The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, a black Bentley smoothly drove into the Yu Garden area on the outskirts of Beijing. The clean lines of the building contrasted with the light gray walls, exuding a low-key yet noble air.

The car stopped in front of the main house. Meng Jiangyu got out first, his palm lightly supporting Shen Qingyao's forearm.

"Baby, we're home." Meng Jiangyu led Shen Qingyao inside.

As you push open the door, warm light spills out, and the house is decorated with red festive decorations for the New Year. Two small, gold-stamped "Fu" (good fortune) characters are pasted on the dressing mirror in the entryway.

Aunt Zhang and a group of servants stood in the entrance hall to greet them. When the two entered, she smiled and bowed, saying, "Sir, Miss, you're back."

His tone was familiar and gentle, yet respectful towards the future mistress of the Meng family.

Shen Qingyao nodded slightly, her fingertips gently clenching the cuffs of her coat. This was the first time she had stepped into Yu Garden as Meng Jiangyu's fiancée.

Meng Jiangyu put his arm around her waist and led her inside, his palm resting on her lower back. As if noticing her slight startle, he gently stroked her waist with his fingertips and whispered, "Let's go upstairs and tidy up first, then we'll go to Wangjing Tower."

Shen Qingyao nodded in response and followed him upstairs to change into a well-fitting off-white knitted dress and coat.

"Shall we go to Wangjinglou for dinner tonight?" Shen Qingyao handed the necklace to Meng Jiangyu.

"Yes, it's a gathering organized by Mingxuan." Meng Jiangyu skillfully put the necklace on her.

"Is this considered a pre-New Year's gathering?" Shen Qingyao turned around and stood in front of him.

"No." Meng Jiangyu picked up the Jiangsidanton on the table. "Last month, Mingxuan got into some trouble at a casino in Las Vegas, and I stepped in to settle it."

Shen Qingyao helped him fasten the buckle on his watch. "So, Mingxuan is hosting a gathering at Wangjinglou tonight. Thank you."

"You could say that, a get-together for the brothers."

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Meng Jiangyu took Shen Qingyao's hand and said, "Let's go, Mrs. Meng."

"You're taking advantage of me, aren't you?" Shen Qingyao pinched his lower back. "We're not even married yet."

"You'll be my wife sooner or later anyway, so I don't mind exercising my rights ahead of time."

"No," Shen Qingyao said.

"You've learned to say no to me!" Meng Jiangyu pretended to be angry as he looked at Shen Qingyao. "Why can't I?"

Shen Qingyao said timidly, "Because... I don't like it."

Meng Jiangyu remained silent.

Are you angry?

"No." Meng Jiangyu looked at Shen Qingyao solemnly, "I like you the way you are, it's very good."

"If you like something, you like it; if you don't like something, you don't like it. Don't compromise yourself for others."

"You can be your most authentic self in front of me."

"Honey, never compromise yourself for others, not even for me."

"Don't think that just because I'm nice to you, you have to compromise yourself to cater to my preferences. I don't like it when you do that."

"No one in this world is worth this except yourself."

Shen Qingyao looked at the man in front of her, her voice hoarse, "This is the first time I've heard such words. From childhood to adulthood, I've always been taught that you have to be sensible, obedient, and take good care of your younger siblings."

"From now on, you will never need to compromise yourself for others again."

"Mmm." Shen Qingyao looked at the familiar man in front of her, deeply moved.

Ten minutes later, the two went out again, and the Bentley drove towards Wangjinglou.

Hidden in the bustling city, the attic was originally the backyard of a former royal palace. After being acquired by the Xu Mingxuan family, it was transformed into a top-tier members-only club in the capital.

With its vermilion pillars, upturned eaves, and ancient charm, the building is only open to a select few.

The parking lot at the entrance was filled with top-of-the-line luxury cars, and judging from the license plates, the owners were from both political and business circles.

The penthouse suite was Meng Jiangyu's exclusive territory. When Meng Jiangyu led Shen Qingyao in, everyone else had already arrived.

When Xu Mingxuan saw Meng Jiangyu leading Shen Qingyao in, he immediately stood up and greeted them with a smile: "Fifth Brother, Sister-in-law, you've finally arrived."

Shen Qingyao nodded in greeting.

"Thanks for the casino incident, brother, otherwise I would have been in big trouble."

Meng Jiangyu nodded slightly and led Shen Qingyao to sit down in the main seat.

Shen Qingyao's gaze swept across the private room. Sitting next to Zhou Yanqiu was a scantily clad girl whom she hadn't seen before; she must be his new female companion.

Su Wan sat next to Lu Linchuan, smiling gently and nodding to Shen Qingyao.

A new face was sitting next to Xu Mingxuan. Shen Qingyao hadn't seen her before; she must be his new girlfriend.

Shen Qingyao smiled in response. Su Wan looked very pregnant. Shen Qingyao noticed that there was juice in her cup and guessed that she was probably pregnant.

The private room was warm and cozy, furnished in an antique style. Amidst the soft clinking of glasses, a waiter came in to serve the dishes.

While chatting with his brothers about the recent situation, Meng Jiangyu peeled shrimp for Shen Qingyao, something familiar to them.

The two girls who had just joined the dinner party had never seen anything like this before; they were usually the ones peeling shrimp for the big shots.

Su Wan and Lu Linchuan were already married, and she was Lu's wife in all her rightful place, so the two of them were naturally very polite to her, afraid of offending such an important person.

When Meng Jiangyu led Shen Qingyao through the door, the two girls looked at Shen Qingyao, who was younger than them. They initially thought she was just an ordinary female companion, like themselves.

Seeing how Mr. Meng, the person of the highest status at the dinner party, treated her, he regretted not greeting her earlier.

Shen Qingyao was indeed hungry, and completely ignored the girl's surprised look as she ate her food.

After the dinner, Meng Jiangyu, Xu Mingxuan, Zhou Yanqiu, and Lu Linchuan played mahjong at a nearby table.

Su Wan was reading a magazine on the sofa. Shen Qingyao wasn't interested in mahjong, so she came to the sofa to chat with Su Wan.

"Sister Su Wan, are you pregnant?"

Su Wan looked up and put down the magazine, her fingertips gently resting on her lower abdomen, a gentle smile playing on her lips: "You noticed? It's almost been three months, but you haven't dared to say anything yet."

Shen Qingyao's gaze softened, and she lowered her voice: "Congratulations! You look great."

"It's only just started to stabilize a bit. I had severe morning sickness a while ago, and it was really uncomfortable," Su Wan sighed with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the card table not far away.

Lu Linchuan was holding a deck of cards, his fingertips tapping the table casually. "He's very happy, and the elders in the family are even happier."

Shen Qingyao knew that she suddenly said this to make Fang Shuning give up, so Shen Qingyao said, "Everyone has their own life and their own journey."

Intelligent people don't need to spell things out too clearly; they just hint at it and leave it at that.

Su Wan touched her belly and said slowly, "Mr. Meng really cares about you. We've known him for so many years and I've never seen him treat anyone like this before."

She paused, then added, "I used to think you two had a good relationship, but I never imagined he would do even something as simple as peeling shrimp himself."

Shen Qingyao took a bite of a cherry on the table: "He is indeed very good to me."

Su Wan smiled and said, "Lin Chuan told me that Mr. Meng has really lost this time, and he lost willingly."

Su Wan shared her pregnancy stories with Shen Qingyao with a smile. Shen Qingyao listened with great interest and occasionally asked a few questions.