A Clever Move.

Meiying let out a startled shriek as she took back the towel from the little girl and covered herself, her face turning a shade of crimson. Huilian and Hongzong stood frozen for a moment, their eyes wide with shock. Meiying couldn't believe the turn of events. How in the world did this little girl get in here?

Seeing the awkward situation, the little girl burst into giggles, finding the situation incredibly amusing. Huilian quickly regained her composure and gestured for the girl to leave the room, which she did with a mischievous smile. Meiying, still mortified, struggled to find her voice.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen," she stammered as she moved back towards the wardrobe.

Hongzong, finally snapping out of his surprise, hurriedly turned his back, his face flushed. "I-I'll wait outside," he managed to say before quickly exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

Huilian, who had been observing the entire scene, couldn't help but chuckle softly. She walked over to Meiying, a reassuring smile on her face. "Don't worry, dear. Accidents happen. Let's find you some clothes to wear."

Meiying showed her the nightdress she had intended to wear. Huilian nodded and seated herself, discreetly looking away to allow Meiying privacy while she changed.

Huilian glanced back when she sensed the rustling of fabric had ceased and found Meiying biting her lip and fidgeting with her fingers.

"I apologize for what my daughter did. She finds it amusing to trouble whoever visits, even her uncle," Huilian explained, maintaining a smile. "I suppose being an only child and often lonely, as her mother spends most of her time writing novels caused all this." Her smile faltered, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Meiying noticed the change in Huilian's demeanor and approached her, stepping closer. "I'm not upset at all...just a little shocked by her actions."

Huilian smiled and headed toward the door. "Are you hungry? I can prepare dinner now, as it's almost six."

"Okay," Meiying replied but made no immediate move to follow her out.

"My brother did not bear witness to anything, you know," Huilian said and Meiying looked at her incredulously. "I mean, he caught a mere glimpse of exposed skin, but nothing more. Besides, women often dress in such a manner when at the beach!"

"Two years ago, I would not have had any qualms about being seen like that. But now, I am a married woman."

Huilian stared at Meiying in utter shock, and a smile crept across Meiying's face as she revealed, "Wang Xuejian."

Huilian's eyes widened in astonishment, "Wang Xuejian has been married? Since when?"

"Two years ago," Meiying replied, reminiscing about her past life when Huilian had no clue that Xuejian was her ex-husband. In fact, Huilian believed she had never been married before.

"Well, since I am fortunate enough to be graced with a visit from Wang Xuejian's wife, then I must make the most of it," Huilian said with a smile, gently guiding Meiying out of the door.

They entered the foyer and spotted Huilian's daughter engrossed in drawing on a sketchbook placed on the table.

"Where is your uncle?" Huilian inquired, and the little girl looked up. "He left," she replied, before turning her gaze towards Meiying and offering a smile as she got up and approached her.

"Sorry 'bout before, I'm Cao Liling," she beamed at Meiying. "Who are you?"

Meiying was taken aback by how confidently the girl conversed with her. It was hard to believe that she was the same child who had mischievously pulled her towel off earlier. Meiying could sense that the girl possessed a cunning nature, with the ability to manipulate situations to her advantage. Though Meiying had never met her in her past life, Huilian had described her as an innocent soul. Meiying now saw that the portrayal was merely an illusion. She would need to be cautious around this one.

"I am Wang Meiying," she responded as Liling stared at her in awe.

Liling motioned for Meiying to lean down, and as she did, Liling whispered in her ear, "Did you make the mean lady go boom-boom down the big stairs?!"

Meiying's eyes widened, "I did not do that!"

Liling giggled mischievously, "We're like twins, you do something naughty and then fib about it, just like me!"

"No, we are not, she fell on her own" Meiying retorted, feeling a twinge of frustration. Was she really arguing with a child right now?

"Uh-uh, no pretending!" Liling quipped as she walked away, leaving Meiying staring at her in a mix of disbelief and anger. In that moment, Meiying made a mental note to steer clear of having a child for a while, especially when she eventually reunites with Chenwei. They seemed to have an uncanny ability to unravel her composure.

Meiying refocused her attention on Huilian who had somehow gone to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Meiying couldn't help but admire Huilian's patience and understanding with this mischievous daughter of hers.

Zhang Hongzong found himself in the elevator, tightly gripping a phone in his right hand. Jingyi had called him urgently, asking him to retrieve Meiying's phone from her. As he stepped out of the elevator, he remembered when they had just crossed paths outside the hospital. It seemed that when a crowd had bullied Meiying earlier and pushed Jingyi, she had fallen and scraped her knee, prompting her visit to the hospital.

Although Hongzong should have headed straight to his sister's apartment after collecting the phone, he had pressing matters to attend to. The elevator doors chimed open, and he made his way to a hospital room. Little did he expect to walk into a scene like the one before him. Mrs. Feng was sobbing uncontrollably, while her children pleaded by Xuejian's side.

"My son, I promise you, this will be the last time I ever do such a thing," Mrs. Feng managed through her tears.

"I am not your son. To think that all this time, you and your daughter were bullying my wife under my own roof. I should punish you, but out of goodwill, I won't. However, you must do something in return," Xuejian said, clenching his fist at his side.

"What is it? We'll do anything," Qinghui said, as Qingting nodded in agreement.

"You must confess," Xuejian stated firmly.

Mrs. Feng was taken aback. "But you said you would let us go."

"Yes, but you need to make up a story, just like before, to make all the lies you have spread about her to be false. And please, don't cry too much, or they might think you were forced," he said, moving closer to her bedside, wiping away her tears with a napkin he retrieved from his breast pocket. "Are you listening to me?"

"W-We will do as you say," Mrs. Feng stammered, her voice trembling.

"Good. After that, make sure you disappear from my city. I don't want to ever come across you again. And if I do… well, you all will understand why I am not to be trifled with," Xuejian warned as he turned to leave. But just as he was about to exit, he noticed Hongzong standing by the entrance.

"Where is she?" Xuejian asked, his calm demeanor unfaltering.

"She's with my sister," Hongzong answered.

"Good," Xuejian replied, dropping the napkin in his hand in the waste bin before swiftly passing by Hongzong and making his way towards the hallway.

Hongzong followed closely and instinctively reached out, gently grabbing Xuejian's arm to hold him back.

"Don't go to her right now. She needs some space after what happened," Hongzong advised, concerned for Meiying's well-being.

Xuejian let out a heavy sigh and nodded in understanding. "Thank you for looking out for her," he expressed his gratitude.

"It's no trouble at all," Hongzong reassured him. However, a nagging question lingered in his mind. "But how did you manage to get them to confess to you?"

A mischievous smile curled on Xuejian's lips as he explained, "I had a video of Mrs. Feng attempting to push Meiying down the stairs. Fortunately, Meiying evaded the attack, causing Mrs. Feng to stumble and fall instead."

"That's quite a clever move," Hongzong remarked, acknowledging Xuejian's strategic approach. "But why didn't you reveal the video earlier, before things escalated to this extent?"

"I wanted to show it to Mrs. Feng yesterday, in Meiying's presence, so that she could apologize directly. Unfortunately, Meiying left before I had the chance," Xuejian revealed, glancing towards the stairway door.

With a sense of urgency, Xuejian urged Hongzong to join him in the elevator. As they stepped into the confined space, the doors began to close just as Hongzong spotted reporters rushing towards Mrs. Feng's hospital room from the nearby stairs.

Hongzong's eyes widened as he turned to Xuejian, who leaned against the elevator wall, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

"I almost forgot, why did you pay a visit to Mrs. Feng."