life to live. Being jealous of someone else's life is merely indicting oneself."

Hearing this, surprise and appreciation flashed across the depths of Meng Zhu's eyes.

"Miss Qingyuan can always bring me surprises."

He praised her sincerely, and then continued.

"But I am very glad that I am a wealthy person."

"Why?"

Xia Qingyuan asked reflexively, then shook her head and chuckled helplessly.

"I must be foolish. Is there anyone in this world who doesn't hope to be wealthy?"

"That's not the reason."

Meng Zhu shook his head, his voice clearly reaching Xia Qingyuan's ears.

"The reason why I am glad to be wealthy is simply because... money ensures that I won't miss Miss Qingyuan, and allows me to cross mountains and seas, chasing all the way to the resort."

The air inside the carriage froze somewhat.

Xia Qingyuan's daze this time was a bit different; she found it somewhat unbelievable.

She didn't know if she had misunderstood.

The meaning of Meng Zhu's words.

It seemed to imply that the reason he came to Xingdao Resort was, from the very beginning, purely for her?

This thought made her mind a complete mess.

Fortunately, Meng Zhu stopped at the right point and did not continue speaking further.

Just as Xia Qingyuan felt somewhat awkward, Meng Zhu skillfully changed the subject.

"Right, Miss Qingyuan, will you be angry with me for asking you not to wear your work uniform today?"

This abrupt transition caused Xia Qingyuan's tense nerves to relax.

She immediately puffed out her cheeks and said crossly.

"I will! Mr. Meng Zhu doesn't understand at all. Our company has a lot of rules, and changing clothes back and forth is really troublesome!"

Watching her puffed-up appearance, Meng Zhu held back a smile.

"Sorry."

He apologized sincerely.

"The reason I made this presumptuous request is because I wanted to take Miss Qingyuan away from the resort and go to the movie theater in the city center."

"A movie theater?"

Xia Qingyuan was somewhat curious.

"Mhm."

Meng Zhu explained.

"There's no way to watch the newly released movies at the resort, so we can only go to the nearby city center. I wanted Miss Qingyuan to watch it with me."

Since she was already in the car, Xia Qingyuan didn't say whether she was willing or not.

She even muttered inwardly that this really looked like a date now.

Along the way, the two chatted from time to time, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

But once they arrived at the movie theater and the lights dimmed, Xia Qingyuan noticed that Meng Zhu beside her kept spacing out.

His mood seemed to become a bit low again.

If not for gaining some understanding of him through these past few days of interaction, Xia Qingyuan wouldn't have even been able to easily perceive it this time.

But magically, when the movie ended and the lights lit up, Meng Zhu's mood seemed to return to normal.

[Xia Qingyuan seems to have noticed Meng Zhu's mood.]

[That's why I said she cares about him, yet you guys still didn't believe it.]

[Miss Qingyuan, our little Bao Meng is hurting inside. He wasn't watching the movie at all; he just wanted to see what kind of things that woman cares about.]

[That's right, this movie was directed by Meng Zhu's mother.]

[Without Xia Qingyuan, little bitter melon Meng Zhu definitely wouldn't dare to come watch it alone.]

[I think what you guys are saying is a bit exaggerated. Meng Zhu's willpower isn't that fragile.]

The bullet comments were right.

As an actor with memories, Meng Zhu didn't actually care all that much.

He was merely doing things fitting his persona, by the way revealing vulnerability in front of Xia Qingyuan.

However, the bullet comments couldn't tell Xia Qingyuan.

Therefore, on the way out of the movie theater, Xia Qingyuan kept struggling in her heart over whether to speak up and ask.

Unexpectedly, Meng Zhu spoke up first.

"Miss Qingyuan, what did you think of the movie just now?"

"Sorry, Mr. Meng Zhu, I'm not very good at appreciating artistic films like this."

Xia Qingyuan smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"However, when coming out just now, many audience members said it was good."

"It is an honor to share the same preference as Miss Qingyuan, because I can't appreciate it either."

Meng Zhu nodded, as if it were truly just a casual question, but his mood clearly improved.

Afterward, the two went to eat something and even strolled around the commercial street in the city center for a while, only preparing to head back by afternoon.

But unexpectedly, right as they stepped out of a gift shop,

they discovered that the sky outside had already darkened heavily.

Bean-sized raindrops pelted down densely, and unexpectedly, a torrential downpour started just like that.