Using the scent you love to mark everything that is yours...
"I want to sit with Seven!"
With a tipsy stubbornness, Ada stood in front of Meng Shang's car, clinging to Jiang Ruoqi's arm. "My head hurts, I want to sit with Seven!"
Jiang Ruoqi saw through her clearly—she and Su Yansheng were at odds and she was deliberately throwing a tantrum. So she wrapped an arm around Ada's waist, pulling her closer, and patted her flushed face. "Then why don't you come home with me tonight, baby?"
"No!" Meng Shang and Su Yansheng said in unison.
"Brother Meng, keep your wife in line." Su Yansheng also reeked of alcohol, but he still reached out to take Ada from Jiang Ruoqi's arms.
Meng Shang, temporarily promoted to "the great magistrate of clear justice," was blunt: "Can't do it."
A sentence that really showed his place in the family.
It made it look like Meng Shang had no standing at all.
But Jiang Ruoqi was quite satisfied with the answer. She opened the passenger door and got in, then reminded Su Yansheng in the back to take good care of Ada.
The hotel where Su Yansheng and Ada were staying wasn't far from the bar—a ten-minute drive from Meng Shang.
Although they had a house upstairs, living under someone else's roof was inconvenient. And since they weren't short on money, Jiang Ruoqi had suggested it once, and after Ada refused, she let them go their way.
After seeing off the drunk couple, the car still held a faint smell of alcohol. Jiang Ruoqi sniffed and rolled down the window to air it out.
She didn't want Meng Shang's car to smell like booze—like an ink blot soaking into pristine rice paper.
"Headache from drinking in the wind?" Meng Shang glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Knowing her, she'd probably drunk no less than Ada.
"I didn't have much, really." Jiang Ruoqi could tell Meng Shang was worried she'd had too much, so she waved a hand in front of his face. "Smell me—I don't even smell like alcohol."
She really didn't. The air current carried her perfume instead. She seemed especially fond of rose, but unlike the common powdery scent of roses, its base always had a woody calmness.
Just like her.
"Mm. So 'not much' means how much?" Meng Shang was the only one who hadn't touched a drop, so his mind was clear.
"Maybe... two glasses?" Jiang Ruoqi deflected. "Ada had something on her mind, so I gave her my drinks. If she hadn't been clinging to me, I'd have gone home earlier. After all, our Dr. Meng rarely gets off work early."
As she spoke, Jiang Ruoqi reached out and hooked her index finger around Meng Shang's pinky, which was resting on the gearshift. Her voice was even softer than when she'd coaxed Ada.
Meng Shang resisted the urge to look at her. "Be good, I'm driving."
"You drive. I'm not causing any trouble." Jiang Ruoqi wrinkled her nose, rolled up the window, and rested her elbow on the sill, propping up her heavy head.
"Su Yansheng must have had a lot to drink too, right? I could smell the alcohol on him from a mile away. Now it's not just me playing the mediator—I've dragged you into it too."
"If there were neighborhood mediation awards in Gangcheng, they'd have to give us one for our contribution to marital harmony and stability."
Meng Shang chuckled. He could never handle Jiang Ruoqi's mouth.
But her question clearly meant she wanted to know what Su Yansheng had said. He quickly clarified: "He didn't tell me what it was about."
"I guessed as much. He'd probably be too embarrassed to talk about it with you." Jiang Ruoqi narrowed her eyes. "Ada's a bit of a romantic, but she's very clear-headed about having kids. She's a firm childfree person. Before they got married, she and Su Yansheng agreed not to have children, but now..."
"His parents probably won't agree." Jiang Ruoqi trailed off, but Meng Shang understood.
"Mm-hmm. They probably thought they'd just get married first and figure everything out later."
Since Su Yansheng was Meng Shang's friend, Jiang Ruoqi didn't want to say anything too harsh. She covered her lips with her hand to hide a cold smile, but her tone, though calm, implied she was taking Ada's side.
Meng Shang was silent.
First of all, he had no strong feelings about having children. A life called continuation of the species—one had to recognize it as a life. If both parents were too busy to guarantee the companionship a child needed as it grew, then it was better not to have one.
Besides, once an agreement was made, it shouldn't be changed lightly. Sure, times change and opinions do too, but the woman's wishes should come first, because the hardships of pregnancy can't be borne by anyone else.
And if you choose, you have to bear the consequences—pressure from elder's expectations, accusations of filial impiety, or future difficulties in old age.
But it was clear that Su Yansheng already felt caught between his parents and his wife.
No matter which side he eventually compromised to, he might feel the conflict was unnecessary in the first place. And tracing it back, it was because of others, not his own lack of resolve.
Meng Shang didn't want to criticize Su Yansheng, but he believed marriage shouldn't be used as leverage to make a wife concede to having children.
"But we're outsiders in the end—it's not our place to meddle in their affairs. Don't worry, I know that." Seeing Meng Shang silent, Jiang Ruoqi quickly clarified her stance, subtly hinting that he should side with her or at least stay neutral.
Meng Shang shook his head. Of course he understood. "Is there anything our President Jiang doesn't understand? Don't worry, I'll go along with however you handle it. We'll be open with each other, and I'll be honest with you."
It was easy dealing with smart people. If Meng Shang weren't driving, Jiang Ruoqi would have kissed him.
"Oh, one more thing. You're on duty during the New Year holiday in a couple of days, right? I promised to go back to Hangxiang with Ada and them. First, I need to borrow your car. Second, is there anything you want me to bring to Grandma? I'll buy it and take it with me."
"I called Mom. Grandma's condition is stable. You have a rare holiday—why don't you stay home and rest?"
Meng Shang was considerate. The New Year holiday, including the weekend, was only three days. Jiang Ruoqi was just as busy with work, and she'd have to make up for it later. Driving all the way to Hangxiang with her energy levels wasn't easy.
"It's fine. I have time, so I'll go see them. Otherwise, I'd feel guilty about the big red envelopes and the heirloom."
Last time she met the family, Yun Dan and Grandma each gave her a big red envelope—"one in a thousand" as a gesture, but the real focus was the bank card hidden inside and the heirloom gold-inlaid jade bracelet.
It was a tradition given by the elders and openly accepted as the rule. Jiang Ruoqi politely declined twice before taking it without being fussy.
The bank card was for joint use, and the bracelet, with its excellent jade quality and delicate gold carvings, she was afraid of damaging. So she handed it to Meng Shang to "put away high on a shelf."
Afraid Meng Shang might say something sentimental, Jiang Ruoqi's eyes darted around and she changed the subject. "Besides, Dr. Meng won't be home. I'd be bored alone."
"Really bored or fake bored?"