Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 240 Jealousy
Tang Xu wasn't oblivious to the fact that Jiang Muchen and Tang Lan were on the same side; it's just that so much had happened recently that she had become almost numb to it.

However, this numbness caused by fatigue does not mean that the problem does not exist.

Sometimes, all that's needed is a critical point.

Just like tonight.

On the way back, Tang Xu was driving smoothly all the way, but the car had only been on the elevated road for a short while when it suddenly got stuck in traffic.

At this time, the elevated road should be completely clear. Even during the usual morning and evening rush hours, traffic jams would slowly move forward. It's rare to see it completely still like this.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the drivers in front, behind, and to the sides all got out of their cars and looked ahead to see what had happened.

Tang Xu wasn't in a hurry at all.

She sat in the car, listening to the surrounding noise, but it was more like she was in a daze.

If she hadn't glanced in the rearview mirror, she probably wouldn't have noticed someone was following her.

But Tang Xu happened to see it, and not only did he see it, he saw more than one group of people.

Among the crowd standing and looking back, there were two groups of people, one on the left and one on the right, all peering toward the car she was in.

Tang Xu initially thought it was just a coincidence.

But later, she repeatedly looked in the rearview mirror and found that those people's eyes were always fixed on her car.

Being followed is nothing new, but Yan Shiyu has been having people follow her and protect her.

However, neither of these two groups were Yan Shiyu's men, and none of them were familiar faces to Tang Xu.

Seeing that Tang Xu's car remained motionless, after a while, one of the cars sent someone forward, seemingly to check the situation ahead. He casually walked past Tang Xu's car, but his gaze flew towards Tang Xu.

Tang Xu had been watching his movements closely, and the moment he looked over, she stared straight at him.

The other person quickly looked away and returned to their original position.

Immediately afterwards, another group of people did almost the exact same thing, also secretly observing Tang Xu in the car.

Tang Xu was already sitting quietly when she met that person's gaze and suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

What merit does she possess to have so many unknown people following and observing her all the way?

Who is hiding something?

And who is it, and what are they afraid of?
In that instant, Tang Xu couldn't help but grip the steering wheel tightly.

A moment later, Tang Xu released the steering wheel, took out his phone, and dialed Meng Tianyou's number.

Meng Tianyou answered the phone quickly. The music on the other end was deafening, but thankfully his voice was still clear: "Sister, you already miss me after we just parted?"

Tang Xu stared at the two groups of people behind his car, paused, and slowly said, "If I remember correctly, Madam Meng's banquet is going to be a grand affair, right? Could you help me get an invitation card?"

There was a moment of silence from Meng Tianyou on the other end of the phone, but soon the music gradually faded, and then Meng Tianyou's voice came through again, "You've already forgotten what I told you half an hour ago? What are you trying to do?"

"I don't want to do anything, I just want to go and see," Tang Xu replied. "I just want to know what some people are afraid of, is that okay?"

……

Despite repeated admonitions from Meng Tianyou, he ultimately couldn't resist and handed Tang Xu an invitation card on the morning of the old lady's birthday.

Tang Xu immediately contacted a stylist, had her makeup done, her hair styled, and changed into a formal dress before attending the event in her finest attire.

The birthday banquet was held at the Meng Family Manor, and given the Meng family's status in Huai City, it was naturally a gathering of dignitaries.

Even if Tang Xu dressed up in her finest attire, she would still not stand out much on such a grand occasion.

Yet, some people still spotted her immediately.

When Meng Tianyou met Tang Xu at the door and was pointing out the location of Old Madam Meng, the person sitting next to Old Madam Meng's gaze swept past the guests and locked onto Tang Xu.

Tang Xu looked up and met those eyes.

Meng Liancheng.

He seemed surprised to see Tang Xu here, his gaze lingering on Tang Xu for a long time before he finally smiled.

Tang Xu only glanced at him before looking away and turning to Meng Tianyou in front of her. "I told you I was just here to join in the fun. Don't worry, I definitely won't cause you any trouble."

"I'm not afraid of you causing me trouble," Meng Tianyou said in a low voice. "I'm afraid you'll cause trouble for yourself."

"I told you I couldn't," Tang Xu said. "Why don't you trust people?"

Meng Tianyou stared at her with suspicion for a while before taking Tang Xu's arm and saying, "Let's go, I'll introduce you to my grandmother."

Because Madam Meng was the absolute star of the evening, the guests took turns coming forward to wish her a happy birthday.

Meng Liancheng sat beside his mother the whole time, greeting the guests as they came and went.

Tang Xu and Meng Tianyou walked forward with the flow of people, occasionally looking down and chatting, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.
Tang Xu would occasionally glance at the guests passing by, but her gaze never once drifted toward Meng Liancheng's direction.

It wasn't until the two of them came before Madam Meng that Tang Xu obediently offered her birthday greetings.

Madam Meng did not recognize her, but seeing her with Meng Tianyou, she assumed she was Meng Tianyou's girlfriend and couldn't help but hold her hand and look her up and down.

Tang Xu quickly explained, "Madam Meng, you misunderstand. Tianyou is my sister's senior from the same school. We met by chance. He invited me because I wanted to come and celebrate your birthday. We are just ordinary friends."

Upon hearing this, Madam Meng immediately looked at Meng Tianyou for confirmation.

Meng Tianyou shrugged, looking as if he didn't know how to deal with it either.

Tang Xu immediately added, "Don't worry, since you're concerned about his marriage, I'll definitely keep an eye out for him and introduce him to any good girls I find, so you won't have to worry anymore."

Madam Meng then smiled again, patting Tang Xu's hand and saying repeatedly, "Good, good."

While Tang Xu and Madam Meng were talking, Meng Liancheng sat beside them, watching the scene with a smile, as if he was just waiting for Tang Xu to raise her eyes and look at him so that he could speak to her.

But Tang Xu didn't look at him once throughout the entire process.

After speaking with Madam Meng, Tang Xu quickly got up and walked away with Meng Tianyou.

Meng Liancheng's gaze followed the two of them all the way, and he saw Meng Tianyou leading Tang Xu toward his group of friends. Tang Xu greeted all the young people one by one and quickly integrated into the circle. He listened to their conversations and occasionally made a few comments. He was very serious about socializing and was also very happy.

Meng Liancheng was always like a transparent person to her; she never paid any attention to him.

Meng Tianyou really didn't expect that Tang Xu could completely ignore Meng Liancheng. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he leaned close to Tang Xu's ear and whispered, "I've looked at you eight hundred times. You really have a way with patience."

Tang Xu glanced at him and said, "I told you from the beginning that I was just here to join in the fun. You're worrying about it for no reason."

Meng Tianyou gave a soft hum, his gaze falling on Tang Xu's graceful and delicate shoulder and neck lines. After clearing his throat, he quickly looked away.

Until the end of the birthday banquet, Tang Xu did not provoke Meng Liancheng in any way.

As for whether he had offended anyone, Tang Xu had no idea.

When it was time to leave, Meng Tianyou insisted on seeing her off. Tang Xu couldn't refuse, so she got into his car and gave the driver the address of Yujing Bay. The roads were clear at night, and in just twenty minutes, the car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of Yujing Bay.

Meng Tianyou looked at the gate of the residential complex and couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Tang Xu and said, "Does this mean I have your address now? Can I visit you anytime from now on?"

He had drunk quite a bit tonight, and Tang Xu didn't want to argue with him, so she just said, "Do as you please, but there's usually no one home at my house."

After saying that, Tang Xu pushed open the door and got out of the car.

Meng Tianyou then got out of the car from the other side, walked up to Tang Xu, and couldn't help but sigh again: "It's rare to see someone as heartless as my sister."

Tang Xu didn't respond, but simply said, "When are you leaving? I'll treat you to one last meal before you go."

Meng Tianyou's eyes lit up, and he immediately moved closer to Tang Xu. "Really?"

Tang Xu was startled by his sudden move and quickly took a step back, saying, "If you remember when you're sober, I'll definitely keep my word."

After saying that, Tang Xu turned and walked into the residential area, waving to him with her back turned.

Meng Tianyou stood there, still staring at Tang Xu's back, until that figure finally disappeared from sight. After a long while, he sighed softly, turned around, got back into the car, and left.

……

Tang Xu felt that she had behaved herself well tonight and had not done anything out of line, but she did not expect to appear on social media the next morning.

She hadn't enjoyed this kind of treatment for a long time since her divorce proceedings with Jiang Muchen cooled down.

However, this time the male lead is Meng Tianyou.

Perhaps it was because her status as Mrs. Jiang was too conspicuous that her appearance at the banquet with Meng Tianyou attracted some attention. Some even followed Meng Tianyou's car all the way to the entrance of her residential area and took photos of Meng Tianyou driving her home.

The angle of the photo was just too tricky—it happened to be the moment Meng Tianyou leaned in front of her, and from the angle of the candid shot, it looked like Meng Tianyou was kissing her.

The photos immediately sparked another round of online arguments.

Tang Xu was already used to this and went to the company without worrying about her phone.

Throughout the day, people kept unintentionally approaching her, asking about her rumored relationship with Meng Tianyou.

After being asked so many times, Tang Xu had become numb to it. She would just throw out a set script and let others believe it or not; she didn't care and was too lazy to bother with it.

As evening approached, Tang Xu was supposed to leave work on time, but just as she was about to close her office door, she suddenly heard that there was another problem at the freight yard, so she rushed over there.

They stayed there until after 11 p.m.

Just as Tang Xu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, her phone rang again, and she thought things were almost settled.

Perhaps due to stress, the ringing of her phone gave her a headache, and she only breathed a slight sigh of relief when she picked up the phone and saw Gao Yan's name.

To everyone's surprise, Gao Yan's voice sounded tense and cautious, "Miss Tang, you... haven't you finished get off work yet?"

"Shouldn't you know what I'm doing?" Tang Xu retorted. "Why are you pretending not to know?"

Gao Yan chuckled awkwardly twice before asking, "So, when do you usually get off work?"

"Is something the matter?" Tang Xu asked.

Gao Yan couldn't help but let out a soft sigh and said, "I was just thinking, Mr. Yan has been back for over three hours, and you haven't gone back yet—"

Tang Xu didn't react for a moment, "What are you worried about?"

Gao Yan was silent for a moment, then, as if he had nothing to lose, he said, "That photo!"

Tang Xu immediately realized, "Meng Tianyou?"

"Miss Tang, you—"

Tang Xu was getting impatient explaining this issue today. "Don't tell me that even you believe that photo is real."

"Isn't it true?" Gao Yan's voice immediately rose several octaves. "Meng Tianyou was clearly kissing you!"

Tang Xu felt a throbbing pain in her temples.

I always thought that everyone else should be able to calmly ignore the facts that I could see through at a glance, just like me, but things didn't turn out as I wished.

"So, you're worried your boss will be jealous because of this?" Tang Xu rubbed her temples and said, "You're overthinking it. Stop worrying and go to sleep."

After saying that, someone called her from behind. Tang Xu hurriedly hung up the phone and stayed in the freight yard for nearly an hour. Seeing that order had been completely restored, she finally felt relieved and turned to leave.

She's been living in Qiushuitai almost all the time lately, so when she left the freight yard, the car instinctively headed towards Qiushuitai.

Upon arriving at their destination and going upstairs, they found the house empty and deserted, without a sound.

Didn't Gao Yan say that Yan Shiyu had already left work a long time ago?

Tang Xu was puzzled as she slowly walked towards the bedroom.

She opened the bedroom door to find the room dimly lit, with only a faint light from the distant window illuminating the familiar figure lying on the bed.

Yan Shiyu is already asleep?
That's rather unusual.

Tang Xu stood quietly at the door for a moment, then carefully closed the door and went out to use the restroom outside.

When she finished washing up and returned to the bedroom, the person on the bed was still in the same position as before, as if they hadn't moved at all.

Tang Xu quietly sat on the bed and gently lay down on her side facing Yan Shiyu.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, she could make out his outline.

How should I put it? It feels somewhat unfamiliar.

Because it seemed she had never observed him in such circumstances, under such light, or in such a way before.

Because the situation at this moment is really too strange.

Tang Xu finally realized that something was wrong.

How could he possibly go to sleep without waiting for her?

When she returned, although she moved very quietly, he was a light sleeper, so how could he not be disturbed at all?
Or--

Tang Xu suddenly remembered Gao Yan's phone call.

To be honest, Gao Yan probably knows more about Yan Shiyu than she does.

Was he really angry because of that photo?
Thinking of this, Tang Xu paused for a moment, then silently moved in his direction.

After inching closer to him, Yan Shiyu still didn't make a move.

Tang Xu reached out and placed her hand in his palm.

Yan Shiyu remained unmoved.

Tang Xu bit her lip, sat up slightly, stared at the man's closed eyes for a long time, and then lowered her head to gently kiss the corner of his lips.