Capítulo 1: Chapter 1 - When am I getting married?
Around the time Meng Ting began to understand things, he was continuously told that he stupid beyond redemption.
He crawled slower, sat slower, walked slower and even learned how to speak slower than other children. At the age when other children could generally speak quite fluently, he was still finding it difficult using simple words to express himself.
Quiet, awkward and gloomy…he was a child that was disliked by others.
His grandmother adopted him from the orphanage when he was seven years old and raised him until he was fourteen. During those seven years, his grandmother repeated to Meng Ting day after day that he was foolish in every respect, that he was a good-for-nothing who only knew how to eat, and that he was a completely useless piece of trash.
There was a time when Meng Ting extremely feared the words 'useless' and 'trash'. Therefore, when he grew up and became more intelligent, Meng Ting expended all his efforts in trying to make himself a bit more useful, clever and normal.
From an outsider's perspective, he had achieved extricating himself from the chains which bound him as a 'trash', yet only he knew that becoming the so-called 'useful' was only accomplished after exchanging it with his hard work and his life itself.
He had died. More accurately, he had died from over exhausting himself.
At a private laboratory belonging to the Meng family, he had continuously worked for two days without sleep. Just when he was going to yield results, he had died from weariness, otherwise known as a sudden death, or death due to overworking.
It was unforgettable, the feeling of his heart being strangled by an intangible hand and the pressure from all around gripping his throat forcefully as if he was suffocating from being drowned. He was still awake and could sense his body's condition, yet he was powerless to do anything. All he could do was welcome the arrival of death.
He had died at the age of twenty-eight.
Now, he was alive again. He wasn't saved from surgery in an operation room, but rather, he had returned back to the time when he was seventeen.
He was the result of a passionate night between his mother who was in university at that time, and the already married third son from the Meng family. In the end, he was a product who no-one wanted, so three days after his birth, he was abandoned by his mother on the doorstep of a welfare agency. He was raised there until seven years old when unexpectedly, the Meng family learned of his existence. They gave his grandmother money to bring him back and raise him until he was fourteen, then he was sent to study for three years at a highschool which was completely sealed off.
During that period, Meng Ting had encountered dark and bitter experiences that were more terrible than being starved or cursed at. However, it was there that he managed to cast off the chains that labelled him as 'trash'. He then passed the entrance examination to the university his grandmother and the Meng family wished for him to be admitted into and enrolled in the course that they wanted. After graduating, he was directly sent to the Meng family's laboratory, spending day and night experimenting with perfume until he finally died from over-exhaustion.
Although he had lived to twenty-eight, his life could easily be summarised in a few words. Even he himself admitted that his life had been tedious and monotonous as there had been nothing special to recall in his memories.
Before, Meng Ting anticipated becoming more 'useful' yet now, he dreaded becoming that kind of 'useful'. He didn't want to experience dying from straining himself too much again, as that feeling was too frightening. This month, he had not only personally experienced dying, but also achieved being reborn.
So long as he even slightly fell asleep, the feeling of suffocation and helplessness attacked him and he would be startled awake in fear. This was actually alright, what frightened him more was when he often couldn't wake up from his nightmares and was forced to repeatedly experience that stifling and powerless feeling from confronting death.
After suffering from this torment for a month, it would be strange if Meng Ting was still able to do well on his exams. However, he clenched his teeth and tried to pass but he could no longer find the reasons for why he should even continue to study. He didn't want to be useful anymore, and becoming a waste sounded more appealing.
At the time when he was given his school report, the Meng family also received it. Following that, Uncle Wen who was the competent butler who served beside grandfather Meng gave Meng Ting a call. In the three years he had attended the high school, this was the second time he had received a call.
Early the next morning, a limousine parked in front of the school gate. Not long after, a man impeccably dressed in a suit arrived at the school to deal with the procedures that would allow Meng Ting to leave this almost prison-like school.
"Meng Ting!"
When the teacher in charge of the class shouted for Meng Ting to go out, the students in the entire class sent him a gaze that was full of pity and wariness. Generally speaking, being called out by the teacher in charge didn't result in anything good. For the students at this school, being sent to detention or having to run laps was a common occurrence, however it was also an effective method of punishment.
This was the reason why when the students in this school were faced with the teachers and instructors, they were more obedient than mice who had met a cat but this didn't reflect that they were truly well-behaved. On the contrary, this school viewed the law of the jungle very seriously. If you didn't want to be bullied, then you absolutely couldn't be weak.
Although Meng Ting was quite lean and his stature was not short, he sat in the second last row. As Meng Ting stood up to pass through the row in front, the tall and strong sports committee member stretched out his leg. Raising his lips in provocation, he stared at Meng Ting. Normally, even if Meng Ting discovered his ploy, he must give the other face and pretend to stumble or else he'd find himself in trouble.
After being sent to the school for less than half a year, he relied on his strong physique to become the deputy leader of Class Two, Year Three. He had long wanted to take action against the Meng Ting who always ignored him and sat one table behind. It was only because the class monitor seemed to respect Meng Ting so he had hesitated for a few days. But now, he decided to take a shot.
Without looking at his face, Meng Ting swept his gaze over the sports committee member's stout but strong body then lifted his leg and kicked the other's calf. Although it seemed as if not much strength was used, the sports committee member shrieked miserably and suddenly took back his leg. Then he wailed again as his leg accidentally bumped into the edge of the table.
It really did feel painful, however many students believed he was just pretending while other students thought otherwise. Not because of the sports committee member, but because of Meng Ting.
Half of the students in the class who were classmates along with Meng Ting for the past three years vaguely recalled that during the first half of the year when Meng Ting first entered the school, there was scarcely a day when his body wasn't injured. Gradually, the higher ups in the school turned a blind eye to Meng Ting when they saw him.
Up until now, not even their class monitor would attempt to provoke Meng Ting. In the class, Meng Ting's existence had always been like that of an invisible boss, even though he himself was not particularly aware of such a thing. Yet, today that idiot had unexpectedly wanted to provoke him and ended up tasting the bitterness of the consequences.
After Meng Ting withdrew his leg, he continued forward towards the teacher in charge of the class and followed him until they arrived before the man sent by the Meng family.
The teacher appeared as if he wanted to say something to Meng Ting, but then hesitated. Meng Ting glanced at him but also didn't speak. After all, there was nothing to say. Just like once before, Meng Ting directly followed behind the man in the suit and departed without bidding farewell.
Meng Ting knew that from now on, he had embarked on a path entirely different to that of his past, one that belonged to being the Meng family's 'waste'. When they walked out of the school gates, the man in the suit finally turned around and looked at Meng Ting, "Seventh young master, please get on."
Hearing his request, Meng Ting lifted his head and glanced at the other man. Then he opened the door of the backseat of the car himself and sat inside. It was only in the moment when Meng Ting raised his head that the man in the suit managed to clearly see his face and was instantly stunned.
The white and blue sports uniform that Meng Ting was wearing could not be compared to the clothes worn by the young misses and young masters from the Meng family. However, Meng Ting was tall and not unsightly, with short black hair that naturally curled up and a pale complexion. His facial features were exceptionally delicate and refined, with peach blossom eyes¹ and an innate distinguished disposition.
[1] refers to eyes which are glossy and framed with long lashes; often also known as bedroom eyes.
He could somewhat understand why the master would take the effort to bring back this waste who couldn't even achieve 200 points in the college entrance exam.
The man in the suit pursed his lips as various kinds of feelings passed through him. Walking to the other side of the car, he opened the door and sat beside Meng Ting. Then, to the chauffeur who had waited for about an hour, he said, "Drive."
The chauffeur heard him and nodded lightly, then started the limousine.
The school was situated in the suburban districts of the prefecture. The distance to the Meng family located in Haicheng would take three hours to travel by car. To enter the city, there would be some delay before they would arrive at the Meng residence, which would take four to five hours.
"My name is Meng Zhong."
Meng Zhong waited a long time, however Meng Ting didn't open his mouth and ask anything, so he could resort to introducing himself. Meng Ting's gaze shifted, but it seemed he still didn't understand his meaning.
Meng Zhong lightly tsked in his heart. They hadn't even arrived at the Meng residence yet, but he was already displaying the arrogance similar to that of Meng family's young masters.
"I could be considered your uncle." He tried to close their distance, but if Meng Ting were to be exchanged with the any of the other young masters or young misses of the Meng family, Meng Zhong wouldn't dare to say such a thing to their face.
"In the Meng family's generation of grandchildren, you are seventh. Before you, the oldest young master and third young miss are the children of the eldest Madam, so they are your cousins. Second young master and eighth young miss are children of the second Madam, third young master and fourth young master are children of the third Madam. Third Madam was your father's third wife, so fifth young master and sixth young miss…are the same as you."
Same as what? Same as in they're all illegitimate children, or perhaps all children needed to be brought up outside until they're sixteen or seventeen to be brought back to the main residence and be acknowledged as being part of the Meng family? He was only afraid that in the future, there would still be children from the Meng family who would be brought up secretly like himself.
Even until now, the Meng family was still managed by the Meng lao yezi². In the past several years, he had gradually given more authority and power to his eldest and second eldest sons. As for his third eldest son, even he couldn't control that licentious man who was already well over forty, yet still appeared frequently in media gossip.
[2] 老爷子: literal translation is 'old father'. In this context, it's used to refer to the master of the Meng family, who is Meng Ting's grandfather.
For the Meng family and the elite circles of the higher ups in Haicheng's society, discovering or bringing back an illegitimate son of his wasn't anything that was new.
Meng lao yezi was indeed worthy of being known as the fox of the Meng family with his rigorous schemes and deep foresight. When the news of a child of the Meng family wandering around outside first broke out, he promptly made the decision the find wives for his three sons to establish order.
He couldn't allow children with the blood of the Meng family to be abandoned outside, but that didn't mean he would give them to right to inherit the properties of the Meng family or enter the main residence. These children would be brought up outside and taken back when they came of age. The ones who were useful would assist the family, and the ones who were useless would be used for business marriages.
In short, regardless of how many illegitimate children the Meng family had, it was impossible for them to threaten the rights and statuses of the children born from the legal wives. With this, even if any of the madams from the Meng family were unsatisfied, they wouldn't dare to show it outright on the surface.
The eldest son Meng Yihang and the second eldest son Meng Yigui were fighting over the right as the heir to the inheritance of the Meng family, but the women who had children were unenthusiastic. On the contrary, the third eldest son Meng Yide's way of working was very similar to that of Meng lao yezi when he was young, however he kept having illegitimate children with other women outside one after the other.
The reason Meng Yide originally wedded Han Xuejun was because it was a business marriage. Apart from the time when she gave birth to her two children during the first two years of their marriage, they usually just both played around with whomever they wanted.
Yet, compared to Meng lao yezi who forthrightly exhibited that he had two wives, Meng Yide didn't dare to bring back his other mistresses to the Meng residence. Up until now, he had only brought back a few of his illegitimate children who had come of age.
Of course, it wasn't necessary for him to take care of these matters. After all, he wasn't married to the mothers of those illegitimate children, and they had all aged and waned in appearance. So where could he find young girls who could attract him?
As for those children who possessed half of the Meng family's blood, they had long been disciplined by the Meng lao yezi and there hadn't been anyone who he had doted on to the extent that he would disobey his father.
Meng Ting wasn't purposely giving Meng Zhong the cold shoulder, he was merely trying to recall the pitifully lacking amount of information that he had on the Meng family in his brain.
Meng Ting spent seven years to accept that he was an orphan, then as a result of his grandmother's badgering for another seven years, he finally accepted the fact that he was an illegitimate child instead. Other than the three years he had been confined in that highschool, he used another ten years to prove that he was more suited to being a 'waste'.
Even though it had been a month since he had been reborn, he was still bewildered in regards to his current situation and the future. However, since he had been another chance of living, he knew that could not, and should not outwardly display his sense of loss. He didn't need to think too much about the Meng family, he only needed to know that it was a place that was a hundredfold more complicated than his highschool and the experiments laboratory. With his natural-born stupidity, it would be difficult if he wanted to play them.
Meng Zhong talked endlessly without end and briefly introduced Meng Yide and his wife Han Xuejun to Meng Ting as well as several of his siblings. He also explained some of the places that Meng Ting needed to avoid or pay attention to. These were all that Uncle Wen had wanted to inform him of.
However, Meng Ting's appearance made it obvious that his mind was elsewhere and Meng Zhong was close to losing his temper. In any case, his obligation had been fulfilled. If Meng Ting didn't listen, then it was his own bad luck. It wasn't his problem, what did it matter to him whether Meng Ting listened or not.
Meng Zhong eventually closed his mouth and Meng Ting finally managed to ask what he really wanted to know, "When am I getting married?"
Coughing, Meng Zhong choked in response to Meng Ting's frank question. Sweeping a quick look over Meng Ting, he ignored the fact that he had already experienced Meng Ting's temper that made others feel oppressed, and stared only at his face. The Meng family would definitely not allow him to escape the marriage. Contrary to what he expected, it seemed that Meng Ting had realised that this would be his future and didn't have any daydreams about becoming a rich and powerful young master.
Seeing that Meng Zhong choked upon hearing his question and didn't seem to understand, Meng Ting changed to another method of asking, "How can I quickly get married?"
In any case, he ultimately wouldn't be able to break free from his fate of getting married so he wanted to get married as early as possible and leave the Meng family. Then he would try to seek a way out, since he wouldn't be able to escape the Meng family's control and manipulation just by relying on himself.
Meng Ting had spent a month to decide that this was a relatively realistic and easy to achieve goal. That is, to get married. Meng ting had been quite blunt, however Meng Zhong couldn't be so straightforward.
He considered for a moment then said, "When you arrive at the main residence, Uncle Wen will invite people to come teach you. You just need to follow along and learn, as for…that will have to wait until there is a suitable occasion."
As he spoke, Meng Zhong's gaze flickered slightly. In fact, Meng Ting being taken back to the main residence so anxiously was exactly because recently there had been such an opportunity. It was merely that this type of matter wasn't something he could know in detail, just hearing a few rumours was already pretty good. However, he felt that there was a high possibility that Meng Ting had hit the mark and that if everything progressed smoothly, then it wouldn't be long before he would be married off.
Meng Ting nodded. He had always lacked a proper understanding regarding his own appearance and never thought that he was good looking since he didn't grasp exactly what that meant.
He didn't speak again as he was distressed that they might arrange for him to take a few academic courses.
He was not only different to normal people, but also not as intelligent as others. As for what most people would consider as easy to learn was concerned, he was clumsier and more stupid. Fighting didn't count, so experimenting with perfume and chemical compounds was the only thing so far that could be regarded as something he was an expert in. But he had already died from overworking because of that exact reason, so he didn't intend to touch upon that subject again in this lifetime.
However, he wanted to be married smoothly without a hitch so he couldn't expose his faults prematurely. His eyebrows slightly knitted together in vexation. He had many shortcomings and he wasn't good with speaking, let alone that kind of complicated business of having to deceive people. He supposed that he was the most useless person to have been reborn since the beginning of time.
Meng Zhong suddenly moved his gaze away, he didn't dare to stare at Meng Ting any longer. It was indeed true that the lethality from even just looking at beautiful people wasn't just ordinarily powerful. It nearly made him forget the anger he had felt towards Meng Ting before.