"Why aren't you asleep yet."
Fang Miaomiao reached out and patted the quilt. "Aren't I waiting for you?"
Wen Zhiyan chuckled, lay down on the bed, and pulled her into his arms. "I might have to go to the Wen family tomorrow."
Fang Miaomiao looked up at Wen Zhiyan. "Didn't we agree we wouldn't get involved with the Wen family's affairs anymore?"
"We're not involved." Wen Zhiyan held Fang Miaomiao's neck. "I have something to discuss with Wen Wenlan."
"Hong Lu's matter?"
Wen Zhiyan nodded. "You could say that. But it's almost all figured out. Hong Lu and her brother were orphans, sold by human traffickers to the Ran family. The Ran family, to develop their network, raised that group of young children."
"The Ran family is truly wicked."
Wen Zhiyan held Fang Miaomiao tighter. "It's getting late, let's sleep. We'll deal with tomorrow's matters tomorrow."
Fang Miaomiao remembered something. "Okay, I need to go to the studio."
"To sign Director Chen's contract?"
"Mhm." Fang Miaomiao nodded. "And to see what artists our studio has signed. After all, I'm the boss, I need to pay attention to the studio's development."
Wen Zhiyan nodded. "Alright, sleep now, Miaomiao, goodnight."
...
"Uncle."
"You really plan to go see Hong Lu?"
Unlike his sunny and confident demeanor from before, Wen Wenlan had matured significantly, with a hint of steadiness in his eyes. "Yes, Father has always been very worried about Mother, he just doesn't know how to face her."
Last night, when he mentioned going to see his mother, his father's eyes had reddened noticeably.
"Let's go."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Upon arriving at the visitation room, Wen Wenlan looked at Hong Lu, with her short hair and world-weary expression, and for a moment, didn't know what to say.
Hong Lu glanced behind him, and when she didn't see anyone, she sadly withdrew her gaze and picked up the phone. "I didn't expect you to come."
"Father is ill, so I didn't let him come."
Hong Lu asked nervously, "What kind of illness does your father have? Is it serious? Is it stomach problems? Your dad's stomach isn't good."
"It's not a stomach problem, he just misses you."
Hong Lu breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Wen Wenlan with complex emotions.
"Don't let your father come here, I'm afraid he'll be sad if he sees me."
If she knew he would be sad, why did she do such things?
Wen Wenlan opened his mouth, but still didn't ask the question.
"You want to ask why I did these things, right?" Hong Lu looked at Wen Wenlan and chuckled lightly. "You, you were born to me. With just one look, I know what you want to ask."
After a moment of silence, Hong Lu continued, "But, Wenlan, I had no choice. My brother and I owe our lives to the Ran family. They provided us with food, clothing, and education."
"My brother and I were both afraid of poverty. We didn't want to go back to a life where we didn't know where our next meal would come from, we didn't want to be chased for stealing. The Ran family gave us more than just food, it was a kindness."
Although they knew what the Ran family was doing was wrong, they were struggling to survive themselves, so how could they care about others?
The life they had was because of the Ran family. Their principle was to serve the Ran family, even with their lives.
Therefore, when the Ran family asked her to seduce Wen Zhijia, she did so without a second thought. When they asked her to marry into the Wen family, she agreed.
"Did you ever hate them?" Wen Wenlan asked.
"Hate?" Hong Lu stubbornly refused to let tears fall. "Why should I hate them? Wenlan, you've never experienced hunger or being chased, so you can't understand how much people like us crave and yearn for status and wealth."
Hate?
Why hate.
"Then what about your brother?"
Hong Lu's voice suddenly stopped. Thinking of her beloved brother, the tear she had been holding back finally fell.
"Wenlan, we owe the Ran family. Even if we're unhappy, we have to repay that kindness," Hong Lu said in a hoarse voice.
"What about Father? Did you love him?"
This was the question his father had drunkenly asked the night he learned his mother had been arrested.
Hong Lu wiped away her tears and smiled. "Take good care of your father, he's a good man."
Wen Wenlan was silent for a long time. "I am managing the Wen family now."
Hearing this, Hong Lu seemed surprised. "How is that possible? Where is Wen Zhiyan?"
"Uncle has never claimed to want the Wen family."
It was just that people didn't believe him.
Wen Wenlan smiled. He truly didn't understand why, being a family, things had become this way. Why had it escalated to this point?
"Go back. Don't come to see me again. I'm tired."
"Serve your time in prison and repent. Father is still waiting for you outside."
Hong Lu closed her eyes and said nothing.
"Finished talking?"
Wen Wenlan looked at the tall, slender figure bathed in sunlight. "Uncle, I'm sorry."
"This has nothing to do with you, you don't need to apologize."
Wen Wenlan took a deep breath. "Uncle, don't worry. I will manage the Wen family well and atone for their wrongdoings. Leave Grandma and the others to me."
His uncle had no obligation to do this.
Wen Zhiyan looked at Wen Wenlan for a long time before chuckling lightly. "Get in the car, I'll drive you back to the Wen family."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Along the way, Wen Wenlan spoke at length with Wen Zhiyan, to the point where Wen Zhiyan began to doubt if he should have let him into the car in the first place.
Upon returning home, Wen Zhiyan saw Fang Miaomiao curled up on the sofa.
"Why are you back so early?"
"I signed the contract and did some sightseeing, then came back." Fang Miaomiao said with a smile. "Besides, I didn't know where to go and have fun alone."
"It's alright, after the new year, we'll go on Chen Tianming's reality show."
Hearing this, Fang Miaomiao looked confused. "You're saying An An came up with this idea? Will he be unhappy if we go traveling later?"
Wen Zhiyan hugged her. "No, he said one episode of the reality show is five days long, and we'll come back to spend the weekend with him after filming it."
Fang Miaomiao was delighted to hear this. "An An is so good at planning?"
"That kid is smart from a young age. Don't be fooled by how obedient he is in front of you; he's full of mischief." Wen Zhiyan guaranteed. "His personality is like eldest sister-in-law's when she was young."
"Big brother said eldest sister-in-law didn't talk much when she was little, but she became more mischievous as she grew up, becoming the leader of the children. In primary school, she even fought with a boy in a higher grade and knocked out one of his front teeth."
"So fierce?" Fang Miaomiao couldn't help but recall filming a reality show with An An before. When others bullied him, he didn't hesitate to stuff a bun that had fallen on the ground into their mouths. It seemed he inherited his eldest sister-in-law's toughness.
"Mhm, that kid, when others spoke ill of him when he was little, he'd beat them up too." Wen Zhiyan said with a wry smile. "But I didn't tell Mother about these things."
"It's fine if you don't tell her. Children have their own ways of resolving things, and it's better for adults not to interfere."