CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 379: ENCOUNTER WHILE WAITING FOR THE BUS

An Ying saw Aunt Zhang’s stance and hurriedly spoke before her, "Yinyin has to go to school, and I need to go to the hospital for a follow-up. The timing just coincides."

"I see." Grandma Wu suddenly understood. At this moment, she pointed at the man, "Who is this?"

"Oh dear, Aunt Wu, your tofu is so delicate. If you don’t take it home soon, it might crumble." Aunt Zhang couldn’t help but exclaim after speaking.

Grandma Wu withdrew her gaze, quickly looked at her own bag, and then noticed Aunt Zhang’s mocking tone. She felt somewhat displeased, recalling how she had been bringing clothes to An Ying’s house lately, where the An mother and daughter always warmly welcomed her. But this Aunt Zhang always wore a long face. Grandma Wu immediately lost any desire to ask further and left sullenly with her things.

Aunt Zhang watched as Grandma Wu entered the stairwell’s door and snorted coldly.

An Ying watched it all and said nothing.

Grandma Wu, being straightforward, loved to gossip about anything she saw or heard. Despite this, she wasn’t a bad person.

Living in the same building, running into each other often, An Ying didn’t want to have any unpleasantness with others, so she chose to keep the peace.

Bao Shaojin’s car was parked against the wall.

They all walked to the car.

Bao Shaojin placed An Ying in the back seat to make it convenient for her to move.

Aunt Zhang swiftly joined her in the back seat.

At this moment, the man opened the passenger door, "Still standing there?" His unhurried tone carried a hint of coldness.

An Yin gave the man a glance and mumbled a word, "Oh." From the moment she saw him, An Yin seemed dazed, as if she hadn’t recovered from the shock.

An Ying subtly watched the two people in the front seats. Her bright eyes, like autumn waters, flickered with a faint hint of contemplation.

Inside the car, An Yin turned her head, looking anxiously at her mother.

"Mom, let me go with you to the hospital."

Last night, An Ying had decided not to let her daughter accompany her to the hospital.

"No need, just focus on school. I’m just going in for a check-up, don’t worry." Since last night, her daughter had been chattering nonstop, making An Ying feel helpless.

"But, I’m worried." An Yin said softly.

Bao Shaojin chimed in, "After dropping you off at school, I’ll take Aunt An to the hospital. Once her check-up is done, I’ll drive her back home myself."

The man watched the road with a cold gaze.

An Yin’s lips parted slightly, wanting to say it’s unnecessary, but seeing her mother’s difficulties, she hid her pained feelings and said in a muffled voice, "Thank you, Bao Shaojin."

After she finished speaking, the man did not respond, only furrowing his brow.

If it weren’t for the elders present, he might have said: No need to be polite with me.

Soon, An Yin stopped talking.

Outside the window, the roadside greenery began to sprout lush green leaves.

The car stopped at the intersection.

An Ying turned her head towards the window. Soon, her view was blocked by an ink-colored Maybach. She casually glanced at the car body. The car had a private interior, making it impossible for her to see inside. Just as she was about to turn her gaze away, she caught sight of the rear window on the opposite side slowly descending.

Perhaps out of curiosity, or maybe because something in her heart was calling her, her gaze lingered.

The next second, she saw short black hair.

As the window slowly went down, she saw the man’s forehead, and then his eyes...

An Ying was frozen in place, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

At that moment, Bao Shaojin stepped on the accelerator, the car shot forward like a wild horse.

An Ying’s breath became rapid. To calm the suffocating feeling, she clenched her uninjured hand tightly, her nails digging into her tender palm, the piercing pain easing her emotions a bit.

Luckily, she turned her head to one side, and no one in the car noticed her abnormal behavior.

After years of not seeing him, everything about that man had long been engraved in her bones. Even without seeing his full face, just by his eyes and brows, An Ying was certain—the man in that car was him!

The man she had been longing for all these years!

On the other side.

After driving away from the intersection, Uncle Ma looked at the man in the back seat who was constantly coughing, a worried expression on his face.

"Sir, it’s best to close the window. Catching a cold would be troublesome." Uncle Ma said earnestly.

In the back seat, the man wore a fitting traditional Chinese suit, accentuating his stern features. His clothing was made of exquisite fabric, exuding a luxury that was hard to hide.

The chilly wind blowing in lightly lifted the hair on his forehead, and his gloomy eyes flickered dimly behind the hair strands.

As for what Uncle Ma was saying, he seemed not to hear it at all.

After stopping his cough, the man lifted his gaze to stare vacantly at the empty road ahead.

Just now, he vaguely felt a familiar presence, even causing his heart to beat violently, as if something very important was close by.

As the scenery outside the window changed from lush greenery to towering skyscrapers, Meng Heming’s gaze unwillingly lingered.

Uncle Ma glanced through the car’s rearview mirror, seeing his somber expression, and felt uncomfortable. To distract him, Uncle Ma casually mentioned, "Sir, I saw the car that the Bao family’s head often rides in just now."

Meng Heming’s dark eyes narrowed, his face stiffened for a moment, and his voice was clear and powerful, "Bao Shaojin?"

Uncle Ma replied, "Yes, he should be in the car."

Meng Heming showed a thoughtful expression, speaking blandly, "Madam Bao has good taste!"

Uncle Ma understood.

The remark seemed to praise Madam Bao for her sharp choice of a successor, but it actually complimented the new Bao family heir’s impressive business acumen.

It seemed the gentleman had high expectations for this young junior!

"Sir, if you value this Bao family heir so much, why have you never attended the events they’ve invited you to?" Uncle Ma asked puzzledly.

Upon hearing Uncle Ma’s words, a complex emotion, a mix of resentment and guilt, flashed across Meng Heming’s stern face.

For a long time, Meng Heming did not speak.

Just as Uncle Ma thought he wouldn’t get a response, Meng Heming spoke with a hint of melancholy, "I’ll attend when I find Ying’er someday!"

Uncle Ma found these words perplexing.

Yet, he did not pursue the reason. To avoid letting him linger in past memories, Uncle Ma refrained from mentioning the past.

The memories that the gentleman often pondered over the years had almost drained his health. For his sake, Uncle Ma chose to keep silent when necessary!