Two days later, Ning Ran, dressed in white, appeared at the Tianhai Cemetery with fresh flowers and cake.
Today was her mom’s birthday. As such, she had applied a half-day leave from the crew to spend some time with her mom on this special day.
The woman placed the offerings in front of her mom’s tomb and lit a candle on the cake.
“Happy birthday, mom. I’m here to celebrate your birthday with you. You’ve worked so hard for our family your entire life and never had a proper birthday celebration. Sorry, I wasn’t a good daughter. I’ve never thought of planning any celebrations for you before.”
Tears flowed down Ning Ran’s cheeks as she continued to kneel beside the grave.
Her mom was smiling in the picture that was attached to the tomb, as if she was comforting Ning Ran, telling her to not feel sad.
Just then, the woman heard footsteps from behind her.
She was startled. When Ning Ran turned around, she saw a man approaching the her, carrying a bouquet of flowers in his arms.
It was Feng Minsheng. Why is he here?
“Ran, today is aunt’s birthday. I came to pay my respects,” Feng Minsheng said.
Ning Ran was moved by his gesture. She never expected that, apart from herself, there would be someone else in this world who remembered her mother’s birthday.
However, she felt strange that Feng Minsheng would know when her mother’s birthday was.
Sensing Ning Ran’s skepticism, the man explained, “We celebrated aunt’s birthday together once in the past, that’s why I remembered.”
“Really? Why do I have no recollection of that?” Ning Ran grew even more suspicious.
“Yeah, I even had dinner at your place. Aunt prepared lots of yummy dishes,” Feng Minsheng said confidently.
Ning Ran could not remember any of that. In her memory, she had never celebrated her mom’s birthday before, not even once. That was also her greatest regret.
But Feng Minsheng insisted that they had. No matter how hard she tried, she was still not able to remember.
Not that it mattered – Ning Ran was just grateful that Feng Minsheng made the effort to remember her mom’s birthday.
The aversion she had towards him also seemed to have diminished. The man did not appear as irksome to her now.
After placing the flowers in front of the tomb, Feng Minsheng said, “Happy birthday, aunt. Please rest in peace and don’t worry about Ranran. I will take good care of her and keep her away from any harm.”
Ning Ran was uncomfortable when she heard what the man said. Did I say I want you to take care of me?
However, it did not seem appropriate to correct him in front of her mother’s tomb, so she bit her tongue.
After they were done paying their respects, both of them left the cemetery together.
“Ran, shall we have a meal together? I have been wanting to do that, but you are always so busy. There are some things I want to talk to you about,” Feng Minsheng said.
It just happened that Ning Ran also had something to tell him. She wanted to tell him to stop pestering her and saying such mushy words.
As such, she agreed to Feng Minsheng’s request, and they headed to the restaurant together.
To her surprise, Feng Minsheng had already made a reservation for a private room. He had even ordered in advance some of Ning Ran’s favorite dishes.
“Since today is aunt’s birthday, let’s start this off with a toast to aunt, who’s in heaven.”
Feng Minsheng poured three glasses of wine, including one for Ning Ran’s mom.
The man finished the wine in one gulp.
“I may have to visit my kids later, so I shouldn’t be drinking,” Ning Ran said.
“How can you not drink? This toast is for aunt, so you have to finish it up. Otherwise, aunt won’t be happy about it.” Feng Minsheng tried to talk her into drinking.
Those were heavy words. Since he brought up her mother, Ning Ran couldn’t bring herself to reject any further.
As such, she drank the wine reluctantly.
However, Feng Minsheng poured her another one right away as he said, “This is my toast to you. Here’s to a smooth-sailing career, a record-breaking viewership for your upcoming drama, and a future as a superstar!”
“I really can’t drink anymore,” Ning Ran rejected.
“Just one more, last one. On account of our long friendship, one more glass isn’t too much to ask for, right?” Feng Minsheng continued to coax her into drinking.
Ning Ran didn’t have the heart to reject him as he had visited her mom’s tomb today.
Thinking that one more glass wouldn’t make much difference, Ning Ran compromised once more. “This is really the last glass. After this, no matter what you say, I won’t drink anymore. This is a toast from me to you, for remembering my mom’s birthday.”
Ning Ran tossed off the glass of wine.
After that, Feng Minsheng immediately refilled her glass again. “How about just another one? You should at least finish three glasses of wine.”
However, Ning Ran was firm in her stance this time round. She was determined to not drink anymore.
Ning Ran had only agreed to drink the first two glasses out of courtesy, but she could not keep on compromising. Besides, she did not even feel like drinking today.
“I have something on later, so I can’t drink anymore. You can enjoy the rest of the bottle,” Ning Ran flat out rejected the man.
“OK. Try the dishes, then. These are all your favorites. Eat more!” Feng Minsheng stopped insisting.
Ning Ran felt giddy after taking a few mouthfuls of food.
Perhaps she was feeling down, or maybe it was because she had drunk on an empty stomach, but Ning Ran felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to leave first, it seems like I cannot handle alcohol well,” Ning Ran said as she put a hand to her forehead.
“How about I send you back then? You don’t feel like yourself today. You didn’t even drink much, how did you get drunk so easily?”
“Sorry, I guess I’m just not feeling very well today. No worries, I can take a cab back.”
Ning Ran stood up and prepared to leave.
However, her footsteps were unsteady and she almost fell.
As Feng Minsheng observed Ning Ran’s stance, the corners of his mouth curled into an unfathomable smile.
“Looks like you are really drunk. Just let me send you back,” the man said as he supported Ning Ran in his arms.
She wanted to shake him off, but was unable to summon the energy to do that.
After Feng Minsheng put Ning Ran into his car, he drove to a hotel. Upon reaching, he carried her into a room which he had already booked earlier.
The man placed Ning Ran on the bed and climbed on top of her. Then, he put her slender arms around his neck.
Another man, who was wearing a mask, started snapping phones with his camera. Each photo was taken from a very professional angle.
By this time, Ning Ran was already unconscious. However, from the photos taken, it seemed like she was getting intimate with Feng Minsheng, especially with her arms around his neck.
“Remove her clothes. Let’s take another set of more steamy photos,” the photographer suggested.
“Err…” Feng Minsheng hesitated.
“Isn’t she the woman you have been lusting for? She’s all yours now, you can do anything you want to her,” the photographer said.
“I won’t do that. She will never forgive me if I did that.”
“Do you think she will forgive you after everything you’ve done today?”
“I think this is enough. We don’t have to go to that extent.” Feng Minsheng was still not willing to remove Ning Ran’s clothes.
He knew Ning Ran’s character too well. If he continued, Ning Ran would never let him off after she woke up.
Besides, Ning Ran had the support of the terrifying Nan family. The man had already been beaten up twice by them, but he knew even that was considered mild.
If the Nan family went all out, he would definitely be crippled.
Feng Minsheng did not want to burn bridges, although it felt like the bridge was already crumbling.
“So, are you undressing her or not?”
“No, we can just end it here, as long as we have achieved the effect we were looking for. She’s my childhood friend and we grew up together. I don’t want her to hate me,” Feng Minsheng said.
“Make sure you don’t regret it. This could be your only chance to have her!”
“No, I can’t do that,” Feng Minsheng rejected firmly.
