Xie Qian’s current situation was truly quite difficult.
In the capital’s circle, men who cheated and kept mistresses were not just Xie Jinghu alone, but one like Xie Jinghu, who drove his wife to flee far to Chengdu, squeezed out his own son, and seemed determined to move all the family property to his mistress and illegitimate children, was truly nowhere to be found!
Zhang Nan did not know where these words had originated from first; suddenly one day, they were known to all.
Everyone was saying Zou Weijun had it hard, that Xie Qian was pitiable, and at the same time, that Xie Jinghu was detestable and foolish!
Wen Ying’s mere mention of Xie Qian’s situation immediately struck Zhang Nan’s soft spot, and more fatally, Zhang Nan found Wen Ying’s logic extremely sound: Xie Qian’s circumstances were tough, constantly obstructed by his own father, while he also had to protect his mother and balance his studies. It seemed he truly had no energy for romance.
Seeing Zhang Nan’s expression soften, Wen Ying pressed her advantage. “Think carefully if what I said makes sense. You have known Xie Qian since childhood, so you should understand him even better. In your heart, is he really the sort who cannot distinguish priorities?”
“Of course not!”
Zhang Nan anxiously defended him, already devoid of the momentum she had shown at the signing event upon first meeting Wen Ying.
With no third person present at the scene, Wen Ying feigned mystery by lowering her voice and delivered the third blow. “Think again: you do not even know me, so why would you suddenly come to trouble me? Who told you the false news that I am Xie Qian’s girlfriend, and what was their purpose? It is truly terrifying upon careful thought!”
Yes, who had spread this news?
Zhang Nan’s mind was a jumble, and she barely managed to explain. “Even if you truly are Xie Qian’s girlfriend, I am not here to trouble you. I just wanted to meet you…”
“Oh!”
Wen Ying’s furrowed brows relaxed completely, her face full of admiration. “Then I can only say the mastermind behind this underestimated your upbringing. They knew you liked Xie Qian and wanted to use you as a tool, but they did not expect that while you like Xie Qian, you would not act like the vicious female supporting character in an idol drama. You have your own pride. You were willing to communicate with me first. With us exchanging information like this, the mastermind’s scheme has fallen through!”
From their first meeting at the signing event, Wen Ying had been the type who never yielded an inch in words, highly aggressive.
Now that this prickly type had taken a step back voluntarily, Zhang Nan felt rather unaccustomed.
The hard-edged prickly type speaking soft words, coupled with praise from a suspected rival in love, these two elements combined left Zhang Nan somewhat light-headed.
Zhang Nan scrutinised Wen Ying carefully once more.
Wen Ying was, of course, good-looking.
But it was more than just good looks.
Her words were unyielding, yet her gaze was very inclusive.
Wen Ying did not admit to being Xie Qian’s girlfriend, but she was certainly his friend. A girl like Wen Ying, regardless of family background, absolutely qualified to be Xie Qian’s friend!
Zhang Nan set aside her original intent in coming to see Wen Ying, her mind filled with Wen Ying’s earlier words. “Saying you are Xie Qian’s girlfriend, tricking me into bringing people to confront you, what benefit does that give the mastermind? Who is the mastermind?!”
Wen Ying naturally knew who the mastermind was, but she could not state the answer directly. Instead, she kicked the question back to Zhang Nan, her tone grave. “I am not certain who the mastermind is. I only know part of Xie Qian’s family matters, certainly not as clear as you. As for why they would do this, I guess it is to create some trouble for Xie Qian, and incidentally sow discord between him and his friends? After all, Xie Qian has temporarily left your circle geographically. Perhaps the mastermind even wants him to leave your circle forever. If you and Xie Qian fall out, he will be more isolated and helpless. With no one in the capital passing information to Xie Qian, the other side can deal with him however they want in the future!”
Wen Ying had not named anyone, yet once she finished speaking, Xie Jinghu’s name automatically popped into Zhang Nan’s mind.
Upon careful thought, such a thing truly seemed like something only Xie Jinghu could do. Everyone in the circle knew how biased Xie Jinghu was, to the point of creaking armpits, suppressing Xie Qian everywhere to make way for his illegitimate children. He could not stand to see Xie Qian have even a bit of good fortune!
“Detestable!”
Zhang Nan slammed her palm on the table, causing the bowls, dishes, and chopsticks that the waiter had not yet cleared to rattle in unison.
It must be Xie Jinghu.
That old man Xie Jinghu, did he think he was popular with the younger generation?
If not for Xie Qian’s sake, Zhang Nan would not bother sweet-talking Xie Jinghu at all!
Ever since learning how Xie Jinghu treated his wife and son, Zhang Nan had refused to curry favour with him any longer.
She had not expected that just as she gave up, Xie Jinghu would still try to use her… Bah bah bah, utterly shameless. Bullying minors, what kind of skill was that?
Zhang Nan’s expressions shifted so vividly that it was truly entertaining.
Xie Qian was right; Zhang Nan was not all that clever. Wen Ying, with just three parts effort, could easily bamboozle the girl into a daze. Her temper was indeed a bit impulsive and self-righteous, but with Zhang Nan’s family background and looks, it was clear she had been pampered and held in the palm of hands. A little temper was normal.
Thinking back to the previous Zhao Qian who had come looking for trouble over Xie Qian, Zhang Nan was simply too reasonable!
Zhang Nan was better than Zhao Qian in that she could communicate, and even more so in that she respected Xie Qian more.
The former liked Xie Qian and wanted to win his affection.
The latter liked Xie Qian and, regardless of his own wishes, just thought about how to snatch him away.
Wen Ying was just about to continue her efforts and fully win over Zhang Nan when Tai Wu the Little, who had been shooed outside, suddenly ran back in. “I definitely will not let them fight… Eh?”
Tai Wu held up his phone, looking rather foolish.
It was not that Tai Wu was slow to react; the scene before his eyes was simply too bizarre.
It turned out that when Wen Ying had lowered her voice to speak to Zhang Nan earlier, Zhang Nan, wanting to hear more clearly, had unconsciously shifted towards Wen Ying’s seat.
The two had originally been sitting face to face, but now they were side by side, both turning their heads in unison to look at Tai Wu. The synchronised movement was just like that of close girlfriends. Something was off! From outside, hearing the clatter of dishes, he had thought they had already started fighting!
“What are you ‘eh’-ing about?”
Zhang Nan, full of anger from realising she had been used as a pawn, could not vent it on Wen Ying, so Tai Wu happened to bump into the muzzle.
Tai Wu covered the phone’s speaker and chuckled dryly. “Nothing, just that Peng Guoqing called back. He said you are all good friends of Xie Qian and was afraid you two might quarrel over a misunderstanding.”
No girlfriend, all good friends.
Zhang Nan snatched the phone from Tai Wu’s hand, cleared her throat, and unleashed a torrent. “Peng Guoqing, who do you look down on? Do you think girls in your eyes can only fight over jealousy? Xie Qian’s friends are my friends. This is Wen Ying’s first time in the capital, so of course I have to do my duty as a host! Alright, stop worrying unnecessarily. As long as Wen Ying is in the capital these few days, I will take care of her. I absolutely will not let anyone bully her!”
Not just Peng Guoqing on the other end of the line, even Tai Wu present in person was dumbfounded.
In just this short while, Zhang Nan had lost all hostility towards Wen Ying and was even volunteering to act as her bodyguard?
Peng Guoqing thought Zhang Nan was a bit silly.
Wen Ying was not Xie Qian’s girlfriend now, but that did not mean she would not be in the future!
With Zhang Nan’s intelligence, no wonder her secret crush on Xie Qian for so many years had yielded no results. Xie Qian, not considering himself, would have to think about the genetic inheritance for future generations. Even if it were Peng Guoqing, he would never choose Zhang Nan…
Tai Wu sneaked a glance at Wen Ying, who smiled at him. Tai Wu instinctively tucked in his tail.
