Wen Ying looked Zhao Dong up and down, her gaze making him feel uneasy.
He clearly disliked such scrutiny, yet he endured it.
“Matters concerning Xie Qian…”
Wen Ying’s face darkened. “What does Xie Qian have to do with me? With your vast connections, Boss Zhao, have you not heard? My entire circle knows Xie Qian stood me up and made me lose face. I do not want to mention that person again! Boss Zhao, please do not bother me in future. I know nothing, and I do not want to know.”
After speaking, Wen Ying let out a heavy humph, turned on her heel, and left. Zhao Dong was completely baffled by her unpredictable response.
What was going on?!
Joy burst across Zhao Qian’s face. “Brother, did you hear? That Wen has fallen out with Xie Qian!”
Zhao Dong was utterly speechless.
Did she think that since Wen Ying and Xie Qian had fallen out, she now had a chance again?
Zhao Dong wanted to splash cold water on his infatuated sister to wake her up.
In some ways, Zhao Qian resembled the Zhao family, such as in her thick skin.
In others, she was nothing like them, such as in depth and scheming!
“Tell me again. At Wen Ying’s reader meetup last time, what exactly did she say to you?”
What did she say?
Over three months had passed. How could Zhao Qian remember their conversation? If she had such strong memory, she would long be a top student.
Zhao Qian hemmed and hawed. “Nothing important…”
Zhao Dong could tolerate no more.
People said Xie Qian went abroad for treatment, but Zhao Dong could find no recent news on him. He suspected Xie Qian used an alias overseas.
Without updates, Zhao Dong did not know the true state of Xie Qian’s injuries.
Xie Jinghu’s lawsuit against Sara Zhuo and her daughter for reclaiming gifts would soon go to court. Zhao Dong was unsure of his next move.
Ignore Wen Ying entirely?
After all, if Wen Ying had no connection to Xie Qian, she held no value for him.
Zhao Dong hesitated, fearing Wen Ying was deliberately deceiving him. He came to Zhendan to drop off Zhao Qian for school, hoping to extract intelligence from Wen Ying but getting none. Instead, her few words left him unsettled. The more he thought, the angrier he grew. With nowhere to vent, he deducted Zhao Qian’s allowance for three months.
Zhao Qian nearly spat blood.
Originally only Zhao Dong unhappy, now Zhao Qian joined him!
That black-soiled fatty Wen was her nemesis. Meeting her brought bad luck. Last time at the gate spotting the fatty, Zhao Qian fled.
Who knew avoiding her still brought misfortune!
…
Wen Ying was delighted.
Mouth saying she knew nothing and never wanted to hear Xie Qian’s name again, she turned humming a tune and called Xie Qian.
Xie Qian had just finished today’s rehabilitation.
Nurses at the hospital previously thought Xie Qian beautiful and tragic. Now they added “strong”. He embodied all three: beautiful, strong, tragic.
Eastern physiques tend slimmer. Xie Qian, long inactive, appeared even more slender to the nurses.
Yet his willpower was extraordinary.
During rehabilitation, he never cried pain or fatigue. His features never twisted. If not for clothes soaked in sweat after sessions, hair and cheeks streaming, others might think it effortless.
How did he endure?
A formerly mobile person suddenly restricted often breaks down emotionally in rehab.
Xie Qian never did.
This young man, upon admission, showed no medical knowledge. Now he seriously discussed plans with doctors… Not only strong-willed but knowledgeable!
The beautiful, strong, tragic youth, unflappable even if the hospital collapsed, softened only on calls.
Nurses understood no Chinese, but Xie Qian’s tone was truly gentle.
They soon guessed the daily caller was likely his girlfriend.
She never visited, yet constantly motivated his rehabilitation.
How could Xie Qian know the nurses’ imagined romance scripts? Receiving Wen Ying’s calls was indeed his happiest daily moment.
Hearing Wen Ying deceive Zhao Dong, Xie Qian’s lips curved. “When I return, your lie will be exposed.”
“Exposed, so what? By the time you return, will I fear him?”
Wen Ying dismissed it.
Realising her words, she added unnecessarily. “Cough, I am not afraid of him now either…”
“You just dislike trouble.”
Xie Qian continued. “You attend classes daily, write your new book, help friends with problems. Where is time to deal with Zhao Dong? Dismissing him in a few words is best, of course.”
The hamster’s tasks went beyond these.
Reliable intel from Peng Guoqing: a group of Zhendan boys, finding Wen Ying approachable, shifted from interest to action.
Basketball team captain, 187cm tall, smiles like Rukawa Kaede!
A junior rich second-generation, family on Hurun Rich List. Though ranked low, among Zhendan students he was wealthiest known. Zhendan hid dragons and tigers. Perhaps richer ones stayed low-key. In known info, this junior was “Zhendan’s richest”!
A journalism talent, poor background yet erudite. Knowledge bred confidence. He sought no high-salary job post-graduation, aspiring war correspondent.
War correspondent!
Such a trump career plan captivated countless literary girls, even decades later, let alone 2007.
These three suitors declared pursuit of Wen Ying, even agreeing to fair competition.
Many knew, none told Wen Ying.
She just found the three seniors familiar, often encountering them in cafeteria, library, or passing courts.
Peng Guoqing loved gossiping, passing pressure to Xie Qian.
Peng mysteriously asked if Xie Qian struck oil abroad. Besides oil, Peng could think of no project keeping him away over three months.
Xie Qian’s prolonged absence fueled messy Beijing rumours: truly paralysed, or vegetative.
Peng dismissed them, believing either oil or impromptu degree abroad.
Even for oil or degree, Xie Qian should return occasionally.
Peng urged Xie Qian not to underestimate rivals.
Xie Qian held no anger towards Wen Ying, generously overlooked the three seniors. He told Jiang Youjia: Peng wants first adaptation rights to sibling romance novel. Force a solid project plan from Peng, no leniency!
Xie Qian saw this not as pettiness but gratitude to Peng.
Without strictness, Peng cannot improve!
With Wen Ying, Xie Qian mentioned neither the three seniors nor Pang Jinglong, Mu Fan, others. Their shared topics overflowed, leaving no room for interlopers.
Like Zhang Zhijun’s son Zhang Hua.
Zhang Hua escorted Lu Meishu’s body home, stayed two months, no return to Beijing, intending permanent stay.
Hearing Xie Qian mention Zhang Hua, Wen Ying perked up, dropping playfulness. “What is he thinking? Was he not studying abroad? Dropping studies?”
“Heard Zhang Hua applied for one-year leave.”
Zhang Hua was deeply shocked by Lu Meishu’s death.
This time, he persistently contacted Xie Qian, calling periodically. For sincerity, he revealed something.
“Zhang Hua says Zhang Zhijun’s early border trade fortune came from smuggling.”
Wen Ying: “Believe it or not, this news does not surprise me!”
Xie Qian laughed over the phone. “Your moral expectations for Zhang Zhijun are low, so no surprise. Actually, not just him. Many border trade fortunes involve some… But one news will surprise you. The smuggling line making Zhang Zhijun rich originally belonged to the Lu family.”
“… The Lu family did smuggling?!”
Wen Ying was genuinely shocked.
If Lu family smuggled, Zhang Zhijun daring affair with Sara Zhuo behind Lu Meishu… Those handling such trades strapped heads to belts, ruthless!
“Yes. Lu family smuggled for years, seemingly low-key but influential locally. Of course, old history now. Zhang Zhijun stole the line from son-in-law, plummeting Lu prestige. Lu Meishu’s elder brother nearly killed Zhang Zhijun. Lu Meishu risked life to stop him. Her brother crippled one leg by Zhang Zhijun. Unable to kill sister, spared him. From then, brother cut ties with Lu Meishu.”
Wen Ying: ??!
Each word understandable, together overwhelming. Wen Ying’s mind reeled, murmuring. “What kind of plot is this? Her name is Lu Meishu, not Wang Baochuan!”
