Chapter 8: Past Events

Before Wen Jiu boarded the plane to Gangcheng, she had sent a message to Wen Sheng and his wife, so they were aware of her plans.

Wen Jiu lay back on the bed. “I just arrived at the hotel.”

“Daddy, I’m so tired~ I miss you and Mommy.”

Wen Sheng, holding his wife’s waist, looked a bit weary, but there was no sign of annoyance at being interrupted during his rest. Instead, his face reflected nothing but concern for his precious child:

“How about I hand over my work tomorrow, and then I’ll come back to accompany you? How does that sound?”

Although Wen Jiu had grown up pampered by the entire Wen family, she was an independent and strong person. Unless she was deeply upset, she rarely expressed herself so openly to her parents.

“Mom thinks this idea is good.” Mu Wan replied, then, through the phone, kissed Wen Jiu softly before gently comforting her:

“Sweetheart, if there’s anything you want to say to Mommy and Daddy, we’re here for you. No one can bully you as long as we’re around, okay? Mommy and Daddy work so hard to give you a strong support, so you don’t need to worry. As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, whatever you want to do, whoever you want to fall in love with, we’ll support you.”

“It’s okay if I don’t date either.” Wen Sheng weakly added, “Daddy will take care of you for life.”

Had it not been for the good reputation of Jian Yue’s family in Beijing, Wen Sheng would never have agreed to Wen Jiu and Jian Yue’s relationship.

After all, Jian Yue’s family treated their wife with utter devotion.

Sadly… Jian Yue didn’t learn the slightest bit of that loyalty from his family.

The situation in the country, though Wen Sheng and his wife hadn’t directly asked Wen Jiu, it wasn’t hard for them to find out.

From the snippets of their conversation, Wen Jiu knew that Wen Sheng and Mu Wan had already learned about Jian Yue’s infidelity, but she didn’t mention it further. Instead, she tried to sound casual and replied, “I will still have a boyfriend.” She hugged the blanket and turned to lie on her bed, lazily adding, “I won’t be bitten by a snake once and then afraid of the ropes for ten years.”

Moreover, with so many handsome men in the world, she couldn’t possibly stay indifferent.

There were so many men pursuing Wen Jiu that it was like a flood; in the past, she didn’t care because her heart had already belonged to Jian Yue, and she was Jian Yue’s girlfriend.

Now that affection had mostly faded, and that status no longer existed, if Wen Jiu didn’t enjoy her single life, she would be a fool.

Whether they called her heartless or carefree, it didn’t matter to her. She only wanted to make herself happy.

“Baby’s right.” Mu Wan agreed, “With your qualities, you don’t lack for good men.”

“Mm-hmm.” Wen Jiu nodded like a chick pecking at rice, casually chatting with her parents. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

Listening to the even breathing from the other end of the phone, Wen Sheng quietly turned off the microphone, then lowered his head to kiss Mu Wan’s forehead.

“We won’t hang up tonight. Let Wen Jiu hang up when she wakes up.”

“Mm.” Mu Wan, who had been frowning ever since learning about Jian Yue’s infidelity, finally relaxed a little after receiving Wen Jiu’s call. She lay down.

“The speed of transferring assets to the country should be a little faster; I want to be with her sooner.”

The Wen family’s assets were vast, and moving them to the country was not something that could be done overnight.

Although Wen Sheng had already started preparing for this after Wen Jiu returned to the country to study, due to various obstacles, only about half of Wen Sheng’s assets had been transferred.

Since Mu Wan had said so, it meant that stronger measures would be necessary.

Wen Sheng wasn’t afraid to push those who were blocking the way too hard. After all, Wen Xingyu’s branch was staying abroad, and with him there, those people would not dare to make a scene, even if they were dissatisfied.

A cold gleam flashed in Wen Sheng’s deep eyes, but when he looked down at his childhood sweetheart, his wife, his expression softened again.

“Go to sleep.”

“Mm.” Mu Wan found a comfortable position in Wen Sheng’s arms and gradually fell asleep.

The Next Day

Wen Jiu slept peacefully until she woke up naturally. Drowsily, she picked up her phone and, noticing that the call was still connected, felt a warmth in her heart.

“Mom, Dad.” Wen Jiu always called them however felt most comfortable.

Hearing her hoarse voice, Wen Sheng, who had been busy in the office, signaled for everyone to leave the room, and then softened his tone.

“Good girl, you’re awake?”

“Mm.” Wen Jiu got out of bed, pulled open the curtains, and looked at the ocean outside, where the wind had stirred up waves. She pushed open the glass door and stretched.

“Are you at the office?” Wen Jiu had slept until almost noon, so at this time, Wen Sheng should be at work in the office abroad.

“Yes. Your mother went to pick out some jewelry for you. Later, we’ll send it to you. So… do you want it delivered to Beijing or Gangcheng?”

“Gangcheng. I told Big Brother that I’ll be staying in Gangcheng for the time being.”

“Okay. Just send me the address, and I’ll have someone bring it to you.”

“Mmm~” Wen Jiu looked down and sniffed the clothes she was wearing, scrunching her nose in disdain.

“I’m going to take a shower.” She had fallen asleep last night without changing her clothes and now felt like she might smell.

“Okay. Just don’t leave your phone on silent. If anything happens, call home. We will always love you.” Wen Sheng never hesitated to express his love for his precious daughter.

“Okay.” Wen Jiu smiled, exaggeratedly kissing her phone a few times. “Mwah, thanks, Dad. I’m hanging up now. Bye~”

After hanging up, Wen Jiu noticed a number that had managed to slip through the call log again and furrowed her brow.

Although it was an unfamiliar number, Wen Jiu knew immediately who it was without even thinking.

She tapped her finger on the screen, and just when Jian Yue thought Wen Jiu wouldn’t pick up, the call went through.

Looking at the call page, Jian Yue’s heart skipped a beat.

“…A-Jiu.” His throat was dry, and after struggling for a while to find the right words, he could only softly call her name.

Less than a day had passed, but now Jian Yue’s chin was already covered with stubble, his eyes were bloodshot and dark-circled, and his whole demeanor seemed drained, like his soul had been sucked out.

But Wen Jiu couldn’t see that, and even if she did, it wouldn’t matter.

She let out a light scoff. “Isn’t the Young Master Jian tired?”

The call, already a ninety-nine-plus dial, was so close to causing her phone to malfunction if it wasn’t for its quality being good enough. Wen Jiu almost felt like her phone might freeze up.

“Where are you? I’ll come to find you. Can we talk face to face and clear things up?” Jian Yue tried hard to ignore the coldness in Wen Jiu’s voice, speaking cautiously as if trying to plead.

His tone reminded Wen Jiu of the time when she had carried Jian Yue out of the fire scene. After suffering extensive burns on her arms, she had to stay in the hospital for a while.

She felt embarrassed by the burns and couldn’t bear being seen by others in such a state. Being someone who valued cleanliness and beauty, she couldn’t stand the idea of showing herself in front of others like that.

So, Jian Yue tried to visit Wen Jiu multiple times, but each time he was turned away at the door.

Back then, he spoke to her in that cautious tone while standing at the door of her hospital room.

He sent Wen Jiu the pictures of her missed graduation ceremony and graduation photos, and then, from outside the hospital door, he slowly described to her the events that had happened during the time she missed.

When they talked about the interesting things, both the room and the hallway would resonate with their laughter.

Wen Jiu wasn’t the type to be overly sentimental, and after smoothing out the awkwardness in her heart, she finally opened the door to meet Jian Yue.

What was Jian Yue’s reaction back then?