Several days after the welcoming banquet, my childhood friend finally dared to call me.

He asked cautiously, "Wen Zhou, are you angry?"

I casually replied while adjusting the paint, "Angry about what?"

He didn't say anything and sighed before speaking again, "Ah, Wen Zhou, let me ask you secretly, do you still like Meng Jin Xia?"

Upon hearing this, I was so shocked that I almost fell off my chair. After steadying myself, I asked my childhood friend with a wry smile, "What did I do to give you such a misunderstanding? Please tell me quickly so I can correct it."

He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Because I feel... Meng Jin Xia... it seems like she regrets marrying Song Zhi Rang. And... and let me tell you, before you returned to the country, Meng Jin Xia asked me about your news several times."

He told me some gossip that I had missed.

Back then, I was heartbroken and went abroad to further my studies. Although the marriage alliance between Meng Jin Xia and me fell through, Aunt Meng strongly disagreed with her relationship with Song Zhi Rang.

Meng Jin Xia probably truly loved Song Zhi Rang. She stayed in the country to accompany him through university after we broke off the engagement, and after graduation, she left the Meng family without taking a penny and started her own business.

"To be honest, although everyone sympathized with you during that time, Meng Jin Xia's grand gesture for the sake of Song Zhi Rang touched us. After all, it was true love."

"Later on, Meng's family couldn't resist Meng Jin Xia anymore. After all, she was their only daughter. After a year of deadlock, they compromised and agreed to let Meng Jin Xia marry Song Zhi Rang, but they made Song Zhi Rang marry into their family. Meng Jin Xia definitely wouldn't endure the hardships in Song's family environment."

As a result, on the day of the wedding, the Meng family was utterly humiliated.

Although Song Zhi Rang came from a poor neighborhood, his family was quite large. Plus, his parents wanted to show off, so all his relatives and neighbors heard that the son of the Song family had climbed up the social ladder and brought his entire family to the wedding banquet to "drink the wedding wine."

At that time, probably to maintain Song Zhi Rang's face in front of her own family, Meng Jin Xia didn't assign seating at the banquet. The Meng family's relatives, business partners, and relatives from Song's side were all in the same banquet hall.

As you can imagine, a group of noisy people, children running and shouting everywhere, and the loud boasting of one's own son, which made Meng's young miss obediently submit to Song's parents.

It is said that one of Song Zhi Rang's uncles, in order to show off, made Meng Jin Xia kneel and kowtow to him during the wedding toast. He said that marrying a chicken follows the chicken and marrying a dog follows the dog. No matter how wealthy Meng Jin Xia was, after marrying Song Zhi Rang, she would only be their old Song family's daughter-in-law.

Meng Jin Xia, the proud daughter of the heavens, probably only knelt in front of the Meng family's ancestral hall. On the night of the wedding, Aunt Meng was so angry that she ended up in the hospital.

That was the beginning of her marriage to Song Zhi Rang. Later on, the Song family often took advantage of Meng Jin Xia's reputation to deceive people. Meng Jin Xia dealt with many tricky situations for them, such as Song Zhi Rang's brother driving under the influence and causing a fatal accident, the uncle buying a house, the aunt's child going to school, and the disabled father finding work...

Moreover, after marrying Song Zhi Rang, Meng Jin Xia had also invested money and used her connections to help him in business ventures, but perhaps due to poor judgment, they all ended up in bankruptcy.

With all these major and minor incidents piled up, Meng Jin Xia's affection for Song Zhi Rang has been completely depleted.

I listened indifferently, not knowing why I suddenly thought of Meng Jin Xia standing in front of me, explaining why she fell in love with Song Zhi Rang. She said to me coldly, word by word:

"Wen Zhou, you were born as a privileged young master who always has things go your way, while Song Zhi Rang has nothing, yet he managedto win my heart. He didn't have wealth or status, but he had sincerity and determination. He treated me with respect and love, and he made me feel special. I fell in love with him because he showed me a different world, a world where material possessions didn't matter as much as genuine connections and happiness. I saw a future with him, a future filled with love and support."

Her words echoed in my mind as I realized the depth of her feelings for Song Zhi Rang. The sacrifices she made, the challenges she faced, and the love she held onto despite everything.

My childhood friend continued, "Wen Zhou, I'm telling you all this because I don't want you to misunderstand Meng Jin Xia. She may have asked about you, but it doesn't mean she regrets marrying Song Zhi Rang. She's just curious, perhaps nostalgic about the past."

I sighed deeply, feeling a mix of emotions. I had held onto the hope that Meng Jin Xia still had feelings for me, that our love story could somehow be rekindled. But now, I realized that her heart belonged to someone else, someone who had fought against all odds to be with her.

After a long silence, I finally responded to my childhood friend, "Thank you for telling me all of this. I understand now. Please convey my well wishes to Meng Jin Xia. I hope she finds happiness in her marriage."

With those words, I hung up the phone and stared at the unfinished painting in front of me. My heart felt heavy, but I knew it was time to let go of the past and move forward. Perhaps there was someone out there who could make me feel the way Song Zhi Rang made Meng Jin Xia feel. And maybe, just maybe, I could find my own version of happiness.