Lin Ma's small sigh of relief was barely perceptible, yet Fang Miaomiao still caught it. She pretended not to notice and said with a smile, "Lin Ma, what delicious food did you make today?"
"Madam, didn't you say you wanted to eat fish a few days ago? So I bought a tilapia to steam. I don't know if it will suit your taste."
"That's fine. You know, I'm never picky about food, and with Lin Ma's excellent cooking, I have no room to be picky."
"I'm glad Madam likes it. Then, is there anything else Madam needs me to do?"
"Nothing else, Lin Ma. You can go back now."
"Okay, is there anything else Madam likes to eat? I'll make it for you tomorrow."
"No need, Lin Ma. My last variety show starts the day after tomorrow. Besides, Wen Zhiyan will be on a business trip during that time, so I was thinking of going out to eat with Wen Zhiyan and An An tomorrow."
Lin Ma nodded with a smile, "Okay, then I'll be going back now."
"Mhm, goodbye, Lin Ma."
After Lin Ma left, Fang Miaomiao sat on the sofa, looking at the script.
The doorbell rang.
Fang Miaomiao went to open the door.
"You're back?" Fang Miaomiao saw Xin Xuan, who was behind Wen Zhiyan, carrying large bags of dog food and looking dejected, and immediately understood. "Give them to me."
"It's alright, Madam. This dog food is quite heavy. I'll take it inside."
"Then, thank you."
After Xin Xuan left, Wen Zhiyan looked around, "Where's An An?"
"It's all because of someone, An An cried nonstop all the way here." Fang Miaomiao gestured towards Wen Yan'an's bedroom, "Look, he's not crying anymore because he's tired and has fallen asleep."
"I..."
"Stop right there." Fang Miaomiao made a "shushing" gesture. "You know, the person you need to apologize to isn't me."
"Did I... did I go too far just now?"
"Rather than knowing if I went too far, I'm more curious about another matter."
"What?"
"Why did An An say you've never believed him?"
Wen Zhiyan rubbed his head, not hiding anything. "That was two years ago. An An started showing symptoms of not liking to talk when he was two. My mother thought he just lacked playmates, so she organized a birthday party for him on his third birthday, thinking it would help him find some friends."
"When I rushed back from work with the cake, I saw a group of children gathered around, looking at something. I went over and found An An sitting motionless on the grass, holding a dead cat. The children around were all saying An An was abusing the cat. An An didn't speak, but he pushed the boy closest to him to the ground and punched him relentlessly, with all his might. He beat the four-year-old child so badly that he couldn't get up."
Fang Miaomiao gasped, but still said firmly, "An An couldn't have abused the cat. He's very kind."
"I know. The children were terrified by An An's actions and started crying loudly. Their parents began to blame him. Miaomiao, you know how intense the social hierarchy is in this so-called wealthy circle. Although the Wen Corporation was stable at the time, it was nothing compared to other businesses. Seeing this, my mother could only pull An An aside to apologize. The lively banquet quickly fell apart because of this incident."
Fang Miaomiao frowned, signaling Wen Zhiyan to continue.
"From then on, An An developed a habit of locking himself in his room." Wen Zhiyan's voice was filled with deep guilt. "After the banquet, I investigated the incident. In reality, the cat was abused by the person An An hit. When I told my mother, she dismissed it, thinking the matter was over and that an adult shouldn't argue with children."
"It was then that I realized my mother's methods were often wrong. This is why I took An An away, using the doctor's advice as an excuse."
This also led to his mother disliking him even more, and she would always glare at him whenever he returned to the villa weekly.
"How could they do that?" Fang Miaomiao didn't know whether to be angry or sad.
This was also the first time she felt that while the stories and the world in the book were the same, the characters' personalities were vastly different. In the novel, Madam Ran only favored her own family, using herself as a stepping stone for her family to rise, but she was very doting towards her grandson.
What Wen Zhiyan had just said shattered all her good impressions of the old madam.
"So, An An has actually remembered this incident all along."
Wen Zhiyan nodded, a wry smile appearing on his face. "I think so."
The reason An An didn't like to talk to him was probably this, and he talked to his mother because she had been with him for years and doted on him.
"Mom."
Fang Miaomiao shook her head, feeling even more affectionate towards An An. Just as she was about to speak, she heard An An's voice from behind.
"An An, you're awake?" Fang Miaomiao quickly turned and walked towards Wen Yan'an. "Dinner is ready, shall we eat?"
"Mm." Wen Yan'an nodded vigorously. "I'll eat with Mom."
"So good."
Fang Miaomiao dotingly stroked Wen Yan'an's head before going to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
The three of them sat at the dining table, eating in silence.
Fang Miaomiao looked at Wen Yan'an, who completely ignored Wen Zhiyan, and felt a headache coming on.
The suffocating atmosphere made her seriously suspect that the original owner couldn't handle these two, which was why she transmigrated. This was no different from torture.
...
"Did Fang Miaomiao find out or not?"
"She probably didn't. Lin Lin is old, but her movements are quick. Besides, if Fang Miaomiao had seen something, why would she ask Wen Zhiyan such an indirect question about Wen Yan'an?"
"That's true. It's a shame we can't get into Wen Zhiyan's study. Otherwise, I would definitely have installed a camera in his study."
"Damn it, I don't know what the higher-ups are up to. They said they wouldn't activate it before, but now they suddenly say to activate it. If Lin Lin hadn't been so quick, she would have been exposed just now." Kai Shu Ge
"Who knows? It's been installed for years, and they're only saying to activate it now. Fortunately, these things aren't broken, otherwise, we would have been working for nothing. But do you know why the higher-ups want to reactivate the switch?"
"They suspect Wen Zhiyan's leg has healed and he's playing dumb."
"Impossible, right?" One person looked at the surveillance screens. There were four in total.
The living room and three bedrooms.
"Didn't they say his leg would never recover? A leg with no sensation, and it can stand up? The higher-ups are crazy."
"Alright, we're just employees. You should just do your job. Why are you trying to figure out what the higher-ups are thinking? Aren't you afraid you won't know how you died?"
"I'm just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat. Go to sleep, we have to report back tomorrow."
"Got it. Damn it, this feeling of living on the edge is awful."