Chapter 351: Chapter 338: Yan, is it okay to lie next to me?
"I better not go," Wen Nuan shook her head. "I’m not familiar with these people, and I don’t like such occasions."
The Wen Family in N City does reasonably well in business. Although they aren’t exactly high society, there are some banquets they have to attend. She doesn’t particularly enjoy them, and even when she does go, it’s more to observe the dress designs of the wealthy ladies and socialites, hoping to find some inspiration for herself.
"Let’s go together," Tan Qing said naturally as he took her hand. Wen Nuan felt a strange sensation and wanted to pull away, but seeing the deep affection in his eyes, she gave up resisting.
She had said she would give Tan Qing and herself a chance; she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
"Just now, Yanyan and Xuan mentioned you, and Yun Duo also invited you to go," Tan Qing said with a gentle smile when he saw her let him hold her hand obediently.
Wen Nuan blushed a bit. "Did you say something to them?"
When Yun Duo and Zhan Aoze arrived, Yun Duo’s eyes had a hint of probing mischief. However, Yun Duo only smiled but didn’t say anything outright.
Now thinking back, she suddenly understood the meaning of that smile.
"I told them you’re my prospective girlfriend." Tan Qing grinned cheekily. "Yun Duo said I have good taste, and even Yanyan and Xuan said we make a good match."
"Oh my, what do kids know?" Wen Nuan felt even more embarrassed. Was she supposed to attend the banquet as Tan Qing’s girlfriend?
"Come on, their whole family is very nice and won’t make you feel awkward," Tan Qing tried to persuade her. "I must bring a female partner; I don’t want to take anyone else."
"Alright then." Wen Nuan bit her lip and agreed. "I heard that Old Master Zhan is highly respected and very open-minded."
After Wen Nuan spoke, she remembered hearing Leng Yan mention it. Supposedly, when the Leng Family faced difficulties in the past, Leng Siyan sought Old Master Zhan’s help. She worried slightly whether Leng Siyan would also attend.
Eighty-year celebrations are, after all, different from others.
Soon, she shook her head slightly, feeling a bit clearer.
Whether he comes or not, what does it have to do with her?
She was no longer Leng Yan’s wife, and hence no longer Leng Siyan’s daughter-in-law. Besides, the fake marriage certificate was something he fabricated in the first place. It would be his shame, not hers, to face.
**
N City, the night was as dark as ink, and soon a heavy rain fell.
After dinner, Leng Yan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, frowning deeply. Meanwhile, Ji Wei, sitting on the sofa, felt so happy she wanted to sing and dance.
It’s raining heavily, how wonderful!
"Yan, can you stay here tonight?" Ji Wei looked at the rain outside, walked over gently, and hugged his waist from behind. "It’s raining so heavily, please don’t leave, okay?"
Her slender fingers wrapped around his narrow yet strong waist, and a surge of disgust rose in Leng Yan’s heart. He wanted to push her away but feared arousing her suspicion.
"Yan, please stay with me tonight; you know, I’m scared of heavy rain," Ji Wei said, her heart growing cold when Leng Yan stayed silent. She hugged him tighter, her face against his back.
How is it still this unfamiliar? His attitude towards her was more baffling. He never initiates hugs, and when she does, he doesn’t evade. His words are gentle but carry an underlying unfamiliarity.
Before, she thought he would take her to have an abortion, but now that idea seemed rejected. No matter how she wracked her brain, she could only think of one thing she was unwilling to recall: that moment.
"Yan, do you hate me?" Ji Wei’s tears were about to fall, her soft voice laced with sorrow. "Do you think I’m dirty because of what happened three years ago, that I was raped? Is that why you don’t want to touch me? But you know, it wasn’t my fault..."
Leng Yan turned back, gently wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, holding her shoulders. "What are you talking about? How could I have such thoughts?"
Regarding the incident three years ago, what he truly felt was guilt. He admitted that he now disliked her, but it wasn’t about that incident. He disliked her scheming nature, her lack of kindness, how she was no longer the same person as she was three years ago.
"Then if you know I’m scared, why aren’t you staying?" Ji Wei felt a bit more at ease and looked up, her eyes watery as she gazed at him like a delicate pear blossom. "I can’t sleep with such heavy rain, can you stay with me?"
"Alright," Leng Yan nodded.
Having reached this point, he couldn’t think of a reason to refuse. Watching Ji Wei happily move towards the room on the first floor, he had no choice but to follow her.
Since she returned, Ji Wei had moved to live on the first floor, saying she feared falling, which wouldn’t be good for the child.
Halfway there, Leng Yan stopped, looking at her gently. "You go in first, I’ll ask Sister Ping to prepare some late-night snacks for you."
Not wanting to be alone in a room with her, he only sought to delay as much as possible.
"Okay," Ji Wei smiled charmingly, her heart blooming with joy like spring flowers.
He was truly good to her, very considerate.
"Sister Ping, please make a calming soup for Ji Wei," Leng Yan said to Sister Ping, who was preparing breakfast for the next day. He rubbed his temples, troubled, "I can’t find a suitable reason to leave E City right now."
"Today I heard Madam say that Old Master is going to E City to celebrate an old friend’s eightieth birthday, but since he returned, his health hasn’t been good, so he wants Ye to go instead," Sister Ping said as she cooked porridge, looking at Leng Yan with fondness, "Since Young Master Ye hasn’t returned yet, why don’t you talk to Master about going instead?"
Ji Wei always calls Leng Yan over, and every visit is a mental challenge to deal with. Sister Ping felt sorry seeing this and had a good impression of Wen Nuan, not wanting a woman like Ji Wei to become the Second Young Madam of the Leng Family.
"Dad hasn’t been going to the company these days, and I haven’t been to the old house, so I didn’t know about it," Leng Yan’s mood finally eased a lot.
Without much more thought, he took out his phone to call Leng Siyan. After hanging up, he wore a faint smile.
Since Wen Nuan left, it was the first genuine smile he had.
Leng Siyan agreed to let him go to E City, mentioning that Young Master Ye had some complicated matters on his end and might not make it back.
Calmly waiting for Sister Ping to finish the porridge, he took it to Ji Wei and watched her drink it.
"Thank you, Yan. Could you lay by my side?" Ji Wei shifted to the side, pointing to the space beside her.
"Ji Wei," Leng Yan looked at her with difficulty. "I’ll sit here and watch you fall asleep. You know, getting pregnant with this child wasn’t easy, and for the sake of the baby, we need to be careful. This is our last chance."
Ji Wei felt a wave of despair but nodded. "Okay."
She dared not rush; she knew she had to wait patiently for him to truly come back, not only because of the child but also for herself, Ji Wei.
Leng Yan said, when the child is more stable, they would get a certificate to complete their wedding. Therefore, her primary goal was to safeguard this child.
Engaging in a disjointed conversation with Ji Wei, he waited until her eyes finally closed and her breathing became steady. Then, a coldness settled between his brows as he left the room and entered a guest room instead.
Standing by the window, a cigarette lit between his fingers, he took only a single puff before seemingly forgetting about it, lost as he stared at the rain.
He wondered if it was raining in E City and if she was doing well...
Retrieving Ji Wei’s camera, he printed a photo and held it, feeling as though he was gripping a sharp thorn, not in his palm, but piercing through to his heart.
Nuannuan, I’ll be heading to E City in a few days. After Old Master Zhan’s birthday celebration, I’ll come to find you. Please tell me in person that the photo is fake, that it’s not what it seems. Will you?