Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 239 Ambition
The single word "not enough" trapped Tang Xu for three hours.

Meng Tianyou called around six o'clock. Tang Xu was buried deep in the sheets. She finally managed to reach for her phone, but the next moment, the man grabbed her wrist.

The bed beneath her continued to throb rhythmically. Tang Xu gritted her teeth and turned to look at the person behind her.

He wanted to say something, but the next moment, his voice was completely swallowed up once again.

The phone, which had fallen onto the bed, rang and stopped, then rang again, eventually becoming just background noise.

Half an hour later, Tang Xu finally got her phone back and saw four or five missed calls. She couldn't help but raise her eyes and glare at the man who had just gotten up.

As if sensing something, Yan Shiyu looked over. Tang Xu quickly looked away, took two deep breaths to calm herself, and then dialed the number back.

Meng Tianyou answered the phone quickly: "Sister, you finally have time to call?"

"I'm sorry." Tang Xu was genuinely embarrassed. She pressed her forehead and said in a low voice, "I was busy with other things and my phone was on silent, so I didn't notice."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tianyou grunted twice, "Then can we still eat this meal?"

“I’ve already made a reservation,” Tang Xu said. “If you still want to eat, of course you can.”

Meng Tianyou then asked, "Are you still at Qiushuitai?"

"No," Tang Xu lied without batting an eye. "I'm in the west of the city right now."

"Oh," Meng Tianyou replied, "Then if we set off at the same time, the time should be about the same. See you in forty minutes?"

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Xu breathed a sigh of relief, put down her phone, got up and went into the bathroom. Yan Shiyu had already adjusted the shower water temperature and was standing outside the water curtain, looking back at her.

Upon seeing this, Tang Xu's legs went weak, and she immediately turned around, saying, "I'll use the restroom outside."

She hurried out, and Yan Shiyu watched her retreating figure before finally offering only a faint smile.

……

Although they agreed to meet forty minutes later, Tang Xu was still a little late.

When she arrived at the restaurant, Meng Tianyou was already sitting at a table by the window, flipping through the menu and ordering food.

Tang Xu sat down, and he handed the menu to the waiter. Then he turned back to look at Tang Xu and said, "You're late, so I took the liberty of ordering. If the price isn't right when we pay, don't be too upset, sister."

Tang Xu looked up at him and said, "I'll definitely feel sorry for you. But it was my fault today, so I'll accept the pain."

Meng Tianyou seemed pleased by her words, his eyes brightening slightly as he said, "So, you mean my sister feels sorry for me? I'm so happy!"

Tang Xu ignored his obviously teasing remarks, took a sip of water, and then asked, "Didn't you say you weren't on vacation lately? Why are you back at this time?"

Meng Tianyou sighed softly and said, "Isn't it because my grandma's birthday is coming up soon? My dad ordered me to come back and celebrate her birthday. What can a spoiled brat like me do but obey?"

Hearing him tease him like that, Tang Xu just smiled faintly.

Judging from the fact that he started pursuing her from the very first time he met her, he wasn't a spoiled rich kid who didn't care about anything. On the contrary, he was very ambitious.

However, sometimes, when ambition has nowhere to be expressed, one can only hide oneself in another guise.

Thinking of this, Tang Xu immediately thought of another person.

They're even so alike in this respect. Could it be that they're related by blood?

"Speaking of which, I recently met someone you should know quite well," Tang Xu said.

Meng Tianyou raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who? If it's one of my friends, you'd better not tell me, or I'll be sad."

"How could I keep hurting you like this?" Tang Xu said slowly. "It's Meng Liancheng."

Upon hearing the name, Meng Tianyou seemed to pause for a moment. When he came to his senses, even his eyes changed. Compared to his previous nonchalant attitude, there was now a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

"Sister, how do you know him?"

"We met by chance," Tang Xu replied casually. "Isn't he your third uncle?"

After a pause, Meng Tianyou smiled again and said, "He is my third uncle. However, I am not actually very familiar with this third uncle."

“That’s true. You were only four or five years old when he had the car accident, right? After he woke up after so many years, you went abroad to study, so you probably weren’t very familiar with the place.” Tang Xu analyzed for a while before adding, “However, although he was in a coma for so many years, he didn’t seem to be completely out of touch with society. I think he’s a person worth exploring.”

The smile in Meng Tianyou's eyes faded slightly. "How do you know?"

"Gentle and refined, polite, and knowledgeable," Tang Xu said. "It's hard to imagine what he would be like now if he hadn't spent those eighteen years lying in a hospital bed."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tianyou sneered and said, "What do you mean? It seems like the entire Meng family is his now."

Tang Xu paused slightly upon hearing this, "Huh?"

Meng Tianyou seemed to realize he had misspoke, paused for a moment, and then smiled and said, "Just one possibility."

"You don't seem to like him very much?" Tang Xu asked.

Meng Tianyou countered, "Does that mean you like him, sister?"

Tang Xu remained silent for a moment, offering no reply.

Meng Tianyou continued, "Sister, you just said he's a 'person worth investigating,' but you didn't say he's a 'person worth befriending.' Sister, you're so smart. When I approached you, you could see through my true intentions at a glance. It's impossible that you'd be so easily fooled by him, right?"

After a moment of silence, Tang Xu smiled slightly and said, "Yes, you guessed right, I don't like him either."

As they were talking, the waiter brought the appetizers to the table. Meng Tianyou glanced at the dishes in front of him before saying, "So, the reason my sister is having this meal with me is because of him, right?"

Tang Xu nodded honestly.

Meng Tianyou couldn't help but sigh, like a deflated balloon, "Sister, can you not be so honest? Just think of it as trying to cheer me up a little?"

Tang Xu still didn't respond to his words, but simply said, "So, can you tell me what kind of person he is?"

“That’s a long story,” Meng Tianyou said. “And if I talk about him, I might lose my appetite.” Tang Xu had no choice but to smile slightly and say, “Okay, let’s eat first.”

Meng Tianyou then laughed again.

After finishing their meal, the two quickly moved to a nearby bar, sat down, ordered drinks, and finally got down to business.

Meng Tianyou stopped joking and looked at Tang Xu seriously, saying, "I don't know how you know him, but you must listen to me. Stay as far away from him as possible."

"You're family, why would you treat him like that—"

Meng Tianyou smiled and said, "Sister, you know that sometimes the closer a family is, the more conflicts of interest there are, and the more intense the fighting becomes."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xu said softly, "He doesn't seem like that kind of person, neither in the past nor now."

“That’s what makes him so formidable,” Meng Tianyou said. “He seems harmless and polite to everyone, so you keep getting closer and closer to him until one day he devours you whole, and that’s when you realize how ruthless he is.”

"Can you tell me more specifically?"

Meng Tianyou tilted his head and said, "My dad is the best example. When I was born, my dad actually held a place in Meng's Group and had some influence. Later, Meng Liancheng joined the company. Because my uncle was already the general manager of Meng's Group at that time, he was inevitably wary of Meng Liancheng. So, in everyone's eyes, Meng Liancheng naturally sided with my dad—and it was precisely because my dad trusted him that he was repeatedly betrayed and eventually kicked out of Meng's Group. With my dad's departure, Meng Liancheng rose rapidly and became almost equal to my uncle. You can see how powerful this person is."

“I’ve looked at some past materials,” Tang Xu said. “He didn’t show any fighting spirit.”

"Yes, he said he wasn't competitive, but he still managed to climb to a high position. You can imagine how cunning he is," Meng Tianyou said. "And as he rose through the ranks, one person after another was ousted from his side... He practically climbed to the top by stepping on the corpses of countless people. How could someone like that be completely passive and not competitive? His greatest skill is hiding his ambition and true purpose, using and sacrificing those around him to achieve his goals... It's pitiful that those he used often don't even know what they've been through. They're being sold out and still helping him count the money. It's truly laughable!"

Tang Xu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and then she asked, "Do you know if... he has any women around him?"

"A woman?" Meng Tianyou raised an eyebrow. "Since you've seen his previous records, you should know what he used to look like, right?"

“I know he’s very popular with women,” Tang Xu said. “But what I want to know is, has there ever been a woman who is very important to him… not the kind who chases after him, but someone he cares about.”

“No.” Meng Tianyou answered almost without hesitation. “Although I’m not entirely sure about that, according to my grandmother, when he was young, he was a womanizer, but he never got involved with any of them… His heart wasn’t with women at all; he only thought about power and profit. How could he care about a woman?”

Tang Xu was stunned for a moment, and wanted to ask something more, but she knew in her heart that Meng Tianyou probably only knew this much, and she wouldn't get any useful information if she asked anything more.

But if it's true, as Meng Tianyou said, that Meng Liancheng never truly cared about any woman, then what was Tang Lan to him?

Was it because Tang Lan was already married at the time that their relationship became secret and unknown to others, or was there something else?
Why did Tang Lan, who clearly protected Meng Liancheng in many ways, simultaneously show such great pain? Was it also because of the constraints of her married status?

but……

At this moment, Tang Xu suddenly heard Tang Lan's painful voice in his mind—

"It's not like that...it's not what you think..."

"Don't go near him anymore... Stay away from him, okay?"

"Please believe me, I'm really doing this for your own good..."

If Tang Lan is only troubled and in pain because of relationship problems, why say these things to her?
Although Meng Liancheng had framed her to coerce Tang Lan into returning, she didn't suffer any real harm in the process. Ultimately, it was a matter between the two of them, and even if she was involved, it wouldn't affect her too much.

But why does Tang Lan say that getting close to Meng Liancheng would bring immense misfortune and suffering?

Was it that Tang Lan genuinely felt sorry for her and was afraid she would be used and suffer again, or—

Is she herself experiencing that kind of misfortune and pain?

Tang Xu was lost in her own thoughts, unable to come to her senses for a moment, until Meng Tianyou waved his hand in front of her—

"elder sister?"

Tang Xu snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him.

Meng Tianyou seemed to have detached himself from his previous resentment, and smiled slightly at her, "Did what I just said help you?"

After a long while, Tang Xu finally found his voice again: "You just said that he had great ambitions for the Meng family before he fell into a coma. What about now? Does that ambition still exist?"

“Although we all think he can’t make a comeback,” Meng Tianyou said in a low voice, “sister, we don’t know what an ambitious person will become after those eighteen years. Maybe he’ll go even crazier—so, no matter what kind of entanglement you have with this person, my advice is to stay away from him.”

Tang Xu had already experienced this, so she smiled slightly at Meng Tianyou and said softly, "Thank you."

……

A rich second-generation playboy like Meng Tianyou is naturally very busy on nights like this.

The two had just stepped out of the bar when he received a phone call and was summoned to a disco on the next street. He quickly said goodbye to Tang Xu at the entrance.

Tang Xu walked to her car alone. Just as she was about to open the car door and get in, she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her from behind: "Miss Tang".

Tang Xu turned around and saw Cheng Jin.

"What are you doing here so late?" Tang Xu couldn't help but ask. "Don't tell me it was a chance encounter."

Cheng Jin paused for a moment before saying, "Mr. Jiang asked me to come."

Tang Xu was a little confused. "What do you mean?"

Cheng Jin glanced in the direction where Meng Tianyou had disappeared before saying, "Mr. Jiang knows you had dinner with the Meng family, so he specifically asked me to come and remind you not to get too close to them."

Tang Xu found it unbelievable, "I still don't understand."

Cheng Jin let out a breath and took another step closer to Tang Xu. "Your mother went to see Mr. Jiang before she left. She must have told Mr. Jiang some things, so Mr. Jiang has been paying close attention to your movements lately... But for some reason, he has been in a bad mood and very irritable these past two days, so he only sent me."

Tang Xu frowned and said, "That doesn't make sense. He's in a bad mood, shouldn't he come to me in person to vent his frustrations?"

Cheng Jin paused for a moment before continuing, "Haven't you noticed that his attitude towards you has changed drastically lately? Why? You should know—"

“Because he’s sick!” Tang Xu interrupted him, saying, “Go back and tell him that my affairs have nothing to do with him, and ask him not to interfere in anything concerning me anymore—oh, except for one thing: if he’s willing to sign the divorce papers, I will contact him myself.”

After saying that, Tang Xu was about to get into the car, but Cheng Jin stopped her from entering again. He looked at Tang Xu for a few moments before saying, "Anyway, he hasn't been behaving well these past two days. You... should be careful."

Tang Xu paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Thank you."