Xie Yuping truly understood human hearts too well.
Old Lady Xie thought about how she had yet to meet her granddaughter-in-law and indeed burst with great enthusiasm. Under the meticulous care of the nanny Xiao Tian, her condition improved day by day.
The old lady’s active recovery was not solely to meet her granddaughter-in-law. Privately, she had told Xiao Tian that this was to set an example for Xie Qian!
An old woman of such advanced age would not easily give up. Xie Qian was still so young. He would surely cooperate actively with the doctor’s rehabilitation plan and stand up again.
Xie Yuping and his wife visited the old lady.
Before Xie Yuping could speak, the old lady asked first, “Why have the newspapers been full of criticism towards Xiao Wen lately?”
The old lady had not paid attention to such news before. Only after learning of Wen Ying’s existence did she start to follow it.
Wen Ying selling a script for 5 million, guided by Ran Keqing, had provoked widespread anger. Recently, she had truly been criticised harshly.
Tianjiao and Director Zhang wanted to step in to reverse the public opinion for Wen Ying, but she stopped them.
Wen Ying felt there was no need for clarification.
Clarify that she did not love money?
In fact, she did love money.
Since she loved money anyway, why pretend to view wealth as dirt?
Liking money was not wrong. The gentleman loves wealth but acquires it rightly!
Wen Ying’s refusal to clarify was not because she was saintly or indifferent to Ran Keqing’s provocation. On the contrary, Wen Ying genuinely wanted to give Miss Ran a profound lesson!
When the two films released, if the one produced by Ran Keqing performed worse at the box office than *Shendu: Youth’s Journey*, how uncomfortable would Miss Ran feel?
Losing money and face was worse than losing face over Wen Ying’s script.
To slap Ran Keqing harder and for the box office of *Shendu: Youth’s Journey*, Wen Ying was willing to endure the criticism.
Wen Ying jokingly said that of the 5 million script fee, 4.99 million was compensation for the abuse she took, and only 10,000 was actual payment for the script. Even the iron rooster Director Zhang could not find words to retort and felt quite embarrassed whenever he saw Wen Ying.
Director Zhang had revealed the 5 million script purchase to promote that *Shendu: Youth’s Journey* would focus on the story core. Unexpectedly, the media’s focus differed entirely from his expectations.
Though the method was wrong, the promotional effect was achieved. Even someone like Old Lady Xie, who cared little about the film industry, now knew a film called *Shendu: Youth’s Journey* was in production!
Seeing so many people criticising Wen Ying, the old lady worried the young girl could not bear it.
Xie Yuping thought of Wen Ying’s series of actions after Xie Qian’s car accident and did not believe her psyche was that fragile.
Saying she remained unchanged before Mount Tai’s collapse was a slight exaggeration. But for an ordinary hill collapsing, Wen Ying could stay steady.
Since her debut, Wen Ying had been criticised several times for various reasons.
Xie Yuping’s words were on the tip of his tongue, but he suddenly changed them. “I’ll ask Xiao Wen if she needs any help.”
Old Lady Xie nodded satisfactorily.
The old lady’s speech was still a bit slurred, but her meaning was clear: young people’s romance should not be interfered with too much, but concern must be shown.
If they did not know of Wen Ying’s existence, that was one thing. But now that they knew, ignoring what happened to her would be inexcusable!
Old Lady Xie instructed Xie Yuping, “Ask properly. Don’t scare the child.”
…
At that moment, Wen Ying was at the airport.
“Don’t worry too much. Elderly people easily fall ill in winter. The doctor said it’s not too serious.”
Xie Qian sat in his wheelchair, comforting the somewhat dazed Wen Ying.
Xie Qian could already walk without the wheelchair.
Dr Joseph had been encouraging him all along, telling him he could stand up and return to normal mobility fastest. Now, as Xie Qian was about to recover fully, Dr Joseph became cautious instead.
Having come this far with so much effort, how could they rush at the end?
So Xie Qian had to remain in the wheelchair a few more days, awaiting Dr Joseph’s final assessment.
Xie Qian wanted Wen Ying to be the first to see him walk normally without the wheelchair. But she received a call from home, disrupting his plan.
Wen Ying had finished the script and held the press conference. It was already nearing the Spring Festival.
The family of three was now scattered: one studying in Shanghai, one working in Jinling, with only Chen Ru remaining in Rongcheng.
Chen Ru was in Rongcheng, where their home was. That was the base for old Wen and young Wen.
Chen Ru called asking when Xiao Wen would return home. Wen Ying hemmed and hawed, wanting to stay in Shanghai with Xie Qian a couple more days. But Chen Ru’s call shattered all the sweetness.
“Your grandmother has been hospitalised. You need to come back.”
Wen Ying’s heart tightened immediately.
In her memory, Grandma Wen had been hospitalised after this year’s Spring Festival in her previous life, in a very critical condition.
In her previous life, Wen Ying had not gone to university in Shanghai but stayed in Sichuan Province. When Grandma Wen was hospitalised, winter break had not yet started, so Wen Ying got the news immediately.
That time, Grandma Wen’s condition was life-threatening. She nearly did not make it.
Grandchildren like Wen Ying did not know how Grandma Wen fell ill. Adults would not say, and Wen Ying would not pry.
She only remembered the family being in chaos during that period.
Though Manager Chen and Grandma Wen had a strained mother-in-law daughter-in-law relationship, she would not stop Wen Dongrong from spending money to save his mother.
Not only Wen Ying’s family contributed money. Her eldest uncle and youngest uncle’s families were also willing to help. The three families withdrew money from the bank in tens of thousands, sending it to the hospital. Finally, they saved Grandma Wen’s life.
Aunt Wen Hongyan and her husband had no money. Wen Hongyan said she could contribute effort and took the initiative to care for Grandma Wen in the hospital. This sounded reasonable, and initially, Wen Hongyan did go to care for her.
Midway, for some unknown reason, there was a fallout. Wen Dongrong flew into a rage and forbade Wen Hongyan from continuing to care for Grandma Wen in the hospital, saying they would hire a caregiver.
In the end, no caregiver was hired. Eldest aunt Zhu Meiqun and youngest aunt took turns taking leave to care for her until the old lady recovered and was discharged.
Wen Ying remembered that not only Grandma Wen’s illness exhausted the family. Her parents were also quarrelling.
Why?
Chen Ru was strong-willed and never quarrelled in front of Wen Ying. They always argued behind her back.
Whenever Wen Ying was present, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong always appeared “harmonious as husband and wife”.
After Grandma Wen was discharged, Wen Dongrong was cold towards Shu Lu’s family for a long time. Later, after Shu Lu’s college entrance exam when she frequently visited Wen Ying’s home for volunteer filling, Wen Dongrong resumed interactions with Shu Lu’s family.
Much later, Wen Ying learned the truth from her cousin Wen Kai.
Grandma Wen’s sudden hospitalisation was due to shock.
Grandma Wen discovered Shu Guobing keeping a mistress outside!
Wen Hongyan leeched off her brothers and sisters-in-law, relying on them to support her daughter and her alcoholic husband Shu Guobing.
That useless Shu Guobing could be said to have sucked the Wen family’s blood year-round!
Such a useless man, living off the Wen family, still dared to keep a woman outside. Grandma Wen confronted Shu Guobing. Wen Hongyan instead protected Shu Guobing and quarrelled with her mother.
Grandma Wen, in a fit of anger, was hospitalised.
Wen Hongyan’s initiative to care for the old lady in hospital was purely out of guilt.
Being driven away midway by Wen Dongrong was because he learned the truth behind his mother’s illness!
Wen Ying thought that in this life, Grandma Wen would avoid this calamity. After all, the thunder from Shu Lu’s family had exploded early. Grandma Wen now completely ignored Wen Hongyan and Shu Guobing.
Moreover, without Wen Dongrong’s generous subsidies, Wen Hongyan and Shu Guobing lived even more frugally than in the previous life. In the previous life, Shu Guobing could squeeze out money for drinking and women. What could he use this life?
Unexpectedly, while many things changed, some remained the same.
Without Shu Guobing’s provocation, Grandma Wen still fell ill and was hospitalised, even earlier than in Wen Ying’s memory!
This contradicted Wen Ying’s memory. She dared not take it lightly. After hanging up Chen Ru’s call, she booked the earliest flight.
Wen Dongrong had returned before Wen Ying and was already at the hospital.
She heard Wen Kai was also on his way back to Rongcheng.
Perhaps because the shock was less severe and it erupted earlier than in her memory, the good news was that Grandma Wen’s illness this time was not as serious as Wen Ying remembered!
