My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 61 - 60: You Really Dare to Guess

Chapter 61: Chapter 60: You Really Dare to Guess

Haitang looked at Gao Yuan, her gaze filled with some sympathy, but this further solidified some of her thoughts.

"Sorry, I spoke a bit much. By the way, Lawyer Lin, didn’t you say that a friend of yours wanted to talk to me today? Where is he?"

Gao Yuan seemed to realize that she had spoken too deeply for the acquaintance, and immediately switched the topic.

"This..." Haitang glanced at her watch, her expression somewhat helpless.

You wanted to meet him, and the meeting time was rescheduled as per your request; yet you still show up late...

"Sorry, Miss Gao, normally your case shouldn’t involve other people, but this person is a bit special."

"I trust Lawyer Lin would not introduce a stranger to me without reason, so... what’s special about him?"

Out of trust for Haitang, or perhaps for Uncle Zheng, Gao Yuan didn’t show any trace of blame but was simply curious about the person she was to meet.

What’s special about him?

Is it because he saved Xiao Yu, because his plans lack nothing, because he has an exceptionally sharp intelligence organization behind him?

Haitang was searching for the right words when suddenly, a voice came from behind.

"Sorry, sorry! I’m late! It’s really tough to get a taxi in the mountains, I’m truly very sorry!"

Seeing Meng Lang hurrying in all flustered, Haitang looked speechless.

"The mountains? What were you doing in the mountains?"

"This..."

Can I say I didn’t even know how I ended up in the mountains while just dropping off a kid at school?

"There’s a group of destitute children in the mountains, and I thought to help if I could, so it took a bit of time to lend a hand. It’s just that the location is a bit remote, and transportation is not convenient."

A group of destitute children in the mountains?

"You went to volunteer?"

"Um... yeah, sort of."

It’s unpaid anyway, not much different from volunteering.

Haitang looked skeptical, but now wasn’t the time to ask questions, so she could only look apologetically at Gao Yuan.

"Miss Gao, this is the person who wanted to meet you, a kind-hearted good man."

Meng Lang cast a grateful look at Haitang, not minding at all that he had been handed a ’good guy’ label.

I’m a good person! A good person is exactly what I am today!

I never ask for anything in return for the good deeds I do; this is me, the warm-hearted Meng Lang.

"Miss Gao, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Meng Lang, ’Meng’ as in Meng Haoran and ’Lang’ as in the prodigal son returning. It’s fine if you call me Xiao Meng if you don’t mind."

Haitang: "..."

An explanation for a name every day? What kind of hobby is that?

Moreover, this is our first meeting, and what’s with this ’genuinely honored’ expression?

"Uh... nice to meet you, Mr. Meng."

Gao Yuan shook hands with Meng Lang, somewhat bewildered.

This inexplicable enthusiasm... do we know each other?

Meng Lang sized up the gentle woman who somewhat resembled the national goddess, Gao Yuanyuan.

One could never imagine that this mild and seemingly feeble housewife would one day become the ruthless ’Queen of Changqing,’ causing the whole Su Province to tremble with a stomp of her foot.

Of course, that would be after her "transformation"...

The service at the café was very attentive. Once Meng Lang settled down, a waiter in a small suit promptly came over to ask if they needed to place an order.

"Do you have Puer Tea? If not, then a cup of Black Tea."

Once the waiter left, Gao Yuan curiously looked at Meng Lang opposite her and asked.

"Mr. Meng, it seems we do not know each other, what do you need from me?"

"Um... the thing is, as a special intelligence advisor for Lawyer Lin, I’ve stumbled upon a very special piece of information recently."

"Special intelligence advisor?" X2

Gao Yuan puzzledly turned her head towards Haitang.

"Uh... yes! He’s the special intelligence advisor I just appointed. Mr. Meng... his information is very reliable."

Haitang’s mouth twitched slightly, and she nodded helplessly.

You’re right, whatever you say is right, okay?

"Alright then, Mr. Meng, what is this information? Is it related to me?"

"Strictly speaking, it’s related to your ex-husband, Xu Jingsong, but whether it’s related to you, I fear only Miss Gao herself can determine."

"What do you mean?" Gao Yuan furrowed her brow, failing to grasp Meng Lang’s vague hints.

"Miss Gao must be familiar with Cui Jizhong, right?"

"Yes! He is Xu Jingsong’s right-hand man, his confidant. Xu Jingsong often discusses business with him at home, so of course, I know him."

"I have a friend who told me that Cui Jizhong has recently been frequenting high-end venues with some young punk, secretly appearing to be plotting something.

A chief financial officer of the Xu Group, why would he be associating with a punk?

Out of curiosity, my friend did a little digging on this punk and discovered that he’s a well-known ’nightclub scavenger’ in Su City."

"’Nightclub scavenger’? What does that mean?" Gao Yuan didn’t understand.

"Ahem! It means someone who drugs people at bars or nightclubs or outright takes away young women who are unconscious from drinking..."

Meng Lang hinted enough for the two women to instantly display a look of disgust.

"Meng Lang, what exactly are you trying to say?" Haitang asked, frowning.

"Do you remember the ’discretionary clause’ during the divorce property division?

’If one party is at fault, the faultless party may be awarded a greater share of the property,’ such as... extramarital sexual conduct and other violations of marital fidelity."

Haitang’s heart jumped, finally vaguely understanding what Meng Lang was trying to say.

"You mean..." Haitang looked at Gao Yuan, but the words died in her throat.

But Gao Yuan still looked completely confused.

"But I haven’t violated that clause. I always keep a low profile and my only hobby is reading; Xu Jingsong is aware of my character."

Meng Lang was speechless. He might know you, but you certainly don’t know everything about him...

Is this woman naive, or does she just have that much faith in Xu Jingsong’s character?

"Does Miss Gao know who ’Shi Jingtang’ was?"

The abruptness of Meng Lang’s question momentarily stunned Gao Yuan, but she nodded in acknowledgment nonetheless.

"Yes, of course, I know ’the Child Emperor’ Shi Jingtang.

He was the founding emperor of the Late Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Historical records state that in the third year of Qingtai of the Late Tang, Shi Jingtang rebelled. Trapped in Taiyuan, he sought assistance from the Qidan by promising to cede the Sixteen Prefectures of You Yun, which urged the Qidan to send troops.

With the aid of the Qidan, Shi Jingtang overthrew the Late Tang, established the Late Jin, and even submitted to the Qidan by acknowledging Yelud, who was ten years younger than him, as his father, thus calling himself ’the Child Emperor.’

Because he lost the Sixteen Prefectures of You Yun, the Central Plains were left vulnerable, creating problems for hundreds of years. This makes Shi Jingting a king with an eternally notorious reputation,"

Haitang looked at Gao Yuan with surprise but then realized why she knew so much about history, recalling that her father had been a history professor.

"Miss Gao really is knowledgeable and competent!" Meng Lang couldn’t help but exclaim.

What do they call a hidden dragon in the depths? This is a hidden dragon in the depths!

She might be a full-time housewife, yes, but while other rich wives spend their days playing Mahjong and socializing, she’s actually reading history books!

"Since Miss Gao knows about Shi Jingtang, you must also have heard about the story of Shi Jingtang and his wife, Li, who shared the same bed but dreamed different dreams?" Meng Lang asked with a smile.

At this, Gao Yuan’s expression slightly changed, clearly indicating her knowledge of this historical rumor.

Li was the younger sister of Li Congke, the emperor of the Late Tang. She was meant to spy on Shi Jingtang, essentially acting as a planted spy.

Unexpectedly, Shi Jingtang devised a ’beauty trap’ and actively lured Li into having an affair.

Afterward, Shi Jingtang secretly killed the lover and pretended to magnanimously forgive Li, making her feel so guilty that she devoted herself wholeheartedly to Shi Jingtang from then on.

By bringing up this historical tale, Meng Lang’s intention to hint at something was clear.

"No! No, that can’t be. Even if Xu Jingsong is despicable, we’ve been married for ten years; he wouldn’t do that to me!"

Gao Yuan fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

"Just because Cui Jizhong is associated with a thug, you think there’s a conspiracy? That’s a bit far-fetched..."

Seeing that Gao Yuan still refused to believe, Meng Lang didn’t say more.

A warning was all he could provide. Those who are willing to understand will eventually get it, and those who don’t want to understand will always find reasons to convince themselves.

"My apologies, everyone who knows me knows that I’m a bit paranoid."

"Regardless, I truly appreciate Mr. Meng’s kind advice. Based on what Mr. Meng just said, it seems you really enjoy history as well?"

Gao Yuan obviously wanted to change the subject.

"Of course, history is always repeating itself, just in different ways. Understanding history can almost summarize all the principles of social operations.

What we face in terms of pros and cons are all clearly laid out throughout history.

Even more interesting is that every brief mention in the history books contains a myriad of schemes; carefully savored, they are infinitely profound!"

Gao Yuan was stunned for a moment.

She hadn’t expected such a profound response to a casual question.

All the historical brief mentions contain a myriad of schemes...

Thinking deeply about this phrase, the more she reflected, the more she felt that it was speaking directly to her heart, and she looked at Meng Lang with newfound respect.

Meng Lang, seeing her reaction, remained calm internally.

Resonating, right?

Resonance is good!

Because this phrase is what you’ll use to tread over countless business elites in the future!

And among these bodies will be, admittedly, my humble self...

This is essentially using their tactics against them, avenging my brothers, and throwing it back in their face, right?

"Mr. Meng, given your profound insights, you must also enjoy reading a lot?"

Gao Yuan seemed to have found a kindred spirit.

"Yes! I read a book every day recently, and each time, the revelations are significant, making it feel like my whole life has suddenly brightened."

"Every day a book?" Gao Yuan blinked.

She loved reading, but even in her free time, she couldn’t manage a book a day. Isn’t that a bit too diligent?

Gao Yuan looked at him with a touch of admiration.

"I wonder, Mr. Meng, which type of history book do you like most?"

"History books... it would probably be ’The Year 1587’."

"Oh?" Gao Yuan’s eyes sparkled even more.

Meng Lang chuckled internally.

Sparkling is good! Because that’s your favorite!

Haitang looked between Gao Yuan and Meng Lang, her expression bewildered.

What’s with this sudden book club vibe?

And what about Meng Lang? Knowledgeable about law, history, a bit of everything?

"I was initially hesitant about the divorce, feeling it might be a bit impulsive.

But now, if divorce means I can meet more people like Mr. Meng and discuss history, future life will undoubtedly be interesting," Gao Yuan couldn’t help but say.

Haitang was taken aback; she couldn’t understand why Gao Yuan held Meng Lang in such high regard after just a few sentences.

What she didn’t realize was the impact of finding a soulmate after years of solitude, someone whose ideas and thoughts aligned so closely with her own.

"By the way, Miss Gao, why did you suddenly decide to get a divorce?" Haitang asked curiously.

For someone like Gao Yuan, forsaking her affluent lifestyle as a rich housewife to oppose the Xu Group was indeed a decision that required some impulsiveness.

"Heh! You wouldn’t believe it if I told you," Gao Yuan chuckled lightly.

"Could it be... you watched ’My First Half of Life’?" Meng Lang said jokingly.

Haitang almost laughed out loud; you really dared to guess!

But when she looked up, she saw Gao Yuan staring in shock.

Haitang suddenly couldn’t laugh anymore.

No... it can’t be...

[Ps: ’My First Half of Life’, premiered in July 2017, a phenomenally popular drama.]