Wen Ying felt that even if she were blown away by an atomic bomb, she wouldn’t cling to her mum’s leg, wailing.
By this time, Wen Ying had completely forgotten that no human can escape the “true fragrance” law. When the three of them arrived at the bank where Chen Ru worked, it was nearly her quitting time.
Wen Dongrong’s second-hand Fukang car parked next to a Mercedes.
The three cowards stared at each other in the car, but it was Wen Ying who couldn’t stand it and got out first.
“Fine, I’ll go confess first, you two come in later.”
Family matters didn’t need to be aired at Chen Ru’s workplace.
Only Wen Ying going to see her mum would avoid escalating tensions.
Wen Dongrong and Deng Shangwei both chose to play it safe.
Deng Shangwei, at least, felt a pang of guilt and shifted his backside, attempting to get up to see Wen Ying off. Wen Dongrong’s backside stayed glued to the seat, not forgetting to instruct Wen Ying, “Remember your uncle’s words, cry when you need to, showing weakness to your mum isn’t shameful.”
Not going in, he feared Wen Ying wouldn’t cry in front of him and Deng Shangwei.
The girl’s grown up, she’s got her pride, so let’s give her some dignity.
Wen Ying snorted.
She had the eloquence honed from her past life as a lawyer.
What kind of situation hadn’t she seen? Did she need to resort to crying to solve problems?
Chen Ru worked in an office behind the banking hall, mainly handling wealth management and loans. The reception room wasn’t as chaotic as the hall, more private, with a better customer experience.
Wen Ying went upstairs, looked up, and gasped, Good grief!
The man in a suit sitting on the sofa, wasn’t that Du Li?
Wen Ying recognised Du Li at once.
Du Li had a prickly personality but looked polished, relying on that face to win over female clients.
In comparison, Brother Zheng was in a worse spot, bald men versus non-bald men, the looks gap was stark, and Du Li was one of the non-bald ones.
Wen Ying recognised Du Li, and Du Li recognised her too.
The information Zhao Dong provided included Wen Ying’s photo.
Du Li gave a polite smile, making Wen Ying’s skin crawl.
Du Li was waiting to see Manager Chen, but now Wen Ying had arrived, cutting the queue with her daughterly status.
Inside Chen Ru’s office, Chen Ru was still handling a document. Though surprised Wen Ying came to her workplace, she decided to finish her work first.
“Sit and wait for me a bit.”
Chen Ru didn’t look up, pointing to the chair across her desk.
She thought Wen Ying would pull out the chair and sit quietly, but instead, she heard sobbing.
At first, it was faint, then it grew louder.
Chen Ru looked up to find the source, stunned.
It was Wen Ying crying!
“What are you crying for?”
“Mum, I’ve been bullied.”
Wen Ying had pinched her thigh to start crying, but when Chen Ru asked, years of suppressed grievances inexplicably surged up.
She wasn’t crying out of fear of Du Li.
Nor was she crying over Aige magazine or Han Qin.
For Wen Ying, who’d seen the ways of the world, these were trivial matters.
Wen Ying was crying for her past life’s self.
Wen Ying had endured plenty of grievances, always shouldering them alone because her parents constantly dismissed and belittled her. She felt that even if she complained to them, they wouldn’t help but would scold her for being useless, what if things weren’t as she thought?
Wen Ying went from sniffling to wailing, crying so hard that Chen Ru stood up from her seat, rushing to her in a few steps.
Chen Ru had never seen Wen Ying cry like this.
What kind of grievance could cause this?
In that brief moment, Chen Ru’s mind raced with guesses, including the worst ones, fearing Wen Ying had suffered that kind of bullying. The mere thought made Chen Ru unsteady on her feet.
It wasn’t a baseless guess.
Over the past year, Wen Ying’s appearance had transformed dramatically, from a chubby, ordinary girl to a vibrant young woman.
She’d grown taller, slimmed down, her skin fairer, the baby fat on her face not unattractive but rather a distinctive feature.
Unknowingly, Wen Ying had become beautiful, a grown young lady!
With the worst guesses in Chen Ru’s mind, her brain froze, her hands and feet trembled, her face pale.
Wen Ying was a bit startled.
But thinking of Du Li waiting in the reception room, if she didn’t win over her mum now, Du Li would seize the chance to swoop in. Wen Ying cried even louder.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry.”
Chen Ru, at a loss, placed a hand on Wen Ying’s shoulder, pulling her close.
Chen Ru meant to support Wen Ying, but she herself couldn’t hold up, collapsing into a chair.
Wen Ying tried to help Chen Ru up but failed, instead being pulled down by Chen Ru’s weight.
Now it really was the scene of clinging to her mum’s leg, crying.
So embarrassing.
Oh, who cares about embarrassment, this is her mum!
Wen Ying didn’t dare overdo the act. She snuck a glance at Chen Ru’s face, which looked like she might faint from worry, and while crying, she spilled her grievances.
“I, I was writing for a magazine, and as I wrote, the editor said I could try a novel, so I did.”
“Halfway through, someone approached me to publish it, and I agreed.”
“The magazine I was writing for got upset, so they cancelled my contract, and the editor badmouthed me online, so the publisher asked if I wanted to sue, and I did.”
“At first, I wanted to keep it a secret, but the longer I hid it, the more I hid, the more I didn’t dare tell you and Dad.”
Wen Ying tried her best to play the pitiful role, burying her face in Chen Ru’s lap, smearing snot and tears on her trousers.
Though she’d nearly crushed the magazine and Han Qin, she couldn’t say that to Manager Chen.
People sympathise with the weak. If Wen Ying seemed pitiful, Chen Ru’s anger would target those who “bullied” her daughter. If Wen Ying acted smug, she’d be the one getting a scolding.
Her eloquence from her past life as a lawyer wasn’t wasted, crying non-stop while clearly explaining the whole story.
Chen Ru understood, shifting from panic to shock.
So, the Teen Idol making headlines recently, its author was actually Wen Ying?
Chen Ru had long sensed something was off with Wen Ying.
She’d guessed many possibilities, but never this.
In recent days, she’d even wondered how to handle it if she caught Wen Ying in early puppy love, discussing it with her friend Wu Chunqin in Shanghai.
Wu Chunqin’s advice was not to interfere harshly, as kids in their rebellious phase would only push harder if parents opposed.
As long as you control the big picture and ignore the details, the novelty would fade, and the so-called puppy love would fizzle out.
Chen Ru had asked Wu Chunqin, what if the novelty never fades?
Wu Chunqin laughed and advised, “Then you should check the boy’s character and abilities. If he’s a good kid with talent, why break up a good match?”
